Chapter 16.016. Apologize to his grandpa and ancestors.
"...How did things come to this? Can't we just pay them some money? Logically speaking, they were the ones who bullied Siyi first, so they should pay us first! Even if we don't want the medical expenses, is that not enough? We can't let Huang Mao go to jail..."
The night was bright and the stars were few; dark, gloomy clouds obscured most of the moon. Xia Chan was talking on the phone with her grandmother in the courtyard.
"It's not about money right now," Xia Chan sighed softly, unsure how to explain the situation to her grandmother.
When elderly people get old, they only feel useless when it comes to spending money to build connections.
She could only reassure them that she should take care of Siyi first, saying that things hadn't reached the final stage yet and they would still try their best to negotiate with the parents, before hanging up the phone.
This morning, shortly after Huang Mao's younger brother left, Grandma and Siyi heard the news. Apparently, some parents sent a lawyer's letter directly to the hospital, which angered Huang Mao so much that he almost went to confront them with a stick.
After learning about the incident, Siyi experienced a rapid heart rate again. She was scolded by the doctor for a long time and underwent emergency treatment and observation for half a day before her heart rate stabilized.
Now that she's finally been put to sleep, Grandma has a chance to sneak out to the hospital corridor and make her a phone call.
It's hard to say whether it wasn't intentional stupidity and malice.
Xia Chan mentally cursed the parent who sent the lawyer's letter, then closed her eyes and sighed deeply.
Huang Mao hesitated when he came over. The early autumn night was quiet. He cautiously sidled up to Xia Chan and saw that she seemed to be meditating with her eyes closed. He wanted to speak but didn't dare to.
Xia Chan opened her eyes and glanced at him.
"What's up?"
"Sister Chan..." The blond-haired man gripped the hem of his hoodie with his fingertips, his eyes lowered, "Why don't you beat me up?"
"What good would it do if I hit you?" Xia Chan glanced at him indifferently.
The blond guy fell silent, his grip on the edge of his hoodie tightening.
Xia Chan got up from the rattan chair, brushed past him, and said indifferently, "If hitting you would do any good, you'd be a dead man by now! If there's a problem, solve it. If you can't solve it, then everything else is pointless. If you can't solve this, then go to jail! It'll be good for you to wake up."
Huang Mao pursed his lips as he watched her retreating figure enter the house.
Chen Zhoudu was washing dishes in the small kitchen on the west side. He heard their conversation clearly and ran into Huang Mao when he came out.
The blond-haired man had lost all will to argue with him. He faced him directly, his lips moved slightly, but he didn't say anything and walked away with his head down, dragging his steps.
Before everyone in Shanfeng Lane went to sleep that night, Uncle Chao and Aunt Chao's family came over.
"What a scoundrel! His ancestors are nothing but bastards!" Aunt Chao still had that same indignant look on her face. "Isn't it obvious that he's bullying us ordinary folks who have no money or power?"
"So what if he lives in Tianhe Bay? If he's so capable, he can live in Yinhe!"
"Chanchan... don't worry! They're looking for people in the county town, right? We'll look for them too! Your Uncle Chao's former direct superior has been reassigned to the city! We can find people in the city even if we have to go through a few twists and turns! Who's afraid of who!"
Xia Chan just smiled at them, neither refusing nor rejecting them, but she knew it was pointless.
Uncle Chao and Aunt Chao were both former railway employees who were forced to retire years ago, and they had lost contact with each other for many years. Moreover, if their so-called connections were useful, they probably wouldn't have been in such a sorry state when they were forced to retire back then, but she still didn't want to let them down.
After the Chao family left, Xia Chan tidied up the front hall and told Chen Zhoudu and Huang Mao to go back and rest early.
Grandma is a light sleeper, so she sleeps in a room not far from the hotel reception. She can get up immediately if guests need anything at night.
Now that Siyi has been moved to a regular ward and her grandmother is staying with her, Xia Chan moved her own bedding to her grandmother's room to sleep.
After thinking for a moment, Chen Zhoudu said to her, "I'll switch with you in the second half of the night."
Xia Chan smiled and politely declined, "There aren't many guests, and I usually sleep in my grandma's room occasionally, so I'm used to it. Don't bother me. If you wake me up in the middle of the night, it'll be more trouble than it's worth."
The sunken boat did not persist.
After washing up in his room at night, Chen Zhoudu sat down again under the lamp at the table and pulled out a series of phone numbers from his phone.
He hesitated for two seconds before dialing the number. A middle-aged man's voice quickly came from the other end of the line, sounding both surprised and enthusiastic.
"Hey, Zhoudu? What brings you to call me all of a sudden? How's your dad doing lately? And how's your studies going...?"
"I'm fine, Uncle Sun," Chen Zhoudu smiled.
After exchanging a few simple pleasantries, he started talking and finally said, "Uncle Sun, there's something I might need to trouble you with. And I'll also need you to not tell my dad for now."
