Translator-Lucyferase
Editor-Alysia
The pier of Jingcheng was lively that day, with many ships coming in and out, and shipments being carried up and down. At this time, the sound of a siren caught everyone’s attention, and a rather luxurious cruise ship slowly docked on the shore. The crew set up the boarding stairs and let the tourists disembark.
The “Princess” has returned from the United Kingdom via Hong Kong. Chu Ran, who had just returned from studying abroad, was on that ship. Walking off the boat carrying a suitcase, she was still dressed simply but with elegance. It has been two years since the last time she was in Jingcheng, and it seems that nothing has changed. A hint of emotion emerged in Chu Ran’s eyes. She came to a halt and lifted her head, taking in the sights of the street and houses from a distance.
Around the same time, an elderly woman, most likely a scrap dealer, approached her to pick up a tin can near Chu Ran’s feet upon being struck by a suitcase.
It was a nice suitcase, carried by a young lady. She was wearing sunglasses, her lips were painted in bright red, and she was wearing an exquisite and very fashionable dress. In this cold weather, she also was wearing stockings and high-heeled shoes. The old lady lost her balance and fell to the ground. The tin can in her hand also fell, splashing drops of water remaining inside all around and staining the lady’s beautiful dress.
The young lady seemed hurried, lifting her lace-gloved wrist to check the time. Only then did she notice the elderly lady. She sighed briefly and looked down at her filthy skirt and the elderly woman, saying, “I wasn’t being careful when I walked. Are you all right?”
The old lady looked at the water stains on her skirt timidly, shook her head, and wanted to get up, but her steps were still a little unsteady. Chu Ran who was next to her, reached out to support the old lady’s arm and lifted her.
The old woman thanked her with gratitude, “Thank you, kind lady.”
Chu Ran raised his eyes on the other girl, “Miss, you just hit someone, at least you should apologize.”
The young girl glanced at her, put down her suitcase and took out a few banknotes from her bag, and handed it to the old lady, “Take it and buy something to make up for it.”
The old lady hurried forward to take the money and thanked her sincerely, “Thank you, Miss, thank you!” She left limping but joyous.
Both girls stared at the old woman’s back. The other girl breathed, “Sometimes money is more useful than an apology.”
Chu Ran glancing at the girl was a little upset and revolted. The girl raised her head and walked away in her high heels. She didn’t walk far before a man who looked like a servant ran forward and took her bag while leading her to a car. Chu Ran sighed slightly, took her suitcase, and walked out of the dock to catch a rickshaw.
“Shi fu*, to Huainan Road.”
Today was the grand opening of a foreign firm The Da Xing*, which caused quite a stir. A lion dance team was also invited for the occasion, and two huge plates of firecrackers were mounted on either side of the door.
Bang! Bing! The place was a hive of activity, buzzing with noise and enthusiasm.
Attracted by the effervescence, pedestrians gathered in a circle to watch, as children ran around laughing and playing with the leftover fireworks found on the site.
The sign of Da Xing Foreign Firm was hung up, covered with a layer of red silk flowers, the rest of the ribbon was hanging diagonally from both sides and held by two men. Zhao Jingming and Butler Zhong were waiting on the side.
“Young Master*, it’s almost the time for the “auspicious hour.” Butler Zhong reminded quietly.
“Let’s wait a little more.”
Even though Zhao Jingming said those words, his face showed signs of impatience. Twisting and rubbing his hands together, he was anxious.
One of the guests invited to the ceremony asked another one, “Who is Chief Zhao waiting for? Who has such arrogance to make him wait? Is it Director Zhan of the Ministry of Finance?”
“I don’t think so. Director Zhan has always been very kind and well disposed of, if a time is set up, he will never be late.”
“Anyway, whoever is coming, and however high his rank is in the government, he is a dead man now. Also, that Section Chief Zhao doesn’t care about us, common people, have to wait after him.”
Zhan Jun Bai was already there. The car was parked across the street. He was looking at the people present. He raised his wrist to check the time and shook his head with a smile, “Sure enough, only Jiang Yue Lou can do this kind of thing. If someone doesn’t like it, they shouldn’t indulge him. It’s like dealing with the Emperor or Lao Tzu. Let’s not be like him, let’s go.”
“Yes sir.”
Qiu Ming got out of the car immediately, trotted to the front passenger door, opened it for Zhan Jun Bai who got out of the car. Today, he was wearing an outstanding suit and shiny leather shoes, along with an elegant and gentle face, amiable and respectable.
