Chapter 22: 90: A Family by the Spring Chapter 22: Old Husband, Young Wife

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

The mountain bike was at the suspect's home, half-disassembled, when police officers broke down the door and caught him red-handed.

The matter caused quite a stir and quickly spread; his relatives were implicated and shunned by everyone.

The neighbors' pointing fingers made them unable to hold their heads up, and soon the whole family moved away.

Coinciding with the demolition, they became the first household in the entire Old City District to move out.

Lin Xiyu later heard that the suspect had a prior record, had committed an offense while at work, and was fired for theft. Afterwards he had no job, loafed at home, drank heavily, and beat his wife.

Having such a scoundrel as a neighbor naturally made one feel disgusted.

Thinking again of Guben's family background, which differed too greatly from her own, befriending him was already reaching beyond her station, let alone anything else.

The fragile seed of love had just sprouted a tender shoot when merciless reality cruelly crushed it; she was depressed for several days straight, until Li Yan called to say she had coordinated with the Tourism Bureau, the documentary would begin filming, and they would come to her home for on-location shooting, at which point she temporarily put the matter aside, perked up, and welcomed the arrival of the Program Group.

——

Guben's Grandfather lived on Wangfu Pool West Street, also a siheyuan, with an area and layout not much different from Donghua Street No. 9 Courtyard; the only difference was that only one family lived there, a small courtyard with its own gate.

The bicycle was recovered; Guben went home and found Grandfather happened to be free, sitting alone under the tree shade studying chess, so he moved a small horse stool over to join him.

"Xiao Bin, you're back just in time; play a few games with Grandfather."

Grandfather loved playing Chinese chess and was a true hopeless player; after decades of playing, his skill hadn't improved at all, yet he didn't realize it himself, and liked to play chess with whoever he could catch.

Guben could beat him at ten years old, and his level now far surpassed the past; deliberately playing with him was nothing more than coaxing the old man to be happy.

"Xiao Bin just got back and hasn't even had a sip of water, and you're already asking him to play chess with you..."

Grandmother lifted the curtain and walked out from the south room, feigning displeasure, and placed a cup of Ice Sour Plum Juice in front of her grandson.

Grandmother was twenty years younger than Grandfather; when young she was a pillar of the department's performing arts troupe, beautiful, and good at singing and dancing.

Grandfather was an old Red Army soldier who joined the Nanchang Uprising at seventeen; during the War of Resistance he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the revolutionary cause and never married.

After liberation, being quite old, he married Grandmother under the care of a respected Old Commander.

The two were a typical old husband and young wife, with one son and one daughter.

Grandfather considered himself a coarse old man and felt it was a great blessing to marry Grandmother, so he listened to and obeyed her, quite the henpecked husband.

——

"Grandmother, what's for dinner?"

Seeing Grandfather lower his head without speaking, Guben picked up the sour plum juice, tilted his head back, and drank it in one breath, feeling instantly refreshed.

"What do you want to eat?"

Seeing him drink the sour plum juice, Grandmother smiled even more kindly and benevolently.

"Braised pork elbow."

"Alright, Grandmother will go buy it for you now."

"I want the braised pork elbow from Lu Ji's on Furong Street; that one is delicious."

"Alright, I'll buy that one's..."

Her precious grandson wanted braised pork elbow; how could Grandmother not agree? She took off her apron and went out the door.

"You little brat, your schemes are getting more and more numerous."

Grandfather glanced at Grandmother walking out of the yard, then chuckled, put down the Chinese chess in his hand, and said: "Speak; you deliberately sent your grandmother away—what do you want to say?"