Xu Keke laughed, "People are always like this; they can see others clearly, but they can't see themselves clearly."
Time flew by, and Fan Wu's marriage application was approved. He declined the housing arranged by the organization. To escape her adoptive mother's harassment, Miss Feng moved into the dance troupe's dormitory.
Mr. Cao's daughter in Hong Kong wanted to take him away. Initially, Mr. Cao disagreed. Later, for reasons unknown, he gave the courtyard to Fan Wu and donated all his calligraphy, paintings, and antiques to the state. After attending Xu Keke and Fan Wu's wedding, he left with his daughter.
A Qiu's children are older now, so she went back home for two days but couldn't adjust, so she came back to live with Xu Keke and the others.
After discussing it, Fan Wu and Xu Keke decided to keep only the inner courtyard of the two-courtyard house left by Mr. Cao, and hand over the rest to the organization. The organization then allocated the rest to colleagues at the police station who did not have housing.
Later, Zhou Chengguang even brought Zhao Xiuying to see him. It's unclear what Chen Yurong was thinking; Zhou Chengguang used to be a battalion commander, and she looked down on him. Now, Zhou Chengguang is just an ordinary warehouse worker, yet Chen Yurong not only lives with him but also has a daughter with him.
Zhou Chengguang wasn't looking for Xu Keke; in his own words, he was looking for Yuanbao. He actually wanted Yuanbao to take care of Zhao Xiuying. In his words, "His grandmother loved him so much back then, and now that Yuanbao is grown up, it's time for him to show filial piety."
Xu Keke was amused by his whimsical idea; a ten-year-old child was already grown up. Zhou Chengguang wasn't planning on having Yuanbao fulfill his filial duties at all; it was obvious he wanted to pack up Yuanbao's mother and send her to him.
Xu Keke wasn't in a hurry. She pointed to the scratches on Zhao Xiuying's face and asked Zhou Chengguang what happened.
Fortunately, Zhou Chengguang didn't treat them as outsiders and spoke to them frankly.
It turned out that Chen Yurong was pregnant again. Zhou Chengguang's salary wasn't high these days, and despite her pregnancy, Chen Yurong insisted on going to work at the factory. When she got home from work, she found that Zhao Xiuying wasn't taking care of the child, so she argued with her. Unexpectedly, Zhao Xiuying told her that girls' lives were cheap and they could be raised casually. This angered Chen Yurong, and she got into a fight with Zhao Xiuying.
Judging from the miserable state of Zhao Xiuying's face and her expression, Xu Keke guessed that this was not a 'mutual fight,' but purely Chen Yurong's 'abuse.' She never expected that the once delicate little nurse would become so shrewish.
Without Xu Keke saying a word, Yuanbao, standing up like a little adult, said, "Okay, I'll take care of my grandma. But I'm currently living in Uncle Fan's house, and it's not appropriate for me to live here with my grandma. I'll live with you and my grandma. Can you help me contact the school over there and help me transfer?"
After saying that, he turned to Xu Keke and said, "Mom, I won't take my things for now. I'll come back to get them after I've settled in."
Xu Keke cooperated with him, "Okay, you don't need to come back specially. I, your Uncle Fan, your sister, and I will take it to you when we have time. You don't need to run back and forth. But, once you get there, take your grandma to the local police station to report the case."
Zhou Chengguang was stunned. How come there was another person instead of the person who was sent out? And what did she mean by that? "What are you going to report? Feng Lichun, stop teaching your child nonsense. What are you going to tell him to report?"
Yuanbao, being quick-witted, had already grasped Xu Keke's meaning. Standing next to Zhao Xiuying, he grabbed her hand. "Grandma, don't be afraid. My mom is a police officer now. That woman dared to hit you; I can't let her get away with it. I'll take you to the police station and have her arrested. Come on, Grandma..."
Zhou Chengguang slapped Yuanbao's hand away, "Why are you calling the police? She's your stepmother, we're all family."
