Chapter 373 Another Unexpected Event
Jiang Zhizhi was now certain that the baseball cap was meant for her.
Just as the man in the baseball cap was about to turn and run away, Jiang Zhizhi threw down her bicycle, rushed over, and grabbed him by the back of his collar.
With a pull and a tug, they dragged the man over and then casually pulled off his baseball cap.
When Jiang Zhizhi saw the man's face clearly, she was shocked: "Zhou Xiaochuan?"
Zhou Xiaochuan, whom I hadn't seen for several years, looked much darker, with wrinkles around his eyes, and he looked weathered and worn from hardship.
With his thick beard, he looked much older than his actual age and had a slovenly appearance.
Zhou Xiaochuan called out somewhat awkwardly, "Sister-in-law..."
Jiang Zhizhi frowned, let go, and took a few steps back. She looked Zhou Xiaochuan up and down, who looked very down on his luck. He was wearing a work shirt from the mine, with patches on the sleeves and shoulders. It was old and dirty.
The hand clasped in front of me was rough and cracked, with black coal ash filling the skin's texture.
The hands of a typical working person.
Seeing that Jiang Zhizhi didn't speak, Zhou Xiaochuan called out again, "Sister-in-law..."
Jiang Zhizhi reached out to stop her: "Don't call me sister-in-law. We have no relationship anymore. What do you want from me?"
Zhou Xiaochuan pursed his lips and said, "Sister-in-law, I know I've done many things that I'm sorry to you. I just wanted to find you and apologize."
Jiang Zhizhi stared at him intently for a while: "You came to apologize to me? Why didn't you go directly? Instead, you're acting all sneaky. The way you're doing this makes me think you have ulterior motives."
Zhou Xiaochuan quickly waved his hand: "No, no, sister-in-law, I didn't mean anything by it. I just wanted to apologize to you. It was wrong of me to target you before... I was immature back then."
Jiang Zhizhi gave a cold laugh: "Who told you where I was?"
Zhou Xiaochuan shook his head again in a panic, "No, no one told me. I found out you were a doctor at the hospital, so I wanted to go there to find you. I didn't dare go back to the compound because I didn't dare see my parents..."
Jiang Zhizhi didn't believe a word Zhou Xiaochuan said: "I hope what you said is true. I heard your apology, but I choose not to forgive you."
He then turned around and picked up the bicycle he had thrown away.
Zhou Xiaochuan caught up with her: "Sister-in-law, I know you won't forgive me, because what I did before was really too much. Over the years, working in the mine, I've slowly come to realize how good Mom and Dad were to me, and how little I cherished those days..."
Jiang Zhizhi found it quite strange: "What business is it of yours, Zhou Xiaochuan? I'm not interested in anything about you. I've already said I won't accept your apology. If you keep going on and on, don't blame me for being impolite."
After saying that, he put on a stern face and pushed the cart away.
On the way back, Jiang Zhizhi thought a lot and felt that Zhou Xiaochuan's appearance was a bit strange.
And he went to see her first!
Shouldn't he apologize to Fang Hua first? He should know that Fang Hua is soft-hearted and easy to talk to.
After returning home, Jiang Zhizhi changed her clothes, washed her hands, played with the two children for a while, and then took Shangshang to talk to Fang Hua about Zhou Xiaochuan.
Fang Hua was somewhat surprised. He paused for a moment, then remained silent for a while before sighing, "He really is... How could he go to see you?"
Jiang Zhizhi understood from these words that Zhou Xiaochuan had already contacted her: "He contacted you?"
Fang Hua nodded: "It's been a while. I ran into him once on my way back from your uncle's house. He apologized to me and said he knew he was wrong before."
To be honest, Fang Hua still felt a little sad, especially seeing Zhou Xiaochuan's current haggard appearance.
After all, he was the child I raised myself, and it's still very painful to see him living like this now.
However, aside from feeling upset, Fang Hua did not agree to forgive Zhou Xiaochuan. She even looked at him coldly and said, "It's good that you can live independently now. As for forgiveness, that's no longer an option. From the day we had no relationship, you didn't owe us anything, and we didn't owe you anything either."
Zhou Xiaochuan burst into tears. Seeing that no one was in the alley, he knelt down in front of Fang Hua with a thud: "Mom, I know you won't agree if I call you now. But in my heart, you will always be my mom."
"Mom, I came to see you today not to go back to the compound, nor to ask you to acknowledge me again, but just to say sorry. I now realize how terrible I was before, ruining a good life for you."
"Mom, it's understandable that you don't forgive me, as long as you can talk to me."
As he spoke, he pulled a blackened kraft paper envelope from his pocket and handed it to Fang Hua: "Mom, this money and food coupons are what I've saved up over the years, to give to you and Dad."
Fang Hua definitely wouldn't accept it, so he stuffed the money into Zhou Xiaochuan's hand instead: "You know you were wrong, so just live your life properly. Don't think about apologizing, and don't think about going back to the way things were before, none of that is possible anymore."
“The damage has already been done, how can you expect us to forgive you? I’m glad you’re sensible, and I hope you’ll walk your path well in the future and not let your deceased parents down.”
Zhou Xiaochuan still refused, but Fang Hua cruelly pushed his hand away and left without looking back.
Looking back now, Fang Hua still sighs: "He said he knew he was wrong, but now it's not a matter of forgiveness or not, but rather that I feel I can't let the wolf into the house."
Jiang Zhizhi was surprised, not expecting Fang Hua to think that way.
Fang Hua looked at Xiao Zhouji, who was sitting in Zhou Chengyu's lap and eating an apple, and then looked at Shang Shang in Jiang Zhizhi's arms: "To tell you the truth, for a moment, I softened, especially when he stuffed the dirty envelope into my hands. I saw the black ash between his fingers and his rough, cracked fingers. I softened."
“After all, he’s the child I raised, so it’s impossible for me to have no reaction at all. But when I think of Xiao Zhouji and Shangshang at home, I immediately harden my heart.”
“I can’t gamble with Xiao Zhouji and Shangshang. If he doesn’t change and instead has some ulterior motive that leads him to hurt Xiao Zhouji and Shangshang, I wouldn’t be able to live a hundred lives.”
"So, I won't let him come, and I won't have anything to do with him anymore. I didn't expect him to actually come to you! This shows that he really didn't want to sincerely admit his mistake, but had an ulterior motive."
At this point, Fang Hua got angry again: "Why won't he change at all? He's determined to ruin himself."
“Originally, I didn’t plan to tell anyone about this, not even your dad. Since he did this, then let your dad investigate him thoroughly. We can’t leave any potential problems behind.”
Jiang Zhizhi didn't speak. She agreed with Fang Hua's words, but she also felt that something was wrong.
Zhou Chengzhi didn't return until after dinner. Just as the children were about to go to sleep, he received a call from the hospital...
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