Chapter Thirty-Three: Grandfather in the Military Tent

  He still didn't react. I sat in the passenger seat, feeling anxious. If he wasn't driving, I really wanted to pull him over and shake his head hard - why wouldn't he speak? I don't know if he was like this before he died or if it happened after he came back to life.

  Our car returned to where I lived, but just at that corner, he suddenly stepped on the brakes all the way down. Fortunately, the speed was not fast, and I didn't hit anything. I was just startled and asked, "What's wrong?"

  "Look at my grandfather's car!" Su Haicheng gestured for me to look over there at the military-plated vehicle parked by the entrance of the building.

  My heart skipped a beat. Just yesterday, we had just sent off Su's mother, and today, Su's grandfather arrived. At this moment, that little soldier appeared, got out of the car, and looked at our car again. I quickly lowered my head, took another look at Su Haicheng, and asked in a low voice, "Does he know you?"

  "I don't know, he often comes to our house, and must have seen my photos." As soon as Su Haicheng finished speaking, the car was blocked. After we were blocked, I quickly jumped out of the car: "I'll go get rid of him, you hide first and don't come out." Today is another day of substitution, I'm really worried that one day I won't be able to bear the pressure and will directly collapse, game over.

  I ran past a building and then slowed down to walk away, making it look like I came back from another route.

  That little soldier is still asking the old lady on the second floor of our building where I live, and the old lady points to the fourth floor upstairs, I have already appeared.

  The little soldier thanked the old lady, and the old lady added with a smile: "No need to thank me, military and civilians are one family."

  They just asked for directions.

  I forced a smile on my face, but in reality, I was too nervous to laugh. "Hello, I never thought I'd run into you here."

  "Hello Miss Chen, General asked me to pick you up."

  "I just got back from class and I'm quite tired, I think I won't be able to sit on a long-distance bus now." As I spoke, my hand was still gently placed on my lower abdomen. This is to tell him that I'm pregnant, don't force me.

  "General is in D city, he wants to see a few old comrades. He said before dinner, he wants to talk to you for a bit. Let me pick you up. He knows you'll feel uncomfortable having dinner with those elderly people, so the arrangement is just to chat with you for about 10 minutes, then I'll take you out for dinner and send you back afterwards. Is that okay?"

  This is really like a military style, even ten minutes are calculated so clearly. He was smiling at me, but I shouldn't have the right to say no, should I? I obediently got on his car and was taken away from the residential area. In the car, he didn't speak and neither did I. However, in my heart, I was still thinking about Su Mama's visit, which could be said to be worrying about this child. Yesterday, Su Mama should have reported my situation to Old Master. Then what does it mean for Old Master to come today? Perhaps... In my heart, there is a very bold hypothesis. Su Haicheng's military region belongs to D City, and his leadership relations are basically all here. Old Master is an old general, he appears at this time to visit old comrades-in-arms, maybe he came to investigate Su Haicheng's affairs.

  With this assumption, I secretly let out a sigh of relief. We're not fighting alone, we have Su Mama and Su Papa helping us too. If you didn't place so much importance on the child in my belly that doesn't even exist yet, it would be even better.

  I dare not imagine what will happen several months later when things can no longer be covered up. How disappointed they will be, and how will they deal with me?

  The car took me to a very luxurious hotel, and I followed the little soldier upstairs. In the restaurant on the 29th floor, in a luxurious private room, I met that old man with a cane again.

  He sat in front of the table, no dishes had been served yet, and there was a sofa and TV beside him, but he didn't turn it on. He just sat there like that.

  I walked over and called out softly: "Grandpa."

  Grandpa looked over at me and nodded. "Sit down, don't worry, I just want to say a few words."

  After I sat down, I quickly said: "Grandpa, it was my fault that day. I shouldn't have hung up on you. I..."

  "Susu told me that it was Haicheng's comrades who brought you out. April 1st, you may not be able to understand my feelings, I am Haicheng's father and only son, and he sacrificed at such a young age. Now Haicheng is also like this, the hope of this old man living on is in your belly. If something happens to you, what's the point of this old man being alive?"

  "Grandpa, don't say that." My heart skipped a beat, what if he finds out later that I'm not actually pregnant, will...I dare not think about it anymore.

  He pulled out a bank statement from his pocket and said, "I know you care about Haicheng, we do too. But he's already gone. You'd better just stay here and take care of yourself quietly. If something happens to you, I really don't know what I can hope for in the future."

  I took the bill in a daze, and it was actually the credit card statement of Su Haicheng. On it were the things I had bought with my card. What tent, outdoor sports suit, soldier's shovel, military knife...

  "That, those, were all before, before, didn't I come back properly? Haha" I smiled foolishly. Fortunately, this time buying diving equipment was with the boss's money, my credit card didn't show any bill. Otherwise, if old man saw that diving equipment, alcohol stove and whatnot, wouldn't he be even angrier and lock me up?

  "I hope so, don't deceive this old man. I called you over today just to give you a reminder. April Fool's Day is coming, don't challenge Grandpa's bottom line. Grandpa now allows you to live on your own and have your own circle of friends, but Grandpa also has the ability to lock you up and make you raise a child."

  My heart tightened for a moment. That's it, even if heaven and earth are not responding. I immediately nodded obediently: "En, I understand, I will take good care of the child."

  The old man's eyes reddened: "If Haicheng were still here, it would be better."

  "Grandpa, what if..." I hesitated for a moment and asked, "I mean, what if he comes back?"

  The old man didn't answer me, he just waved his hand and had the little soldier take me out.

  That little soldier also politely took me out of the private room and then sat down with me in the large hall outside, and the waiter immediately served the dishes, which should have been ordered beforehand.

  I sat down a bit stiffly, and the little soldier sat across from me, with a straight back, looking very serious. He said: "You don't have to be nervous, or you can eat by yourself, I'll leave for a while. You should eat well now. The leaders of Suzhou City called yesterday to ask about this child's situation, everyone is very concerned. If you two were already married, maybe there wouldn't be so much awkwardness."

  "After he finished speaking, he stood up and was about to leave. I quickly beckoned him to sit back down. Since he could say all that to me, maybe I could get some information out of him. 'Hey, handsome, please sit down.'"

  "Just call me Little Bell."

  "What about that little bell, do you know what old master came to see this time?"

  "It's Su Haicheng's team." He glanced at his watch, "They'll be here in twenty minutes. Talk about the car you left behind in that forest."

  "Can I still get my car back?" I listened with wide eyes. To be honest, the car is mine, it's mine. Even if I've only seen it for half an hour. And I know how greedy I look right now. But I'm still attached to my car.

  Xiao Zhong laughed: "Old master is taking action, it's definitely going to work. It should be in the next few days, someone will deliver it to you at that time."

  Uh, should I take it myself? When delivering it, what if I run into Su Haicheng again like today, then I guess we'll really know each other.

  "Uh, so, among the people who came today, there is a surname, uh, the first letter of the surname is Q, right?" Normally, we would use the first letter of the name as an abbreviation. For professions like soldiers, shouldn't they prefer to use surnames rather than given names?

  Xiao Zhong didn't smile, leaned in a bit and said in a low voice: "You asked something you shouldn't have. Eat well, to quote an old general, you're really not simple."

  It's really well-trained, I couldn't get anything out of it, just knowing that the old man is planning something in secret, my car will be back soon. I don't know if his words were praise or not, but I could only smile and start eating. When someone invites you to eat at such a high-end hotel, I won't be polite.