C12 Grandpa Wrote Two Letters
After the meal, Sung Guodong disregarded Sung Zhu's emphatic plea and insisted on washing the dishes himself, despite her offer to help.
"Life is just too good!" Sung Zhu exclaimed, patting her slightly distended belly. She marveled at the luxury of being well-fed, even having meat in their diet, and pondered ways to improve their lives even further.
Despite being considered "wealthy," grandpa lived in a time of scarcity. With the uncertainty of the coming years, Sung Zhu knew it was important to give these matters more thought.
"What's grandpa up to?" she wondered after a while, having not seen him since he retreated indoors post-dinner.
"Is grandpa writing a letter? And to whom?" Sung Zhu tiptoed toward Sung Guodong's room, careful not to disturb him in case he was sleeping. Instead, she found him engrossed in writing at his desk, an envelope nearby confirming her suspicion.
Driven by curiosity – a common trait in children – Sung Zhu wondered who could be on the receiving end of grandpa's correspondence, as she couldn't recall any other relatives from her memories.
With the stealth of a cat, she crept closer, her childlike inquisitiveness outweighing the guilt of snooping.
"Zhu, there you are. Be a good girl and don't touch grandpa's things," Sung Guodong noticed her presence but didn't hide the letter, instead addressing her gently.
A quick glance at the letter left Sung Zhu astounded; it was addressed to her mother! The letter conveyed that they were both well and included reassurances for her peace of mind. It mentioned a recent trip to the county town for a photo, which would be sent along with the letter, and referenced two children.
For a moment, Sung Zhu felt a wave of disorientation as fragmented memories from the past suddenly pieced together into a significant revelation.
The original owner's father was a soldier too, a battalion commander, but tragically, he fell in battle five years ago. His mother remarried another officer four years later, and now she has two more children—a three-year-old girl and a one-year-old boy. Sung Zhu had overheard these details before, but as a child, she couldn't grasp the complexities of these relationships.
But Sung Zhu was not like the original owner; she managed to piece together the gist of the events from her memories. "Grandpa has been in touch with her all along. Hmm, yet she never once visited me." The face of the original owner's mother was a vague image in Sung Zhu's mind, and she had no desire to call that woman "Mother."
"Zhu, why don't you go play with Xiangqian for a bit?" Sung Guodong suggested, having just sealed the letter he'd finished writing. He noticed Zhu lingering by the desk and spoke to her.
Zhu initially thought he'd be upset by the letter, but when she sensed something was off, she quickly realized the truth. At just eight years old, she hadn't started school and couldn't read, which meant Sung Guodong had no concerns about her glimpsing the letter's content. There were indeed advantages to being young!
"No, I'd rather stay here with you, Grandpa. Oh, are you writing another letter?" Zhu asked sweetly, using her charm to her advantage. She watched as Sung Guodong stored the first letter away and began another, curious about who the next recipient might be.
