Chapter 97 The Lingering Ghost
The second son grabbed Mei Ling's sleeve and led her far away from home before letting her go.
"Meiling, what's wrong with you? Didn't I tell you not to come to my house?"
Mei Ling grumbled pitifully, "Then why didn't you come to see me? We haven't seen each other for three days."
The second son frowned and said, "I'm not dating you, so why should I go to you?"
“But I want to be your boyfriend!” Mei Ling replied innocently.
Shen Zhuoyi patted his forehead, realizing he had no way to deal with Mei Ling, who was so naive she was almost an idiot.
What kind of family raised such a naive girl? How can she be so trusting of people?
"No, Mei Ling. You can't just date whoever you want. I just helped you out that day because I saw someone in trouble. You really don't need to be so foolish as to offer yourself to me."
When Mei Ling thought of the day they first met, a dazzling light burst forth in her dim eyes.
"But you are the great hero I have always admired. You saved me in a critical moment. I both admire and respect you."
Two months ago, she went to the Cultural Palace for a dance class. She was so engrossed in the practice that she didn't realize it was already dark when she got home.
She walked home cautiously, afraid of encountering bad people, and what she feared most came to pass.
Not far from her home, she was cornered in an alley by three thugs, and no one answered her cries for help.
Just when she was in despair, Shen Zhuoyi descended from the sky and beat the drunken thugs until they cried for their parents.
She felt that Shen Zhuoyi was an angel sent by God to save her, and she fell in love with him at first sight.
After that, she would always wait for him on his usual route and bring him delicious braised pork and ribs.
Shen Zhuoyi thought the girl was simple-minded and just wanted to express her gratitude, so he ate the things she gave him without thinking anything of it.
But as time went on, the little girl appeared more and more frequently.
He sensed something was wrong, and since his family owned a shop, he no longer needed to go out and sell clothes.
He gradually went to that area less and less, but unexpectedly, a while ago, this little girl actually found her way to his doorstep.
He even had a conflict with his mother, which made her so angry that she vomited blood. He dared not have anything to do with her anymore.
He went to find Mei Ling and told her not to come looking for him anymore, but Mei Ling was a stubborn girl.
They insisted that once he ate the meat she gave him, he was hers.
Startled, Shen Zhuoyi turned and ran, never wanting to have anything to do with her again.
I didn't expect that little girl to come again today, and she even said those awful things in front of her mother.
"Meiling, perhaps you've been too well protected by your parents. You don't know how treacherous people can be outside. Luckily, you met me. If you had met another man, you would have been cheated out of your money and your heart."
Listen to me, don't come looking for me again. There's no future for us.
The second son, remembering his mother's disgust for Mei Ling, turned and left after uttering those harsh words. Mei Ling collapsed, covering her face and squatting on the ground, crying uncontrollably.
"But I know I'm lucky to have met such a good person like you. I truly like you, Shen Zhuoyi, please give me a chance!"
No matter how much Mei Ling called out, Shen Zhuoyi walked away without looking back.
Mei Ling squatted there and cried for a long time, feeling that she had no will to live. She wandered aimlessly through the streets and eventually circled back to the shop.
She hid behind the wall across the street, staring blankly at Shen Zhuoyi, who was warmly greeting customers inside the shop.
Why is he all smiles and friendly to those unfamiliar customers, yet so cruel to her? What did she do wrong?
She just likes him, she hasn't done anything immoral, so why don't Shen Zhuoyi and his mother like her?
As the sun began to set, the family tidied up and prepared to close the shop.
Jiang Ruzhen inadvertently glanced at the heads of people peeking out from across the street and was immediately speechless.
She turned to her second brother and asked, "Have you explained things clearly to Mei Ling?"
The second son nodded and said, "You've explained it clearly. What happened?"
Jiang Ruzhen felt a surge of irritation. Was this Mei Ling also an inevitable hurdle in the second son's life?
Why is it so persistent?
"Second brother, go home and pack your clothes, then head to the train station right away."
"What are you doing at the train station? Is Uncle Lu back?" the second brother asked, puzzled.
Jiang Ruzhen gave him a flick on the forehead, "You're always talking about Uncle Lu, Uncle Lu, why don't you go be his son?"
