Chapter 51 Reply
It was the winter solstice, and Yu Xiaohan sent a message to He Dongli early in the morning, saying that she would bring her some food in the evening.
He Dongli lay in bed and called her mother, telling her that she had switched shifts with a colleague today.
Yu Xiaohan also told Xixi directly that Xu Maosen was hosting a dinner party at his home that evening. If Xixi wanted to, she could come over for dinner; otherwise, she would bring it over for her. He Dongli, tired of her mother's constant cautiousness for her, didn't hesitate this time, stating that she would bring her the winter-wine wine, but she would skip dinner.
Yu Xiaohan sensed something, and decided to let her make the decision. Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "Did that ancestor pass away?"
He Dongli was talking about something irrelevant. He was thinking about what his secretary said last night about packing the luggage for the flight to Singapore, the special day today, and the signature of his letter last night. It was only natural for him to go back to worship his ancestors or have a family dinner.
Yu Xiaohan felt bad after hearing Xixi's silence, but she still had to bring it up. "The fact that he mentioned splitting up the family and even included it in the prenuptial agreement proves he's thought it through. Xixi, I was thinking the same thing in my momentary anger. Anyway, we can't let that arrogant mother get what she wants. To put it bluntly, if things don't work out, divorce is no big deal. Even those wealthy families don't take marriage seriously, so how can we, the poor commoners, have the dignity to do anything about it? But you were so determined to chase him and stop him, and I came to my senses. Well, what's the point of getting sore? Are you finding someone to live with just out of spite? If you really do that, what's going to happen? So, your father made a mistake naming you. He's too sure-footed and steady. Your personality is bound to suffer. Finally found someone who'll speak up for you, but you've gone too far. What can I say? It's fate!"
Yu Xiaohan hung up the phone, and He Dongli silently got up. The letter lay spread out on the desk, and the painting was still in the corner, beside the pot of Eighteen Scholars.
She finally walked over, moved the moon painting to a higher place, placed it in the corner of the table, and carefully isolated it from light and dust with a dustproof cloth.
Jiang Xingyuan had probably stayed up late writing the manuscript last night, and she was yelling at Dongli on WeChat early this morning. She had finished the technical draft, and now only the interview draft remained. He Dongli took the opportunity to ask if she was free today, as she happened to be on vacation.
Jiang Xingyuan asked curiously, "Why am I on vacation today?"
He Dongli is even more unusual than her, so why can't he get a divorce?
Jiang Xingyuan saw the news about Jiayin Group and asked Dongli, "How painful it is to take a vacation to accompany Young Master Zong to calm down the volatile stock prices?"
He Dongli wanted to say that it was something she could do nothing about, but she could guarantee that those were minor incidents for him, including his so-called illness. If he was truly ill, he wouldn't be able to write those beautiful calligraphy.
The sonorous words didn't fall, but the mouth did. He Dongli didn't understand, nor did she want to understand. She just told herself not to think about it, and wanted to divert her attention. She was very uncomfortable with the sudden stop of her non-stop work. He Dongli wanted to invite her friends out for hot pot. Jiang Xingyuan sighed, "It's not possible today. She promised her damned old father to go back to the village for a feast. By the way, she also wanted to take advantage of the winter solstice to burn some paper for her mother."
He Dongli nodded quickly and told his friend to go about his business. "Please bring some money to Jiang Ma as well."
Jiang Xingyuan hummed. She didn't realize Dongli was alone today. She just said she would treat them to dinner when she came back. "I've already thought of a question in the interview script about the new leader's personal problems."
He Dongli was in a low mood and didn't follow Xingyuan's train of thought.
After hanging up the phone, Xingyuan sent a message on WeChat: How does Mr. Zong balance the three pillars of family, marriage and career?
He Dongli didn't want to discourage his friend, as this question would undoubtedly be rejected.
*
The only person who was supposed to be on a date with him also skipped the group. He Dongli had no choice but to clean up the place.
Yu Xiaohan often came to help her clean up, not even giving her a speck of dust to dust in every nook and cranny. He Dongli even mopped the stairs leading upstairs. When she returned to the bathroom to wash up, she saw a men's razor next to the electric toothbrush head and suddenly realized that her mother must have seen this and realized that Zong Chi had stayed overnight.
He never used an electric shaver, and he changed the handheld one especially frequently. Once, while on vacation, he changed the razor heads three times in three days. Yu Xiaohan was surprised and asked him, "Is your beard made of steel? Do you need to change it every day?" He didn't mind. His user experience was that razors were disposable: shave once and then throw them away. The razor heads didn't work anymore. To convince Yu Xiaohan, he even demonstrated it to her.
