Pei Chuan was imprisoned during the summer vacation of high school, and then signed a four-year agreement with the country. It’s reasonable to say that Bei Yao was only in her fourth year when he was released.
She hasn't yet finished the five-year undergraduate program.
For almost four years, this young man worked harder than anyone else and was actively educated in the “Seventh Prison”.
The release process in the “Seventh Prison” was different from others. After all, to put it nicely, this was also a place for training talents.
During the New Year of 2013, Pei Chuan filled out the form in advance. After the holiday, the release certificate would be issued together with the letter of appointment.
Cheng Zhenghai went over, and looked at the young man sitting upright while filling out the form on the table.
Pei Chuan, male, 22 years old.
Cheng Zhenghai burst into laughter. “22, it’s the legal age for marriage.”
Pei Chuan’s hand that was holding the pen paused.
“Pei Chuan isn’t your life like dark willows and blowing flowers*, coming back from the death’s door**?” Although he took a different path due to unexpected turns of events, he could still directly work for the country after getting out of prison. He may have to be dedicated to this for his whole life, but in the end, it was honorable.
*t/n: Idiom for finding a glimmer of hope at one’s darkest time.
**t/n: Unexpectedly rescued from the danger.
“Senior Cheng,” he lightly said, “I never studied at a university even for a day.”
“What does that matter? Look at the college students nowadays. Who could directly work at the National Research Institute or something similar? You’ve paid so much in these four years. Compared to the young boys of your age, you’re more mature. Later, if you become successful, don’t forget to come and see this old man.”
Pei Chuan always looked calm, and people didn’t know what was in his mind. Senior Cheng said, "The only bad thing about you is that you are young and you think too much."
Pei Chuan filled out the form and did not reply.
The world’s opinion of him varied from person to person. Some people may lament that he became a national scientist after he was released from prison. However, some would only see him as a man who had been in jail for four years and had never studied in a university.
He didn't see the light in prison, but he had learned a lot while getting along with these seniors; what he had to face in the future was a complicated society.
He felt no fear, he was not afraid of the kinds of eyes the world would look at him with. But when he remembered Bei Yao, he couldn’t help but reflect more
When he was still in prison, her classmates might not know that she has a "boyfriend" like him. He could only wait until her heart settles and see her resolution. For almost four years, Bei Yao always had the opportunity to break up with him, but she never did.
But as a man, he couldn’t not give a woman a future.
In the past—when Pei Chuan had not been in jail—Zhao Zhilan used all her wealth to ask him to let their daughter go. Now, the situation after coming out of jail would undoubtedly be even worse. He was afraid that Bei Yao would be hurt because of being with him, and even more so if she would clearly see the world and leave him.
Everything she gave was so good, and he fell too deep.
He could not stand it if one day, she would be hurt and scared, then leave him.
Getting out of jail was exactly something to celebrate. Even though Bei Yao, Jin Ziyang, and the others didn't know about it, everything still went on in an orderly manner.
~
During the New Year in 2013, Bei Yao had no way to see Pei Chuan.
This was due to the fact that Grandma was seriously ill and almost died.
It was unknown who said that when someone became a mother, in their eyes, the child was the most important, followed by their parents—humans always loved the next generation more.
So even though Zhao Zhilan was a bit sad, she still didn't immediately call Bei Yao back. She was afraid that her daughter would be distracted at school, and adversely affect her final exams. In fact, though Zhao Zhilan didn't say it, she has grievances in her heart. In this life, Bei Yao’s grandmother had one son and one daughter—Zhao Zhilan was the older sister. She had suffered enough as a child; she had to cook even if she was not taller than the stovetop in the countryside.
After Zhao Zhilan's brother—Zhao Xing—was born, he was loved by all. Only after marrying Bei Licai did Zhao Zhilan get away from that awful kind of life.
Zhao Xing was a fool his whole life, and had never done anything good. When Bei Yao’s grandpa died in an accident and received a lot of pension, all were spent on Zhao Xing by Grandma.
Bei Yao has been raised by Zhao Zhilan herself since she was born, and Bei Yao's grandmother had never helped Zhao Zhilan even for a day.
An exception to this was the year when Zhao Zhilan’s second child was born. She went back to her mother's house for a period of time in order to give birth to Bei Jun.
At that time, Grandmother had roughly understood that her son was unreliable, and that she might need to rely on her daughter in her later years. So, she had a particularly good attitude towards Zhao Zhilan’s daughter, Bei Yao.
