Chapter 41 Family

Gao Wen pushed the bicycle, looked down at the ground without saying a word, and the sneakers on his feet rubbed the ground fiercely.

Han walked around the bicycle and came to him, looked up at him, and waited quietly.

The boy's mouth was tightly pursed, with a look of pain on his face.

The dim street lights illuminated the narrow road, and from time to time bicycles and electric bikes rushed past them.

Groups of students passed by them. One of them recognized Gao Wen and shouted as he rode his bike, "Gao Wen, your girlfriend has chased you to the door..."

Gao Wen pouted, turned his head and cursed loudly at the retreating figures, "Fuck you." Then he said unwillingly, "This is my sister."

Maybe it was the word "sister" that touched the weakness in his heart. He raised his eyes and looked straight at Han Que. After a moment of silence, he softened his voice and said, "Sister, go back. Don't ask any more questions. I have to go back too. I still have a lot of papers to do. I really don't have time to accompany you guys."

Han, however, knew how precious the senior high school students were. After thinking about it, he could only sigh in his heart and said cheerfully, "Okay, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask. You should go back early and I'll find a way myself."

Gao Wen nodded and whispered, "Goodbye."

Han forced a smile and waved to him, "Goodbye, go home soon."

After saying that, she turned around and walked in the opposite direction. The night wind blew, bringing a little chill. As she walked, she felt more and more that something was wrong. She quickly stopped and turned around to look towards the other end of the road.

Gao Wen was still standing at the intersection at this time. His tall and thin figure stood under the street light, making his elongated shadow thin and long, and he looked lonely and helpless.

Han suddenly thought of something, her heart skipped a beat, a cold face appeared on her forehead, and she quickly turned around and ran in the direction of Gao Wen.

"Gao Wen, aren't you going to do your homework? Why are you standing here motionless? Tell your sister, what happened in your family?" Han ran out of breath and arrived in front of Gao Wen, panting.

Gao Wen didn't say anything, but raised his dark eyes to look at her.

The dim light shone into his eyes, piercing them with coldness, revealing deep confusion and fear. "Sister..." he called out in a trembling voice.

"What's wrong?" Han asked with a frown. Looking at the expression on Gao Wen's face, her suspicions deepened. She tried to calm her voice and said, "Don't worry. Tell me what happened. I'll help you find a solution."

She was familiar with Gao Wen's personality. He had been a silent person since he was a child. He would not fart even if he was hit by a hammer. Now he was in this state, he must have encountered irresistible difficulties. Although Han Youfang's attitude towards her made Han Que very angry, she had to look at Gao Wen for Han Yourong's sake and could not sit idly by.

Gao Wen's arms were bulging with veins as he gripped the handlebars of the bicycle tightly.

Han slowed down his voice and said calmly, "Don't worry, tell me slowly, what happened? Did something happen to your mother?"

Gawain nodded hesitantly.

"Is she sick? Is there something wrong with her body?" Han Que's first reaction was Han Youfang's health. Ever since her father passed away, she felt that life was impermanent all the time.

Gao Wenmu shook his head again with a frown on his face.

"What's going on? Talk to your sister. You're wasting your precious time by dawdling like this. Don't you still have a lot of papers to finish? Hurry up and tell her and go home." Han urged him, feeling anxious and angry. He blamed Han Youfang for her stupidity in his heart. Her son was at the most critical moment in his life, and she was still making trouble.

How can one study with peace of mind?

Gao Wen looked up at her, hesitantly and bitterly told the truth: "My mother failed in her investment and owed usurious loans..."

"Huh?" Han's eyes widened in shock. "What did she invest in?"

"She has been helping people sell health products," Gao Wen said.

"Then how can it be considered an investment failure?" Han was puzzled.

"Hey, that health supplement she sells is like a pyramid scheme," Gao Wen said bitterly. "I've told her so many times, and she always argues with me."

It was only through Gao Wen's fragmented narration that Han finally understood the general situation.

It turns out that Han Youfang has been doing health care product business with friends she met while square dancing.

At first she bought them for herself to eat, but later someone told her that it would be better to buy some goods and then sell them to others. Not only could she make a profit from the price difference, but she could also get a good discount. In the end, she could make a 50% profit from the price difference.

"What kind of health supplement is this? It's just a pyramid scheme, and she actually believed it." Han was furious. Although Han Youfang has a low level of education, he is very courageous.

"My mother really believes it." Gao Wen said.

"What kind of investment could yield such high returns? It's money grabbing." Han added, "She never mentioned a single word of this to my dad."

Gao Wen shook his head. "My mom won't let me talk about it. She always says she's under a lot of pressure."

Yes, her son has grown up and there are many places to spend money. She sees those women who dance square dance with her showing off their sons and daughters and their happy lives all day long, while she herself is having a hard time raising her son alone.

