Chapter 418: The way the big shot expresses gratitude is just this hardcore

Cheng Li felt as if his heart were being twisted by a knife.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He kept apologizing, unable to utter any words of explanation.

He could not say that he hadn't known his wife and daughter were suffering.

He could not say that he had been stuck in one place for several years, unable to leave or even write a letter.

He also could not say that he had assumed his wife and daughter were living well in their little nest, leading a stable life.

After Cheng Li was able to leave the base, he went home at the first opportunity. With a heart full of agitation and guilt, he knocked on the door, only to have a stranger open it.

That was when he learned that his wife and daughter had been persecuted many years ago and their whereabouts had been unknown for years.

He had almost gone mad.

After investigating the situation clearly—

He quickly retaliated against those who had persecuted his wife and daughter, while on the other hand, he sought the organization's help to find their whereabouts.

Too much time had passed, many documents had been destroyed, and back then, someone had created many decoys to protect Tian Ruo and Cheng Xiaoxiao, which resulted in Cheng Li only finding them now.

Tian Ruo had originally been a soft and weak woman, but several years of life in the countryside had made her as tenacious as wild grass.

She quickly recovered her composure.

She pressed her eyes, looked at her husband, and smiled: "Just got back?"

"Yeah." Cheng Li looked at his wife's rough face, his heart aching in waves, and he responded with a choked voice.

"I knew it." If her husband hadn't been powerless, he would have come to find her and Xiaoxiao long ago.

Tian Ruo's brows relaxed, and she smiled: "I understand you; after all, I knew what path you were taking from the very beginning. But... for our Xiaoxiao, for Xiaoxiao, you are not a qualified father. Cheng Li, you must treat your daughter well from now on."

Cheng Li's eyes burned, his heart also scorching hot. He took a deep breath and hurriedly promised: "I will. For the rest of my life, I will treat you both well."

He raised his head slightly and caught sight of the young girl standing not far away.

The young woman wore a cotton coat covered in patches, with two short braided pigtails resting in front of her; her skin was rough, but her features were beautiful, seven parts resembling her mother, though only her brows and eyes held her own reflection.

Cheng Li looked at Cheng Xiaoxiao, inexplicably feeling nervous.

"Xiaoxiao..." His voice was tight.

Cheng Xiaoxiao's eyes turned red instantly; she ran toward him and hugged her father tightly.

"Daddy!"

"Daddy!!" she shouted, one cry after another.

"Daddy, I missed you so much. Why did you only come to find Mom and me now?!"

"Daddy, some people bullied Mom and me. Those people stepped on my hands, my hands hurt so much."

"Daddy, the bad guys pulled Mom's hair and slapped Mom's face. Daddy, you have to vent our anger for Mom and me!"

Cheng Xiaoxiao said while crying.

Were these words not the very things that little girl had buried in her heart all those years, never having had the chance to say?

Cheng Li's heart felt as if it were being tightened by a net, and also as if he had eaten an unripe apricot—both sour and astringent.

He responded to every sentence, "Daddy missed you and Mom too. Daddy has already taken revenge for you; the bad guys who bullied you are all in prison. My Xiaoxiao has suffered. You and Mom held on until now; Daddy is proud of you. I won't let you suffer anymore in the future."

In a short time, the tears flowed too fiercely, and Xiaoxiao's pair of beautiful eyes became swollen.

She raised her head and asked with a nervous, trembling voice: "Daddy, can... can Mom and I leave the village?"

Cheng Li felt a great pain in his heart. He wiped the tears from his daughter's face and said: "Yes, you can go wherever you want."

Captain Ye stood in the corner, not daring to speak.

It was just that the burly man following Cheng Li kept glaring at him with his eyes, wishing he could peel a layer of skin off him.

"??"

Captain Ye scratched his head, not understanding why.

