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Chapter 54: Bah, believe in Buddhism? Quite hypocritical.
Zheng Baoqiu clearly saw Mu Qing’s dark eyes.
After dinner, she caught up with Chen Wengang: “Don’t bother with Mu Qing. He’s been floating lately just because he sold two paintings, appeared on TV, and gained tens of thousands of fans. He thinks he’s a big shot now. Look, even his way of speaking has changed.”
Chen Wengang smiled and walked shoulder-to-shoulder with her upstairs.
Passing by the study, Chen Wengang turned in, saying he wanted to find a book. Zheng Baoqiu followed him in, not particularly looking for anything special, just chatting along the way. Chen Wengang saw the raccoon smiling at him again. He walked over, picked up the set of animal cards, and played with them for a while.
There was a newspaper on the table, and when Zheng Baoqiu saw it, she felt melancholic again: “Ah, Grandpa is not doing well.”
“Don’t be sad,” Chen Wengang comforted her. “Have you visited him recently?”
“It’s okay. My mom and I went once. Actually, rather than saying I’m sad, it’s more like a sense of reflection. He’s been sick for so long, and no matter what, we’ve been mentally prepared for it. But I don’t have any real feelings; I just feel strange, like this time he’s really going to leave.”
The two sat down by the French windows, and the wind outside suddenly rose. The temperature dropped in the evening, and the weather forecast said there would be continuous heavy rain recently.
After flipping through the newspaper, the front page was filled with the trivial matters of the Huo family, and flipping through the magazine, it was just a repetition in a different form.
Before there was any new situation with Huo Kaishan’s health, this arrangement of material was already a bit annoying.
Chen Wengang changed his expression and unexpectedly saw a photo of Huo Niansheng, with a teasing smile as he looked at him.
This was a picture he could easily find online, taken on his yacht. Huo Niansheng leaned against the railing, holding up a highball glass, his peach blossom eyes raised, not knowing who he was talking to, and the words “playboy” were written all over his face.
The boat was now, nominally, Chen Wengang’s. People were still turning over the same old romantic stories.
Chen Wengang was actually prepared to see his own face on it at any time.
It was just that he was quite lucky, and so far, no reporter has photographed him face on.
Zheng Baoqiu propped her chin, bending the spine of the magazine: “Actually, I’m not very close to my grandpa. He’s more old-fashioned in some ways than my dad and not very approachable. I still remember when I was very young and went to see him. I didn’t know what the adults were talking about, but he got a little angry. He didn’t even look at me, so I just went up and asked him to hold me. Guess what he said? He said holding me wouldn’t do any good; in the future, grandpa’s money belongs to my uncle. I’m the granddaughter; I won’t be given to me. No matter what they argue about, which grandfather talks to his granddaughter like that?!”
“The old man’s thoughts are conservative.” Chen Wengang leaned back on the sofa and said, “Just don’t argue with him.”
“He can rest assured, I don’t have any interest in his affairs right now, just curious about the gossip—like I just found out, my uncle and aunt have been going through a divorce for two years. Can you imagine, two years? Last Chinese New Year, I thought they were particularly affectionate, like a picture-perfect couple.”
“Divorces involve dividing assets; it’s a big taboo to casually expose that. They probably don’t want outsiders guessing.”
“That’s right, they could win an Oscar. Anyway, it’s none of our business.”
She flipped the copper plate paper with a clatter, then suddenly realized, “Oh, you’re not; you still have my cousin. I’m telling you to be careful; don’t get involved in unnecessary gossip. Lately, if anyone asks you anything, don’t disclose anything.”
However, Chen Wengang smiled and said, “It’s okay; I don’t know anything. He hasn’t told me anything.”
Zheng Baoqiu froze, not realizing what kind of interest this was, “Huh? What? You never discuss these things?”
Chen Wengang raised the newspaper slightly, “From what you said, since your grandfather has that kind of personality—suspicious, controlling, with so many complex relationships at home—what’s the benefit of telling me? He might think it’s better to let me stay out of it.”
***
Just when all the reporters were waiting for the beep of the electrocardiogram, waiting and waiting, Huo Kaishan unexpectedly held on for another round.
Counting the time, it had been a week, two weeks, three weeks… three weeks had passed, and there was still no news from the hospital.
Unable to get the critical condition notice and death announcement, the media personnel, like being led around in circles for nothing with a large number of manpower and resources, began to retreat, waiting for the next opportunity to come back.
But those in the know always knew that Huo Kaishan’s health deteriorated day by day.
Soon, the days of continuous heavy rain began, lasting for a whole week without stopping.
By the second week, flood control work began to become serious, and citizens received daily reminder messages on their phones.