However, Zhao Zhilan knew that it was easier said than done. In the past, the Bei family lent all their money to Zhao Xing, to the point that their family was so poor that Bei Yao had to wear Xiaocang’s—her cousin—old clothes. It was so difficult, yet Grandmother never gave them a hand.
When you love someone you have to love their virtues and shortcomings. Zhao Xiaocang’s beautiful clothes were mostly bought by Bei Yao’s grandmother.
So this time when Bei Yao finished her final exams, Zhao Zhilan said to Bei Yao, "Come back and meet your grandmother one last time."
Bei Yao couldn't make it to see Pei Chuan in time, so she had to call and ask Jin Ziyang to tell Pei Chuan.
When she hurried to the hospital in her hometown, her grandmother was holding Zhao Xing's hand. With a pair of cloudy eyes looking at her only son, her lips moved but was unable to speak.
There was a faint smell of urine in the air. Zhao Xiaocang stood by the door, her nose faced outwards, sucking in a mouthful of air from time to time.
Zhao Zhilan was in the ward. She saw that Bei Yao had come, and waved her hands. “Come and see Grandma.”
Bei Yao went over and gently held the old woman's other hand. "Grandma, I'm here to see you."
The wrinkled hand shook, and it took a long time for Grandma to recognize that this was her granddaughter—the granddaughter she had never loved in her life.
But the granddaughter she had loved since a child—Zhao Xiaocang—stood by the door with permed-wavy hair and an ugly expression, as if she couldn’t bear the smell.
Xiao Bei Jun held her mother’s hand. Although he was ignorant, he knew that something major was happening. He did not dare to speak, stood obediently, and did not complain about the smell.
Zhao Xing neither spoke, nor scolded Zhao Xiaocang who was standing outside.
Grandmother's eyes looked at the room full of people, and finally, the corners of the eyes flowed with tears.
In her whole life, she treasured her son, but alas, he became a wastrel. Not only did she spend their family’s pension money in vain, but she also dragged down Zhao Zhilan’s family for more than ten years. She rarely cared about this daughter. But she did not expect that at the last moment in her life, it would be Zhao Zhilan who would take care of her.
The granddaughter she brought up for many years—Zhao Xiaocang—despised her because of the smell.
As Grandma couldn't speak, she held Bei Yao's hand firmly, trembling the whole time.
Zhao Zhilan turned her face away to prevent the whole ward from seeing her tears.
Sometimes she could not understand why they, as women who came through agony in the olden days, would look down upon women and treat their daughters harsly.
That night, Grandma passed away, leaving no last words.
Zhao Zhilan wanted her mother to have a decent death and changed her mother's clothes. When Beiyao wanted to help, Zhao Zhilan said, "Yao Yao take your brother and go out.
Zhao Zhilan was a stubborn woman at heart, so Bei Yao could only take her brother out.
No one knew what the patriarchal grandmother was thinking on her deathbed, and whether she had any regrets.
Bei Jun whispered, "Jie, mom hasn't eaten all day."
Bei Yao frowned and finally took Bei Jun to buy food outside the hospital.
It was a rainy night, and there was still a long walk out of the hospital. Bei Yao felt uneasy toward her uncle's family, so she could only take her brother with her.
She packed a bowl of porridge and let her brother hold it while she ran back with him in her arms.
A quarrel broke out in the ward, and for the first time, Zhao Zhilan was furious. “You did not want to buy a cemetery in our hometown, and we can’t afford a cemetery in the city. Zhao Xing, you had a good life, but you lost all your money. It would now be too late for your mother’s burial!”
Zhao Xing strained his neck. "She is also your mother!”
“My mother?” Zhao Zhilan’s many years of suppressed suffering broke out all at once, “My mother! I started cooking and washing clothes when I was seven, dropped out of school after elementary, and raised chickens and ducks. She let you eat eggs while I ate sweet potatoes. And lastly, my daughter had to wear your daughter’s old dress! You asked for money from her when she was alive but didn’t care for her after she died. You’re still asking me for money?”
Zhao Xiaocang, who was outside the door, couldn't help but say, "Aunty, if you can't afford to buy new clothes for Bei Yao, how can you blame my dad?"
Zhao Xiaocang's mother—Deng Ju—hurriedly pulled her daughter and gave her a stare.
