Read Novel Full Chapter 43.1 – Second Uncle-In-Law Is Here! (I)
Chapter 43.1 – Second Uncle-In-Law Is Here! (I)
With the purchase of their own home, everyone’s spirits soared. It was such an amazing feeling; just a courtyard, just a house, yet it grounded them, giving them a renewed sense of confidence and optimism.
On the fourth afternoon after moving in, Mao Huimei received a call from her father, who informed her that he was about to board the train and would arrive in Yan City the next morning.
The Mao sisters were thrilled. The next day happened to be Saturday; early in the morning, the whole family set out to pick up Mao Zhishan at the train station. The public trains of this era were quite slow and often delayed, so they waited over an hour before they finally heard the train arrive.
They all craned their necks, searching for the figure of Mao Zhishan among the crowd. It was Mao Huizhu, still in Xia Wenyue’s arms, who spotted him first. “Dad! There, there! I see Dad!”
Following her finger, Xia Mian saw a mountain of luggage moving towards them. It was Mao Zhishan, alone, carrying bags piled taller than himself, with several large bags hanging from each hand. His body was bent deeply, and his sun-darkened, gaunt face was flushed with exertion.
Xia Wenyue hurried to help her husband unload, feeling a heartache as she lightly chided him, “Why did you bring so much? Couldn’t you just freight some of it again? There was no need to put yourself through this.”
Mao Zhishan chuckled. “Freight costs over ten yuan each time, that’s enough to buy Huilan a set of books.” He was always willing to splurge on his wife and daughters, but when it came to himself, he pinched every penny he could.
Mao Huilan pulled back his shirt to look, and sure enough, his bony shoulders were rubbed raw by the weight. She scolded him, “Dad, you only think about saving money. If you wear yourself out, won’t it end up costing even more?”
Mao Zhishan pulled his shirt back down, smiling, “Don’t worry, Dad knows his limits.”
Mao Huizhu had already leaped into his arms eagerly, but Mao Zhishan pushed her away gently. “Let Dad clean up first; I’m stinky.”
Mao Huizhu didn’t mind. Mao Huimei handed him a wet towel she had prepared. “Dad, wipe yourself off a bit.”
Mao Huilan handed him a canteen of boiled water, “Have some water, Dad. We’ll be home soon; it’s not far.”
Finally reuniting with his family, Mao Zhishan could not stop smiling. Then he spotted Xia Mian and Xiao Feng, noticing he hadn’t greeted them yet, and said with some embarrassment. “Mianmian, is this Xiao Feng? Such a handsome little guy.”
Xiao Feng, who had never met Mao Zhishan but had heard about him countless times from Xia Mian and Mao Huizhu, looked at him curiously. “Hello, Great Uncle,” the boy greeted softly.
“Hello, hello,” said Mao Zhishan warmly. He was obviously the kind of adult who loved children. After fishing around his pocket for a while, he finally found some candy to give to Huizhu and Xiao Feng.
The family hired a tricycle to bring back the luggage, but the driver seemed to look down at them and was quite perfunctory. After dropping everything off the door, he immediately turned around and left without offering to help. The girls insisted that Mao Zhishan not lift a finger, and Mao Huizhu dragged him straight into the house. “Dad, you go wash up and rest; you must be tired!”
Xia Wenyue chimed in, “The luggage’s at the doorstep now. We can take our time moving everything in.”
Reluctantly, Mao Zhishan picked up only a small bag and went inside.
Xia Mian and the others began moving the rest. Mao Zhishan had packed for a move, so the five or six bags he had brought with him were extremely heavy; it was a wonder he had managed to haul them onto and off the train by himself.
Xia Mian and Mao Huilan tried to lift one bag together, but it was still too heavy, so they were about to call Mao Huimei over when a large hand reached out, lifting the bag easily.
Looking up at the person, Mao Huilan said, slightly embarrassed, “Dr. Ning, it’s dirty; we can handle it ourselves.”
Ning Shaobai did not seem to mind, “Where should I put it?”
“Put it in the west wing,” Xia Mian directed.
Without another word, Ning Shaobai grabbed another bag in one hand and made two trips to bring everything into the house. When Xia Mian led him to wash his hands, they happened to run into Mao Zhishan.
Ning Shaobai looked intently at Mao Zhishan’s face, frowning.
