Chapter 31: Accidental Hit

A string that can break for so long without breaking may be because the bow has become deformed.

Their breakup was unexpectedly completed over this ridiculous topic. Pu Zhihe returned home that night and recalled all the details of the past. Finally, she sat on the bed and looked at the path in the garden, and her energy gradually faded.

It was over, and it all seemed unreal. She didn't feel the relief she'd imagined, and everything was back to normal. This was what it felt like to leave someone you didn't love.

Zhu Fu hadn't contacted Pu Zhihe either. While his parents were still urging him to get married, he'd bought them plane tickets and sent them on a trip abroad. They couldn't become a pair of lovebirds, so he could only be an ostrich trying to cover his ears and steal the bell.

When Pu Zhihe returned home, Hang Liumei didn't notice anything was wrong, for she was completely absorbed in Sister Xiuchun. Ever since Qi Xiuchun said she'd see her in a few days, she'd been restless. She couldn't quite put her finger on the feeling, but there was a surge of energy brewing inside her, rising to the very top of her head. She kept her phone close at hand, waiting for the order to dash to Baochun Gold Shop.

She didn't expect a call, but she did receive a call from her former daughter-in-law, Mai Sui. All three of them were home at the time. The windows of the north-south house were wide open, and the wind rustled the papers. Hang Liumei put aside her own exhibition work to instruct Pu Zhihe on copying the caisson ceiling: "Don't worry about absolute symmetry; the pattern should be natural and flowing... But look at this scroll pattern in Cave 148. Look at the ochre against the malachite green!"

Mai Sui arrived, wearing a complete business suit: a linen suit with trousers. He'd bought this outfit for her when she and Jiang Yunyi had just divorced. Hang Liumei was upset, so Mai Sui took her shopping. She hadn't liked anything he showed her that time, so she'd forced Mai Sui to try it on, and she'd instantly fallen in love with this outfit.

Hang Liumei welcomed Mai Sui into the house with a beaming smile. Xiaomai took the fruit from his mother. The last time she brought Xiao Li here, Xiaomai noticed they were wearing a pair of matching watches. This time, her right wrist was bare. Seeing that his mother didn't seem depressed, Xiaomai guessed that she had dumped Xiao Li.

Pu Zhihe admires Mai Sui's style. Her gaze shifts from the earrings dangling from her ears to the diamond clavicle necklace she wears layered on her body, and then to the wide gold bracelet on her left wrist. Some people are swayed by trends, but Mai Sui is the master of style.

When Mai Sui arrived, the atmosphere at home became more lively. She sat on the sofa next to Hang Liumei and asked deliberately with a half-smile, "Mom, have you had any good news recently?"

"Good thing? I think I did a good thing, Zhihe. I guess I've accumulated some merit." Hang Liumei always felt quite clever when she thought of the day she proposed. "What's wrong? Are you going to have good news?"

"Me? I broke up, which is a good thing, I guess." Mai Sui said, glancing at his son Xiaomai who was sitting beside him.

Hang Liumei thought to herself, hahaha, what a great thing, and said, if you have good news, then it is also my good news.

Mai Sui picked up the tea, took a sip, and put it down: "Why did I hear that you met Aunt Qi?"

"You know all this? Did you hear it from Xiaomai's dad?"

Mai Sui was amused to see her trying to tell him what she was talking about. "I met Aunt Qi's daughter Xinyun. She gave me something and said Aunt Qi asked her to bring it to you. Take a look, it looks like a letter."

When Hang Liumei heard it was a letter, her eyelids began to twitch. She forgot whether her left eye was a blessing or a curse. She took the old, wrinkled envelope with frayed edges and felt a little dizzy. Could this be the letter she had sent back then? If so, what did Sister Xiuchun mean by giving it to her?

Mai Sui saw her expression change and immediately understood: "Is this the letter? I didn't expect Aunt Qi to still have it after all these years. But what does it mean that she came back? Mom, open it and take a look. Maybe she wrote it to you decades ago but never sent it."

After hearing what she said, Pu Zhihe and Xiaomai also moved closer and waited for Hang Liumei to open the envelope.

Hang Liumei took out the letter from the envelope with trembling hands. Just as she was about to unfold it, she stuffed the letter to Mai Sui: "You better read it! My eyelids are almost vibrating, I can't read it!"

Mai Sui glanced at it and said, "Mom, this seems to be—"

Hang Liumei suddenly stood up and snatched the letter. Her vision went dark because of the sudden movement. She then sat down with the letter pressed against her face, staring at it intently. When her vision returned and she took a closer look, she immediately shouted, "This isn't written by me!"

