As soon as Zhao Qinglan entered, the first thing she saw was a thin old man sitting on the bed.
Actually, Li Zhenhua isn't that old in terms of age, but his hair is completely white and he's lost a lot of weight. He looks completely different from when I first saw him in the family quarters.
Zhao Qinglan's appearance hadn't changed much; Li Zhenhua recognized her after just a blink of an eye.
"You, how did you get here?" He was shocked, and seemed somewhat delighted, anxiously looking behind Zhao Qinglan.
But he was going to be disappointed, so Zhao Qinglan simply closed the door.
"Are you the only one who came?" he pressed.
Zhao Qinglan nodded and sat down on a chair in the room.
"I heard you were seriously ill. I happened to be in the capital on some business, so I came to visit you while I was here," Zhao Qinglan said calmly.
She was willing to come and give face to her husband, but that didn't mean she had to be overly polite to Li Zhenhua.
Li Zhenhua is still physically inflexible, but he can speak without any problems.
Hearing Zhao Qinglan's words, he gave a self-deprecating bitter smile.
"Yes, why would he want to come see me?"
Both of them knew who "he" referred to.
Zhao Qinglan didn't reply, she just smiled.
"How are the children?" He didn't ask about his son, but instead inquired about his grandchildren.
“Everything is fine. My eldest child is in the second year of high school, my second child is in the third year of junior high school and will take the high school entrance exam this year, and my youngest child is still in elementary school.” She skipped over her daughter, Xiaoduo.
"Okay, all is well," Li Zhenhua sighed.
“Li Huai is doing well too; he’s a deputy division-level cadre now,” Zhao Qinglan suddenly said.
"Good, very good." Li Zhenhua smiled with satisfaction, but when he looked at Zhao Qinglan, his expression became complicated.
He used to look down on his daughter-in-law, but he never expected that his son would be doing better and better now.
But he himself is not as good at judging others as his son.
The older he gets, the more he thinks, and the more he regrets the past.
If he hadn't acted recklessly back then and had instead spent quality time with his wife and son, perhaps his wife would have lived a little longer, his son would have been able to have a loving and filial relationship with him, and he could be enjoying a life of grandchildren now.
But it was too late.
"I'm sorry to Li Huai's mother, and I'm sorry to Li Huai. He's had a tough time. Please stay by his side and support him from now on."
“I can do it without you saying so.” She would never find a husband like Li Huai again who was so tolerant, understanding, and supportive of her.
"You're fine."
"I just did what I was supposed to do."
It seemed like he was being alluded to, but Li Zhenhua wasn't angry at all. The decline of his family and his long-term illness had worn down his will.
It turns out that simple family happiness is now a luxury for him.
“Tell him that I am sorry, that I owe them, mother and son, a debt I can never repay in this lifetime, and that if there is an afterlife, I will repay them by being their servant.”
Zhao Qinglan pursed her lips and remained silent.
However, Li Zhenhua didn't mind at all.
"I still have some things left. If I'm not around one day, I'll leave them to my children."
Zhao Qinglan then spoke. "I cannot make that decision."
Li Zhenhua smiled wryly. "Just consider this a small gift from me, your grandfather, to my grandsons. Can't you even grant me this small wish?"
"It's not that we can't fulfill your request, but we'll see what Li Huai decides then." She ended the conversation.
"Alright, I can't force you. Can I ask you for one more small favor?" He looked at me pleadingly.
"You go first." Only after she spoke would she know whether she could agree.
"Could you send me some photos of the children? I want to see them." He longed to know what his grandchildren looked like now.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qinglan nodded without hesitation. "Okay, I'll send it to you when I get back."
Li Zhenhua finally smiled.
After a moment of silence, he said, "You can leave now. I'm going to lie down for a while."
"good."
Zhao Qinglan got up and left, making sure to close the door behind her.
Looking at the door that had closed again, tears streamed down Li Zhenhua's face. He regretted his actions, but it was too late.
After spending some time with Li Zhenhua, Zhao Qinglan felt somewhat melancholy.
Looking at Li Zhenhua's current state, I feel sorry for him.
But thinking about what he did back then, I feel he deserved it.
The family's entanglements and feuds are truly a tangled mess that's impossible to unravel.
The news of Li Zhenhua's daughter-in-law visiting him quickly spread throughout the retirement home, and indeed, many people's opinion of Li Huai improved as a result.
None of the younger generation of the Li family had appeared before. No matter what had happened before, some people always thought that Li Huai was too cold-blooded. Now that Zhao Qinglan had gone through this ordeal, everyone remembered the hardships Li Huai had endured over the years.
People always sympathize with the weak.
After visiting her father-in-law, Zhao Qinglan went to see Wei Hong to relax.
She was about to leave, so she decided to have a meal and do some shopping with her friend before she went.
When they were tired from shopping and had dinner, Wei Hong seemed hesitant to speak, which amused Zhao Qinglan.
"Just say what you want to say, why are you being so coy with me?"
Yes, Qinglan saw my most pathetic side back then, so what am I afraid of?
"Qinglan, I... I want to resign."
Zhao Qinglan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, but not shocked. "Why?"
"I only dare to tell you this, because to outsiders, my current job is so good that quitting would be crazy." Now that she had started, Wei Hong spoke more smoothly.
"Why is that?" He started his own business because he had some confidence, while his sisters couldn't find good jobs if they didn't do business.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