Mao Zhishan lowered his head awkwardly, looking a bit like a child caught in mischief, as if he had lost his dignity as an adult.
Xia Mian knew that Mao Zhishan was sensitive to people’s gazes, so she quickly introduced the two men to each other, “Second Uncle, this is Dr. Ning.”
“I noticed your complexion doesn’t look great,” Ning Shaobai spoke in a casual tone. “If you have time, it might be good to get a check-up at the hospital.”
Hearing this, Xia Wenyue, who had followed them inside, was alarmed, “Dr. Ning, is there something wrong with him?”
Ning Shaobai replied, “Don’t worry yet. It’s likely due to malnutrition and overwork, but if you want to be sure, it’s best to go to the hospital for a check-up.”
Without hesitation, Xia Wenyue nodded, “We’ll go. We’ll go tomorrow.”
Ning Shaobai said to Xia Mian, “I’ll reserve an appointment when I get to work tomorrow. I’ll call you when it’s set up, then you can bring your uncle over.”
Xia Mian asked curiously, “You’ve already started working? At which hospital?”
“Yan University Hospital.”
“Wow!” Xia Mian was impressed; clearly, Ning Shaobai’s medical skills were amazing enough to secure him good employment wherever he went.
Xia Wenyue thanked Ning Shaobai profusely, who, for once, felt a bit awkward and pulled Xia Mian aside to talk.
“How did you purchase the house from Zhou Qianqian?” Ning Shaobai asked.
“Didn’t Brother Rong tell you?” Xia Mian was puzzled. “I paid a down payment of twenty thousand, and in two months, I’ll pay the remaining fifty. Selling the stamps will take time, won’t it? I don’t have enough cash on hand to pay in full.”
“Do we really need to buy all the houses in this row?” Suddenly, she looked hesitated. After moving past her initial anger, she began to wonder if leaving a way out for the other party might not be so bad after all. “After all, he’s Chenchen’s grandfather,” she added.
“Chenchen’s grandfather?” Ning Shaobai’s gaze turned icy. “Do you think without the Huo family’s cooperation, Fan Xiuzhi could have orchestrated everything so flawlessly?”
Xia Mian was shocked, “What does this have to do with the Huo family?”
“My sister seemed to have left with Chenchen in a fit of anger, but those traffickers were waiting there at the exact moment,” Ning Shaobai explained. “Fan Xiuzhi couldn’t have just contacted them at the last minute.”
“Chenchen’s safe now purely because of his good luck. If you hadn’t warned us, or if we hadn’t met you back then…” Ning Shaobai’s face darkened, a fierce look in his eyes.
Xia Mian recalled Chenchen’s fate in the original novel. At the age of six, the boy was kidnapped, had several fingers cut off, and his legs were broken. He was rescued later, but there was no way to restore his severed fingers, and even his broken legs suffered sequelae because he did not receive timely treatment. For more than 20 years, he was in excruciating pain whenever it rained.
Ning Shaobai and Ning Shaoyun had spent countless efforts to barely help him function like a normal person, yet the shadows of the childhood trauma haunted him throughout his life, shaping him into a gloomy, cold, and obsessive man. In the novel, this character development made for a good dramatic effect, with the mutual healing between him and the female lead as the story’s main appeal. But now that she had transmigrated into this world, Xia Mian could no longer treat the characters as fictional.
Just like Xiao Feng, Chenchen was real; seeing the boy so bright and happy, Xia Mian couldn’t bear the thought of him suffering through those ordeals and wished she could tear those responsible for his suffering into a bloody pulp. Even she, an outsider, felt this way, let alone Ning Shaobai?
“Just because Chenchen is safe doesn’t mean those who did wrong should go unpunished,” Ning Shaobai said coldly, his eyes full of icy determination. “I won’t let any of them off.”
“But what does this have to do with Old Master Huo?” Xia Mian frowned. “Wasn’t it the old lady and Zhou Qianqian’s doing?”
Ning Shaobai gave a mocking smile, “Chenchen was a hindrance to nearly everyone in the Huo family.”
Xia Mian blinked, unable to comprehend, “Even Old Master Huo?”
“Yes, even Huo Pengyi.”
“Huo Xuewen isn’t actually the biological son of the Huo family.” Ning Shaobai stated flatly, casually revealing a major secret.