This confused everyone else. Hang Liumei spread the letter out on the table, and the four of them read it. The contents were concise: a report that a certain hospital doctor surnamed Cai had an affair with a patient's family, deliberately seduced the father of a young child, and attempted to break up a marriage. It demanded that the hospital leadership punish the doctor, among other things.

Hang Liumei felt a chill run down her spine. Sister Xiuchun had told her that Huang Hanwen had been having an affair with a young female doctor at the hospital, but that doctor was also an unwitting victim, and Sister Xiuchun had no intention of retaliating. Her letter hadn't been sent to the hospital at all; she had mentioned the incident, but only to Huang Hanwen to intimidate him.

So who wrote this letter? Where did it come from? And how did it end up in Sister Xiuchun's hands, causing the two sisters to become estranged and Sister Xiuchun to leave her hometown and disappear without a trace?

Hang Liumei couldn't wait any longer, so she urged Mai Sui to call Qi Xinyu, saying she had to go see Sister Xiuchun right away. Mai Sui called, and the person on the other end said that Qi Xiuchun didn't want to see Hang Liumei, but she had just been hospitalized with a sudden gastroenteritis, so she gave the letter to Hang Liumei first, meaning that the letter should be returned to its original owner, and that they could let go of the past incident and have a face-to-face talk after she was discharged from the hospital.

Hang Liumei pressed her head tightly against Mai Sui's cell phone. After hanging up the call, Hang Liumei felt mixed emotions of sadness and joy. The whole thing made her dizzy. She sat cross-legged on the carpet with a dull look in her eyes. The three of them stayed with her for a long time to calm down.

The next day, Hang Liumei went to buy gifts for Qi Xiuchun, with wheat and wheat ears to keep her company. Pu Zhihe happened to be on a day off and went home to get some clothes. She had given her family a heads-up, but when she walked in, she saw Zhu Fu and her parents sitting on the sofa, chatting and laughing, as if they were a family of three.

Zhu Fu immediately came forward to greet her when she returned, and cordially took the suitcase and bag from her hands. Pu Zhihe's eyes revealed shock. She hadn't yet told her parents about their breakup, so why was Zhu Fu coming here?

She asked in a low and ruthless voice, why are you here?

Zhu Fu said, "I came to see my uncle and aunt. I've met with the elders once and nothing has happened. I still have to give an explanation to them, right? I have something serious to talk to you about. Can we go to your room to talk? Don't let them worry."

Pu Zhihe looked over Zhu Fu's shoulder and saw Master Pu and Director Ou looking at the two of them, and sighed.

She went inside and closed the door. She didn't want to talk to him. He had come uninvited, and he was treating everything like a joke. She unpacked her boxes, took out her spring clothes, sorted them out, and hung them in the closet, calming herself down with the work.

Zhu Fu sat by her bed and commented, "I've always thought this was a great thing about you. Look at your house, it's so neat and tidy. Unlike many women these days who dress up nicely when they go out, but their houses are even messier than ours. I remember you were always like this, always hanging up all your clothes, and using the same hangers. I used to say you had obsessive-compulsive disorder, but now I'm a bit like you. Take a look at my closet, it's pretty much the same."

Pu Zhihe took out her short-sleeved skirt, folded it, and put it in the box. She asked, "What are you doing here?"

Zhu Fu said, "Pfft, I know I underestimated you a bit when I assumed you last time in the restaurant. I really don't understand what's wrong with you, so I'm just overthinking it. You and I were wrong the other day. Can we clear this up first?"

Pu Zhihe stood up, kicked the stool away and said, "What do you want to say?"

Zhu Fu followed her and continued, "I was too anxious about the marriage and didn't consider your wishes. You said you don't want to deal with it now, that's fine. I've already sent my parents on a trip. As long as they're not here to push me, you see, I'm not in a hurry! So, have we reached a consensus on the second matter?"

Pu Zhihe suppressed her anger and felt puzzled by Zhu Fu's words: "What are you thinking? Didn't we break up in the restaurant?"

"Break up? How did we break up? Are you kidding me?" Zhu Fu suddenly became anxious. He picked up his suit trousers. He had been training his legs too much recently, and his trousers were so tight.

He struggled to pull out a stool and sat down. "It's normal to have arguments. Don't threaten me with breaking up all the time! I know you're upset, but let's put it aside for now. I really have something important to deal with. You see, Teacher Hang is your leader now, right? I've been very considerate of her. Didn't I tell you that I changed my leader last year? It seems that something happened to this leader's family. Can you go with me to visit them? Because this family is a bit artistic, I don't usually get along well with them. You can just help me connect the dots or something. I just want to leave a good impression on my leader. I can promise that I will only go this once, and I won't bother you with such occasions in the future."

