Chapter 472: The Woman Who Rushed Into The Room Like A Lunatic Was Actually Liu Ronghua!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“I’ve heard that Changhe is facing difficulty at the moment. Most of the partners who had collaborations with Changhe didn’t continue their contracts since the Chang family didn’t get along well with the Qi family. That was why Changhe suffered quite a huge loss.”
The commotion was getting hectic and noisy, all thanks to Huang Pinggui and Wang Lixia. The teary-eyed Wang Lixia ran toward Chang Jingqiu again, grabbed her shoulders and wailed while shaking her repeatedly.
Chang Jingqiu had lost her mind at the current moment. She no longer cared about reasons or theatricality and deceptions. Her hair ended up in a mess like a crazy madwoman after she was shaken consistently by Wang Lixia. The only thing she could do was to scream with a high-pitched tone, “Let me go, you lunatic! I want to disown you. Who are you to demand my recognition? Let me go!”
Chang Zhixing’s cheeks were flushed red out of embarrassment and anger as he yelled for help. “Is there a shortage of staff in Dynasty? Why did you even allow these lunatics to wreak havoc in this place? Is there anyone who can control this situation?!”
“Hey, what’s with all this noise? What happened?” A typical bystander’s thunderous voice appeared out of nowhere.
The Chang family had no time to search for the owner of the voice at this instant. However, someone else answered for them, “Grandfather Ruan!”
“Eh? Xiao Liu?” Grandfather Ruan sounded pleasantly surprised.
Anyone who recognized this “Xiao Liu” would have their lips twitched since Grandfather Ruan might be the only one who dared to greet him as Xiao Liu.
“Why did you come here?” Another elderly man squeezed through the crowd and stared at Grandfather Ruan while blowing his mustache.
“You’re here too?” Grandfather Ruan nearly jumped.
“I’m having lunch with Xiao Liu!” Grandfather Xiao rolled his eyes and shifted his gaze to the busy Chang family. “Aren’t they your in-laws?”
“What in-laws—we don’t even recognize them. My in-laws are celebrating Youxuan’s birthday upstairs.” Grandfather Ruan pouted, and the crowds could hear their conversation very clearly too.
Those who recognized Grandfather Xiao informed those who were clueless about his identity, and slowly but surely, the identity of Grandfather Xiao traveled to Chang Zhixing’s ears, which gave him quite a shock.
Even Grandmother Chang failed to realize that Grandfather Ruan was acquainted with many reputed individuals and that Chang Zhiyuan was telling the truth after all.
“Everyone, please be the judges! Boohoo! We’re so unfortunate!” Wang Lixia would not let Grandmother Chang go.
Grandmother Chang’s skin went pale as she pointed at Wang Lixia with a trembling finger. All of a sudden, her eyes rolled back and darkness consumed her completely.
“Mom!” Chang Zhixing carried Grandmother Chang and rushed to the hospital.
Grandfather Ruan clicked his tongue in response. “What a disturbance. Well, I should return to continue Youxuan’s birthday celebration.”
Then, Grandfather Ruan left with his hands clasped behind his back.
Grandfather Xiao figured that if Lao Ruan was here, Lao Qi would be here too. Thus, he followed closely behind Grandfather Ruan. “I’m going too. Xiao Liu, prepare a set of chess. Hurry!”
“Why are you following me? I didn’t invite you,” Grandfather Ruan joked with a tone of disgust.
“Who’d chase customers out like you did?” Grandfather Xiao was not annoyed and instead followed Grandfather Ruan with perseverance. The crowd had a feeling that Grandfather Xiao was an obsequious elderly man at the current moment which was quite a rare sight.
“There’s no problem in attending, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to attend Youxuan’s birthday empty-handed.” Grandfather Ruan came to a halt and waited for Grandfather Xiao.
Grandfather Xiao pouted in response. “You’re so materialistic. Fine, do I look like a stingy person to you?”
“I can see that you’ve come empty-handed.” Grandfather Ruan then took out a red packet from his pocket. “This is for you and don’t forget to make it thick. Youxuan is very practical and will be very happy if you give him money.”
Grandfather Xiao almost choked and accepted the empty red packet begrudgingly. “Do you have more red packets?”
“Eh? You wish to give two red packets? How sincere of you, I feel embarrassed!” Grandfather Ruan’s eyes turned into crescent moons at the thought of an exhilarated Youxuan when he received the money.
Grandfather Ruan took full responsibility for bringing these moneybags to Youxuan!
“Dream on!” Grandfather Xiao hissed through gritted teeth and wondered if this elderly man had any moral principle left of a scientist. “Xiao Liu needs to prepare a gift too, yes? He’ll be embarrassed to attend the birthday party empty-handed, am I right, Xiao Liu?”
Grandfather Xiao noticed Xiao Liu, who was actually a man of high authority, while he was answering Grandfather Ruan’s question. A Dynasty’s waiter was following closely behind Xiao Liu with two boxes of chess pieces and a chessboard in his hand.
