1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 257 The eldest brother is back, taking his son to the Southern Frontier
"This is your home."

Grandma had reservations: "Grandma is here as a guest, a few days is enough. Staying too long will only annoy people."

"how could be?"

Lin Xiyu pouted, pretending to be unhappy: "Grandma, you're being too formal. You're my own grandma, so it's only right that I take care of you. Please agree. With you by my side, guiding me on how to take care of the baby, I can feel at ease. Otherwise, raising four children at once would be a bit overwhelming, and I always feel uneasy and uneasy."

Grandma smiled lovingly: "With a postpartum nanny helping you take care of the baby, what else could you possibly worry about?"

"They are not you."

Lin Xiyu flattered and said, "You are the closest person to me in this world. In my heart, no one can compare to you. Even the four babies combined can't compare."

Grandma teased her on purpose: "What if we add a father to the child?"

"Even if you were five of them combined, you wouldn't be as good as me."

Lin Xiyu acted cute and charming, and her answers were incredibly fluent.

"hehe."

Grandma smiled, her eyes crinkling with joy.

-

The charm of the four babies was irresistible, and just as their father had predicted, people came to visit under various pretexts.

People came in waves, from morning till night, almost without stopping.

Not only adults, but children are also very curious.

After school, Rui Rui brought over a dozen classmates she usually got along with into the house, making it as lively as a market.

Grandma Gu, fearing she might frighten her beloved great-grandchildren, let out a loud, shrewish roar that chased the bunch of mischievous kids away.

As lunchtime approached, fewer and fewer neighbors came to visit. Grandma Gu had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard someone knocking on the large iron gate of her yard again.

"Who is it? Coming at this hour? Don't you eat? Don't other people eat too?"

Grandma Gu complained for a while before reluctantly opening the door.

"Ouch!"

The next second, she stopped complaining. The moment she saw the person who came, a huge surprise rushed into her brain, causing her to lose her composure and be momentarily stunned.

"Grandma, you don't seem to welcome me very much."

Fu Zheng, with his sharp hearing and keen eyesight, heard the old woman's complaints from inside and outside the courtyard.

"Xiao Zheng, is it really you?"

Grandma Gu came to her senses, both surprised and delighted: "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?"

"It was a last-minute decision; I didn't have time to call before boarding the plane."

Fu Zheng explained with a smile, then carried his luggage inside.

"You're back just in time."

Grandma Gu beamed with joy: "Xiao Bin's child just got out of the hospital, and the house is bustling with activity."

"heard."

Fu Zheng didn't say it explicitly, but he only took leave and flew back from southern Xinjiang after receiving a call from his younger brother with good news.

"Rui Rui, come quick, see who's here."

When Grandma Gu saw her eldest grandson, she was so excited that she didn't forget there was a younger one in the family who was even more eager for her father's arrival.

"dad?!"

Upon hearing the shout and recognizing the person, Rui Rui was so excited that she rushed out of the living room like a gust of wind.

"son."

Fu Zheng was also very excited. He put down his luggage, used his arms to lift his son up.

"dad."

Rui Rui seized the opportunity to hug her father's neck and refused to let go.

"She's almost ten years old, and she still wants her dad to carry her?"

Grandma Gu pretended to be annoyed, but tears welled up in her eyes.

"Brother, you arrived so quickly? That's the speed of China!"

Hearing the commotion, Gu Bin also came out of the living room, joking with a smile.

"Having heard your call, how can I not hurry?"

Fu Zheng put his son down and responded with a smile.

"It's not appropriate to come empty-handed, since we're family."

Gu Bin glanced at a cardboard box he had brought; the meaning was quite clear.

"How can you act like an uncle?"

Grandma Gu chuckled and scolded, "The father and son are still getting along so well, and you're already asking for a gift."

"Those four in the small bed are his own nephews and nieces."

Gu Bin said matter-of-factly, "Isn't it only right for an elder uncle to give his nephew and niece a small gift when they first meet?"

"Hahaha."

Fu Zheng laughed loudly: "No need for you to remind me, the gift has already been brought."

"Hurry up, stop dawdling, take it out."

Gu Bin had been used to playing around with his older brother since childhood, so he spoke without any restraint.

"Rui Rui, go get a pair of scissors and open the cardboard box."

Fu Zheng didn't mind and casually patted his son's head.

"okay."

Rui Rui was also very curious, and in a flash, she quickly grabbed the scissors from the kitchen.

