After leaving the procuratorate, Shi Meng got into Jiang Xue's car and headed to her home.
"I made you some pig's feet soup," Jiang Xue said as she drove. "You are what you eat, so have a bowl as soon as you get home."
Hearing the word "home" twice in such a short period of time caught Shi Meng off guard, and she subconsciously said, "No need for that trouble, I'll stay for two days and then leave."
Jiang Xue was taken aback: "Go? Go where?"
"Outside Maple City," Shi Meng said, "let's go check out other places."
"But your hand isn't healed yet."
"Rehabilitation can be done anywhere."
"So you're not going to pursue graduate studies?"
"I've already spoken to Teacher Ma, and we'll keep in touch via email from now on."
"Where's the money? You won't take the shares, and you can't paint for the time being..."
"I sold my car, and I also have some artwork. I'd like to ask Sister Xue to help me get rid of it."
Shi Meng had clearly made up his mind, so Jiang Xue had nothing more to ask. After a long silence, she muttered, "So you didn't even intend to ask for my opinion before informing me."
She was unhappy. Shi Meng sighed, "Sister Xue, I can't help you make money anymore."
Jiang Xue glared at him: "You think I'm nice to you so you can help me make money?"
"I know it's not," Shi Meng said, lowering her eyes. "But I've actually already..."
—I have no expectations left, for anyone or anything.
"Alright, alright, you know what I mean." Jiang Xue knew exactly what he was going to say, and fearing he would actually say it, she quickly changed the subject, "It's better not to go to Fengcheng. The environmental pollution here is too serious. Have you thought about where to go?"
Shi Meng shook his head: "Not yet."
“Then why not go to Xuncheng, my hometown?” Jiang Xue recommended. “The scenery is beautiful and the air is fresh, making it perfect for recuperation.”
Shi Meng blinked and turned to look at Jiang Xue.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Jiang Xue said matter-of-factly. "I'm doing this for myself. I just bought a house there, originally planning to use it for retirement. Now I'm renting it to you at market price. Do you want it or not?"
Shi Meng originally had no intention of troubling Jiang Xue any further.
During his hospitalization, Jiang Xue took care of everything for him, hardly leaving the hospital except to go home to get clothes. She also helped him follow up on the police investigation, which was incredibly hard work for her.
Although Shi Meng wasn't very good at social etiquette, he didn't like to bother other people's lives. Logically, now that he was discharged from the hospital, he shouldn't bother her anymore. However, Jiang Xue was strong-willed and overly enthusiastic. As soon as she got home, she showed Shi Meng the photos and videos and asked him if he was satisfied.
"It's a detached house with a courtyard, open to the north and south, and has unobstructed natural light. It's surrounded by all kinds of facilities, but it's not as noisy as the city center... The renovation cost a lot of money. I personally selected all these small ornaments, as well as your painting... The riverbank is just a few steps away. It's truly close to nature, and it's very convenient for taking a walk or sketching."
Jiang Xue, like a real estate agent striving for sales targets, praised the house from every angle, leaving Shi Meng with no faults even if he wanted to refuse.
That's exactly the kind of place he was looking for: quiet, undisturbed, where he could live aimlessly without needing any particular purpose.
Seeing that Shi Meng was interested in the house, Jiang Xue played her trump card: "Besides, you know how busy I am. Unless I retire, I really can't live there normally."
Shi Meng was aware of this. Moreover, besides work, Jiang Xue had recently confirmed her relationship with Gao Lecheng, and apart from holidays, she had no time to go to Xuncheng at all.
"You can rest assured." Jiang Xue keenly sensed Shi Meng's worry and raised her hands to prove her innocence. "Men can be replaced, but friends cannot be betrayed. Even if I marry him, I would never give him the opportunity to tip off that guy surnamed Fu!"
With the last doubts dispelled, Shi Meng's destination was thus decided.
The next few days were spent packing.
