Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 190 Grandma Passes Away

Even though Jingyan had seen many fine things in her life, she still didn't understand jade. But it didn't matter that she didn't understand, because her grandmother was used to seeing good things and could tell at a glance that this was a rare warm jade.

This jade pendant could easily feed the child for eight years, let alone eighteen. Knowing its value, Jingyan felt unworthy of it, but her grandmother remained calm.

"Since she used this to pay for your meal, it means it's not very valuable to her. At most, we'll take better care of Gu Xiaoxiao in the future. Just keep this jade pendant safe; it might even become a family heirloom."

Jingyan happily put it away. Later that evening, when everyone returned home, Lu Xiaoxiao and Zhizhi came in together. They had a lively dinner, and during the meal, Jingyan showed everyone the jade pendant:

"Xiaoxiao's mother came to our house today. She promised that Xiaoxiao can eat at our house from now on. Here, this jade pendant is for the meal. I also asked Grandma, and she said it's a very nice thing. When Zhizhi grows up, this can be your dowry, okay?"

He Zhijun frowned: "How much can a child eat? Why would you accept such an expensive gift? It would be better to return it to them later."

Lu Xiaoxiao spoke timidly, "Uncle and Aunt, my mom said yesterday that this jade pendant doesn't count as payment for the meal; it's a gift for taking care of me. Even so, my mom thinks it's too light."

Originally, she wanted to give me a gold bar this big, saying it was left to me by my maternal grandfather. But my father said gold bars were too tacky and had too much of a money smell, so we changed it to this one.” The little girl gestured the approximate length of the gold bar, speaking very casually.

A family...

"Xiaoxiao, you can't say things like that outside anymore. Although we haven't interfered for the past few years, money can be a powerful motivator. If others find out that your family has valuable things, that family will be in danger. So, you can't say that anymore, understand?"

Jingyan felt a little tired as she gave these instructions. What kind of family was this? Didn't they keep their things safe for the children? These little kids had no idea what was important. If they fell into the wrong hands and someone took it to heart, it would definitely bring trouble.

Lu Xiaoxiao nodded blankly, but still asked, "Auntie, is this kind of thing very valuable?"

Jing Yan nodded repeatedly, holding the jade pendant and saying, "This is enough for you to eat and stay at my house for ten or twenty years."

Lu Xiaoxiao turned to Zhizhi beside her happily: "Then I'll go home and tell my parents that I'm moving in with you, okay? Your house is lively and has lots of books."

Zhizhi happily nodded in agreement. The whole family was speechless looking at these two carefree girls. The topic jumped so quickly, from money to living and eating together. But as long as the children were happy, the adults didn't want to interfere too much.

After dinner, Zhizhi dragged He Zhijun to help Xiaoxiao pack her luggage. It seemed she couldn't even wait one night. Since it was rare for Zhizhi to have a playmate of the same age, He Zhijun was happy to spoil her and actually went out with the two children.

In the evening, three people left, but four returned, including Lu Xiaoxiao's father. He was not as carefree as his wife and was still a little worried, so he came to check on her. According to him, he wouldn't be too worried if it were a son, but he would have to worry more about a daughter.

However, after meeting his family and seeing the study and Zhizhi's room that Lu Xiaoxiao had been talking about, he was completely relieved. He tidied up his daughter's clothes and shoes and said "thank you" politely as he came out.

“My wife doesn’t dislike Xiaoxiao, she’s just aloof,” Lu Xiaoxiao’s father said as he sat on the living room sofa, chatting with He Zhijun. He mainly explained why they, as a couple, only had one child and were willing to leave her with Zhizhi to be fostered.

Lu Xiaoxiao's mother's entire family were in the military, but her parents and brothers were killed in action one after another. She suffered a great shock and had to retire from the military. That's how the couple was assigned to work on Changxing Island.

She still needs to go to the hospital for regular check-ups. When her emotions fluctuate greatly, she becomes argumentative and has self-harm tendencies. This has led to a situation where one of the couple lacks the energy to care for the child, while the other is completely unaware that the child needs family love and care as she grows up.

Fortunately, she met Zhizhi, and through that, she got to know He Zhijun's family. She could temporarily help them take care of Xiaoxiao's daily life, allowing him to focus on his wife's emotional well-being. Currently, the availability of mental health professionals in China is relatively underdeveloped.

