Chapter 218 The Mother Elephant's Decision

The next day, Zhu Yingning contacted Zhou Tianqing during the lunch break before returning to the dormitory after work, hoping that she could tell Zhou Tianlan about Xu Siyang and his mother frequently asking Xu Sirui for money, and ask Zhou Tianlan to collect evidence that Xu Zhengkang had transferred their former joint property to Xu Siyang and his mother. After all, she was the only one who knew best what their former joint property was.

"Are you planning to sue to recover the money?" Zhou Tianqing asked.

"Whether to prosecute is Aunt Zhou's decision. I don't have the power to make it for her," she said. "I just hope to gather evidence first. Even if Aunt Zhou doesn't decide to prosecute in the future, I can send the evidence to deter them from harassing Xu Sirui again."

She paused, then lowered her voice apologetically. "Aunt, I know you've been trying to get Aunt Zhou to forget about the past few years, and Aunt Zhou herself doesn't want to talk about it. Perhaps that's why Xu Sirui didn't tell you about this. But I feel that if this matter isn't addressed, it will cause Xu Sirui a great deal of mental stress. It's inappropriate for me to discuss this with Aunt Zhou. As a junior, it's rude to bring up an elder's sad story in person, so I have to trouble you. I've already contacted a lawyer in Beijing, and I'll cover the expenses. If there's anything I can do to help you, please feel free to ask. Don't hesitate to ask."

"Also...Auntie, I don't really want Xu Sirui to know about this. Can you please not tell him? Just let him think that Xu Siyang and the others figured it out and stopped harassing him."

Zhou Tianqing didn't respond for a long time. Just when Zhu Yingning was starting to feel uneasy about the silence and thought she had said something wrong, she spoke up. She sighed before saying, "We as parents have been remiss."

She was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "You have done very well."

"No, we didn't do well." Zhou Tianqing smiled bitterly, "You were the first to notice many things about Ruirui. Yingning, you have been protecting him. If it weren't for you, he wouldn't be what he is today. I will tell my sister what you said, and you don't have to worry about it later. We will discuss a solution. But I also want to say something to you on behalf of his mother-"

She lowered her voice and said, "Thank you, thank you so much."

**

To prevent Xu Siyang and the others from calling or messaging Xu Sirui again, Zhu Yingning used her phone number to search for his mother's WeChat account and told her to talk directly to her if she had anything to say. Having resolved the matter without Xu Sirui's knowledge, she finally felt a sense of relief.

In the following days, everything remained the same.

By early March, health codes were rapidly being rolled out nationwide. The makeshift hospitals, which had played a crucial role in February and admitted countless patients, were reportedly closing. The international epidemic situation intensified, with many countries entering lockdown. Zhu Yingning heard rumors that both domestically and internationally, vaccine development was being accelerated, with an expected rollout in late March or early April.

Patients in the county where she works have also recovered one after another - the good news is accompanied by bad news, and many elderly people with underlying diseases have not been able to survive the epidemic.

The epidemic was like a gust of wind, disrupting the rhythm of life for countless people and breaking up countless families.

They live in this remote county town, isolated from the world and inevitably experiencing the vicissitudes of the times.

News arrived from above that the epidemic in the county town was under control, and volunteers could prepare to return to their posts. During those few days, she finished some work and began packing her belongings, intending to return to the village as soon as possible to take up her post.

While helping out in the county, Wen Wenxu and Shen Fei would regularly update her on the latest news from the farm. The three of them held online meetings twice a week to discuss and resolve the various small issues that cropped up. Therefore, returning to the village to take up her post didn't require much adjustment for Zhu Yingning; she was always ready to work. Xu Sirui, on the other hand, seemed unhappy.

His company's affairs had been delayed until now, so he had to go back to deal with them. He decided to send her back to the village early tomorrow morning and then drive back to Shanghai.

In the evening they packed up their things and sat on the sofa watching the news on their laptops.

The melancholy of parting is best expressed through an art film. Xu Sirui suggested watching a movie, but there was someone beside him who was concerned about the country and the people. He didn't have the chance to be sentimental at all. He turned on the computer and started to pay attention to national affairs. He had no choice but to follow suit and pay attention to national affairs that he didn't care about that much.