“Ha ha.” Xiao Liu smiled begrudgingly before accepting the red packet from the delighted Grandfather Ruan.
…
…
The children had no idea regarding the commotion with the Chang family and ended the birthday party with great satisfaction.
Qi Chenglin received a phone call from Jiang Yuan stating that Grandmother Chang was sent to Chutian Hospital for treatment. Even though she was awake at the moment, her health deteriorated after receiving a huge psychological impact and required adequate rest to recuperate. It was speculated that her condition would get worse if she received further emotional and psychological trauma.
“Then we should trigger her more,” Qi Chenglin replied before hanging up the phone call. He tapped gently on the table with the tips of his fingernails before making another phone call. “Hi, Wen Ren…”
…
…
Grandmother Chang was resting in a VIP sick room in Chutian Hospital, languished after receiving emotional trauma which led to vasovagal syncope.
Geriatrics could not tolerate physical or emotional triggers well. One’s vitality would be damaged even if he was merely suffering from a normal disease, and his health would deteriorate immediately to the extent that his remaining life could be deducted by days with senescence clearly visible to the naked eyes.
Grandmother Chang was lying on the sickbed with the head end of the bed raised, assuming a sitting position. There was a small over-bed table in front of her with a bowl of bird’s nest on it. Despite the constant nutrient replenishment with ginseng and bird’s nest, Grandmother Chang appeared weak with an ashen-grey complexion and sunken eyes, and even her lips were barely there. The wrinkles on her face were more visible at present too.
“Hey, Old Madam, why haven’t you recovered after consuming all those tonic soups and nutrients?” A woman greeted while walking like the wind into the room and sat on the chair beside Grandmother Chang’s sickbed.
Grandmother Chang’s expression darkened at the sight of this woman. She was Aunt Wu, the woman who witnessed Grandmother Chang having a conversation with Ruan Danchen at the entrance of Chutian Hospital’s outpatient department last time.
Aunt Wu’s grandchild was discharged from Chutian Hospital after his successful treatment for acute appendicitis not long ago, but her second daughter-in-law was hospitalized for labor and currently stayed in Chutian Confinement Center at this instant. After visiting her daughter-in-law, she would take the trouble to visit and disgust Grandmother Chang daily and without fail.
Grandmother Chang merely gave a few comments about Aunt Wu last time, right? Thus, Aunt Wu came here every day to inform her about everything that had happened in the outside world.
“Aunt Wu.” Chang Jingqiu managed to squeeze a smile onto her face.
Chang Jingqiu came to visit and accompany Grandmother Chang every day too. Recent events had discredited the Chang family and Changhe’s performance had gone downhill as a result. The troubled Chang Zhixing sighed and was forced to work overtime in Changhe every day.
On the other hand, Chang Jingqiu could no longer tolerate the staff’s peculiar gazes and planned to stay away from all those disgraceful matters for a few days.
“Hey, Jingqiu is here every day too!” Aunt Wu recalled something all of a sudden and covered her mouth while giggling. “Well, it’s troublesome for you to go out on these days anyway, and it’s good that Old Madam is able to rest here without any disturbance. You’ve no idea about the comments they gave about the Chang family in the society right now. They said the Chang family failed to distinguish right from wrong, and you…”
Aunt Wu pretended to twitch her lips awkwardly and continued. “They said you were a malicious woman who attempted to harm your biological granddaughter. The outrageous rumors went flying thick in the social circle, stating that your youngest daughter-in-law and you combined forces with Chang Jingqiu—an outsider—to coerce your eldest son’s resignation from Changhe, and even tried to defame Ruan Danchen by spreading the news about her overpowering those close to her and attempted to demand her divorce.”
“Tut-tut.” Aunt Wu shook her head. “Are these for real? There’s evidence supporting these rumors! Tut-tut… If the rumors are true, how unusual would your mind be to perform? Did your son return to tell you all these? Those within the social circle ceased any form of communication with the Chang family because of these rumors except Chang Zhiyuan since they only considered Chang Zhiyuan to be the person in charge of the Chang family.”
Grandmother Chang pursed her lips tightly out of exasperation but Aunt Wu ignored her and continued. “I’ve heard that Chang Jingqiu offended the Shen family as well. What happened at that time? Care to enlighten me?”
The curious Aunt Wu shifted her gaze to Chang Jingqiu, who avoided direct eye contact, before continuing, “I’ve heard that the Shen family contributed to the trouble Changhe faced at the moment too.”
“That’s enough!” Grandmother Chang slammed the half-empty bowl of bird’s nest on the table. “You’re not welcome here.”
“Hey, why did you become angry?” Aunt Wu stood up. “Old Madam, there’s no need to act like a boss here, it doesn’t work on anyone anymore. Do you still think you’re the same Grandmother Chang of the Chang family? No one recognizes your side of the Chang family now.”
Aunt Wu smiled faintly. “I think you failed to realize that to the outsiders, your side of the family is considered a poor collateral branch of the Chang family. You need your eldest son to continue the wealth and status of the Chang family.”