-
A few days later, Siyi's condition stabilized, and the doctor informed her that she could be discharged.
Xia Chan and Shen Zhoudu both took two class periods off to go to the county town to pick her up.
Siyi has been surviving on IV fluids and liquid food for the past few days. Although she is out of danger, she is still very weak, and Huangmao even rented a wheelchair for her. Uncle Chao and Aunt Chao even took the initiative to clear out their own van for hauling goods to pick her up.
Before going to the hospital, Xia Chan and Shen Zhoudu specially ordered a small bouquet of orange sunflowers from a florist.
Although Siyi kept saying why she had to spend so much money when she hugged the flowers, her smile was even brighter than that of the sunflowers.
Although there have been a lot of upsetting things lately, this moment is particularly heartwarming, and Shen Zhoudu couldn't help but smile when he saw her smiling happily.
Just as they were about to leave, several people suddenly came to the ward; they were the students' parents.
Upon seeing their grinning expressions, Huang Mao's expression instantly hardened. He instinctively shielded Si Yi behind him and coldly demanded, "What are you doing here!"
This time, however, the parents changed their attitude, asking Siyi how she was feeling and saying they had come to apologize.
This left Huang Mao, Si Yi, and the others completely baffled... What's wrong with them?
"Siyi, we were wrong before. Our child knew you couldn't attend PE class but still forced you to exercise, which caused you to fall ill. We were wrong, and we apologize to you..."
They bowed and scraped repeatedly in apology, and offered gifts, nutritional supplements, and even gold bars.
Huang Mao and Si Yi exchanged a bewildered glance.
When they called their children to come inside and apologize, the boys and girls were quite reluctant. One of the boys' parents even shoved him and scolded him.
"Hurry up! Apologize! It's all your fault that your mother is going to get punished at work! Look at the mess you've made... Apologize now!"
The group stared at each other, their eyes widening in disbelief, and shook their heads. Xia Chan, however, subtly glanced at her side, a sudden premonition stirring within her.
The sunken boat remained unmoved.
"Zheng Siyi, I'm sorry."
"Zheng Siyi, I'm sorry."
“Zheng Siyi…”
...
They all apologized one by one. One of the students' parents then awkwardly stepped forward, pulled out a printed letter of understanding, and said to Siyi, "Siyi, look... we've apologized and offered our gifts, could you... sign this letter of understanding? That way, we can consider this a peaceful reconciliation..."
Siyi glanced at the letter of understanding, slightly startled. It seemed that once signed, the matter was settled, and neither party would pursue the matter further. Just as she hesitated whether to accept it, Aunt Chao stepped forward, pulled Siyi behind her, and asked rather rudely, "What about our medical expenses?"
"We'll cover it! We'll cover it all!" the parents said repeatedly. "As long as Siyi is willing to sign this letter of understanding..."
"Then what about the child's lawsuit?" she asked, pointing at the blond-haired man.
"We're not going to pursue this further! We're not going to pursue this further!"
"What about the medical expenses he paid for your child?"
"No! We don't want it anymore!" They waved their hands repeatedly, looking distressed. "They were the ones who made the mistake first, so it's only right that they got beaten. We're proud, we're all proud... So look..." They handed over a letter of understanding.
Aunt Chao glanced at Grandma with surprise, suppressing her excitement. Grandma, who had been standing there expressionless, finally took a deep breath and said calmly, "One thing at a time, we still have to pay the money that is owed to us."
She accepted the letter of understanding but didn't sign it. Instead, she folded it neatly and put it in her pocket, saying that they would discuss it later after both parties had compiled all the expense invoices and reimbursed the costs.
In the end, I couldn't help but offer a few criticisms.
“You should educate your children properly from now on! No matter what, I’m your elder, and look at your attitude last time… If you don’t educate your own children properly, there will be plenty of people to educate them when they enter society! Teenagers are all so arrogant and domineering, and you parents have the greatest responsibility! It will be too late to regret it when something serious happens in the future!”
The parents nodded, looking dejected.
On the way back, the group was still amused by the unexpected apology, and Aunt Chao laughed the whole way.
Siyi: "Why did they suddenly apologize to us?"
"Who knows? Maybe he drank too much fake alcohol last night? But whatever! It's good news that the matter is resolved! Now that Siyi is alright and Huangmao is alright, it's double happiness!"
The matter was indeed resolved, which was the best thing. Huang Mao, Siyi's grandmother, and the others all smiled with relief.
Xia Chan didn't show any emotion along the way, observing the sunken boat ferry silently.
Since the parents arrived, Chen Zhoudu had remained calm and composed, showing no surprise at their arrival or apologies.
Xia Chan pursed her lips slightly and looked out the window.
"Hey, Old Chao!" Halfway there, Aunt Chao suddenly remembered something and patted Uncle Chao, who was driving. "Could it be that the thing you asked Old Yuan to do had some effect?"