Unable to resist the temptation, she agreed to go to the lecture with her sisters. She was moved by the teachers' eloquent and passionate speeches, and wondered why her son could not study abroad, and why they, an orphan and a widow, could not live a happy life.

Now that there is a chance to make money, why shouldn't she give it a try?

She wanted to make money on her own so that the Gao family could open their eyes and see that she, Han Youfang, could make her son successful on her own.

"You see, my mother was obsessed with money and believed what others said. In the beginning, she did make some money. When my uncle was sick, she would not have been able to lend you the money otherwise. But then she lost money, and the losses kept getting bigger. I asked her to stop, but she wouldn't listen, saying that she couldn't give up all her efforts like this. In the end, she was deceived by others and borrowed money from loan sharks to continue investing."

Gawain's voice gradually faded away.

Han bit his lip, remained silent, his palms clenched into fists, and his body trembled slightly.

"My mother invested all our family savings. If you hadn't paid us back every month, we wouldn't even have money to eat. Now people are urging her to pay back the money, and they block her door every few days..." Gao Wen's voice became lower and lower, but Han listened expressionlessly.

"Sister, I'm really scared..." Gao Wen's voice trembled. He hunched his back and buried his head in the handlebar of the bicycle.

Gao Wen said he didn't dare go home during this period, so Han Youfang asked him to stay at a classmate's house to review his lessons and not come back for the time being.

Han stood at the intersection, watching Gao Wen get on his bike, slowly drive to the end of the road, and walk into the darkness. Her heart felt blocked and uncomfortable.

She didn't know how to comfort Gao Wen, nor did she know whether she should resent Han Youfang. She was pitiful and hateful, but blood is thicker than water after all.

She didn't know how she got home in a daze. Liu Suping was already asleep. When she heard the noise, she opened her eyes in a daze and asked her where she had been. However, Han didn't dare to tell the truth and just said that she was working overtime.

She washed quickly and lay down on the bed, staring at the dark ceiling with her eyes open, not feeling sleepy at all.

Originally, receiving Han Youfang's collection request only made her irritable and uneasy, and she felt contempt and resentment towards her for being so ruthless. However, after listening to Gao Wen's words, Han felt only sadness in her heart.

She did not doubt the truthfulness of Gao Wen's words, not only because of the relationship between the two siblings since childhood, but also because his helpless and frightened eyes were too familiar to her. She had seen the same look in her eyes in the mirror more than once.

Yes, it is so difficult. Why is it so difficult for ordinary people to live a peaceful life?

Life is unpredictable and always catches people off guard.

The night was quiet and serene, the moonlight was cool, like water and frost, and the small and cramped room was illuminated clearly.

Liu Suping in the bed next to her was already fast asleep, snoring softly.

On the opposite wall hung a photo of Han Yourong, his deep eyes and brows looking at her quietly.

Han turned over and covered his face with the pillow.

Before she knew it, she felt sleepy. In her hazy state, she seemed to be back in the spring sunshine. Han Yourong took her and Gao Wen to fly kites on the grass. Gao Wen was still young, walking with his short legs, staggering behind her, tugging at her clothes and calling, "Sister, sister... wait for me..."

Han stood in the elevator and yawned several times in succession. He looked up and saw himself in the mirror. His face was haggard and his eyes were dull.

Her colleague Yang Rong looked at her and asked with concern, "What's wrong with you lately? You seem listless all the time. Are you feeling unwell?"

Han lowered his voice and said, "Well, some relatives came to visit, and I caught a cold again."

Yang Rong made a knowing expression and nodded. "Well, you have to be careful. The weather is so hot and cold these days. One moment it's over 30 degrees and you need to wear short sleeves, and the next moment it's just over 10 degrees and you need to wear a coat. If you're not careful, you'll get sick. I've noticed you haven't looked well lately, and I thought something had happened to you."

Han understood the hidden meaning in her words and pretended not to hear. As soon as the elevator arrived, she rushed out and walked to the automatic glass door of the office. She pressed her fingerprint on the attendance machine to open it.

When the new receptionist, Liu Tongtong, saw Han Que coming in, she immediately came over to greet her, pulled her aside, and whispered, "Sister Han Que, someone's looking for you."

Han frowned. Who would look for her so early in the morning?

Liu Tongtong quietly pointed to two burly men sitting on the sofa in the front hall and whispered in a trembling voice, "Those two over there have been here for a while."

Han frowned and looked over.

The two men also looked at them with sharp and fierce eyes. The little girl was frightened and quickly slipped away from Han Que.

Han stood there, already knowing what was going on.

It was nine o'clock in the morning, the working hours. The employees coming in and out were punching in. Seeing this scene, although they looked at each other in surprise, no one dared to step forward to ask what was going on. Even the company's executive director just frowned and said nothing when he came in. He walked around them and went straight into his office, slamming the door.

Seeing this, Han could only take a deep breath, calm himself, and politely greeted them, smiling and saying, "You two are looking for me? What's your name?"