Zhao Zhilan was furious with this kid. Why can’t Yaoyao buy new clothes? Is it not because Zhao Xing hit and killed someone! She took into account the kindness of raising this brother for more than ten years, and gave him all the money to "workaround", and look what they said!
When Zhao Xing harbored some intention toward Bei Jun, Zhao Zhilan decided to completely break off relations with them.
However, no matter what, when a person was about to die, the debt from the past could only be erased. She was a mother. She knew how painful it was to give birth, so she came to take care of her at the end of her life. Unexpectedly, Zhao Xing did not even plan to prepare for his mother’s coffin and just tossed it on to Zhao Zhilan.
The elder’s corpse was here, and Zhao Xing said he didn’t have any money.
Fortunately it was February, so the body could be kept for a few days. But if it was summer, it would simply be a disaster!
Zhao Zhilan immediately slapped Zhao Xiaocang in the face, leaving her dumbfounded. "You hit me?" Her parents had never hit her!
Deng Ju's expression was ugly, and immediately said, “Jie, Xiaocang is not a child anymore. If she said something wrong you could just say it, you don’t have to hit her ba!”
Zhao Zhilan angrily said, “You and Zhao Xing didn’t teach her properly. Don’t blame me for hitting her!”
The quarrel in the ward was so loud that many people watched the excitement.
Bei Jun was afraid. He held on to Bei Yao, not letting her sister go. Right now, he was terrified of his uncle. He has always remembered that Zhao Xing almost hurt him.
Though Zhao Xing quit drug addiction, their family still went bankrupt and was in debt. In short, he was determined to leave his mother’s remains alone.
At this time, Huo Xu came. He was wearing a suit and glanced at Bei Yao.
Then he went in and asked, "What happened?"
Zhao Xing was very irritable. "What’s it to you!"
Huo Xu looked at the grandma who had breathed her last on the bed. There was a foul smell in the air, and he said, "Let her go to her grave first."
“You’re saying it so easily. Then you give the money ah!”
Huo Xu said, “I’ll give it.”
This sentence made everyone in the room cast their eyes on him. Bei Yao slightly frowned.
Zhao Xing’s attitude changed immediately, but he still has some doubts. "Are you for real?"
Huo Xu said, "Of course it's real, I'll have someone arrange it later."
Zhao Xing was overjoyed. "Thank you nice guy. Nice guy!"
Zhao Zhilan's face was green.
She won 100,000 yuan last time. It’s not that she was unwilling to spend the money, but it’s because she didn’t want to fall into the pit called Zhao Xing again! She hated this younger brother’s behavior of sucking her own family.
When the accident with Bei Jun happened last time, and her mother chose Zhao Xing, she vowed to never care for him anymore. If Zhao Xing still relied on her today, she would not be able to swallow this anger in her life.
Unexpectedly, a young guy finally took care of his mother's funeral. This forced Zhao Zhilan to make a choice.
Zhao Zhilan gritted her teeth. “It’s my mother’s affair, there’s no need for an outsider to interfere. I will pay the money, but Hao Xing, if you dare to reach out and ask for money from me again, I will chop you down with a kitchen knife!”
Zhao Xing muttered, “Isn’t someone willing to pay for it?”
Huo Xu glanced at Zhao Zhilan. Knowing that she was stubborn, he went out to make a call, and then came back. "I can find a cemetery faster, and the people from the crematory will come. Auntie, your daughter saved me once, so let me help you.”
Once it’s said, the air was quiet for a moment.
Everyone looked at Bei Yao.
Zhao Xiaocang's heart has been beating ever since Huo Xu appeared. She could still recognize a high-quality rich man. He even gave money and labor the moment he came.
Unexpectedly, it was for her cousin Bei Yao!
Zhao Zhilan was stunned. However, the situation right now was too chaotic and she didn’t have much time to think, and could only nod. “You find someone, but I will pay the money!”
Not long after that, someone hurriedly came. Huo Xu walked towards Bei Yao.
He rarely spoke with her, however, she carried the fresh fragrance of February with a little cold air from the outside.
Huo Xu originally didn't approach her with good intentions, but he repeatedly lost his focus somehow.
"You ...... don't be sad, tell me if you need any help."
Bei Yao’s gaze was a little cold. "No need."
Huo Xu pursed his lips. "Do you maybe hate me a little?"
Why? Obviously, when she was sixteen, she was still willing to help a stranger. But now that he returned to China with a high status, she hated him slightly.
