Chapter 112

Xie Tingjue caught the reckless driver and immediately handed him over to the Public Security Bureau.

The driver was an unfamiliar middle-aged man who confessed to driving under the influence of alcohol due to the suppression he felt over his son’s illness. Xie Tingjue believed the accident was definitely not an accident but premeditated murder and demanded that the driver reveal his accomplices to the police. However, the driver denied Xie Tingjue’s accusations.

Upon hearing this, Xie Tingjue grabbed the man tightly, “Tell me, how much benefit did that man surnamed Li give you?”

“Your son’s life is a life, but is my brother’s life not a life?”

It was only then that the seemingly calm man began to show panic.

By the time Xie Tingjue finished handling the matter and arrived at the hospital, his brother had completed surgery and was sleeping in the intensive care unit.

Xie Tingjue looked through the glass at the face identical to his own, his lips tightly sealed, his expression terrifyingly stern.

The fact that Xie Tingyu was hit by a car immediately after returning to China drew the attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

After all, he had been the personal translator accompanying the leader. Besides being fluent in spoken English, he was highly skilled, excellent in riding, archery, and various other sports. In the United States, he had greatly impressed and brought honor to the delegation.

It was not difficult to find someone who could speak English, but it was truly difficult to find someone who was skilled and simultaneously excelled in various other areas.

The fact that someone so close to the leader could be easily targeted was tantamount to a stinging slap in the face for the government.

This matter had to be investigated thoroughly.

Soon, the Public Security Bureau found that the reckless driver had received a massive payment, and the account that transferred the money belonged to Ms. Xu Maofang.

Before this result was announced, Xie Tingjue had already sought out Xu Maofang once.

He arrived at the small rented flat Xu Maofang had occupied. The room was dark and damp, giving off a mildew smell.

No one was home at the moment, and the belongings inside had been cleared out.

Xu Maofang’s neighbor said, “Don’t you know yet? She moved. She told us her daughter struck it rich and was going to the south to earn money with her.”

Although a warrant was issued for Xu Maofang, she had vanished without a trace.

When Xie Jun learned this result, he was speechless with shock. “How could Maofang do this… she…”

Grandma Xie’s angina attack worsened, and she angrily smashed her cane:

“How have we, the Xie family, ever wronged her? Ever since she came, Tingyu hasn’t had a single day of peace!”

If Xu Maofang were standing before her, she felt she could swallow the woman whole.

When Xie Tingyu was young, he was forced to leave his father because of the new stepmother, and he lived with his grandparents thereafter. Just when he finally grew up, Xu Maofang began to criticize the wife he married, constantly making trouble for him.

The old couple had painstakingly raised their grandson, pouring a great deal of effort into him. If it weren’t for hatred supporting them, the two old people might have passed away from the shock.

Xie Tingyu’s life was not simply one life; if he died, the old couple would likely also suffer heart attacks from the stimulation and pass away.

Xie Tingjue knew this well and reminded Old Master Xie, “Tingyu’s matter is probably not that simple. You must stay strong; Tingyu still needs you to seek justice for him.”

Xie Tingjue had long known that this incident was not as simple as it appeared; what was visible was just the tip of the iceberg—a few puppets. The decline of the Xie family was the result of many people tearing down the wall.

Xie Tingjue spent decades slowly investigating everyone who had a hand in this matter in his previous life.

Using the chance of rebirth, he gradually encroached upon their opportunities, causing them to be transferred elsewhere or demoted within the year. After a year of calm, he unexpectedly found that his brother still got into a car accident.

Xie Tingjue said, “Xu Maofang had contact with Li Rong, the daughter-in-law of the Zhou family. Her maternal family, the Li family, and our Xie family—”

Old Master Xie calmed his sorrow, his face stern and cold, “I understand.”

On the other side, the Public Security Bureau followed the clue of Xu Maofang. Based on the evidence provided by Xie Tingjue, they searched for a long time before finally tracing the connection back to Li Rong.

Li Rong never expected the police to show up. After all, Xu Maofang had taken the check and fled far away, and the tall Li family would bear the brunt of any trouble. She thought everything was flawlessly arranged and slept soundly.

Xie Tingyu was simply too conspicuous. Even after Old Master Xie retired, the Xie family would surely flourish because of him.

After all her calculations, she probably never accounted for the eldest son the Xie family brought back from the countryside to be a reborn man.

That day, Li Rong was trimming flowers when a group of police officers suddenly rushed in.

“What are you doing? This is the Zhou family!”

The cold handcuffs clicked onto Li Rong’s wrists. It wasn’t until she arrived at the Public Security Bureau that she fully recovered her senses. Her usually indifferent gaze finally returned to normal: “Comrade, there must be a misunderstanding. How could I do such a thing?”

This was impossible!

