1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 258 When did we ever have a childhood sweetheart romance?
"I go."

Gu Bin laughed angrily: "So I'm still getting the lowest treatment? That's so unfair! Why do other people get to eat meat while we have to eat vegetables?"

"They've gone."

Fu Zheng continued slyly, "Xi Yu and the babies are different from you. They eat meat, but you are the only one who eats vegetables."

"why?"

Gu Bin looked completely bewildered: "Do you still have gender discrimination where you live?"

"Absolutely!"

Fu Zheng suppressed a laugh and said, "Our base is all men, a bunch of grown men, staring at each other all day long. We're all tired of looking at each other, who would want to look at you anymore?"

Gu Bin: "."

It's rare for me to be so badly teased by my older brother that I lost my temper.

"Hahaha."

Lin Xiyu found it amusing and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"hehe."

Grandma was dozing on the sofa after finishing her meal when she heard this and was amused by the brothers' conversation.

"Grandma Jing"

Fu Zheng was embarrassed: "I'm sorry, I disturbed your rest."

"fine."

Grandma answered smoothly, "I'm deaf, I can't hear clearly."

Fu Zheng: "."

Can't I hear why you're laughing so happily?

"This is called great wisdom."

Gu Bin took the opportunity to flatter his grandmother.

"Grandma, are you tired? Let me help you back to your room to rest."

Lin Xiyu and he worked well together, and she spoke up at the right time, showing the thoughtfulness and filial piety of a granddaughter.

"I'm not sleepy, I'll go check on the babies again."

Grandma was worried about the baby and didn't want to sleep.

"Okay, I'll help you over."

Lin Xiyu helped her grandmother up from the sofa and went to her bedroom.

The living room fell silent, and the two brothers, as if by unspoken agreement, remained quiet.

After a long while, a soft sigh came from the inner room.

-

Four babies require at least two nannies to care for them at night.

Gu Bin cleared out all the desks and rattan chairs from the couple's bedroom, and filled it with two single folding beds and a crib, but it was still packed full.

There wasn't enough room in the bedroom, so the father had no choice but to share a bed with his older brother in the guest room.

Little Lele was delicate and frail, and he had been taking care of her personally since birth. When he returned home and was suddenly separated from his daughter, the heart of a father who was always worried about her was not used to it.

Whenever the babies cry at night, he immediately opens his eyes, jumps out of bed like a zombie, throws on his clothes, and runs to the next room.

Fu Zheng is a pilot who has been in the military for many years and is used to emergency drills. He will wake up with a start at the slightest sound and want to get out of bed.

As soon as Gu Bin woke up, he woke up too. They tossed and turned several times throughout the night, and neither of the brothers got a good night's sleep.

"You've been a truly responsible father."

The next morning, when Gu Bin returned from changing his daughter's diaper next door, Fu Zheng was rubbing his temples with a headache, looking rather exasperated.

“My daughter is very delicate.”

Gu Bin was mindful of his elder brother's feelings and didn't want him to be reminded of his deceased sister-in-law, so he didn't explicitly mention that Lele also had congenital heart disease.

"Oh, you call me 'my girl' so smoothly."

Fu Zheng couldn't help but laugh when he heard his authentic Shandong accent.

"My dad, my mom, my grandpa, my grandma, my daughter, my son, my wife"

Gu Bin teased him on purpose, saying all the titles in Shandong dialect: "Don't you think our Shandong dialect is particularly heartwarming? It's like eating a Shandong steamed bun, the more you chew, the more flavorful and sweet it becomes."

"I think you're most heartwarming when you talk about my wife."

Fu Zheng chuckled and joked, "You can't suppress the smile on your face."

"You guessed right."

Gu Bin chuckled, comfortably lay down on the bed, and planned to take a nap.

"You go to sleep, I'll go check if Rui Rui is awake."

Seeing that he was about to snore as he closed his eyes in sleepiness, Fu Zheng didn't want to disturb him any longer, so he changed his clothes and left the room.

-

"Up so early? You finally get a day off, can't you sleep in a little longer?"

Grandma Gu had already gotten up and was brushing her teeth by the sink. Hearing the door close, she turned around and glanced at him.

"I'm used to it; I had to get up early even in the army."

Fu Zheng was flattered to see that his grandmother was all smiles and did not seem to blame him.

"When do you plan to leave?"

After brushing her teeth, Grandma Gu filled a toothbrush cup with some cold water and rinsed her mouth.

