Ling Chengyan smiled, "Dad has a good eye, he picked a good son-in-law for . These years, he has treated extrely well."
Saying that, she turned to look at Wang Liansheng. Their eyes t, and he grinned foolishly, making Ling Chengyan unable to help but laugh along.
Ling Er laughed, "I heard before from Liansheng that you joined the army and got promoted to an officer, becoming a battalion-level cadre. I couldn’t quite believe it. Now seeing you and hearing your confident speech, you’re indeed different, carrying the deanor of a battalion commander."
Ling Chengyan laughed, "Just a fluke, don’t mock , second brother."
Big Brother Ling was busy taking out the special dried apricots, milk curds, and dried at he brought for the two kids to eat.
The dried apricots and dried at were excellent, the milk curd was plain flavored, a bit too sour. Little Shi Tou loved sweets, took one bite and never touched it again, focusing on eating dried apricots instead. anwhile, Little Xing loved sour things, and couldn’t stop holding the milk curds, eating piece after piece.
The family rarely reuniting, any initial awkwardness and estrangent quickly dissolved.
Ling Chengyan didn’t dare bring up too much of the past, fearing to slip up, so she talked about life after their separation. She didn’t speak of the first few years, but just the last few years were enough to talk about for three days and nights.
Even so, that was without touching on confidential matters. If she could talk about the battlefield and training, she could easily talk for ten days and nights.
After chatting for a while, as it got darker, Ling Chengyan glanced back at Wang Liansheng, who nodded, then smiled and called out to Ling Er, "Second Brother, could you join for a trip? I ordered so food at Ming Lake Restaurant, let’s go pick it up."
"Just grab sothing to fill the stomach, no need to waste money." Father Ling quickly said.
Ling Chengyan peeled a Laiyang Pear, cut a snowy piece, and fed it to Father Ling, saying, "Since we’re finally all together, we should celebrate. If it wasn’t for your health, we should have gone out to eat."
Changing the topic, she said, "But it doesn’t matter, when you recover, we’ll have plenty of chances to dine out, and I’ll join you for a drink then."
"You’re a girl, don’t drink," Father Ling disapproved. But he didn’t object to the ordered food or going out to eat talk, apparently, Father had regained hope for his recovery.
Ling Chengyan stepped out, directing him to bring back the diesel stove and dicine pot from the car. She needed to brew dicine for Father Ling that night.
Agreeing, she and Ling Er headed out together.
Inside, Little Xing and Shi Tou had already beco acquainted with Father Ling and Big Brother Ling. The two kids took out candy and snacks from their little backpacks, sharing with Grandpa and Uncle, chatting away about their little aunt and older siblings at ho.
As soon as Ling Chengyan walked in, Father Ling looked up at her, "What are the kids saying about the little aunt about?"
Ling Chengyan then recounted the refugee incident back then and briefly introduced Xiao Yu’s background, omitting the bullying part, "...her family was gone, and a little girl couldn’t return ho, so I temporarily took her in. After so ti, realizing she was a sensible child, I asked her intentions and simply adopted her, registered her household, and kept her."
"You changed her surna?" Big Brother Ling asked.
Ling Chengyan nodded, "Her nickna was Xiao Yu, I nad her Ling Yu."
Big Brother Ling glanced at Father Ling. Seeing he said nothing, he added, "For you to encounter her is her fortune and your destiny."
Ling Chengyan smiled and continued, "For past years, thanks to Big Uncle and Big Aunt for taking care of us. Now, Second Cousin has opened his shop in Huicheng and business is doing well. Big Cousin is working with the villagers on a construction team, and they are making progress... Their lives are quite good. Although the local schools aren’t as good as those in the city, I brought Big Cousin’s eldest daughter and second son here for school... Liansheng and I often can’t take care of things at ho because of work, but with Xiaoyu and niece Hongling around, we don’t worry too much at ho, and it’s all thanks to them."
Big Brother Ling looked at Father Ling again, his eyes conveying a ssage: You’ve always worried about the sister’s situation, but look, isn’t everything well-settled?!
Ling Chengyan noticed their eye contact, but she didn’t probe into it. Together with Big Brother Ling, they helped Father Ling up to wash up.
Once they got things sorted out, Wang Liansheng and Ling Er ca back with the food. The stove and dicine pot they brought from the car were placed in their room.
Originally, they had a three-bed room. Ling Chengyan ca with the kids, so they added another room.
Father Ling’s favorite was Yellow River Carp, he savored a piece, nodding slightly, "Still has that sa taste."
Ling Chengyan served him a piece of braised sea cucumber, "Try this; they say it’s their signature dish."
Father Ling smiled, "It’s not just a restaurant’s signature dish, but also a signature of Lu cuisine."
Wang Liansheng laughed about having grilled at, and said, "That Mr. Lian also ntioned that our Eastern Province’s scallions are the best, incomparable to elsewhere."
Father Ling didn’t eat much. He just tried a bit of everything and put down his chopsticks, sipping slowly on the soft fragrant millet porridge.
Upon hearing Wang Liansheng, he smiled with eyes squinted and nodded, "Not just scallions, everything’s the sa,"
Saying that, he lightly tapped the porridge bowl with his chopsticks, "For example, this millet, it seems no different, but after being away from Eastern Province these years, it never tastes the sa as back ho."
Having said that, he shook his head with emotion and continued focusing on his porridge.
Ling Chengyan really wanted to ask him what exactly had happened back then that made him hurriedly marry off his daughter to the Wang family, then disappeared with his two sons?
Thinking about the perhaps long-gone original self, Ling Chengyan really wanted to ask on her behalf. But seeing Father Ling’s dry, almost skeletal hand holding the bowl, the words reached her mouth but were swallowed back down.
From how Father Ling and the two brothers treated her, they didn’t seem like the type to recklessly marry off a daughter just to rid themselves of trouble. As for the reasons for leaving, she had speculated in secret before. After all, those years were chaotic, black and white reversed, nurous families were broken, life and death separations were countless.
The Ling Family probably was just one of the many small, insignificant as grains of sand.
Father Ling finished the porridge, rinsed his mouth, and returned to lie down for rest.
The next day was important, the welco dinner had food but no alcohol. The two uncles from the Ling Family and Wang Liansheng, and Ling Chengyan toasted with tea instead of wine, celebrating the reunion, and agreed that once Father Ling sees the doctor and recovers, they’d have a proper drink to commorate, drinking to their heart’s content.
While eating and talking, everyone was reserved, wrapping up within over an hour. Ling Chengyan took so ti to brew the dicine, bringing it over for Father Ling to drink.
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