“Get out!” yelled Grandmother Chang, who had reached the end of her forbearance.
Aunt Wu remained unbothered and left the room with a smile.
Then, Aunt Wu met with Chang Zhixing and Liu Xiangwen at the doorstep. It was obvious that they had overheard their conversation and Grandmother Chang’s furious roar because Chang Zhixing was smoldering underneath his stony expression.
Aunt Wu pretended as if nothing had happened and greeted the duo before leaving.
The relaxed Aunt Wu hummed softly while she was on her way toward the confinement center and dialed a phone number at the same time. “Mrs. Qi, it’s me, Xiao Wu.”
“…”
“Don’t you worry. I’ve been reporting to Grandmother Chang every day. She wants to rest peacefully? Ha ha.”
“Sorry to trouble you for these few days. Let’s play mahjong together next time,” replied the satisfied Guan Liya who was holding the phone in one hand with a slice of watermelon on the other hand.
“Hey, it’s not troublesome at all since I’m quite bored as well. It’s just a small issue anyway. Let’s play mahjong together next time, that’s a deal,” Aunt Wu replied with a smile.
…
…
Chang Zhixing frowned and sat opposite Grandmother Chang, who was coughing and hacking continuously after getting insulted by Aunt Wu. Her initial pale skin was flushed red after the constant tussis but it was not a sign of good health.
Liu Xiangwen and Chang Jingqiu were by Grandmother Chang’s side. One of them tapped her back gently while the other held a glass of water to feed her.
Grandmother Chang finally regained her calm after a while. After noticing Chang Zhixing’s wish to speak but stop on second thought, her expression softened and gaze full of love. “Are you tired after handling the problems in the company?”
“Mom, I think…we…should ask for Big Brother’s return.” Chang Zhixing’s tightened fist relaxed momentarily. He appeared dispirited, reluctant to voice out his opinion, but more importantly, he was helpless when the trouble overwhelmed him.
“What happened? Zhixing, I trust you. I believe you can solve the trouble Changhe is facing currently. You—”
“It’s not like that,” Chang Zhixing interrupted. He glanced at Grandmother Chang for a brief moment before shifting it elsewhere and sighed. “A shipment of solid wood furniture was detained recently due to disqualification, but it’s an urgent and huge shipment. It’ll be a breach of contract if we fail to deliver the shipment on time. The company paid a lot of money just to expedite the production process, so we can’t afford to suffer losses. We really need the rest of the shipment payment to solve the current situation, but now we can’t receive the balance amount and the shipment can’t be delivered on time. Not to mention that we have to return the down payment and pay an indemnity according to the contract too. The company can’t afford to suffer such a huge loss.”
“To be honest, this shipment has the same quality as all the previous shipments. Not all the goods will have the same qualification if these cargos are checked randomly and they usually turn a blind eye toward it. Every company will face the same issue no matter what kind of goods they sell. That’s why there are frequent consumers’ complaints regarding some faulty products. It’s fortunate that we aren’t selling electronic products and there won’t be much of an effect if the products fall slightly under the approval standard. Everything should be fine unless there is obvious adulteration or change in material.” In all honesty, there were many unscrupulous merchants who camouflaged the adulterated products into seemingly perfect goods.
“We’ve no idea what happened this time. They were strict in the quality assessment of our products and wouldn’t certify us in any case. We tried every method but the authority acted just and stern all of a sudden,” ended Chang Zhixing.
“Could this be the Qi family’s doing?” Grandmother Chang was annoyed after this thought occurred to her.
Chang Zhixing’s gaze at Grandmother Chang flabbergasted since it was a rare sight for her to figure things out intelligently.
“I’ve tried asking around. Do you remember Mr. Liu who was with Grandfather Xiao in Dynasty at that time? Well, he mentioned this issue to the authorities.” Chang Zhixing peeled an apple for Grandmother Chang before continuing, “Grandfather Xiao is a good friend of Grandfather Ruan, who’s also Ruan Danchen’s grandpa.”
Chang Zhiyuan had reminded them about the intimacy between Grandfather Ruan and Grandfather Xiao, but none of them took this to heart.
Grandfather Ruan seemed to be related to this issue no matter how they looked at it.
“He… He…is an unfilial son!” The exasperated Grandmother Chang pressed on her chest, which felt painful whenever rage consumed her ever since she suffered from vasovagal syncope last time.
“Mom, I think Big Brother was expecting this outcome. Didn’t he mention before leaving the house that he won’t be bothered if anything happened to Changhe? He won’t care if we prosper or fail. I think he must be waiting for this exact moment,” Liu Xiangwen reminded while supporting Grandmother Chang.
Chang Zhixing smiled out of anger. Liu Xiangwen was complaining despite the fact that the company was on the brink of collapse. “Shut up! Why are you preventing Big Brother’s return in any case? Are you happy if the company faces bankruptcy?”
