Chapter 10 Isn't being single good?
Chapter 10
After he said this, Meng Baichuan remained silent for a moment and did not reply.
Just when Meng Yingying thought she wouldn't get an answer, Meng Baichuan took a deep breath, and then another deep breath. After a long while, he said in a hoarse voice, "Yingying, Song Fenfang is your mother."
Meng Yingying suddenly opened her eyes wide. In Meng Yingying's memory, she did not have a mother.
Or rather, her mother died when she was born.
Her childhood memories are all about living with her father.
"you--"
When Meng Baichuan mentioned Song Fenfang's name, a pale smile appeared on his lips, a rare hint of tenderness in it. "Your mother was a very good person, it's just that we were destined to be apart."
"Yingying—"
He looked at his daughter, his cloudy eyes filled with guilt.
Meng Yingying seemed to understand, and she said softly, "She's still here, isn't she?"
They all knew who "she" referred to.
"Um."
Seeing her father's expression, Meng Yingying suddenly understood something. She lowered her beautiful eyes and said obediently, "Dad, I won't go to her."
"Don't worry."
She could tell that her father didn't want her to disturb her mother's life.
Meng Baichuan's throat bobbed. He wanted to laugh, but he couldn't. His daughter was so good, so considerate, so sensible.
He didn't understand why Song Fenfang hadn't heard anything after receiving the telegram.
Whenever there was news from Song Fenfang.
His Yingying would not be so isolated and helpless now.
Go and seek refuge with a childhood sweetheart you've never met.
*
The dormitory building of the Harbin Electric Machinery Factory in Heilongjiang Province is a beautiful Soviet-style apartment building with red bricks, high roofs, and thick walls. The entrance to the apartment building has a large iron gate, which looks stylish and beautiful.
At this moment, the Song family's house on the third floor was decorated very beautifully. The walls were covered with bookshelves filled with books, and on the dresser next to it, there was a Red Lantern brand radio, which was playing songs.
In the center of the main room, there was a faux leather sofa where two elderly men with gray hair sat, repeatedly looking at the curled-up telegram.
It's easy to imagine that the owner of the telegram has been repeatedly stroking it these past few days, clearly in a state of great distress.
After a long pause, Old Mrs. Song whispered, "Old man, do you think we should tell Fenfang this news?"
Old Man Song answered Old Woman Song with his actions. Right in front of her, he tore up the telegram and threw it into the stove.
When the flames blazed high, it also meant that the telegram had vanished from the world.
Old Man Song's voice was indifferent, "Let's part ways amicably."
"Why are you still in contact?"
"Do you want to ruin Fenfang's current career and life?"
Grandma Song tried to snatch the telegram, but she was too late; the telegram was completely burned to ashes by the flames.
As a result, her hand was also burned by the flames, resulting in a blister. Ignoring the pain, she turned her head and angrily cursed, "You surnamed Song, no matter how much you dislike that cripple Meng Baichuan, Meng Yingying is still your granddaughter, a member of the Song family!"
"It's the child that Fenfang has been thinking about for so many years."
“He ruined my daughter’s bright future, isn’t it right for me to hate him?” Old Man Song suddenly interrupted her, “That child has nothing to do with us!”
"And it has nothing to do with fragrance!"
"I'm warning you, you're not allowed to tell Fenfang about Meng Baichuan sending the telegram!"
*
Hospital.
Qi Donghan stood at the door, wearing a shirt and loose-fitting trousers, leaning against the corner of the wall, eyes closed, expressionless.
Despite having an extremely handsome face, Zhao Yueru couldn't help but keep her distance from him; Qi Donghan's aura was simply too strong.
He doesn't look like a good person at all.
So much so that Zhao Yueru didn't even have the courage to sit on a bench with him.
Neither of them spoke.
Until the operating room door opened and Dr. Qiu came out, he said, "The patient's surgery was very successful."
"There is an 80% chance of regaining sight."
This is already a very high probability.
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Yueru stood up abruptly. "That's great! That's great! Comrade Zhou can finally see again!"
Seeing that Qi Donghan and Doctor Qiu were both looking over, Zhao Yueru felt a little embarrassed and explained, "I just think that a good person like Comrade Zhou shouldn't be blind."
