Chapter 194

The next evening, Ning Weidong went straight to the company's Siheyuan after work.

The day had passed without incident, and there had been no movement from Qian Dacheng's side.

The Police Station was following procedure, and Qian Xiaopeng's leg had been put in a cast.

The Qian Family had originally wanted to make an issue of the injury, hoping to remain in the hospital for treatment, but Sun Mu blocked them; after the cast was applied, they were immediately taken back into custody.

Ning Weidong arrived at the company, and just as he entered the front courtyard, he saw people moving in and out of the front-facing rooms.

He knew it must be Liu Yun's eldest brother, his wife, and their family who had arrived.

Sure enough, just as Ning Weidong parked his bicycle and turned around, he saw Liu Yun.

"Weidong, thank you so, so much!" Liu Yun immediately stepped forward, grabbed Ning Weidong's hand, and shook it repeatedly.

Although she had known for a while that her brother and his family of three were coming back, actually seeing them still made her very emotional.

And all of this was thanks to Ning Weidong.

At this moment, a middle-aged man who looked somewhat like Liu Yun, but with a face weathered by the elements, came out of the room.

Liu Yun immediately introduced him: "Weidong, this is my eldest brother Liu Guangzhi... Big Brother, this is the Ning Weidong I told you about."

Liu Guangzhi also showed an emotional expression, mixed with a bit of restraint, as he stepped forward and shook Ning Weidong's hand with both of his: "Comrade Ning, thank... thank you so much!"

Ning Weidong could feel the calluses and chapping on the man's palms; according to Liu Yun's introduction, her brother was seven years older than her, making him only twenty-eight or twenty-nine, yet he looked like a man in his late thirties.

Ning Weidong smiled and said: "Big Brother Liu, please don't be so formal. Liu Yun and I are old classmates, and I am also friends with Zhengdong..."

Liu Yun was slightly surprised; she hadn't expected Ning Weidong to mention her husband, which could be considered giving her face.

After all, Ning Weidong didn't really have any close relationship with her husband, Yang Zhengdong.

After some polite exchanges, Ning Weidong asked: "By the way, where are your wife and child? Didn't they come back with you?"

At the mention of this, a bitter look appeared on Liu Guangzhi's face, and he sighed: "Natasha is at the hospital~ She was sent there as soon as we got off the train, and the child was sent to his grandmother's house..."

Ning Weidong glanced at Liu Yun and asked: "Is the situation very serious?"

He had known before that Liu Guangzhi's wife was ill, and it was using this as a pretext that he had allowed them to come to Beijing for medical treatment, but he hadn't expected the situation to seem more serious than he had imagined.

To have been sent straight to the hospital without even settling in after getting off the train—if it hadn't been urgent, they would have at least rested for a while.

Beside them, Liu Yun also showed a worried expression: "It might be the exhaustion from the journey; my sister-in-law's condition worsened. When we stopped in Jinzhou, she almost got off to seek medical help."

Ning Weidong frowned, secretly hoping that this Ms. Natasha wouldn't have any serious mishaps.

He had gone to great lengths this time, using Zhao Ruyi's connections to get the three of them to Beijing, and the biggest reason for that was this woman from the Soviet Union.

Just then, Zhao Ruyi heard the commotion and came out from inside.

Ning Weidong looked at her and asked: "Ruyi, which hospital was Comrade Natasha arranged in?"

Zhao Ruyi knew what was on Ning Weidong's mind and replied: "Don't worry, I had Xiao Wei handle it. She has a bed at the Beijing General Hospital, and there will be a consultation with experts tomorrow."

Ning Weidong nodded, then turned back to the Liu siblings: "Big Brother Liu, Liu Yun, don't worry. Since you're back, settle in and stay. We will take care of the medical treatment and get on with our lives."

Liu Guangzhi thanked him repeatedly, though he felt increasingly uneasy inside.

Until he watched Ning Weidong and his wife enter the Chuihua Gate, he pulled his sister back into one of the front-facing rooms that had been tidied up, and whispered: "Xiao Yun, this classmate of yours..." He started the sentence but didn't know how to describe him.