Other places were fine, but the drainage system in the old city was weak and prone to flooding, hiding dangerous risks.
Chen Wengang found himself overwhelmed with concerns for a while.
He instructed Chen Xiangling to stay home and focus on studying during this period, advising her not to go out unnecessarily. After work, he bought two large bags of fresh groceries from the supermarket and brought them to her. Then, it was Luo Suwei who came to visit.
The Houren Special Education School was a newly constructed campus, and they weren’t sure if it could withstand the test. Along with several other administrators, three or four people went to inspect it together. Fortunately, they didn’t find any issues, like leaks or damage to the playground. Unfortunately, as they were about to leave, the rain suddenly intensified, trapping them inside the teaching building.
Outside, it was a vast expanse of white, with visibility reduced to half a meter, making it impossible to distinguish between people and ghosts. The wind howled fiercely, and the commotion made one suspect a tornado was approaching.
But inside the teaching building, they were short on food and drink, with limited water and electricity. As soon as the rain eased up a bit, they immediately found ways to make their way back home separately.
On the road, water flooded the streets, making driving feel like sailing on the sea. Many small cars with low exhaust pipes had broken down.
Chen Wengang glanced at the route. His eyelids were twitching violently, a sign that he felt something was about to happen.
The navigation warned of roadblocks ahead. He turned around and headed to Lu Chenlong’s house.
As it turned out, he arrived just in time. The Lu family was in desperate need of help.
Their yard was low-lying, and water was pouring in, threatening to flood into the house. When Chen Wengang arrived, Lu Chenlong was wearing a raincoat, pouring water outside with a basin, while a row of sandbags blocked the entrance.
All around, neighbors were facing the same plight, desperately trying to divert water. It had been many years since they had experienced water levels this high.
Chen Wengang was handed an iron bucket.
Together, they barely managed to improve the situation, scooping out most of the water from the yard. When they returned inside, soaked from the rain, they found that the interior was even wetter than the exterior, completely soaked through. There were two puddles of water on the floor.
The bedroom door was closed, and Xiao Bao was still sleeping carefree on the bed inside.
Lu Chenlong didn’t have time to change clothes. He hurried to find towels, then suddenly raised his head, realizing a problem—
“Oh, I hope your yard is okay!”
Chen Wengang’s home was still undergoing renovations, nearing completion, but now with water inside, he wasn’t sure how many areas would need redoing.
Just the thought of it was enough to give him a headache. It was yet another trouble to deal with.
Chen Wengang pondered for a moment. “I remember our yard being raised up, so it rarely floods, even when I was a kid. It should be fine.”
Just in case, he grabbed an umbrella and went home to check. There was no need to take off wet clothes; changing into dry ones seemed futile in this weather. Umbrellas and raincoats provided nothing but psychological comfort.
Fortunately, the inside of the house was clean and dry. Chen Wengang should thank his parents for their foresight; they had added an extra layer of bricks to the yard.
Lu Chenlong opened the door and welcomed him in, providing shelter. Both men breathed a sigh of relief.
Opening the closet drawer, Lu Chenlong found one of his old t-shirts and tossed it to Chen Wengang. After changing his shirt, Chen Wengang suddenly remembered something, “What about Grandma Zhou’s place?”
Though Grandma Zhou’s shop was located next door, her residence wasn’t on Jiangchao Street, but it wasn’t far, just one street over.
Lu Chenlong tossed his large shorts onto the bed and dialed her number, checking if everything was okay.
After a few rapid beeps, a female voice came on, “The number you dialed is not reachable. Please try again later.”
They exchanged a glance, sensing the gravity in each other’s faces.
Lu Chenlong tried to think positively, “Maybe she didn’t hear it ring? Or she’s not home.”
Chen Wengang asked, “In this heavy rain, where else could she be?”
Lu Chenlong suggested, “Try again; call twice more. If there’s still no answer, we’ll go check on her place. It’s not far anyway.”
After fifteen minutes, there was still no answer.
Chen Wengang’s eyelids kept twitching. He picked up his raincoat again, ready to put it on. Lu Chenlong looked outside, then suddenly grabbed his arm and said, “Don’t go. I’ll go alone. You stay with Xiao Bao at home.”
Chen Wengang said, “You should stay here.”
With a sense of foreboding, he hesitated for a moment before grabbing the car keys and leaving.
Lu Chenlong locked the bedroom door and put on his raincoat. Together, they dashed into the rain.
Wading through ankle-deep water with countless unidentified objects floating around, they reached Grandma Zhou’s house. The water level had risen to their shins on the way, and they climbed two steps to her higher ground, where the water had not reached. Chen Wengang peered through the blurry outline of a person stretched out inside.