Dr. Qiu neither confirmed nor denied it, nor did he expose it.
"He's doing well now. We'll observe him for a day, and if there are no problems, he can be discharged tomorrow. It would be best to send him back to his hometown to recuperate, to a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, which will help him recover his eyesight."
Upon hearing this, Qi Donghan glanced at Zhou Jingsong, who was still sitting in a wheelchair. Zhou Jingsong's anesthesia had worn off, and his mind was clearer. "Go back to my hometown."
"Mengjiatun".
Zhao Yueru, who was standing next to her, felt that Mengjiatun looked familiar. She subconsciously asked, "Mengjiatun?"
You know?
Zhou Jingsong was somewhat surprised.
Zhao Yueru said with a touch of pride, raising her chin, "My best friend lives there."
"She's from Mengjiatun."
Qi Donghan had no interest in listening to their ramblings about things unrelated to his illness.
He walked up to Dr. Qiu and asked, "If the patient goes back to his hometown and feels unwell again, can he get medical treatment in time?"
This is the key to solving the problem, a truly incisive approach.
All aspects were considered before anything even happened.
"Just take the anti-inflammatory medicine home and take it. The surgery was successful, so there's nothing to worry about now. Just go home and take good care of your body and your eyes."
With these words, Qi Donghan was relieved and then asked Doctor Qiu some more detailed questions.
Then they pushed Zhou Jingsong to the ward.
Zhao Yueru watched them leave, then stood there for a while before stamping her foot and gritting her teeth to follow them. She watched as they entered the ward.
Qi Donghan didn't say anything, but Zhou Jingsong, though unable to see, had keen eyesight and could hear the footsteps.
He had already memorized Zhao Yueru's footsteps.
Her temperament was both light and heavy, and her actions were always urgent, just like her personality.
Thinking of this, Zhou Jingsong smiled and tentatively called out, "Comrade Zhao?"
"It's me."
Zhao Yueru stopped being coy and said frankly, "I was waiting outside while you were having surgery."
"If you are discharged from the hospital, can I take you back to your hometown?"
Fearing Zhou Jingsong might not have understood, Zhao Yueru specifically pointed out, "I think you're a pretty good person, how about we start dating?"
Anyway, she's a capitalist's daughter, and now she's being kept under tight surveillance.
I'd rather marry the man in front of me than a cripple or a cripple.
Zhao Yueru knew the other person was a good person.
Even knowing that their blind date was going to fail, he was still willing to give Yingying three morphine pills.
What else could this be but a good person?
Zhou Jingsong was stunned for a long time after hearing this, clearly not expecting that there were girls in the world who were so straightforward.
He said in surprise, "Comrade Zhao, marriage is not a trivial matter."
"I know."
Zhao Yueru was a little angry. She had been so proactive, yet the other person still thought she was joking. She stood up abruptly, "Who's joking with you?"
"Zhou Jingsong".
Her face flushed with anger, and she shouted his name, "It was your family who first sent the message to arrange a blind date with me, and it was also your family that sent me to the hospital to see you. What, now that your eyes are better, you're denying it?"
Zhou Jingsong had never been able to handle a woman like this before.
Or is it a case of turning the tables and blaming the victim?
He was speechless for a moment, unsure how to answer.
"I don't care," Zhao Yueru said angrily. "Anyway, I've been watching over you for so long, you're definitely my boyfriend now."
"You'll be discharged tomorrow, and I'll take you back to Mengjiatun."
After saying that, she didn't give Zhou Jingsong any chance to back out. She picked up her bag, turned around, and ran out of the ward.
This left Zhou Jingsong completely bewildered. He instinctively reached out to Qi Donghan for help, "Old Qi, do you know what's going on?"
Qi Donghan was hunched over as he packed his things, his shirt tightening around his abdominal muscles, revealing a slight bulge beneath the buttons.
As if he hadn't noticed, he turned and hung up the towel in one swift motion. Only after finishing did he walk up to Zhou Jingsong and say calmly, "What did you ask me?"
Zhou Jingsong thought he hadn't heard him, so he repeated, "Do you know why Comrade Zhao ran out in anger just now?"
Zhou Jingsong waited for a while, full of anticipation, before giving an answer.
