Chapter 109: “he’s Beyond Saving”
Mr. Qiao was an existence comparable to Father Gu’s enlightenment teacher. Hearing his praise, Father Gu was overjoyed, his face full of smiles.
Cheng Huai thought that with himself there, his dad was not easy to talk to, so he said: “Uncle Qiao, Dad, you two talk slowly. I’ll go outside and keep watch.”
Father Gu didn’t stop him.
Mr. Qiao sat cross-legged on the straw, looked at him, then at the spot next to himself, as natural as sitting on a sofa.
“Sit down. At Qiao Mansion, you wouldn’t sit on the sofa comfortably. This is your turf, yet you’re still dawdling.”
Father Gu sat down.
“That’s more like it. You and I are old friends. When old friends meet, what’s there to be awkward about?” Mr. Qiao said.
A few words dispelled the unfamiliarity in Father Gu’s heart.
“How have you been these years?”
Father Gu’s face was full of smiles. “Great. After returning from Haicheng, I found someone to help arrange a marriage. I married a wife, and my wife gave me four big fat boys and two daughters. Now I have several grandsons. With food and shelter, this life was something I didn’t dare imagine before.”
Mr. Qiao smiled.
“What’s not to dare imagine? What you wanted was the most basic things, earned through strength. If you worked hard and still didn’t have these, it definitely wouldn’t be your fault.”
Poor people can’t even take care of themselves—how can they marry and have children, build a family?
Gu Feng had achieved the life he wanted, so helping him hadn’t been in vain.
“Mr. Qiao, how have you been these years?” Father Gu indirectly inquired about the reason Mr. Qiao had ended up like this.
“Great. Good housing, good food, and the younger generation at home are promising.” Mr. Qiao said openly.
If everything hadn’t been good, he wouldn’t have ended up like this.
Sigh.
“Since things are good, why…?”
Mr. Qiao sighed softly. “It’s precisely because things were too good.”
He had noticed something wrong early on and told his family to quickly leave the continent. He had originally planned to leave too, but he was being watched and couldn’t make it.
“?” Father Gu was full of confusion.
In his eyes, the Qiao family was the most formidable, like a mountain. But could a mountain collapse?
Mr. Qiao didn’t say more.
“Let’s not talk about that.” He smiled. “Life is like this—ups and downs. There’s no such thing as an evergreen tree.”
Father Gu didn’t ask further, only saying: “Anyway, if you need any help, just say the word.”
“Good.” Mr. Qiao felt a warmth in his heart and smiled in agreement.
In his life, he had helped countless people. Gu Feng was the least notable, yet the most sincere.
Father Gu grinned, remembered the main matter, and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. “Mr. Qiao, the grandsons and granddaughters at home don’t have formal names yet. I’ve been thinking for over half a month and came up with a few. Take a look and see how they are?”
Mr. Qiao smilingly took the paper and looked at it.
In a daze, he recalled things from his youth.
Haicheng back then was no less than a bottomless pit of gold—what kind of people weren’t there? At that time, he had just gone from being Qiao the youth to Qiao the boss, going to the dance hall for business… Before even getting out of the car, he saw a kid pushed down by a group of people. The kid wasn’t angry when pushed down; he just grinned foolishly, got up, and charged forward again, selling cigarettes to the rich people.
That foolish kid was Gu Feng.
Mr. Qiao’s first impression of Gu Feng was: what an idiot from where.
Later, he saw him a few more times, each time more miserable than the last, the smile on his face fading more and more, standing bewildered on the bustling street like abandoned by the whole world.
Later still, Mr. Qiao brought the foolish kid home, and the foolish kid wasn’t even afraid of being sold off—he grinned happily and followed…
“Heh…” Mr. Qiao suddenly laughed out loud.
Father Gu thought the names he had given his grandsons and granddaughters had caused a joke, and he grew a bit nervous. “Not good?”
“No, not bad.” Mr. Qiao shook his head with a smile. “I just didn’t expect that illiterate foolish kid from back then could come up with such high-level names.”
“Gu Zhiheng, Gu Zhiqian… All good, nothing to change.” He murmured softly, a faint pride showing in his aged, wise eyes.
Father Gu was like a little fanboy, not knowing what to say after being praised.
Greatly encouraged.
“Then that’s it.” he said.
Mr. Qiao nodded. “Fine.”
Seeing his weary expression, Father Gu didn’t stay longer and took his leave.
His steps were light, his mood excellent.
When night had fully fallen.
Several men from the Gu family quietly moved things to the foot of the mountain.
After several trips, the shack that even mice wouldn’t bother visiting finally looked somewhat decent.
Mr. Qiao took a look. After months of toil, they finally had a place to settle.
“Thanks for the trouble.” He thanked the Gu family members.
“No need to be so polite.” Father Gu still felt deeply guilty for not being able to help more. “Back then you helped me so much. Yuan Shan and the others growing up so well is also thanks to you. This is nothing.”
He wasn’t exaggerating at all. Old Mrs. Gu was partial and hadn’t cared much about him. Otherwise… he wouldn’t have thought of going out to make a living. When he left Haicheng back then, Mr. Qiao had given him many good things. He had used those things to get married and raise several children.
