His grandson, his own grandson.
Old Ji tightly grasped Xie Tian’s hand, choking up to the point where he couldn’t speak.
Xie Tian also cried, his eyes red.
He had thought that in this world, he only had his mother left. But now, he realized he also had a grandfather.
At this moment, the clinic was empty. The two, who had just recognized each other as family, wept in sorrow for a while, but soon regained their composure.
“This matter must not be known by others. Given my current status, I cannot drag you into this.”
Xie Tian wanted to say he wasn’t afraid.
Old Ji patted his hand: “Good child, listen to your grandfather. Now that I’m fine, with enough to eat and wear, you can still call me Old Ji. As long as we can meet, that’s enough.”
Xie Tian thought for a moment and nodded: “Alright, Grandfather.”
Hearing this address, Old Ji patted his hand again: “Yes.”
“How is your mother? How is she doing?”
Song Wei brought a stool and sat by the door to keep watch for the two. If anyone came, she would alert them.
She also pricked up her ears to eavesdrop.
“Mom, she… she’s not doing too well either.”
There was a reason why Xie Tian was so timid and afraid of meeting people.
Xie Tian’s mother had married her first husband, who was not in good health. He passed away when Xie Tian was five.
Xie Tian and his mother were left as a widow and orphan, with a house that others coveted.
His mother was beautiful, a widow with a child. In the neighborhood where many people lived together, some ill-intentioned men had their eyes on her.
Later, many malicious rumors spread. Xie Tian’s mother was often harassed by these men, and Xie Tian was also affected, frequently bullied and mocked by his peers.
In the end, to live a stable life and for his sake, his mother chose to remarry a seemingly honest man. This way, having a man in the house would silence the gossips.
But she had misjudged him.
At first, the man was fine, but over time, he not only beat both mother and son but also pressured his mother to transfer the house to his name.
Xie Tian was often bullied by the man’s child.
Originally, it was the man’s child who was supposed to be sent to the countryside, as he could take over his father’s job. But the man pulled some strings and replaced his child’s name with Xie Tian’s.
Old Ji’s blood pressure soared as he listened, his eyes reddening. If that man were here, he might have started a fight.
But what could he do now?
Old Ji felt utterly defeated and lost. Given his current status, what could he do to help his child?
“Where is your home?”
At this moment, Song Wei suddenly spoke up.
Xie Tian looked at her and cautiously gave an address.
Song Wei said, “Lin Zhen and I are about to head to the northwest. The city you mentioned is on the way. We’ll go take a look when we pass by.”
Newly sent-down youths couldn’t return home without an introduction letter. If Xie Tian went back, not only would he be caught, but he might also not be able to return, making the situation worse.
“Thank you, thank you.”
Song Wei had been able to leave earlier because of her status as a military family member.
In this society, military families and veterans were given preferential treatment.
Knowing that Song Wei and Lin Zhen were willing to help, the two were overwhelmed with gratitude.
They had nothing to offer now, so they could only remember this kindness deeply in their hearts.
Song Wei took some snake and insect repellent and left. When she returned for dinner, she told Lin Zhen about Old Ji and Xie Tian.
Lin Zhen was also shocked: “What a coincidence.”
Indeed, it was a coincidence. But considering how Old Ji and his wife had waited for each other for so long, only to be separated by death, it wasn’t exactly fortunate.
“When we leave, let’s ask Xie Tian where his home is and go take a look.”
Old Ji had helped them a lot. Now that his only daughter might be suffering, they should help if they could.
Song Wei’s eyes lit up as she looked at him: “You and I think alike. I’ve already asked.”
Lin Zhen couldn’t help but smile. They were truly a perfect match.
After finishing the meal, Song Wei sat in the yard petting the two wolves and the fox, while Lin Zhen helped Hei Dan with his homework.
It was a picture of peaceful times.
As it grew dark, Song Wei left and returned to the educated youth dormitory.
Early the next morning, carrying snake and insect repellent, Song Wei, Lin Zhen, Lin Zhen’s Great-aunt, her eldest son, the two wolves, and their pack of dogs set off into the mountains while the morning mist still lingered.
Great-aunt was too old to walk for long, so when she got tired, her son carried her on his back.
Later, Lin Zhen and Song Wei also took turns carrying her.
Both of them were strong, and one person could have carried her all the way, but Grandma was afraid of tiring them out, so she insisted on switching after a while.
Lin Dayou was venturing this deep into the mountains for the first time and was quite curious about the surroundings.
But their luck wasn’t great today—they encountered a blind bear.
The bear was quite clever, standing at a distance and waving in their direction, looking almost like a person from afar.
Lin Dayou looked over in surprise: “Why is there someone over there?”
Great-aunt, lying on his back, squinted but couldn’t see clearly.
“Lin Zhen, let’s go take a look. What if someone needs our help?”
Lin Zhen stopped him: “That’s not a person.”
Song Wei pulled a machete from her basket: “It’s a blind bear.”
Lin Dayou’s legs went weak.
“A b-b-bear!”
Lin Zhen nodded: “I’ve heard from my teammates that blind bears are smart. Sometimes they stand up and wave to lure prey closer.”
Song Wei added: “In this heavy fog, it’s hard to see clearly. If someone really went over, by the time they realized, they wouldn’t be able to outrun the bear. Bears are fast.”
Lin Dayou gasped, and Great-aunt trembled.
“Then, let’s go quickly.”
The deep mountains were indeed home to fierce beasts, and a blind bear was even more dangerous than a tiger—larger and more ferocious.
His first instinct was to run.
But his legs were too weak to move.
And the bear seemed to realize they weren’t falling for its trick, so it started running toward them.
It was indeed fast, covering the distance in moments, now clearly visible.
Lin Dayou’s face turned pale, thinking it was over.
But he still held onto his mother tightly, not daring to let go.
The two wolves and the dogs were the first to attack.
A pack of dogs and wolves charged at the bear, their howls, barks, and even cat screeches filling the air.
Song Wei and Lin Zhen, armed with machetes, prepared to charge and attack the bear’s eyes, but suddenly a pack of wolves emerged from the forest.
These were real wolves, and they immediately targeted the bear.
With the wolves and dogs working together, even the large and strong bear began to retreat, as it was outnumbered.
Lin Dayou panicked even more. Not only was there a bear, but now wolves too!
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