When he was in B City, he deliberately created several opportunities to meet with her, but she always secretly escaped. He sent a gift, but Bei Yao did not receive it.
The girl was unmoved, and Huo Xu was also anxious. Today, he forcefully intervened in this matter.
Originally it was ill-intentioned, but the closer he got, the more uncertain he was about what his heart was reluctant about.
Bai Yao’s gaze was clear; she did not answer him.
Later, when it was getting late, Bei Yao went over and hugged Zhao Zhilan. "Mom, let’s go home and rest first."
When Bei Yao and the others left, Deng Ju quietly pinched Zhao Xing. "Look at their daughter, she's a capable one. Just a glance and you know that the man is rich. He's also so nice to Bei Yao. You can’t cut off relations with your sister. Later, our family Xiaocang ..."
Zhao Xing was annoyed. "My mother just died, what are you saying this for!"
It’s been a year since this incident happened, but Huo Xu still refused to accept Zhao Zhilan's money.
Bei Yao was a little anxious. She couldn’t recall a thing, and she didn't understand what this person was going to do.
Zhao Zhilan also disliked Huo Xu, the reason was simple.
The cemetery and various expenses that Huo Xu found for Bei Yao's grandmother add up to a full 150,000.
What the hell… was it an imperial tomb huh!
However, the corpse has been buried, and it was impossible…
To be reduced to poverty once more—Zhao Zhilan’s face was extremely hard to look at, and the pressure was too big. What are these things, ah! Can there be another pie falling from the sky? Draw a lottery or something?
~
It didn’t take long before spring came.
The beginning of spring coincided with Pei Chuan's early release from prison.
The man changed to a prosthetic limb. He has not worn a prosthetic limb for a long time and had a little bit of discomfort.
Cheng Zhenghai patted him on the shoulder. "Young man, from now on, work well for the country, okay? The future of society depends on you!"
Pei Chuan did not say much and nodded. The notice of his employment has come, and he could go to the Institute this summer.
However, he has been thinking about the news brought by Jinyang during the New Year: Bei Yao’s grandma was seriously ill.
Pei Chuan changed his clothes. He was 22 years old, and his brows were sharp. He looked extremely cold when he was not smiling.
Pei Chuan went straight back to C City. The sky was blue and the air outside was very fresh.
He saw the grass and trees of his hometown as if he had come to the past, strange and familiar.
Jin Ziyang who received his phone call was still confused, and the two met up. "Crap, Chuan Ge you broke out of prison?"
Pei Chuan coldly looked at him.
Pei Chuan said, "What about the money left over from selling the software?"
Jin Ziyang spoke with some worry, “That thing is very valuable. You said the price is 3 million at most, but as a result, there were people who offered 5 million, which scared me. I then hurriedly added another one million. Finally, we had 6 million as a deal, and so far… er… I have given Aunt Zhao 120,000.”
It couldn’t be helped.You couldn’t do the lottery every day, they are not fools.
Pei Chuan nodded.
Jin Ziyang handed him the card. "There are more than five million left."
Jin Ziyang felt complicated. "Brother Chuan, this money is really not illegal, right? Don't get yourself in trouble again. If you have nothing to do, you can come to my father’s company as a manager!"
"..."
Pei Chuan was just about to leave when Jin Ziyang called him, "That, Chuan Ge, you listen to me. Some time ago Bei Yao said that her grandmother was seriously ill, so I paid attention to it, and then found out... the Huo family’s young master from B City is chasing her."
Pei Chuan’s footsteps paused, he tightly pursed his lips.
"The money for her grandmother's funeral and the cemetery were all paid by Huo Xu. You better be mentally prepared,” Jin Ziyang clenched his teeth; his heart was uncertain.
It was fine if it was someone else, but Huo Xu’s identity should not be underestimated.
He was rich, handsome, and had just returned from studying abroad.
God knows if Aunt Zhao and her family would like Huo Xu more because of his status and kindness. Huo Xu’s identity was really awesome ah. He received education from abroad, wealthy, good-looking, gentle, and considerate—most girls probably looked up to him.
In Jin Ziyang’s eyes, Pei Chuan was just released from prison. He was not only physically disabled but also “unemployed”. What could he use to fight for the other family’s daughter?
Pei Chuan touched the entry letter of the "First Scientific Research Institute" in his pocket, but he did not speak.