"Three days later."

Fu Zheng quickly picked up the towel from the basin and handed it over, his attitude very respectful.

Is three days enough?

Grandma Gu took the towel and glanced at him sideways: "Transferring schools isn't that easy."

"That should be enough, right?"

Seeing that his grandmother's expression was off, Fu Zheng's about-to-leave affirmative sentence turned into an uncertain interrogative sentence.

“If Rui Rui wants to go with you, I have no reason to stop her.”

After wiping her mouth, Grandma Gu threw the towel into the basin, picked it up and left: "Do as you please. You can stay for as many days as you want. Anyway, you've all grown up and are independent. This house is like an inn for you. You can come and go as you please."

Fu Zheng: "."

Two beads of cold sweat dripped down the back of his head.

We were too happy too soon; it turns out Grandma was still angry.

That towel I just handed over was a waste of time.

-

Mid-October is a time of mild temperatures, making it the best season of the year.

Taking advantage of the good weather, Grandma Gu had the nanny bring the four babies out to sit in the yard and bask in the sun.

Grandma also loves babies, so Lin Xiyu helped her to the pomegranate tree to talk and chat with Grandma Gu.

"Big sister, I'm sorry you had to see this."

Grandma Gu felt a pang of reluctance at the thought of Rui Rui leaving, and sighed softly.

"What's so funny about that?"

This time, Grandma didn't pretend to be deaf. She smiled and comforted her, "Every family is the same. At our age, our children and grandchildren are all grown up. It's impossible to keep them all by our side. As long as someone comes home often to visit, chat with us, and keeps us from feeling lonely, that's enough."

"Big sister, you're really optimistic."

Grandma Gu chuckled and said, "I'm just not good at it. I have too short a temper. If a word doesn't hit the mark, I can't help but get angry."

You are blessed.

Grandma saw it clearly: "She was pampered by her father-in-law when she was young, and now she has her grandson to take care of her. That's how she raised such a person."

"makes sense."

Grandma Gu said with nostalgia, "My husband was really good to me. He never let me suffer in his whole life."

Grandma continued to praise, "Xiaobin is such a good boy, so filial to you."

Grandma Gu nodded: "Xiao Bin is indeed very good, I am very content."

"Be content with what you have. You're the kind of person who enjoys life. I can tell just by looking at your hands."

Grandma stretched out her hands to show her: "Look at my hands, how rough they are! They crack every winter, and even applying oil doesn't help. Your hands are different, so well-maintained, with smooth, fair skin. You can tell they've never done any rough work; they're the hands of a rich lady." "What rich lady? Now that you say that, I'm a little embarrassed."

Grandma Gu glanced at her grandmother's hands, then at her own, and rubbed them a few times, feeling a little guilty.

"What's there to be embarrassed about?"

Grandma continued to bluff: "If I had hands like yours, I would go out and show them off every day, wearing a ring on each finger, and they would all be different designs."

"Hahaha."

"Grandma, you're so funny."

The three nannies were all amused and couldn't stop smiling.

Lin Xiyu also laughed happily.

Gu Bin filled four bottles with radish water for the babies to drink, and casually tapped her on the forehead: "What are you grinning about? Grandma is teasing you. Hurry up and buy ten rings, and put one on each of her fingers."

"Okay, I'll buy it tomorrow. Today is not an option."

Lin Xiyu smiled and agreed, taking the opportunity to get up from the stool and hand Lele to him: "I need to quickly prepare the materials for the application for intangible cultural heritage status and submit them as soon as possible."

"Go and do your work."

Grandma watched the couple's intimate interaction and smiled, saying, "Don't listen to Xiaobin's nonsense. Grandma was just kidding. She doesn't really want the ring."

"A ring is a must-buy."

Lin Xiyu answered smoothly: "After I finish writing the application materials, we'll go to Qilu Gold Shop and buy back the little silver locks you made for the babies."

"Look at this girl, she's so shrewd."

Grandma chuckled and scolded, "She used the excuse of buying me a ring to get me to spend money on gifts for her own child."

"Hahaha."

Grandma Gu was delighted and couldn't stop smiling.

"hey-hey."

Lin Xiyu explained, "I just didn't want you to go through all that trouble and make another trip."

"Go and write the report."

Grandma smiled and shooed him away: "Grandma said she would buy silver locks for the babies, and she definitely will. You don't need to keep thinking about it."

"You guys continue chatting, I'm going to write my report."

