Chapter 136
Grandpa Han was a little surprised to hear this answer, but when he thought about it carefully, it was expected.
The Han family had three members, the Chu family had four, and the seven of them had personalities like a rainbow, all colorful and different. With so many people, the closeness and distance between them would all be reflected. This was inevitable. Just like Wen Xiuwei and Chu Shao, they were even considering getting married when they reached the right age. So, of course, they were closer. If Wen Xiuwei and Han Shengyi were closer, Chu Shao would have rolled up his sleeves and started a fight with Han Shengyi.
Chu Shao is close to Wen Xiuwei, while Han Shengyi is closer to Chu Jiujiu. There seems to be only one word difference between good friends and best friends, but there is actually a huge gap between them.
Chu Shao respected all of Han Shengyi's decisions. No matter what Han Shengyi wanted to do, even if Chu Shao disagreed, he would just suppress the idea of disagreement, then nod slightly to Han Shengyi and tell him to be careful.
Chu Jiujiu can't do these things. She will cry and make a fuss. She is even more unreasonable and always tries to impose her own ideas on Han Shengyi. She looks very domineering, but in fact, she just doesn't want Han Shengyi to get hurt.
The closer the relationship, the more control there is, and the tighter the constraints are. Looking around, the only person who would speak out all her thoughts frankly and try her best to stop Han Shengyi from doing certain things is Chu Jiujiu, apart from the old couple.
Thinking of this, Grandpa Han couldn't help but laugh, "You two are quite funny, almost like each other's nemesis."
Han Shengyi meticulously cares for Chu Jiujiu, even when others can't help her correct a fault, but Han Shengyi only needs to feign anger and say a few words, and she will change on her own initiative. Once Han Shengyi makes a decision, even eight horses can't pull him back. Chu Jiujiu is like the ninth horse to him. As long as she doesn't move, Han Shengyi can't move forward and must return obediently.
Listening to Grandpa Han's joke, Han Shengyi pursed his lips and smiled, "Isn't this great? You and grandma don't have to worry about me all the time."
Grandpa Han looked at Han Shengyi, and the two of them looked at each other, and everything became tacitly understood.
Han Shengyi was always right in guessing what outsiders were thinking, and even what his own family members were thinking. However, this was also due to Grandpa Han's overly expressive nature. He had been constantly worried lately, and after a month of being looked at that way, even the most obtuse Han Shengyi should have understood that he was worried about him.
Feeling a little embarrassed, Grandpa Han patted his legs and laughed dryly. He changed the subject: "So what are you going to do? If the wine doesn't like it, do you still want to continue working here?"
Han Shengyi shook his head. "The college entrance examination will be held next year. Once the notice of its resumption comes out, I will no longer work in your secretarial office. As for what major to choose and what I want to do after graduation, I want to think about it carefully."
Judging from his tone, this wasn't a sudden decision, but rather one made after careful consideration. Grandpa Han suddenly became curious, "Have you thought of the general direction now?"
Han Shengyi smiled: "A few."
Seeing him like this, Grandpa Han said repeatedly: "That's good, that's good."
Not everyone has a clear goal, nor is there a career they're willing to dedicate their entire lives to, a career they're willing to pursue with the same devotion as a moth to a flame. Chu Shao and Chu Jiujiu found it, but Han Shengyi couldn't. It's because he was born that way. He excels at many things and enjoys many things, but none of them can truly be called a passion.
He enjoyed working in government agencies, pursuing continuous academic advancement, and building his own business from scratch. He could find something interesting in almost every popular industry. That's why, upon hearing Chu Jiujiu's words, he immediately made a one-year commitment. To him, this job truly held no weight.
Now with Grandpa Han's strong intervention, Han Shengyi thought that maybe he wouldn't even need a year.
The bedroom door was closed for more than half an hour before it was reopened. Chu Jiujiu and Grandma Han were still sitting together in the living room. They both stared at the TV intently, as if they didn't care at all about what they were saying. After ten minutes of trying to cover up their mistake, Grandma Han called Grandpa Han into the bedroom, and Chu Jiujiu called Han Shengyi to the third floor.
Four people, two rooms, talking about the same thing. The two men silently repeated the previous conversation. After listening to it, Grandma Han had the same reaction as Grandpa Han, both of them showed a smile that they could finally relax. Chu Jiujiu was very surprised. She stared with her eyes wide open, but her voice was very low.
"Did Grandpa Han really arrest their entire family?"
Han Shengyi nodded slightly.
Chu Jiujiu was stunned, and seemed to calm down for a moment before she quickly asked, "Then, then your mother, isn't it, Ruan Mengru..."
Han Shengyi shook his head, "I don't know."
Before Chu Jiujiu could ask the next question, he answered first, "I didn't ask. In fact, there's no need to ask. If she was still able to move freely, she would have come to me a long time ago."
