According to the custom, people have to get up early on the first day of the new year, but Rong Jing was alone and had no relatives or friends to visit, so he was not in a hurry to get up.
After sleeping for a while until ten o'clock, the noise outside had gradually subsided.
After Rong Jing got up and washed up, he went to the kitchen to heat up the remaining dishes from last night.
When taking rice to steam, Rong Jing's eyes moved slightly, and his hands took half more rice.
The food was heated up quickly, and a large portion of the chicken soup was bubbling with delicious hot steam.
Rong Jing turned off the fire and heard a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Standing up to open the door, Rong Jing was not surprised to see the familiar face of the visitor. He glanced at him indifferently and then stepped aside.
Xie Xuanqing came here by himself this time.
He was carrying two boxes of New Year gifts. Perhaps because he didn't bring an umbrella when he came, a lot of snow fell on his carefully groomed hair and slim black coat, making him look a little inexplicably dishevelled.
Blinking his eyes, the snow on his eyelashes melted away, and Xie Xuanqing said in a low voice: "Rong Jing, Happy New Year."
Rong Jing had already turned around and returned to the living room. He looked up after hearing the voice, and after two seconds, he also replied: "...Well, Happy New Year to you too."
The same lines as last night. Xie Xuan chuckled, then walked in and put the gift box on the coffee table.
His eyes moved around the house inconspicuously.
Completely different from the atmosphere of ordinary families during the New Year, Rong Jing's home looks just like him, exuding an overly cold atmosphere.
His heart moved slightly. Xie Xuanqing couldn't tell what he felt right now. Just like he decided to come here early this morning, he couldn't tell why.
After sitting on the sofa for a while, Rong Jing brought out the hot food, then turned around and asked him calmly, "Have you eaten?"
——At this time, even if you have eaten, you may not have eaten.
What's more, Xie Xuanqing only had a little breakfast before going out.
After washing the dishes a little unskillfully, Xie Xuanqing scooped himself half a bowl of soup and took a sip.
Rong Jing’s cooking skills certainly cannot compare with those in restaurants outside, let alone those chefs in the Xie family’s old house.
But the chicken soup is rich enough, and the soft scallops and abalone melt into the soup. Having a hot bowl of it in winter is the most enjoyable thing.
Especially since Rong Jing had used his spiritual energy to stimulate the flavor of the scallops and dried abalone, and had kept them warm in a clay pot over low heat overnight, the taste of the soup now was even more delicious than before.
Xie Xuanqing drank half a bowl tentatively, and it actually aroused his appetite.
Rong Jing happened to have a sudden inspiration this morning and calculated this easily. The extra steamed rice was just enough for two bowls per person.
After dinner, Xie Xuanqing consciously put away the dishes and took them to the kitchen to wash them carefully.
Rong Jing: "There's a dishwasher over there."
Xie Xuanqing: "..."
After calmly putting the almost washed dishes into the dishwasher, Xie Xuanqing came out of the kitchen, with transparent water stains on his bony fingers.
Rong Jing looked up and casually pushed the tissue box over.
Xie Xuanqing paused, then took out a few pieces of paper and wiped the water stains on his hands and body left by the melting snowflakes.
"Sir, are you going out?" After throwing the used tissue into the trash can, Xie Xuanqing noticed that Rong Jing was wearing an extra coat and asked.
"Yeah." Rong Jing did not refute, but responded lightly, and then said, "You go too."
Xie Xuanqing: “?”
Although he was a little confused, Xie Xuanqing still responded with a "OK" and followed Rong Jing out the door.
There was heating in the room, but as soon as I went out, the damp and cold wind blew in through the windows in the corridor, and my fingertips, which had just warmed up, instantly became cold.
Rong Guoshi has a cold personality, but he is afraid of the cold. He frowned slightly, pulled down his hat, and put his hands tightly in his pockets.
Seeing this, Xie Xuanqing paused in closing the door, then turned around and went in, taking out an umbrella.
“It’s snowing outside.”
The first snow in Beijing fell on the first day of the new year. When Xie Xuanqing came over, the sky was all white. The clear snow fell on his warm skin and soon melted into snow water.
