Chapter 125

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"Is that so?"

Fu Yeye took the opportunity to wipe his nose with paper: "Xiao Lin also lived in the courtyard? When was that?"

Guben winked at Lin Xiyu.

"Before eight years old......."

Lin Xiyu understood, cooperated with his story, and comforted Grandpa: "I was too young then, I really can't remember many things, I only remember that in summer there were especially many cicadas in the woods, crawling all over the trees when it rained. My dad held a flashlight at night and took me to catch cicadas, catching dozens in one night."

"There were many cicadas in the poplar forest."

Guben nodded in agreement: "I caught them when I was young too, not shining a flashlight on the trees, but digging directly underground. Back then I was very bold, seeing a hole and poking it with a tree branch, I dug up all sorts of things. Once a toad even jumped out, which completely overturned my understanding. I used to think toads all lived in water, never expected there to be some under trees......"

"Hiss."

Wu Meng listened with her hair standing on end: "Toads, so disgusting, aren't you afraid?"

"What's there to be afraid of?"

Li Liang laughed and chimed in: "I even dug up a snake once."

"Ah?"

Even Lin Xiyu was startled, her heart trembling, rubbing her arms and shaking goosebumps all over the ground.

"What did you dig so many cicadas for?"

Xu Yi's reaction was completely different from the girls', his small eyes bright and shiny, very curious.

"To eat."

Lin Xiyu vividly told him: "Catch cicadas back, soak them in salt water overnight, then fry them in oil the next morning. Crispy and fragrant, the taste is simply indescribably delicious."

"I want to eat too."

Xu Yi was made greedy by his sister, couldn't help but swallow his saliva: "Are there still some now? I want to dig cicadas too."

"There are......"

Guben didn't disappoint him: "Summer is exactly when there are the most cicadas. If you want to dig, on our way back this afternoon, we'll pass the nursery, dig in the nursery, there are even more cicadas there, let you dig your fill."

"Yay, great."

Xu Yi jumped with joy: "I can dig cicadas too."

"Having a little child at home makes it lively."

Fu Nainai liked liveliness, the more she looked at the clever little fellow, the more she liked him.

"He's being mischievous."

Lin Xiyu patted her younger brother's little head dotingly: "After a long time you'll know, jumping up and down, no one can make as much of a ruckus as him."

"Boys, being a bit mischievous is normal."

Fu Nainai didn't mind: "My family has nine grandsons, which one wasn't mischievous from childhood? Xiao Zheng is considered the steadier one among the nine brothers. When he was little, didn't he also roll around in the wheat field, and his grandfather whipped him with a rolling pin......"

"Brother Zheng really rolled around in the wheat field?"

Xu Yi found it funny, laughing without a care.

"Cough cough....."

Fu Zheng's ears turned red, and he coughed twice embarrassedly.

"That one was even more mischievous."

Fu Nainai wasn't satisfied yet, and turned her aim to Guben: "Rarely coming back once, couldn't stay home for even fifteen minutes, ran to the grass beside the airfield to catch grasshoppers, roasted them over fire, sparks set the grass on fire, discovered by the soldiers on duty who reported home, making my heart ache with anger."

"Brother Bin, you were that mischievous too?"

Xu Yi found it funny, almost laughed out loud.

"I was little then."

Guben didn't care about his black history at all: "There wasn't much entertainment, digging too many cicadas was also boring, had to find some fresh fun, otherwise the days would be too dull."

"Are roasted grasshoppers tasty?"

Xu Yi's curiosity was aroused again.

"Tasty."

Guben nodded seriously.

"I want to catch......"

Xu Yi was just about to say he also wanted to go to the airfield to catch grasshoppers to roast and eat, when Fu Zheng's sentence shattered his fantasy.

"Don't even think about it. Zhangzhuang Airport used to be a civilian airport, management wasn't so strict. Now it's under military management. Not to mention roasting grasshoppers, lighting a fire on the grass, or even approaching the airfield, none of it is possible without permission from superiors."

"Sigh."

Xu Yi's little face fell, and he muttered unhappily: "Children nowadays are really pitiful. This isn't allowed, that isn't allowed, not at all as happy as you were when you were young."

"Xiao Yi is from which year?"

Fu Nainai found it amusing, smiling kindly.

"From '85."

Lin Xiyu answered for her younger brother: "Ten years younger than me."

"How are you siblings so far apart?"

Fu Nainai furrowed her brows, only then realizing something was wrong.

"Xiyu's mother remarried after her father sacrificed."

Guben knew he couldn't avoid this topic, and recounted to his grandparents how Lin Xiyu's grandmother favored boys over girls and seized the pension money belonging to her and her mother.

