Rebirth in 1986: Unforgettable Regrets-Chapter 1249: You Won’t Lie to Me, Right? (Second Update)
"I can’t bear to leave Grandpa," the girl said gloomily, lowering her head and unhappily twisting her fingers.
Whenever the girl was unhappy, she would twist her fingers.
Mr. Miao held the girl’s hand, sighed, and said, "You’ve grown up. In the future, on your path of learning, you will have to leave Grandpa."
"I won’t." The girl snuggled close to Mr. Miao reluctantly.
"Dear, I can’t stand the thought of you staying in the village forever. I want to see you become a real doctor." Mr. Miao turned his eyes to her, filled with kindness, and said, "Grandpa will stay at home, waiting for you to come back. In the meantime, you should learn as much as you can, alright?"
The girl: "..."
She kept quiet. Even though she knew Grandpa had her best interests at heart, she wasn’t happy.
"If you miss Grandpa, you can always come visit," Mr. Miao encouraged her warmly.
The girl suddenly stood up.
Mr. Miao watched her leaving, thinking about how to persuade her.
The next day, Mr. Miao talked about it with Tang Jun. Tang Jun thought it was a good thing and volunteered to take care of the girl, but Mr. Miao declined, saying, "Old Man Xu will take good care of her. He is a skilled traditional Chinese medicine doctor and would be glad to have my girl learn from him."
Initially, Mr. Miao also thought of letting the girl go with Tang Jun, but he dismissed the idea, feeling it might seem like trying to repay a kindness. Especially after meeting Old Man Xu, he completely gave up on that thought.
Sending her to Old Man Xu brought no burden, as he had once saved Old Man Xu’s life.
Tang Jun understood that Mr. Miao had made up his mind, and since the girl would indeed learn more with Dr. Xu, he didn’t say more. He assured Mr. Miao, "Grandpa Miao, don’t worry. I will help persuade her."
"Brother Tang."
The girl hadn’t slept well the night before and looked weary.
"What’s wrong, didn’t sleep well last night? How about taking a walk with me? We could check out how the roadwork at the village entrance is going?"
Tang Jun suggested.
The girl glanced at his eyes and decided not to say anything else, just answered, "Brother Tang, come with me."
Along the way, she chattered on, reminding Tang Jun where to turn and which parts of the road were uneven.
"How much of the road is finished?"
Tang Jun inquired. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
"A lot has been done, a smooth cement road. Soon, we can even take a bus to town," she said excitedly about the roadwork, not just she but the entire village was thrilled. With a road, they could get to town—driving an ox cart was much easier than walking.
Previously, it was hard for the elderly or children to reach the town unless they were strong enough.
But now, with the roadwork, that dilemma was fading away.
Inspectors said, soon it would only take a little over an hour to reach town.
Everyone was eager for the road to be finished soon. As it was the farming off-season, villagers without much to do watched the roadwork progress, thrilled to see it taking shape.
Moreover, the village now had electricity. Although it wasn’t very plentiful due to water power, the electric lights brightened the village and brought a sense of hope to everyone’s daily lives.
"We’re walking on the new road now. Isn’t it much better than the village paths?" She said excitedly.
"Yes."
Tang Jun nodded in agreement. Walking on smooth cement was completely different from dirt and gravel paths. He said, "I still remember how happy I was when our village first got a cement road."
"Brother Tang, did you grow up in the countryside too?" she asked curiously, knowing his family was in Wangjiang City, now his sister lived in Jing City, and they even owned a house there.
"Yes."
Tang Jun’s gaze was steady as he walked, maintaining a straight posture that emanated energy. He said, recalling his past, "I grew up in a village. I never imagined our family could own a house in Jing City."
"Brother Tang, you’re brilliant at studying," she remarked, having heard he was top in academics at school.
"No, I wasn’t good in elementary school," Tang Jun reminisced, as if it were a dream, "I used to love playing games, not studying."
"You’re not kidding, are you?" she found it hard to believe that the upright Tang Jun liked games as a kid.
"No." He assured her, explaining how he changed over time: "My sister pushed me to study. That summer I memorized books and formulas. I thought she was being tough on me, often belittling me, so I resolved to work harder. Eventually, I started enjoying learning."
"My sister went to high school in the county, and my parents opened a breakfast shop there too. Back then, I was the only one studying in town, so I understand being away from family."
Tang Jun recalled those days feeling forlorn; he remained at school during breaks rather than returning to a lonely home.
"Did you miss home a lot then?" she asked.
"Yes."
Tang Jun affirmed, knowing she’d understand where he was coming from. He continued, "I’m a man; I had to learn to grow up. I wanted to gain knowledge and worked hard to get into school, cherishing the time with family during reunions."
"Many separate from parents during middle and high school, and even longer for university. But with phones now, it’s easy to stay in touch. When you want to visit, just buy a ticket and go back. Do you understand what I’m saying?" Tang Jun looked at her, "No one can accompany us forever; we must cherish every moment together in the limited time we have."
"If Grandpa Miao stayed put just for you, wouldn’t you feel guilty?" Tang Jun asked.
She remained silent.
Tang Jun continued, "It’s the same for Grandpa Miao. He wouldn’t want your reluctance to part from him to delay your studies."