“That’s not what I mean! I’m just saying that his attitude is beyond measure. His words were sugar-coated when he said that he wouldn’t go against the company, but in mere days after he left, Changhe started to face trouble,” the teary-eyed Liu Xiangwen protested.
“That’s enough! Grandfather Ruan is avenging Ruan Danchen in this issue and may not be related to Big Brother after all,” replied Chang Zhixing.
Liu Xiangwen smirked. Chang Zhixing’s words sounded nice and just but he could not refrain from defaming Chang Zhiyuan too.
“Mom, we need to compensate for the breach of contract and pay for the disqualification of products’ penalty charges. If Big Brother doesn’t come back to solve this problem, the company won’t really go into bankruptcy, but half of our assets will be gone,” Chang Zhixing hissed the truth through gritted teeth.
Grandmother Chang was truly surprised at this moment. How huge the loss would Changhe suffer if Changhe had to bear half of the losses based on its strong foundation?
Frankly speaking, this was partly Chang Zhixing’s fault too. Many canceled their collaborations with Changhe previously and caused Changhe’s performance to decrease for almost forty percent instantly. Chang Zhixing’s reputation was at risk at the moment.
There were voices of disagreement in the company recently too, stating that Chang Zhiyuan should not resign from the company and that he was more capable of managing the company than Chang Zhixing ever could.
Work stress had overwhelmed Chang Zhixing during this period, and when this shipment order arrived at Chang Zhixing’s doorstep, he accepted the order without thinking this through. Who could have expected this to end up disastrously?
“Why…why aren’t you careful in making decisions?” Grandmother Chang pressed on her chest again due to dyspnea.
“Everyone seems to be chatting happily.” All of a sudden, a male voice that radiated contempt traveled into the room.
The Chang family turned toward the door and saw Qi Chenglin wearing a business suit set, standing tall and straight at the doorstep with his head almost touching the top of the door frame. Despite his slim and tall build, his presence seemed to have occupied every space the door had to offer.
Qi Chenglin’s aura was too strong!
Even though Qi Chenglin wore a flat expression, they could see the contempt on his face as if he was taking pleasure in their misfortunes.
“What are you doing here?” Grandmother Chang complained harshly since she did not welcome Qi Chenglin at all.
Qi Chenglin remained silent and simply stepped aside. Then, a woman rushed into the room.
Chang Jingqiu’s face turned chalky in an instant upon seeing the woman and tried to move her wheelchair backward subconsciously.
The woman who rushed into the room like a lunatic was actually Liu Ronghua!
Liu Ronghua looked so much different than her usual self. Previously, Liu Ronghua appeared delicate with smooth, tender and fair skin, and looked at least ten years younger than her actual age. Her name fully described her temperament—elegant and graceful. Her delicacy felt as if she could not lift anything with her shoulders or hands at all.
However, Liu Ronghua wore handwoven cloth and her initial glossy hairs had become a fractious mess of tangles with white hairs visible among the heap of dried grass, tied behind her head at the current moment. Her initial fair and smooth skin had turned shriveled and sallow, with melanin overproduction underneath her skin that appeared as though coal was smeared across her skin, obviously due to prolonged exposure to sunlight without proper ultraviolet ray protection.
There was no delicate makeup on Liu Ronghua’s face. Her eyebrows were so thin that they were barely there. The crow’s feet were long and deep, with obvious cracks on her lips due to prolonged dehydration.
Liu Ronghua’s fingernails were usually beautifully polished, but they were currently cut short and appeared dull due to lack of care. Her exposed wrists and hands were especially dark too.
Liu Ronghua currently appeared like a woman who lived in a village in a remote mountain area at first glance.
“Chang Jingqiu, you’ll feel my wrath!” Liu Ronghua rushed forward, grabbed Chang Jingqiu’s hair and pulled her off the wheelchair single-handedly. Even the wheelchair could not escape its fate of smashing onto the floor.
A delicate woman who could not open a bottle cap herself initially had become strong like an ox.
Liu Ronghua yearned for Chang Jingqiu’s death. On the same day she was sold to Crippled Wang in the village, she woke up to see the unfamiliar mother and son in front of her.
The mother, who looked tough and fierce, merely told Liu Ronghua that she was sold to them and that she would teach Liu Ronghua a lesson if Liu Ronghua disobeyed them.
Liu Ronghua did not sign up for this, so there was no way she would comply. She yelled and screamed for help like a lunatic for quite a while but the mother and son merely stared at her coldly. The mother allowed her to scream as much as she wanted since her attempt would be futile anyway and merely sat on the wooden chair with her leg over another, enjoying the scene with an icy cold and cruel smile on her face.
However, Liu Ronghua was famished and dehydrated, and she ended up losing consciousness again after a while.
Liu Ronghua was drained of energy when she regained consciousness. They made no attempt in feeding her in fear that she would try to escape.
When the mother and son went to the field for work after the sun had risen, Liu Ronghua tried to escape since she was alone and met with a few villagers after a while.
The female villagers recognized Liu Ronghua and said, “Are you the wife Crippled Wang bought? Where are you going?”
