“Okay.” Lin Zhilan smiled, then reminded her over the phone to remember to put on more clothes now that the weather was turning colder.
After hanging up, Lin Zhilan thought for a moment, then called Cheng Qingshan as well.
Cheng Qingshan was getting on in years and had entered semi-retirement. He was no longer as busy as he used to be, and when Lin Zhilan called, he was at home feeding the dog.
When the housekeeper told him it was Lin Zhilan, he covered the mouthpiece and asked her, “You didn’t complain to Zhilan about me, did you? I’ve only smoked half a pack this week.”
“No, no,” the housekeeper hurriedly waved her hands. Then she hesitated before adding, “But I don’t know whether Linlin and Xiao Yuan will tell on you.”
Cheng Qingshan’s face fell. He cleared his throat before bringing the receiver to his mouth. “Zhilan, what can I do for you?”
“Uncle Cheng, did you receive the wool sweater I sent you? Does it fit?”
“It fits perfectly. It’s very nice.”
“…”
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lin Zhilan got to the point. “Uncle Cheng, Jiang Chengzhou is out of contact again.”
It was no wonder Lin Zhilan and Linlin were worried. There had not actually been any major battles in the past few years.
However, beginning in the late 1970s, Vietnam had constructed extensive tunnels, minefields, and defensive fortifications in the mountains of Laoshan along China’s border, relying on the terrain to launch frequent artillery attacks and harassment against Chinese villages.
After repeated diplomatic warnings failed, the Central Military Commission decided to launch operations to recapture the strongpoints, recover the lost territory, and deter Vietnam.
Beginning that spring, newspapers and radio stations across the country had continuously reported on the military preparations along the border.
Government offices, universities, and factories nationwide had launched campaigns to send support to the front lines, make donations, and write letters of encouragement to the soldiers.
By the second half of the year, the conflict had evolved into a prolonged standoff.
Major military regions across the country took turns sending troops to the front lines for training and to hone their combat experience.
The moment Jiang Chengzhou stopped answering his calls, Lin Zhilan immediately thought of this.
Cheng Qingshan sighed. “Zhilan, you’ve been a military wife for so many years. You should be used to and understand situations like this. No news is the best news, so don’t worry too much.”
“I understand. Thank you, Uncle Cheng.”
How could Lin Zhilan not understand what he meant? But that was her own child. No matter how clearly she understood the reasoning, she still could not stop worrying.
Lin Zhilan also told him about Linlin’s troubles. She explained that Linlin had been reported, though unlike Linlin, she was not certain that Lu Zeyu was the one who had done it. Whoever the culprit was, however, it was clear that he harbored no good intentions toward Linlin.
Lin Zhilan was far away on the island and could only turn to her elders for help.
The moment Cheng Qingshan heard this, he flew into a rage. Linlin was his granddaughter, and Yan Yuan was a promising young man he thought highly of. What was wrong with the two of them dating?
They weren’t breaking the law!
“Don’t worry. I’ll have someone look into it.”
Lin Zhilan quickly said, “Uncle Cheng, I’m not asking you to use your influence to bully anyone. Linlin said it herself—she hasn’t done anything wrong and has nothing to fear from an investigation.
“It’s just that anyone would feel uncomfortable when something like this happens. If you can find out who reported her, then just help Linlin ‘explain’ the situation.”
Cheng Qingshan said irritably, “Do you think I don’t know that? What do you take me for? Do you think I’m the kind of person who throws his weight around?”
“Of course you’re not,” Lin Zhilan quickly agreed.
They chatted for a while longer before Lin Zhilan asked him to hand the phone to the housekeeper.
Cheng Qingshan tightened his grip on the receiver and glanced at the housekeeper standing beside him. “Why do you need her?”
“I have a medicinal-diet recipe to tell her about.”
Cheng Qingshan shot the housekeeper a warning look before handing her the receiver.
“Sister Li, how has Uncle Cheng been feeling lately?”
“He’s doing quite well. He takes the dog out for a walk every morning, and he can still eat two bowls of rice at every meal.”
