Shen Siyuan had thought that the generational gap Shen Jianjun and his wife spoke of was merely a matter of age.
But he hadn’t expected that it was far more than that.
It turned out that Yu Youcai had a comrade fall in battle, and with his dying breath entrusted his wife and daughter to him.
The two were from the same hometown, and Brother Yu had taken good care of him, so Yu Youcai felt obliged both morally and emotionally.
Upon returning from military service, he kept his promise, showing great respect and care for Brother Yu’s wife and daughter.
Because of this bond with Brother Yu, the two families interacted quite frequently.
Back then people were simpler, and their feelings towards each other were very sincere.
"Eh, it couldn’t be that the comrade’s widow fell for uncle, could it? That’s really nothing to make a fuss about."
A widower with a widow would be considered a match made in heaven.
"It’s not the widow, it’s his comrade’s daughter who took a fancy to your great-uncle," said his mother Huang Sujuan.
Surprised by her words, Shen Siyuan thought to himself that if his great-uncle and his comrade were similar in age, then the comrade’s daughter must be ten or twenty years younger.
But Shen Jianjun said instead, "His comrade was much older. When he died, his daughter was already thirteen or fourteen years old, and by the time your great-grandmother passed, she was already a grown woman."
"In that case, if great-uncle really married her, it seems like there wouldn’t be anything wrong with it. It might sound a bit improper, but as long as they were happy, that’s all that matters."
"Exactly, that’s what I think too. Your great-uncle just worried too much."
Hearing this, his mother’s face lit up with excitement, simply pleased that Shen Siyuan seemed to side with her.
Shen Jianjun shook his head upon hearing this, "It’s not that simple. Things were inherently complicated back then. Plus, it wasn’t just about your great-uncle; he had several comrades. If he had really married the girl, how could he face his comrades? And certainly, a lot of people would gossip."
"Let them talk, it just seems that uncle wasn’t brave enough."
His mother strongly disagreed with this, believing that if both parties had feelings for each other, they should overcome all obstacles. Being timid, how could they even talk about affection?
"People are long gone, what’s the use of talking about this now." Follow current novᴇls on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝔫𝔢𝔱
Shen Jianjun sighed helplessly, also feeling regret for his uncle’s life.
"And what happened to... Grandma afterward?"
Shen Siyuan wasn’t sure how to address her, thinking she should be about the same age as his grandma, so calling her Grandma seemed right.
"What happened later? She got married and had children."
His mother said, her tone unconsciously carrying a hint of dissatisfaction since his great-uncle had caused quite a stir back then for her sake, and he never married again, whereas she had a happy family.
"So they never got in touch again? Is she still alive?" Shen Siyuan pressed on.
He felt that this was probably the reason his great-uncle lingered in the Mortal World.
"That I’m not sure of, but she did come to pay her respects when your great-uncle passed away."
"How come I don’t remember?"
"You were young then, and there were so many people, you wouldn’t have noticed."
Now that it was all laid out, Shen Siyuan had nothing more to ask, so he took his great-uncle’s effects and went back up to his room on the second floor.
"Why is he suddenly interested in great-uncle’s affairs?"
Watching him go upstairs, Huang Huijuan asked Shen Jianjun, puzzled.
Shen Jianjun shook his head and said, "How would I know? Maybe he’s just reminded of people by the things left behind."
"I don’t think so, and haven’t you noticed, Si Yuan seems different since he came back this time."
"Different? How is it different?"
"I can’t really put my finger on it, but it just feels a bit different," Huang Huijuan said softly.
"So is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"It should be a good thing, I guess," pondered Huang Huijuan.
This time when Shen Siyuan came back, the sparkle in his eyes suggested he was brimming with essence energy, and his increased appetite pointed to robust health. All these should be taken as positive signs.
"In that case, why bother thinking so much? Go back to your room and sleep."
Shen Jianjun took her upstairs to their room.
Of course, Shen Siyuan had no idea his parents were discussing him . Back in his room, he took out the envelopes from the metal box and began to look through them one by one.
It must be said that even if the people back then did not have high levels of education, the handwriting in their letters was truly beautiful.
Even the slightly poor ones were written with clear strokes, evidently crafted with great care.
Thinking of himself, who has relied on computers so much that he’s nearly forgotten how to write. Picking up a pen, his handwriting looks like chicken scratch; he’s forgotten how to control the pressure of the pen.
Most of the letters were from comrades-in-arms, discussing trivial family matters, asking about work, this year’s harvest, or whether the wife and children are in good health, all expressing a sense of longing.
Shen Siyuan generally skimmed through these letters, which is why he could go through them so quickly.
He paused only when he came across a letter with graceful handwriting and read it carefully.
The writer of the letter was named Qiao Zhen, and her surname was unknown because she only signed it with her given name at the end of the letter.
Shen Siyuan sorted out all the letters with the same handwriting and looked through them one by one.
In her letters, she addressed her uncle as Brother Yu, and though the content was filled with mundane daily affairs, one could sense a young girl’s longing and hope for life.
But as time passed, the content of the letters shifted from daily trivia to concern about her uncle’s life, asking him to take care of his health and not to bring too much when he next visited her and her mother, a gentle affection palpable from the page.
Later on, the letters became more direct; she told her uncle of her genuine feelings, unafraid of gossip and hoping her uncle would cherish her emotions, to join hands with her and face the future together...
It was unknown how the uncle replied to her, but the last letter was clearly wet from tears.
It mentioned that an acquaintance had introduced her to a prospective match—a young man from Guangda Village, good-natured, honest, and also the head of the village production team...
The letter was full of praise for the young man, yet between the lines, one could sense her heartbreak.
After scanning all the letters from beginning to end, Shen Siyuan was left with one feeling—regret for not having fought for what was his, almost wishing he could rise and give his past self a good beating.
How could such a wonderful girl have been let go?
Reading between the lines, he also deduced that Miss Qiao Zhen must have been educated. Not only was her handwriting beautiful, but the content of her letters was logically structured—her word choice and phrasing made for a pleasant read.
From this detail, it was apparent that she came from a good background. However, in those times, a good background was not necessarily a good thing.
But old stories are like dust with the wind. Shen Siyuan neatly organized the letters again and took his change of clothes to the bathroom for a cold shower.
Even though it was night and the sun had set, the air was still dry and hot, causing discomfort and agitation.
After coming out of the bathroom and picking up his phone, he discovered he had received a WeChat message he hadn’t noticed before. It was from Jiang Tingyu.
"Are you asleep? What are you up to?"
Shen Siyuan looked at this WeChat message with a puzzled face.
Seriously, is this girl planning to keep me like a fish?
After declaring she isn’t looking to date right now, why send these messages? Is she trying to hook me, hoping I’ll take the bait?
But since he had nothing else to do, Shen Siyuan decided to play along. Who ends up hooking who is still up for grabs.
As long as he doesn’t take it to heart, he can’t possibly lose.