Chapter 36: Meow
It would have been fine if he hadn’t turned around, but the sudden turn made him twist his waist again, and it started to hurt.
Grandpa Jiang gritted his teeth and suppressed it, not making any sound of pain.
Jiang Suifeng’s gaze swept over the phone screen and met his grandfather’s eyes on the hospital bed. His smile deepened, and he deliberately mouthed: “What’s wrong?”
“…”
Grandpa Jiang didn’t speak. One hand pressed on his waist, the other raised and pointed in the direction of the toilet. He clumsily and slowly crawled out of bed.
Jiang Suifeng was about to get up to help, but Grandpa Jiang quickly waved his hand, signaling him not to move.
“Big Papa, what are you looking at? Where are you?” Jing Mimi’s voice followed.
Because he was in a hurry to show Big Papa the Scottish Fold paper cutting, Jing Mimi didn’t pay much attention to the background behind Jiang Suifeng just now. Now he realized it wasn’t at home.
Hearing this, Grandpa Jiang stared at Jiang Suifeng, moving as slowly as a snail. It didn’t look strange on an old man, especially one who had fallen.
Jiang Suifeng thought for a moment and answered, “Papa is working, being a grandson for someone.”
Grandpa Jiang: “…”
Jing Mimi tilted his little head, not quite understanding these human jokes, only understanding the first half about working.
Jing Zhi’s voice sounded at the right time, interrupting Jiang Suifeng’s nonsense: “Mimi is very happy today, saying he wants to stick the Scottish Fold paper cutting on the window at home when we go back.”
Grandpa Jiang’s emotions, which were originally choked up by his grandson, instantly softened.
Jiang Suifeng smiled and hummed, “Strive to complete the procedures before his birthday next month and take him home.”
Jing Mimi happily kicked his little feet in Jing Zhi’s arms.
Going home next month!
And celebrating the first birthday after becoming a little human!
He was looking forward to it.
But soon he remembered something, his expression became serious, and he mumbled, “Big Papa, the dummy grandpa disappeared with a ‘whoosh’ today. Little Papa and I couldn’t find him. Can I see him again…”
He didn’t have much time left in the welfare institute. If he couldn’t complete the mission, it would be even harder to find the dummy grandpa after leaving the welfare institute.
Jing Zhi cooperated and explained, “Mimi almost turned the welfare institute upside down today but couldn’t find that grandpa. His socks and shoes got wet. I poured hot water for him to soak his feet and gave him ginger tea.”
Grandpa Jiang suddenly felt guilty.
Besides guilt, his heart completely softened into a puddle.
The little guy actually looked for him for so long in the welfare institute…
Jiang Suifeng deliberately put on a stern face and criticized: “Not allowed to do this next time, understand? What if you get sick?”
Jing Mimi obediently nodded his little head and gave a small “Mmhmm.”
Grandpa Jiang really wanted to tell his grandson to lower his voice and be gentler. Such a small child, even if criticizing, there was no need to be so strict. What if he scared him?
Look at how aggrieved his voice sounded…
When Jiang Suifeng was little, he stepped in muddy water with a few friends on a rainy day, turning himself into a dirty little kitten. He and his wife didn’t criticize him like this, just smilingly helped him wash up.
Tsk, this unfilial grandson didn’t learn even one ten-thousandth from them.
Just as he was thinking, Jiang Suifeng’s gaze crossed the phone screen and fell on the old man again.
Grandpa Jiang, who was cursing his grandson in his heart a second ago, instantly deflated. Under the silent gaze, he quickened his movements and went to the bathroom.
He didn’t really want to use the toilet; he wanted to continue eavesdropping on the video chat, so he didn’t close the door and carefully washed his hands with hand sanitizer at the sink.
It was convenient to eavesdrop here too, but the volume was too low. He was old and inevitably hard of hearing, so he couldn’t hear the little cub’s voice on the other end clearly.
Not long after, he limped out of the bathroom quickly. Afraid of being discovered, he slowed down after walking out of the bathroom, rubbing his waist while walking towards the hospital bed.
When he came out, he happened to hear the little cub talking about him: “Big Papa, could Grandpa be Santa Claus?”
Santa Claus?
Children’s imagination is so cute.
If only he were Santa Claus, having reindeer pulling a sleigh to run away, he wouldn’t have fallen into the hospital.
Jiang Suifeng couldn’t help laughing. “Christmas is over. Santa Claus’s after-sales service shouldn’t be this long.”
Jing Mimi felt a bit regretful. “I really want to see Grandpa again. Don’t know if he will come to the welfare institute tomorrow.”
Next time he saw Grandpa, he would definitely ask him to teach him to draw a kitten immediately and complete the mission.
Hearing this, Grandpa Jiang’s heart clenched again.
Even, he was already thinking about sneaking out of the hospital to the welfare institute after Jiang Suifeng left tomorrow.
But this thought only existed for a moment before being crushed into dust by reality.
His old bones couldn’t withstand another torment. Another fall, and he probably wouldn’t be able to get out of bed on his own.
The feeling of scratching his heart and liver came up again.
Not seeing him for several days in a row, the little guy would definitely be very disappointed…
After a while… would he still remember him?
Children forget easily.
Jiang Suifeng took Grandpa’s reaction into his eyes and continued: “Don’t think about it anymore. Didn’t Grandma say she made a kitten hat for you? Grandma will come to the welfare institute to see you tomorrow.”
Grandma?
Grandpa Jiang was stunned.
What Grandma?
Jing Zhi’s voice sounded at the right time again: “My mom said she’ll bring some fermented rice wine she made herself tomorrow. Try it when you come over for your birthday.”