"What family? She hit my grandma and abused her. We're family!"
"What nonsense are you talking about? When did she hit your grandma? She bumped into it by accident. She takes good care of your grandma and looks after her at home. You can ask your grandma if you don't believe me."
"Then let me support my mother..."
Zhou Chengguang knew exactly what he meant. He glared at him fiercely, grabbed Zhao Xiuying's hand, and pulled her outside.
Yuanbao was still shouting from behind, "Grandma, if she bullies you again, just come to me and I'll stand up for you."
Chen Yurong never imagined that by instigating Zhou Chengguang to send Zhao Xiuying to Feng Lichun's house, Zhao Xiuying would become an untouchable deity when she returned.
If she said too much, Zhao Xiuying would confront Yuanbao and threaten to sue her at the government. In the end, Chen Yurong, overwhelmed with anger and stress, and exhausted from the ordeal, lost her pregnancy. She also suffered health problems and lost her fertility.
Initially, Yuanbao and Dacui would visit Zhao Xiuying from time to time, and Xu Keke didn't stop them. But later, they gradually stopped going and only went during holidays. Xu Keke didn't ask, but Dacui told her privately that Zhao Xiuying had been telling Yuanbao to be careful, and that if Xu Keke got pregnant, she wouldn't care about them anymore.
Da Cui and Xu Keke said, "Every time we go, we talk about it, but Yuanbao doesn't like hearing it, so he just stops going."
Zhao Xiuying's worries were unfounded; Xu Keke hadn't used contraception, but hadn't gotten pregnant again. Thinking back to Feng Lichun's experience giving birth to Yuanbao, Xu Keke suspected that her body must have been damaged at that time.
Fortunately, the two children were not only filial but also grateful. They treated Fan Wu even better than they treated her.
Xu Keke saw Zhou Chengguang a few more times afterward. He was a broken man; his hair had turned white before he was even forty. Because of years of heavy drinking, his eyes were always bloodshot.
Chen Yurong didn't stay with him forever. She divorced him when their child was three years old and married a teacher, taking her daughter with her. Later, Yuanbao told her that the teacher always beat her, so she divorced him again and came back to Zhou Chengguang with her daughter.
Zhou Chengguang didn't care, but Zhao Xiuying absolutely refused to let her in. It was only after Zhou Chengguang told her that Chen Yurong and the child were allowed to live in the house, and that they wouldn't register their marriage, that it wouldn't count as a second marriage. Only then did Zhao Xiuying agree.
Two years passed like this. Zhao Xiuying died, and Zhou Chengguang still refused to register their marriage. In a fit of anger, Chen Yurong left again. This time, she didn't take the child with her; she left alone.
Chen Yurong didn't reappear until the girl turned eighteen. This time, Zhou Chengguang refused to let her in no matter what. It wasn't that Zhou Chengguang resented her for abandoning him, but rather that Chen Yurong had not only aged drastically, but also suffered from mental problems. Her mind wasn't quite right.
In the end, it was Chen Yufen who gave her a small 10-square-meter room that her family had kept for her. Only then did she have a place to stay.
When Yuanbao turned eighteen, he joined the army and later entered the Ministry of State Security. He married Mr. Xiaolin's daughter. Yuanbao was precocious from a young age, and his life was full of ups and downs, not smooth sailing. Fortunately, despite his hardships, he always stayed true to himself and lived an upright life.
Da Cui became a primary school teacher and married an overseas Chinese. She went abroad not long after her marriage. Although she wasn't extremely wealthy, she lived a peaceful and happy life.
Fan Wu was in poor health and never recovered after being transferred to civilian work. He passed away before he turned fifty.
Xu Keke did not go with him this time, but stayed by the side of the two children until she passed away peacefully.
Before closing her eyes, Xu Keke saw Feng Lichun. His face was deathly pale, yet he was smiling. The two looked at each other from afar, both understanding the meaning in each other's eyes.
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