Zhan Jun Bai walked towards the door of Da Xing Foreign Company on the opposite side of the street, followed by Qiu Ming. The sharp-eyed guests saw Director Zhan and immediately stood up and left their seats to greet him. Zhan Jun Bai smiled and nodded and cupped his fist in the other hand in response.
When Zhao Jingming saw Zhan Jun Bai, he breathed a sigh of relief. He rushed to him stretching out his hand, “I should thank Director Zhan to honor us with his presence, and apologies for being late to welcome you*.Your presence brings light to my humble dwellings*”
Zhan Jun Bai raised his hand and shook his hand, smiled, and said, “Brother Zhao, please forgive me to arrive that late.”
Zhao Jingming, as if welcoming a Great God, announced the arrival of Zhan Jun Bai to the guests. After the brief greeting was over, he explained to Zhan Jun Bai in a soft voice.
“Director Zhan, this auspicious time, specially calculated by a great master, shouldn’t be delayed. It was originally intended that you and Section Chief Jiang will unveil the plaque during the ceremony. But now…”
Zhan Jun Bai chuckled and waved his hand, “You don’t have to wait for him. Maybe he got caught in a case. You and I will unveil it together.”
Zhao Jingming breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, relaxed. He waved the lion dance people to pause and everyone became quiet. The lion dancers scattered to one side, and people gathered around the entrance. Zhao Jingming gathered and greeted everyone by raising his clasped hands.
“Dear colleagues and folks, today is the opening day of the second branch of Da Xing Foreign Company. Thank you for joining us…”
Jiang Yue Lou, who was absent, was not entangled in any case. At this time, he was in his office looking through documents on his desk. Sun Yongren aside, wanted to say something but stopped. Out of the corner of his eyes, he was persistently glancing at the clock on the wall.
Without paying attention to the anxious Sun Yongren, Jiang Yue Lou turned another page and continued to study his file cautiously.
But in the end, Sun Yongren couldn’t help himself, “Boss, please look at the time, we’re going to be late.”
Jiang Yue Lou turned a deaf ear, “Come here and take a look at the seizure record from last month…”
Sun Yongren urged him, “Boss! Section Chief Zhao is the second in command of the Customs department. If you do not give face* like this, I’m afraid…”
Jiang Yue Lou said with a faint smile*, “What are you scared of?”
“You know better than me. Many people are going to be there today. Not only the people from the Customs but also people from the industry and financial secretaries, the magnates of the Chamber of Commerce…”
Jiang Yue Lou glanced at him: “Do you think I should go and hold their stinky feet?”
Sun Yongren turned his heart sullenly, “A man should be ready to give and take*, I think you have to go.”
He raised his arms, ready to be beaten by Jiang Yue Lou with the folder. Jiang Yue Lou stretched and stood up.
“Okay then, I’ll go.”
“Eh?”
There was a knock on the door, and Song Rong showed up, “Boss, the car is ready.”
“Let’s go.”
Sun Yongren watched the two go out in a daze before hurriedly chasing after them. He caught up with Song Rong and whispered, “What’s the matter with the Boss? Is he right now? Is he going there to sing his praises?”
Song Rong glanced at him and shook his head with strength, “Our Section Chief is not like that.”
Sun Yongren stood there, touching his bald head and blinking his eyes, “I, I, why do I have an ominous premonition?”
The corner of Jiang Yue Lou’s mouth rose slightly, revealing an untamed and smiling expression.
Zhao Jingming’s speech was coming to an end, “…I can guarantee in the name of the Chief of the Customs department that all the products sold in this shop are imported from Southeast Asia, Japan, and Europe. They are genuine and at a reasonable price. Please support us in the future and I’ll give everyone a discount!”
Everyone applauded.
Zhao Jingming signaled everyone to be quiet, “Today, I was fortunate to have Director Zhan Jun Bai of the Ministry of Finance attend the opening ceremony of this foreign company. Now I will invite Director Zhang to step forward to unveil the sign of the shop——”
Zhan Jun Bai stepped forward, smiled at the crowd, and then walked to the hanging red silk with Zhao Jingming. The two of them took the red ribbon from the man standing there, and at the same time pulled down the silk tied to the satin flower pine on the plaque. The red silk fell to the ground, revealing the words on the plaque: Da Xing Foreign Firm.
The firecrackers were set off, and crackling explosions could be heard. The children who came to see the show cheered and ran about, making the scene even more lively.