Chapter 472: The Woman Who Rushed Into The Room Like A Lunatic Was Actually Liu Ronghua!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“I’ve heard that Changhe is facing difficulty at the moment. Most of the partners who had collaborations with Changhe didn’t continue their contracts since the Chang family didn’t get along well with the Qi family. That was why Changhe suffered quite a huge loss.”
The commotion was getting hectic and noisy, all thanks to Huang Pinggui and Wang Lixia. The teary-eyed Wang Lixia ran toward Chang Jingqiu again, grabbed her shoulders and wailed while shaking her repeatedly.
Chang Jingqiu had lost her mind at the current moment. She no longer cared about reasons or theatricality and deceptions. Her hair ended up in a mess like a crazy madwoman after she was shaken consistently by Wang Lixia. The only thing she could do was to scream with a high-pitched tone, “Let me go, you lunatic! I want to disown you. Who are you to demand my recognition? Let me go!”
Chang Zhixing’s cheeks were flushed red out of embarrassment and anger as he yelled for help. “Is there a shortage of staff in Dynasty? Why did you even allow these lunatics to wreak havoc in this place? Is there anyone who can control this situation?!”
“Hey, what’s with all this noise? What happened?” A typical bystander’s thunderous voice appeared out of nowhere.
The Chang family had no time to search for the owner of the voice at this instant. However, someone else answered for them, “Grandfather Ruan!”
“Eh? Xiao Liu?” Grandfather Ruan sounded pleasantly surprised.
Anyone who recognized this “Xiao Liu” would have their lips twitched since Grandfather Ruan might be the only one who dared to greet him as Xiao Liu.
“Why did you come here?” Another elderly man squeezed through the crowd and stared at Grandfather Ruan while blowing his mustache.
“You’re here too?” Grandfather Ruan nearly jumped.
“I’m having lunch with Xiao Liu!” Grandfather Xiao rolled his eyes and shifted his gaze to the busy Chang family. “Aren’t they your in-laws?”
“What in-laws—we don’t even recognize them. My in-laws are celebrating Youxuan’s birthday upstairs.” Grandfather Ruan pouted, and the crowds could hear their conversation very clearly too.
Those who recognized Grandfather Xiao informed those who were clueless about his identity, and slowly but surely, the identity of Grandfather Xiao traveled to Chang Zhixing’s ears, which gave him quite a shock.
Even Grandmother Chang failed to realize that Grandfather Ruan was acquainted with many reputed individuals and that Chang Zhiyuan was telling the truth after all.
“Everyone, please be the judges! Boohoo! We’re so unfortunate!” Wang Lixia would not let Grandmother Chang go.
Grandmother Chang’s skin went pale as she pointed at Wang Lixia with a trembling finger. All of a sudden, her eyes rolled back and darkness consumed her completely.
“Mom!” Chang Zhixing carried Grandmother Chang and rushed to the hospital.
Grandfather Ruan clicked his tongue in response. “What a disturbance. Well, I should return to continue Youxuan’s birthday celebration.”
Then, Grandfather Ruan left with his hands clasped behind his back.
Grandfather Xiao figured that if Lao Ruan was here, Lao Qi would be here too. Thus, he followed closely behind Grandfather Ruan. “I’m going too. Xiao Liu, prepare a set of chess. Hurry!”
“Why are you following me? I didn’t invite you,” Grandfather Ruan joked with a tone of disgust.
“Who’d chase customers out like you did?” Grandfather Xiao was not annoyed and instead followed Grandfather Ruan with perseverance. The crowd had a feeling that Grandfather Xiao was an obsequious elderly man at the current moment which was quite a rare sight.
“There’s no problem in attending, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to attend Youxuan’s birthday empty-handed.” Grandfather Ruan came to a halt and waited for Grandfather Xiao.
Grandfather Xiao pouted in response. “You’re so materialistic. Fine, do I look like a stingy person to you?”
“I can see that you’ve come empty-handed.” Grandfather Ruan then took out a red packet from his pocket. “This is for you and don’t forget to make it thick. Youxuan is very practical and will be very happy if you give him money.”
Grandfather Xiao almost choked and accepted the empty red packet begrudgingly. “Do you have more red packets?”
“Eh? You wish to give two red packets? How sincere of you, I feel embarrassed!” Grandfather Ruan’s eyes turned into crescent moons at the thought of an exhilarated Youxuan when he received the money.
Grandfather Ruan took full responsibility for bringing these moneybags to Youxuan!
“Dream on!” Grandfather Xiao hissed through gritted teeth and wondered if this elderly man had any moral principle left of a scientist. “Xiao Liu needs to prepare a gift too, yes? He’ll be embarrassed to attend the birthday party empty-handed, am I right, Xiao Liu?”
Grandfather Xiao noticed Xiao Liu, who was actually a man of high authority, while he was answering Grandfather Ruan’s question. A Dynasty’s waiter was following closely behind Xiao Liu with two boxes of chess pieces and a chessboard in his hand.