This sentence drew the attention of most of the people in the car to Uncle Chao. Uncle Chao scratched his head, looking confused. "Who knows? Maybe? But it shouldn't be like this... He said the possibility was slim, and I didn't expect him to be reliable..."
"It must be!" Aunt Chao started reviewing the events, pushing back the timeline, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt that it must have been the connections in the city that played a role. She even praised Old Yuan along with her.
Having found the source, Huang Mao, Si Yi, and the others couldn't help but get excited. Xia Chan chuckled silently and shook her head, while Chen Zhoudu quietly curved his lips into a smile.
Grandma patted Uncle Chao on the shoulder and praised him highly.
"Wow, you're something else! Old Chao! You've got quite a network! We're well-connected now, huh!"
"Wow, Old Chao is amazing!"
"Uncle Chao! Uncle Chao! Uncle Chao!"
Siyi and Huangmao clapped their hands to cheer each other on, and Xia Chan, watching the excitement, lazily clapped along with a smile. Chen Zhoudu also smiled and clapped lightly.
Uncle Chao, driving ahead, was so flattered by the compliments that his face turned bright red and he couldn't suppress his smile.
That evening, "Du" decided to hold a small celebration to celebrate Siyi's discharge from the hospital and Huangmao's escape from danger.
When they returned to "Du", Lala and Panghu had already finished school and set up a brazier at the door with several elders from Shanfeng Lane.
After Siyi got off the bus, she was first helped by everyone to step over the brazier, and then water droplets were sprinkled on her body with willow branches as a way to ward off illness and misfortune.
When it was Huang Mao's turn, he jumped over the fire pit, and Grandma used a wet willow branch to whip him with all her might.
The yellow-haired man was whipped so badly that he circled around the yard howling.
"Ouch! Grandma! It hurts! It hurts! You're going to beat me to death before I even get to the police station... It hurts, Grandma, it hurts—"
"Grandma doesn't care, she cares about you!" The old lady, her voice booming, swung her arm and gave you a good beating. "You're always causing trouble! You're so impulsive! You'd be better off being beaten to death inside than causing trouble outside! Chanchan—"
In the end, she handed the willow branch directly to Xia Chan, who then pretended to press her knuckles and stepped forward, raising the willow branch as if to hit someone. The blond-haired man screamed even more pitifully.
"Damn it, you're so cruel! You'd be better off just killing me than letting Sister Chan hit me! Ah, Sister Chan, Sister Chan, Sister Chan, I was wrong—"
Everyone in the courtyard burst into laughter. Chen Zhoudu smiled faintly, his gaze falling on a figure.
In the evening, everyone set up a barbecue in the courtyard of "Du". Aunt Chao also brought out her own hot pot. People could choose what to eat by grilling meat on one side and having hot pot on the other.
Nowadays, there aren't many people in the hotel during the off-season, but Grandma and Aunt Chao still invited guests to join in the fun.
Other families in Shanfeng Lane also came after hearing the news, bringing their own vegetables, meat, fruit wine, and so on.
One group finished eating and left, and another group came over after hearing the noise.
The atmosphere in the courtyard was chaotic yet warm and lively all night long, with laughter ringing out one after another.
"Oh my! You all have no idea!" Aunt Chao, her face flushed from drinking, was still recounting the legendary events of the day and Old Chao's connections. "I told him to go and try contacting that old man Yuan! He said no, no, that old man Yuan couldn't help! He just wouldn't believe me! Luckily, I told him to go, right? Sometimes you just have to ask about connections! No matter how long it's been since you last contacted them, how will you know if you don't ask..."
"Yes..."
"Who would have thought that old man Yuan would be doing so well now? He used to work for my old Qi!"
"You can only say someone has good fortune..."
Lala and Fatty Tiger played and chased each other around the yard with the other kids, occasionally sitting down at the table for a drink.
Grandma, watching over them, kept calling out, "Hey! Children can't drink alcohol!"
Chen Zhoudu went back to his house to answer a phone call, and when he came out again, he found that a figure was gone. He searched the yard and found her sitting on the roof.
The roof of "Crossing" is an open platform where several old solar panels and bed sheets are placed.
Xia Chan sometimes gets bored and likes to stay here quietly, so she put an old sofa here and surrounded it with small nightlights, which creates a unique sense of tranquility when lit up.
Xia Chan sat alone on the sofa with her knees bent, a few empty wine bottles lying at her feet.
Here you can enjoy the coolest breeze and starry sky of late summer and early autumn, and you can clearly hear all the laughter in the courtyard.
A gentle breeze ruffled her wispy hair as she gazed into the distance, a smile occasionally playing on her lips.
Suddenly, a new bottle of wine was handed to her, and Xia Chan paused slightly and looked up.
Suddenly, a clean and handsome face appeared in my field of vision, calm and refined, his white shirt fluttering slightly in the night breeze.
The wind seemed to favor those who were beautiful. The breeze ruffled the boy's hair, but it only made him look more natural and aloof. He smiled warmly when he met her gaze.
"Want some?"
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