"Wow, it's an airplane!"

The cardboard box was opened, and the airplane model that came into view made the boy's eyes light up, and he couldn't help but cheer loudly.

"Is that a J-10?"

Gu Bin took the airplane model out of the box and examined it with great interest.

"Correct."

Fu Zheng spoke with a great sense of pride about my country's independently developed fighter jets: "The J-10 is my country's first all-weather supersonic multi-role fighter jet with independent intellectual property rights, nicknamed 'Fierce Dragon'."

"sure!"

Gu Bin's eyes showed approval: "You've made the right move. As our country's air force becomes more and more advanced, the treatment of you pilots must be getting better and better, right?"

"He's in southern Xinjiang."

Grandma Gu frowned: "How good can the conditions be?"

“Our air force base in southern Xinjiang is now developing very well, with complete supporting facilities.”

Fu Zheng glanced down at his son, who was staring at him expectantly, hesitated for a moment, and then revealed the real purpose of his return.

"What? You want to take Rui Rui back to Southern Xinjiang?"

A moment later, Grandma Gu's incredulous exclamation echoed throughout the courtyard.

-- living room.

The family reunion dinner, a rare occasion for everyone, was unusually somber.

Ever since Grandma Gu learned the true purpose of her eldest grandson's visit, she has never given him a kind look.

"I'm not eating anymore, I'm too angry to eat anything."

Halfway through the meal, she lost her temper again, slammed her chopsticks on the table, and stormed off.

Fu Zheng tried to explain, but it was no use. The old lady was determined not to talk to him. She went into her room, locked the door, and wouldn't open it no matter who tried to persuade her.

"Brother."

Gu Bin rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on: "You suddenly pulled this stunt without even telling me beforehand. I wanted to say a few words of advice, but I didn't even have time to think of what to say."

"I didn't expect Grandma's reaction to be so strong."

Fu Zheng smiled wryly: "I thought that since you two had a child and she was getting old, my taking Rui Rui away would lighten your burden, and Grandma would agree."

"If you're just trying to avoid troubling us, there's absolutely no need for that."

Gu Bin glanced at Rui Rui, who was listening intently to the brothers' conversation, smiled jokingly, and beckoned him over: "Rui Rui has been very sensible and obedient since he was little, and he has never caused us any trouble. On the contrary, I, as his uncle, should be thanking him."

"During the days when Xiyu couldn't get pregnant, it was Ruirui's appearance that filled the emptiness in her heart. Over the years, the two of them, aunt and niece, have always gotten along very well. They are not mother and son, but they are closer than mother and son."

"Your sudden announcement that you want to take Rui Rui away will make not only Grandma but also Xi Yu reluctant to part with her. However, she is only an aunt after all and cannot express it as strongly as Grandma."

-

"I know you've taken care of him for so many years and have developed a deep bond with him."

Fu Zheng patted his son's head affectionately, his eyes filled with love: "So I hesitated for a long time before coming here. Of course, I will respect Rui Rui's own opinion on whether to take him with him or whether he wants to stay here or go to southern Xinjiang with his father."

"I wanna go!"

Rui Rui interrupted him before he could finish speaking.

"Good son."

Fu Zheng smiled with satisfaction and patted his son's shoulder hard again.

The ten-year-old boy's features had already developed, and upon closer inspection, he looked more and more like his mother.

The elegant and captivating figure that had become somewhat blurred in his memory became clear again at this moment, filling his heart once more with endless sorrow and longing.

"Rui Rui, you really need to think this through."

Gu Bin glanced at his grandmother's door and deliberately raised his voice: "Don't listen to your dad's nonsense. The environment in southern Xinjiang is not as good as he says. It's full of high mountains, snowfields, deserts, and no-man's-land. When the wind blows, your mouth will be full of sand. If you go there, you'll really be in the middle of nowhere."

"I'm not afraid of hardship, I want to go!"

Rui Rui knew her grandmother was listening, but she still clearly expressed her wish.

Have you thought this through?

Considering his grandmother's feelings, Gu Bin asked again, "If you really go, you can't regret it, so don't cry."

"I am already 10 years old."

Rui Rui was speechless: "I'm not a child anymore, I won't cry."

"Alas, a son is no longer under his mother's control once he grows up."

Gu Bin felt sorry for his grandmother for a second and gave up on trying to persuade her further.

"Dad, when are we leaving? I want to say goodbye to Niu Niu and the others, as well as my teachers and classmates."