Rong Jing lowered his eyes and said nothing.
As I walked out of the corridor, I was greeted by a cool and refreshing breath. A thin layer of snow had accumulated on the green belt of the community, and the smell of fir mixed with the coolness of the snowflakes came over.
Opening an umbrella to block the falling snow above his head, Xie Xuanqing walked to Rong Jing's side and could vaguely feel the faint warmth coming from Rong Jing's body.
After being distracted for a moment, Xie Xuanqing quickly came to his senses, holding an umbrella and following Rong Jing.
As he walked, he found that Rong Jing seemed to be looking for something with a purpose.
Looking up at the sign of the vegetable market at the door, Xie Xuanqing put away his umbrella and saw Rong Jing had already walked to one of the vegetable stalls.
"Mrs. Zhang? Mrs. Zhang is not here these days. Young man, why are you looking for her?" The outgoing old man recognized Rong Jing's face at a glance, looked at him puzzledly, and asked.
"Something." Rong Jing said lightly.
The old man glanced at him, unable to understand why the other party wanted to find Mrs. Zhang.
But he didn't look like a bad guy. He smacked his lips and said, "Last night was New Year's Eve. Everyone packed up their stalls and went home early. Mrs. Zhang didn't stay long either. She packed up her stall and left with us. But she said that some relatives might come to visit today, so after she packed up her stall yesterday, she went to buy some cured meat and braised food..."
Their market also sells cured and braised food, and the old man couldn't understand why the other party wanted to buy them in another market.
"Anyway, that's what happened. When Mrs. Zhang went shopping, the floor was too slippery or something, and she accidentally fell."
Unfortunately, the market over there was quite far away and not many people went there, so Mrs. Zhang lay there for quite a while until a car passed by at night and she was seen and sent to the hospital.
"I heard that she was even run over by a car during those few hours she was lying there... Oh," the old man sighed and said, "It's New Year's Day, and Mrs. Zhang is probably still lying in the hospital."
Her family is not well off, and since the old man came here to set up a stall today, she decided to take care of the other party's dry goods stall as well. Any help she can provide is appreciated.
Only then did Xie Xuanqing notice that there was indeed no one at the dry goods stall next to him.
Rong Jing frowned slightly when he heard this, as if he had thought of something.
Xie Xuanqing retracted his gaze and looked at the old man again: "Then do you know which hospital this Mrs. Zhang is in now?"
He was tall and handsome, and even though he had tried to restrain the aura brought by his long tenure in a high position, he still stood out from the crowd of ordinary people.
The old man looked at him and Rong Jing several times, and his suspicion grew: "You ask so carefully... Is it from the community poverty alleviation office?"
Xie Xuanqing: "..."
Rong Jing couldn't help but "..."
Fortunately, the old man just asked that. Seeing that the two of them seemed to really want to see Mrs. Zhang for something, he thought for a while, then closed the two stalls and said, "The hospital is quite close. I'll take you there."
After all, he was worried about letting Xie Xuanqing and Rong Jing go alone.
Rong Jing didn't mind and nodded in agreement.
Xie Xuanqing watched from the side and also had no opinion.
To be honest, he still had no idea what Rong Jing wanted to talk to that "Mrs. Zhang" about. But when he saw Rong Jing being dragged by the old man to talk about all kinds of family matters, for some reason, he felt that it seemed not bad.
"You are such a scoundrel, young man. You only wear so little?" Just as Xie Xuanqing was thinking, the old man turned around and said to him, pointing at Rong Jing, "This young man is wearing thick clothes."
But it seems a bit too thick, right?
Xie Xuanqing usually has an image of being resolute and iron-fisted in the business world, and few people dare to point fingers at him like this. He lowered his eyes and glanced at Rong Jing's expression. The other's amber eyes were hidden in the shadow cast by the hat, and he looked a little childish and depressed.
A smile flashed across his lips, and Xie Xuanqing rarely accepted the old man's "accusation".
"Um."
They are both taciturn. The old man muttered to himself, and took Rong Jing and the others to turn two streets and arrive at the nearby People's Hospital.