"Outrageous."

Fu Yeye flew into a rage and cursed: "How could there be such a vicious old woman, abandoning her own granddaughter and seizing the money the mother and daughter relied on to survive?"

"This is still your fault, isn't it?"

Fu Nainai vented her anger on her spouse: "How are pensions for fallen soldiers distributed? Can just anyone claim them? Without a family member's signature, on what grounds did they give it to her?"

"Cough, cough."

Fu Yeye choked, and was left speechless by his wife's retort.

"This has nothing to do with Grandpa."

Fu Zheng couldn't bear to watch, and explained for Grandpa: "Her grandmother counts as a direct relative; her son died a martyr, and when the mother came to pay respects and claim the pension, anyone would think it reasonable, and no one could stop it."

"But it depends on the situation..."

Fu Nainai was still displeased: "Her husband and children are all still alive, and it's all taken by the grandmother—what kind of thing is that?"

"Xiao Zhou..."

Fu Yeye struck his cane hard and called his orderly: "Go ask who handled this back then, and tell him to come over as soon as possible."

"Yes."

The orderly responsible for the elderly couple's meals and daily needs, hearing the order, didn't care about cooking and hurried out of the kitchen.

"Grandpa, forget it?"

Fu Zheng, not wanting to make a big deal of it, tentatively advised: "This all happened ten years ago; the person responsible back then may have already been discharged."

"Whether he's been discharged or not, the person must be found."

Fu Yeye glared, his dignity fully on display: "I want to hear him say with his own mouth what exactly happened back then?"

"Investigate, we must investigate."

Fu Nainai slammed the table, her momentum even greater than Grandpa's: "This happened in the Military District Compound, so embarrassing! How pitiful they were when they were forced to leave back then—is this how you treat martyrs' relatives? Do you ignore their family?"

"Xiao Zhou, go quickly."

Fu Yeye, his old face red from being retorted to by his wife, said: "Say it's my order; no matter what, this matter must be investigated clearly."

"Yes."

The orderly dared not delay any longer, rushing out of the door like a gust of wind.

—

The efficiency of the military in executing orders could be called divine speed; in less than half an hour, the orderly returned, bringing back a middle-aged officer who seemed to have just left the training ground, drenched in sweat.

The middle-aged officer obviously already knew the reason the Old Commander had summoned him, and his expression was somewhat tense.

The old man was obviously acquainted with the middle-aged officer, and upon seeing him, he launched into a string of curses.

The middle-aged officer dared not make a sound, and only dared to explain sheepishly after the Old Commander had finished venting his temper.

The reason was roughly what Fu Zheng had guessed.

Lin Xiyu's father's ancestral home was in the countryside; his father had died early, and the family was poor.

He was the eldest son, with three younger sisters and two younger brothers below him.

The whole family relied on his relief for survival; the eldest son's death was also a heavy blow to the family.

Ten years ago, when Lin Xiyu's grandmother brought the whole family to the Military Region, she wore tattered clothes, her body covered in patches upon patches, looking truly pitiful.

The middle-aged officer was also moved by this, so when she asked to claim the pension, he couldn't bear to refuse.

—

"Xiyu, have you and your grandmother been in touch these years?"

Fu Nainai, hearing of the plight of Lin Xiyu's father's family, knit her brows tightly.

"No."

Lin Xiyu shook her head: "Since my mother remarried and moved out of the Military District Compound, we haven't been in touch again."

"You need to be careful."

Fu Nainai, having lived a long life and knowing more about human affairs and accidents than most: "In the past, you and your mother lived hard lives and had no value to exploit, so she feared you'd ask her for money, deliberately avoided contact, and stayed far away. Now it's different; you filmed a documentary and became a public figure, she thinks the opportunity has come again, that she can squeeze benefits from you, and she'll come find you again."

"Ah?"

Lin Xiyu, incredulous: "She still has the nerve to come? Her face is too thick! If she comes, I won't recognize her; in my heart, she hasn't been my real grandmother for a long time."

"You're thinking too simply."

Fu Nainai, having experienced many great storms in her life and seen much of human nature's treachery: "She is your father's biological mother and shares a blood relationship with you; legally speaking, you have a legal obligation to support her. Even if you don't recognize her, she can cling to you, just like ten years ago, using family ties to squeeze you."

"This is too hateful."

Lin Xiyu's right fist suddenly clenched, and a surge of irritability rose.

At this moment, she could not have foreseen that Fu Nainai's words would prove true.

Before long, her grandmother who had disappeared for ten years would appear again, just as Fu Nainai said, subjecting her to emotional blackmail and causing an uproar.