Zhao Jingming was ecstatic and was about to ask Zhan Jun Bai to give an opening speech. At the same time, Jiang Yue Lou’s car was parked across the street from the foreign company. Jiang Yue Lou, clad in uniform, got out of the car, and the crowd cleared the way for him to join with other officials on the stage.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Jiang Yue Lou smiled, and said, “Section Chief Zhao, congratulations on your opening* Jiang had to take care of an official business, he was late and didn’t prepare a gift. Section Chief Zhao won’t blame him, right?”
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He was a little bit disdainful while smiling and said, “What should I say? Having Section Chief Jiang willing to come, it’s more valuable than any gift. But it’s so windy today, I’m sure Chief Jiang didn’t mean to harm in any way and it’s of course completely fine for all of us to wait, but it doesn’t seem appropriate to let Director Zhan wait in the wind.”
Jiang Yue Lou smiled and turned to Zhan Jun Bai, “Brother Zhan, you have been offended. I’ll be the host tonight and invite you to drink.”
Zhan Jun Bai was very happy, “You owe this wine for a long time, and you are not allowed to run away because of a case or something else.”
Seeing that provocation was useless, Zhao Jing stopped talking and turned to Zhan Junbai, “Director Zhan, everyone is here, you should make your announcement for the opening…”
Zhan Jun Bai was about to say yes, but Jiang Yue Lou suddenly said, “Section Chief Zhao, I have also a few words of good wishes that I would like to share here.”
Zhao Jingming looked at Zhan Jun Bai with some embarrassment, “I’m afraid that time is running out…”
Zhan Jun Bai smiled and said, “It’s okay. Since Yue Lou is so considerate, we shouldn’t refute his good intentions. I will just say a few words.”
Zhao Jingming had no choice but to invite Jiang Yue Lou to come forward.
Jiang Yue Lou with no trace of politeness smiled and walked over to stand in the middle of the stage. He was glancing at the crowd with a condescending look*, and the people attending the shown were also watching him attentively.
Outside the crowd, the young lady from the dock before, squeezed into the crowd with some difficulty, before being seen by Zhao Jingming.
“Mo Qing!” He blurted out. This girl was his baby sister, Zhao Moqing.
Zhao Moqing also saw him, screaming “Brother”, she was about to come over. But Zhao Jingming hurriedly gestured to her sister to stay where she was for the moment, before coming back to Jiang Yue Lou who was about to finish his speech.
Standing in the crowd, Zhao Moqing finally turned her attention to Jiang Yue Lou. Glancing around indifferently, she was stunned at first glance when she saw him. The rising sun was shining on the man’s profile, making him appear imperious and flamboyant, different from the other men she had seen before.
“Today is a good day for a Foreign Firm to open and I would like to say a few words!”
Jiang Yue Lou was consciously looking through the crowd before his gaze stopped on a passerby dressed as a worker in the front row, “This gentleman, are you a worker?”
The passerby did not expect to be solicited by Jiang Yue Lou, nodded excitedly, “Yes, sir, I work at Dahua Textile Factory.”
“Oh, Dahua Textile Factory. I heard that the benefits have not been very good recently?”
“Yes, we have too many products to sell. Last month, the director also fired 400 workers.” The worker said angrily.
Jiang Yue Lou nodded with understanding. Zhao Jingming didn’t know exactly what Jiang Yue Lou was up to, and started to be a little worried. Zhan Jun Bai seemed to be quite interested and was listening carefully.
Jiang Yue Lou’s gaze swept across the crowd again and this time stopped at Zhao Moqing.
“Miss, your skirt is quite pretty.”
Zhao Moqing was a little surprised, but not shy, smiling openly, “Thank you.”
Jiang Yue Lou looked at the worker he was talking with before, “How much does it cost to buy such a piece of fabric for making skirts from your textile factory?”
The worker carefully looked up and down Zhao Moqing, “In addition to the profit, no more than 5 yuan.”
Jiang Yue Lou laughed, “This price is probably not enough to buy only one button on this lady’s dress. Am I right? Miss?”
If Zhao Moqing was displeased by the worker’s appearance, it was quite the opposite while she was gazing at Jiang Yue Lou.
She smiled and nodded, “This skirt is a foreign imported product; I’m not sure how much better it is than the clothes made here, but the quality is fine and the price is a little expensive.”
Zhao Moqing’s statement made the surrounding crowd dissatisfied, and many people squinted at her.
Zhao Jingming became increasingly aware that something was wrong. He cast a look at Zhang Jun Bai and asked quietly, “What does Section Chief Jiang mean? That doesn’t sound right.”