Yu Xiaohan didn't listen to his chanting, but she believed it anyway. He was a strong-willed person no matter what.
*
After finishing the housework and vacuuming the floor, the robot vacuum cleaner returned to the machine room. He Dongli picked up his phone again. There was nothing else except some messages from the work group.
After she changed her clothes, she made a cup of black coffee, held the cup in one hand, and removed the one that was pinned to the top with the other.
Before her ward rounds, she was incredibly upset and suddenly realized that her time in the hospital, spent all day holding a cheesy phone that only allowed her to make calls, had been quite helpful. The fundamental reason why people in this technological age are becoming increasingly unhappy is that there are so many media, so many that they've infiltrated everyone's emotions.
He Dongli remembered the BlackBerry phone that the boss lady gave to Jiang Xingyuan when he accompanied her to buy a used sofa.
I looked for it subconsciously, but I searched all the drawers of the bar next to the kitchen and couldn't find it.
She had the habit of keeping cash at home, and the cash was never missing, so it was unlikely that a thief would take advantage of an antique cell phone that was not worth anything at all.
The thief is about to be exposed.
That day, He Dongli returned to the hospital and completed his rounds as per procedure.
Zhao Zhenzhen called her over. There was a Geriatrics Society conference on burns and trauma rehabilitation in the spring, and she recommended Dongli. The conference was hosted by their alma mater and edited by Dongli's mentor. He Dongli saw Senior Brother Tan on the list of attendees.
This time, she took the initiative to ask the director, was it not a coincidence that Senior Brother Tan was hit by the flying knife, right?
Zhao Zhenzhen had actually absurdly suspected Tan Zhengjin of his relationship with Dongli, but in the past few years, Tan Zhengjin had never even visited her. It wasn't until Dongli agreed to go to the Liang family's blind date that she truly believed Tan Zhengjin's words and fulfilled her duty.
Master and disciple have been together for several years. Zhao Zhenzhen spoke frankly to Dongli, "I was so worried that you were so obsessed with a married man back then."
Dongli smiled and said, "Teacher, no."
"That's good."
"Teacher, what did Senior Brother Tan say to you?"
"I just said I know you and hope you can take care of her."
He Dongli solemnly thanked the director for the invitation and quietly left the office. It was the peak time for outpatient clinics and visiting patients in the morning, so she didn't even take the elevator and walked down several flights of stairs alone.
Walking out of the white building, she saw the orange-red sun outside. She looked up towards the east, feeling both cool and warm.
That bright midsummer moon lingered. But she was still sad. Why couldn't they be on the same wavelength just once? Why, when he first came back, she had patients and moral integrity to live with? Why, when he could easily have come back, did she not show up again? Even on the phone, she couldn't soberly tell him, "You're drunk?" Why was the painting more important than the person? Why did she write, "I hope for a reply?" How should I reply, and where should I reply?
Why do you place so many people around me? Why do you ask others to look after me? Why do you keep looking back even though you clearly can’t wait for me?
Why did you take my phone quietly, stealing other people's dignity and thoughts to satisfy your vanity, right?
*
He Dongli stopped a taxi in front of the hospital outpatient building and gave the address as his mother's place.
Arriving at the villa, she said nothing, wasn't actively chatting, and certainly wouldn't help with the chores. It was as if only at this moment did she finally feel completely exhausted, the kind of tiredness that made her aware of it and mechanically craved rest and resupply.
She had her own room here, and slept there less than three nights a year. She crawled into bed, tucked herself under the covers, and slept there for a long, full night, a sleep that lasted as long as she could remember. When she woke up, the Xu family was already preparing a banquet, and downstairs was filled with the sounds of chatter and laughter.
When He Dongli got up to wash up, he startled Aunt Lu. She came over to take care of things and said that it was a good time to wash her hands and prepare for dinner.
He Dongli shook her head and was about to say she would not eat. As she was rubbing her toothbrush into the mouthwash cup and stirring it, someone she hadn't seen in a long time appeared and greeted her, "Being a doctor is really hard. You can sleep until dark."
Xu Xilin. She had been studying abroad for the past two years and unexpectedly returned with her boyfriend just before Christmas.
He Dongli was a little surprised, but since the other party asked her that, she had no choice but to say yes.
Xu Xilin’s boyfriend is French. During the conversation, he asked his girlfriend, “Is she your father’s other daughter?”