There wasn't much to pack. Shi Meng didn't plan to go back to the Shi family or to the Fu family to get his luggage, so Jiang Xue simply bought him a few sets of autumn clothes. She also took some time to browse online appliance stores and bought a garbage disposal, dishwasher, robot vacuum cleaner, and other trendy appliances for the retirement home in Xuncheng.
Meng responded that there was no need for that: "My hands can do the work."
Jiang Xue raised her index finger and shook it: "This has nothing to do with whether you can do it or not. I just want to be a good landlord so that tenants can truly move in with just their bags."
So when the first leaf fell from the branch, the people of Maple City welcomed autumn overnight, and Shi Meng prepared to set off.
Before leaving, Jiang Xue handed him her phone: "Yours is fixed a long time ago. I didn't give it to you for the time being because I saw you didn't want to contact those people."
That was the phone Meng used before; the last time he used it was in the pouring rain outside an abandoned warehouse in the suburbs.
After hesitating for a moment, he finally accepted it. Shi Meng replied, "I'll call you if anything comes up."
Jiang Xue pouted: "You only call me when you need something? You call me even when you don't, do you hear me?"
Shi Meng agreed, pressed and held the power button, and was about to put the phone back in his pocket when it rang.
Thinking it was some inconsiderate person calling, Jiang Xue leaned over to look and frowned when she saw the words "Teacher Sun" on the caller ID. "What does he want?" she asked.
Shi Meng shook his head, indicating that he did not know.
The phone rang for a long time, then stopped and kept ringing, so Shi Meng finally answered it.
The call lasted only a few seconds. After hanging up, Shi Meng looked somewhat bewildered.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Xue asked.
After a long pause, Shi Meng finally answered, "Yang Youlan committed suicide."
The story begins with Li Bihan causing trouble at the door.
To outsiders, she was simply going to her husband's mistress as the legal wife to put on a show of power. Those in the know also thought she was going to demand an explanation and vent her pent-up resentment.
Little did anyone know that Li Bihan had come prepared that day, with a voice recorder hidden in her pocket and a small video camera stuffed into her bag, recording the entire argument with Yang Youlan. She then immediately hired a lawyer and sued Yang Youlan in court.
Huai also disagreed, saying, "So many years have passed, why bring up old news again?"
Li Bihan sneered: "They're all your sons, so of course you think it's unnecessary. But Mengmeng is my son, so I have to stand up for him."
"Have you asked him? Does he need you to make this decision?" Shi Huaiyi advised. "It's been over twenty years, and this matter will never be resolved. I think it's better to drop the lawsuit. Si Hui should also find some good lawyers to defend her. This matter has already become very ugly. Do you want the whole of Fengcheng to see our Shi family make a fool of ourselves?"
Looking at this man whose mind was filled with "family harmony," Li Bihan felt a chill in her heart like never before.
“This is no one’s business. It’s what I, as his mother, should do for him.” She said firmly, “Sihui made a mistake and should take responsibility. As for whether my son can get justice for the grudge from more than 20 years ago, that’s my business and has nothing to do with you.”
From then on, Li Bihan continued to investigate the events of that year, filing a lawsuit while collecting evidence.
Fortunately, this matter did not come to light for so long, firstly because no one suspected it, and later because it was concealed by someone with ulterior motives. Now, following the clues, we have discovered quite a few strong leads.
For example, even if they were in the same hospital back then, Yang Youlan couldn't have switched the two newborns without anyone noticing. So when Sun Yanfeng, her "protector," came into view, no one was surprised at all.
Lian Jiangxue provided information during the investigation, saying that when the painting theft incident broke out, Sun Yanfeng pointed out that Shi Meng's painting style was similar to Shi Mu's, and intentionally guided public opinion to make everyone think that Shi Meng was jealous of Shi Mu's talent, which is why he did such a thing.