Her mother's illness can only be managed, not cured, so the doctor suggested that the family should be small and quiet. He didn't know exactly how quiet that meant, but since Xiaoxiao liked Zhizhi and wanted to move in, he let the child have her way for now. After all, this was the first time in years that the child had been this happy.

The children don't care about adult matters. Zhizhi, along with Lu Xiaoxiao and An'an, are practicing calligraphy in the study. It's a family tradition that all the children write at least three to five pages of large characters every day after finishing their homework. Today is Lu Xiaoxiao's first time joining in, and she seems quite interested.

After seeing off Commander Lu, and watching the children wash up and go into their rooms, He Zhijun and Jing Yan also tidied up and went back to their rooms: "Zhijun, do you think Xiaoxiao's mother's illness really can't be cured?"

The child is still young and may not notice much now, but what if she feels unloved when she grows up? Children who lack love are more easily deceived or find it difficult to open up to others later in life; either way, it's not a good thing.

He Zhijun remained silent in the darkness for a while: "I don't know either, but I heard my uncle say that he still often dreams of his comrades who sacrificed their lives in the Northwest Military Region, and even dreams of the scene of their sacrifice."

As you know, your uncle is a veteran officer, and he remembers his comrades-in-arms, let alone his own blood relatives. It's truly difficult for him to move on.”

“We don’t need to give Xiaoxiao any special treatment. As for Zhizhi, we can treat her the same way. Too much care isn’t necessarily a good thing. They’re all descendants of soldiers, so we should take care of them as much as we can. Fortunately, we still have Zhizhi, this little scatterbrain, to keep us company, which will lessen our loneliness a lot,” Jingyan sighed and said.

“Jingyan, it seems like ever since we returned to Haishi, our family has been taking care of people. First Xiaoli, then Ci'en, and now Xiaoxiao. You’ve taken care of all these children the most. You’ve worked so hard all these years.” He Zhijun reached out and put his arm around the back of Jingyan’s neck, gently putting his arm around her.

Jingyan moved her head slightly, adjusting her braid so he wouldn't cover it, before resting her head back on the pillow, letting him hold her close: "Maybe it's because I like children."

He Zhijun chuckled: "You believe that yourself? It seems like all you do is feed them and buy them things; you don't seem to care much about anything else."

"If you're willing to spend money, it means you like it. What do you know?" Jing Yan retorted irritably.

"Okay, as long as you're happy."

Jingyan's concern that Lu Xiaoxiao might feel lonely did not show any obvious signs. The little girl was in a good mood and showed no reluctance to leave home. When He Zhijun took Zhizhi and An'an for their morning run and boxing practice, he also brought her along.

The little girl was initially very enthusiastic about participating in this activity for the first time, but after half an hour of morning exercise, her expression changed drastically from eager to resigned to her lifeless state.

"Zhizhi, do you have to run around every day? I saw you practicing boxing with your brother today. Is this something a girl should be learning?" Lu Xiaoxiao asked, her voice piercing to the core.

Zhizhi was swinging her arms and kicking her legs to relax after exercising. Hearing this, she casually said, "What you saw today is a relatively simple and gentle exercise. You didn't see how serious and rough my uncle used to be when he trained us. Xiaoli almost cried from exhaustion."

Back then, Ci'en and Xiaoli were older than us, and they were even more exhausted than us. An'an and I were just there to make up the numbers. When my uncle comes during winter and summer vacations, you'll see what proper training is like. Just thinking about it makes me tired.

Although Lu Xiaoxiao found it hard, she knew that this kind of exercise was good for her health. After a few days of getting used to it, she was able to keep up with the pace led by He Zhijun. Jing Yan thought that the little girl was growing up and that the two of them couldn't always live together, so she decided to give Lu Xiaoxiao the room on the third floor where Xiao Li lived.

The idea was rejected by Sister Wang as soon as it was proposed: "Jingyan, I share a room with Grandma. Now that Grandma is getting old, she gets up more often at night, and I'm not comfortable letting her live alone. Let Xiaoxiao have my room. It's good that the two children live close by, so they can better get along."

Grandma also thought it was a good idea, and Jingyan didn't hesitate. Sister Wang packed the things and moved them to Grandma's room. Jingyan then moved Lu Xiaoxiao's things to the room next to Zhizhi's and brought a new quilt and sheets to replace them. This was Lu Xiaoxiao's boudoir.

