Chapter 867 Family First From the hot pot restaurant, a night breeze blew.
Zhou Fang was even more drunk, and his steps were unsteady.
Not long after, Shen Mo arrived in her Crown.
She rolled down the car window, nodded to Lu Qingyang, glanced at Zhou Fang who was leaning against a lamppost with a flushed face, and said gently without asking any questions, "Let's get in the car, Zhou Fang, I'll take you home."
Lu Ge, Zhou Fang leaned back in the passenger seat, his eyes closed, but his brows were still furrowed, and he occasionally mumbled a few words, which were not audible.
The carriage was filled with a faint smell of alcohol and silence.
Shen Mo stared intently at the road ahead: "What's wrong with Zhou Fang? She doesn't look like she's drunk, but rather like she's preoccupied with something, like she's lost half her mind. You two, did you have some kind of disagreement?"
Lu Qingyang looked at the street scene flashing by outside the window and shook his head: "No, he said he was tired, but he wouldn't go into details when asked. However, judging from his appearance, it didn't seem like he was just tired. It seemed like he had something on his mind that he couldn't talk about."
Shen Mo sighed: "You men, sometimes you just put on a brave face. His sister-in-law and children are all doing well. Is he facing some difficulties that he's embarrassed to tell you?"
“It doesn’t seem like it,” Lu Qingyang said with certainty.
“He can’t hide his intentions from me, and he wouldn’t act like this.”
He had a vague suspicion in his heart, but without evidence, he couldn't tell Shen Mo openly. However, Zhou Fang's hesitant, preoccupied, and ashamed appearance made him, as her brother, truly uneasy.
After dropping Zhou Fang off at home, watching him being helped inside by Fang Xiaojing, and seeing the lights come on and then off again, Lu Qingyang finally told Shen Mo to turn around and go home.
Back in his study, Lu Qingyang didn't rest immediately.
Remembering that Zhou Fang had been frequently traveling to Shanghai recently, he picked up the phone and dialed Bao Xiangxiang's number.
Calling at this hour was a bit abrupt, but he knew Bao Xiangxiang was also a night owl, efficient, and didn't like idle chatter.
The phone rang a few times before being answered. Sure enough, it was Bao Xiangxiang's clear and capable voice: "Hello, Qingyang? It's so late, what's up?"
"Xiangxiang, did I disturb your rest?"
Lu Qingyang cut to the chase, "I have something I wanted to ask you. Has Zhou Fang encountered anything unusual in Haishi lately, besides business? Or... is there anything that seems off?"
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.
This brief silence made Lu Qingyang even more aware of the situation.
"Business is going smoothly, and Manager Zhou handled it very well. He later introduced a part-time job to a girl, and other than that, there shouldn't be anything else."
"Okay, I understand, thank you."
After hanging up the phone, Lu Qingyang sat at his desk for a long time.
He believes that Zhou Fang's initial intentions were purely out of goodwill.
However, if this goodwill is not handled properly, it can become tainted by dependence and gratitude, and when combined with the mundane and tiring aspects of family life, it can easily slide into a dangerous situation.
Zhou Fang's pain and struggle tonight probably stem from this.
His conscience was not completely extinguished, yet he was already mired in trouble.
Two days later, Lu Qingyang found Zhou Fang and told him that he had been given a long vacation.
“You’ve been working really hard lately. Perfect timing. There’s an industry exchange meeting in Jin Gang early next month. Take Xiao Jing and the two kids with you. Jin Gang is by the sea, so it’s not too cold this time of year. Take them to see the sea, browse the foreign goods market, and have a two-day trip. The company will cover the expenses. Consider it a reward for your hard work recently.”
Zhou Fang was taken aback, and subconsciously wanted to refuse: "No need, Qingyang, I'll go to the exchange meeting. What would it look like to bring my family? Besides..."
"And what? Ah Fang, we're brothers, so I won't beat around the bush. You haven't been in the right state lately, and going home might not really make you feel relaxed. Work is important, but home is where you're rooted. If the roots are shaky, the tree won't grow strong no matter how many flowers it blooms. Take them out for a walk and help them relax."
“…Okay, I’ll listen to you.” Zhou Fang finally nodded.
Back home, Zhou Fang told Fang Xiaojing about her business trip and travel experience.
Fang Xiaojing was kneading dough, preparing to steam buns, when she heard this and looked up in surprise, her hands still covered in flour:
"Going to Tianjin Port? And taking me and the child with you? Is this...is this appropriate? Won't it interfere with your business?"
"Qingyang arranged this specially, saying it would let me relax and also broaden your horizons. The exchange will last half a day, and you can arrange the rest of the time as you like. Hasn't Niu Niu been saying she wants to see the sea?"
Fang Xiaojing's eyes gradually brightened, a natural longing for a little change after being confined to housework and children for so long.
But she still said, "That would cost a lot of money, wouldn't it? Where would we stay? What if the kids get restless and fussy on the way home..."
"Don't worry about any of that, Qingyang has arranged everything."
On the day of departure, Niu Niu and Xiao Jun were as excited as two little sparrows, running around the luggage.
Fang Xiaojing wore a wool coat that she usually couldn't bear to wear, her hair was carefully combed, and her face showed a slight nervousness and anticipation.
Sitting in the car, watching the fields and villages rushing past the window, Zhou Fang suddenly felt that it had been a long time since she had been able to simply act as a husband and father, leading her family to a destination like this.
...
Qiuhe had been eagerly anticipating receiving a call from Zhou Fang.
Unexpectedly, he didn't contact Zi for half a month.
She felt that this was wrong, even somewhat demeaning.
놙땣 devotes all his energy to two things: studying hard and working even harder.
Her mother needs to take medication to maintain her health, and she owes Manager Zhou money... Although he said there was no rush, she wants to pay it back every penny as soon as possible.
During her daytime classes, she forced herself to concentrate fully, taking densely packed notes.
Her life was filled with studying and working. She was tired, but the fulfilling exhaustion made her feel more at ease.
Occasionally, when she dragged her aching body back to the pavilion late at night and saw her mother's sleeping face after taking her medicine, she would feel that no matter how bitter or difficult things were, life was always moving in a better direction.
Until that unusually cold night.
That day, she was taking inventory at the store, and she got off work later than usual.
The north wind was like a knife whistling across my face, and the road was almost impassable.
She rubbed her hands, which were red from the cold, and jogged back to that familiar, dimly lit alley.
Pushing open the creaking wooden door and climbing the narrow, steep stairs, I found the attic room lacking its usual dim light, and devoid of my mother's slight cough or the rustling sound of her getting up to greet me.
A deathly silence.
Qiuhe felt a sudden panic. In the dim light, her mother lay on her side on the wooden bed against the wall, covered with a thin blanket, in the same position as when she left home that morning.
"Mom?" Qiuhe called softly, her voice sounding abrupt in the quiet room.
There was no response.
She walked over quickly, called out again, and reached out to push her mother's shoulder.
"mom!"
A piercing scream shattered the narrow pavilion.
Her mother had already died; her body was stiff.
The funeral arrangements were so simple as to be almost hasty.
Qiuhe used the money Zhou Fang left behind to hold the funeral.
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