"Don't be afraid."

Guben saw her resentment and patted her shoulder soothingly: "With me here, no one can bully you, not even your real grandmother."

"Old man, this matter still needs you to step in to settle it."

Fu Nainai saw her grandson throw himself into the matter without regard for his own safety, and smiled helplessly.

"Liu Feng."

Fu Yeye and his wife were of one mind, their brows and eyes solemn, allowing no objection: "Write a written document about what happened back then, sign and seal it, and give a copy to Xiao Lin. If her grandmother comes to cause trouble again, she'll at least have evidence in hand proving her grandmother was in the wrong first, bullying an orphan and a widow, so no one can leave a handle and affect her public image."

"Yes."

The middle-aged officer, on a scorching hot day, was scared into a cold sweat by the Old Commander and dared not have any objection.

"You may go."

Fu Yeye waved his hand, very satisfied with his attitude: "Hurry up and get it done. Before Xiao Bin and the others leave this afternoon, give him the documents."

"Yes."

The middle-aged officer dared not delay in the slightest, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and almost trotted out the door.

"It's getting late; let's eat first."

Fu Nainai watched his departing back and instantly put on a smiling face, smilingly greeting everyone.

"Finally we can eat; I'm starving."

Xu Yi glanced at the clock on the wall; it was almost one o'clock at noon, and he pitifully rubbed his stomach a few times.

"Gurgle gurgle."

As if confirming his words, his stomach cooperated by growling a few times, expressing its protest.

"I'm sorry..."

Lin Xiyu looked apologetic: "It's all because of me that I delayed Grandpa and Grandma's meal."

"It's fine."

Fu Nainai smiled kindly: "We old folks eat little; usually there's no one at home, and two meals a day are enough."

"My maternal grandmother sometimes eats two meals a day too."

Lin Xiyu smiled and agreed: "She says eating too much is hard to digest, especially in summer; she often eats some fruit in the evening and counts it as a meal."

"That's how it is when you get old..."

Fu Nainai kindly held her hand and chatted with her: "Young people have strong appetites; they fear cold in winter and heat in summer, and their digestion isn't good either."

"Grandma, you're not old at all; your skin is well cared for, and you don't look like someone in their seventies at all."

Lin Xiyu was full of gratitude for Fu Nainai's kindness and was willing to get close to her: "You look like an older-generation star, the one named Wu Yi."

"Oh my, I'm a person with a face full of wrinkles."

Fu Nainai laughed with joy: "How can you compare with someone like Wu Yi?"

"Grandma is not inferior to her at all."

Lin Xiyu's mouth was as sweet as honey: "Especially your temperament—noble and elegant; at a glance, you're a well-bred lady from a prominent family."

"Hahaha."

Fu Nainai laughed so hard she couldn't close her mouth: "Listen to yourselves, this girl really knows how to talk; no wonder she has that eye-catching brat of ours wrapped around her finger. Nobody else is good enough for him, yet he fell for her."

"That's what they call one thing subdues another."

Fu Zheng felt the same; rarely black-bellied, he seized the opportunity to get revenge for his brother's threat when he entered: "No matter how rebellious Xiao Bin is, there's someone who can handle him. From now on, there's a good show to watch. As his elder brother, he doesn't listen to me, but he dare not disobey his sister-in-law. Her conditions are so good; if he doesn't listen, she'll dump him and find someone better."

"I think so too."

Fu Nainai found it amusing and nodded in agreement.

"Hey."

Guben looked speechless: "Grandma, how can you be like this? You can't just because you have a granddaughter-in-law forget your grandson. I am your biological grandson."

"Your grandfather's surname is Fu, and your surname is Gu."

Fu Nainai got angry at the mention of surnames and gave him a white eye: "Whose biological grandson are you? Don't try to curry favor and act cute here; I don't admit it."

"Grandma."

Guben reacted quickly and smiled teasingly: "If you don't admit your grandson, then there's no granddaughter-in-law either. You can not admit me, but can you not admit Xiyu, push such a good granddaughter-in-law away, and let someone else have her? Can you bear to?"

"You little brat, are you deliberately arguing with Grandma again?"

Fu Nainai glared, pretended to be angry, refused to admit it, but indeed couldn't bear to in her heart.

Such a pretty and sensible granddaughter-in-law; saying it out there would give her old self a lot of face!

Enough for her to boast for a good while in front of those familiar elderly sisters.

"The dishes are all served; stop talking, everyone eat."

Fu Yeye hadn't been able to interject until now; seeing the dishes on the table, he finally had a chance to show off the dignity of the head of the family.