Ah Liu watched this scene, but another scene emerged in his mind.
With fine lines at the corners of his eyes, Meng Xi sat in a wheelchair, staring at the drizzling rain outside the window, all alone.
On his lap, under his fingers, was a photo frame.
In the photo frame was a woman.
He could see the womanâs long hair tied up messily, but couldnât see her face, as it was covered by Meng Xiâs fingers.
Ah Liu suddenly pressed his knuckles against his temple and let out an almost inaudible sigh.
Chiang Xiao, biting on a candied haw, didnât notice, but Meng Xi did.
His eyes deepened slightly, a trace of doubt rising in his heart.
Somehow, ever since leaving the hospital, Ah Liu seemed to have something weighing heavily on his mind.
It was as if they had a mutual understanding; during dinner, they didnât talk about the Jiang Family, chatting lightly instead, all eating until their stomachs were round.
Ah Liu was right; this wasnât the Jiang familyâs dining table.
They didnât follow the rule of not talking while eating. To Chiang Xiao, chatting during meals made the dishes especially delicious.
What they didnât know was that in another hospital, Chen Zhu was covering her face with a scarf, quietly slipping out of the hospital.
She couldnât stay there any longer because the hospital urged her to pay the fees, but she didnât have any money on her.
Kuang Kanzhi hadnât returned, and Wang Guoming, who had always affectionately called her Aunt Zhu, hadnât returned either. She felt extremely pitiful, like someone abandoned.
Without paying, the hospital wouldnât properly treat her face.
Chen Zhu didnât know much else, but she knew she absolutely couldnât let her appearance be ruined.
So she planned to go back to the Kong Family to ask Xiao Fang for money.
If Xiao Fang wouldnât give it, she would go find Chiang Xiao.
Chiang Xiao surely couldnât just ignore her, right?
If Chiang Xiao refused, she still had two coins on her, enough to make a call home to ask her parents for help.
After all, they couldnât just leave her to fend for herself. Absolutely not.
Chen Zhu returned to the Kong Family only to find the gate locked. She waited for a long time without Xiao Fang returning and had no key, while the strong wind outside made her shiver in her thin clothes.
With no other option, Chen Zhu had to go to Liuli Street.
But Chiang Xiao and the others were out eating roast duck, and after they finished, Meng Xi took them to see a movie. Meanwhile, Chen Zhu waited by the Siheyuan for a long time, her nose running from the cold, until she had no choice but to return to the hospital.
She took her two coins, pleading with a nurse to let her make a long-distance call.
"You can only talk for three minutes; itâll cost extra if you go over."
"I, I understand."
Chen Zhu tried hard to recall the number Kuang Kanzhi had once told her to call.
She dialed the number.
In City M, apart from the troubles Chen Zhu brought, Chiang Songhaiâs days were fulfilling and promising. Besides tending to a courtyard full of flowers, he was taking good care of Ge Liutaoâs meals.
If they didnât occasionally think of Chen Zhu, the old couple would have been quite content.
The phone rang, and he thought it was Chiang Xiao. Answering it, however, he heard a tearful voice, "Dad, itâs Zhuzhu."
"Zhu..." Just as Chiang Songhai was about to call her name, he remembered the past events, a hint of guilt crossing his face, but he hardened his heart and said, "Youâve got the wrong number. I have no daughter."
"Dad?" Chen Zhu was dumbfounded.
She clearly recognized her fatherâs voice!
"Youâve got the wrong number."
"Dad, itâs me, Zhuzhu. Youâre my dad, I recognize your voice, how could I dial the wrong number?"