“Ha ha.” Xiao Liu smiled begrudgingly before accepting the red packet from the delighted Grandfather Ruan.
…
…
The children had no idea regarding the commotion with the Chang family and ended the birthday party with great satisfaction.
Qi Chenglin received a phone call from Jiang Yuan stating that Grandmother Chang was sent to Chutian Hospital for treatment. Even though she was awake at the moment, her health deteriorated after receiving a huge psychological impact and required adequate rest to recuperate. It was speculated that her condition would get worse if she received further emotional and psychological trauma.
“Then we should trigger her more,” Qi Chenglin replied before hanging up the phone call. He tapped gently on the table with the tips of his fingernails before making another phone call. “Hi, Wen Ren…”
…
…
Grandmother Chang was resting in a VIP sick room in Chutian Hospital, languished after receiving emotional trauma which led to vasovagal syncope.
Geriatrics could not tolerate physical or emotional triggers well. One’s vitality would be damaged even if he was merely suffering from a normal disease, and his health would deteriorate immediately to the extent that his remaining life could be deducted by days with senescence clearly visible to the naked eyes.
Grandmother Chang was lying on the sickbed with the head end of the bed raised, assuming a sitting position. There was a small over-bed table in front of her with a bowl of bird’s nest on it. Despite the constant nutrient replenishment with ginseng and bird’s nest, Grandmother Chang appeared weak with an ashen-grey complexion and sunken eyes, and even her lips were barely there. The wrinkles on her face were more visible at present too.
“Hey, Old Madam, why haven’t you recovered after consuming all those tonic soups and nutrients?” A woman greeted while walking like the wind into the room and sat on the chair beside Grandmother Chang’s sickbed.
Grandmother Chang’s expression darkened at the sight of this woman. She was Aunt Wu, the woman who witnessed Grandmother Chang having a conversation with Ruan Danchen at the entrance of Chutian Hospital’s outpatient department last time.
Aunt Wu’s grandchild was discharged from Chutian Hospital after his successful treatment for acute appendicitis not long ago, but her second daughter-in-law was hospitalized for labor and currently stayed in Chutian Confinement Center at this instant. After visiting her daughter-in-law, she would take the trouble to visit and disgust Grandmother Chang daily and without fail.
Grandmother Chang merely gave a few comments about Aunt Wu last time, right? Thus, Aunt Wu came here every day to inform her about everything that had happened in the outside world.
“Aunt Wu.” Chang Jingqiu managed to squeeze a smile onto her face.
Chang Jingqiu came to visit and accompany Grandmother Chang every day too. Recent events had discredited the Chang family and Changhe’s performance had gone downhill as a result. The troubled Chang Zhixing sighed and was forced to work overtime in Changhe every day.
On the other hand, Chang Jingqiu could no longer tolerate the staff’s peculiar gazes and planned to stay away from all those disgraceful matters for a few days.
“Hey, Jingqiu is here every day too!” Aunt Wu recalled something all of a sudden and covered her mouth while giggling. “Well, it’s troublesome for you to go out on these days anyway, and it’s good that Old Madam is able to rest here without any disturbance. You’ve no idea about the comments they gave about the Chang family in the society right now. They said the Chang family failed to distinguish right from wrong, and you…”
Aunt Wu pretended to twitch her lips awkwardly and continued. “They said you were a malicious woman who attempted to harm your biological granddaughter. The outrageous rumors went flying thick in the social circle, stating that your youngest daughter-in-law and you combined forces with Chang Jingqiu—an outsider—to coerce your eldest son’s resignation from Changhe, and even tried to defame Ruan Danchen by spreading the news about her overpowering those close to her and attempted to demand her divorce.”
“Tut-tut.” Aunt Wu shook her head. “Are these for real? There’s evidence supporting these rumors! Tut-tut… If the rumors are true, how unusual would your mind be to perform? Did your son return to tell you all these? Those within the social circle ceased any form of communication with the Chang family because of these rumors except Chang Zhiyuan since they only considered Chang Zhiyuan to be the person in charge of the Chang family.”
Grandmother Chang pursed her lips tightly out of exasperation but Aunt Wu ignored her and continued. “I’ve heard that Chang Jingqiu offended the Shen family as well. What happened at that time? Care to enlighten me?”
The curious Aunt Wu shifted her gaze to Chang Jingqiu, who avoided direct eye contact, before continuing, “I’ve heard that the Shen family contributed to the trouble Changhe faced at the moment too.”
“That’s enough!” Grandmother Chang slammed the half-empty bowl of bird’s nest on the table. “You’re not welcome here.”
“Hey, why did you become angry?” Aunt Wu stood up. “Old Madam, there’s no need to act like a boss here, it doesn’t work on anyone anymore. Do you still think you’re the same Grandmother Chang of the Chang family? No one recognizes your side of the Chang family now.”
Aunt Wu smiled faintly. “I think you failed to realize that to the outsiders, your side of the family is considered a poor collateral branch of the Chang family. You need your eldest son to continue the wealth and status of the Chang family.”
