The Gao family’s dining table is a foldable square table.
It is usually one meter square. When guests come, the four fan-shaped sides are flipped up and fixed to become a round table.
To entertain the guests, the round table was already filled with dishes, mostly cold ones. In the kitchen, the pot on the stove was still warming on a low fire.
Grandma Gao quickly scooped two dishes from the pot and brought them to the table. She smiled and said, "Please sit down first. I'll go stir-fry two more hot dishes."
"Grandma Gao, stop working. You've had enough to eat." Lin Fan quickly stood up to dissuade her.
The food on the table was barely enough for the few of them, but Grandma Gao was already over seventy years old, and she couldn't bear to let her work herself to death.
If not, I can just go out and find some midnight snacks at night. It’s not an impossible problem.
"Not busy, not busy!" Grandma Gao was happy, and the wrinkles on her face had never relaxed. "Don't lie to me, I made it according to Xiaofei's appetite. I know how much you kids eat."
A few people still couldn't sit still, so they squeezed into the kitchen to help.
Grandma Gao complained, but she was very happy. Soon, all the dishes were served.
"Come, let's go for a walk to celebrate the reunion before the New Year." Grandpa Gao raised his glass.
During the holidays, the reserve team can drink alcohol, but in moderation and must not become demented after drinking.
Grandpa Gao poured baijiu, the other four had beer, and even Grandma Gao had a small glass of baijiu. Only in front of Lin Fan was Coke poured.
She has had a sensitive taste since she was a child, and even wine or champagne tasted bitter, not to mention beer and white wine. Even though she can no longer taste them, she still maintains her old habits.
After clinking glasses, Grandpa Gao asked everyone to pick up their chopsticks and not to be polite.
Li Chunhua suddenly said, "Don't you need to wait for uncle and aunt to come together?"
The cheerful atmosphere suddenly froze. Li Chunhua instantly realized that she had said something wrong again.
Gao Fei's parents both died in an accident when he was in junior high school.
Song Ren learned about this situation when he read the files.
Lin Fan is not a curious person and would not ask this.
After Ji Yu entered the room, he took a look at the furnishings in the room. He had some guesses about the situation in his heart, but he didn't say anything.
Only Li Chunhua asked without any taboos.
In fact, he was just being polite, but he didn't expect to encounter such a special situation.
Grandpa Gao put down his chopsticks, sighed, and told everyone the sad truth.
Although it happened a long time ago, every time I mention it, I still feel an indescribable sadness in my heart.
"I'm sorry." Li Chunhua felt deeply ashamed and secretly resolved to control her mouth in the future.
"It's nothing. It's actually been a long time. Normally, it wouldn't be that hard to bring up." Grandma Gao smiled softly and comforted Li Chunhua. "It was my son Xiaofei who suffered the most. He took a year off from school and graduated a year later than the other children."
Gao Fei also smiled and comforted Li Chunhua, "It's okay, Brother Li, you care about me, don't take it to heart. Come on, if you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have thought of it. It's a good opportunity to pay tribute to my parents in heaven."
He raised his glass with a smile without any reluctance, and everyone followed suit, toasting their deceased relatives from afar.
Because of this accident, the atmosphere suddenly became a little cold and no one knew what to say.
Seeing this, Gao Fei took the initiative to talk about his own story. "From then on, my grandparents raised me. Our family was not well off, and my grandparents worked tirelessly to support me. Fortunately, I didn't let them down."
Gao Fei looked at the old man tenderly, and the old man looked back at him with a smile.
"My little Fei has been smart and sensible since he was young," Grandma Gao praised her grandson. "He's loved robots since he was little and always told us he wanted to become a robot and fly into the sky."
So this is a wish he's had since childhood? The others glanced at Gao Fei obscurely.
"His parents said that becoming a robot isn't easy, but if you want to fly, you have to study hard and apply to the Aeronautical Academy," Grandma Gao continued. "After his parents passed away, Xiaofei always remembered this and worked very hard to get into the Aeronautical Academy."
Gao Fei continued, "I studied hard to pass the aviation exam. Later, with excellent grades, I was selected to join the flight base. I flew fighter jets for two years until one day, Captain Cui found me. After that, you all know."
Gao Fei first flew a plane into the sky, and later he was transferred to the mecha team to operate a mecha, which was equivalent to becoming the robot he longed for as a child.
Through my own efforts, I realized my childhood dream.
Everyone congratulated him, and after some small talk, the atmosphere gradually became lively again.
