The municipal government staff quarters in Yucheng, Guangdong Province in the south.
Gu Zhengshan got up early in the morning, looked at the foggy sky, shook his head, and then turned and went into the house, "Old lady, are you up yet? It's already late. I'm back from morning exercise, you should get up too!"
Gu Zhengshan then picked up the thermos and poured some hot water into the basin. He wet the towel, wrung it out, and began to wipe his face. He breathed a sigh of relief when the warm towel covered his face, poured out the dirty water, and then went into the house to prepare breakfast.
It turned out that a few years ago, the old couple came here from Beijing to live with their second son Gu Tingyan who worked here. However, Gu Tingyan was too busy with work to take care of them. Besides, Gu Tingyan was single when he came to the south, so he naturally lived in the single dormitory of the municipal government. When they came, Gu Tingyan had no choice but to rent a small courtyard for them in this family compound to live in.
They lived there for several years, and the few gold bars that the couple had saved were stolen by Gu Yulin. This forced the old couple to live a frugal life over the years, and the money was given to them by Gu Tingyan.
After pouring the water, Gu Zhengshan returned to the house and frowned as he glanced at his old wife sleeping on the bed. He went forward and pushed her, "When did you develop the habit of sleeping in, old woman?"
But the moment Gu Zhengshan's hand touched his wife's body, his body stiffened, and then his fingers trembled as they reached under Zhuang Xinlan's nose. He couldn't feel the warm breath for a long time. Gu Zhengshan looked at his wife lying motionless on the bed in a daze, sighed deeply, and then withdrew his hand.
Sitting on the bedside board, Gu Zhengshan stood up and walked out of the yard, heading towards the city government.
Gu Tingyan was looking at documents when his secretary walked in.
"Mayor Gu, the meeting is about to start in ten minutes. Let's get ready now!"
Gu Tingyan looked down at the watch on his wrist and said, "Well, let's go now!"
Who knew that as soon as the two of them walked out of the office, they saw Gu Zhengshan walking towards them under the guidance of a staff member. Gu Tingyan looked at Gu Zhengshan with some confusion.
"Dad, why are you here? What's the matter?"
Gu Zhengshan calmed himself down and then looked at Gu Tingyan and said.
"Your mother passed away this morning. I just found out."
Gu Tingyan was still thinking about the meeting that was about to start, so he didn't understand what Gu Zhengshan meant. He said, "Dad, why don't you go back first? I have a meeting soon."
Seeing his son still thinking about work, Gu Zhengshan, who was already depressed because of his wife's death, suddenly exploded. He pointed at Gu Tingyan and yelled, "You unfilial son! Your mother passed away, and you're still thinking about your meeting. How long has it been since you last visited me and your mother? Now that you know your mother is dead, you have no guilt at all and are still thinking about work. Is this how you behave as a filial son?"
Gu Zhengshan's sudden anger made Gu Tingyan, who had been concentrating on the meeting, stunned for a moment. After listening to Gu Zhengshan's words, Gu Tingyan looked at Gu Zhengshan with a pale face and asked with a chuckle.
"Dad, are you saying that my mom is… not here… anymore?"
Looking at Gu Tingyan's incredible expression, Gu Zhengshan also realized that his son might not have heard clearly what he just said, so he added, "Your mother passed away this morning. I thought she was asleep, but she was already gone."
Gu Tingyan came back to his senses at this time and looked at Gu Zhengshan in a daze.
"I understand. I'll ask for leave now to go home and see my mother!"
Fortunately, Gu Tingyan was a leader. Although he was heartbroken over his mother's passing, he remained calm. He turned to his secretary and said, "Go to the conference room and tell them that today's meeting will be postponed until I return. I need to go back home now."
The secretary was right in front of him. He had heard every word of the conversation between Gu Tingyan and his father. He also knew that Mayor Gu's mother had passed away. With such a big matter, he naturally knew what to do and made repeated assurances.
"Mayor Gu, don't worry, I will make sure everything is arranged."
Gu Tingyan then accompanied his father Gu Zhengshan back home. When they arrived at the temporarily rented house, Gu Tingyan slowed down his pace. He thought a lot along the way. His mother had no opinions of her own over the years. She supported whatever his father said. It was true that she was partial. His personal experiences over the years made him only retain some responsibilities towards his father and mother. As for family affection, he always felt that they had none. But now that he heard the news of his mother's death, he realized that his feelings for his mother were still deep. It was just that the neglect over the years had magnified the injustice in his heart, and he could no longer see the affection he had for his mother.
Gu Zhengshan watched Gu Tingyan slowly walk into the house, and he felt uncomfortable. No matter what, the person lying inside was his old wife who had accompanied him through hardships for decades. He did not follow his son in, but sat outside and waited until Gu Tingyan came out.
"Dad, what should we do now? My eldest brother and third brother are both in jail. I don't know where my eldest brother's children are now. My third brother only has one child, Sun Yuqi. The two he raised are not of our Gu family. He is now alone. Sun Yuqi doesn't even acknowledge that she is a member of the Gu family, let alone that she has a father who wants to kill her."
Gu Zhengshan stared at Gu Tingyan for a long moment before he said expressionlessly, "Are you gloating over his misfortune? Are you happy that your third brother has ended up like this?"
The curve of Gu Tingyan's mouth didn't change. He just sneered, "What's wrong? Even now, father is still thinking about how to use me and everything around him to save your two useless sons?"
The sarcasm in Gu Tingyan's words was too obvious. He had been very depressed over the years. After talking with Gu Xueyuan, he realized that he had been a little foolishly filial in the past. Now he was willing to take care of the two elderly people. It was just his responsibility and the role model he had to set as an official.
Gu Zhengshan didn't expect that he wouldn't feel the slightest bit of emotion when hearing these words. He didn't care about the sarcasm in Gu Tingyan's words, but lowered his head and said, "Now find a way to notify Xueyuan to come to the south! This is his grandmother, he should come to see her off for the last time."
Gu Tingyan smiled gently. "Of course. My son and my family at least know what to do and what not to do. Oh, have you informed Sun Yuqi?"
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