The news reported new cases in various places. When it came to Beijing, she pricked up her ears and paid special attention.

"There are so many cases in Beijing now," she said worriedly.

He thought her expression of concern for the country and the people was cute, and he wanted to pinch her face, but he held back: "Well, there are so many people, there's nothing I can do."

"We need to make sure Aunt Zhou and the others are well protected," she explained to him. "Aunt Zhou was sick before, so her immunity is relatively low. And then there's Grandma and Grandpa, one of them has high blood pressure, and the other has bronchitis. Ah, I'm not saying that Aunt Zhou is unimportant. Healthy people also need to take precautions. Are all the masks you have at home N95? I think they provide better protection than those blue medical masks. But you need to tell Grandma and the others to only wear one mask when they go out. I read in popular science that some people wear multiple masks out of concern, but that's actually not as effective."

Xu Sirui liked to listen to her nagging about these things, especially liked to hear her call out the names of his family members in a familiar and understanding tone, and point out some small flaws in them that could only be known after getting to know them in depth.

He smiled and nodded in response.

The news was still reporting how many cases had occurred in a certain community. Zhu Yingning exclaimed at something and moved the computer screen closer.

"What's wrong?"

Xu Sirui hadn't taken it seriously when she asked this question, thinking she was just worrying about strangers. But after she finished reading, she straightened up, stared at the screen, frowned, and said, "This community is where Xiaoran lives."

He didn't remember who Xiao Ran was for a moment, until he saw her lowering her head to swipe her phone and pick out a number from the address book. The image of the girl sitting on the back seat of Zhang Jiacheng's bicycle during the vacation of his first year in high school gradually became clear in his mind.

She was so skilled in finding Xiao Ran's number that it seemed like an instinct, and even her actions of caring for her were skilled. Xu Sirui looked at her focused profile without saying a word, and his fingers, which had been hanging naturally on the sofa, tightened unconsciously.

After finding Xiao Ran's phone number, Zhu Yingning realized the embarrassment of Xiao Ran's identity just before she called. She turned around and looked at Xu Sirui. He was leaning leisurely on the back of the sofa, smiling at her as if nothing had happened, with an expression that seemed to say, "It's okay, go ahead."

He wanted to stop her, but what right did he have? He knew Zhu Yingning hadn't called out of some clichéd excuse, like a rekindled love or lingering affection. It was because she was the kind of person who couldn't ignore anyone she knew—especially the elderly, the sick, or even strangers—in distress. Just as breathing is essential to life, so too was she, as long as she lived, willing to help others. It was ingrained in her, a natural instinct akin to breathing.

Moreover, he had no status to stop it. It was just as simple as that.

Xu Sirui knew his jealousy was completely unjustified, so he tried his best not to show it. He also wished he could be mature enough to face this situation like a graceful and calm adult, not only remaining calm but also expressing approval. But he really couldn't do it. He was just a petty person. As the saying goes, it's easy to change a country, but it's hard to change one's nature. Perhaps he would never change it in his lifetime. He could only try his best to appear mature.

After he finished speaking, she did not move immediately. She stared at him for a while and saw that Xu Sirui thought she had thoroughly seen through the dark thoughts in his heart and was about to say to him, "Xu Sirui, I find that you have not made any progress in all these years. I don't want to waste time with you. Get out of my house." However, she stretched out her finger and pressed the speaker button in front of him.

He was stunned.

He dialed the phone and it was answered after a few rings. He could clearly hear Xiao Ran's voice on the other end, as well as all the conversations between Zhu Yingning and her.

Xiao Ran called out "Hello," her voice rather listless, not as energetic as before when she called her "Sister Ningning." Ever since she and Zhang Jiacheng had completely separated during their offline meeting, perhaps at her brother's behest, perhaps out of fear of causing her distress, or perhaps simply because her child's heart had been hurt—in short, Xiao Ran hadn't contacted her since then. This was their first contact since the breakup.

Zhu Yingning asked her if she was okay. "I saw on TV that there are cases in your community. The building that's sealed off is the one you live in. Are you staying with your parents?"

There was a long silence on the other end before a reply came: "My father is in the hospital... Aunt Zhang went to take care of him. They left this afternoon."

