Huang Zheyue thought that his father might have been so engrossed in his work, archaeology, that he didn't have time to contact him, and he also thought that he might have simply disappeared.
The old man said such nice things when he left, such as, "This intelligence is 100% true. Daddy might be gone for a while. Zheyue, you have to eat and sleep well at home, okay?" "When Daddy finds the priceless antique, Daddy might even be written into your textbooks!"
Huang Zheyue knew that his father had a deep passion for archaeology. In the past few years, during the "Destroy the Four Olds" campaign, there were frequent cases of maliciously opening coffins to collect antiques and valuables. His father abhorred this and would write letters to higher authorities to draw their attention to the matter.
Dad was very happy that he could protect the discovered antiques this time.
Deep down, Huang Zheyue resented her father for not returning, yet also hoped he would come back soon.
One outcome he never anticipated was this.
His father has passed away.
The words that came out of Zhou Mingli's mouth were like the eyes of an abyss opening to him, drawing him in inch by inch and leading him into a state of despair.
Huang Zheyue watched Zhou Mingli's mouth open and close, but her mind went blank, buzzing, and she couldn't hear anything.
He suddenly sat up from the stool, like a puppet on a string, and walked out woodenly.
Zhou Mingli pressed down on his shoulder, "Where are you going?"
"I..." Huang Zheyue only managed to utter one word before her eyes visibly reddened, and large tears streamed down her face. "I'm going to find my dad."
He wiped away his tears fiercely, his eyes bloodshot, and his gaze returned to its usual sharp and harsh tone. "Did you conspire with that old man? Just like my mother abandoned me, you're trying to get rid of me with some random excuse?"
"I'm telling you! Impossible!" Huang Zheyue roared angrily, "They gave birth to me, so they have to support me! Don't think you can just make up some excuse to get rid of me!"
After Huang Zheyue finished yelling, she didn't even look at Zhou Mingli's appearance before turning around and leaving.
I bumped into Jiang Ci at the door.
His eyes were full of sharpness and unfamiliarity as he looked at Jiang Ci.
They're all liars!
Just like that old geezer Huang Zhiyuan!
They're all scammers!
Huang Zheyue bypassed Jiang Ci and rushed out!
Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli exchanged a glance. Zhou Mingli had already gotten up and put on his coat. "I'll go and see."
"Be careful, and bring another layer of clothing. He's still not fully recovered, and he doesn't want to get cold and have to go to the hospital again."
"Um."
Zhou Mingli went back inside to get a coat and quickly went outside.
Huang Zhiyuan is dead; this cannot be kept from Huang Zheyue.
People need to move forward and look ahead. Telling Huang Zheyue this directly is indeed hard for him to accept. But the longer we drag it out and pretend to be unaware, the more extreme Huang Zheyue will become when he discovers the truth and realizes that they are hiding it from him.
If Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli want to help him, they need to make him understand his situation and let him know that without his father, he has to walk his own path from now on. From now on, he needs to think about himself.
Zhou Mingli followed him all the way.
He noticed that Huang Zheyue was walking aimlessly, without any clear destination.
Zhou Mingli didn't plan to go up and talk to him directly. He just followed him to prevent him from having any grudges with the educated youth who were homeless on the street, and the educated youth from beating him up again.
He was only twelve years old and needed time to process the devastating news of his father's death.
This kid is a troublemaker. Whenever he encounters a stray dog on the road, he'll bark at it and chase away the garbage-eating dog.
It's unclear how long they walked before Huang Zheyue finally stopped.
Zhou Mingli looked around.
I can't tell where this place is.
“If you walk into this alley, the third house on the south side of the road is my house.” Huang Zheyue’s voice was hoarse and worn, a voice that did not sound like someone his age.
“I haven’t been back since last Mid-Autumn Festival. The last time I went back, I was caught stealing from you and you took me to the police station. Huang Gong… my uncle, took me back, closed the door, and broke my ribs with a stick.” Huang Zheyue wanted to laugh, but he couldn’t manage to force a smile. He was only 1.6 meters tall, with his head down, his back hunched, and his whole body exuded weakness.
“That family is a bloodsucker. As soon as my grandparents died, Huang Gong took over the house that my grandparents left for my father and me, and told us to get out. He even said that if we didn’t leave, he would report my father for obstructing the destruction of the Four Olds.”
Huang Zheyue was expressionless, and her tone was so cold that it didn't sound like something a child would say. "My dad and I stayed at the guesthouse for three days. We only had a place to live again after his work unit allocated us a house. Huang's family wasn't satisfied with the house, and they would always come to my house to beg for money. My dad... he's not a tough person. If we argued, he would get threatened and then give up and give him our things."
“After he went to Linyun City, the Huang family came. They were sent by the neighborhood committee.” Huang Zheyue smiled with extreme sarcasm. “When I was kicked out, it was almost Mid-Autumn Festival. I wandered around outside day after day, waiting for my father to come back. But I waited for a long time. When Mid-Autumn Festival came, everyone was having a family reunion. Only I was wandering outside like a wild ghost. And then, I became a thief.”
Zhou Mingli stood behind him, listening calmly to his narration.
After Huang Zheyue finished speaking, Zhou Mingli slowly asked, "Can you accept the news that your father has passed away now?"
Huang Zheyue's tears welled up and fell down in a steady stream.
Like a wronged little animal, he growled in his cage, "Does refusing to accept him mean I won't die?!"
"Does he think he can come back just because I don't accept him?!"
"How can I accept that he can stand in front of me unharmed?!"
He wiped away his tears, but the overflowing tear ducts wouldn't obey him at all, and the tears kept falling. His nose stung terribly, as if the pain from each breath filled his lungs, making his internal organs ache.
Huang Zheyue suddenly squatted down, hugged herself, and cried silently.
Zhou Mingli looked at him in silence.
Your grandparents died when their tricycle overturned while they were trying to escape urban management officers.
Although it was an accident, the two urban management officers, out of humanitarian considerations, raised 100,000 yuan for you as compensation. Zhou Mingli, can you accept this outcome?
"Will I be spared from death if I don't accept them?"
"Will they come back if I don't accept them?"
"Can't I accept that they can stand in front of me unharmed?"
Zhou Mingli, who was even younger than Huang Zheyue, questioned the police. When he came out of the police station, he was holding his grandparents' ashes. He sat on the stairs, exhausted, and cried uncontrollably, just like Huang Zheyue.
No one can accept the death of a loved one.
He is not Jiang Ci, who can still provide enough emotional value to soothe the breakdown of a person who is in despair.
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