Zhan Jun Bai shook his head, still very calm: “I can’t figure out what he is going to do, let’s just wait and see.”
Jiang Yue Lou continued, “This young lady is right. The reason why this skirt is so much more expensive than the one produced by your textile factory is that this fabric comes from Japan where they use fabric printing machines that we don’t have yet.”
Jiang Yue Lou turned around and pointed to Daxing Foreign Firm, “This company behind you can purchase a lot of high-quality products from other countries, all good things that we can’t find here.”
Thinking it was publicity and praise, Zhao Jingming was overjoyed and just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly thought of something and yelled silently “this is bad”.
“You’ll get what you pay for. If you have money, you can buy foreign products, which are handy and make you look respectful. But in the meantime, a large stock of local products that no one buys may cause your friends, relatives, or even yourself to lose their jobs.”
The crowd below was in an uproar. Zhao Jingming looked extremely ugly at this time, and could barely smile.
Zhao Moqing was a little surprised but quickly reacted by coming over to the stage, looking at Jiang Yue Lou a little displeased.
Jiang Yue Lou went on, “When I say this, I am not advocating to reject the foreign products, rather suggest that according to your needs, you should do what you can*. The problem cannot only be solved by not buying foreign products. We must get to the root of the matter which is the technology and the technique that we are lacking right now and that we must develop here if we want to resolve this issue. Don’t you all agree?”
His words made people ponder, their faces plunged in deep thoughts. Zhao Jingming seized this moment and hurriedly stepped onto the stage. He did not dare to ask Zhan Jun Bai for further instructions. He immediately announced the opening of the business.
It was a pity that people’s eagerness for buying has been splashed down by the cold water just now, and when they entered the store, they were not so enthusiastic anymore.
Chu Ran, holding her baggage, stood outside the garden of a large house on Huainan Road, peering in through the iron fence. The yard was immaculate, and a servant was sweeping falling leaves off the garden path with a broom.
Tears welled up to the corner of Chu Ran’s eyes, and she lowered her head to wipe it away. This was her home once, a warm and cozy home. Every flower was cultivated by her mother, and her footprints were left under every tree.
What a good life back then, when my mother was still there, and my father wasn’t depressed and drunk all day long.
Tears run down her face, finally falling. Chu Ran sobbed in a low voice, “Mother, wait for me, your daughter will buy our home back soon.”
After Jiang Yue Lou finished speaking and made an appointment with Zhan Jun Bai for the evening, he turned on his heel and left. He didn’t even bother to greet Zhao Jingming.
Zhao Moqing rushed to come to Zhao Jingming’s side, “Brother! Brother Jun Bai!”
Zhao Jingming’s expression suddenly improved, “You girl, you finally come back!”
Zhao Moqing turned around to take a glance at Jiang Yue Lou’s back, “Brother, who is he? Although there was some truth to what he said, how can someone ruin like this other people’s opening ceremony?!”
Zhan Jun Bai smiled and said, “He has always been like this, so don’t take it to heart.”
Zhao Moqing smiled coquettishly at Zhan Jun Bai, “It’s been a long time and Brother Jun Bai has become more handsome. You only joined the Financial Secretary when I left, and now you have been promoted to Chief Secretary. You are awesome.”
Zhao Jingming glanced at Zhao Moqing, “Since you know Brother Zhan’s current position, you should speak to him more officially. In public, you must call him Director Zhan.”
Zhao Moqing mischievously lowered her tone, “Yes, Director Zhan.”
Zhan Jun Bai smiled and gently tapped on Zhao Moqing’s head, “Naughty.”
Seeing Zhao Moqin’s gaze swept behind them gazing at the back of the man in uniform, Zhan Jun Bai smiled maliciously.
Song Rong was driving the car, sitting in the back-seat Jiang Yue Lou was looking at the plaque on Yu Zhi Tang across the street through the glass.
Song Rong noticed Jiang Yue Lou’s gaze and slowed down.
“Boss, why don’t you go take a look? You paid for it and gave him this clinic and you haven’t been there yet.”
At this time, Chen Yu Zhi was sending a patient out. Wearing a white lab coat, he gave the medicine in his hand to an old man, asked a few questions to the child next to him, and watched them leave before returning to the hospital.
In front of a patient, he will always be the same; gentle, reliable, unshakable*, and trustworthy. Anyone, regardless of whether their identity or character, will involuntarily* let go of their defenses in front of him.
As he was thinking, the car suddenly turned around and drove in the direction of Yu Zhi Tang.