Xu Xilin smiled at her boyfriend and said, "Speak softly. She speaks French very well and can understand. After all, she doesn't admit that she is my father's child."
He Dongli finished washing his face, handed the towel to Aunt Lu, picked up his coat, and walked out. Then, remembering something, he called out to the Frenchman. "It's true, I'm not her father's child, but I'm sorry, there will always be a place for me in the Xu family, provided my mother doesn't leave their father." It was such a complicated relationship.
Xu Xilin's face was a little grim for a moment. Seeing He Dongli about to leave, as if she was not satisfied for the moment, she called out to her, "Hey, who are you pointing your guns at? He doesn't understand the situation. I'll explain it to him. He thinks you are the stepdaughter of the Xu family, are you?"
"Of course I'm not. My mom couldn't marry your dad because of you. How can I be an official stepdaughter, don't you think?"
"He Dongli, who are you yelling at right after you woke up? I haven't seen you for a long time, and I came to say hello, but I ended up causing trouble. Or are you relying on someone's arrogance and prestige to show off here?"
He Dongli put on his coat, letting his long hair fall to his waist. He turned back to look at Xu Xilin. She was still as beautiful, so outspoken, and couldn't hide a single thought. She was much simpler than her brother. After so many years, He Dongli still said the same thing: if Zong Chi hadn't been surnamed Zong, the two Xu family members wouldn't have been so tactful. And it was still the same now. He hadn't even shown his shadow, but it had already made the two of them unable to sit still. One by one, they came over, trying to show their affection but not being nice, and their words were not completely bad either.
He Dongli just stood there, said nothing, and smiled coldly.
Xu Xilin was so angry that she felt she was showing off. She just wanted to laugh at her viciously. After all the trouble she had with Zong Chi, she actually wanted to get back together with him. However, she couldn't say it out loud, because she knew that once this reunion was completed, the whole Xu family's attitude would completely change.
Xu Xilin couldn't help but hate He Dongli. In her anger, she said directly, "What are you laughing at? What are you so proud of? He Dongli, who said you were a good person?"
"I never said I was a good person." He Dongli rushed over to Xu Xilin before Xu Xize came over to take her sister away. She asked a question that she hadn't revealed for so many years, "You were the one who told Zong Chi about how you two siblings had troubled me, right? You were the one who said I lured Zong Chi to stay here to get revenge on you, wasn't that right?"
"I'm telling you two today, brother and sister, whether or not that day happened, I would have asked Zong Chi to stay. Yes, I'm a woman who knows how to seduce men, so tell your boyfriend to stay away from me. There's one more thing I don't regret at all, and that's that I didn't cry and ask my mother to leave Uncle Xu as you wished. Otherwise, how could we still be arguing like this today? It's so great, a big family. After all, there will always be my room here."
Xu Xilin was so angry that her face turned pale, while Xu Xize next to her lagged behind He Dongli. When she turned around, she almost bumped into his arms. He subconsciously supported her, but He Dongli pushed him away with the bag in his hand.
The people downstairs were completely unaware of the incident upstairs. He Dongli came downstairs, not wanting to let her mother know. She calmly nodded to each of Xu Maosen's guests, then said that she couldn't accompany them because she had something to do at the hospital. She hoped everyone had a pleasant evening and a happy Winter Solstice.
Aunt Lu whispered something quickly in Xiaohan's ear. Yu Xiaohan chased after him to the door before calling her. He Dongli didn't mind at all. Instead, he turned to his mother solemnly, "Mom, I really didn't go to Zong Chi because of them. I simply wanted to say goodbye to him. I didn't expect him to stay. But this incident caused you to be arrogantly scolded by Zong Chi, and I've been feeling very uncomfortable. But, to be honest, I was really sad when you didn't really stand up for me back then, but it was also when I came to my senses. I know you are still somewhat attached to that man, and there's nothing wrong with that. At least he has treated you well over the years, and he loves me as much as he loves me, which is more than enough. So, Mom, can I ask you to just treat that matter as a matter of mutual difficulty and even things out, okay? I feel relieved today. I didn't know scolding people was so satisfying. No wonder Zong Chi gets so angry at the slightest provocation. It turns out that the mountain we couldn't climb back then, looking back, was actually nothing at all."
Yu Xiaohan's eyes suddenly turned red, but He Dongli smiled at her mother and asked to borrow the car keys. In the past few years, Yu Xiaohan wanted to buy a car for her daughter, but was rejected by Xixi several times. It was at this opportunity that He Dongli told Yu Xiaohan that she actually had some money and was much richer than her mother, so she didn't need to worry about her.
