Chapter 156 The Third Brother is Getting Old

After returning to Shenzhen, Yao Fanghua admired all the calligraphy and paintings again and chose a landscape painting she liked to hang up.

Good things are meant to be appreciated and used. Keeping them locked up in a box only diminishes their value. She can change the painting and hang it up every now and then.

With this haul, especially the box of paintings, the two felt quite satisfied. They weren't going to push for the remaining two locations; if they encountered them, they encountered them, and if not, it didn't matter. They could leave the remaining two paintings to their children, letting them try their luck, just for fun.

As the days went by, Wu Youyou was about to start elementary school.

With Hong Kong set to return to China, Wu Peng has been quite anxious lately.

The thought of Hong Kong's return to China, without the protection of his foreign citizenship, filled him with insecurity. His early experiences had deeply traumatized him, leaving him with psychological scars, which only intensified as he became wealthier. Although policies had become increasingly open in recent years, he remained cautious, fearing a sudden policy shift and another political upheaval. Therefore, his focus remained on Hong Kong and overseas, unlike Yao Fanghua who stayed in Shenzhen. Even though he had built several buildings in Shenzhen and Beijing, he maintained his status as a foreign businessman, prepared to flee at any moment.

Thinking of the past and the fate of the Wu family, Wu Peng felt his nicotine craving kick in. He took a big bite of the unlit cigarette in his mouth, which disgusted him so much that he immediately spat it out and quickly rinsed his mouth with water.

Yao Fanghua felt that, given the current situation, there shouldn't be another such movement. However, Wu Peng had been so anxious about this that he couldn't sleep well lately. After discussing it, the two decided to leave themselves an out, also so that Wu Peng could get a good night's sleep.

Wu Peng moved some of his assets abroad and even bought a farm overseas. With a way out, Wu Peng gradually calmed down.

The farm has all kinds of livestock, which the children can raise and play with during their holidays. He promised to take them here for a summer vacation.

Everything was stable, and life continued as usual after the port city returned to China.

During summer vacation, keeping their promise, the couple took their three children to a farm.

However, Yao Fanghua only stayed for a few days before returning to Shenzhen. "I'll call you after I get off the plane."

Wu Peng: ...You just dumped it here for them?

"New models of mobile phones and washing machines are about to be released, and I have to keep an eye on them."

You can relax and have fun here with your child for a while. If anything comes up at work, just let me know.

"I know, my company is your company too, so I won't stand on ceremony with you. Don't overwork yourself, take care of yourself." He can manage the company remotely, and if there's an emergency, he'll let Yao Fanghua handle it for him.

Several children were engrossed in playing, with the sounds of cows mooing, horses neighing, and children laughing coming from outside from time to time.

Wu Peng kept a close eye on domestic news, sometimes calling Xu Zongwei to discuss the situation, and also talking to Yao Fanghua on the phone every day.

Yao Fanghua returned to Shenzhen and lived near the factory, seemingly resuming her single life.

She was accompanied by Lao San that night, and later by Xiao Huang.

The third child is so old that he walks with difficulty, which is one of the reasons why she is worried and wants to come back as soon as possible.

Before she left, the third dog clung to her trouser leg, not wanting her to go, whimpering and wanting a hug. If the third dog weren't so old, she would definitely have taken it to the farm; the third dog would surely have loved the environment there.

She laid a blanket on the floor next to the bed, and the third son slept on the blanket at night.

In the morning, the third brother would take her to work, and during lunchtime, he would wait for her near the cafeteria. Little Huang followed suit and stayed with the third brother every day.

When it sees Yao Fanghua, the third dog wags its tail, but it no longer rushes towards her as it used to. It is more like an old man, steady as an old dog, with enough patience to wait for her to walk step by step to its side.

Yao Fanghua worked methodically, and the company continued to operate smoothly. In the evenings, she would eat snacks, watch the news, and then watch cartoons with Lao San and Xiao Huang.

The third dog likes to watch cartoons. The three of them, along with their two dogs, snuggled together on the sofa to watch cartoons.

That morning, the third brother lay on the ground without moving, gently biting Yao Fanghua's trouser leg, not wanting her to leave.

She was whimpering, her eyes filled with tears.

She was the master whom the third son recognized; Wu Peng was not, nor were the children; only she was.

Yao Fanghua patted the third child, then called the infirmary and asked Dr. Lin to bring his medical kit and come over as soon as possible.

Knowing it was for the third son's medical treatment, Dr. Lin had a good idea of ​​what was going on. She had given the third son injections and prescribed medicine more than once.

Upon arrival, they found the third brother lying on his side on the blanket, his eyes about to close as Yao Fanghua gently stroked him.

She stood quietly behind Yao Fanghua. "So be it," she said. "Getting a shot is suffering too. Whether you're a dog or a person, everyone gets like this when they get old; it seems there's no difference." She added that it was already quite good for a large dog to live to this age; in her words, it was a happy death.

"Mr. Yao, please accept my condolences."

Yao Fanghua kept crying. That's how people are; the purer the emotion, the easier it is to be moved. Lao San had been with her for over ten years. Lao San was hers; she was Lao San's closest person; she was the master Lao San had chosen. Wu Peng wasn't, the children weren't, only she was, and she knew that.

Whether facing Wu Peng or the children, it would stand by her side without hesitation; she knew that. And it always had.

When she and Wu Peng were arguing, it would stand next to her and bare its teeth at Wu Peng. When she was disciplining the children, it would squat beside her and bark at them in a similarly menacing manner.

When Yao Fanghua called Wu Peng, she was still a little choked up. Hearing the laughter of the children on the other end of the line, she knew that they had made new playmates at the farm.

"What's wrong?" Something didn't sound right.

"The third brother is dead."

Wu Peng paused for a moment, then said, "I'll go back now."

"No need, he passed away peacefully."

"Never mind then, it probably didn't think of me before it died." When he left, the dog only bit Yao Fanghua's trouser leg, showing no regret whatsoever. As a dog, Lao San didn't need him to go back and put on a show; there's no need for social niceties with a dog. It was pure affection.

After hanging up the phone, Wu Peng couldn't resist lighting a cigarette and smelling it. "Damn it, he didn't even wait for me to get back before he died," Wu Peng cursed.

In his emotional world, besides himself, there was Yao Fanghua, and then the children. Even in the smallest corner, this bastard had a place.