Liu Yun finished the thought for him: "Brother, are you trying to say that he is a bit too good to our family?"

Liu Guangzhi nodded quickly: "That's exactly what I mean." As he spoke, he licked his lips: "If it weren't for the fact that Manager Zhao is his wife, I would even suspect..."

Liu Yun curled her lip and said: "Suspect that I have something going on with him?" Liu Guangzhi coughed, feeling a bit awkward.

Liu Yun had the personality of a true Beijing girl, and she said bluntly: "I wish I did, but he has to actually take a fancy to me first~"

Liu Guangzhi said: "Then why? If it's just what you said before, using the convenience of Xiao Yang's workplace to help them get this courtyard, it shouldn't be enough to warrant such a huge favor."

Liu Yun waved her hand and said: "Why think so much? Anyway, now that you're back, Mom and Dad can finally breathe a sigh of relief. As for the rest... forget it~ Anyway, our family is just this little bit, what could anyone possibly want from us?"

Liu Guangzhi looked at his carefree sister and suddenly had an illusion.

Several years ago, he seemed to have had this same personality.

Their family had a good background growing up, and they hadn't suffered the hardships their peers in Beijing had.

But in these past few years, in Beidahuang, with the freezing cold and hard labor, that sense of carefreeness had long since been worn away.

Especially after getting married and having a child, the burden of life had become even heavier than before.

Until this time, suddenly having the chance to return to Beijing, he still felt a sense of unreality.

At the same time, in the middle courtyard, Ning Weidong and Zhao Ruyi were also discussing this matter.

Ning Weidong frowned and said: "Is Natasha's condition really that serious?"

Zhao Ruyi said: "I spoke with the hospital this afternoon. It sounds like it's a bit troublesome, but it's not a life-threatening illness."

Ning Weidong finally breathed a sigh of relief; if he had brought someone all the way to Beijing only for them to die immediately, that would be too messed up.

He asked again: "Have you seen her?"

Zhao Ruyi shook her head: "No, I don't like going to hospitals."

Ning Weidong wasn't surprised; some people just didn't like going to hospitals.

He then said: "You have connections at the hospital, help me urge them a bit. Confirm her physical condition, and it would be best if it could stabilize as soon as possible."

"I know~" Zhao Ruyi nodded, then added: "By the way, I spoke with my brother today. In a couple of days, my sister-in-law might be going to Czechoslovakia."

"Going to Eastern Europe?" Ning Weidong knew that Tan Limin had made her choice between America and Eastern Europe, and at the same time, this represented a certain stance of the Zhao Family.

Compared to the radical faction currently actively engaging with America, Western Europe, and Japan, the Zhao Family was more inclined toward conservatism.

Of course, these two terms were just labels and didn't necessarily represent true radicalism or conservatism.

Ning Weidong said: "If your sister-in-law is going to Eastern Europe, what about your eldest brother?"

Zhao Ruyi said: "It hasn't been decided yet~ But judging by my father's intentions, he will most likely be sent to the provinces to gain some experience."

Ning Weidong nodded slowly; he had known all along that Zhao Lichun wouldn't just drift through life in Beijing forever.

If he wanted to reach a certain height in the future, he would definitely need work experience at the local grassroots level.

Because Tan Limin was going to be sent on an assignment, it had been agreed that Zhao Ruyi would go over that evening.

Because of work, Zhao Lichun was away on a business trip and not in Beijing, so Zhao Ruyi stayed there for the night, and Ning Weidong found it inconvenient to go over.

He simply dropped off Ruyi, then turned and rode his bicycle to the place Ning Wei had arranged for Shi Xiaonan.

(A quick note: the updates in October were abysmal; thank you to the friends who still subscribed and supported me. Some things happened at home, and I personally felt a bit burnt out. This will likely come to an end this weekend, and I will find a way to adjust and restore the update volume.) (End of chapter)