Capítulo 2: Chapter 2 The Beginning of a Happy Life
"My granddaughter is the Qin Family's one-of-a-kind treasure, the number one precious baby in the world. Yes, let's call her Yiyi!" The old man was incredibly pleased with the great name he had just thought of; the more he thought about it, the more fitting he found it. Ha ha, it suits my granddaughter so well.
Her father, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. Looking at the tiny bundle in his father's arms, his usually stern and imposing manner seemed less cold, "Dad, their generation should have the character 'Wei', so this child should be named Qin Weiyi."
Qin Weiyi had hoped to get a better name in her new life. The infant in the arms, Qin Yi, had taken a long time to confirm her situation. Although she didn't understand how everything had happened, she had come to realize that this was not a dream but reality. Even if it were a dream, she would hope it was one she would never wake from. Thinking back to the words she had said before falling asleep, she was now grateful for the opportunity heaven had given her to start anew.
The old man frowned at his youngest son and bellowed, "What about generation names? You are just rigid and inflexible. Weiyi is not enough. I've already said, my granddaughter is unparalleled and number one in the world, so she shall be named Qin Yiyi!"
When his eldest son was being named, who knows who insisted on adhering to generational names? It's both your making and your undoing, her father thought, torn between laughter and tears.
The little one also looked at the old man holding her, thinking that at least this name was a tad better than Weiyi. Moreover, having a different name from her previous life gave her a greater sense of reality in this world. Yiyi, hmm, it's also very convenient to write.
And so, the young lady who owned the name willingly accepted the moniker that would represent her in this life.
Later, this name was also endlessly praised by her literary giant of a grandfather, although for a different reason. He thought it embodied the meaning of 'one represents all, and all represents one,' lavishing praise for its profundity. Little did he know the original implication the old man had intended was so imposing.
Qin Yiyi and her mother stayed in the hospital until the day before the baby's one-month celebration, not because of any health issues; mother and child were well taken care of. It was the grandfather who worried incessantly about his granddaughter, deeming her too delicate, preferring to avoid her exposure to wind and the outside dirtiness as much as possible! If not for the upcoming one-month celebration, the old man would have insisted on his granddaughter staying until he considered her strong enough. It must be said that Qin Yiyi managed to turn her grandfather, who had been a soldier all his life, accustomed to mud and dirt, into an environmental guardian of the twenty-first century.
In her previous life, the old man had passed away early. Although the family had received care from the grandfather's comrades, they could only be considered moderately well-off. Not like now, where they lived in wards with private bathrooms reserved for high-ranking officials. In the future, this might not mean much, but Qin Yiyi, being born in the post-'80s, knew that during the '80s, such amenities could indirectly reflect the stature of Elder Qin. Reflecting on the numerous medals her grandmother occasionally brought out that belonged to her grandfather, she felt that such treatment was to be expected.
Wrapped in layers upon layers, Qin Yiyi was carried home by Elder Qin. Qin Yiyi was quite curious about what the military compound looked like, but her grandfather, fearing she would catch a chill, even covered her face. Now she was as blind as could be, left to explore it by herself later on.
Elder Qin, holding Qin Yiyi in his arms, stepped off the official car and briskly walked towards the house, leaving young relatives such as Uncle Qin trailing behind, unable to match his pace.
As soon as they entered the house, the old man began to exclaim, "Oh my precious sweetheart, we're home now, let Grandpa check to see if you're cold."
The two experienced nannies who came to greet them had never seen Elder Qin like this, and they were so stunned they forgot to take the things from his hands. Those following behind felt like saying, you'll get used to it eventually.
"Dad, you've wrapped her up so tightly, how could Yiyi possibly get cold?" The elder aunt said with a laugh as she watched the old man fretting.
"What do you all know? My precious baby is so tiny, how can you compare her with your thick-skinned selves!" The old man scolded as he saw everyone trying to hold back their laughter, but then he turned to look at Qin Yiyi with a face full of affection. Thankfully, Qin Yiyi had gotten used to her grandfather's quick changes in expression over the past month and wasn't affected by it. However, the two new youngsters in the house were even more curious about their sister.
The two boys in the family had been busy with moving and transferring schools recently. Having just arrived from S City, they had not yet seen the Qin family's only precious daughter and were peering over the old man's shoulder, stretching their necks to catch a glimpse of their sister.
"Grandpa, let me see, I haven't seen my sister yet!" Qin Weixian was hopping up and down, but he couldn't see what the tiny person wrapped up so securely actually looked like.
The old man slapped his grandson on the head, "Keep it down, you boy. If you scare your sister, you'll stand at attention for three hours!"
That sure made Qin Weixian behave. He looked pitiful as he and his cousin closely followed grandfather, waiting to get a good look at their sister's noble countenance.
In Qin Yiyi's previous life, she didn't have a grandfather and grew up not particularly fond of getting too close to people. But, thanks to the old Qin's enthusiasm, Qin Yiyi quickly adapted to the atmosphere of a normal baby's life and all the things she should do. Besides, who could not like and enjoy the doting of family members?
However, she would still shudder every time she heard the old man's nickname for her.
Adjusting her mentality, Qin Yiyi tried hard to smile at her grandfather to let him know she was comfortable and all right, in hopes of avoiding a full inspection by being undressed. There was no helping it, even if she was clear about being an infant right now, the shame of being undressed and examined was something she couldn't quickly get used to, to the point where she almost wished she could faint each time her diaper was changed.
Seeing his granddaughter smiling at him, the old man indeed shifted his attention away from the idea of unwrapping her for inspection, joyfully boasting to everyone how his granddaughter was indeed closest to him.
Qin Yiyi breathed a sigh of relief, inwardly despising those novel plots where the babies could talk right after being born. Even making basic expressions was a struggle in this baby's body. The old man was right—this body was incredibly fragile and delicate.
As the adults were busy preparing dinner and tidying up, Qin Yiyi took the opportunity to leisurely observe the room's layout; the house was quite nice indeed! It made her look forward to her future living space very much.
Even though she couldn't speak, there had been no shortage of visitors coming to the hospital to see her these days. She might not recognize rank insignia, but that didn't mean she couldn't read people; those visitors were definitely prominent figures. Through their conversations, she also learned that on the day of her birth, the old man Qin received his orders, which meant he had assumed the highest position.
The expression on Old Qin's face at that time was strange, looking both like crying and laughing. Qin Yiyi could understand. His generation was made of people who had been soldiers and fought in wars, who had genuinely struggled and fought hard. They might not care much for empty honors, but after waiting for more than fifty years, finally reaching this moment was not an exaggeration to say it was achieved with countless sacrifices. Their own flesh and blood, and that of their comrades in arms. It wasn't empty honor, it was recognition of the sacrifices and the hard work the old man had put in over the years! "With success comes at the cost of countless lives," this was a truth steeped in blood and tears.
-- Regalo
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