Qi Donghan frowned, thought for a while, and said, "I don't know."
He was somewhat puzzled, "Why do you think that a gay man who has been single for 25 years would understand the thoughts of a young girl?"
Zhou Jingsong was speechless for a while. "Old Qi, you can't do this. With your personality, you'll never be able to find a wife."
Qi Donghan frowned, somewhat puzzled, "Isn't being single good?"
*
Meng Baichuan had actually been waiting for this telegram.
If Song Fenfang had replied to his telegram, he might not have taken such a desperate gamble and entrusted his daughter Meng Yingying entirely to Qi Xiaoer.
But no.
He waited from the beginning to the end, but he never got to see it.
When Meng Baichuan finished taking the second Demerol pill, he still had a smile on his face. "Yingying, this medicine is really effective."
After eating it, you feel like you're floating on air, and you can't feel any pain or sadness.
There was only tranquility.
Meng Yingying subconsciously said, "Then I'll find a way to get Yue Ru to help me get a few more from his friend."
She only had one pill left.
She hadn't even finished speaking.
Meng Baichuan interrupted her, "No need."
"Yingying, that's enough."
He raised his hand, smiled, and gently touched Meng Yingying's soft hair. "Our family's savings book and house deed are both by the cabinet on the kang."
"Dad also prepared some loose change and bills for you and put them under your pillow."
"Yingying." He got up, as if he had a sudden burst of energy before death, and went to the dresser and laboriously moved the corner of the table.
"Dig it open."
Meng Yingying was a little confused, but she did as she was told. Following the direction Meng Baichuan pointed, she dug open a small, rusty box about the size of a palm.
It's clear that it's been around for quite some time.
"Open."
Meng Yingying nodded and struggled to pry open the box with the metal sheet. When she saw what was inside, she was stunned.
She had never known that her family possessed such valuable items.
"This is the dowry your mother left behind when she passed away."
Meng Baichuan picked up the lustrous jade bracelet and carefully stroked it. "She looked beautiful wearing it back then. She said it was the only valuable thing she owned, so she left it to you."
Meng Yingying remained silent.
She didn't believe that this jade bracelet could represent a mother's love.
“I know you blame your mother, but Yingying, don’t blame her.”
Meng Baichuan said haltingly, “Your mother is a remarkable person. She is cultured, knowledgeable, and capable. Being with me was a waste of her life. So, it was I who made her leave back then.”
When Meng Baichuan mentioned Song Fenfang, there was a hint of pride in his eyes. "It's tough for women to work in this world, but not your mother. She was a woman, yet she worked among a group of men, taking their jobs."
"Leading a group of men to conduct research in the desert."
“Yingying, I have never regretted letting your mother leave back then. Even if I had to do it all over again, I would still let her go.”
"Because the nation comes before the family; without the nation, there is no family."
"But Yingying, your father and mother are sorry for you the most."
This was the first time Meng Yingying truly understood Song Fenfang, and she subconsciously asked, "What kind of person is my mother?"
Judging from Uncle Meng's tone, she thought her mother wasn't doing well.
Otherwise, why would she be a burden to her father?
Meng Baichuan's eyes were filled with a smile, and also revealed a hint of happiness. "Your mother is very capable in her career. She is excellent at math. Her mind is faster than an abacus. She can even calculate the trajectory of a bullet."
"She put all her energy into her research." At this point, he seemed to recall a funny incident from back then: "When she was engrossed in arithmetic, she ate fried dough sticks with ink as if they were soup."
"She's incredibly talented in her field, but in everyday life she's like a little kid."
It was clear that when Meng Baichuan mentioned Song Fenfang, he didn't harbor any resentment; on the contrary, he seemed quite happy.
“Yingying, don’t blame your mother.” He patted Meng Yingying’s head. “Your mother has been outstanding her whole life. The only stain on her life is that she married me.”
He's a mediocre guy, neither good enough for high positions nor good enough for low ones; he's an uneducated pig butcher.
Meng Yingying shook her head and retorted, "No, Dad, you're very good."
She pursed her lips and said softly, "Otherwise, why would Mom willingly and happily marry you and live with you in Mengjiatun?"
