66: Chapter 66 Island Life in the 1980s (1)

"You also know where Grandma Jiang secretly keeps the money. After Grandma Jiang is gone, take that money out and save it for yourself to use later; you don't need to give it to your Uncle. Your Uncle can still earn money, so use his first. Consider it a loan, and you can repay him when you grow up."

When Jiang Wan came back to her senses, she found herself kneeling in front of a coffin; inside was her grandmother who had just passed away.

Looking at the coffin, Jiang Wan's mind filled with the words Grandma Jiang had said to her before passing. Those words were filled with nothing but care.

Jiang Wan looked at her small arms and legs and let out a long sigh; it was 1985, and she was ten years old this year.

Her mother was an educated youth sent to the countryside. After the college entrance examination was reinstated, her mother was admitted to university, and then there was no news of her.

Father Jiang went to look for her mother. No one knew what happened between them, but after Father Jiang returned, he told the family that they were finished and that her mother would never come back.

Not long after, wild boars became rampant on the mountain and ran down to ravage the crops. The village organized people to go up the mountain to hunt the boars. Since Father Jiang was the only man in the family, of course, he went.

Unfortunately, he ran into the wild boars. While being chased, he accidentally fell off a cliff and thus lost his life.

After Father Jiang was gone, the task of taking care of Jiang Wan fell to Grandma Jiang.

Grandma Jiang had lost her husband early in life. Besides Father Jiang, she had an older son—her Uncle—who was a soldier.

It was precisely because of Jiang Wan's Uncle, and the fact that Father Jiang was fairly good-looking, that her mother had taken a liking to Father Jiang.

Otherwise, why would a young, beautiful, and educated female youth have taken a liking to a small-time hoodlum in the village?

Because Father Jiang had a capable older brother who sent money home every month, even though there were only two of them and they didn't earn many work points, their living conditions were better than most families in the village.

Her Uncle had long wanted Grandma Jiang to move to where he was, but Grandma Jiang had refused for Jiang Wan's sake.

Grandma Jiang felt that her Uncle had an obligation to support her in her old age, but no obligation to raise a niece.

If she took Jiang Wan with her, it would cause trouble for her eldest son's family. Even if her son was willing, her Eldest Aunt might not necessarily be willing to raise a niece.

It wasn't easy for any family nowadays. No matter how capable her eldest son was at earning money, there were three boys in his family to raise. The expenses were huge.

Grandma Jiang felt that she could earn work points in the village. Later, after the land was divided among the households, she couldn't farm it all herself, so she rented it out to others in the village and collected some rent.

Plus, with the money her eldest son sent back every month, she felt she could raise Jiang Wan to adulthood.

Grandma Jiang had lost her husband early on. To raise her two sons, the hardship involved was unimaginable, and her health had long since deteriorated.

Later, she had to endure the tragedy of burying her own child. If it weren't for Jiang Wan, she might not have held on for so long.

Before Grandma Jiang passed, the person she was most worried about was Jiang Wan. She forced herself to hold on, begging her eldest son to take Jiang Wan with him, and only closed her eyes after seeing her son nod.

"Sigh, Xiao Lingdang, I'm so pitiful, I've become an orphan again. A ten-year-old girl, besides living under someone else's roof, what else can she do? Sigh! Why couldn't I have arrived when I was older?"

Being so young, she couldn't do anything.

Xiao Lingdang also sighed.

"Sigh, what can I do? This isn't something I can choose; it's all random! When you arrive in a small world isn't something I can decide either. Relax, relax, look on the bright side. Since you're here, you might as well settle in. Arriving early has its advantages; you can adapt in advance."

Jiang Wan looked at the coffin in front of her, feeling helpless.

"This is truly a catastrophic start. I wonder if my Eldest Aunt is easy to get along with? Will she not welcome me? What if she can't tolerate me?"

Jiang Wan couldn't help but think this way. Aside from when they were first married and her Eldest Aunt had come back once, she hadn't returned since.