But it wasn’t clear; even after Lu Chenlong knocked on the door, there was no response from inside.
Chen Wengang looked around and then studied the wall, “Give me a boost.”
The water poured down, blinding their sight. Lu Chenlong crouched down, and Chen Wengang stepped onto his shoulders, climbing the wall’s edge, trying to see beyond the obstruction.
The door was open, and Grandma Zhou was lying on the doorstep, head inside and feet outside.
Chen Wengang instructed Lu Chenlong to support him while he continued to climb. The moss was slippery, and his hands felt sticky, unable to find a good grip. Lu Chenlong watched anxiously as Chen Wengang slipped several times, struggling to get his leg up. “Are you okay? If not, I’ll try. Come down…”
Thanks to Chen Wengang’s regular exercise and some core strength, he gritted his teeth and finally pushed himself up the wall.
Taking a moment to steady himself, he jumped in like a cat.
The Lexus luckily didn’t stall, and they slowly made it out of the flooded area, heading straight to the emergency room.
Grandma Zhou was wheeled in for examination by the nurses, leaving them with nothing to do but wait.
Lu Chenlong had never met Grandma Zhou’s children, only hearing about a wayward grandson who rarely showed up. They still needed to contact her family. The old woman had a chronic illness and was a frequent visitor to the hospital. The nurses finally found her family’s contact number in the records.
“Are you going back first?” Chen Wengang asked Lu Chenlong as they sat outside the emergency room.
“Forget it; I’ll wait too,” Lu Chenlong said. “We’ll leave when it’s light; it’s safer to walk a bit in the daylight.”
He went downstairs to buy two towels from the nearby 7-Eleven and returned, handing one to Chen Wengang.
Chen Wengang wiped his hair and instinctively held his hand up to examine it, noticing how wrinkled and white it had become from soaking in the rain.
Lu Chenlong glanced at him oddly, seeing him sitting in a daze on the chair, wondering what was on his mind.
Finally, Chen Wengang flicked his damp hair back, only for the strands to fall back onto his forehead.
As the sky gradually brightened, the test results came in. It turned out that Grandma Zhou had slipped on the doorstep in the dark and hit her head, causing a momentary loss of consciousness. She had woken up briefly but, feeling weak, had fallen asleep again. She was now lying in bed, receiving an IV drip, and more tests would be done when her family arrived tomorrow.
Around seven o’clock, a burly man hurried in.
Lu Chenlong decided to see what this grandson was like. Although he couldn’t see his face clearly, he noticed two strands of Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist.
“Pah, pretending to be religious? How hypocritical,” Lu Chenlong thought.
Yu Shanding rushed into the ward.
Chen Wengang spotted him from afar but didn’t bother calling out due to his sore throat. Yu Shanding noticed him and dashed over. Grandma Zhou was still unconscious. After a brief conversation with the nurse, Yu Shanding came out, grateful, and asked where the kind-hearted person who brought his grandma to the hospital was.
The nurse pointed to the wall.
After a five-second surprise, Yu Shanding dashed over, almost looking like he wanted to hug Chen Wengang and Lu Chenlong, but then stopped himself, turned, and hugged Lu Chenlong tightly instead. “Bro, thank you so much this time.”
Lu Chenlong tried to push him away, “It’s okay, it’s okay. Big brother, don’t hug me. Go hug that…”
Yu Shanding, who was much bigger, held him firmly. “I know, I know. Wengang and I are good friends. I didn’t expect us to have such a connection. You guys are like family to my grandma and me. Both of you are my benefactors. I, Yu Shandng, may not be well-educated, but I know how to repay kindness. Don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything in the future.”
Lu Chenlong struggled to free his arm, “No need, no need… Grandma still needs to have more tests. You should go attend to her. I really need to go back.”
Chen Wengang waved to him, “Take care on your way back. I won’t see you off.”
Lu Chenlong noticed his voice was off, “Why do you sound so hoarse? Did you catch a cold?”
He flagged down a passing nurse and seeing his flushed cheekbones, she wasn’t surprised. She reached out to touch his forehead and said, “It’s quite hot. You might have a fever. There have been a lot of colds going around lately. Please sit inside, and I’ll bring you a thermometer.”
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For every Ko-fi received for a perticular novel, I will release a new chapter!
“He said holding me wouldn’t do any good; in the future, grandpa’s money belongs to my uncle. I’m the granddaughter; I won’t be given to me.” Wtf is that old man? So he only hugs the grandsons who can inherit the company and ignores everyone else? What a sad loser tbh.
Also, did Lu Chenlong abandon his little brother at home, alone, when there’s a big chance of flooding? Seriously wtf are these people?