Chapter 111: This Life
"Xiaoshu is a good child. We in the Qi family are sorry for him. We let him suffer so much alone before."
He Shu lowered his eyes. In fact, after he knew the reason, he had already forgiven his grandfather and uncle.
"It's his blessing to meet you."
"You said you are just a car mechanic, and I am just a retired old man. Could it be that Xiao Zhao thinks I am useless and despises me as an old man?"
Zhao Qishui quickly said that he didn't dare, which made Mr. Qi laugh.
"Xiao Zhao, I have never made friends because of my status in my life. Who among the three generations before me is not a peasant?"
"My son and daughter are not rich or high-ranking officials. They are just ordinary soldiers. I have been a soldier all my life. We are all children of workers and farmers. We should not judge people by class..."
Zhao Qishui nodded repeatedly: "Old man, since you said this, I will definitely come during the holidays in the future."
"Okay, that's right. Let's get closer. It would be great if the child has more relatives."
During this meal, the old man and Zhao Qishui were mainly chatting. Qi Zhijun and Qi Xue never said much in front of the old man. They sat upright like He Shu, like good kids.
After dinner, Zhao Qishui wanted to go back to the hotel, but the old man insisted that he stay overnight at home.
Zhao Qishui couldn't refuse, and he didn't ask He Shu's aunt to prepare a guest room for him, so he lived in the same room with He Shu.
Because Zhao Qishui came today, Qi Zhijun didn't let He Shu go out for exercise and gave him a day off.
In the evening, after they washed up, He Shu accompanied Zhao Qishui to talk in the room. The father and son lay on the bed, resting their arms on their heads, in the same posture.
"Xiaoshu, your grandpa's family are all soldiers. If you want to join the army in the future, you will have a way."
He Shu pondered . He had never thought about joining the army.
"Godfather, do you think I'm suitable for military service?"
Zhao Qishui smiled and said, "It doesn't matter whether it's suitable or not. It just depends on whether you want it or not."
He Shu shook his head: "I don't know either."
"Haha, don't worry, you are only 19, you can still think about what kind of life you want."
For He Shu, life means having enough food to eat, warm clothes to wear and the company of family members.
In this way, life seems to be simple because his demands are not high.
But life is not just about living, we also need to have certain spiritual pursuits.
Before going to college, He Shu had only one thing in his mind, and that was to get high scores.
But when he went to college and achieved his goal, he felt a little confused again.
He didn't know whether what he thought before was right. After finishing college, like other students, he would either continue to prepare for postgraduate studies or get a doctorate, and then concentrate on scientific research in a certain professional field.
It is better to enter society, try to find a high-paying and stable job, then get married and have children, just like most people, going to and from work every day, day after day.
Perhaps, his grandparents' family did have some influence on him, letting him know what a higher level of life should be like.
Not for money, not for power, but just for the passion in my heart to fight and dedicate...
"Godfather, I'm actually very confused now. My goals keep changing, or my previous goals are no longer clear."
For some reason, He Shu could say these words easily when facing his godfather Zhao Qishui.
But when facing his grandfather's family, who are related to him by blood, he would not reveal his true thoughts.
Zhao Qishui put down his arm and patted He Shu's head: "Don't think too much at your age. Youth only lasts a few years. You should enjoy it well."
"Who can predict what will happen in the future? Not to mention a child like you, even I am confused right now. I change my mind tomorrow after thinking about something else."
"He Shu, I don't know if it's right for me to tell you this, because I'm not a successful person either."
"But my godfather feels that life is actually quite fast. Looking back at the past years, they were all hard. And after so many years of hardship, there was no good result."
"So I feel like, in the past, I didn't know what I was doing? I don't know if this life I've lived is worth it?"
Zhao Qishui turned sideways, faced He Shu and said with a smile: "My godfather hasn't received much education, so if what he said is wrong, just listen to it."
He Shu hummed and nodded with a smile.
"By the way, how are you and that classmate named Xia doing?"
Zhao Qishui was concerned about He Shu's love life again: "Now that we are in Dadu, do you want your godfather to treat your girlfriend to a meal?"
He Shu's bruised face didn't show anything, but his ears were quietly red: "She still has to go to class."
"Haha, fine. I won't bother you guys anymore to save you two from feeling uncomfortable."
"But you are a boy, you should take the initiative. Contact people more often when you have nothing to do. Don't always wait for them to contact you. When you go out to eat, you should take the initiative to pay. Occasionally, you should buy people small gifts to surprise them."
He Shu looked dazed: "Godfather, you really understand..."
The father and son chatted until very late before going to bed. He Shu usually sleeps very well and basically stays in the same position until dawn.
The lights in the room were off and the curtains were not drawn tightly, allowing a faint layer of moonlight to filter through the gaps.
Zhao Qishui couldn't sleep, not because he was used to his bed, but because he came to He Shu's grandfather's house today and he felt a little uneasy.
Zhao Qishui was happy for He Shu that he had such a wealthy grandparent and uncle, and he believed that the child would have someone to help him in the future in Dadu.
However, Zhao Qishui could sense that He Shu felt pressure here. Although he was much more relaxed than when he was in Dan River, he felt that he was not as comfortable as he was then.
He didn't know where the pressure came from, maybe it was because this family was so unusual, or maybe he was overthinking it.
Today I met He Shu's grandfather, uncle, aunt and mother-in-law, they are all very nice people.
Zhao Qishui actually had no experience in educating children. He just felt that if Zhao Yan came back in the future, he wouldn’t care whether the child had a future or not.
He just hopes that Zhao Yan is safe and happy. He has the same idea about He Shu.
Zhao Qishui looked at the sleeping He Shu in the little light. This child was still lucky. After all, so many people loved him.
Just as Zhao Qishui was staring at He Shu in a daze, he suddenly heard a noise coming from next door.
It seemed like someone was crying softly, maybe a woman.
He listened curiously, then quietly got off the bed, walked to the wall and put his ear against it...
In the next room, Qi Zhijun covered Zhu Yu's mouth and held her tightly in his arms as usual, letting her struggle wildly and slap him hard.
Just as she was about to go to bed, Zhu Yu fell ill again. She thought her condition had improved since He Shu came, but she didn't expect it to be so sudden.
Maybe what He Shugan's father said at night about looking for the child gave Zhu Yu some stimulation.
Qi Zhijun closed his eyes. He was really tired, but he didn't want to send Zhu Yu to a mental hospital, fearing that she would suffer injustice there.
Finally, Zhu Yu stopped making a fuss. Qi Zhijun took the medicine and fed it to her, and she swallowed it obediently.
When the drug took effect, Zhu Yu calmed down completely. She hugged Qi Zhijun and murmured, "Is our child really not coming back? Husband, I miss my son so much... I miss him so much..."
Qi Zhijun felt heartbroken and didn't know how to answer.
After a while, Zhu Yu's breathing gradually calmed down, and she fell asleep under the effect of the medicine, but Qi Zhijun was not sleepy at all.
He rested his head on top of Zhu Yu's head, gently stroked Zhu Yu's face with his hands, and said in a weak but trembling voice: "I'm sorry, I can't come back."
