Chapter 313 – Holding Grandfather’s Hand
When Lu Xia and the others arrived, it was morning. Upon entering the house, they found only a middle-aged woman there.
Lu Xia carefully observed her. This woman had a simple and weathered appearance, clearly someone from the rural area. She shouldn’t be the eldest aunt, right?
Then Grandpa Jiang introduced her, “This is Xiao Wang, assigned by the government. Afraid that I won’t have enough to eat, they sent her over to cook for me.”
There was a tone of resentment in his voice at this point, clearly feeling that it was wasting national resources.
The middle-aged woman smiled upon hearing this. “You can call me Aunt Wang. I’m the housekeeper here. Just let me know if you want to eat anything in the future.”
Lu Xia was surprised. She hadn’t expected that in this day and age, people would openly hire housekeepers. Luckily, this was arranged by the government.
So, she greeted, “Hello, Aunt Wang.”
Later, Grandpa Jiang continued, “Your uncle went to the military base a few days ago. He’ll only be back in the afternoon. Your aunt has a surgery scheduled for the afternoon. She was planning to come back during lunchtime, but I refused and told her not to bother. It’s better for her to come back together in the evening, and that way we can also call your older sisters back.”
Then he looked at Lu Xia and added, “Xiao Lu, don’t mind. Everyone in the family is busy with work.”
Lu Xia quickly nodded, “Grandpa, don’t worry. I understand. Work is important, and besides, we’re not outsiders. There’s no need to go back and forth needlessly.”
Upon hearing this, Grandpa Jiang’s smile grew wider. He looked at Jiang Junmo and nodded as if he was quite satisfied with his daughter-in-law.
“Well, then you should go to your rooms and freshen up first. Take a rest for a while. Would you like to have some lunch?”
Jiang Junmo shook his head, “No need. We had breakfast on the train.”
“Alright, then we’ll have lunch together at noon.”
Then, looking at the two of them, he said, “You can still stay in your old room, which your aunt cleaned up recently. Check if everything is to your liking, and if you need anything, let me know!”
“Okay!”
Jiang Junmo was about to lead Lu Xia upstairs, but he noticed that Grandpa Jiang was still looking at Kang Kang with anticipation.
He paused and asked Kang Kang, who seemed hesitant, “Kang Kang, do you want to stay here with Grandpa?”
Kang Kang hesitated upon hearing this. He didn’t want to be separated from his parents, but he didn’t seem to dislike Grandpa either. So he asked, “Sent my little frog?”
Kang Kang wasn’t speaking very fluently yet, but his meaning was understandable.
Jiang Junmo nodded, “Yes, it’s the Grandpa who sent the little frog to you.”
The Jiang family often sent things to the two of them, and after Kang Kang was born, they sent quite a few toys, among which his favorite was the bouncy green-skinned frog.
Hearing that it was from Grandpa, he remembered.
So, he nodded and took the initiative to walk over and hold Grandpa Jiang’s hand, saying, “Grandpa!”
Seeing this, Jiang Junmo smiled and said, “Alright, then you stay down here with Grandpa, and Mom and Dad will come down soon.”
Kang Kang nodded, indicating that he understood.
And at this moment, Grandpa Jiang felt incredibly delighted, holding the chubby and soft little hand. His heart was overwhelmed with joy.
“Kang Kang is really thoughtful. Let’s go, Grandpa will take you out to visit and have some fun!”
Kang Kang became interested upon hearing this, but he still turned to look at his parents.
Seeing this, Jiang Junmo smiled and said, “Okay, then you go out with Grandpa and have a little walk. Remember to be obedient, okay?”
“Okay!” Kang Kang replied loudly.
And so, the old man and the little one walked hand in hand out of the door.
Lu Xia felt a bit concerned. After all, this was their first meeting.
*
Chapter 314 – The Bedroom
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Jiang Junmo smiled, “Don’t worry, he won’t go far. He’s probably gone to show off at Grandpa Dong’s place next door.”
Lu Xia was puzzled, “Show off what?”
