Cheng Pu was taken away by the guards and never returned, likely transferred to another cell or sent to the hospital.
Yang Jian became the boss of Cell Nine, moving his sleeping spot to the doorway. No one bothered him anymore, and he didn't bully others. He just hoped to survive this prison sentence peacefully.
Lu Hao had not advanced his case. The main reason was that the investigation and evidence collection for the Dongjiang Xintai Casino were still ongoing in secret. Yang Jian's release now was not a good thing. wΑp.kanshu伍.net
Lu Qian and his wife returned to Chengguan with their grandson, Yang Zhengyuan.
The child was a bit homesick and suffered from diarrhea upon their return. Lu Qian had to take leave from the construction site because he had to take the child to the hospital for IV drips every day, and his wife found it difficult to care for the child alone.
"Uncle Lu, long time no see. Whose child is this? He's so handsome."
On the third day of taking his grandson to the hospital, Lu Qian ran into someone he had been deliberately avoiding: Yang Hui.
Yang Hui was also taking her child to the hospital. It was the peak season for the flu, and the hospital was crowded with people receiving IV drips. She had seen Lu Qian from a distance and could have avoided him. However, she wanted to know about Lu Yao's situation, so she walked up to him.
Lu Qian felt a bit awkward. "Oh, it's you, Xiao Yang. Are you here for a doctor's visit too? This is my neighbor's child. Their parents are at work, so I'm helping to look after him. He has diarrhea and hasn't gotten better for several days."
"Oh, I'm also here to see the doctor for my child. Uncle Lu, I haven't seen you and Auntie for a while. Have you been out of town?"
"Yes, we've been at the construction site most of the time. Xiao Yang, has your house finished its renovation? Have you rented it out?"
"It's finished and all rented out. The lower two floors are a Han Hua supermarket. Uncle Lu, you should come and see it when you have time."
"Okay, we just got back and didn't know you opened a big supermarket there. It will be much more convenient to buy things from now on."
"Uncle, where is Yao Yao now?"
After a few pleasantries, Yang Hui got to the point.
Before Lu Qian could speak, young Zhengyuan, hearing his mother's name, perked up. "Auntie, my mom is in Kyoto. She won't even come back to see me when I'm sick."
Yang Hui was stunned. "Your mom? Little one, is your mom Lu Yao?"
Lu Qian felt awkward, unable to stop his grandson in time.
"Yes, my mom's name is Lu Yao. Do you know her?"
Yang Zhengyuan spoke fluent Mandarin, his pronunciation clear and his speech coherent.
Yang Hui crouched down in front of him. "Of course, I know your mom. I haven't seen her for several years, though. What is she doing in Kyoto?"
Knowing that further questioning would reveal the truth, Lu Qian quickly interrupted their conversation. "Xiao Yang, this is Lu Yao's child. She's already married. I didn't want you to overthink things just now. Your child is calling you, hurry over."
"Yao Yao is married? And the child is this old?"
Yang Hui found it hard to accept this fact, mainly because she felt it was unfair to her younger brother. For a single sentence from Lu Yao, her brother had spent tens of millions to build Yaochi Park, only to receive news of her marriage and childbirth. If her brother knew this, she wondered how despairing he would be.
"Yes, Yao Yao married someone from out of town and rarely comes back due to her busy work. How is Yang Jian? Is he still in hiding?"
"My brother has surrendered himself to the authorities. The lawyer says the police's evidence is insufficient, so he should be released soon. Uncle, I'll be going now."
Yang Hui had lost interest in talking to him and turned to leave.
"Goodbye, Auntie."
Young Zhengyuan was very polite, waving goodbye to her.
Yang Hui stopped and waved back. "Goodbye, little one."
However, in that moment of turning, Yang Hui suddenly felt that the child's features were somewhat familiar. Just as she was about to talk to the child again, her son Gao Yang called her, so she hurried over.
After she calmed her son down and turned back to look for Lu Qian, they were already gone.
With a sense of doubt, Yang Hui took her son home. Gao Daqiang saw her frowning and thought their son's condition had worsened.
"What's wrong? Does Yangyang need another shot tomorrow?"
"He needs one more shot. Daqiang, I met Chief Engineer Lu today. He was at the hospital with Lu Yao's child."
Gao Daqiang was also surprised. "Lu Yao's child? She's married?"
"Chief Engineer Lu said she's married. But this child is almost three years old. Er Jian left Xinhe just over two years ago. Even if Lu Yao got married when Er Jian had his accident, her child couldn't be this old. Pregnancy alone takes time." Yang Hui had been pondering this issue on the way.
"What are you trying to say? Could this child be Er Jian's?"
"I think it's possible. Based on the timeline, only if Lu Yao was already pregnant when she left Xinhe could she have a child this old. Otherwise, the timeline just doesn't add up."
"Maybe she got pregnant right after getting married and had a premature birth a month or two early, and the timeline would still work. If she was pregnant before getting married, her husband would surely know. Could he tolerate that?"
Yang Hui shook her head. "Lu Yao wouldn't have gotten married right after leaving Xinhe. Setting aside the timeline, the reason I suspect this child is Er Jian's is because the child's features are very similar to Er Jian's. I raised Er Jian, and looking back, he looked exactly like this child when he was young."
"Really? You didn't notice it then?"
"I wasn't paying attention at the time; my focus was on Lu Yao's marriage. By the time I wanted to look at the child again, Chief Engineer Lu had already taken him away."
"It would be great if it were Er Jian's child. Er Jian has been on the run for years; he probably never dreamed his child would be this old."
Yang Hui frowned again. "It's a good thing, but how should this be handled? If the child is confirmed to be Er Jian's, my parents would be overjoyed and would definitely demand to have the child back. Judging by Lu Qian's evasive attitude today, the Lu family certainly wouldn't agree, and Lu Yao probably wouldn't agree either."
Gao Daqiang smiled and said, "Don't be too pessimistic. First, we need to clarify two things. First, confirm if this child is Er Jian's. Second, find out if Lu Yao is truly married. Perhaps she's a single mother now? If that's the case, then when Er Jian returns, there's still a possibility for them to reconcile, and the child issue would be resolved naturally."
"That makes sense. I'll go to the hospital again tomorrow and make sure to get a good look at the child."
"You probably won't see the child tomorrow. Since Chief Engineer Lu can conceal the child's identity, he won't go to the hospital tomorrow."
"Then I'll go to the teachers' village tomorrow and wait. The child looked very lively; he'll definitely come out to play."
"Aren't you working? You've already switched shifts twice because of Yangyang's illness. You can't possibly wait there all day."
"Then what should we do? I'm so eager to see the child now. I also want to bring a camera to take pictures of the child."
"There's no rush for this. When Er Jian gets out, let him investigate it himself. Our involvement in this matter now won't solve anything; it ultimately requires the parties involved to step forward."