Jiang Suifeng: “Okay.”
So it was Jing Zhi’s mother.
The little guy should indeed call her Grandma.
The topic was diverted, and Jing Mimi happily started talking about Grandma.
Grandpa Jiang sat on the hospital bed, his thoughts growing wild like weeds.
It seemed Jing Zhi’s family had already accepted them being together and had met Mimi openly long ago.
Grandpa Jiang, who could only be sneaky, started to feel unbalanced in his heart again.
He also wanted Mimi to call him “Great-Grandpa.”
If he had known… if he had known, he wouldn’t have secretly gone to see Mimi. Now he was in a dilemma.
Grandpa Jiang regretted it so much his intestines turned green.
…
The video call ended with the little cub saying “I’ll go call Brother Qiuqiu first.” Jiang Suifeng put away his phone and met the eyes of the old man lying on the bed.
Grandpa Jiang muttered “Who is this Brother Qiuqiu” in his heart and looked away as if inadvertently.
“Grandpa,” Jiang Suifeng didn’t intend to let him go. Having paved the way for so long, it was time to get to the point. “Before leaving, do you want to meet them?”
Hearing this, Grandpa Jiang’s body tensed instantly.
He wanted to meet them, but…
Towards Jing Zhi, he felt guilty because of that text message.
Towards Mimi, he felt guilty because of his sneaky identity.
How could he meet them?
Finally, under Jiang Suifeng’s gaze, he mumbled, “Let’s talk about it after I’m discharged…”
He had to be given some time to prepare.
Jiang Suifeng hummed, the corners of his mouth turning up. “You finally accepted it.”
Grandpa Jiang looked at him deeply, remained silent for a long time, and suddenly sighed heavily.
He spoke abruptly: “Do you know you have a Great-Grandpa (Grandpa’s elder brother)?”
Jiang Suifeng was stunned. He knew about Grandpa’s siblings, but in his impression, Grandpa only had older sisters, no older brothers, and he had never met any Great-Grandpa.
Grandpa Jiang took out the family portrait behind his wife’s photo from his wallet, handed it to him, and told him that long-buried story.
Originally, he planned to take this memory to the grave. His eldest brother’s life was already hard enough; he didn’t want to mention it in front of future generations again.
Including these years, although he opposed his grandson being with a boyfriend, he never thought of telling him about his eldest brother.
What good would it do? Make him understand better why he opposed them being together, and then try to persuade himself from his eldest brother’s story? He didn’t want his eldest brother to be restless in the other world, nor did he want to hear anyone discuss that obscure past again.
But now, maybe he could tell him.
Jiang Suifeng always thought Grandpa was just too conservative and couldn’t accept other sexual orientations. He didn’t expect there was a hidden story he didn’t know.
No wonder… every New Year, Grandpa dragged him to see a psychiatrist.
He thought Grandpa considered homosexuality a mental illness and tried to “cure” his sexual orientation through a psychiatrist, showing a very resistant reaction every time.
It turned out he was afraid he would have mental problems like Great-Grandpa and repeat the same mistakes.
“Yuanyuan took me to some places for young people. People’s acceptance of homosexual lovers is indeed much better now.”
“I’ve thought a lot recently. This era’s tolerance for homosexuality has improved so much. You’ve been together for so many years without separating, and nothing happened. Maybe I should try to accept it too… I even thought, if only Big Brother were born in this era.”
After saying that, a sigh escaped his throat.
Jiang Suifeng also felt a bit sad, for the love not accepted by the world, for the elders connected by blood.
Grandpa Jiang: “Don’t tell anyone about your Great-Grandpa. Let the past remain in the past.”
Jiang Suifeng hummed. “About Little Jing…”
Grandpa Jiang: “I’ll find a chance to talk to him. That text message… hope he can forgive me.”
Jiang Suifeng: “You accepting us being together is better than anything.”
Grandpa Jiang sighed again, his fingers pinching the small bag containing the candy.
…
That night, Jiang Suifeng squeezed into the same bed with Grandpa. Grandpa was old and his body had shrunk, so two men squeezing together was barely manageable.
Although not comfortable, after a long time, he found a bit of the feeling from his childhood.
At that time, Little Jiang Feng also slept with his grandparents like this.
Air conditioning wasn’t widespread then. In the hot summer, lying on the bamboo mat, Grandma would fan him with a big cattail leaf fan, and Grandpa’s snores would be thunderous.
After growing up, he never slept with his grandparents again.
That night, Jiang Suifeng fell asleep quickly, but Grandpa Jiang couldn’t sleep.
Lying dryly on the bed, listening to his grandson’s breathing beside him, he suddenly thought of something, and his gaze fell on his grandson’s phone beside him.
He didn’t know how to use smartphones well, but he knew fingerprints could unlock them. He had seen the younger generation use them and roughly knew how to operate them. He also knew some basic functions, such as contacts, messages, photo albums, etc.
There should be photos of Mimi in Jiang Suifeng’s phone album.
And the kitten he and Jing Zhi used to raise. He had opened the album to show him before, but he wasn’t cooperative at that time and looked away.
Now, he suddenly wanted to see.
So, after struggling repeatedly, Grandpa Jiang carefully picked up the phone and unlocked it in the dark using his grandson’s finger beside him.
Unlocking didn’t go smoothly. He pressed his grandson’s finger gently several times before it was successfully recognized.
The moment it unlocked, a voice suddenly sounded.
“Grandpa, what are you doing instead of sleeping?”
***
Author’s Note:
Little Cat Mi Certification: Mi’s biological Great-Grandpa [Cat Paw]
