Chapter 14 Father's Grandmother's Love

After my mother passed away, my grandmother's health began to deteriorate rapidly.The shock of losing her trusting and dependent daughter made her grandmother's condition worse.Moreover, not long before my mother passed away, my grandmother's eldest daughter just passed away unfortunately. The family's grief at that time was indescribable, and my mother cried for several nights. "When the '6.25' war broke out, my brother-in-law was kidnapped and his life and death remained uncertain. Since that day, my sister has not had a day of peace in the pain and torture. Just thinking about her like this almost breaks my heart."

My mother has a very deep affection for my aunt.Since the death of my aunt, my mother has been taking care of my sick grandmother, and my father is also very active, even taking my grandmother to Cheong Wa Dae to take care of him.Every time after work, my mother would go to the grandmother's room on the second floor to check the temperature and humidity in the room. She would also share with her the interesting things that happened during the day and the conditions of the outside world. In this way, my mother acted as a friend of my grandmother.Under the best care of the father and mother, the condition of the grandmother improved day by day. Unexpectedly, there was another bad news from the mother at this time, and the grandmother seemed to have lost the will to live.

The father, who was worried about his grandmother, was getting heavier and heavier. For him, his grandmother was like his own mother.When the grandfather strongly opposed the mother marrying the father, only the grandmother believed in the father and firmly handed over the daughter to him. On the wedding day, only the grandmother came to attend.Because of these past events, grandma was as important as his biological mother to his father. Whenever he heard the news that grandma was uncomfortable, his father's expression would also become serious.The father usually does not call his grandmother "mother-in-law", but directly calls her "mother", which is enough to see the degree of intimacy between the two.I still remember that this incident happened when my grandmother's condition deteriorated and she stayed at my aunt's house for treatment.

"Losing two daughters one after another, what could be more cruel than this, you have to remember to come back to see grandma often." My father went to my aunt's house to comfort my grandmother from time to time, and every time I would personally check whether my grandmother's condition had improved, whether there was anything special I wanted to eat, and so on.Exactly the same as when his mother was alive, he took care of his grandmother with all his heart. Five months after my mother's funeral, my grandmother's eightieth birthday was approaching.Seeing the grandmother immersed in the grief of losing the two beloved daughters, the father was very distressed.One day, my father quietly called me to his side.

"I want to help your grandma celebrate her 80th birthday. Although she has been indulging in the grief of a white-haired man giving a black-haired man and is reluctant to hold a birthday banquet, you should still find a way to prepare." I prepared a simple meal that only invited relatives.More than 30 relatives gathered to celebrate grandma's birthday, but she seemed to think of the two daughters who had left, and couldn't help wiping away her tears.When unwrapping the presents given to her by her grandchildren, grandma rarely showed a happy smile.Because of the great blow, she was in such poor health that she couldn't make a sound in her throat, but she still expressed her happy mood through a note.

It is also rare for my father to see so many relatives, and his face is always happy and satisfied.While eating and chatting, someone stood up and sang "White Horse River" handsomely, which heated up the whole atmosphere.Then someone jumped out to act as the host, and a family of relatives began to sing their favorite songs in turn. The simple 80th birthday without a band or special decorations was more lively and joyful than ever.From my cousin in middle school to my father, everyone took turns singing.Zhiwan sang "Song of the New Countryside" very shyly, but because he was too shy, everyone sang the whole song for him in the end.Dad's song started with "Ah, the purple grass is starting to be sad, so it's autumn...". During the singing, my father often forgot the lyrics and showed a embarrassed expression. In the end, he only sang the first half of the song and went back to his seat.Although his father was smiling, this song used to be his favorite song with his mother, and it seemed to remind him of the time spent with his mother.

I really didn't expect that everyone's song list is so rich, from the most popular songs at that time to the old songs that the older generation likes to sing, it's like watching a national singing contest.When it was my turn to sing, I no longer knew what to sing.In the end, I also sang "Song of the New Countryside" like Zhiwan. Now that I should be able to sing a more decent song, I inevitably left some regrets in my heart. For me, that day is like a warm spring breeze blowing after the bitter winter, and it is a fond memory. Grandma is a very devout Buddhist, and she often went to the temple to worship before her mobility was limited.The grandmother who started to take care of the big family when she was young suffered a lot both physically and mentally. For such a grandmother, religion was her only sustenance.One day, on the way back from a pilgrimage to the temple with my grandmother, my grandmother saw young soldiers standing guard by the side of the road and asked me to stop the car in front of the small grocery store.

"Do you want to buy something?" "Just wait for me here first." "If you need to buy something, ask me to do it. Let me do it." "No, you just sit here, I just want to take a look." The grandmother who came out of the grocery store, holding a pack of cigarettes and a few packs of instant noodles, walked up to the soldier in one breath and gave him the things she was holding. "Just accept a few small things. I feel sad for young people working so hard in this cold weather. Take it and share it with other partners." When the soldiers received the cigarettes and instant noodles from the strange grandmother, their faces showed a bewildered expression, but they still politely said "thank you" to the grandmother, and the grandmother who returned to the car showed her relief. expression.

Usually grandma will sort out some clean clothes and give them to poor families.Because of her devout Buddhist belief, she has always believed that people live to do good deeds.I went to a Christian middle school in junior high school, and I was exposed to the "Bible" since I was a child. However, because of my grandmother's relationship, I gradually became interested in Buddhism. The days when I accompanied my grandmother to the temple especially reminded me of my mother. She used to accompany my grandmother to the temple, and I would go with them when I had time.The appearance of two people sitting side by side in worship in the peaceful mountain temple has always been deeply imprinted in my heart.

The mother is also a devout Buddhist believer, but she never imposes religious beliefs on her children.Whenever I read the Bible, my mother would say, "Any belief is good as long as you believe it sincerely." Despite my father's concern and meticulous care, my grandmother's condition still shows no sign of improvement.Because it became more and more inconvenient to move around, even the monthly pilgrimage was cancelled, and the whole family began to worry about grandma's health. When he heard the news of his grandmother's death, his father had a very sad expression on his face, and he didn't say a word for a long time.In front of grandma's mourning hall, my father wept loudly, making everyone around him feel overwhelmed.

From the outside, his father is a very strong leader, but his heart hides a very emotional side.His back, which looked tall when he was a child, now feels smaller and smaller. Children who see this kind of scene will not feel good.Watching my father break down over the loss of two loved ones made me sad for a while too.