The second son rubbed his forehead, feeling wronged, and muttered, "Then if you marry him in the future, won't I be his son too?"
Jiang Ruzhen glared at him, and the second son immediately raised his hand in surrender, "I won't say anymore, I won't say anymore."
The second brother turned around, put his arm around the eldest brother's shoulder, and walked upstairs, muttering under his breath.
"Big brother, do you think Mom's tired of Uncle Lu? Why won't she let us mention it anymore?"
The eldest brother looked up from his notebook of night school notes and glanced at the second brother.
"Mom's been in a bad mood these past few days, so don't keep making her angry."
The second son pouted, "Heaven and earth bear witness, who in our family would dare not treat Mom like an empress dowager? Don't talk nonsense, if Uncle Lu finds out, I'll be skinned alive."
The eldest brother shook his head helplessly. If you were to ask who in their family was the most loyal to Lu Mingzheng, it would undoubtedly be the second brother, the die-hard fan.
Even he had to step aside.
No wonder Mom was jealous; she felt that her second son's admiration for Uncle Lu had long surpassed that of his older brother.
Jiang Ruzhen watched as her second son packed his clothes, then went out and hailed a taxi, watching him get in.
"Remember to go see your Aunt Tang and get the leftover stock from your export orders first, then go to the mall to order the other clothes!"
"Okay, I understand."
"Also, I'll go to the post office tomorrow morning to wire you the money. Remember to wait until the payment is due before you go to collect it, so you don't get targeted."
"Okay, I understand."
"Be sure to be careful. If anything happens, go to your Aunt Tang."
"Mom, if you're worried, you can come with me!"
The second child couldn't stand it anymore, feeling that his mother was nagging him incessantly.
With a "bang," the car door slammed shut.
"You think I'm nagging? Then get lost! I'm so busy decorating the branch store and recruiting and training people."
You're not some overgrown baby who hasn't been weaned, why do I have to come along and breastfeed you every time we go out?
The car slowly drove away, and the second brother stuck his head out of the car window and waved to Jiang Ruzhen, his eldest brother, and his youngest brother.
He felt confident and full of vigor on this trip.
He has traveled all over the country with Jiang Ruzhen several times, and he is very familiar with this business.
His mother's instructions to him were completely unnecessary. How could a twenty-year-old young man not be able to handle such a simple matter?
When he arrived at the train station, he bought his ticket and boarded the train. As he sat down, he couldn't help but sigh.
"With Uncle Lu gone, my treatment has plummeted. It's so much more enjoyable to go out with him. Sigh! Another day of missing Uncle Lu!"
He gazed at the scenery outside the window; it was all the same. It looked fresh the first time, but after a few more times, it became just another ordinary sight.
As his eyelids began to droop, Shen Zhuoyi tilted his head and fell into a deep sleep.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he was awakened by a fragrant aroma. He groggily opened his eyes and saw a steaming hot meal in front of him.
While he was still in a daze, a man in his forties next to him looked at him with envy.
"Brother, your wife is really good to you. She's in another carriage but she's still worried about whether you're hungry. Eat up, or it'll get cold."
"Huh?" The second son was confused. "Whose wife?"
"You!" The older brother pointed at him, then at the sleeper car ahead. "Isn't your wife in the sleeper car? She came over to check on you and saw you were asleep, but she didn't want to disturb you."
She just put the lunchbox down for you and left. Tsk tsk, if only my wife were this virtuous...
The second son opened the lunchbox in a daze and found that it was more than half full of his favorite braised pork. He immediately guessed who it was.
He was a little angry. Could that little girl have gotten on the train?
Isn't this ridiculous?
The second brother squeezed out of the hard-seat carriage and walked back and forth in the sleeper carriage several times but couldn't find anyone.
He was almost arrested by the train conductor as a petty thief who was scrambling to check the plates.
Enraged, the second brother returned to his seat and ate his boxed lunch clean. Just as he turned to go catch someone again, the train conductor came over with a smile and led him to the hard sleeper carriage.
"We have one empty berth here. I've seen you wandering around here for a while. Are you thinking of getting a hard sleeper ticket? Just give me another twenty yuan."
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