"...I still remember the day you came back at eight years old, the first time you saw me, your big brother and little brother didn’t dare to make a sound, just stayed close to protect you, but you..."
Mr. Lin reminisced and laughed, "You pushed them away and suddenly rushed up to me, asking if I was your father. At that moment, I thought, out of the four kids, this one is the most like me."
"When you were that small, you stood in front of many people in the troop and said you wanted to be Little Balu. The old chief said, ’Ah, Lin, this one is definitely your seed...’"
"...More than half a year later, I returned from the front lines, and you were the first to rush to the headquarters. Such a stubborn child, crying so hard. It scared me, and I chased after you, asking what was wrong. Later, when everyone left, you secretly told me, Dad, I was actually scared you might die, but I didn’t dare to say it."
"Ever since then, whenever the troops were deployed, I told myself that I had to stay alive. Every time I came back, you, this child, were always the first one to look for me..."
"...In a letter, you said, Dad, I want to marry Zhou Xiaozheng, but my mom doesn’t agree. At the time, I was so angry I wanted to shoot that boy. What a joke, where did this wild boy come from, wanting to take away my eldest daughter? But I couldn’t leave, so I had to ask around."
"Fortunately, after casually asking a few people, they all said the boy was a good seedling and even asked if I was planning to transfer him under my command. Some even joked that it was out of the question."
"I thought about it and concluded that he was suitable for my Shanshan. The girl’s vision is just like her father’s, so why not agree? Your mom said he didn’t even fancy you. For that, I had my first argument with your mom—was my daughter not worthy of him? But I still felt uneasy."
"Isn’t it said that seeing is believing? I found an opportunity to visit your place, and what did I see? Well, that boy with a stern face..."
Ping’an cleared his throat upon hearing this and handed Mr. Lin a glass of water, "Your health isn’t suited for excitement, please, have some water to calm down."
Mr. Lin looked deeply into his eyes with his seasoned, cloudy gaze, and Ping’an also smiled intently at him, "Grandpa may not treat Grandma like a precious gem, but it’s close enough. Isn’t it said that grandchildren have their fortunes? You’re just too worried, and that’s not good for health."
Miao Lishan patted Ping’an with satisfaction, smiling at the old man, "This child... Dad, even though Ping’an is young, he makes sense; you’re indeed too worried..."
Mr. Lin glanced at Miao Lishan and suddenly laughed, "You really don’t need me to worry anymore." With that, he pushed Ping’an’s hand with the cup away.
Ping’an dropped his eyes in displeasure, followed the force to take back the cup, glanced at the side table, stood up, walked to the window, and placed it on the coffee table, looking at the cup with pity.
Did I save your life or not?
"Grandma, we should go."
Once Ping’an said this...
"It’s hard to come once, stay a little longer."
"Alright, but I still need to hurry back to work," Miao Lishan said, looking at Mr. Lin speaking simultaneously, disapprovingly, "Dad, you’ve talked for so long, you should rest."
"When will you come next time?"
Ping’an looked at the old man amusingly, taking out the Milo powder and apples from the net bag one by one, wanting to hear how Grandma would respond.
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