Li Bihan was outnumbered and outmatched, so the Fu family took the initiative to help with the investigation. When they found Sun Yanfeng, he was waiting at Yang Youlan's house. As if he knew their purpose, he told them to wait outside for a while and said he would turn himself in once the porridge was cooked.
Sun Yanfeng took all the blame upon himself, saying that switching the child was his idea alone.
“Youlan didn’t have much education. After she got together with Shi Huaiyi, she wanted to be his legal wife. Unfortunately, Shi Huaiyi never took her seriously. Later, she miscarried and became pregnant with Mumu. I saw her crying all day and worrying that the child was not doing well, so I had the idea of switching her.”
Although Fu Xuanliao was annoyed, he did not lose his composure: "I know you want to take all the blame, but in court, evidence is everything. Be careful not to end up being accused of harboring a criminal instead of protecting someone."
When asked about "Flame", Sun Yanfeng maintained his usual indifferent tone: "Both of them are my students. When asked, I can only truthfully answer that their art styles are indeed similar."
It's obvious they're taking advantage of Shi Mu's death, which leaves no one to testify, so they can say whatever they want.
Fu Xuanliao asked, "Was the signature on the painting added later? The ink marks are different from the painting itself."
Sun Yanfeng's eyes darted away slightly, but when he realized he was being tricked, he quickly regained his composure: "Since the painting is gone, there's no point in pursuing it further. I also feel sorry for Mengmeng, otherwise why would I have given you his photo? You can ask him how I've treated him all these years."
"How will you treat him?" Li Bihan retorted. "You aided and abetted evil and rewrote his life. Do you think that such a grave sin can be wiped away with compensation afterward?"
Sun Yanfeng remained silent.
Facing the person who had harmed her for over twenty years, Li Bihan was naturally unable to control her emotions. She stepped forward and glared at Sun Yanfeng, asking him how he could bear Shi Meng calling him "teacher," and how he wasn't afraid of being haunted by evil spirits in his midnight dreams.
"No wonder. You care so much about Mu Mu and treat her so well that even Shi Huaiyi didn't know you were involved. He still thinks you've done the Shi family a favor." Li Bihan laughed angrily. "A favor? It's clearly repaying kindness with enmity. You and Yang Youlan are truly ruthless."
Sun Yanfeng spoke up again to explain for Yang Youlan, saying that she actually cared a lot for Shi Meng, but was all bark and no bite. Li Bihan gritted her teeth and said, "When Mengmeng came to our house, how thin was she? Did I not have eyes to see? She herself said she wished Mengmeng were dead!"
Yang Youlan committed suicide at this time.
With a clatter, the sound of a knife falling to the ground startled Sun Yanfeng, who rushed into the room and saw Yang Youlan's arm dangling by the bedside and a pool of blood on the floor. Terrified, he lost his composure and quickly picked her up and took her to the nearest hospital.
Everyone present followed, not out of concern for Yang Youlan's life or death, but out of fear that she would die before she could receive the punishment she deserved.
Therefore, when Shi Meng arrived at the hospital, everyone was surprised, including Yang Youlan, who had just been rescued and was lying in the hospital bed.
However, he wasn't actually there to see anyone; he had just heard about the matter and felt it was necessary for him to come and see.
He ignored Li Bihan who came to greet him, didn't glance at Fu Xuanliao standing next to him, and didn't ask Sun Yanfeng why he called him. Instead, he walked slowly to the bedside and looked down at Yang Youlan's hand with the needle in it.
Her emaciated and frail appearance inexplicably reminded him of when Shi Mu was ill, and how she had begged him to save Shi Mu, and how, after Shi Mu died, she had cried and cursed him, "Why wasn't it you who died?"
Even after sending him to the Shi family, she kept reminding him to call Shi Mu "brother," but on the anniversary of Shi Mu's death, because she couldn't go to the grave to pay her respects, she took her anger out on him at will.
Also remembered were the dumplings they made together before the New Year, the look in her eyes as she stood in the bleak autumn wind on the eve of his birthday last year, and the times she covered him with a thick quilt and warmed his cold palms on cold winter nights when they lived in a leaky house in the suburbs when they were children.
