Chapter 167
Uncle Li.
When this familiar name came to mind, Zhong Qiao was shocked by his own thoughts.
Uncle Li is my father's good friend. He has watched me grow up and accompanied my father in starting a business, from having nothing to becoming a wealthy man in Hong Kong. He can be said to be the closest person in their family, otherwise my father would not have handed over the company to him for management.
Moreover, during the two years in Suzhou, Uncle Li wrote letters to their family and there was never a shortage of financial exchanges.
I heard from my father that if Uncle Li’s wife and children were not Korean, he would definitely have followed my father back to the mainland. When my father took Siqi and others back to the mainland, Uncle Li was extremely reluctant to let them go.
Thinking of the kind elder wearing glasses, Zhong Qiao felt extremely complicated.
She didn't want to think so badly of others, but human hearts were unpredictable. In her previous life, she didn't judge people well and was killed by her own partner and the child she was ten months pregnant with. Zhong Qiao could only speculate the worst.
While riding his bicycle, Zhong Qiao suddenly asked, "Dad, I haven't heard you mention Uncle Li for a long time. How is he now? Does he have children?"
Behind him, Father Zhong chuckled, "You finally asked about your Uncle Li. He's doing very well. It's just that his wife couldn't get pregnant due to health problems, and they were always arguing. But I heard that two years ago, his wife suddenly got pregnant. She even wrote to me last time. It's a little girl."
"It's a pity that traveling between Hong Kong and the mainland is inconvenient, otherwise we could go visit your Uncle Li and his family."
Zhong Qiao understood.
She remembered this incident. Uncle Li's wife was not in good health, so the two of them had been married for many years but had no children. They had quarreled a lot and went to the hospital for check-ups many times. However, the doctor's answer was that it would be difficult for the woman to have children.
Unexpectedly, I finally had a child.
But why did it have to be the year before last? Zhong Qiao lowered his eyes, frowning in thought. Could this be related to his father being poisoned?
"Dad," Zhong Qiao continued, "how did you and Uncle Li know each other?"
"Why are you suddenly bringing this up, kid?" Zhong's father was puzzled, but he answered truthfully, "Your Uncle Li used to come from a wealthy family, but unfortunately, his father squandered the family fortune on a marijuana habit. He then took his last bit of savings and fled to Hong Kong to start a business."
"But he didn't know how to do anything, and he had spent all his money. He fainted from hunger on the street, and his luggage was robbed. Did he meet you? Your mother brought him back. At that time, your mother couldn't cook, so I made him a bowl of egg noodles. After he ate it, he heard that we were doing business, so he wanted to follow me. I saw that he wore glasses and looked like a cultured person, so I let him stay and do odd jobs."
"He didn't complain at all, and he didn't act like a young master at all. He was very skilled at his job. From then on, he did whatever I asked him to do. Over time, we became brothers, and our business grew bigger and bigger. Now that we have you and your brother, I'm going to hand over part of the business to him."
Zhong Qiao nodded: "So that's how it is."
So it was his family who saved his life.
Zhong Qiao asked, "So there's nothing to worry about? For example, are you usually very strict with him, Dad?"
Father Zhong glanced over and said, "Look at what you said. I really don't like it. How could I be that kind of person? I treat him like my own brother. Have you forgotten that every year during the New Year, including your birthday, your Uncle Li always ate with us?"
Zhong Qiao said nothing.
She did not forget all this, and just as her father said, Uncle Li would give her gifts every year. They were not the most expensive, but they were definitely very thoughtful.
For example, a handmade music box that Uncle Li carved so hard that his fingers were injured, or her favorite rabbit, or a custom-made dress...
Uncle Li comes from a scholarly family and has beautiful handwriting. However, he was new to Hong Kong and had offended the local tyrants, injuring the tendons in his hand. Normally, he can't even lift heavy objects, let alone a music box that took him a whole month to make by hand.
Zhong Qiao sighed in his heart.
I was really confused. Once bitten by a snake, I became afraid of ropes for ten years. I suspected everyone around me, and even suspected Uncle Li who treated me like his own daughter.
But Ji Hebai clearly said that this kind of poison is only available in foreign countries, and the mainland would never allow such contraband to pass through. Only Hong Kong is relatively chaotic, and it had colluded with the British army in the past and had close contacts with it. Among them, some people deliberately sold some contraband.
The only possibility is that the poisoning occurred in Hong Kong, which is basically impossible in mainland China.
Except for Uncle Li, everyone around Zhong's father would be very vigilant due to his father's personality. Zhong Qiao didn't know those people, so he had no way to investigate.
"Dad, has Uncle Li ever mentioned me?" Zhong Qiao became curious.
Father Zhong: "Yes, you don't know. When your Uncle Li first learned that you gave birth in Suzhou, he was almost dying of anxiety. When he wrote to you, he kept asking about your condition. He even found a bunch of old Chinese medicine doctors and asked them what to eat and drink during your confinement period. Your mother cooked the dishes strictly according to the old Chinese medicine doctors' instructions."
This then ties in with some of the previous things.
Zhong Qiao nodded, already having the answer in her mind, but she still said, "Dad, Uncle Li cares about me so much. Tomorrow, bring all the letters your uncle wrote to me and let me see them. I want to see what recipes he wrote in them."
"It's in the big box in your mother's and mine bedroom. Take it and have a look yourself." Father Zhong disagreed. "Your Uncle Li's hand is injured. His handwriting looks like ghostly scribbles. Sometimes it gives me a headache just looking at it."
Zhong Qiao burst out laughing: "Dad, please don't laugh at me. Your handwriting is not much better."
The father and daughter were in a rare state of warmth. Father Zhong was not angry at all, but said cheerfully, "I, your father, was just lucky and made a fortune. People outside say I'm a nouveau riche and uneducated. But if you ask me, I think making money is enough. I was able to raise you two, which is already very good."
Zhong Qiao originally wanted to let him go back and rest for a while, but Zhong's father refused to do so. He also said that he had already promised his repeat customers to set up the stall today and he could not go back on his word. Zhong Qiao tried to persuade him several times but failed, so he just took him there.
Before he could set up his stall, a child came running over.
"Uncle Zhong, you're finally here."
"You promised me last time that you would make me a little piglet, do you remember?"
"Xiaozhi," said Father Zhong, with a kind look in his eyes. "Remember, remember. Uncle has it all memorized. Come here."
He handed the little boy the wooden carving of a piglet that he had already put in his pocket.
"The agreed 15 cents is already a friendly price."
"No problem." The little boy paid readily.
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