However, Li Rong never could have imagined that while she was being isolated and interrogated, the prestigious old established Li family in the capital was being investigated for corruption, and many of their younger members were being taken away.

Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

After Xie Tingyu was transferred out of the emergency room, he did not wake up. Ye Qingshui stayed by his side in the hospital for three days and three nights without sleep or water.

Seeing the man’s dry lips, she hurriedly dipped a cotton swab in water and moistened his lips.

Grandma Xie brought the two babies to the hospital, suppressing her angina pain, and spoke earnestly:

“Shuiya, you must eat something. If not for yourself, think about the children. What will happen to them if you collapse?”

“Who says otherwise? Right now, they can only rely on you,” Mother Ye said.

She held the children and fed them. The freshly mixed imported milk powder in the bottles, though not to the babies’ liking, was reluctantly drunk after they cried themselves hoarse from two missed meals because they were so hungry.

Ye Qingshui’s gaze fell upon her son, and her nose stung.

Xie Tingyu had brought back the babies’ milk powder as promised, but now he was lying in bed, unable to open his eyes to see them again.

Ye Qingshui saw that the elderly woman’s hair was almost entirely white, and her mental state was very poor. Her mother was under forty, yet her hair was also threaded with white. Ye Qingshui’s heart twisted with pain. She picked up the rice bowl and began to eat large mouthfuls.

“I’m fine. Grandma is right, I will eat properly.”

She took her sons, took the bottles, and began to feed them.

The normally calm Chenchen’s eyes were filled with tears, which brimmed on his lashes but didn’t fall. He stared directly at Ye Qingshui, his eyes bright and pure, like black grapes washed by rain.

Ye Qingshui’s heart suddenly softened, as if something had forcefully struck it, and tears couldn’t help but stream down her face.

These were the children they had obtained with such difficulty, children she had lost once before. She should cherish them properly.

She kissed Chenchen, then kissed Guangguang. “I’m sorry, Mommy was wrong.”

“Mommy will take good care of you from now on.”

The two plump boys finally laughed out loud, sweetly sucking on their fingers.

Mother Ye supported Grandma Xie, they sighed to each other, and left the ward.

Ye Qingshui looked at the handsome man on the bed, holding his bandaged hand, and whispered, “Yu Ge, I’m not afraid.”

“I’m still alive. If you have to lie there for a lifetime, I can guard you for a lifetime.”

Just like you guarded me for a lifetime in the previous life.

But, you must wake up soon. Don’t make me wait too long…

After Ye Qingshui returned to school, everyone in her year knew she was Xie Tingyu’s wife. Instead of jealousy or envy, she was met with pity and regretful glances.

To care for Xie Tingyu, she took a long leave of absence from school. But her studies still had to continue. The school urged her many times, but this time Ye Qingshui chose not to take a leave of absence; instead, she studied while simultaneously caring for her husband.

Xie Tingyu’s head was injured, and there was a high possibility he could become a vegetable, lying in bed for the rest of his life.

Although the Xie family would not lack for food for him, Ye Qingshui was already planning decades ahead. To raise her two children and cover Xie Tingyu’s medical expenses, she absolutely had to finish her studies and earn more money.

Ye Qingshui walked into the school laboratory and began researching refrigeration systems day and night.

China’s refrigerator manufacturing lagged behind other countries by at least fifty years, but with the implementation of reform and opening-up and the promotion of import and export trade, the Chinese people’s wallets gradually became richer after the 1980s, and the country’s refrigerator industry rapidly developed.

In the early 1980s, the refrigerator industry was primarily dependent on imports. With the domestic industry barren and desolate, Ye Qingshui prepared a plan and enlisted Pan Lijuan, Yu Shi, and Ren Yingying to participate in the research and development.

Ye Qingshui told everyone, “I want to make a refrigerator that is better than what’s on the market, more energy-efficient, capable of consuming only one kilowatt-hour of electricity every two days. Furthermore, we must also consider the preservation effect, slowing down the loss of Vitamin C in fruits and vegetables.”

Moisture and Vitamin C were some of the key indicators for measuring the freshness of fruits and vegetables, which they had studied last semester. But the three girls listened to Ye Qingshui as if she were speaking an alien language, their eyes glazing over.

Let alone building a refrigerator, they hadn’t even seen what one looked like!

Yu Shi almost wanted to feel Ye Qingshui’s forehead, wondering if the shock from Senior Xie’s car accident was too much for her.

They were just first-year students. Could they research a refrigerator? This was like asking a baby who just learned to walk to run a marathon.

Ye Qingshui said lightly, “Believe in yourselves. As long as you dare to think, difficulties don’t exist. If you can’t do it, you still have me.”

She listed a long string of reference books for them. Looking at the detailed and comprehensive plan, Pan Lijuan suddenly said, “Qingshui, is this how you made that electric field water finder?”

Ye Qingshui nodded.

