1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 28: Filming a Documentary, Old Photos

"I remember it too."

Lin Xiyu's mother choked up as she continued, "When Dad got sick, he had a bad temper. He not only made a fuss, but he also hit people. Mom really suffered a lot back then. She was tired from working outside, and when she came home, she was upset."

“Your dad was tormented by illness, I don’t blame him.”

Grandma waved her hand, signaling her two daughters to stop talking: "Sick people can't control their temper and can't vent it. If they keep it bottled up, they will suffer more. I understand this very well. When he was young, he didn't despise me for being sick and didn't divorce me. I remember his kindness. Now that he's old and sick, I won't despise him either."

"Ugh."

Thinking about the cause of his grandfather's illness, the uncle sighed, "Dad is just too stubborn. He clearly cut ties with those people back home a long time ago, but he insisted on saying he was..."

"you do not say."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiyu's mother felt an overwhelming surge of sadness: "When Xiyu's father and I were dating, the leaders of his unit found out about his family background and were very unhappy. They insisted on breaking up, saying that it couldn't affect his future. I felt wronged and cried for many days. Later, his father took some people to Shanxi to find out the truth and finally agreed after much persuasion."

Li Yan sighed upon hearing this, revealing a hint of surprise.

The uncle smiled bitterly, "We just reclaimed a few plots of sandy land in a poor, unmanaged mountain valley. We can only grow some sweet potatoes and corn, and the whole family can't even get enough to eat."

"And my grandfather's generation left their hometown."

My aunt sighed, "After my mother got sick, my father was heartbroken. He brought my mother from our hometown and she has never gone back."

"The land in our hometown has nothing to do with us, and I've never even met those people from there."

"Forget it, let bygones be bygones."

Grandma waved her hand again, interrupting her daughter once more: "The person is dead, there's no need to dwell on it anymore."

"Grandpa was quite handsome when he was young."

Lin Xiyu, quick-witted, chuckled and deliberately eased the atmosphere: "I've seen Grandpa's photos. He was a handsome man from the Republic of China era. He and Grandma were a perfect match. No wonder Grandma was so deeply in love with him and remembered him her whole life."

"You."

Grandma chuckled and playfully poked her forehead.

"Do you have any old photos?" Li Yan's eyes lit up, her interest piqued. "Could we take a look?"

"Okay."

My cousin was the fastest; she took off running, saying, "I know where it is, I'll go get it."

"This girl."

Her cousin, having missed his chance to shine, teased her with a smile, "If only you could have been this enthusiastic back in school."

"Which school did you two siblings graduate from?"

Li Yan found it interesting and chatted with her cousin while she was getting the photos.

"I have a vocational school specializing in electrical engineering, and I study in Yantai."

When her cousin saw her looking at him, he became a little excited: "My sister went to high school, but she didn't get into university. She refused to study anymore and is just coasting along at the soy sauce factory."

"Electrical engineering vocational school?"

Li Yan raised an eyebrow: "So you'll be working at the power bureau after graduation, right? The benefits must be great, right?"

"I've only been working for less than a year."

My cousin wiped his nose sheepishly: "I'm still in my internship period, I haven't been officially hired yet."

What do you usually do?

Li Yan pointed the microphone at him.

"Install the electricity meter and inspect the wiring."

Without a second thought, my cousin blurted out, "To put it simply, it's climbing utility poles. Whichever area has a power outage, you climb the utility poles in that area."

(End of this chapter)