Chapter 168: Parents' Worry
Time flies, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye. During these three years, many big and small things have happened.
During these three years, the gears of fate turned rapidly, and everyone ushered in new changes. Zhao Dalong and Song Ruonan's love blossomed, and the birth of their daughter was like the arrival of a little angel. Her delicate and beautiful appearance made everyone love her to the extreme.
The demolition of old houses in Nanshuikou was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake. The huge demolition costs and the massive reconstruction project attracted many wealthy people to fight over the land.
Lin Jianyan's business was like a soaring dragon. He established two branches and his business soared. With his business acumen and bold decisions, he continued to expand his business territory.
Gu Min also achieved a brilliant turnaround, from being unknown to being called a teacher by others. Her team also expanded a bit. When Lin Jianyan was not around, she was the one who looked after the studio.
Huang Liang worked hard in the factory, and grew from a novice who moved and counted goods to a warehouse supervisor. In the first year, he paid back the 20,000 yuan he owed to Lin Jianyan.
But he hasn't found a partner yet, which makes Huang's father a little worried.
As for the police officers in Wan Shui Lane, whether they were promoted or resigned and returned to their daily lives, they all lived a happy and fulfilling life.
Another big event was that after three or four years of entanglement, Chen Haowen and Zhou Mu finally eloped.
Lin Jianyan was shocked when he heard the news. He thought the worst outcome for the two of them would be that they would just treat each other with respect and remain speechless. He never thought they would be so brave as to elope.
Moreover, it was said that he had fled abroad. The two parents were so angry that they threatened to just treat their son as if he did not exist, but they continued to search for him secretly.
But the country is too big, and the Internet and communications are not well developed. The two families searched for more than half a year but still couldn't find the child. This incident made the two families a laughing stock in the circle, and it took a long time for it to be gradually covered up by other things.
…
It is now autumn 1989.
Qin Wu is also thirty years old. The years have left few traces on his face, but his temperament has become more mature, like a glass of mellow wine that makes people want to indulge in it at first sight.
Last week, there was a long-distance call from the mainland, saying that the land Qin Wu bought and the company he established had been established, and he wanted to go back to take a look.
It just so happened that Lin Jianyan also had some free time and wanted to go back with us, along with Zhao Dalong.
When Zhao Dalong said he wanted to go back with him, Lin Jianyan was a little surprised.
Lin Jianyan sat on the sofa with a newspaper in her hand, and asked Zhao Dalong, "Are you going back too? Will Miss Ruonan follow you?"
Zhao Dalong shook his head, "Yes, I want to go back and take a look. An Nan won't follow me. Nan Nan is still young and can't stand the long journey."
Lin Jianyan put down the newspaper in his hand and asked, "Dalong, you have been with me for three or four years, right?"
Zhao Dalong smiled and said seriously, "To be exact, it's been three years and nine months."
Lin Jianyan turned around and joked with a smile: "You remember it so clearly, are you counting the days all day long?"
Zhao Dalong grinned and said, "No need to calculate specifically, I have always kept it in mind."
"You. Tell me, do you want to go back to the mainland this time because you miss home and just want to take a look, or do you want to return home with glory?"
"Brother, I haven't told you about my story, right?"
Lin Jianyan was stunned. That was really not the case. He had never asked specifically for fear of touching upon his sorrow.
"Would you like to talk about it?"
Zhao Dalong looked into the distance, as if reminiscing about the past. "My family is from a rural area in southern Taiwan. I remember that my family was very poor when I was young. I have two brothers and a sister. Including me, my parents have four children in total. Together with the elders, there are more than ten people in our family."
Lin Jianyan listened silently, listening to him recalling the past.
"I remember that year was 1977. I was only 14 or 15 years old. The harvest was poor in those two years and there were many children in the family. My two brothers had grown up and could do housework for the family, but I was at the age of growing up. I was very small at that time. My parents were afraid that I would starve to death, so they gave me away."
"I remember my mother cried so hard, begging that person to be kind to me and give me something to eat." He paused, as if trying to calm down.
Lin Jianyan did not urge him, but just waited silently for his next move.
"My mother thought he found a rich man who could support me, but they didn't know that the man was a kidnapper. Oh, kidnapper means human trafficker." He was afraid that Lin Jianyan didn't understand, so he explained it to him.
When Lin Jianyan heard him say this, she had a premonition that his future days would not be easy, and she couldn't help but feel sad for him.
Zhao Dalong continued, "At first I didn't know he was a kidnapper, so I just carried a small bag and followed him. At that time I was still thinking that I must make a name for myself in the future and go home to take good care of my parents."
"I followed that man onto the train and left my hometown. He pretended to be nice for a few days at first. I can't say the food was very good, but he still gave me enough to eat."
"But he was a kidnapper after all, and he couldn't raise a child for nothing, so he made me go out to beg. At first I didn't want to, so he beat me. During that time, I didn't have a single piece of good flesh on my body, but later I was scared and gave in."
He still remembered that the winters of those two years were particularly cold, and he would get frostbite on his hands and feet every year, which was extremely painful and itchy. But his heart was even colder, and when he saw the eyes of those passers-by looking at him, some were sympathetic, some were pitiful, and some were disgusted as if they saw some virus, he dared not raise his head, and his heart was filled with hatred for the beggar!
Zhao Dalong said, "Later, the man kidnapped several children, who were forced to beg on the street like me. If we didn't get enough money every day, he would beat us."
"But at that time, people didn't even have enough food to eat, so how much money could they give to a beggar? So our injuries were getting worse every day, and some children couldn't bear it and were beaten to death."
When Lin Jianyan heard this, he clenched his fists, unable to conceal his hatred. These traffickers deserved to die.
Zhao Dalong took a deep breath, holding back the tears in his eyes, and continued, "Once, he came up with a new trick to cripple us and gain sympathy from others. I really couldn't stand it."
"I was determined to fight him to the death. I was only 17 years old at the time, and I hadn't had enough food for a long time. How could I beat an adult?"
"My scar came from that time. He came at me with a hatchet and I almost thought I was going to die."
"But it seemed like God was on my side. While he was fighting with me, his feet suddenly slipped backwards and his head hit the corner of the table." At this point, Zhao Dalong laughed heartily.
"I saw him lying on the ground, blood all over the back of his head. I didn't know if he was dead or not, but I was so scared that I ran away. I picked up the bolt on the road."
"I wanted to go home, but I couldn't find the way, so I wandered with Shuanzi, and finally got on a boat for some unknown reason. When the boat docked, I came here."
Lin Jianyan felt a little depressed, with a thousand words stuck in her throat and she didn't know how to say them.