Tian Ruo noticed the Captain's figure, her face turning red instantly. She pushed her husband away and introduced him: "This is the Captain; he helped Xiaoxiao and me quite a bit."

She then introduced her husband to the Captain: "Captain, this is my husband. He has come to pick us up to go home."

Speaking of this, her nose felt sour again.

Cheng Li and the guard protecting him heard this, and their cold faces suddenly turned into smiling ones.

"Hello, Captain. I was truly rude just now." Cheng Li took the initiative to reach out. The man who had been like cold frost just moments ago melted like ice and snow, becoming incredibly approachable.

Captain Ye shook the hand of the man who looked like a leader in a daze.

"No, it's nothing."

How could a person's face change so quickly... it simply made one not know what to say.

"Are you going to take Comrade Tian Ruo and Comrade Cheng Xiaoxiao away now?" he asked.

The Captain had heard that some of the... in the brigade had been picked up by cars, but he hadn't expected that someone would come to their brigade too.

"That goes without saying," Cheng Li said with a firm tone.

As he spoke, he looked at his daughter: "Xiaoxiao, go pack your things. Dad is taking you home now."

Tian Ruo pulled her husband's arm: "Let's wait two days. The brigade helped me a lot, and I want to thank them. Let's leave in two days."

Cheng Li felt guilty toward his wife, so he agreed to whatever she said.

"I'll listen to you, but you can't live here anymore. Come stay at the guesthouse with me."

Tian Ruo didn't go against her husband over this small matter. After taking Cheng Li to say goodbye to Old Man Qiao and the others who had lived with them for several years, the mother and daughter who had suffered were taken away by the pillar of their family.

Sitting in the sedan, Xiaoxiao smiled shyly, not daring to move around.

Cheng Li felt waves of sour tenderness in his heart: "This is the car the organization assigned to Dad. Don't be constrained; feel free to touch anything."

Xiaoxiao's eyes brightened slightly: "Okay."

All these years, Tian Ruo had been very low-key and hadn't had much contact with the villagers. She only nodded to the Captain and the Gu family members who had helped her a lot, saying she would come to visit tomorrow, and then she got into the car and left.

Watching the sedan drive away.

The villagers were in an uproar.

"What's going on, Captain?"

"Why did they leave? We won't be in big trouble, will we?!"

Captain Ye looked at the panicked appearance of these people and flicked his sleeves: "What trouble, what big trouble? We haven't done anything harmful. Besides, their leaving was approved by the organization. What are you panicking about? If the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up!"

Taller people...

Everyone looked at Gu Chenghuai tacitly.

This person was not only tall, but his status was also high; he was one of the few big officials from their brigade who was out there!

"Chenghuai, look... those two bad..." He wanted to say 'bad elements' but swallowed the words back to his lips and changed his phrasing: "Those two comrades were taken away, won't it cause any trouble?!"

Gu Chenghuai's expression was calm; standing there made people feel secure: "No, it complies with policy."

This time was different from those few years; the college entrance examination had been restored, and things were gradually opening up... everything was heading for the better.

The villagers put their hearts back in their original places.

"We feel relieved now that you've said that."

"Yeah, yeah. Otherwise, I was always worried that some people would suddenly pop up to destroy our village."

"Who's to say otherwise! It wasn't easy for our village to become what it is now."

Lin Zhao withdrew her gaze. Very good, the ending for little Xiaoxiao had completely changed. After a great disaster, there must be a blessing; may that girl's remaining life be all sunny days.

She thought of the original book's plot: Xiaoxiao had died not long after arriving at the brigade, and her mother, having lost her daughter, had been depressed and hadn't survived that winter... she had also passed away...

Ten years later, two people had come to the brigade. The leading man, upon learning that his wife and daughter had been gone for many years, had vomited a mouthful of blood on the spot. Afterward, he had sat withered for a whole night in front of two small, adjacent dirt mounds. When the next day dawned, the guard saw that the gentleman's hair had turned completely white!