Before Jiang Yue Lou could say anything, Song Rong said first, “Boss, you have been coughing for the past few days. You happened to be there, please, you should go and see Doctor Chen.”
Jiang Yue Lou thought for a while, “Fine. Then you should go and book a table first, and it will have to be at that foreign restaurant Director Zhan likes to go to. I invited him to dinner in the evening.”
“Yes sir.”
The unveiling of the foreign business was very vibrant in the afternoon, and Chen Yu Zhi, who had always preferred quiet and peaceful moments, did not go out to participate in the ceremony.
At this time the patient was already gone, he was looking for something in front of the medicine cabinet when he heard footsteps. He went to greet the visitor who turned out to be Jiang Yue Lou.
Chen Yu Zhi was a little surprised, “Why are you here? Isn’t it the first time you have come to my clinic?”
“Every time you come to my home, you only talk about the disease, who would be willing to let you do this to them in an even more appropriate place?”
Jiang Yue Lou smiled and nodded, looking around, “I was just passing by and decided to have a look. Is this your new clinic? It looks pretty good.”
Chen Yu Zhi glanced at him, and lowered his eyes, “Thanks to the help of Boss Yu, I found a store with such a good location.”
“En, the location is good. The newly opened Da Xing Foreign Firm across the street also chose this area.”
“Were you here today to participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony? There were lion dances and firecrackers, it was very lively.”
“Yes it was such a big fuss didn’t you go out to take a look?”
Chen Yu Zhi shook his head with a slight smile, “You know, I like peace and quietness.”
The two were silent for a while. The sunlight came in obliquely from the window lattice to fall on the clean floor of the clinic. There was a bittersweet medicinal fragrance floating in the air, the same scent as Chen Yu Zhi’s body. This fragrance had a soothing and relaxing effect on people’s minds, otherwise, why will you feel so comfortable as soon as you walk in?
Jiang Yue Lou coughed twice, “I…, I have a bad throat recently.”
He blushed as soon as he spoke. The two of them were still eating together the day before yesterday, and Jiang Yue Lou, who has feasted himself, as usual, didn’t look like someone feeling unwell or sick at all at that time.
Chen Yu Zhi nodded, and walking back to the examination table invited him to sit, “Let me see, please come and sit.”
Waiting for Jiang Yue Lou to take a seat, Chen Yu Zhi picked up a small flashlight and a bamboo tongue depressor.
“Open your mouth, ah—”
He carefully checked Jiang Yue Lou’s tongue coating and throat, then picked up his wrist to measure his pulse, checked his left and right hands, and then raised his head.
“You … haven’t you ever had a good rest all this time?”
“It’s okay. I’m someone who doesn’t sleep a lot.”
Chen Yu Zhi frowned disapprovingly, “Whether it is Chinese or Western medicine, both insist on the importance of sleeping well. Your liver needs to rest during the night. If you don’t rest, you’ll be even more irascible. Also, your lungs are inflamed, your throat is a little red and swollen and you have bloodshot eyes. This is all because you don’t take care of yourself properly.”
Jiang Yue Lou pretended to listen, “It’s not a big deal, you just have to treat me and prescribe me some medicine.”
Chen Yu Zhi knew that he would never follow the doctor’s instructions, so he sighed walking to the medicine cabinet. He suddenly remembered something, turned around, and asked:
“Are you in a hurry? Do you have to leave now?”
“Why? No, not in a hurry.”
Jiang Yue Lou said, “I just invited Zhan Junbai to have dinner in the evening, do you want to come?”
Chen Yu Zhi shook his head, “If there is nothing urgent, then follow me.”
“Something is wrong?”
“I want to give you acupuncture, that way you will recover quickly.”
“How long?”
“An hour or so.”
“Are you going to use anesthetics this time?” Jiang Yue Lou was laughing, which caused the other guy to turn around and roll his eyes. Jiang Yue Lou, on the other hand, didn’t mind, grinned, and followed Chen Yu Zhi upstairs.
When Chu Ran returned to her home on Huainan Road, it was just past noon. The old servant who was cleaning the yard raised her heads and seeing Chu Ran, immediately threw his broomstick and greeted her excitedly, “Miss! Miss, you are back!”
Zhang Ma was her mother’s dowry girl, and she always took great care of Chu Ran who smiled and nodded at her, “Ma* Zhang, I’m back.”
Mother Zhang rushed to inform the house, shouting as she walked,
“Master, madam, the young lady is back!”