Lin Xiyu gave an awkward laugh, then slipped away as fast as she could.

-

After completing the school transfer procedures for his son, Fu Zheng also bought two identical Sony Ericsson mobile phones.

This phone is a hot seller this year, integrating photography, calling, and music playback functions.

He bought this phone because of its camera function.

In 05, QQ already had the ability to send photos instantly. With these two new mobile phones, whenever Grandma Gu missed Rui Rui, she could ask him to take a photo and send it to her, so they could contact each other anytime.

-

"Wow, modern cell phones are really high-tech! They even have this function."

When Grandma Gu got home, she was overjoyed to see the new phone, and her resentment towards her eldest grandson lessened considerably.

Fu Zheng took the opportunity to teach her how to use QQ. Sending photos was not difficult. Grandma Gu was eager to learn and grasped the concept quickly. She tried sending photos a few times and soon mastered the technique.

"With this phone, you can contact Rui Rui whenever you want."

Fu Zheng was very glad he made the decision; being able to use his phone to make his grandmother happy was worth any amount of money.

Is there a time difference between XJ and Jinan?

Grandma Gu, though old, was not senile; she asked the right question with a single sentence.

"some."

Fu Zheng chuckled awkwardly, "I almost forgot about that. Although XJ uses Beijing time just like Jinan, their daily routines are still different. Elementary school starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 19 p.m. If you want to find Rui Rui, you can do so at any other time as long as she's not at school."

"From 10 AM to 19 PM?"

Grandma Gu nodded: "Okay, I'll remember."

"Grandma, would you like to practice a little more? Let me chat with you for a bit."

Fu Zheng breathed a sigh of relief and continued to try to make the old lady happy.

"Forget it."

Grandma Gu stopped laughing and gave him a disdainful look: "If you're going to practice, practice with Rui Rui. What's there to talk about with you?"

Fu Zheng: "."

-

Rui Rui has transferred schools and is leaving Jinan to go to XJ with her father.

His close friends all came after school to see him off.

"Rui Rui, this is a peace knot I made myself, I'm giving it to you."

Niu Niu gave Rui Rui the colorful rope bracelet she had braided.

"Thank you."

Rui Rui happily took it and put it on her wrist.

Is XJ far away? Will you come back in the future?

Niu Niu is a little girl with a delicate mind. When she saw that he accepted it, her cheeks flushed red, and she was very happy.

Come back!

Without thinking much, Rui Rui said matter-of-factly, "I'll come back when school's out for break, and then we'll play together again."

"Okay."

Niu Niu was about to answer when her friends beat her to it.

"Li Ziang, don't just talk to the girls, there are us too."

“We came to see you off too, but you only talked to her and left us hanging. That’s not very nice of you.”

"Yeah, we're best buddies, this isn't fair."

Boys joke and play around more freely, and one little boy took the opportunity to put his arm around his shoulder and pull him close.

Niu Niu was pushed aside by a group of boys and felt a little disappointed.

"When did I stop talking to you?"

Rui Rui's attention was drawn to a group of boys, and she didn't notice the subtle change in his expression.

"Let's go play football."

"Before you leave, this is the last time. We must have a contest to see who is better."

"Go ahead and kick me! Who's afraid of who!"

"One goal decides the outcome."

"Row!"

"Let's go, let's go play football."

The boys laughed and joked loudly, crowding around Rui Rui as they ran out of the yard.

Niu Niu was left far behind. She stood there in a daze for a long time before finally making up her mind to chase after them.

-

"Tsk tsk, Rui Rui is such a dense guy, he can't even tell that a girl likes him."

The bedroom window was wide open, and Lin Xiyu could hear everything happening at the front door through the gauze curtain.

The fleeting look of disappointment on Niu Niu's face before she left did not escape her notice.

"Rui Rui didn't notice, but his aunt did. Instead of writing the report, she's eavesdropping here?"

Gu Bin was coaxing the child inside the room when he heard this. He smiled helplessly and picked Lele up from the crib.

"Hey, I was just curious."

Lin Xiyu laughed awkwardly: "For kids their age, is it possible for childhood sweethearts to actually have a love story?"

Why wouldn't there be?

Gu Bin teased his beloved daughter, laughing and joking, "Aren't we a precedent? We both grew up and our lives became a perfect match, we became husband and wife."

"Childhood sweetheart?"

Lin Xiyu frowned slightly, pretending not to understand: "How come I didn't know? We were childhood sweethearts?"