Jiang Junmo explained with a smile, “Grandpa Dong and my grandpa were old comrades from the war. As they got older, they started comparing things. Grandpa Dong has a son who didn’t join the military; he works in a factory. He got married early and already has grandchildren. Grandpa feels envious and inferior every time, thinking he’s losing out. Now, with Kang Kang, he has something to flaunt.”
Lu Xia chuckled upon hearing this and decided to leave it at that.
They went upstairs afterward.
Jiang Junmo’s bedroom was at the far end of the second floor. Upon opening the door, she was surprised to find that it was unexpectedly spacious and very clean.
The decoration was thoughtful as well, with a large wardrobe, a desk, and even a vanity table – clearly brand new.
More importantly, there was a separate bathroom.
Lu Xia was surprised again upon seeing this. Was his room this nice?
Then Jiang Junmo continued, “This is the best room in the house. It’s the only one on the second floor with its own bathroom. They gave it to me because of my health issues.
And originally, the second floor had five rooms. After the children in the family grew up, the other four rooms were partitioned off to create six smaller rooms for my sisters and cousins.
Grandpa and the housekeeper live on the first floor, while my uncle and his wife live on the third floor.”
Lu Xia understood. Hearing this, it was clear that his room was different from the rest.
Then Jiang Junmo glanced around, “The closet is new, and there’s a new vanity table. The desk is still the old one, and my bookshelf is still here, with the books on top.”
Lu Xia nodded. It was clear that a lot of thought had gone into the arrangement. She felt even more grateful to his aunt.
At this point, they didn’t have much time to spare. Their mailed belongings hadn’t arrived yet, so they only needed to do a simple cleanup.
Looking at the empty room, Lu Xia couldn’t help but sigh, “It feels like something’s missing.”
Jiang Junmo chuckled, “Our luggage should be arriving soon. Let’s go see in the afternoon. Once we have everything, there’s no need to unpack everything. When we move out later, we won’t have to repack everything.”
Lu Xia looked at him and thought for a moment, “If you’re not willing to move out, we can actually stay here.”
She noticed his close relationship with his uncle and aunt, and Grandpa also liked Kang Kang very much. She was afraid he wouldn’t want to leave.
Though she might need time to adjust to living here, the conditions were quite good. She would slowly get used to it.
Jiang Junmo understood her concerns, smiling as he patted her head, “Don’t worry, Grandpa and the others will understand. Besides, this was the arrangement from the beginning. It’s more comfortable for just the two of us, without so many concerns.”
Lu Xia nodded upon hearing this, but then asked, “What about Kang Kang? After school starts, we’ll both be going to school. We can’t leave Kang Kang alone at home, can we?”
Jiang Junmo had thought about this, “Kang Kang isn’t that young anymore. He can go to kindergarten. We’ll send him to kindergarten when the time comes.”
Lu Xia felt a bit reluctant upon hearing this, but she also knew that they might not have time to take care of him once school started.
But… “Is it easy to find a kindergarten? Don’t only workplaces have staff kindergartens now? Can we send him to those as well?”
Jiang Junmo considered, “I’ll inquire and see. If not, we can send him to the military district kindergarten. The facilities there are good too.”
Lu Xia knew the military district kindergarten would definitely be better, but that would mean Kang Kang staying here would be more convenient.
After all, she had heard that the small courtyard left by his maternal grandmother was quite far from here.
So, neither of them made an immediate decision. They would see and decide later.
**TN
Still sick, still sleepy, but definitely feeling much better. Only 2 updates for today. (•_•)/
Hahaha, grandpa has gone to show off Kang Kang to his neighbor 😅
Thanks for the chapter~!
Thanks for good chapter, hope you get better and drink more water.
Don’t forget to eat a little even if you don’t have appetite.
Hope you have a speedy recovery!
Glad to hear that you’re feeling better. Hope you get well soon.
Get well soon, sleep well and eat warm foods.
Thanks for the update ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Get well soon ☺️
Thanks for the chapter (♡˙︶˙♡)
This grandpa… What reason did he have to be envious? Doesn’t Jiang Junmo have several siblings that all are married and have children?