Tonight, she asked for the car keys. Yu Xiaohan asked where she was going, but the question felt unnecessary, almost like tacit agreement. But He Dongli shook his head and said, "He's probably not in the country now."
"But," Xixi continued, "Mom, you know me. I can't stay in an occasion like this without him."
Yu Xiaohan handed the car keys to Xixi and told her to drive carefully.
*
Coming out of the villa, He Dongli drove from south to north, crossing an entire urban area.
Finally, the car stopped outside a villa, but this one was a little more prominent. It was quiet all around, surrounded by gardens in front and back. It looked more like a small manor than a villa area.
She had never been here before, and her official contact with him was always at his parents' villa in the suburbs, because they hired people to maintain Bern Mountain there.
He had written this address to her, and when she arrived, the front yard gate was locked. The guard told her that Mr. Zong had been back, but had left that morning.
She knew that the bunch of purple roses covered with morning dew were cut from the garden here. When they were in school, she criticized him for learning from Lu Xun. In order to prove that the front and back gardens of their house were indeed full of purple roses, he took pictures and showed them to her using that BlackBerry phone.
He Dongli leaned against the car and looked at the deserted villa for a long time, so long that her whole body was numb from the wind. Just as she turned around to go back to the car, a car suddenly drove by and finally stopped in front of the electric gate of the front garden.
He Dongli got into the car. She looked at the lights outside the building in disbelief. She saw traces of people... and the other side was also looking at the only visitor on the plane tree avenue.
The person in the car got out and walked towards her, knocking politely on her window. When the window was lowered, Aunt Tang addressed her considerately, "Miss He, it's you."
Just as He Dongli was about to turn the car around and go back, Aunt Tang grabbed her hand, as if that was the only way to get the people in the car to listen to what she had to say, and it was something sincere. "Xiao Chi was getting an IV drip at the hotel today. He thought you were at work, so he told me that no matter what, he'd come to you after get off work to find out. Let him know if he's dead or alive. He just got a call or some document, and he suddenly got excited and pulled out the needle. He was so stubborn that he didn't eat anything for almost three days. He barely managed to drink a bowl of soup just to come see you."
He Dongli listened, his heart like a scalding candle, clinging to it with evaporating, mottled tears. "His secretary said he's leaving for Singapore..."
Aunt Tang quickly explained, "It was Secretary Huang who went to the executive year-end meeting on Xiao Chi's behalf. Xiao Chi didn't go because he had a severe fever. Even if he were fine, he wouldn't go. His father certainly wouldn't let him go. With his bad temper, his father was afraid he would cause chaos among all the generations of the Zong family."
He Dongli didn't have time to say anything else. Aunt Tang grabbed her hand and yelled at the driver at the door to get her phone. Although He Dongli begged, "Auntie, please let me go. I mean, I want to go find him..."
Aunt Tang looked unconvinced. "Don't worry, I'm calling Xiao Chi."
It was so absurd and abrupt. The people in their main family had some genes of robbery. The nanny and the driver gathered together and swarmed to He Dongli's car.
She was sitting in the car and heard the nanny's extremely loud voice reporting something to the other end. Finally, the nanny put the phone to He Dongli's ear and urged her to talk to Xiaochi.
He Dongli responded to the other end as if he was being carried and driven, "Yeah."
There was a familiar sound of a bedside call from the other end of Zongchi's room. He asked her anxiously, "Aren't you going to work today?"
"I've been temporarily reassigned."
"Then why didn't you tell me? I waited for a whole day like an idiot."
"I thought you went back to Singapore."
"You thought I wasn't coming back, did you?"
“…”
"He Dongli, what date is October 17th?"
“…”
"It was a sad day. So sad that you almost lost your principles, didn't you?"
“…”
"Didn't you tell me that you hate smoking the most? Don't you hate your father for smoking? Then why do you do the thing you hate the most? Where are your principles?"
“…”
"He Dongli, I want you to tell me."
"Zongchi, not only is your letter clichéd, but there's no return address."
"Why are you there without an address? Xixi, why are you smoking?" His voice sounded sick, and one could feel his high fever even through the electric current. His throat was hoarse, difficult to swallow, and even trembling.
“…”
She never answered, so the sound of footsteps echoed from the other side of the hall, hurried but calm. "You'd better come up with a perfect answer before I find you."
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