Grandpa Gao and Grandma Gao have a lot in common with the elderly: they like to be in a lively environment.
They usually live alone, but this time not only did their grandson come back before the New Year, but he also brought so many children with him.
The deserted home suddenly became different. They all felt 10 years younger and walked much more briskly.
After dinner, several people discussed the issue of rest.
The Gao family was not like the Li family, which had a large kang where everyone could sleep side by side. Theirs was just an ordinary three-bedroom, one-living room house.
The old couple had one room, Gao’s parents had one room, and Gao Fei had one room.
It's not supposed to be able to accommodate so many people.
Fortunately, when they replaced the sofa a few years ago, they replaced it with a sofa bed, which can be used as a double bed when pulled out.
The old man warmly invited us to stay, and no one suggested going out to stay in a hotel, as there was just enough room.
The next morning, the old man got up quietly, fearing to disturb the children sleeping in the living room. However, no matter how quiet they were, they could not avoid the vigilant Song Ren and Li Chunhua.
Lin Fan slept in Gao Fei's single bed yesterday. Gao Fei naturally slept in his parents' room by himself, and he brought Ji Yu with him.
Song Ren and Li Chunhua slept on the sofa in the living room.
Gao Fei was reluctant at first, but no matter how it was arranged, someone still wanted to sleep on the sofa. It was Song Ren's order that ended this meaningless argument.
"Grandpa Gao." Li Chunhua is usually very alert when he is not at home. This is a habit developed by the special operations department.
"Oh, I disturbed you, kid." Grandpa Gao apologized in a low voice.
"No, we were about to wake up." In the summer, Lin Fan would get up at 5 o'clock to run laps, and they were all used to it.
Lin Fan also came out of the house quickly.
It's really hard to adjust your biological clock. So, sleeping in until 7 o'clock at Li's house last time was a rare achievement.
Gao Fei and Ji Yu soon came out. After everyone finished their breakfast, they accompanied the two elders to the park for morning exercises.
The old man, surrounded by four young men, was in the park, introducing his grandson to everyone he knew, and he kept laughing all the way.
After morning exercises, everyone followed the old lady to the market to buy vegetables. Grandma Gao found that the vegetables she cooked last night were not enough, so she bought some more this time. Song Ren and the others happened to help carry the vegetables.
The vegetable vendor even joked that Grandma Gao had so many grandchildren, and Grandma Gao was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling.
When they got home, a group of people wanted to help grandma pick vegetables and cook, but they were driven out by the old woman.
"Go away, don't get in the way here," Grandma Gao said, waving her hands with a smile. "It's a rare trip to our Guiyin, it would be a shame not to go out for a walk. Xiaofei, take your friends out to play, I don't need your help here."
Gao Fei didn't want his colleagues to help him as soon as they arrived at his house, so he quickly took them out.
Guiyin is not as cold as Li Chunhua’s hometown.
Gao Fei led a few people along the pedestrian path outside the community. When they were thinking about whether there were any attractions or tourist spots to visit, Lin Fan stopped.
"What's wrong?" Song Ren looked down and saw Lin Fan staring at a little bird on the side of the road.
The bird lay on the permeable bricks under the tree, motionless and looked dead.
Lin Fan saw this from a distance and was about to walk over, but he couldn't get over it and turned back.
"I want to bury it." Lin Fan put his hands in his pockets, looked around, and found a broken box thrown next to the trash can.
She went over and tore off a piece, then walked back and scooped the bird onto the cardboard, rolling the two sides inward to make a simple paper box.
Now, she needed something to dig with.
Ji Yu borrowed a shovel from the shop next door, asked Lin Fan for details, buried it in the green belt next to it, and started digging the soil.
"You are so kind." Gao Fei couldn't help and could only sigh from the side.
"Kindness?" Lin Fan was stunned for a moment, looking at the simple cardboard box in his hand. "It's just sympathy for others."
After hearing this, Song Ren looked at Lin Fan for a long time, and only felt relieved after making sure that she was emotionally fine.
After finishing their work, they went to the nearby shop to return the shovels. Just as they were about to leave, a person came down the stairs.
When Gao Fei saw it, he rushed over immediately.
The man suddenly saw Gao Fei, was stunned for a moment, and then ran upstairs.
Seeing that his figure was about to disappear, Gao Fei shouted, "Jiang Yaohai! How long are you going to hide from me?"
Gao Fei is also a poor child. Everyone has their own pain, which we usually cannot see. Vote for Gao Fei to comfort him.