“Alright, I’m doing this refrigerator,” Pan Lijuan said, clenching her fist.

Heaven knows where she got the courage. This country girl, who was so poor she rarely ate popsicles, was setting her sights on a refrigerator.

Ye Qingshui’s group of four formed a research team and applied to the school for a dedicated laboratory. Ye Qingshui paid out of her own pocket, exchanged two thousand yuan worth of foreign exchange certificates, and bought an imported refrigerator.

“So this is a refrigerator. It’s like a cabinet, and it’s cold. No wonder the name is so fitting,” Pan Lijuan said, touching the expensive “big guy.”

“Two thousand yuan for a refrigerator. People today really can’t afford that,” Yu Shi muttered.

But Ye Qingshui immediately arranged for someone to buy one, showing that she had her own money and didn’t need to rely on her husband’s family. Once upon a time, the girl who sold sausages from a stall at the school gate could now casually buy a refrigerator.

While Wei Jing was still mocking Ye Qingshui for setting up a stall, the “Chenguang” sausage business had already established a factory and opened storefronts.

“Touch it gently, what if we break it?” Pan Lijuan said.

Ye Qingshui spread her hands, “It doesn’t matter. We’re going to take it apart today so you can see its internal structure.”

Take it apart?

A refrigerator worth the huge sum of two thousand yuan—who would dare to take it apart? If they did, even taking a quick-acting heart pill wouldn’t cure the heartache.

What did two thousand yuan mean? One should know that in those days, if the state did not cover tuition, Peking University’s expensive annual tuition of over a hundred yuan might deter many people.

Ye Qingshui said she would disassemble it and immediately picked up the tools and started working.

She said, “It’s all machinery. If we break it, we’ll fix it. As students of this major, are we afraid of things we can’t fix?”

Ren Yingying thought about it, and it made sense. Since entering this major, she had repaired radios from beginner to expert, having fixed dozens, if not hundreds, of radios.

Ye Qingshui threw herself into the research and development of an energy-efficient refrigerator, diligently eating on time, studying, and raising her children, regaining a semblance of normal life.

Every day after school, she would visit Xie Tingyu at the hospital. The injury on Xie Tingyu’s hand gradually healed. The gauze was removed, and the ugly scar fell away day by day until it disappeared.

Ye Qingshui took the simple silver rings from the box containing the grade reports and placed one on Xie Tingyu’s hand. The silver-white ring reflected a dazzling glimmer of light.

Ye Qingshui spread out her schoolwork and began writing on Xie Tingyu’s hospital bed.

After finishing her homework, Ye Qingshui remembered that Xie Tingyu once loved listening to her read. She took out the Chinese literature book he treasured from her bag and began to read calmly:

“I say, you are the April day of this world;

Your laughter lights up the four winds;

Gracefully dancing and changing in the spring’s radiance.”

When the clear and soothing reading voice sounded, the elderly woman in the next bed turned off her radio and listened intently to the reading voice from the next bed. The voice was clear, earnest, articulated clearly, and full of literary charm, sounding like the rain in March, comfortably dampening the chest.

It seemed to possess a healing ability, steady, serene, and full of love and hope. It was completely incongruous with the dreary hospital room.

Turning a page, Ye Qingshui furrowed her brow and hesitated for a moment.

She remembered the days when Xie Tingyu used to chase her to the wall to recite, punishing her to the point of a sore throat, only to fall soundly asleep himself.

Ye Qingshui straightened her back and read loudly: “This is the old Southern Pavilion. The room is merely ten square feet, enough for one person to live in. It is a hundred-year-old house, with dust and mud seeping through, and rainwater pouring down; every time I move the desk, I look around, and there is nowhere else to put it.”

Sunlight streamed into the room, reflecting her slender silhouette on the white wall, her two shiny, soft black braids like beautiful fish tails. She had regrown her beautiful long hair.

She concluded by reading: “In the courtyard, there is a loquat tree. It was planted by my wife in the year she died, and now it stands tall, like a cover.”

A faint light passed through Ye Qingshui’s body and was reflected on the wall. She lowered her head, and the shadow reflected on the wall unexpectedly dropped two lines of clear tears, trembling slightly.

Ye Qingshui’s tears dripped onto Xie Tingyu’s face. She sniffled and took out a handkerchief to wipe away the tears.

But she found that after wiping Xie Tingyu’s face, tears were still streaming down continuously. Her hand slightly froze, and her gaze fixed on the sleeping person on the bed.

“Tingyu, are you crying?”

“Did you hear what I said? Wake up quickly, the children and I are waiting for you.”

The man lying asleep in the bed remained silent, his handsome demeanor undiminished, yet slightly pale from lying there for so long without sunlight. He seemed motionless, making no response.

But he was crying.

Ye Qingshui ran out of the ward in ecstasy, found a doctor, and exclaimed loudly, “Tingyu is reacting! He cried!”

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