Chapter 4: Old Master Fu
The afternoon supply and marketing cooperative was not as crowded as it had been in the morning, and most salespeople were rarely idle, sitting or standing around chatting and laughing.
Su Ning, having locked her bike, carried a canvas bag slung over her arm and first came to the counter selling candy and pastries.
“One jin of White Rabbit Milk Candy, two jin of chicken cake.”
After paying with money and ration coupons, she thought carefully and then went to buy a bottle of Maotai liquor and a can of malt extract.
After buying these few things, the netted bag was so heavy that it made her fingertips and palms numb. She glanced at the not-so-fresh fruit but could only give up the idea of buying some more.
She placed the bag in the front basket of her bike. There was still more than an hour until the end of the workday; the timing was just right.
……
June’s weather changed at the drop of a hat.
Torrential rain poured down, splashing into flowers one after another on the ground.
Su Ning wiped the water droplets from her face with her arm—unable to tell if they were sweat or rain—gripped the handlebars tightly, jumped off the bike, and hurried in big strides to the textile factory gate guard room.
“Grandpa Fu!”
“Oh, it’s Ning Yatou?”
Old Master Fu, hearing the voice, poked his head out from the window. Seeing who it was, he was both surprised and delighted, quickly got up to grab an umbrella, opened the iron gate while asking loudly, “It’s pouring rain like this—how did you manage to come over, you girl?”
“Quick, your bike is parked off to the side—come in fast! You say, how did you pick such a rainy day? You’re soaked through, aren’t you?”
“Thank you, Grandpa Fu. It just happened to catch me like this—I didn’t know it would rain so hard. How can you blame me~”
“Hahaha, good, good, good—not blaming you, not blaming you, you little clever ghost!”
Old Master Fu brought her into the room, rummaged through boxes and cabinets with difficulty to find a clean towel, turned to hand it to her, and only then noticed the things she was carrying in both hands.
Candy and pastries again, plus liquor and nutritional supplements.
The smile on his face vanished instantly, his expression turning serious. “What is this? Is your Grandpa Fu hoping you’ll supply him with good food and drink here?”
“What are you saying? Can’t I bring some things to show respect to my kindest Grandpa Fu?”
“You, you little girl, always learning your dad’s sweet-talking ways!”
Just one sentence made Old Master Fu unable to hold back; his wrinkled old face creased into several layers. “Put the things down and wipe yourself quickly—don’t catch a cold!”
He raised his hand and pointed at her playfully with his finger before Fu Chenggong smilingly handed her the towel.
Even sitting with a lame leg, his posture remained upright. Some things were deeply etched into the soul and bones, unchangeable no matter how time passed.
“Girl? What are you looking at?”
“I’m thinking about Grandpa Fu’s leg—does it still hurt on rainy days?”
“It’s much better than before. This little pain is nothing.”
Hearing this, as if reminded of something, Fu Chenggong’s eyes involuntarily showed a trace of reminiscence and sadness. “I still have to thank your maternal grandfather, that old thing…”
Seeing the girl’s emotions clearly dropping, he inwardly berated himself for not speaking well and gently patted the back of her hand to comfort her.
His hand, spotted with age spots and skinny, had a thick layer of calluses at the tiger’s mouth. It didn’t look large but seemed to carry an unusually steadying strength.
The moment the old and young hands touched—
[“Dad, just listen to me once, okay? Just consider it me begging you!”]
Fu Chenggong’s tiger-like eyes were bloodshot, his face showing unprecedented anger. “Go where? Where to go? Why go?!”
“I’ve never fought a battle and retreated without fighting! Nor have I ever been a cowardly runaway grandson!”
That gritted-teeth roar from the depths of his lungs grew louder and louder, shaking the entire room as if trembling, and the great leader calendar on the wall rustled noisily.
“We bled and shed tears back then, crawling through piles of corpses risking our lives for what?! Just to…”
“Dad!”
Fu Xingguo suddenly tore open his throat and roared, instantly overpowering his voice and cutting off the words on the tip of his tongue.
He wearily wiped his face, looking at his old father who was so angry his entire arm trembled slightly, his temples full of white hair, still trying to stand straight on one leg despite the weight.
Tears instantly poured down like rain as he cried like a child, nearly on the verge of collapse.
“Dad, Dad… just for me, for Yingzi and Tingzi, their siblings—Dad, can’t we not go wading into this muddy water?”
“Son, in this life, if a person loses conscience, what’s the difference between living and being a dog!”
On October 21, 1966, Fu Chenggong disregarded his son’s pleas and resolutely went to run around for his former old commander and comrade-in-arms, appealing grievances and overturning the case, becoming deeply embroiled.
……
“Dad, I’ve quietly found someone. The sent-down place is in South Xiangnan Ancient County—the county high official there is my life-and-death comrade; he’ll take care of you for me…”
“Dad, don’t worry about us. Me and Meihua will take good care of the children there…”
“Dad… actually, I’ve always wanted to tell you, I’m proud to have a father like you. Your words still make it hard for me to forget and fill me with shame…”
Fu Xingguo, similarly implicated and overwhelmed, only hastily said these few words.
No one imagined that this parting would last for years without seeing each other again.]
……
‘I’ve always firmly believed that dawn follows the darkest hour, and the dark clouds will eventually disperse!’
One sentence after another, the old man’s dying shouts struck powerfully at Su Ning’s heart, making her eyes well up red in an instant with a surge of bitterness.
“Grandpa… Fu…”
“Oh, Grandpa’s here. What’s wrong, Ning Yatou? Don’t cry!”
Seeing her big teardrops falling, Fu Chenggong immediately panicked and fumbled to comfort her profusely.
“My fault, my fault. Oh dear, now that old thing Su Ting will surely seize the chance and come flipping my bedboards in the middle of the night!”
“Pfft~”
A huge snot bubble popped out accordingly. Su Ning, both embarrassed and mortified, quickly covered her face. “Don’t look!”
“Hahahahaha, good, good, good—no looking, no looking. Cough cough, who? Who saw?!”
……
The two looked at each other tacitly and chuckled together.
“Tell me, girl—what happened?”
The old man’s wise eyes held affection, his tone gentle and calm. “No matter what it is, your Grandpa Fu is here.”
Thinking of his son who hadn’t been coming home much these past few days, and how he acted all evasive when they met.
—Could it be that something really happened, something even Ning Yatou’s father didn’t know about?
“Grandpa Fu.”
Because of the future she saw through him, Su Ning had to change her previous idea.
Since university would soon suspend classes and she couldn’t continue, she no longer needed to plan or worry about her volunteer being changed by Xu Zixin as a threat.
“Grandpa Fu, I want to go to Xiangnan.”
“Hm? Go to Xiangnan? Oh right, Xiangnan University is also very good. But why did Ning Yatou suddenly want to go study in Xiangnan?”
“No, I want to go work in Xiangnan, stay in my maternal grandfather’s hometown for a few years.”
“What job?! You’re not going to school?!”