Apart from the long distance, inconvenient transportation, and the children being too young, it was even more so because of work.

Her Uncle only came back once every two or three years, and that was even more true for her Eldest Aunt, who was a military doctor. Her work was incredibly busy, not to mention she had children to take care of.

However, whether this was just an excuse, Jiang Wan didn't know.

Xiao Lingdang hummed.

"Just based on the fact that she agreed to let your Uncle send living expenses back every month, that person probably isn't bad. Even if you don't go to your Uncle's place now, you'll have to go eventually. After all, our target for the mission is on your Uncle's island."

Jiang Wan was slightly stunned. What? The mission target is on that island? In that case, she really did have to go.

"And you are still young now; being alone in the village definitely won't work. Although you don't lack money or food, in the current environment, it's hard to ensure your own safety alone. So don't overthink it; just follow your Uncle for a few years for now!"

Jiang Wan agreed with this in her heart. She had already planned it out: after she went back with her Uncle, if her Eldest Aunt didn't like her, she could take a portion of the money Grandma Jiang had given her and give it to her Eldest Aunt, saying it was for her room and board.

She would just lie low for a while. Once she started middle school, she could live in the dormitory. After she came of age, she could move out on her own.

While Jiang Wan was still thinking, her Uncle, Jiang Weiguo, walked over.

"Wanwan, it's getting late. Go get some rest; your Uncle is here!"

Jiang Weiguo saw how small Jiang Wan was, yet she had been kneeling in front of his mother's coffin for so long without making a fuss or complaining. He felt very gratified, feeling that his mother hadn't doted on Jiang Wan in vain.

Jiang Wan looked up at the Jiang Weiguo before her.

In Jiang Wan's memory, Father Jiang and her Uncle actually looked somewhat alike; both looked like frail scholars.

Father Jiang didn't really work in the fields, especially when the sun was strong; he would slack off whenever he could and would never do a bit more than necessary. While everyone else in the village was tanned dark, her father was an outlier; his face was fair, and he looked just like a pretty boy.

Everyone thought that although he was sly and lazy, they had to admit that his face was very popular.

Otherwise, if he had looked like a mess, no matter how good his conditions were, her mother, an educated youth who prided herself on being cultured, would never have taken a liking to Father Jiang!

And what about Jiang Wan's Uncle? Because he exercised frequently, he looked much sturdier than her father.

But his skin was quite dark. After all, he was a soldier, exercising often under the sun, and being by the sea, the UV rays were strong, so he was bound to get tanned.

Jiang Wan saw that her Uncle had just finished discussing things with someone else, and the exhaustion in his eyes was hard to hide. She shook her head gently.

"Uncle, I'm not tired yet. You haven't really closed your eyes these past few days; you must be exhausted. You should go get some rest first; I'll watch here."

Jiang Weiguo felt a warmth in his heart but didn't agree. He was an adult here; how could he let a child keep watch at night?

"No, it's too late. Be good and go to sleep."

Jiang Wan saw that Jiang Weiguo wasn't willing to rest. Worried that his body wouldn't handle the strain and he might faint, she played the emotional card.

"Uncle, I'm really not sleepy yet. Tomorrow Grandma Jiang will be buried. Let me stay with Grandma Jiang a while longer today; I want to keep her company a bit more."

After hearing this from Jiang Wan, Jiang Weiguo fell silent.

This child had always lived with his mother, so the depth of their bond was imaginable. Tomorrow his mother would be buried; it was understandable that Jiang Wan couldn't bear to part with her.

Since the child didn't want to rest, then let her be!

"Fine, then you can stay here and keep your Grandma Jiang company. However, you don't need to kneel; just get up and sit down so you don't hurt your knees. I'll be right next door; call me if you need anything."

After Jiang Weiguo finished instructing Jiang Wan, he walked into the room next door, lay down fully clothed, and closed his eyes to rest.

He needed to seize the time to rest; he still had to get up at night to relieve Jiang Wan, and there was a tough battle to fight tomorrow!