Grandma was getting older. Shortly after the Lunar New Year in 1992, her health deteriorated. In the summer, she became lethargic and lost her appetite. Unable to cope, we took her to the military hospital on Changxing Island. After a series of examinations, the doctor shook his head:

"The old lady's physical functions have declined. She is 87 years old, which is considered a long life. Now, all we can do is try our best to ensure that she has no regrets in her final days."

Jingyan stared into the doctor's eyes, her voice choked with emotion: "Doctor, is there really no other way? Use the best medicine, as long as it can save Grandma."

The doctor sighed, "The decline in bodily functions is not due to a single lesion; there's really nothing we can do about it."

He Zhijun was also very sad: "How much longer does Grandma have?"

"At most three months."

He Zhijun asked Jingyan to stay with his grandmother at the hospital while he quickly looked for a phone to call his parents and uncle's family. The next morning, He Jiaoxu and Cui Hongru arrived, followed by his uncle and aunt. In the afternoon, He Zhicheng and his wife also arrived, and the hospital ward was suddenly packed with people.

Grandma glared at them, annoyed. "What are you all rushing here for? I'm not going to die anytime soon, and you're acting like you're attending a funeral. It's really bad luck."

He Jiaoxu's eyes were red: "Mom, please stop disliking us. You've disliked us your whole life, and you're still like this at the end."

Grandma patted his head: "You child, you're already in your sixties or seventies, why are you still so easily moved to tears like a child? I haven't suffered much in my life, nor have I ever been wronged. My child is easy to take care of and filial. I've already lived a more carefree and happy life than most people. I've had my share of good things."

At eighty-seven, I've lived a full life. I don't want to spend these last few days in the hospital; it's not an illness, so it's unnecessary. I want to go back to the Haishi Sanatorium to see my old friends, and then stay at your place in Yangzhou.

"I don't want to have my funeral arranged with Jingyan. Firstly, it's inconvenient; I want to be buried with your father. Secondly, I don't want my face to look too pale when I die, which would frighten the children."

He Jiaoxu nodded repeatedly: "Okay, I'm overjoyed that Mom is willing to come to my place. Jingyan has taken care of you for more than ten years, and it's finally my turn as her son to show my filial piety."

He Zhijun went to complete the discharge procedures and returned home. He started packing his grandmother's clothes. His grandmother sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and instructed him: "Take all these cheongsams with me. I have to take them with me when I leave. They are all styles I like."

Don't take those things, they're not valuable. Take my bedding with you, we can use it in the market. Just burn it after I leave, no need to get new ones..."

Jingyan's tears were truly unstoppable. While her parents were tidying up inside the house, she hid in the corner of the courtyard wall, holding a handkerchief in her hand. She couldn't stop crying no matter what she did. She dared not cry out loud, so she could only cover her mouth and weep silently. All three handkerchiefs she had on her body were soaked through, so she wiped them with her sleeves. As for whether they were dirty or not, who had the mind to care about that now?

After He Jiaoxu and Cui Hongru accompanied their grandmother to the nursing home, they had He Zhicheng drive them to Yangzhou. Since it was summer vacation, they couldn't take all the children with them, so their uncle sent their three children to be cared for by Sister Wang.

The others didn't want to rush over all at once, as too many people would make Grandma uncomfortable. They discussed taking turns going. Uncle originally wanted his two children to take leave from work and come back, but Grandma stopped him.

"The children are all busy with work, so don't bother them. Everyone has to go one day, and I don't need you to make such a big deal out of it. Those who need to go to work should go to work, and those who need to go to school shouldn't be delayed. It's enough that you've been filial to me while I'm alive."

As for the afterlife, the living have no say in what happens after death, and shouldn't hold extravagant celebrations. Although these things aren't strictly observed nowadays, we should still refrain from feudal superstitions and avoid becoming an example of wrongdoing.

And so, Grandma settled down at He Jiaoxu's house. He Zhijun would often go over when he was on vacation, and Jingyan moved in with him, entrusting the household affairs and children to Sister Wang.

Grandma passed away in November. The night before last, Jingyan was chatting with Cui Hongru and Grandma on the heated kang. She didn't sleep well that night. When she woke up the next morning to call Grandma for breakfast, she found that Grandma had stopped breathing.