Mr. Qiao shook his head. It wasn’t the same.
In any case, he would remember this kindness of sending charcoal in the snowy storm.
“Gu Feng, it’s late. You all hurry back. Avoid people on the road.”
Father Gu chattered on. “Then we’ll head out first. You sleep early. Tomorrow I’ll go find the brigade leader and see if we can help you build a courtyard wall. Don’t worry about grain. I’ll send some every half month…”
Mr. Qiao chuckled, warmth in his heart.
“Got it. Hurry off. If you don’t sleep, the kids still need to.”
Father Gu chuckled, leading his sons away.
Mr. Qiao watched their backs, thinking of his children who had left the continent. Had they safely arrived there?
…
Faraway port city.
A ferry docked.
People disembarked in a dense crowd like ants.
The Qiao family members supported each other, following the crowd off the ship.
Finding a quiet spot, they gazed toward the continent, their expressions varied.
A seven- or eight-year-old boy had red eyes, his voice choked with sobs. “Dad, what about Grandpa? He’ll definitely come, right?”
The man clenched his fist, his face grim.
Because he knew it was difficult.
His father had already gone through great dangers to send them out one by one. Him missing the ferry meant something had happened.
“Second Brother, let’s… let’s go find Eldest Brother first.” The only daughter in the Qiao family had tears rolling down, sobbing uncontrollably. “Eldest Brother is smart. He’ll definitely think of a way… Dad is so old. I’m so worried about him, wuwu…”
Her husband held her shoulders, his gaze full of heartache.
Just then, a tall and imposing middle-aged man appeared ahead, with five or six black-clad bodyguards behind him who looked unfriendly.
“Second Brother, Younger Sister… you’ve arrived.” Elder Brother Qiao said, scanning around and noticing Father’s absence. Suddenly, a bad premonition surged in his heart.
“Where’s Dad?” he asked.
Younger Sister Qiao rushed to Eldest Brother, her eyes red, voice trembling. “Eldest Brother, Dad told us to go first, saying he’d follow. But… but we didn’t wait for Dad. Something must have happened to him. Eldest Brother, do you have a way?”
Boom—
It was as if thunder exploded by Elder Brother Qiao’s ear. His usually calm and composed mind suddenly went blank.
“Dad didn’t board the ship?” His flat tone rose.
The Qiao family had never seen him so unsteady.
“Mm, Eldest Brother, do you have a way?” Younger Sister Qiao gripped his arm, asking urgently.
Elder Brother Qiao’s expression was grave, a touch of red at the corners of his eyes.
He shook his head.
“Difficult.”
“Dad!” Younger Sister Qiao cried out, losing her usual elegance and poise, collapsing into her husband’s arms.
It was supposed to be a reunion day, but because Father（Grandpa） hadn’t made it, a thick dark cloud hung over the Qiao family members’ heads, making it hard to be happy again.
…
Gu family, in the room of the third branch.
Lin Zhao lay on the bed, her two straight legs kicked up, ostensibly reading a book but actually calling up the lucky draw system.
【By a twist of fate, saved the life of Xu Anguo’s（Li Fen）husband, accumulated merit, rewarded 1000 points.】
【Faced with the report calmly and struck back, rewarded 200 points.】
【Brought back defective products, resolved small conflicts among the children, and at the same time helped the brigade members get what they wanted, rewarded 500 points.】
【Cared for the glorious family, rewarded 100 points.】
【Took the first photo in cute Mao Dan’er’s life, rewarded 50 points.】
…
All in all, quite a few points accumulated.
Current total points:
Lin Zhao didn’t blink, drew once for 500 points.
Like the previous times, the pointer began to spin. The difference was, Lin Zhao was no longer nervous—casual lucky draw, whatever it landed on.
Whatever it landed on was a gain.
「Fruit gift package.」
She glanced lightly. The variety and quantity of fruits were very generous: lychees, mulberries, cherries, dragon fruit, mangoes, kiwis, bayberries… the weight was enough to last until next summer.
Lin Zhao didn’t hurry to claim it. The kid’s dad could come back anytime.
“Squeak—”
The wooden door was slowly pushed open.
Cheng Huai walked in, damp with moisture.
“Why aren’t you asleep yet?” His voice was low and slow, tone disapproving. “You have to go to work tomorrow.”
“Waiting for you. I can’t bear to sleep. Your time at home is limited. Every minute and second must be cherished. Sleeping or not doesn’t matter. I want to talk with you.” Lin Zhao sat up, tilting her fair little face to look at him, her beautiful eyes flowing, radiant like a blooming flower.
Cheng Huai knew full well there was some exaggeration in her words, yet his heart still trembled. He felt again that he was beyond saving—this lifetime planted on Zhaozhao, and he relished it.
He got on the bed, stretched his long arm, and pulled his wife into his bosom.
“…Really something.”
Lin Zhao’s eyes curved into crescents, her head leaning into Cheng Huai’s bosom, mood excellent, so good she didn’t mind the heat.