“She did it willingly,” Meng Yingying said. “Otherwise, she wouldn’t have given birth to me.”
This was an angle Meng Baichuan had never considered in his life. His pale face instantly brightened. "You mean, your mother had a crush on me?"
"Definitely."
"I am the best proof."
Meng Baichuan suddenly burst into laughter, and all the inferiority he had suppressed for a lifetime vanished in that instant.
"Yingying."
"Dad's life has been worthwhile!"
Meng Yingying suddenly had a bad feeling. She looked up at him abruptly, her eyes filled with fear. "Dad, don't scare me."
Meng Baichuan gently wiped away her tears, "Don't cry."
Even in the face of extreme pain, he wanted to leave his daughter with a smiling face; he didn't want his final, grotesque image to become a memory for her.
“Dad is satisfied.” He smiled. “Your mother has never looked down on me, nor has she ever regretted marrying me. That’s enough.”
"Daddy won't be able to protect you anymore, my Yingying. You have to take good care of yourself."
"If life gets too tough—"
Meng Baichuan paused slightly, his throat tightening, "Go sit at Dad's grave and say something. Dad will definitely be able to hear you."
"Yingying".
"My Yingying."
"Father only wishes that my Yingying will live a life free from illness, pain, and disaster. If she suffers from illness, pain, or disaster, please let it all fall on me, Meng Baichuan."
“I, Meng Baichuan, am not afraid of life or death, but I am afraid that after I die, my Yingying will be left without anyone to take care of her.”
"Yingying, my Yingying, you must take good care of yourself."
As if in a final burst of energy, he grabbed Meng Yingying's hand and earnestly urged, "You absolutely, positively must find Qi Xiaoer!"
Otherwise, he would rather die than accept that his precious daughter had been exploited and left without any descendants by her relatives in the village.
Meng Yingying nodded subconsciously. She wanted to grab his hand, but missed him and watched helplessly as Meng Baichuan's arm drooped down beside the rocking chair.
Meng Yingying cried out in a shrill voice, "Dad!"
That father, with whom she had only spent half a month in real life, was, to Meng Yingying, the most real father.
Meng Baichuan gave all his fatherly love to Meng Yingying.
With Meng Yingying's sharp cry.
Next door, Uncle Meng was the first to react. He was still holding a carrying pole in his hand when he barged in.
When Uncle Meng saw Meng Baichuan lying on the rocking chair, his life hanging in the balance, his eyes instantly reddened. "Gone?"
It sounded like he was talking to himself.
"It's good that you left; you'll avoid suffering now."
Meng Yingying suddenly looked up at Uncle Meng, her gaze sharp, like that of a wounded little animal.
Uncle Meng was not afraid. He wiped his face, which was full of tears. "Did I say something wrong? Your father is suffering every day he lives. It would be better if he left sooner and stopped feeling pain."
"wrong."
Uncle Meng stepped forward and then noticed that Meng Baichuan still had a smile on his face. "What did you feed him?"
"He left with a smile on his face?"
Meng Yingying murmured, "Dermaline, a painkiller."
That's enough.
Uncle Meng suddenly laughed, "That's enough, Meng Yingying. I used to think you were a burden, dragging your father down his whole life. But now it seems your father didn't raise you in vain, knowing to find some good medicine for you."
"He passed away without pain, and that's enough."
“Meng Yingying, as a daughter, you have finally done one thing right.”
Meng Yingying burst into tears.
What she did was nothing compared to what Meng Baichuan did for her.
"Your father said that everything should be kept simple after his death."
Uncle Meng said slowly and deliberately, "No announcement of death, no breaking of mourning rituals, no encoffining, no setting up of a mourning tent, no offering of condolences, and no smashing of the basin!"
"Just burn it clean with a fire, then bury it on the mountain."
Meng Yingying was somewhat puzzled, or rather, she knew why, but she couldn't help but ask, "Why?"
Uncle Meng avoided her eyes and turned his head away. "Your father said this is the last thing he can do for you after he dies."
A note from the author:
----------------------
I cried buckets while writing this chapter. He's the best dad, the best Meng Baichuan!
Let's send out red envelopes! Everyone in this chapter will receive one.
P.S.: The red envelopes in the previous chapter have been sent.
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