Occasional warmth, and most of the time cold indifference and ruthlessness.
Now that she has ended up like this, Shi Meng thought he would be happy and laugh at her for deserving it, but when he actually saw her in such a miserable state, Shi Meng's heart was as calm as still water, without the slightest ripple.
He had no interest in finding out why she committed suicide, since it had nothing to do with him anyway.
"You... you're here to laugh at me too?" Yang Youlan hadn't changed at all; she still had that mean face. "Go away, don't bother watching. Go have fun with your rich parents!"
Shi Meng turned and left, pretending not to see her reddened eyes.
Anyway, he had confirmed everything that needed to be confirmed. He had long since lost all attachment to this world that seemed to owe him something, that was watching him intently, and that was eager for a chance to make amends.
When they got downstairs, Li Bihan caught up with them and took a small thermos out of her bag.
"Mom... no, the soup I made for you is good for bone recovery. I only had time today, and I was planning to deliver it to you in person."
She seemed a little cautious, but the look in her eyes as she gazed at Shi Meng was so intense that it was impossible to ignore.
She said, "Believe it or not, I truly knew nothing about that painting from five years ago."
Although Li Bihan resented that her son died young while other people's sons were alive and well, she never harbored any ill intentions because of it. Her upbringing and moral bottom line did not allow her to do such a thing.
"As for the rest, that Miss Jiang should have conveyed them to me." As if knowing that Shi Meng was about to leave, Li Bihan said briefly, "I've been dealing with some things recently. I'll come and keep you company when I'm done."
Then, without saying a word, he stuffed the thermos into Shi Meng's arms.
As Jiang Xue got into the car, she saw the thing covering Shi's hand and guessed who had given it to her, which made her feel relieved.
"Is it also pig's trotter soup?" she asked as she started the car. "Can you share some with me later? It'll definitely taste better than what I make."
Shi Meng placed the thermos on his lap without commenting. His fingertip touched a raised area, and when he looked down, he saw a little rabbit drawn on the side of the thermos.
He recognized the rabbit. When he first came to this family as a child, he would sit in his room and watch the cartoon featuring the rabbit after finishing his homework every day.
The thermos was obviously new; the lid was engraved with the character "蒙" in the thin gold script, proving that it was specially made for him.
Shi Meng looked down for a long time, pretending not to notice a familiar car following behind him.
Jiang Xue noticed it too, and checked the rearview mirror several times: "He wouldn't be trying to kidnap you, would he?"
Fortunately, it was a false alarm. Fu Xuanliao's car only followed them to the entrance of the residential area before stopping on the side of the road.
When he went upstairs, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Shi Meng was carrying a thermos in his left hand and couldn't free it, so he forgot about it when he got to Jiang Xue's house. He only noticed the unread text message when he checked the time before going to bed that night.
The sender was noted as "001" by the phone owner, and the message contained only three words: "I'm sorry."
001 represents the first and most important person, so this message made Shi Meng reflexively hold his breath.
However, he exited the interface after only a few seconds and put the phone aside.
About three minutes later, he picked up his phone in the dark, opened his contacts, removed the three digits "001" from the first address, displayed the phone number directly, and after fumbling around for a while, blocked it.
In the last week of September, Shi Meng finally moved into his new home in Xuncheng.
He had just gone to the hospital for a check-up before leaving, and his right hand was still wrapped in a bandage. He didn't let Jiang Xue come with him. Fortunately, he didn't have much to take with him, and he finished packing in one afternoon. In the evening, standing on the balcony of his second-floor bedroom, letting the slightly damp wind from the river blow on his face, Shi Meng took a deep breath and felt as if he had been completely refreshed from the inside out.
For the first few days, he wasn't used to it, especially when he woke up in the morning and there was no one around, and he couldn't touch the sweater that had been with him for many years, so he inevitably felt a little uncomfortable.