Chu Jiujiu blinked.
That’s right, even my third aunt, a relative I wasn’t close to before and haven’t seen for nearly ten years, came to find me. If Ruan Mengru was still out there, she would definitely have come earlier.
As for what crime Grandpa Han used to imprison Ruan Mengru and what means, that was unimportant. Grandpa Han did this because he didn't want Han Shengyi to get involved and didn't want them, the younger generation, to be involved in such things. In this case, they only needed to see the result; the process had nothing to do with them.
Chu Jiujiu figured it out, but she was still in a daze. Han Shengyi waved his hand in front of her and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Chu Jiujiu looked at him and touched her hair. She sighed, "I was thinking, Grandpa Han really is a very powerful person. He smiles all day long. Even when he goes out to work every day, I always feel that he is out farming like he was in Qingzhu Village..."
Han Shengyi: “…”
——
The Ruan family was suppressed by Grandpa Han with just one finger. Although they were not crushed to death, it was absolutely impossible for them to turn over. When Han Jibin got the news, the Ruan family had been locked up for three days. He sat in the office with a very bad look on his face.
It’s not that he was worried about the Ruan family, but he found that he was not as well-informed as before.
Ever since he was fined for the flood incident last year, nothing has gone right for him. His career hasn't advanced, and his former friends have gradually cut ties with him and are no longer willing to help him. Now that the Ruan family has fallen, he has no idea where Ruan Mengru has gone. The Guo family is also busy trying to rescue Ruan Mengru.
The fact that one is not well-informed is not a big deal in itself; what is scary is the nature that is revealed behind it.
Han Jibin - he's on the decline.
Being in his forties or fifties is exactly the best age to be an official. He has enough experience and is neither too young nor too old. All he needs to do next is find a springboard, and then his dream life as a high-ranking official will be secured.
But just as he touched the edge of the springboard, he was suddenly slapped down by a hidden hand. This couldn't be right. How could this be? He didn't want to spend his whole life in this position that was neither high nor low!
Han Jibin was also quite naive. He had no idea who was secretly working against him and thought that the worst-case scenario for him was a peaceful retirement in his current position. He sat in his office chair, his expression shifting, not knowing who he was trying to cause trouble for. And at that moment, the biggest trouble of his life had just arrived on the train.
Guo Heizi finally finished all the household chores, bringing his wife and three children with him. Guo Heizi pretended to be calm, but he was actually very excited.
The train was full of people. He couldn't afford a seat ticket, so he bought five standing tickets. The train would take two days and one night to get from here to the capital. Guo Heizi's family's luggage was piled in the narrow aisle near the carriage. He let the children sit on the luggage to rest, while he watched the scenery passing by outside the window with great interest.
As he was watching, suddenly, he thought of something. He touched his chest and found that the money, bills and letters were all there. Guo Heizi breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he couldn't help laughing again.
From now on, he is also a citizen of the capital!
…
Chu Jiujiu told Director Ma that she would go to the institute again in September, so she would still be free for the rest of August.
Chang Fangyuan finally found a suitable house. It was not too close to the Han family or the Chu family, but it was quite close to the studio, so it would be more convenient for Wen Xiuwei to come in and out in the future.
After Chang Fangyuan moved there, Wen Xiuwei also lived there for a week. Chu Jiujiu also followed, but she only stayed there for three days and then came back.
Wen Xiuwei was still reluctant to leave Chu Jiujiu alone at home, but the person who persuaded her to stay was Chu Jiujiu.
She said she was grown up and that being alone at home was okay. Han Shengyi would take her home every night and would always check the doors and windows. She felt safe and not alone. Chang Fangyuan, on the other hand, was the loneliest person. She hadn't seen her daughter in eleven years, and her husband had gone abroad.
After hearing this, Wen Xiuwei wanted to say something else, but Chu Jiujiu stopped her and whispered to her that Wen Xiuwei was the luckiest person among the four of them because she was the only one who could see her mother again.
Hearing this, Wen Xiuwei was silent for a long time, and finally moved all her things over. Chu Jiujiu helped her move. When she came back, Han Shengyi followed her and observed her for a long time. He didn't see any expression of loss on Chu Jiujiu's face, and he couldn't help but feel a little surprised.
He thought Chu Jiujiu was letting go of her lover reluctantly, but seeing how calm she looked, it seemed... as if she really didn't care about Wen Xiuwei moving out?
He guessed right.
Chu Jiujiu really doesn't care.
Because she knew that Wen Xiuwei would only move out for a year. Next year, when Chu Shao was twenty years old and had passed the college entrance examination, they could get married! By then, Wen Xiuwei would still have to move back, and this time she would never move out again!
Compared with the next few decades, this year is nothing. Thinking of this, Chu Jiujiu felt quite sympathetic towards Chang Fangyuan. She would not care about the short separation of this year.