“Get out!” yelled Grandmother Chang, who had reached the end of her forbearance.
Aunt Wu remained unbothered and left the room with a smile.
Then, Aunt Wu met with Chang Zhixing and Liu Xiangwen at the doorstep. It was obvious that they had overheard their conversation and Grandmother Chang’s furious roar because Chang Zhixing was smoldering underneath his stony expression.
Aunt Wu pretended as if nothing had happened and greeted the duo before leaving.
The relaxed Aunt Wu hummed softly while she was on her way toward the confinement center and dialed a phone number at the same time. “Mrs. Qi, it’s me, Xiao Wu.”
“…”
“Don’t you worry. I’ve been reporting to Grandmother Chang every day. She wants to rest peacefully? Ha ha.”
“Sorry to trouble you for these few days. Let’s play mahjong together next time,” replied the satisfied Guan Liya who was holding the phone in one hand with a slice of watermelon on the other hand.
“Hey, it’s not troublesome at all since I’m quite bored as well. It’s just a small issue anyway. Let’s play mahjong together next time, that’s a deal,” Aunt Wu replied with a smile.
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Chang Zhixing frowned and sat opposite Grandmother Chang, who was coughing and hacking continuously after getting insulted by Aunt Wu. Her initial pale skin was flushed red after the constant tussis but it was not a sign of good health.
Liu Xiangwen and Chang Jingqiu were by Grandmother Chang’s side. One of them tapped her back gently while the other held a glass of water to feed her.
Grandmother Chang finally regained her calm after a while. After noticing Chang Zhixing’s wish to speak but stop on second thought, her expression softened and gaze full of love. “Are you tired after handling the problems in the company?”
“Mom, I think…we…should ask for Big Brother’s return.” Chang Zhixing’s tightened fist relaxed momentarily. He appeared dispirited, reluctant to voice out his opinion, but more importantly, he was helpless when the trouble overwhelmed him.
“What happened? Zhixing, I trust you. I believe you can solve the trouble Changhe is facing currently. You—”
“It’s not like that,” Chang Zhixing interrupted. He glanced at Grandmother Chang for a brief moment before shifting it elsewhere and sighed. “A shipment of solid wood furniture was detained recently due to disqualification, but it’s an urgent and huge shipment. It’ll be a breach of contract if we fail to deliver the shipment on time. The company paid a lot of money just to expedite the production process, so we can’t afford to suffer losses. We really need the rest of the shipment payment to solve the current situation, but now we can’t receive the balance amount and the shipment can’t be delivered on time. Not to mention that we have to return the down payment and pay an indemnity according to the contract too. The company can’t afford to suffer such a huge loss.”
“To be honest, this shipment has the same quality as all the previous shipments. Not all the goods will have the same qualification if these cargos are checked randomly and they usually turn a blind eye toward it. Every company will face the same issue no matter what kind of goods they sell. That’s why there are frequent consumers’ complaints regarding some faulty products. It’s fortunate that we aren’t selling electronic products and there won’t be much of an effect if the products fall slightly under the approval standard. Everything should be fine unless there is obvious adulteration or change in material.” In all honesty, there were many unscrupulous merchants who camouflaged the adulterated products into seemingly perfect goods.
“We’ve no idea what happened this time. They were strict in the quality assessment of our products and wouldn’t certify us in any case. We tried every method but the authority acted just and stern all of a sudden,” ended Chang Zhixing.
“Could this be the Qi family’s doing?” Grandmother Chang was annoyed after this thought occurred to her.
Chang Zhixing’s gaze at Grandmother Chang flabbergasted since it was a rare sight for her to figure things out intelligently.
“I’ve tried asking around. Do you remember Mr. Liu who was with Grandfather Xiao in Dynasty at that time? Well, he mentioned this issue to the authorities.” Chang Zhixing peeled an apple for Grandmother Chang before continuing, “Grandfather Xiao is a good friend of Grandfather Ruan, who’s also Ruan Danchen’s grandpa.”
Chang Zhiyuan had reminded them about the intimacy between Grandfather Ruan and Grandfather Xiao, but none of them took this to heart.
Grandfather Ruan seemed to be related to this issue no matter how they looked at it.
“He… He…is an unfilial son!” The exasperated Grandmother Chang pressed on her chest, which felt painful whenever rage consumed her ever since she suffered from vasovagal syncope last time.
“Mom, I think Big Brother was expecting this outcome. Didn’t he mention before leaving the house that he won’t be bothered if anything happened to Changhe? He won’t care if we prosper or fail. I think he must be waiting for this exact moment,” Liu Xiangwen reminded while supporting Grandmother Chang.
Chang Zhixing smiled out of anger. Liu Xiangwen was complaining despite the fact that the company was on the brink of collapse. “Shut up! Why are you preventing Big Brother’s return in any case? Are you happy if the company faces bankruptcy?”