“What’s the situation with that Mr. Qiao?”
Cheng Huai’s slender, good-looking hand lightly stroked her long hair, lowering his voice. “Someone Dad met when he was young and went to Haicheng to make a living.”
Lin Zhao looked up, smiling at him. “Didn’t expect Dad to have been to Haicheng. Dad gives me the impression of an old-fashioned person who wouldn’t leave his hometown his whole life.”
“Dad was young too. There was warfare then. It was hard everywhere. Dad heard Haicheng could make money, so he went.” Cheng Huai said unhurriedly, his low voice full of narrative feel.
“Then how did Dad meet that Mr. Qiao?” Lin Zhao pressed.
“Dad was selling cigarettes at the dance hall and happened to meet Mr. Qiao.” Cheng Huai answered, omitting the details of Dad being bullied.
Digging into the past was pointless. What he could do was ensure Dad, Mom, brother and sister-in-law’s family, sister’s family, Zhaozhao and the children no longer suffered bullying.
The man didn’t say, but Lin Zhao knew it must not have been easy.
“And then?”
Seeing his wife interested, Cheng Huai continued: “Later, Dad was brought back to Qiao Mansion by Mr. Qiao, who taught him to read. Then Haicheng’s situation became unstable, and Dad returned to his hometown with the things Mr. Qiao gave him…”
Lin Zhao sighed with feeling. “Didn’t expect Dad’s life experiences to be so rich. Dad was really bold when young.”
Ordinary people wouldn’t think of leaving their comfort zones.
Cheng Huai respected Father Gu greatly. He said: “Dad just doesn’t talk much, but he understands everything in his heart. Without Dad, there wouldn’t be today’s me.”
Lin Zhao knew Cheng Huai hadn’t had it easy to get where he was, feeling some heartache. Especially thinking of herself possessed by a ghost in the past few years, her heart suddenly soured. She grabbed the man’s hand and interlaced their fingers.
“In the future, I’ll manage the home well.”
Cheng Huai chuckled lowly, the laughter low and teasing.
He lowered his head, forehead against Lin Zhao’s, words gentle.
“Why say this? You manage the home very well. I’ve never felt you were lacking. The only thing… you didn’t write to me, so I felt you were angry with me, but didn’t know why. When busy, it was fine, but when idle, my heart was tormented.”
“My Zhaozhao is great. If you don’t forget to write to me… that would be even better.”
“I won’t forget.” Lin Zhao sat up a bit, hugging Cheng Huai’s neck. “I won’t forget in the future!”
Her head nuzzled against the man’s neck.
Cheng Huai’s eyes deepened with amusement.
Finally understood why Si Zai loved nuzzling into people’s necks—he learned it from his mom.
“Sleep. Don’t you have something tomorrow morning?”
Lin Zhao remembered the big thing tomorrow and suddenly looked up, reminding him. “Sister Xiangxiang will come tomorrow morning. Wake me up early.”
“Good.” Cheng Huai said good-naturedly.
“I’m hot. Fan me until I fall asleep, then stop.” Lin Zhao made another request.
Cheng Huai’s gaze was tender. “Of course.”
Lin Zhao was satisfied, lay back on her pillow, hands on her small abdomen, sleeping posture proper.
She had just closed her eyes when she remembered something. “Did my brother and them remember to bring the vegetable box? It’s hot; that stuff can’t sit overnight!”
Cheng Huai covered her eyes with his palm, voice tinged with helplessness. “They remembered. I personally hung it on the front of the cart. Sleep now.”
Lin Zhao was completely reassured, closed her eyes, felt the breeze from her neck to her feet, corners of her mouth upturned, and slowly fell asleep.
Once her breathing slowed, Cheng Huai didn’t stop. He leaned over to blow out the kerosene lamp, turned sideways facing his wife, and continued fanning, not stopping for a long time.
…
The next day.
Lin Zhao woke at six-thirty, faint pressure in her lower abdomen. She quickly got up, changed clothes, and ran to the toilet.
Just out the room door, she saw Yuan Xiang sitting in the yard.
She was slightly stunned and said: “Sister Xiangxiang, you’re here. Wait for me. I need to use the toilet.”
“Good.” Yuan Xiang replied.
Her mind flashed to the straw mat imprint on her cousin’s cheek, and she smiled, eyes curving.
Zhaozhao really had married extremely well, just as her aunt said.
Yuan Xiang wasn’t jealous; she was happy for her cousin.
Lin Zhao finished at the toilet, washed her hands, and sat next to her cousin. “Sister Xiangxiang, when did you arrive? How come no one called me?” she muttered.
“It was your husband who said you slept late last night and to let you sleep more. I haven’t waited long.” Yuan Xiang said quickly.
Lin Zhao wasn’t angry.
She said: “Sister Xiangxiang, I altered a set of clothes for you. If you don’t feel it’s presumptuous, shall I show you?”
Yuan Xiang certainly didn’t feel it was presumptuous. These days, who would give you clothes if not close?
“Good. Thanks for the trouble.” She said embarrassedly.