"He is sick? COVID-19? Are you alone at home? No relatives to take care of you?" She became anxious when she heard that.

"……Um."

"Does your brother know about this?"

"Aunt Zhang told me not to tell him. He's abroad and can't help. Telling him will only make him worry. Sister Ningning, don't tell him either."

Zhu Yingning said, "Ah," understandingly. "I see. Have you joined your community group? How long does your building need to be quarantined? What time do the meals arrive every day? Where can I apply for meals for the next day?"

Xiao Ran was stunned by her question, and her voice was a little panicked: "I, I don't know."

"Okay, it's okay. It's not a big deal. I'll take care of it." She calmed Xiao Ran down, hung up the phone for the time being, and found Zhang Mei's account in her WeChat friends list—she had added her by accident when she and Zhang Jiacheng were dating—and asked Zhang Mei to bring her into the building complex of theirs.

This request was a bit abrupt, but Zhang Mei was busy taking care of Lu Bin and had no time to ask her why she did this, so she simply pulled her in.

Sure enough, the second day's food delivery chain was in progress inside.

The person in charge started a chain of events, asking those in need to complete the chain by 12:00 PM tonight. Zhu Yingning glanced at the food they were delivering and realized it was all ingredients that needed to be prepared, not ready-to-eat boxed meals. So she messaged the person in charge, saying that there was a child living in household 502 who couldn't cook, and asked if they had any boxed meals available.

The person in charge was reminded by her and considered this possibility. He simply started a second chain in the group, asking those who needed lunch boxes to join the new chain.

She answered the queue, paid the money, checked the time, added the person in charge on WeChat, and asked about the delivery person's attire. Then she sent a WeChat message to Xiao Ran: "From now on, someone will deliver food to your door at 8:00, 12:00, and 18:00 every day. Just open the door and take it. The delivery staff will wear white protective clothing and a blue work badge on their chest. Remember to confirm that the other person is a staff member before opening the door. The staff may also take your temperature and do nucleic acid tests from time to time. Don't be afraid."

Finally, I also sent a photo of my work ID.

Xiao Ran replied quickly and sent an emoticon of a crying person.

She was stunned for a moment, laughed helplessly, and found a head-patting emoticon from her limited inventory and sent it over.

After doing all this, she suddenly remembered that she hadn't cared about Zhu Zhiwei and the others for a long time. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the school required students to study online, and Zhu Zhiwei temporarily moved back to Beijing to take care of Chu Jiating. So she also sent a WeChat message to ask Zhu Zhiwei: "How are you doing recently?"

Zhu Zhiwei replied after two minutes: "Not very good."

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"no."

Zhu Zhiwei sent Chu Jiating's online class test results. The full score of the test was 120, and Chu Jiating scored 66 points.

After handing out the report card, she immediately sent an emoticon of someone breathing oxygen.

Zhu Yingning didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She sent the head-patting emoji she had just sent to Xiao Ran to Zhu Zhiwei again, and consoled him, "66 points is quite auspicious."

After she finished sending the message, she suddenly felt a warm breath on her neck. She turned her head and found that Xu Sirui was leaning against her neck, staring at everything she had just said over her shoulder without any hesitation.

She hadn't intended to hide it from him, so she didn't hide. Instead, she carefully observed his expression.

...seems okay?

At least he didn't have that sour expression as before but still forced a smile.

She didn't know how he suddenly figured it out. She was just thinking about it when she saw Xu Sirui shift his gaze to look at her and said, "Do you know what I suddenly thought of?"

"What?"

"You're a lot like the mother elephant in the herd, the almighty leader and caregiver in a matriarchal society." As he said this, his eyes gradually softened, a faint smile playing on his lips. "If I were them, I would definitely admire you."

She was a little embarrassed by his sudden praise. She pursed her lips and was stunned for a moment before clearing her throat and jokingly said, "Actually, you can still admire me even if you are not one of them."

He laughed a few times: "That makes sense."

"By the way, Xu Sirui..." Thinking of something, Zhu Yingning restrained his expression and said seriously, "I have a decision I want to tell you."

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The author has something to say: I went out to play today so there is only one update [Please]