Lin Zhilan smiled. “That’s good. I sent some pear syrup this time. Every morning, dissolve a spoonful in warm water and make sure he drinks it. The autumn and winter weather in the capital is dry, so it will help clear his lungs and relieve dryness.”
“Got it. I’ll remember,” Sister Li said with a smile.
“Has he been smoking lately?”
“Huh?” Sister Li looked toward Cheng Qingshan.
Cheng Qingshan hurriedly waved at her, growing extremely anxious.
Sister Li understood and stammered, “I—I don’t think so. I haven’t really noticed.”
Lin Zhilan sounded as though she could see exactly what was happening on the other end. “Sister Li, tell Uncle Cheng that I already know he’s been smoking. When the time comes, I’ll ask Dr. Zhang to add a dose of coptis to his medicine as punishment.”
Dr. Zhang was Cheng Qingshan’s personal physician.
Ever since Lin Zhilan had met him while visiting Cheng Qingshan, the two had become friends despite their age difference and often exchanged medicinal recipes.
If Lin Zhilan said she would add coptis, Dr. Zhang really would do it.
Sister Li hung up, both amused and helpless.
Cheng Qingshan shook his head in exasperation. “Sister Li, Sister Li, how can you not even lie properly?”
Sister Li snickered.
It wasn’t that she didn’t know how to lie.
She had done it on purpose.
No one could keep Cheng Qingshan under control, and Zhilan rarely came to visit.
Linlin did come by often, but every time she did, Cheng Qingshan would hide his cigarettes, brush his teeth, and burn incense to cover the smell of smoke.
Linlin didn’t smoke herself and had never noticed anything.
Sister Li didn’t dare try to control Cheng Qingshan either. This was the only way she could avoid offending either side while still persuading him to smoke less.
Anything done left traces.
The report had indeed been submitted by Lu Zeyu.
Now that his marriage arrangement was gone, he wanted even more desperately to win Linlin over.
At first, he had only intended to report Yan Yuan and cause trouble for his career.
But after thinking it over, he decided that reporting only one of them would make his target too obvious. So he also reported Linlin to the school.
After Cheng Qingshan found out, he went straight to Lu Zeyu’s uncle.
His uncle was startled and summoned Lu Zeyu. In front of Cheng Qingshan, he beat Lu Zeyu with a leather belt.
Cheng Qingshan thought to himself, “You’re going too easy on him.”
But on the surface, he kept trying to stop him. “All right, all right. It’s nothing serious. He’s young and doesn’t know better. Just make sure he pays attention in the future.
“Linlin is just like a granddaughter to me. What can I say? Grandfathers always worry too much.
“She’s also her mother’s precious darling. Her mother is away and can’t look after her, so if I let her suffer any grievances, her mother will cry to me later. I couldn’t bear that.”
His every word revealed how much he favored Lin Zhilan and Linlin. Lu Zeyu’s uncle naturally understood what he meant and struck even harder.
When Cheng Qingshan was leaving, he even scolded Lu Zeyu’s uncle for being heartless and beating the child so badly.
Inside, Lu Zeyu’s uncle sneered.
Heartless? If I hadn’t hit him hard enough, would you have been able to leave here today?
Although Cheng Qingshan was semi-retired, he still wielded considerable influence, and Lu Zeyu’s uncle did not dare offend him.
At the same time, he was furious at his nephew for being so useless. It was one thing not to be able to win the girl over, but he had even resorted to such despicable tricks behind her back.
Wasn’t that just asking for trouble?
After Cheng Qingshan’s visit, Lu Zeyu’s family treated the matter as extremely serious and had him transfer to another department.
Linlin rarely ran into him anymore. Even when they did cross paths, Lu Zeyu would merely nod before quickly walking away.
His uncle had already warned him that if he continued to pester her, he would sever all ties with him.
Lu Zeyu was a realist. His uncle was his greatest source of support, and he did not dare disobey him.
…
Winter in Laoshan did not bring the fierce blizzards of the north, but the damp cold was bone-chilling.