After selling their villa, the Chu Ran family moved into the old house where they were currently living. For Chu Ran, this was no longer her home. His father’s second wife, Sun Fuzhi, was a venal and a vulgar woman, completely different from Chu Ran’s mother.
Just as she was thinking about her, Sun Fuzhi opened the curtain and walked out of the hall, and seeing Chu Ran she showed her a happy face, “A Ran*! You are back! Your father said you’re coming back two days ago, I didn’t expect it to be so soon!”
Chu Ran bowed and greeted, “Hello, mother. Where is the father?”
“He drank too much last night and hasn’t woken up yet, and I’m not completely awake myself either.”
Sun Fuzhi took Chu Ran’s hand warmly and led her into the house, “Come inside and let’s talk. Zhang Ma, why are you still there? Go prepare some hot tea for the young lady!”
Her cheerful attitude was rare, and silver of doubt flashed through Chu Ran’s heart, but she kept it for her. She wanted to go upstairs to put down her luggage, but Sun Fuzhi enthusiastically pulled her to sit down next to her. Chu Ran had no choice but to put the suitcase under her feet and sat first.
Sun Fuzhi looked at Chu Ran carefully, “A person who had studied abroad is certainly different. Her temperament is better than those of other young ladies.”
Chu Ran was perplexed by her abrupt kindness and sugar-coated words and simply nodded, “Mother is being silly.”
Sun Fuzhi smiled and pulled her hand, “A Ran, after the new year, you will be almost twenty, not that young anymore.”
The alarm bell in Chu Ran’s heart erupted, sounding loud. Sun Fuzhi said again, “A man has to take a wife and a woman should be married. Although you are not my own, I always treated you as my daughter all these years. A Ran, I have arranged a good marriage for you.”
Chu Ran was neither surprised nor shy like an ordinary girl would be, but looked at Sun Fuzhi quietly, waiting for her to finish speaking.
Sun Fuzhi watched Chu Ran’s expression, saw that she didn’t reply, smiled awkwardly, and continued, “This should be the top priority in a person’s life. Don’t worry, your mother will not treat you badly. In this world, it is important to marry a good person. We can’t ask for paupers, and young people are not mature enough, so your mother picked a man with a good reputation, a section chief in the police station. Although he is ten years older than you, it’s a good thing. Men when they are older, love dearly and cherish even more.
She looked at Chu Ran with her shrewd little eyes, and a smirk on her face, “Besides, this man is living in such desolation and still has no heir and is waiting for you to marry him and give birth to a boy and…”
Chu Ran interrupted Sun Fuzhi, “No heir? This person already has a wife?”
Sun Fuzhi didn’t feel something was wrong and nodded, “Yes, Chief Jin has been married for seven or eight years, and couldn’t think of anything before considering taking a concubine. But you can rest assured that even if it’s a concubine position, you’ll be treated the same as the eldest wife…”
Chu Ran’s face sank, “This is the kind of marriage you propose?! Our Chu family ancestors had three scholar-officials*, and you are asking me to be a concubine?”
She said this categorically, and clearly, she didn’t want to talk about it any further, but Sun Fuzhi simply grunted coldly, “Scholar-official? Even now that the emperor has abdicated, still refusing to admit it*? Your father is also a scholar but how is it useful now? Am I enjoying good fortune or luxury? I’m telling you, this Section Chief Jin has power and influence, something that other people can’t ever expect to get!”
“Power and influence?”
Chu Ran smiled angrily, “So that’s it. Chu Min just graduated from high school this year, and so you want to use my marriage to pave the way for your son? I won’t agree with it.”
“You have to agree. We have already given our words to the matchmaker and besides your father had already accepted the dowry.”
Sun Fuzhi stood up, hitting the table, “You have to say yes whether you agree or not.”
Chu Ran also stood up, “If you have accepted it already then you have to return it. It is not for you to arrange my marriage!”
“It’s not up to you either!”
While the two were at war*.Chu Qingming, who was hungover, wrinkled his clothes and walked out of the hall with drunken eyes.
He was a thin middle-aged scholar with a passive demeanor. Since the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the loss of his wife, Chu Qingming was devastated and has immersed himself in the glory of the past. All-day along he was drowning his sorrows in the wine.
“It’s so noisy in broad daylight…”
Chu Qingming finally noticed that his daughter was back, making him a little sober, and said with joy, “Ah, A Ran? You’re back?!”
Looking at her father’s old frail body, Chu Ran’s nose sour, “Father, I’m back.”