Walking through the corridor with familiarity, the old man brought Rong Jing and Xie Xuanqing to the second floor of the inpatient department.
Birth, aging, illness and death are all normal. Even though today is the first day of the Chinese New Year, the number of patients in the hospital has not decreased. The painful groans of patients can be heard from the ward, with a sense of decadence.
That is sick air, and also dead air.
Rong Jing calmly followed the old man through the corridor and came to a ward.
"Mrs. Zhang, I've brought people to see you." The old man shouted and pushed the door open, only to find that there were several other people standing in the ward.
The injured Mrs. Zhang was lying on the hospital bed. Her already old face looked even paler and haggard. Only a little smile hung on her lips, which made her still have a trace of life.
"Who are these people?" asked the old man.
Mrs. Zhang injured her thigh and waist this time and couldn't get up for a while. When she saw the old man coming over, she lay on the bed and smiled, "These are some of my son's colleagues... Uncle Qi, why are you here?"
When talking about her son, Mrs. Zhang's expression was a little gloomy.
When Uncle Qi saw this, he quickly changed the subject: "Oh, I was selling vegetables in the market today and helped to look after your stall. Then the young man who bought a lot of dry goods from your stall the day before yesterday came over and said he wanted to see you for something, so I brought him here."
"What's the problem with it being dry goods?" When it comes to this aspect, Mrs. Zhang looks a little anxious.
Rong Jing and Xie Xuanqing also pushed the door and walked in at this time.
The first people who noticed them were not Uncle Qi or Mrs. Zhang, but those colleagues.
"Mr. Rong, Mr. Xie?" A familiar voice sounded in his ears. Xie Xuan raised his eyes slightly and saw Zhou Songyun's face.
Zhou Songyun himself did not expect that he would meet Rong Jing and Xie Xuanqing just when he came to care about the mother of a brother who retired due to illness in the department. He stood there and stared at them for a while before he dared to confirm their identities.
Rong Jing took off the hat on his head when he came in. His thick silver-white hair was scattered on his shoulders, which made him look unusual.
Uncle Qi and Aunt Zhang were also stunned for a moment: "You... know each other?"
Zhou Songyun looked at Rong Jing and Xie Xuanqing's faces and nodded slightly: "I know them."
"That's such a coincidence." Mrs. Zhang smiled and looked at Rong Jing's silver hair for a few more times, but she was very polite and didn't ask any more questions. She only asked, "I heard from Uncle Qi that you came to me. Is there any problem with the dry goods you bought before?"
Rong Jing shook his head, walked over and took a closer look at her eyes and forehead, and suddenly asked, "Didn't I tell you to go back early that day?"
Mrs. Zhang's face changed slightly, and then she forced a smile: "Because I thought that there might be guests coming to our house for dinner today, and the food would be too shabby and not look good, so I wanted to add some braised and cured meat to make it look better."
I didn't expect to be so unlucky. I fell down and had my thigh run over by a passing car.
As she spoke, her eyes became red, and seeing this, Uncle Qi hurried to comfort her.
Rong Jing just looked at her quietly with an indifferent expression.
Xie Xuanqing and Zhou Song on the side also vaguely sensed something. They frowned slightly and looked at Rong Jing and Mrs. Zhang.
Mrs. Zhang was a little flustered by their gazes. She clenched the sheets with her fingers, raised her head and asked Rong Jing again, "Is there anything else, young man? If not, I want to rest..."
"You were deliberately seeking death yesterday." Before Mrs. Zhang finished her words, Rong Jing looked at her and gently told her what she was thinking yesterday.
Uncle Qi was shocked when he heard this, especially when he saw the look on Aunt Zhang's face, he couldn't help but ask: "Aunt Zhang, what are you doing..."
Rong Jing had thought that Mrs. Zhang's face looked a little strange. She was not a wicked person, and she did not seem to have owed any wrongdoings in her previous life. How could her fate in this life be so miserable, and even her later years were extremely miserable?
But at that time, he had only met Mrs. Zhang once, so there was nothing much he could do. He just reminded her to try to avoid bloody disasters.
However, when she got up today, Rong Jing casually picked up a divination plate and calculated that not only did she not completely avoid the calamity, but she was vaguely about to encounter a fatal calamity.