Seeing that her uncle no longer objected, Rui Rui excitedly rushed into her father's arms.

No rush.

Fu Zheng's eyes were full of affection: "Dad will handle your transfer first. We'll need to stay in Jinan for at least three or four days, giving you plenty of time to say goodbye to your friends."

"Great."

Upon hearing the confirmation, Rui Rui ran outside excitedly, saying, "I'm going to find Niu Niu and the others right now and tell them about it."

"It's already dark, are you still going out?"

In the short time Fu Zheng was stunned, his son had already disappeared.

"Never mind him, he's used to being wild."

Gu Bin laughed jokingly: "His aunt and I have always adopted a free-range policy, letting him play as he pleases and never restricting him."

"I can tell."

Fu Zheng's eyes showed gratitude: "Rui Rui has changed a lot since he was a child. He's much more lively and cheerful now. You and Xi Yu have raised him very well."

"We two are secondary."

Gu Bin glanced into the inner room again and, through the door, teased the old lady: "Actually, the one who deserves the most credit is Grandma. She loves Rui Rui from the bottom of her heart. No matter what good food or drink there is, she always thinks of her great-grandson first. Sometimes I'm even jealous of her."

"I know"

Fu Zheng looked at the closed door and sighed sadly: "Grandma really loves Rui Rui. I can understand that she is reluctant to part with Rui Rui and has some complaints about me now that I am suddenly taking her away."

"Alright, that's enough."

Gu Bin, under the guise of comforting his elder brother, was actually speaking to his grandmother: "You don't need to feel too guilty. The children have grown up and their wings have hardened. Sooner or later, they will all fly away. I've lived a whole life and eaten more salt than we have eaten rice. What is there to be upset about?"

"Don't worry, she'll come to her senses before dawn. You've had a tough time in the south these past few years. Having a child by your side gives you something to rely on. Otherwise, I'll worry about you if you continue to suffer alone. I'm afraid you might do something rash."

-

"That's what you said"

Fu Zheng frowned slightly, about to question him, "Are you cursing me?", when he saw his younger brother winking at him.

"It's definitely not good for the eldest brother to always be alone."

As an observer, Lin Xiyu reacted even faster than him: "I still need someone who cares about me. I don't want to remarry, so the only thing I can rely on is my son."

"Yes, that's exactly what I meant."

Gu Bin slapped his thigh and praised with a smile, "My wife is so smart; she can understand what I'm trying to say with just a look."

Fu Zheng understood and played along with the couple's explanation: "Then you don't need to say that I would take my own life, right?"

"I really care about you."

Gu Bin said, half-jokingly, "Don't I know your personality? You've always been stubborn since you were little. Once you've made up your mind, not even eight oxen could pull you back. If it weren't for that, would you have left your homeland and gone to that godforsaken place all by yourself? What's with this 'guarding the frontier' nonsense? Don't make it sound so noble. You're just being stubborn and insisting on making yourself suffer."

"Maybe."

Fu Zheng went to great lengths to win over his grandmother, even reopening old wounds to gain her sympathy: "What you said is true. When I left, I never thought of coming back. That home holds our most beautiful memories, and her traces are everywhere. I couldn't bear the pain of losing my beloved, the pain that gnaws at my heart, so I chose to escape, to leave far away, so that I wouldn't break down to despair and lose the courage to continue living."

"Ugh."

Gu Bin patted his older brother's shoulder sympathetically, offering him comfort in a brotherly way: "Take Rui Rui with you. Grandma will agree. She doesn't want to see you continue to be alone."

“Take good care of yourselves and Rui Rui. When Ping An and Xi Le grow up, my husband and I will take the children to southern Xinjiang to visit their uncle and brother. When that time comes, please don’t complain about our large family. We must do our best to be hospitable and provide them with food and lodging.”

--
"No problem, as many people as you want to come."

Fu Zheng readily agreed: "In our army canteen, there are plenty of steamed buns, eat as much as you want."

"Tsk, tsk."

Gu Bin feigned disgust and pursed his lips: "We rarely go out, and you're treating us to steamed buns?"

"What do northerners eat if they don't eat steamed buns?"

Fu Zheng, unusually sly, teased him, "Where we're from, we serve steamed buns to relatives. The fillings are also particular. When elders come, we eat pure meatballs, and when wives come, we eat ones with shrimp. As for younger brothers like you, we just make do with the carrot filling."