Sun Fuzhi interrupted them impatiently, “Chu Qingming, you should take care of your good daughter, who contradicts her mother, and refusing this marriage. If this spreads out, how will the Chu family not be humiliated?”
Before Chu Qingming had time to speak, Chu Ran widened her eyes in shock, “Father, you knew about this marriage?!”
Chu Qingming felt a little guilty, his eyes dodged, and his voice lowered, “A Ran, there is nothing wrong marrying Section Chief Jin… You know the situation of our family now. Those people with renown and prestige shouldn’t look down on us. I won’t wrong you by asking you to marry those who work hard. Besides, A Min has just graduated, and Chief Jin can arrange for him to work at the police station…”
Chu Ran couldn’t bear it anymore, “You are not marrying your daughter, you are selling her! You have forgotten the path of a scholar! If you do this, how will you face my mother in the future?!”
Slap!
Chu Qingming became angry from embarrassment, and without even thinking, he raised his hand and slapped Chu Ran across the face. Chu Ran and Chu Qingming were both shocked, and Sun Fuzhi’s eyes flashed astonishment. After he did it, Chu Qingming regretted it immediately. Looking at the five distinct fingerprints on Chu Ran’s white face, he felt guilty, and opened his mouth to say something, but couldn’t find what to say.
Chu Ran’s eyes were red, staring at Chu Qingming. Without saying a word, she picked up her suitcase, turned, and walked outside.
Chu Qingming stepped forward, starting to follow her, saying at Chu Ran’s back, “A Ran! Come back…”
Sun Fuzhi stopped him, “Master, calm down. Don’t worry, she is a girl, and she has no money. She just has a temper. In two days, when the mountain and river will be exhausted*, she will come back by herself.”
Chu Qingming sat at the table regretfully, “I can’t help her.”
“How can a father feel sorry for his daughter, she was sent abroad to study, and yet she has no filial piety…”
There are several hospital beds on the second floor of Yu Zhi Tang, all of them were neat and tidy and separated by screens.
Looking around Jiang Yue Lou, nodded in satisfaction, and suggested, “Your place is very spacious. If there are too many patients for sure, you will have your hands full. Why not hire an apprentice?”
Chen Yu Zhi put new sheets on the bed next to the window, closed the window tightly, and gestured to him to lie down.
“I still owe the rent and I haven’t paid it back. Let’s talk about it later.”
“You don’t need to pay back, it’s…” Jiang Yue Lou almost blurted out, “…Isn’t it a partnership with Boss Yu?”
Chen Yu Zhi raised his head to look at him. Those shiny and bright black eyes could reflect people’s souls.
Jiang Yue Lou, turned around, feeling uncomfortable and pretending to look at the white wall, “This wall… is quite empty, why don’t you buy a painting and hang it?”
“I want to hang a character,” Chen Yu Zhi said, “Please write one for me when you are free.”
“OK!” Jiang Yue Lou agreed.
He didn’t want to talk more about this topic and went to lie down on the bed well-behaving.
Chen Yu Zhi opened his cloth bag, revealing a row of shiny silver needles. He picked up a silver needle, rubbed it gently with his fingertips, and dipped it in alcohol before stinging it into Jiang Yue Lou’s back.
“It’s cold so it’s better if you rub it to warm it.” He explained, “If you feel tingling, just tell me.”
“I am a rough man who dances with a knife and plays with a gun. It won’t hurt.” Jiang Yue Lou said indifferently, “When I was a child, I even had to beg for food so as not to suffer from hunger.”
“How long have you been like this?” Chen Yu Zhi asked while his hands kept moving.
His movements were extremely light and gentle, entering the acupuncture points very quickly, except for a tingling moment when he twisted the silver needle, Jiang Yue Lou hardly felt anything.
“A little more than a year.”
Lying on the bed Jiang Yue Lou said, “Actually I wasn’t a beggar. If someone gave me a bit of food, I will eat it and if they don’t, whatever. My mother was dead, who should I ask for food?”
The hand on the back stopped for a moment, and then the needle came down again.
Jiang Yue Lou thought for a while and added, “In fact, it was not that miserable. When I was really hungry, I would fight over it.”
“Fight over it?”
“The beggars in Jingcheng have gangs, and the older children forced the little ones to steal. I was robbing food from the leaders of these children.”
“Didn’t they hit you?”
“They tried, but I’m a fast runner, and they couldn’t keep up with me. Later on, I learned to fight, and I no longer feared them. I’d track down whoever was the worst and pound him to death. They were all wild dogs, and they were all scared of each other.”