Those two nameless people in the book must be Cheng Li and his guard who came today, right?!

Carrying expectations, looking forward day and night to reuniting with his wife and daughter, what kind of feeling was it to look at two shabby, cold little dirt mounds?

It must have been extremely painful, extremely regretful, extremely hateful, and extremely regretful.

The most regretful thing in the world is not having time to say goodbye.

Gu Chenghuai saw that his wife hadn't spoken for a long time and her eyes were in a dazed state, so he reached out and waved in front of Lin Zhao.

"What are you thinking about?!"

Lin Zhao returned to her senses instantly, curved her eyes, and smiled: "Nothing, just feeling that this is the best era."

Gu Chenghuai was startled, his heart suddenly jumping heavily a few times.

"Yes, this is the best era."

With Tian Ruo and Xiaoxiao taken away, the people remaining in that courtyard at the foot of the mountain felt hope sprout in their hearts.

Ren Weian and his wife Wen Xin looked at each other, seeing a different kind of brilliance in each other's eyes.

... They still had a chance to return to the three-foot podium, to teach and educate, to cultivate talent for the country, right?!

With hope in their hearts, their spirits were like different people.

Old Man Qiao looked at the two university professors who were suddenly paying attention to their image and smiled.

It was quite good.

Gu Fu, for the first time, didn't hide from people and came to the courtyard at the foot of the mountain, sitting face-to-face with Old Man Qiao.

"You've been in the limelight these past few days; you must be overjoyed." Old Man Qiao smiled and teased his old friend.

Gu Fu smiled embarrassedly; this smile was no different from the one seen by Young Master Qiao, who had been able to turn clouds and rain in Haicheng back then.

"Yeah, overjoyed." He didn't deny it: "Brother Qiao, you know, I have no other expectations in this life; I just hope the younger generation in the family can walk out and not live the bitter life of facing the yellow earth and backing the sky like me. Farmers are truly bitter; what they earn is only enough to fill their mouths. Relying on farming, one can't build a new house or wear new clothes in a lifetime. Workers are good; workers have monthly wages, and there's a pension when they get old..."

Old Man Qiao listened patiently. Having spent several years in the countryside, he knew how hard farmers worked and could better understand Gu Feng's mood at this moment.

"It's good now." Old Man Qiao patted Gu Fu's shoulder: "Your children and grandchildren are all promising! You should also put down the burden and enjoy some blessings."

Gu Fu's smile was wide: "Yes, it's time to enjoy blessings!"

Remembering the main business he came for, he said: "I see that Comrade Tian and Xiaoxiao have both left; can you leave too? I don't know what I can do, but if there's anything you need my help with, just say it."

Old Man Qiao felt a warmth in his heart.

"I appreciate your kindness, but you've already helped me."

If it hadn't been for the Gu family all these years, he would have become a small dirt mound long ago; how could he have waited for the moment when the willows were dark and the flowers were bright.

Gu Fu's eyes brightened: "You mean?!"

That letter sent out before!?

Old Man Qiao nodded: "It's just as you think."

A fox-like smile hung on his face, and he said leisurely: "It's just as you think; it won't be long before I return to the city too!"

"That's great!" Gu Fu was genuinely happy for his great benefactor from his youth.

Old Man Qiao could feel his sincerity. Gu Feng was the purest person he had ever met; the so-called 'true feelings in adversity' was not just talk.

"Any interest in moving to Haicheng?" he asked.

Gu Fu was startled: "Me? I move to Haicheng?!"

He hurriedly shook his head: "Such a big city, I'm afraid I won't be able to adapt. Besides, in the city, even buying a scallion costs money. No, no."

Old Man Qiao said: "I'll give you a big mansion and arrange good jobs for you and your family. Will you go?"

The way the big shot expressed gratitude was just this hardcore.

Gu Fu didn't feel happy; instead, he felt terrified.

