I'm back in 1990

Chapter 946: Grandparent-Grandchild Affection

Most elderly people can't use air conditioning in the summer, and my grandmother is no exception. The only cooling device in her room is an electric fan, and the palm-leaf fan in her hand.

Actually, the old lady hardly ever used that electric fan; it only came in handy when her grandson came to visit.

Fortunately, the old lady's room was on the first floor, and there were big trees outside to provide shade, so it wasn't too hot in her room. However, it was still a bit uncomfortable for Huang Xiaochuan, who was used to staying in air-conditioned rooms.

Feeling sticky all over, he took a shower. When he came back, his grandmother had already cut a watermelon and was waiting for him.

Huang Xiaochuan exclaimed happily, "Watermelon!" He picked up a piece and took a bite. The watermelon, soaked in well water, was incredibly refreshing and soothing.

There is a well in my uncle's yard. In this day and age, this well is only used to cool watermelons in the summer and has long lost its original functions.

The grandmother watched her grandson eat watermelon with a smile, standing beside him and gently fanning him with a palm leaf fan, just like when he was a child. Her eyes and heart were full of her precious grandson.

It's unbelievable! This tiny little thing has grown so tall and big, and so successful. Grandma loves it more and more every time she sees it.

Seeing her grandson wolfing down watermelon like he did when he was a child, she advised, "Oh dear! Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

Back then, the family's financial situation was just average. In addition, there were three children in total, namely Huang Xiaochuan and his two older sisters. They would always fight over the good food, which was very noisy.

Grandma always favored her grandson a little, and would hide some food for him beforehand, so Huang Xiaochuan had a particularly deep impression of his childhood experiences.

After Huang Xiaochuan ate several slices of watermelon, he realized that his grandmother hadn't touched any.

"Grandma (maternal grandmother), why aren't you eating?"

Grandma shook her head: "I'm old, I can't eat cold food. You eat more, and if you can't finish it, put it in the refrigerator later."

Huang Xiaochuan didn't try to persuade him further, and nodded to indicate that he understood.

After eating the watermelon, Huang Xiaochuan stopped his grandmother from helping him clean up, and instead collected the watermelon rind and the rest of the watermelon himself, while also washing his hands and face.

After returning to his room, his grandmother told him, "It's hot in my room, go sleep in your own room upstairs."

His aunt and uncle had always kept a room for him in this house so that he would have a place to rest when he came back. His grandmother told her grandson to go upstairs because she didn't want him to be in the heat with her. She was used to it, but she knew her grandson wasn't.

Huang Xiaochuan naturally disagreed: "It's okay, I'll sleep here. I didn't have air conditioning when I was a kid, and I still managed. Besides, if I get too hot, I can just take a shower. I can also talk to you tonight."

Seeing that her grandson insisted on not leaving, the grandmother had no choice but to let him go. But she was very gratified. She hadn't spoiled the child for nothing. As the saying goes, you can tell what a person will be like when he's young. Her grandson had always been a filial child, and she was sure of that. Now it seemed that was indeed the case.

Huang Xiaochuan took the palm-leaf fan from his grandmother and gently fanned her.

The grandmother was enjoying being taken care of by her grandson. Older people have a habit of reminiscing, and with her grandson's company, she began to reminisce.

"Little monkey, when you were little, you were naughty and went to disturb a hornet's nest. You got stung and were too scared to come back. I couldn't find you and was so worried. Eventually, your uncle found you. Do you remember?"

Huang Xiaochuan certainly remembered this incident. After being stung by a wasp, he felt a burning pain. Fortunately, he knew there were several large water vats behind the mutton restaurant, filled with water. He ran over and buried his stung hand and head in the vats, and the cool water relieved the burning sensation.

Later, perhaps because he was tired or too frightened, he hid behind the mutton restaurant and fell asleep hugging a water vat. He was fine, but his grandmother, uncle, and aunt were very worried, thinking that something had happened to him, and they searched for him everywhere.

Finally, it was his uncle Zeng Jiahua who found him. However, he didn't dare to recognize him at first because Huang Xiaochuan's face was swollen like a pig's head and he couldn't recognize him at all. His uncle recognized him by the clothes he was wearing. His uncle was terrified and picked him up and ran to the town's clinic.

Fortunately, there was no danger to his life. The doctor at the clinic prescribed some ointment and sent him home.

When he got home, his grandmother and aunt burst into tears, mainly because they were terrified. At that time, Huang Xiaochuan's head looked like a pig's head because his ears and nose were also bitten and were swollen.

After more than a week of careful care from his grandmother and aunt, Huang Xiaochuan gradually recovered. The swelling at the bite site slowly subsided. Huang Xiaochuan remembers that it was burning painful at first, and then it became very itchy. However, his grandmother, aunt, and two older sisters took turns watching over him, afraid that he would scratch his face and make it all bruised.

When Huang Xiaochuan heard his grandmother talk about it, he couldn't help but laugh. It was so embarrassing.

He must have been five years old then! In Huang Xiaochuan's memory, he was five years old. At that time, he was like a newborn calf, unaware of the dangers of wasps. He was poking and prodding around with a stick. When he saw a wasp nest, he went for it and ended up being swarmed and attacked by wasps. He was stung and ran away with his head in his hands.

So, as Huang Xiaochuan grew up, he had an irreconcilable hatred for wasps. Once he discovered one, he would definitely eliminate it as soon as possible. Back then, he and Yu Wei burned down Aunt Song's chicken coop in the same residential compound because they were burning down a wasp nest. But the wasp nest happened to be built behind the chicken coop, and with the dry weather, they ended up burning down Aunt Song's chicken coop, causing a minor but significant disaster.

Huang Xiaochuan chuckled as he fanned his grandmother, saying, "I remember that! You and my aunt had to take care of me for several days."

The grandmother tapped her grandson's nose with her finger: "You were so naughty when you were little!"

On a warm summer night, the grandmother and grandson reminisced about the past together. At that time, Huang Xiaochuan was a mischievous and active child, while his grandmother was not yet sixty years old and her hair was still mostly black. Huang Xiaochuan remembered that his grandmother always liked to wear a braid on her head.

Grandma was getting old, and after chatting with her grandson for a while, she got tired. Huang Xiaochuan helped her to bed first, and then he lay down on his own bed. In the quiet night, the clear chirping of crickets could be heard outside, and Huang Xiaochuan also drifted off to sleep.

"I'm Back in 1990," a masterpiece by Sijiucai (Four Seasons Leek), is available to read now!