Jiang Yue Lou never mentioned this past to anyone before, but somehow, he was willing to tell it to Chen Yu Zhi. He knew that the young doctor would neither pity him excessively nor make superfluous comments. His compassion was not limited to one person or one thing, but was more generous and profound, focusing more on the present and the future rather than the past.
Chen Yu Zhi just listened silently while turning the silver needle. Jiang Yue Lou felt that his consciousness became more and more warm and fuzzy. He was the kind of person who has to keep one eye open when he sleeps, but he knew that he could sleep peacefully here.
Dimly, he heard Chen Yu Zhi whispering, “You are not a wild dog, you are a lone wolf.”
“En?”
“Dogs always rely on their pack to bully the weak, while a lone wolf would never be afraid to defy powerful enemies.”
Chen Yu Zhi’s voice seemed to come through a distant place and seemed to go straight into his mind. Jiang Yue Lou let out a small burst of laughter. He wanted to say something but fell asleep before he could speak.
Song Rong initially thought that Jiang Yue Lou would come out as soon as he went in, that he would only say a few words and drink a cup of tea. He didn’t expect this Boss would come out after almost an hour.
He drove Jiang Yue Lou back to the police station, and while driving, he looked at the energetic Jiang Yue Lou from the rearview mirror.
Jiang Yue Lou also noticed his eyes and smiled, “I feel quite relaxed today. It’s been a long time since I slept so deeply.”
“Did you fall asleep here with Doctor Chen?” Song Rong was very surprised. Jiang Yue Lou always slept lightly, with his ears plugged, and only in a completely dark place. He could never sleep as long as someone was nearby.
“It’s indeed rare.” Jiang Yue Lou took off his hat and scratched his head, “I didn’t expect it myself. He gave me acupuncture and I fell asleep. If it wasn’t for him to wake me up for fear of making me late, I would probably still be sleeping.”
Song Rong was delighted and admirative, “This Doctor Chen is truly talented, no wonder he is famous at such a young age!”
Jiang Yue Lou smiled and didn’t answer.
Soon after, his smile narrowed down, “I told him.”
Song Rong was startled, and his expression became serious, “About the prisoner matter?”
Jiang Yue Lou nodded, “Jin Dacheng took someone to identify the corpse, it was him.”
“But it took a lot of effort for Jinmatang to rescue him, why bother if it’s for killing him afterward?” Song Rong was puzzled.
Jiang Yue Lou leaned in the back seat and thought with his arms folded, “Regardless of the reason, that person has been to the hospital and met Chen Yu Zhi. Jinmatang might have discovered it.”
Song Rong thought carefully, “I will arrange for someone to be on watch near Yu Zhi Tang once I go back.”
“Don’t make a fuss, and don’t tell Dr. Chen. He doesn’t want to beat the grass to scare the snake*.”
“Yes sir.”
The scenery outside the window keeps going backward. The car was now driving to the vicinity of Tianyun Garden, a female voice was singing.
“…People tend to grow old, things are troublesome, and dreams are hard to grow. Deep love, shallow earth, half of the setting sun…”
Jiang Yue Lou retracted his gaze from the window, leaned on the seat, and closed his eyes.
Are you going to use anesthetics this time?”
That statement got me cracking up 😂.
The level of trust between Dr Chan and Jiang keeps amusing me.
Thanks for the update.
You’re welcome, thank you so much!
Ahahaha yes Jiang Yue Lou likes to tease Chen Yu Zhi a lot and it seems like the anesthetics jokes will always be used until they get old 😂
Yes the level of trust and understanding between these 2 is truly cute, fun and beautiful. To the extent that since Chapter 17 and in this one it seems that Chen Yu Zhi already figured out that Jiang Yue Lou is the one who did the sign of his clinic and the one who bought it for him!!!! And I love how he subtly said it to Jiang Yue Lou who is just too embarrass to confirm it!!! This couple is so cute!!!
❤
‘My milkshake brings all the girls to my yard…’🎵 JYL, first Chu Ran and now Mo Wing.
Women and their attraction to ‘bad’ boys😑
Ahahahahah exactly!!! Why all the women in that novel fall in love with the grumpy Jiang Yue Lou and not with the angel Chen Yu Zhi ?! That is a true mystery 😂
Gosh, yes JYL is handsome, sincere, gentle for Yuzhi cool, have morals and strong personality, but he’s also very aggressive and brutal, how can girls fall head over heals for him and not for baby Yuzhi?😕