Shen Siyuan had initially thought that the generational gap his parents, Shen Jianjun and his wife, were talking about was just a matter of age.
But he never expected it to be so much more than that.
It turned out that back then, one of Yu Youcai's comrades-in-arms had died on the battlefield, entrusting his wife and daughter to him with his dying breath.
The two were from the same hometown, and the older man had taken good care of him, so Yu Youcai felt it was his inescapable duty, both emotionally and rationally.
When he returned from the army, he kept his promise and dutifully looked after his old comrade's wife and daughter.
Because of this bond with his old comrade, the two families visited each other frequently.
People were simpler back then, and their feelings were very genuine.
"Uh, don't tell me the comrade's widow fell for Maternal Granduncle? There's nothing really wrong with that, is there?"
A widower and a widow—that could even be considered a match made in heaven.
"Not the widow. It was his comrade's daughter who took a liking to your Maternal Granduncle," his mom, Huang Sujuan, said.
Shen Siyuan was a bit surprised to hear this. He figured his Maternal Granduncle and his comrade must have been around the same age, so the comrade's daughter would probably be ten or twenty years younger.
But Shen Jianjun said, "His comrade was quite a bit older. When he died, his daughter was already thirteen or fourteen.
By the time your Maternal Grandaunt passed away, she was already a young woman."
"In that case, if Maternal Granduncle had really married her, it seems it would have been fine. The gossip might have been a bit unpleasant, but their happiness is what matters."
"Isn't that the truth? I think so too.
Your Maternal Granduncle just worried too much."
His mom's face lit up with excitement, pleased simply because she felt Shen Siyuan was on her side.
But Shen Jianjun shook his head.
"It wasn't that simple.
Things were complicated in those years. Besides, it wasn't just that one comrade.
If your Maternal Granduncle had really married the girl, how could he face his other comrades? And plenty of people would have definitely gossiped."
"Let them talk. It's just that Maternal Uncle himself wasn't brave enough."
His mom strongly disagreed with this.
If they had feelings for each other, they should have overcome all obstacles. What kind of love is it if you're timid and hesitant?
"He's already passed away.
What's the use of talking about this now?"
Shen Jianjun sighed helplessly, also feeling regret for his Maternal Granduncle's life.
"So… what happened to that… grandmother, later on?"
Shen Siyuan wasn't sure what to call her.
He figured she was probably around his own grandmother's age by now, so calling her 'grandmother' seemed most appropriate.
"Later? She got married and had children, of course."
His mom said, her tone unconsciously tinged with dissatisfaction.
After all, Maternal Granduncle had caused a huge stir over her back then and never remarried, yet she went on to marry, have children, and live a happy life.
"Did they lose contact after that? Is she still alive?" Shen Siyuan pressed.
He felt this was likely the reason his Maternal Granduncle was still lingering in the mortal world.
"That, I'm not sure about. But she did come to pay her respects when your Maternal Granduncle passed away."
"How come I don't remember that?"
"You were little back then, and there were so many people.
How would you have noticed?"
Having said all this, Shen Siyuan had no more questions. He took his Maternal Granduncle's belongings and went back to his room on the Second Floor.
"Why is he suddenly so interested in Maternal Granduncle's affairs?"
Seeing him go upstairs, Huang Huijuan asked Shen Jianjun beside her, puzzled.
Shen Jianjun shook his head.
"How would I know? Maybe he's just reminiscing after seeing his things."
"I don't think so. And haven't you noticed? Siyuan is a little different this time he's back."
"Different? How is he different?"
"I can't quite put my finger on it, but I just feel he's a bit different," Huang Huijuan whispered.
"Is it a good different, or a bad different?"
"It should be a good thing, I think," Huang Huijuan said after a moment's thought.
Shen Siyuan's eyes were bright this time he was back, indicating Abundant Vital Energy, and his appetite had greatly increased, indicating a strong body.
These should all be positive changes.
"If that's the case, why think so much? Let's go back to our room and sleep."
Shen Jianjun pulled her upstairs to their room.
Shen Siyuan, of course, didn't know his parents were discussing him. Back in his room, he took out the Envelopes from the Iron Box and began to look through them one by one.
He had to admit, people back then might not have been highly educated, but their handwriting was truly beautiful.
Even the slightly less refined handwriting was stroke by stroke, clear and legible, clearly showing that they wrote their letters with immense care.
Then he thought about himself. He used the computer so much that he'd almost forgotten how to write.
When he picked up a pen, his handwriting looked like a turtle's crawl; he had forgotten how to control the pressure of the nib.
Most of the letters were correspondence with comrades-in-arms, the contents filled with everyday trifles—asking about work, the year's harvest, or if their wives and children were healthy, all expressing a sense of longing.
Shen Siyuan basically skimmed these letters ten lines at a time, so he read through them very quickly.
It was only when he saw a letter with delicate, elegant handwriting that he paused to read it carefully.
The writer's name was Qiaozhen. Her surname was unknown, as the end of the letter was signed with only the name 'Qiaozhen'.
Shen Siyuan picked out all the letters with the same handwriting and looked through them one by one.
In her letters, she addressed his Maternal Granduncle as Brother Yu.
Although the pages were filled with similar daily trifles, one could feel a young girl's yearning and hope for life while reading them.
But as time went on, the content of the letters shifted from daily trifles to concern for his Maternal Granduncle's life, telling him to take care of his health and not to bring so many things the next time he came to visit her and her mother.
A subtle affection leaped off the page.
Later still, she became more direct and forthright.
She told his Maternal Granduncle that her feelings for him were sincere, that she wasn't afraid of gossip, and that she hoped he would cherish her feelings and join hands with her to face the future together…
He didn't know how his Maternal Granduncle had replied to her, but in the final letter, the paper was clearly soaked through with tears.
The letter said that an acquaintance had introduced her to a potential match, a young man from Guangda Village.
He was a good, honest person, and even the village's Production Team Leader…
The letter was full of praise for the young man, but between the lines, one could read the feeling of a broken heart.
After reading through all the letters from beginning to end, Shen Siyuan had only one feeling: frustration at his granduncle's lack of fight.
He felt like jumping up and giving him a good beating.
How could he have let such a wonderful girl slip away?
He also read between the lines that Miss Qiaozhen must have been educated.
Not only was her handwriting beautiful, but the content of her letters was coherent, and her choice of words and sentence structure made them a pleasure to read.
From this point alone, one could tell her family background was likely very good, but in that era, a good background wasn't necessarily a good thing.
But the past is gone with the wind. Shen Siyuan gathered the letters back together, took a Change of Clothes to the Bathroom, and had a cold shower.
Although it was night and the sun was gone, the air was still hot and stifling, making one feel restless and uncomfortable.
After coming out of the Bathroom, he picked up his Mobile Phone and saw that he had received a WeChat message at some point.
He looked—it was from Jiang Tingyu.
"Are you asleep? What are you doing?"
Shen Siyuan stared at the message with a baffled expression.
Seriously, is this girl really planning to keep me on the hook?
I already told her I'm not looking for a relationship right now, so why is she sending this? Is she trying to turn me into a Hooked Fish?
But since he had nothing better to do, Shen Siyuan decided to play along. It wasn't certain who would be hooking whom.
As long as he didn't catch feelings, there was no way he could lose.