The story begins with Zhao Yunxiang’s fellow villager Gutiezhu.
Gutiezhu was sentenced for stealing trees. After his release, he felt ashamed to stay in his hometown and fled to seek a living elsewhere. Perhaps because he was not doing well, Gutiezhu would send some money home every Chinese New Year for the past few years, but he never returned to Zhaojiagou.
Tiezhu's mother lived with Gutiezhu's son and daughter in Zhaojiagou. Tiezhu's mother was in poor health, but she just held on and waited for Gutiezhu to be released from prison so that she could hand over her two children to him.
Three years ago, Tiezhu's mother could no longer hold on. One winter night, she fell asleep in her bed and never opened her eyes again. After her death, the people of Zhaojiagou were unable to find Gu Tiezhu, leaving behind Gu Hongxing and Gu Xiaofang, a ten-year-old and eight-year-old child who knew nothing. Thanks to Aunt Gu's care, Tiezhu's mother was finally buried, but Gu Hongxing and his sister were nowhere to be found.
Even if ten-year-old Gu Hongxing didn't go to school, he couldn't do anything. He also had an eight-year-old sister, Gu Xiaofang, to support. After Tiezhu's mother was buried, all the assets of the Gu family were drained. Aunt Gu wanted to take Gu Hongxing and his sister home to take care of them, but her family was not well off, and Aunt Gu's daughter-in-law was unwilling to support Gu Hongxing and Gu Xiaofang in vain.
Aunt Gu was old and had to live under the control of her daughter-in-law. Due to her daughter-in-law's opposition, she did not dare to invite Hongxing and his sister to live with her. In this way, Gu Hongxing and Gu Xiaofang became two children who were left alone, living a life of eating from one family to another in the village.
Seeing that this was not a good idea, Aunt Gu had no choice but to call Zhao Yunxiang and ask her to help send Gu Hongxing and his sister to an orphanage.
Gu Tiezhu was still alive, and Gu Hongxing and his sister didn't even qualify as orphans. Zhao Yunxiang, reflecting on their hometown ties, considered her a successful career, and not someone who relished luxury. She donated a large portion of her company's earnings to charity. In her hometown of Yuyuan County alone, she donated funds to build three Hope Primary Schools. She sympathized with the Gu Hongxing siblings' plight and brought them back to Kyoto.
At Zhou Yuanyuan's reminder, Zhao Yunxiang didn't adopt Gu Hongxing and Gu Xiaofang out of kindness; she simply acted as their temporary guardian. She found schools for them, paid their tuition each semester, and instructed the factory accountant to give the siblings a monthly living allowance. She even lent Gu Hongxing and his family a room in the factory dormitory.
In the ten days since Tiezhu's mother's death, Gu Hongxing and his sister had endured many people's cold stares and heard many "advice" from well-meaning people, some genuine and some fake. Seeing that Zhao Yunxiang was willing to lend a hand, Gu Hongxing didn't force himself and accepted all the money and gifts she gave him.
Children of poor families grow up early. Tiezhu's mother was a woman of integrity, and under her guidance, Gu Hongxing and his sister developed a relatively upright mindset. Gu Hongxing didn't take Zhao Yunxiang's kindness for granted; he asked to help out at Zhao Yunxiang's garment factory after school, which was not to say he was taking advantage of her. Gu Hongxing also recorded the amount of money he and his sister spent on Zhao Yunxiang each month in a small notebook, intending to repay her when he grew up and was able to do so.
The children were young and couldn't really do much, at most they could go to the kitchen of the garment factory cafeteria to help wash vegetables and dishes. Zhao Yunxiang tried to stop them several times, but Gu Hongxing and his sister were determined to do what they wanted, so she just let them go.
In this way, Gu Hongxing and Gu Xiaofang lived in the dormitory building of Yunyun Garment Factory for more than three years.
At nine o'clock this morning, a middle-aged man came to the gate of Yunyun Garment Factory, claiming to be Gutiezhu, and wanted to take his two children away.
Gu Hongxing and his sister were not at the factory, having gone to school. The security guard, not recognizing Gu Tiezhu, was hesitant to make the decision and stopped them at the door.
After Zhao Yunxiang went to work, the security guard told her about this matter.
Zhao Yunxiang quickly dealt with the documents piled up in her hands, and sent someone to invite Gutiezhu into the reception room.
Gutiezhu was stunned for a long time when he saw Zhao Yunxiang before he dared to recognize her. Zhao Yunxiang now was very different from when she was in Zhaojiagou. Gutiezhu remembered Zhao Yunxiang as shy and honest, and her words were soft and gentle. She was really different from the energetic and confident female boss in front of him.
Zhao Yunxiang almost didn't recognize Gu Tiezhu. Back in Zhaojiagou, he'd been a bit dull, but seemingly honest. Now, he gave Zhao Yunxiang an indescribable feeling, like a newly unsheathed sword, or a bloodthirsty wolf. Inexplicably, Zhao Yunxiang sensed a strong murderous aura from Gu Tiezhu, much like the same aura that had permeated Zhou Zhixin during the month he'd just returned from the battlefield.
"Brother Tiezhu, long time no see." Zhao Yunxiang spoke up, breaking the silence. For the sake of Gu Hongxing's two children, Zhao Yunxiang wouldn't leave Gu Tiezhu out in the cold. After all, it's true that a favor should be returned, but being stared at with murderous intent was also somewhat baffling to Zhao Yunxiang.
"Mr. Zhao, I'm unworthy of your calling me brother. I'm here today to take Hongxing and Xiaofang away. They thank you for your care over the years." Gutiezhu's voice was hoarse and carried a strange sense of age. His tone was stiff, especially the word "thank you," which was pronounced so strongly that Zhao Yunxiang felt he had bad intentions.
Zhao Yunxiang had no idea what setbacks Gu Tiezhu had endured. When he arrived at the factory gate, he looked rather disheveled, his clothes stained with dust and torn in several holes. Logically, Zhao Yunxiang had taken care of Gu Hongxing and the others for so many years, so even if Gu Tiezhu didn't bring gifts like fruit to express his gratitude, he should at least dress properly. Dressing so disheveled to meet Zhao Yunxiang clearly showed he didn't care about her!
No matter what Gutiezhu's experience was, Zhao Yunxiang felt that she had not offended Gutiezhu. This meeting was so sarcastic, which made Zhao Yunxiang a little annoyed.
"We're all from the same hometown, so if you can lend a hand, then give it. But I can't bear Brother Tiezhu's gratitude." Zhao Yunxiang had been immersed in the business world for over a decade, so how could she not understand the meaning behind Gu Tiezhu's words? However, Zhao Yunxiang believed that she had done her job with a clear conscience and didn't bother to argue with Gu Tiezhu. Originally, when Zhao Yunxiang helped Gu Hongxing and the others, it wasn't because of Gu Tiezhu's gratitude.
In fact, the moment Zhao Yunxiang saw Gutiezhu, she felt a little uncomfortable.
Although the clothes on Gutiezhu looked a bit old, one could vaguely tell that they were from an expensive men's clothing brand.
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