Later, when the easel I bought arrived, I tried to practice sketching with my left hand before bed to tire my body out, which improved my sleep quality.
Suddenly having plenty of time, Shi Meng began to learn how to cook.
Although he already knew how to do it, there is a difference between having a superficial understanding and being proficient. This time, he was no longer in a hurry to succeed and began to pursue things beyond just filling his stomach, such as color, aroma, taste, and refinement.
Sometimes, when Shi Meng makes a dish that looks good, his first reaction is not to pick up his chopsticks and start eating, but to hold it in front of his drawing board, make a quick sketch first, and then slowly savor it.
In short, people need to keep themselves busy.
Li Bihan's package arrived just as he had almost settled into this kind of life.
Shi Meng knew that his whereabouts would be discovered sooner or later, but he didn't expect it to be so soon, so after seeing the sender's name, he deliberately left it unopened.
Just two or three days later, another package arrived.
Shi Meng placed them on the shelf in the entryway, where she could see them every time she passed by. One evening, when she went downstairs to get water, she saw them again, and finally couldn't resist, so she carried them upstairs in her arms.
Actually, there wasn't anything special inside, except for a packet of flower seeds that looked like worms, a bag of beef jerky that he liked to eat when he was a child, and two letters.
Before becoming a full-time housewife, Li Bihan was a Chinese language teacher. Her handwriting was delicate and beautiful, and it was quite aesthetically pleasing to read.
She would begin each letter with "It is as if we are meeting in person," and then tell Shi Meng about her recent daily life. Her tone was as familiar as that of an old friend she had known for many years, yet she maintained a proper distance. She did not urge Shi Meng when he would return to Fengcheng, but simply told him casually, "The chrysanthemums in the yard at home have bloomed," and "I have filed for divorce and will soon be as free as you."
Shi Meng learned from the letter that the strange-looking flower seeds could grow into marigolds the following year. He didn't like to waste them, and since there was a large open space in the yard, he found a small shovel and buried them in the soil.
When the third letter arrived, Shi Meng had just received a message from Jiang Xue.
"That Shi Hui is going to trial today, she'll get at least five years in prison. And that Yang Lan and that scoundrel Sun Yanfeng, they were both arrested. Your cheapskate father only found out that the guy surnamed Sun was also involved in what happened back then, so he got someone to beat him up. He went in with bruises, it's really gratifying!"
As if listening to someone else's story, Shi Meng uttered an "oh" but his mind was elsewhere.
He didn't sleep well that night, and when he woke up it was still dark outside.
He got out of bed, turned on the light, and opened the letter he had received that day.
The pale yellow letter paper had a refreshing feel to it, like early autumn. As usual, Li Bihan talked about some things happening around her, only briefly mentioning the divorce in two sentences. It was clear that things weren't going smoothly due to the complicated division of property involved.
However, she didn't seem worried. At the end of her letter, she said: "I don't believe in reincarnation or destiny, but I believe that what is meant for me will one day return to me."
It belongs to me... I seem to sense it, and I silently repeat it in my heart from time to time.
Just then, there was a knock on the door downstairs.
It was just past eleven o'clock when Shi Meng tiptoed downstairs. When she got to the door, she looked out through the peephole, but it was too dark to see anything.
The person outside, as if knowing he was at the door, called out, "Aren't you asleep yet? I saw the lights on upstairs."
Startled by the sudden noise, Shi Meng stepped back and accidentally bumped into the cardboard boxes piled up by the door, making a loud noise.
The guess was confirmed. The person outside the door laughed, his voice low and deep, the same frequency that Shi Meng had once loved so much.
He didn't let Shi Meng open the door, nor did he explain how he found the place. Instead, he first stated his purpose.
"I thought about it later and realized that a face-to-face apology would be more sincere," he said. "Besides, it's Saturday in an hour, and if I don't come overnight, I'll miss another week."
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