Pu Zhihe couldn't get a word in his stream of words. She sneered and was about to argue with him when Master Pu knocked on the door and called them both out for dinner. Before she could even get Zhu Fu out the door, he had already taken a quick seat at the table.

"Xiao Zhu, how is your work lately?" Master Pu asked, holding a glass of wine.

Zhu Fu tactfully filled his glass, held it low, and gently touched the bottom of Master Pu's cup. "Thanks to your help last time, Uncle, I was able to buy that calligraphy piece, which helped me get transferred. You are a brilliant idea, so I toast to you."

Master Pu laughed heartily, patted Zhu Fu on the shoulder, and drank the whole thing in one gulp. As they chatted, their faces flushed and, unsurprisingly, they began boasting. Zhu Fu alternately complimented Master Pu and flattered Director Ou, keeping both of them amused. Only Pu Zhihe sat off to the side, unable to eat.

After dinner, she sent Zhu Fu out. Zhu Fu was already half drunk. Standing at the door of the apartment building, he put his hands together and begged Pu Zhihe: "I know you don't want your parents to worry about us. I have kept everything from you. I just beg you to help me get a good impression with the leader. This is really important to my work. Okay? As long as this is done, the rest -" Before he finished speaking, he suddenly covered his mouth, turned around and vomited.

Pu Zhihe agreed first and called a car to take him away. It was just a thank you for helping her to appease the two people upstairs, and then everyone parted on good terms.

Pu Zhihe stayed home that night. The next day, she and Zhu Fu arrived at the hospital, their hands laden with gift boxes, looking more like New Year's greetings than a visit. Entering the ward, a tall elderly woman lay in bed, a well-dressed middle-aged woman sitting beside her. Zhu Fu, beaming, walked over slowly, "Director Qi, I heard our old lady is ill, so I came to see her..."

When I got closer, I saw that the person lying on the hospital bed was Qi Xiuchun!

Qi Xinyu looked at Zhu Fu, Qi Xiuchun looked at Pu Zhihe, and the mother and daughter said in unison: "It's you? Why are you here?" One was surprised and the other was delighted.

Pu Zhihe thought to herself that the bond between this group of people was really deep. Hang Liumei hadn't even met Qi Xiuchun yet, but she met him first.

Zhu Fu also recognized Qi Xiuchun and immediately panicked, looking back at Pu Zhihe. "Director Qi, what a coincidence... We are old acquaintances of the old man and even had a joke in person before. So we decided that no matter what the reason, we should come and visit. Here are some supplements and fruits we bought, please enjoy them."

Qi Xiuchun didn't say anything and asked her daughter to ask the two to sit down. Zhu Fu brought two stools without asking anyone to do anything, and the four of them started to chat.

"That's such a coincidence, Mom. I didn't expect that you didn't get many orders on that trip, but you met your godmother's apprentice and my colleague." After hearing about their meeting at the wedding expo, Qi Xinyu patted her mother's quilt and turned to explain to Pu Zhihe, "Your teacher Hang and her had some misunderstandings in the early years. After that, we returned to northern Shaanxi. It wasn't until I was in middle school that we came to Xi'an. After graduating from university, I worked in another place. A few years ago, I couldn't move around anymore and was transferred back. In fact, the two of them never had the chance to meet, which is a pity."

Pu Zhihe thought that she was an outsider and the truth should be explained by Teacher Hang herself, so it would be better to pave the way for her first. So she said that Hang Liumei had told her story of their time in Dunhuang, and she knew that the two had a very good relationship, and Teacher Hang also looked forward to collaborating on the painting "Water Moon Guanyin".

Qi Xiuchun had been vomiting and having diarrhea for several days after eating something wrong. He was still on IV drip, his face gray but in good spirits. After hearing what Pu Zhihe said, Qi Xiuchun said to her daughter, "Yingying, why don't we get discharged tomorrow and ask Xiaomei to come home."

Qi Xinyu was about to speak when the door of the ward was suddenly rushed open. A group of people pushed a bed in. The nurse, wearing a mask, quickly assigned tasks: "Leave one family member here to accompany the patient and observe his condition. The other person will go to handle the formalities. Take those receipts and go pay the bill first!"

Aren’t these two people surrounding the nurse wheat and wheat ears?

There was no one else on the hospital bed except Hang Liumei.