"No, no. We are not related by blood; you're giving me a big mansion and arranging jobs for us. I'm afraid my own heart will grow crooked. I'd better live in my brick-and-tile house; it's more solid. You go back; I'll go to Haicheng to see you when I have a chance."

Old Man Qiao guessed he wouldn't accept.

This point was the same as Gu Feng in his youth.

Content, having a sense of proportion, always knowing what to take and what to give up.

"You, you..." Old Man Qiao's smile deepened, his tone intimate: "Just guard your broken brick-and-tile house until you're old."

Gu Fu didn't care: "My brick-and-tile house is just fine."

"Fine, fine, fine, it's just fine." Old Man Qiao said helplessly.

The next day, the Tian Ruo family returned to the Fengshou Brigade.

Tian Ruo and her daughter were no longer 'sinners', but the family members of a meritorious scientist who had arrived in a sedan.

They were wearing new clothes, their hair combed neatly, heads held high, and there was no longer any fear in their eyes.

Tian Ruo bought quite a lot of candies and biscuits, and as soon as she arrived, she distributed them to the children of the brigade.

The children of this brigade had never bullied her daughter; this was a great kindness, and she thanked them from the bottom of her heart.

The children looked at their parents, and only after their parents nodded did they take the candies and politely thank them.

"Thank you, Auntie."

Tian Ruo smiled. Her repayment had a focus; she gave a gift to every brigade cadre, and the last one was sent to the Gu family's old house.

All these years, Tian Ruo and her daughter had eaten plenty of the meals sent by the Gu family, and she had always kept it in her heart, thinking of repaying them.

Upon learning of the Gu family's care for his wife and daughter, Cheng Li was extremely grateful and prepared heavy gifts.

Century-old ginseng, foreign cigarettes, imported chocolate, Moutai wine...

Gu Fu naturally was unwilling to accept and hurriedly refused: "It was just a matter of convenience. I did it to help my benefactor; you don't need to do this."

Tian Ruo said: "Xiaoxiao and I didn't eat few meals from the Gu family. These things aren't worth much. Uncle Gu, you must accept them, otherwise, I won't feel at ease."

Cheng Li nodded. He bowed slightly to Gu Fu and Gu Mother: "Yes, you must accept them. Thank you, Uncle Gu and Aunt Gu, for taking care of my wife and Xiaoxiao. This kindness must be repaid."

Last night, he and Ruo Ruo had talked for a long time—

His wife's situation at that time really hadn't been good. It was fortunate that they had come to the Fengshou Brigade, which didn't torment people. If they had gone to a stricter brigade, his wife and daughter might have lost their lives long ago.

Seeing that Cheng Li was truly persistent, Gu Fu, who was not good at refusing people, had to accept the gifts, but he didn't accept them all, only symbolically taking a few items and returning the rest.

He said to Cheng Li: "I'll accept those; take these back, otherwise I won't feel at ease. Your wife and daughter have suffered quite a bit; treat them well and live a good life."

Cheng Li saw that Gu Fu was truly unwilling to accept, so he sighed lightly, but a sense of admiration arose in his heart.

"I will," he said solemnly, temporarily taking the woven bag Gu Fu handed to him.

Gu Fu's expression relaxed slightly.

The Gu family invited the Tian Ruo family for a meal, and Xiaoxiao also got to know the Gu family's children; the smile on her face increased.

Tian Ruo looked at the scene of her daughter laughing and talking with children of the same age, her eyes feeling slightly sour.

Cheng Li was even more so.

He owed the girl so much.

Fortunately, he could make up for it for the rest of his life.

He and his wife had discussed it; they would only have this one child, Xiaoxiao, in this life, and everything they had would be left to Xiaoxiao.

Not two days after the Cheng Li family left, the people coming to pick up Old Man Qiao arrived.

Several sedans drove into the Fengshou Brigade, and even the big leaders from the county came.

The spectacle was very large.