But it hasn't really turned into a fatal disaster.
The information contained in the hexagram was extremely complex, and Xie Xuanqing happened to be at the door at that time. This coincidence could not be considered a simple coincidence in the world of metaphysics, so Rong Jing took Xie Xuanqing out with him, found Uncle Qi who was selling vegetables in the market, and followed him to the hospital.
When Rong Jing arrived at the hospital and looked at Mrs. Zhang's fate palace and eyes, it was not difficult for him to see that Mrs. Zhang actually wanted to die yesterday.
As for the reason…
Zhou Songyun frowned: "Aunt Zhang, what do you mean?"
Mrs. Zhang lowered her head, and after two seconds, she said in a hoarse voice, "Yes, I fell there on purpose yesterday, waiting for a car to pass by and crush me to death."
She had a really hard life. She had married the wrong person in the first half of her life, and after finally escaping from the marriage, her only son became a vegetable because he was on a mission.
Mrs. Zhang didn't hate anyone. Fighting for the country was a good thing. She just felt that her life was too difficult. Why, why did she have to encounter all these things? Why didn't she lie in bed instead of her son, getting weaker day by day?
What Uncle Qi said to Rong Jing the day before yesterday was not a lie. Mrs. Zhang’s son really could not hold on any longer.
But yesterday the doctor told her that if conditions permit, she could try another treatment method, stimulating the patient's cerebral cortex to see if she could restore consciousness.
But this treatment requires a lot of money. Mrs. Zhang runs the dry goods stall day and night, and the money she saves is not enough for her son to stay in the hospital for another month.
"…So I wonder, if I die, will the person who crushed me pay me money? Then he can save my son, right?"
Her thoughts were innocent but also a little helpless. Sighing, Mrs. Zhang continued, "But when I was really run over by a car, I thought, if I really died, who would continue to take care of him?"
Besides, she died under someone else's car. Those with a conscience would pay some compensation, but those who have no money and no conscience... then her death would have been in vain.
"I think you find what I said is ridiculous..." Mrs. Zhang said in a hoarse voice.
In fact, there was a moment when she really didn't want to live anymore. Why should she live? She had suffered so much in her life, and even if she died, her life wouldn't be as miserable as hers.
"Why don't you think about applying for donations?" Xie Xuanqing listened to her in silence and then said.
"The treatment fee is indeed expensive, but many charities now have application channels, so you can try to apply."
Mrs. Zhang's son was injured on duty and was even able to apply for a special relief fund from the government department.
Xie Xuanqing's tone was not bad, it could even be considered calm.
He was just a little confused.
Zhou Songyun came back to his senses and said, "Yes, Aunt Zhang, you can just tell me and I'll go and apply to the leader."
Mrs. Zhang opened her mouth, not knowing what to say for a moment.
She has been used to living alone all her life. When faced with other people's kindness, her first attitude is to deny and reject it. How could she even think of seeking support from charities or people like Zhou Songyun?
Zhou Songyun knew from her expression that she had never thought of asking for help from them, and his expression became even worse: "Aunt Zhang, you didn't even tell us, and you just wanted to use your life to exchange for money..."
To put it bluntly, her behavior is actually disheartening.
Mrs. Zhang also lowered her head.
Seeing this, Zhou Songyun couldn't say anything more.
Rong Jing, who had been silent before, spoke up: "Who told you that you can get compensation this way?"
Mrs. Zhang shook her head. She couldn't explain it, but she subconsciously felt that it would be good if this could save her son.
Hearing this, Rong Jing lowered his eyes slightly and asked, "Is your son's ward also here?"
Mrs. Zhang took a moment to realize that he was asking about her son's ward, and she said "hmm" softly, "Are you... also his colleague?"
For some reason, Mrs. Zhang always felt that this young man gave her an extremely mysterious feeling. When those amber eyes looked at her gently, she dared not hide anything.
"Not really." Rong Jing replied, "Do you mind if I go take a look?"
There's nothing to mind about that.
Mrs. Zhang smiled bitterly and struggled to lead the way.