…
Plans cannot keep up with changes. Chu Jiujiu and Han Jibin didn’t remember this sentence.
At ten o'clock in the morning one day, Guo Heizi found the door of Han Jibin's unit according to the address. He asked the people in the unit in a big way which office Han Jibin was in. Many people saw him with his family and couldn't help but stop to watch. After hearing about it, Han Jibin hurried out. When Guo Heizi saw him, he immediately smiled and revealed a mouthful of yellow teeth.
"Director Han! Director Han! I'm here to report to you!"
At least twenty people witnessed this scene, and it is hard to say how many more people these twenty people told about it later.
Everyone only saw Han Jibin hurriedly taking Guo Heizi out, and no one knew what they talked about.
August is a month full of farces. Things that happen are always out of order, making it difficult to understand the situation. This is the case with the Ruan family and the case with Han Jibin and Guo Heizi.
By September, the farce had all disappeared and the whole country was in a state of panic.
Because the sky has changed.
This month, an era came to an end, and with it, various backlash phenomena emerged. However, no matter how hard they struggled, history has been written and will not be changed by the appearance of one or two people. The university professors who returned home early finally got the word "rehabilitation" they had been waiting for. The largest wave of rehabilitation appeared. Almost every day in the newspapers were talking about these things, and the words used in the newspapers were becoming more and more passionate. Now, even the old man who could not read a single word knew that the insults such as "stinking old nine" and "five black categories" would eventually be eliminated from the stage of history.
Some were rehabilitated, others were liquidated. Some played it safe, while others lost sight of reality. Just as Guo Deshu's family had climbed to prominence by stepping on the corpses of others, now those same corpses were the very ones that pulled them down. The situation changed so quickly, leaving them no time to react. Guo Deshu had been trying to rescue Ruan Mengru the day before, and the next day, he was incarcerated himself, his fate even worse than Ruan Mengru's.
Ruan Mengru was murdered by Grandpa Han, but Guo Deshu's crimes were clear: corruption, forced confession, lynching, false accusations, etc. All the crimes were piled up together. Within half a month, the final verdict came down: death penalty.
The law at that time was not so perfect, and a case did not need to go through a long trial process. This was a disadvantage, but sometimes it was an advantage because people who deserved to die always died very quickly.
Guo Deshu was executed, and those members of the Guo family who deserved to be imprisoned were imprisoned, and those who deserved to be deposed were deposed. Their family was not the first to suffer such misfortune, nor would they be the last. Chaos abounded everywhere, but ordinary people could not see this chaos; they could only see in the newspapers that a few more criminals had been caught.
The more chaotic the situation, the more suitable it is for taking advantage of troubled waters. I don't know what method Ruan Mengru used, but she actually escaped. She got the news on the day Guo Deshu was shot. Because Guo Deshu wanted to see her one last time before he died, he couldn't do it according to the rules, but the people who imprisoned them were not so ruthless, so they told Ruan Mengru the news. I thought that after she got out, the first thing she should do should be to go back to the Guo family to deal with the aftermath. Others can leave it to others, but at the very least, she should make arrangements for her two children. But she didn't. After she got out, she went straight to Han Jibin's house.
The door was banged so hard that Ruan Mengru didn't even care whether Han Jibin's family members were inside. The violent banging sounds could be heard all around. Han Jibin opened the door and saw Ruan Mengru, who was disheveled. His eyes widened instantly.
"Why are you here?"
Ruan Mengru didn't speak to him. She squeezed in regardless. Han Jibin quickly closed the door. He turned around and saw Ruan Mengru picked up the enamel pot on the table and drank a few sips of water. Then she turned her head and said, "The person who hurt me is Han Tinghui."
Han Jibin was stunned.
He knew that someone wanted to take over the Ruan family, and he suspected that it was Grandpa Han who did it, but he couldn't find any evidence, so he never confirmed it. Now that Ruan Mengru said this, it only confirmed his guess.
Han Jibin half lowered his head, as if thinking about something. Ruan Mengru walked towards him quickly, "I want to leave here."
She interrupted Han Jibin's thoughts. Han Jibin raised his head and heard her say quickly: "Guo Deshu is also dead. They did it. Han Tinghui doesn't want to let me go. I want to leave, right away."
Only then did Han Jibin realize that Ruan Mengru was not in a good state.
She was extremely anxious, and her eyes were empty, as if she was talking to him, or as if she was talking to herself. She was scared, very scared.
"I can't let them catch me again. You give me money and I have to leave with it."
Han Jibin: "You're asking me for money? I can barely protect myself, how can I give you any money? I think you should just go home. Guo Deshu is dead. Even if someone really causes trouble for you, you can always put the blame on Guo Deshu."
Ruan Mengru acted as if she didn't hear anything. "Give me the money. I want five thousand."
