Chapter 488: Returning to Lanling with Qian Niang

After discussing with Qian Niang about going to see Qiao Jie tomorrow,

I then left Qian Niang's room.

I returned to my room,

took out my phone,

called Zhao Xiaohua,

I asked him to keep two apartments for me in Xin Cheng and told him that Li Ming would work at Da Heng Group in the future.

Zhao Xiaohua agreed, letting Li Ming just go to him for the keys.

I then found Ding Li's number; I had not contacted Ding Li since returning from 49.

Ding Li, Shi Yong, and they were watching Zhou Jie.

How is the situation over there?

The phone connected quickly, and Ding Li's voice came through the handset,

"Hello, who is this?"

"I'm your Zhao Ge. How is the situation over there now?"

"Zhao Ge, you finally contacted us. We have nothing else here; it's just that Zhou Jie cries every day and doesn't want to live."

"One night he tried to hang himself; fortunately I and Shi Yong were watching closely, so he didn't succeed. His mental state is now very poor, and I and Shi Yong won't persuade him,"

"Zhao Ge, I'm worried Zhou Jie might die in our hands. What do you suggest we do?" Ding Li said anxiously on the phone.

Upon hearing that, I knew Zhou Yang's mental state.

A huge gap would make him unable to accept it.

Such people are prone to psychological problems.

You should know they were all born with silver spoons, never having suffered any injustice from childhood.

Once the family fortunes collapsed, their quality of life plummeted.

Only people with strong mental fortitude can accept their situation; otherwise it's hard for them to go on living.

It took me a long time to digest the matters of Da Heng Group.

I then said to Ding Li: "Ding Li, I understand Zhou Jie's situation; please try to get him to eat as much as possible now."

Keep an eye on him so he doesn't commit suicide; he's very important to us. I have already returned to Zaocheng.

This is what I'll do: I've found a place that Shi Yong knows about.

That place is Niushiling.

I'll go there first to check the situation; if it's suitable, you can bring Zhou Jie to live there with you.

When the time comes, just hand Zhou Jie over to me.

You must now make sure not to leak any news about Zhou Jie."

"Zhao Ge, okay, I'll let Yong Ge know shortly; we'll be ready to go whenever you notify us."

"Don't worry, here we guarantee that news about Zhou Jie will not leak." Ding Li said.

"That's fine. I'll wait for your call." I said and hung up.

After hanging up, I lay down on the bed.

I was too tired and wanted to rest a bit.

I still had too many things to attend to,

the matter of Shangguan Zhuren hasn't been investigated yet, and there's also the Qi He Kuang affair,

all of which require my attention.

Tomorrow I still need to go see Qiao Jie.

I don't know how Qiao Jie is doing.

I also thought of Beishan and the days I lived with Qiao Jie,

our first date at Hama Spring,

the first night I stayed at Qiao Jie's house.

and the scene of Qiao Jie seeking treatment for her illness.

Past events flashed before my eyes; thinking and thinking, I fell asleep.

The next morning, I drove, taking Qian Niang and Ru Meng, departing from Zaocheng Grand Hotel.

We didn't tell Li Ming.

That could be considered leaving without saying goodbye.

Ru Meng heard I was taking her on a trip and was overjoyed.

This girl just loves to have fun; last night, Xiao Shitou and she only came back late in the evening.

Ah, youth is wonderful.

Looking at Ru Meng's youthful ignorance, I sighed in my heart.

When I was Ru Meng's age, I should have been in the most painful period.

Living in Chengnan Town, being kicked out by my uncle-in-law and living with my bachelor father, those were my darkest days, yet also a period I miss the most.

My bachelor father, in order to cure my illness, kowtowed all the way from home to Qingtan Temple,

the scab on his forehead; whenever I think of it, my heart aches.

My bachelor father also went to heaven; I will be grateful to him for my whole life.

My thoughts wandered as the car sped along.

The car was going very fast,

before long we arrived at Lanling County city.

Qiao Jie has always lived in Lanling County town; she did not go with us to live in Xin Cheng.

The new city of Zaocheng is only a twenty-minute drive from Lanling County town; the newly built Guangming Dadao runs straight to the main thoroughfare of Lanling County town.

We returned to Lanling County town again.

After arriving in Lanling County town, Qian Niang's expression changed; she looked out the window,

She said to me: "Er Hai, Lanling is still better; living here has a human touch. Ah, living in Xin Cheng, everything is new, the roads are wide, the buildings are tall, but the human touch becomes thin."

"Grandma, Lanling is no good at all; look how dilapidated this building is, and the traffic is so congested," Ru Meng said from the side.

Ru Meng had no impression of Lanling at all.

She moved to Xin Cheng to live not long after she was born.

After I heard the conversation between Ru Meng and Qian Niang,

Driving the car, I said: "Ru Meng, do you know that a child does not despise his mother's ugliness, nor a dog its home's poverty; Lanling is your hometown, you must like it."

Upon hearing me say that, Ru Meng pursed her lips,

"I have no hometown; our generation are all people without a home."

Saying that, I didn't know how to continue.

Qian Niang then said: "Ru Meng, how can a girl have no home? A girl must have a home."

You just like to argue with your father.

"Wait a moment, when you see Qiao Jie, you must call her 'eldest madam'. Do you understand?"

"I know Qiao Jie; my mother told me she is my father's former wife. My father, you're impressive, having taken two wives—I cannot call her 'eldest madam'; I should call her 'eldest auntie'." Ru Meng deliberately said.

This Ru Meng, who has no sense of seniority, saying that made me very angry inside.

Qian Niang, however, laughed and said: "Fine, you can call her either 'eldest auntie' or 'eldest madam'. You must respect her, understand?"

Ru Meng looked out the window and said nothing more.

Our car slowly drove along the congested streets of Lanling County town.

Not long after, we arrived at the Fuquan Residential Complex where Qiao Jie lives, which is also one of the earlier residential complexes in Lanling County town.

At that time I bought three apartments,

one for Qian Niang, one for me and Zhou Wei, and one for Qiao Jie.

We once all lived in the same residential complex.

Not long after, my family and Qian Niang's moved away, while Qiao Jie has continued to live here.

After we parked the car in the residential complex,

I opened the car door and got out.

Qian Niang said: "Er Hai, do you still have your house?"

I shook my head,

"I let Zhou Wei give it to his brother, and his brother Zhou Gang sold it."

"My apartment is still there; it's the one you gave me. It's been empty all along; if it's really not usable, we might as well sell it, give it to Xiao Long—he also dislikes it." Qian Niang said while looking at the building she once lived in.

"Let's talk about that later; anyway, we don't need money for now." I walked ahead, heading straight for Qiao Jie's home.

I remembered that Qiao Jie's home is in the west unit of the fourth floor, unit one, building three.

I quickly arrived at building three; Qian Niang is old and can't climb stairs, so I had her and Ru Meng wait downstairs.

I went up the stairs alone,

The entire hallway was old, with advertisements posted everywhere, the railings rusted, and the steps damaged.

I quickly arrived at the west unit on the fourth floor.

Qiao Jie's anti-theft door is still the old-fashioned kind.

It is completely covered in rust stains,

and a pile of trash is thrown at the doorway,

I stood at the doorway for a long time, not daring to knock.

I was afraid to see Qiao Jie.

But I also wanted to see her.

I felt very conflicted.