Chapter 670: Talking with Qian Niang about Xiao Long

When I woke up,

I lay quietly in Qian Niang's house.

Qiao Jie, Shi Yong, Shi Jinhe and others stood beside me.

I glanced at them,

Shi Yong immediately shouted, "Brother, you woke up—you scared me to death."

I was about to speak,

A thin hand immediately stroked my face,

Qian Niang then said, "Er Hai, you woke up; if you had an accident, how could I go on living."

As it turned out, I had been sleeping beside Qian Niang, her hand gently stroking me.

It made me feel love and warmth.

"Mother, what happened to me?" I asked.

"Sigh, after you left my house you ran wildly toward the ridge, and I had Shi Yong and Jinghe chase after you."

"When they found you, you had already fallen into a ditch and knocked yourself unconscious."

"I want to ask you, what exactly happened, what did you and Li Ming discuss."

"What on earth caused you to argue so fiercely."

"Mother, I'm almost dying of worry."

"I asked Li Ming, but he wouldn't say anything. He took He Qing and Yang Tao and left."

"Mother, today I just want to ask you,"

"You two have been like this for years; I heard you shouting at Li Ming, and you've completely severed ties."

"Er Hai, can you tell me the truth."

Qian Niang finished speaking and tears came down.

Qian Niang's tears dripped onto my face.

I also cried.

I was like a child who had suffered past injustice,

having been bullied outside, upon seeing my mother I immediately flung myself into her arms and burst into tears.

"Mother, how can I say it?" I said, then burst into loud sobs.

Both mother and I cried.

After a while of crying, Qiao Jie said beside us, "Qian Niang, Jianqiang just woke up; we can't let him cry. Let's talk about the matter first."

Qian Niang wiped her tears,

"Er Hai, stop crying. Mother, I want to hear exactly what happened between you two."

At this moment I also held back my tears,

then shifted my body slightly; my whole body ached.

Shi Yong immediately came over to support me.

I forcibly sat up from beside Qian Niang.

I looked at Shi Yong, Shi Jinhe, Qiao Jie and the others nearby,

then said, "You all go out first; I need to speak with Mother. Jinghe, leave me a cigarette."

Shi Jinhe took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and placed it in front of me,

and then he, Shi Yong, Qiao Jie and the others left the house.

Now only Qian Niang and I remained in the house.

I took out a cigarette, lit it and took a puff.

That puff instantly lifted my spirits.

I never imagined such a thing would happen to me on Niushiling.

Qian Niang sighed,

"Er Hai, you're both flesh and blood to me. Li Ming is my biological son, but you're even closer than a birth son. Your brothers' quarrel makes it impossible for me to go on."

"Mother, I must make this clear to you, otherwise I will suffer insults for the rest of my life." I said.

"Go on, Er Hai; Mother is listening." Qian Niang said.

"Mother, what happened today is utterly intolerable to me; it has touched my bottom line, my principle as a person."

The matter is as follows.

It started because of Xiao Long's girlfriend, Fang Rui.

"Fang Rui, what's wrong? This child is very well-behaved and kind." Qian Niang said.

"Mother, Fang Rui's family. Fang Rui is a kind girl, but her family has an unspeakable reason."

Fang Rui's father is a murderer; the person he killed was Fang Rui's mother.

Fang Rui's mother was having an affair with another man, which led Fang Rui's father to catch them,

and Fang Rui's father then plotted to kill both of them.

Fang Rui's father was sentenced to death.

"Mother, do you still remember,"

"I got arrested due to an incident involving demolition housing,"

"and in the detention center I was held together with Fang Rui's father."

Fang Rui's father told me his story.

He said he still had a daughter only two or three years old, who had been living with his mother.

At the end of his life, after he asked me to go out, he asked me to look after his daughter a little.

This was his final plea; I could only agree.

After seeing off Fang Rui's father, I spent two years inside and then came out.

I have always kept in mind my promise to Fang Rui's father.

Not long after I got out of prison, I went to Fang Rui's home to visit her.

Fang Rui's home is in Shanghu countryside; she lives together with her grandmother.

Think about it: her father, a murderer, has already been executed by gunshot, and the child has no mother.

In the countryside, they often face discrimination.

How hard must Fang Rui and her grandmother's life be?

After saying that, I took a puff of a cigarette.

Qian Niang nodded,

"Yes, it's definitely hard; a child without parents' care cannot even imagine life. I never imagined Fang Rui's background would be this difficult

"Mother, just hearing it makes my heart ache."

I then said: "Mother, seeing such a scene, you would surely tear up; I also cried."

Fang Rui is five years old; seeing her frozen, red face, how could I not help her a bit?

I remember her telling me then that she had grown up, could already sleep on her own, and no longer missed her mother at night.

I am someone who never lost maternal love from childhood,

I know the pain of missing one's mother. At five years old, she has to bear this pain.

"Mother, for such a child, I must do everything I can to help."

Qian Niang said: "Er Hai, you did the right thing."

If it were your family, you wouldn't help; Mother knows you'd be very angry.

"You have always been helping Fang Rui."

"Yes, keep helping her. First I gave her money to spend. Her grandmother could take care of her, but later her grandmother died."

So I thought of ways to send her to a boarding school.

That's all I could do.

Although I helped Fang Rui, we only met each other twice before and after.

I did this just out of my own conscience; I don't need anyone to specially thank me.

I kept helping Fang Rui all the way through university.

After that, we completely lost contact.

Actually, Zhou Wei knows about Fang Rui's matter, because the monthly money was handled by her.

"I never expected any reward; I always remember what Mother and I said: be a good person, do more good deeds, and don't ask for repayment."

"Er Hai, you did the right thing; when people do good deeds, Heaven watches, the Bodhisattva watches. People always say where Heaven is,

In fact, Heaven is our hearts.

"When we do good deeds and don't seek reward, as long as we are at peace with our conscience, that's enough."

"Mother, regarding Fang Rui's matter, I am at peace with my conscience."

Later, Fang Rui worked at a hospital in the Provincial Capital; who would have thought she actually became Xiao Long's girlfriend.

When Xiao Long first brought Fang Rui to see me in the Provincial Capital, I recognized her at first glance.

But between us it was just an unspoken understanding; we never spoke of it.

When no one was around, Fang Rui quietly said to me,

I hope you can keep her family's secret and not reveal it.

She fears being looked down upon by others, and she fears losing Xiao Long even more.

I saw that the love between Xiao Long and Fang Rui is genuine.

So I agreed.

Keeping Fang Rui's secret is also out of my own conscience.

Mother, I am telling the truth.

What kind of family a girl comes from is very important; otherwise she will forever be looked down upon.

I can understand Fang Rui's feelings.

Her father is a murderer, and her mother is involved with someone else.

Such a thing is what she least wants others to know.

She told Xiao Long that her parents died in a car accident. Mother, at the time I did not immediately tell you all about this situation.

"I was wrong, and I will bear this mistake."

Qian Niang shook her head,

"Er Hai, what are you bearing? This is originally a kind lie.

"Hiding a girl's family secret is not a mistake."