Chapter 179: Beyond the Dark Mountains, Flowers Bloom and Villages Appear ④
Nie Qiu didn’t notice anyone moving out of this building every day on her way to and from school, and thought everyone was still there. However, there were still a few households unwilling to move, and Nie Aifang was one of them. No matter what, in her opinion, she would not leave with Nie Qiu until the landlord returned the seven hundred yuan for the two months’ rent she had paid.
But the developer didn’t care about that. Since the owner agreed to demolish, they had the right to demolish! As for the tenants, if they didn’t move out? Fine, they would throw your things out, and the house would be smashed by a demolition vehicle in minutes.
Forced demolition.
One often sees such words in the news: forced demolition here, nail houses there… But if the owner agreed to demolish, even if the tenants didn’t move out, they wouldn’t become nail houses.
After Nie Aifang heard the news at the market, she asked Zhang Qitian to watch the vegetable stand and rushed home immediately. All her belongings, such as tables, chairs, bedding, and furniture, were thrown onto the road. It wasn’t just her family’s things; the houses were being demolished floor by floor. On the roof stood a tall demolition machine, just like an excavator, but its head was a thick iron rod. Each swing made a deafening noise, like thunder, and the surrounding area could feel tremors like an earthquake.
Since the demolition started from the top floor and hadn’t reached their floor yet, Nie Aifang seemed to have left something important at home and ran into the building being demolished. When she came out, she was hit on the head by a falling brick, bleeding profusely. The couple living downstairs saw this from afar, called 120, and sent her to the hospital.
When Nie Qiu arrived at the hospital, Nie Aifang had already come out of the operating room and was transferred from the intensive care unit to a general ward. The young woman’s husband was busy running errands.
The surgery went smoothly, and Nie Aifang was asleep in the hospital room.
Nie Qiu was at a loss at this moment. This incident was too sudden; she was completely unprepared. Only when she saw Nie Aifang lying on the hospital bed did Nie Qiu’s nervously beating heart truly calm down.
She had only recently enjoyed Nie Aifang’s mother’s love and wanted to have it for a long, long time. She hadn’t had the chance to fulfill her filial duties yet. If Nie Aifang were to leave like this, what would she do?
She didn’t even know about the residential area’s demolition because it was the final exam period, and her study schedule wasn’t tight. As long as she saw something, she could generally remember what she had studied before and could review it quickly. However, it was different for her classmates. Monthly exams tested what they studied each month, while final exams were the true test of their progress. Therefore, they worked desperately and made great efforts. Nie Qiu had no reason not to help, so she didn’t notice what was happening at home at all.
She also bore some responsibility for this situation. She understood the ideas of exploiters and capitalists better than Nie Aifang, and she understood the power of the rich more. If she had known the house was going to be demolished, she would have immediately advised Nie Aifang to move out sooner, not caring about the rent, instead of letting Nie Aifang get injured due to forced demolition like this.
Seeing Nie Qiu arrive, the man spoke a few words to Nie Qiu about Nie Aifang’s condition and then said, “I’ll go get some porridge. Give it to your mother when she wakes up.”
Nie Qiu nodded and forced a smile, saying, “Thank you, Uncle.”
“What are you thanking me for? We’re all neighbors. Besides, this is what I should…” He stopped himself and hurried out of the hospital room.
Nie Qiu didn’t notice what the man was saying either. She slowly walked to the hospital bed and sat beside it. She picked up Nie Aifang’s right hand; Nie Aifang’s left hand had an IV drip. “It’s okay, Mom, you’ll be okay.” Like many parents, Nie Aifang was too frugal and old-fashioned, but Nie Aifang was so good; she would surely be okay.
Li Kai stood by the side of the hospital room, looking at Nie Qiu’s back. He seemed to sense Nie Qiu’s current vulnerability, and an inexplicable heartache arose in his heart. It wasn’t pity or compassion, but a sudden urge to hold the person in front of him, to protect her from any further harm, to let her… live a very good and comfortable life.
The couple living downstairs from Nie Qiu stood at the doorway of the hospital room and watched. They walked out of the hospital hand in hand, their palms sweaty. The young woman who had called Nie Qiu to school took out her mobile phone and handed it to the man. The man, looking slightly anxious, took it and dialed a number. “Boss, something’s happened.”
“Yes, didn’t you ask us to look after those mother and daughter? They were notified about the demolition a few days ago, and I advised them to move, but…” The man’s voice choked. “Today, the developer came for forced demolition, and your… your sister was hit on the head by a brick.”
“Don’t worry, she’s fine now. She’ll probably wake up soon.”
He should have called her immediately, but with this incident, his first thought was to send her to the hospital. Regardless, he had to save the person first.
The young woman didn’t know beforehand that her husband’s boss had asked him to look after that family. They hadn’t had much interaction before, but with something like this happening, the first thought was naturally to notify their only family member. Of course, the thoughts involved were medical expenses and taking care of the patient.
Amidst the man’s angry roar, the man hung up the phone and said to his wife with a bitter smile, “The boss will be here soon.”
“Then your job…”
“Don’t worry, the boss isn’t someone who blurs the lines between public and private. If he were, he wouldn’t be our boss.” The boss was always known for his simplicity. He could mingle with colleagues at company gatherings. Although meticulous at work, he could joke around with employees at parties without any sense of hierarchy. At gatherings, he didn’t see them as subordinates, and they didn’t need to see him as a superior. Such a person wouldn’t blur the lines between public and private.
The traffic light was red, and Nie Aiwen was anxious. He never expected such a thing to happen during the demolition!
He knew about the demolition, and in a way, he was one of the masterminds. A while ago, he attended a gathering hosted by a collaborator, attended by people from all walks of life. He specifically sought out a real estate developer and told him about the situation in that residential area. Since the area was indeed much older than other residential areas, the approval was quickly obtained.
The developer, overjoyed, gave him a three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment, over a hundred square meters. It wasn’t large but was very nice. If their family lived there, it would surely be warm and cozy. He excitedly prepared to confess to Nie Aifang again, but he didn’t expect such a thing to happen.
Now he didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. He was restless and felt a sharp pain in his heart. How could such a thing happen?
