“Mother, you can leave Xiao Bao to me; you can rest assured.”
He Mu was initially hesitant, but at that moment, Li Chunhua, who had long suppressed her impatience, rarely opposed her son’s wishes, “Shiheng, you have other responsibilities in the army; taking He Xiaobao with you would only add trouble for yourself. No, let’s not bring this up again.”
Upon hearing her objection, He Mu immediately perked up, “Mother-in-law! What are you saying? Our Xiao Bao is just like Shiheng’s little brother. Is taking your own brother to work considered a trouble?”
Fearing that Li Chunhua might ruin this good arrangement, He Mu quickly grabbed Lin Shiheng’s hand, as if to prevent him from changing his mind: “Shiheng, it’s settled then. From now on, my Xiao Bao will be in your care, brother-in-law.”
“Don’t worry.”
Lin Shiheng smiled warmly, patting He Xiaobao on the shoulder as he looked at her mother with a reassuring voice. “I will definitely take good care of Xiao Bao.”
****
“Yes, that’s how you write it…”
Lin Shiheng stood at the table, slightly bowed, watching He Xuezhu carefully write his name with a pen.
She previously didn’t know how to read or write, so Lin Shiheng started teaching her with her own name first—He Xuezhu—but now she seemed to be writing ‘Lin Shiheng’ with more attentiveness than before.
Although her writing was still a bit awkward, ‘Lin Shiheng’ was neatly written on the page.
“Xuezhu is really smart.”
After He Xuezhu finished and put down the pen, she looked up at him with a hint of expectation. The man standing at the table didn’t hold back his praise: “Before, when I taught others to write in the army, none of them learned as quickly as you, and you managed to write so neatly the first time.”
He Xuezhu had grown up in an environment filled with belittlement and reprimands. Although her husband constantly praised her since he started teaching her, she couldn’t help but show a shy happy smile each time she heard it.
“Come, write your name once more.”
Accompanied by Lin Shiheng’s patient and gentle voice, He Xuezhu picked up the pen and continued to write her name with focus.
Looking at the letters on the paper, Lin Shiheng sighed as if he had discovered a new continent: “Your memory is really good; it seems that it won’t be long before you complete your elementary education.”
He Xuezhu nodded happily. Her husband reached out, his long fingers touching the letters she had just written, prompting her to read aloud: “Lin Shiheng… He Xuezhu.”
“Our names are next to each other.”
Hearing Lin Shiheng’s voice filled with joy, her face flushed slightly as she gazed at the two names she had written on the page, feeling a wave of sweetness swell in her heart.
The man behind her gently lifted his hand and patted He Xuezhu’s head: “Xuezhu, come with me to the army.”
“I asked mom, and she said she needs to stay behind to supervise the construction of the house. We’ll go first, and when Huaguo becomes stable or my position is higher, we can buy a place to settle down there.”
He Xuezhu looked a bit surprised and delighted as she raised her eyes, “But leaving mom alone…”
“Of course, we won’t leave mom behind alone. It’s just that the new house is under construction, and mom is worried. After some time, we will bring her over.”
The couple was sharing tender words when suddenly a woman’s voice came from outside, “Chunhua! Chunhua! Are you there?!”
Recognizing the voice of Lin San’a — her husband’s aunt — the smile that had been on He Xuezhu’s lips due to her husband’s tenderness fell, and she frowned slightly, standing up to look.
She knew that her mother-in-law disliked the Lin family, and even the typically good-natured He Xuezhu resented them for always coming over to mock her mother-in-law for not having grandchildren in three years.
When Lin Shiheng noticed He Xuezhu frowning, ready to go out, he gently pressed her shoulder to sit back down, softly saying, “I’ll go. You continue practicing your writing.”
He Xuezhu finally realized that her husband was already back, and she no longer had to face those she didn’t want to see.
With her maternal instincts brought on by pregnancy softening her features, He Xuezhu gradually relaxed. She returned to her seat, looking at her husband with a nod of trust: “Alright, call me if you need anything.”
Lin Shiheng smiled tenderly and adjusted her grip on the pen before lifting the curtain and stepping out.
He didn’t need to step out to know why Lin San’a had come; it was simply to urge him to visit the two elders.
Indeed, their new house was being built energetically, and the old Lin family had waited several days without seeing the dutiful Lin Shiheng visit his grandparents, so Lin San’a finally couldn’t hold back and came to urge him.
Lin Shiheng vaguely understood the situation in the Lin family. Lin Grandpa and Lin Grandma had three sons in total, the eldest being the father of the body he inhabited, who had passed away early. Afterward, Li Chunhua couldn’t get along with the Lin family, and she forcefully moved away with her son, almost leaving with nothing.
She didn’t like her in-laws, and Lin Grandpa and Grandma did not like her either, but they genuinely cared for Lin Shiheng, their grandson. When he was little, the two elders were still in good health and often spoiled him with food. Because of this, as he grew up, he treated the two old people with filial respect.
Afterward, as they aged and could no longer work, they held onto valuable items in the house, such as the land deed, tightly in their hands. The other two sons and their wives had not divided the family yet, so for the sake of those valuables or other reasons, they continued to show respect to the elders.
In his memories, his grandparents didn’t harbor any ill intentions toward him; they simply had the old-fashioned mindset that successful children should support the unsuccessful ones. Now that their grandson had become successful, it was natural for them to arrange things for the others.