Han Jibin thought she was sick, "Why should I give you money, Ruan Mengru, this is my home, I said, you can never come to my house, get out, get out!"
As he said this, he was about to grab Ruan Mengru's arm, but as soon as he touched Ruan Mengru, the latter screamed. Her scream was sharp and shrill, and she looked almost crazy.
"Don't touch me! I want money, money! Han Jibin, it's all your fault. If it weren't for you, how could I have ended up like this? Everyone in my family has been arrested. It's all your fault, it's all your fault!!"
She had a ferocious expression and pretended to strangle Han Jibin's neck, but the difference in strength between men and women was too great, and Han Jibin pushed her off him in just one move.
"You're crazy!"
Ruan Mengru's stomach hit the corner of the table, and she screamed in pain. But she didn't care about her own injuries. She turned around and punched and kicked Han Jibin again, "I'm not crazy! Han Jibin, you ruined my life! I reported Han Jixin for you, I married Guo Deshu for you, I did so much for you, and you didn't save me! Give me the money, give me back my money!"
The crazy woman was quite strong, and when a person was crazy, he was extremely difficult to deal with. Han Jibin was already anxious because his wife had taken the children back to her parents' home today. If she came back and saw this scene, he would be finished.
He pushed Ruan Mengru to the ground, and she was dizzy. She hit the wall behind her, making a dull and loud noise.
Han Jibin didn't care. He said angrily, "You for me? You are so cruel, why do you blame me? I asked you to report Han Jixin, but I didn't ask you to kill him! It was you who insisted on killing him! Didn't you invite Guo Deshu? Marry whoever you want. I don't care about your mess!"
Ruan Mengru was questioned by him one by one, and she suddenly burst into tears, "You seduced me, you seduced me first, I did it all for you, how could you do this to me!"
Seeing that she was still trying to confuse right and wrong, Han Jibin kicked her angrily and said, "Get the hell out of here!"
"You're restless, what does it have to do with me? You slut, if you hadn't come to me first, I wouldn't have even looked at you! I haven't even touched you once, but you're the one who came to me like a dog-skin plaster! You killed Han Jixin and ruined the entire Han family, and you still have the nerve to cry! The Han family is gone, and I spent so much effort to save myself, do you know?"
"You're nothing but a waste! Get out of here, get out now!!!"
Years of resentment erupted at this moment, and Han Jibin took out all his anger on Ruan Mengru. He was so angry that he grabbed Ruan Mengru's head and slammed it against the wall. Ruan Mengru cried and struggled, but she couldn't stop him at all. At this moment, the door was suddenly kicked open.
"stop!"
"Han Jibin, let her go!"
Several men with serious faces rushed in together. Han Jibin was stunned on the spot. He watched those men walk in, then slowly looked at Ruan Mengru who was still in his hand.
His mind was blank, and after a long time, three words flashed through his mind.
Fell into a trap.
But he didn't even know who came up with this plan, because he couldn't understand how anyone could know that he and Ruan Mengru had such a good secret relationship. The first thing Ruan Mengru did after she came out was to come find him.
Han Jibin was taken away by these comrades. His hands were handcuffed behind his back and he was bent over. Han Jibin was pushed out. His miserable appearance was seen by all the neighbors around him.
Under a poplar tree across the street, thick fallen leaves piled up on the sidewalk. Han Shengyi stood in the middle of the fallen leaves, watching Han Jibin and Ruan Mengru being escorted out one after another. He looked at Han Jibin with a panicked and confused expression, and then he curled his lips.
Still confused? There's more to come.
After Han Jibin was taken away, he panicked, but not too much. He recalled what he had said. At best, it revealed that he and Ruan Mengru had an improper relationship, and that Ruan Mengru followed his advice to report Han Jixin. Ruan Mengru had done it all. He had just said a word, which did not count as evidence. As long as he insisted that it was a slip of the tongue, no one could do anything to him.
He had a good idea, but when the interrogators came in, he found that they didn't ask about anything related to Han Jixin at all, but only about trivial matters.
"Were you the one who first proposed the Qingshi Town Dam Project?"
"Do you know Chen Dazhu?"
"Did you know that the actual project funds allocated and the project funds received by Qingshi Town are inconsistent?"
"Someone saw you having close contact with Guo, the person in charge of this project. Do you admit it?"
"The Ministry of Water Resources projects from eight years ago are being investigated one by one, not just the one in Qingshi Town. Comrade Han Jibin, I urge you to surrender as soon as possible. If you wait until we find out, your fate will be even worse."
When Han Jibin heard that these people were using Qingshi Town as a breakthrough point for interrogating him, he knew who was plotting against him. Only Han Shengyi, who also lived in Qingshi Town and knew Guo Heizi, had the qualifications. However, what good was it to know? He would never be able to get out of here in his lifetime.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