“That’s not what I mean! I’m just saying that his attitude is beyond measure. His words were sugar-coated when he said that he wouldn’t go against the company, but in mere days after he left, Changhe started to face trouble,” the teary-eyed Liu Xiangwen protested.
“That’s enough! Grandfather Ruan is avenging Ruan Danchen in this issue and may not be related to Big Brother after all,” replied Chang Zhixing.
Liu Xiangwen smirked. Chang Zhixing’s words sounded nice and just but he could not refrain from defaming Chang Zhiyuan too.
“Mom, we need to compensate for the breach of contract and pay for the disqualification of products’ penalty charges. If Big Brother doesn’t come back to solve this problem, the company won’t really go into bankruptcy, but half of our assets will be gone,” Chang Zhixing hissed the truth through gritted teeth.
Grandmother Chang was truly surprised at this moment. How huge the loss would Changhe suffer if Changhe had to bear half of the losses based on its strong foundation?
Frankly speaking, this was partly Chang Zhixing’s fault too. Many canceled their collaborations with Changhe previously and caused Changhe’s performance to decrease for almost forty percent instantly. Chang Zhixing’s reputation was at risk at the moment.
There were voices of disagreement in the company recently too, stating that Chang Zhiyuan should not resign from the company and that he was more capable of managing the company than Chang Zhixing ever could.
Work stress had overwhelmed Chang Zhixing during this period, and when this shipment order arrived at Chang Zhixing’s doorstep, he accepted the order without thinking this through. Who could have expected this to end up disastrously?
“Why…why aren’t you careful in making decisions?” Grandmother Chang pressed on her chest again due to dyspnea.
“Everyone seems to be chatting happily.” All of a sudden, a male voice that radiated contempt traveled into the room.
The Chang family turned toward the door and saw Qi Chenglin wearing a business suit set, standing tall and straight at the doorstep with his head almost touching the top of the door frame. Despite his slim and tall build, his presence seemed to have occupied every space the door had to offer.
Qi Chenglin’s aura was too strong!
Even though Qi Chenglin wore a flat expression, they could see the contempt on his face as if he was taking pleasure in their misfortunes.
“What are you doing here?” Grandmother Chang complained harshly since she did not welcome Qi Chenglin at all.
Qi Chenglin remained silent and simply stepped aside. Then, a woman rushed into the room.
Chang Jingqiu’s face turned chalky in an instant upon seeing the woman and tried to move her wheelchair backward subconsciously.
The woman who rushed into the room like a lunatic was actually Liu Ronghua!
Liu Ronghua looked so much different than her usual self. Previously, Liu Ronghua appeared delicate with smooth, tender and fair skin, and looked at least ten years younger than her actual age. Her name fully described her temperament—elegant and graceful. Her delicacy felt as if she could not lift anything with her shoulders or hands at all.
However, Liu Ronghua wore handwoven cloth and her initial glossy hairs had become a fractious mess of tangles with white hairs visible among the heap of dried grass, tied behind her head at the current moment. Her initial fair and smooth skin had turned shriveled and sallow, with melanin overproduction underneath her skin that appeared as though coal was smeared across her skin, obviously due to prolonged exposure to sunlight without proper ultraviolet ray protection.
There was no delicate makeup on Liu Ronghua’s face. Her eyebrows were so thin that they were barely there. The crow’s feet were long and deep, with obvious cracks on her lips due to prolonged dehydration.
Liu Ronghua’s fingernails were usually beautifully polished, but they were currently cut short and appeared dull due to lack of care. Her exposed wrists and hands were especially dark too.
Liu Ronghua currently appeared like a woman who lived in a village in a remote mountain area at first glance.
“Chang Jingqiu, you’ll feel my wrath!” Liu Ronghua rushed forward, grabbed Chang Jingqiu’s hair and pulled her off the wheelchair single-handedly. Even the wheelchair could not escape its fate of smashing onto the floor.
A delicate woman who could not open a bottle cap herself initially had become strong like an ox.
Liu Ronghua yearned for Chang Jingqiu’s death. On the same day she was sold to Crippled Wang in the village, she woke up to see the unfamiliar mother and son in front of her.
The mother, who looked tough and fierce, merely told Liu Ronghua that she was sold to them and that she would teach Liu Ronghua a lesson if Liu Ronghua disobeyed them.
Liu Ronghua did not sign up for this, so there was no way she would comply. She yelled and screamed for help like a lunatic for quite a while but the mother and son merely stared at her coldly. The mother allowed her to scream as much as she wanted since her attempt would be futile anyway and merely sat on the wooden chair with her leg over another, enjoying the scene with an icy cold and cruel smile on her face.
However, Liu Ronghua was famished and dehydrated, and she ended up losing consciousness again after a while.
Liu Ronghua was drained of energy when she regained consciousness. They made no attempt in feeding her in fear that she would try to escape.
When the mother and son went to the field for work after the sun had risen, Liu Ronghua tried to escape since she was alone and met with a few villagers after a while.
The female villagers recognized Liu Ronghua and said, “Are you the wife Crippled Wang bought? Where are you going?”
