Zhang Liunian, unwilling to see her upset, voiced his suspicion, "The person ran away, but I know who it was. It won't be difficult to find them again."
"Who was it?" Jiang Qingqing's previously dimming eyes instantly reignited with hope.
"Wu Gudì's brother, Wu Xiaoxiang."
"..."
Upon hearing the name, Jiang Qingqing froze in place. After a long while, she came to her senses and murmured, "No wonder he ran when he saw my parents. No wonder he pulled me."
Although she had never met Wu Xiaoxiang, she had heard of him from Wu Gudì more than once. Each time, Wu Gudì had been trying to persuade her to divorce Liunian and remarry. However, she had never expected him to appear so openly, and even pull her, causing her in-laws to misunderstand her.
"Do you know him?" Zhang Liunian, sensing the implication in her words, asked as he held her shoulders.
"No, I don't know him, but I've heard my sister-in-law mention her brother." Jiang Qingqing hastily recovered her composure, quickly stating that she didn't know him.
"You really don't know him?"
"I really don't." Jiang Qingqing was a bit flustered, and as she spoke, she didn't notice how unpleasant her expression had become.
Seeing her reluctance to speak, Zhang Liunian didn't press further and instead inquired why his parents hadn't recognized him.
"My parents were quite far away at the time, they probably didn't see clearly." Jiang Qingqing's expression faltered slightly, but upon reflection, this seemed to be the only possibility.
"Then why did he run? If he had just explained, my parents wouldn't have misunderstood you." This was the part Zhang Liunian couldn't understand. Why did Wu Xiaoxiang run?
Jiang Qingqing fell silent. She might know why, but she couldn't say.
Just then, Zhao Zhijie's voice broke the atmosphere, "Don't stand in the sun chatting. We should hurry and deliver the meat. Old Yan is still waiting for us at home!" Having been in the sun for so long, Zhao Zhijie suspected his head would be cooked if they didn't leave soon.
Zhang Liunian, hearing this, remembered that today was the day he was supposed to visit Zhao Zhijie's home. He helped his wife onto the tractor, and they went to deliver the meat. After delivering the meat, Zhang Liunian sent Du Ziteng to pick up his younger sister and return to the village, while he himself pushed his bicycle and followed behind Zhao Zhijie.
Zhao Zhijie's living conditions were similar to Yan Guiguo's, living in houses resembling courtyards. These types of houses usually housed several families together, and Zhao Zhijie's home was no exception.
"Four households live here. I'm one of them. My house is in the south direction. This is the house my father left me." Zhao Zhijie, carrying Hua Bao, strode directly over the ten-centimeter high threshold.
Zhang Liunian pushed his bicycle, and followed by his wife, entered the courtyard. As soon as he stepped inside, Zhang Liunian saw a group of people gathered around, looking surprised at something.
"Come in quickly!" Zhao Zhijie ignored the onlookers and directly pushed open his own door, looking at the Zhang Liunian couple.
Zhang Liunian parked his bicycle and brought the gifts on it into the house. When he came out again, he heard the voices of those people.
"It must cost twenty thousand yuan!"
"Is this the legendary Honda King? My heavens, I actually have the fortune to touch this motorcycle."
"What? This is the Honda King? So this is what the Honda King looks like."
"..."
Zhang Liunian, upon hearing the voices, was also quite surprised, as he recalled that the Honda King had not yet entered China in large quantities at that time. However, it wasn't difficult for someone to acquire one, as there were always wealthy and capable people, regardless of the era.
As he was thinking, he heard a familiar voice.
"That's right, it's a second-hand Honda King, and its value is indeed equivalent to twenty thousand yuan." This voice belonged to none other than Yan Guiguo.
Zhang Liunian looked up in surprise and met Yan Guiguo's gaze. "Liunian, you're finally here. Come quickly and see if this motorcycle suits your fancy."
Yan Guiguo excitedly pushed through the crowd and pulled Zhang Liunian over to look at the motorcycle. "Last time I said I'd get you a motorcycle, it wasn't a joke. Look, with Lao Zhao and me, we've managed to get this done for you. Here are the keys, you can try it." Saying this, he thrust the motorcycle keys into Zhang Liunian's hand without any further explanation.
Zhang Liunian looked at the keys that appeared in his hand and recalled Yan Guiguo's earlier mention of relying on him and Lao Zhao. Did this mean the motorcycle was a joint gift from them? This was too valuable! Thinking this, Zhang Liunian immediately returned the keys to Yan Guiguo, refusing, "No, no, it's too valuable. I can't accept it." He had already received a lot of benefits and couldn't be too greedy.
However, Yan Guiguo, as the factory director, would never go back on his word. "We agreed, if I said I'd give you a motorcycle, I meant it. It's just that I've had some financial issues recently, so Lao Zhao and I got this bike together. So, this bike is now a gift from both of us. You don't need to be so polite." With that, he pushed the keys back into Zhang Liunian's hand and added, "It's a second-hand car, it's not worth twenty thousand at all, even ten thousand would be pushing it."
Zhang Liunian still didn't want to accept. "Even so, I still can't take it."
"Take it. You are Lao Zhao's nephew, and you are mine too. Besides, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't know what would have happened to me by now!" Yan Guiguo clearly remembered Zhang Liunian's help. Moreover, the motorcycle was something he had planned to give for a long time, so he definitely wouldn't take it back.
"Uncle Yan, I appreciate your kind intentions, but it's truly too valuable."
"Compared to my life, it's not heavy at all."
"I really can't take it."
"If we're giving it to you, then take it. Don't be so formal with us." Zhao Zhijie, seeing their endless back-and-forth, had to come out of his house to interrupt their dispute.
Zhang Liunian turned and gave a wry smile. "Uncle Zhao, everyone has it tough. If you were to give me a bicycle, I could accept it, but a motorcycle... I still can't. It's truly too valuable." At this time, a motorcycle was equivalent to a multi-million dollar luxury car in later generations. How could he accept such a valuable gift?
Zhao Zhijie said sternly, "I'm an old bachelor with no wife or children. I can't eat or use everything I have. Getting you a second-hand motorcycle is no big deal." They had acquired this motorcycle for less than ten thousand yuan, with the cost split between the two, making it only a few thousand yuan each. Zhao Zhijie had this amount, and so did Yan Guiguo, otherwise, they wouldn't have gone to such lengths.
"That's right. Your Uncle Yan is also a bachelor now. I still have some ability, and if you truly feel bad about it, then later, when Lao Zhao can't walk anymore, remember to take good care of him."
"That I can do." Zhao Zhijie's decision to recognize Zhang Liunian as a godson was also with the thought that someone would be there to smash the funerary urn for him after his death. He trusted Zhang Liunian's character, and coupled with Zhang Liunian's excellent craftsmanship, he had recognized this familial bond.
"This is what I should do. You don't need to worry about not having anyone to take care of you in your old age. As long as I have a bite to eat, you won't go hungry. But this car is really too expensive, I still can't accept it."