Seeing this, Zhou Songyun quickly helped her up and turned to look at Rong Jing: "Mr. Rong, did you... discover anything?"
He knew Rong Jing's abilities best. The other party could predict Bai Peilan's movements in advance, so he might have discovered something unusual at this time.
"It's hard to say." Rong Jing said lightly.
Uncle Qi felt something vaguely and couldn't help asking, "Young man, what are you doing...?"
Mrs. Zhang was actually a little confused, but inexplicably she was looking forward to it. She waved her hand and said, "Jingyao's ward is upstairs. The doctor said that his symptoms are a bit strange and he needs more complicated examinations every day, so he has not been transferred here."
But the cost of the intensive care unit is much more expensive than that of an ordinary ward. Mrs. Zhang sells dry goods every day, and most of the money she earns is spent on this.
Rong Jing took the elevator up, and as soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he felt a familiar fluctuation.
His eyelashes trembled slightly, and Rong Jing followed Zhou Songyun and Mrs. Zhang towards Zhang Jingyao's ward.
Perhaps because he lost muscle mass due to sleeping for too long, Zhang Jingyao looked quite thin.
With the help of Zhou Songyun, Mrs. Zhang reluctantly bent down and touched his face, with mixed emotions in her eyes.
Rong Jing also walked over and glanced at the face of the young man on the bed.
Even though he was a little thin, one could still vaguely tell that Zhang Jingyao originally had a very decent appearance, with eyebrows like knives and a nose like a sword. Although he seemed to be hard and easily broken, there was a hint of hope hidden in him.
He and Mrs. Zhang are blood relatives, and their destinies are closely linked. Mrs. Zhang's life of hardship and her turning point seem to be related to her fate.
Mrs. Zhang looked at Zhang Jingyao for a while and then stepped back. She was not stupid, and she had guessed something from Zhou Songyun's attitude towards Rong Jing and Rong Jing's ability to accurately describe her.
"Do you remember how he was injured?" Rong Jing suddenly asked.
There was no need for Mrs. Zhang to answer this question, Zhou Songyun could answer it.
Zhang Jingyao was also a member of the special department before.
During one mission, a ghost controlled a little girl of seven or eight to jump down from the fifth floor. Because this action was so sudden, the colleagues downstairs were almost unprepared.
Zhang Jingyao was closest to the little girl at that time, so he rushed over and stuck the talisman paper made by the Taoist priest on the little girl and pushed her back. However, he lost his balance and fell from the fifth floor.
Afterwards, the evil ghost felt that Zhang Jingyao had ruined his plans, so he risked being reduced to ashes and gave Zhang Jingyao a final blow as he fell.
A strong evil energy suddenly surged into Zhang Jingyao's body. Even though his superiors in the department later asked a Taoist priest to remove the evil energy from his body, it was too late in the end, and Zhang Jingyao still became a vegetable.
Zhou Songyun's tone was a little heavy when he spoke. Rong Jing listened quietly, and then lightly touched Zhang Jingyao's brow with his fingertips.
A faint yin energy slowly dissipated.
Zhou Songyun and others watched with bated breath, but saw that after the ray of evil spirit dissipated, Rong Jing continued to move.
With two pale yellow talismans pinched between his slender and beautiful fingers, Uncle Qi finally knew what Rong Jing did. However, he looked at the quiet atmosphere around him, opened his mouth, and dared not say a word.
"Lend me your evil spirit." Rong Jing said without turning his head.
Xie Xuanqing knew immediately that he was talking to him, and subconsciously asked, "How do I borrow it?"
Rong Jing remained silent, but his other empty hand gently touched Xie Xuanqing's wrist.
An extremely strong murderous aura curled up on his fingertips and was sent into Zhang Jingyao's body without hesitation.
After the evil spirit entered his body, Zhang Jingyao, who had been unconscious, groaned and began to tremble all over. His pale face was covered with bulging veins, and his body curled up, as if something was fighting inside him.
Mrs. Zhang's face changed drastically when she saw this, but looking at Rong Jing's calm expression, she didn't dare to disturb him easily. She could only grab Zhou Songyun's arm, gritting her teeth and staring at him without moving for a moment.
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