Chapter 477: A Little Heartache

After Li Ming heard me finish speaking,

He directly refused, saying: "Brother, that villa is yours. I can't take it. I just want to get back my own property."

I said: "Li Ming, between us, do we still distinguish you and me? What's mine is yours."

If you want to live there, I'll call Hou Laoban now to have the villa's key sent over, so you can move in tomorrow.

Li Ming, your property,

It's hard to say for now, because I haven't met the newly arrived Tian Shi yet.

I don't know what he means.

You know,

We're not what we used to be.

Li Ming, I can understand your feelings a bit, but we need to take things step by step.

We've come this far on such a difficult road; are these little things in front of us still considered small?

After Li Ming heard me finish speaking,

He took a puff of smoke,

"Brother, I don't want that villa. Don't give it to me."

I was wrongfully imprisoned.

Now I can't live in confusion.

I must be given an explanation.

Those properties of mine are my lawful income; they have no right to confiscate them.

"If they don't give me an explanation, I'll keep appealing."

Hearing Li Ming say that, I got a little angry.

Now isn't the time to cause trouble,

because everyone has just calmed down; besides, I haven't even met the newly arrived Tian Shi to know what kind of person he is.

His attitude toward those past matters is very important.

What we need now is to wait a bit,

and then talk things over before deciding.

You can't take a hard line; if you don't give me what I want, I'll keep appealing.

That's essentially confronting them directly.

Li Ming, you've been a leader for years; don't you understand this?

I'm a little angry,

"All right, let's not talk about the villa. Li Ming, we'll discuss your matter after I meet that Tian Shi and see what he thinks."

Li Ming directly said: "Brother, you're no longer the chairman of Da Heng Group; they can buy your favor."

"Back then I would have believed it, after all, I could still talk with them."

I don't know what you're thinking—why would you give up Da Heng Group?

Why would you become an ordinary citizen?

Why would you live an ordinary person's life?

Living an ordinary person's life makes all our past efforts go to waste.

We've suffered those sins and endured so much hardship—wasn't it all to take back everything we once had?

Am I right?

If we can't take it back,

"then we might as well have just handed it over back then."

Li Ming resented me.

There are some things I don't know how to say to Li Ming,

I've also thought about Da Heng Group, but how can I compete with the Wen and Wang families?

Li Ming, brother, what's wrong with you? You keep fixating on Da Heng Group and the past.

I watched Li Ming smoke without speaking, and we stayed silent for a long time,

I whispered: "Li Ming, maybe you're right, but some things aren't as you think."

Wanting to return to the past is simply impossible.

In fact, your appeal will only backfire and provoke others' resentment.

Li Ming, brother, for now we'd be better off accepting this way of life."

"Brother, you may accept it, but I won't. We've already won, so we must have an explanation." Li Ming's voice grew louder.

"All right, if you want an explanation, I won't stop you." I didn't want to argue with Li Ming; such a good relationship shouldn't be ruined over this.

"Okay, brother, I'll go to my office tomorrow to prepare the documents. I'll find my former colleagues and friends to help them prove my innocence." Li Ming said.

It looks like Li Ming has decided to go all the way.

I could only smile,

These days Li Ming has been holed up in the provincial capital—has he gone stupid?

That's fine; let him hit a wall—it'll do him good.

Still hoping his former colleagues and friends will help? Nowadays everyone just sweeps the snow in front of their own door.

No one wants to get involved and break their own peaceful days.

Then I also stood up,

"Li Ming, handle this matter yourself. I'll help you with whatever I can."

There's one more thing; I want to tell you about it.

Our mother is getting old, so from now on try to speak to her more gently.

After all, she's over seventy.

She came from that hard era, so there's a life gap between her and us.

Ru Meng and I are like that.

You see, Ru Meng's attitude toward life is different from mine.

Elderly people, we should be more tolerant of each other.

I want to advise Li Ming that when he talks to Qian Niang, he should mind his words; even though Qian Niang is his own mother, it makes me uncomfortable.

When Li Ming heard me mention Qian Niang,

he actually got angrier,

"Our mom, that person—whatever I say, whatever the matter, she always gets her way."

Hmph, what's wrong with me? I didn't say anything wrong.

These days, she's constantly at odds with He Qing,

and I'm stuck in the middle,

no one can be blamed.

One cannot be willful just because they're old.

Sometimes our mom deliberately picks fights.

Brother, I don't even want to talk about our mom anymore.

In Li Ming's words, it sounds as if Qian Niang has done many wrong things.

I don't know what happened while they've been staying together in the Provincial Capital these days.

What's wrong with Qian Niang and her own daughter‑in‑law He Qing?

But hearing Li Ming speak of Qian Niang like that still makes me a bit sad.

Honestly, I feel Qian Niang is the best mother in the world; she loves us and does everything she can to love us. Yet we bring her endless worries, and even in old age she has to keep hiding.

I told her, Qian Niang, she has suggested more than once moving back to Niushiling.

There are reasons for that.

An upright official finds it hard to judge family matters,

especially the relationship between mother‑in‑law and daughter‑in‑law is the most subtle.

Even a few words can cause emotional damage between two people.

Li Ming needs to be a good communicator in the middle.

He must not suppress one while protecting the other.

Qian Niang and He Qing have lived together for years without ever raising their voices.

He Qing is also a very good woman,

who never talks excessively,

Sigh, there are some contradictions between them, perhaps just because they live together and sometimes say the wrong thing.

But such contradictions can be big or small.

I could only tell Li Ming, "Li Ming, try to reconcile them; every family has its difficult sutras. I cannot get involved in this matter."

When outsiders get involved in the affairs between you two and Qian Niang, it only gets messier.

Li Ming, brother, I hope you can handle it well.

Don't let the conflict intensify. Mom, she has suggested more than once moving back to Niushiling,

she, at that age, moving back to Niushiling—does it reassure you or me?

Sigh, brother, I understand your difficulty.

These are minor things; you used to be a Bureau Chief, managing hundreds of people.

But you can't handle this family matter.

Right?

Just as I finished speaking, a knock sounded from outside.

It was He Qing returning with cigarettes.

I can't continue this topic; I can't discuss it in front of He Qing.

I quickly ended the chat with Li Ming, took the cigarettes, and left the house.

I originally planned to have a good drink with Li Ming tonight,

but my mood vanished all of a sudden.

I went back to my room alone,

I lay on the bed, smoking.

During the earlier chat with Li Ming.

Tomorrow I can sense that Li Ming, brother, is dissatisfied with his current life,

believing he should be as he was before.

In fact, he subtly hints at resentment toward me, though he doesn't state it outright.

I can hear it,

I advise him, but he won't listen; that shows the problem.

I suddenly felt a bit sad.

This sadness is a kind of indescribable sorrow.

A feeling of grievance and frustration suffocates inside me, yet I have nowhere to release it.

I can only smoke quietly, staring blankly at the ceiling light.