"You child, why didn't you tell your father and me when you got a girlfriend? We've been worried sick about you," Mother He said with a hint of complaint.
He Ziyu put down the basin in his hands. "It's not even set in stone yet. Don't get involved and cause trouble."
Old Master He glared. "How dare you speak to your mother like that, you brat."
Mother He, however, caught a hint of something. She stepped forward and pressed, "Son, did you fall for her, but she didn't fall for you?"
He Ziyu ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "It's too complicated. I can't explain it clearly in a few words right now."
Old Master He sat down on a chair nearby. "Then tell us slowly. Your mother and I have plenty of time, no rush."
He Ziyu walked to the bedside and sat down. "Why should I tell you about my own affairs?"
"Nonsense! I see you're becoming more and more defiant. The daughter-in-law you eventually bring home will be the daughter-in-law of our He family. Don't we have the right to know?"
Seeing her husband about to lose his temper, Mother He quickly shot him a glare. "Your son finally has someone he likes, can't you say a few less words? If you annoy the girl, and she never comes back, who will keep me company and listen to me talk about my son then?"
"Hmph." Old Master He huffed, but ultimately stopped speaking.
Regarding the matters of Xu Ning's family, although he himself didn't mind, if his son wanted to marry Xu Ning, the parents' approval was definitely a hurdle to overcome.
After a moment of thought, he decided to explain the situation in broad strokes.
"I disagree!" After hearing his son's words, Old Master He's attitude was firm. "A family like that, and that kind of illness, it's very likely to be hereditary. Even if the person was blind or lame, I wouldn't say a word if you liked them, but this, absolutely not."
Seeing her son's displeased expression, Mother He nudged her husband, signaling him to say less.
"It's no use pushing me. Your son has been spoiled by you, which is why he doesn't tell us anything and does whatever he pleases. He wants to transfer his work to the provincial capital, and I won't object. But if it's for this woman, then forget it!"
"Am I the one finding a girlfriend or are you? Besides, what era are we in now? Who says marriage absolutely requires having children? We can just live our lives without children."
"You, you incorrigible brat! Are you not satisfied until you've angered me to death?" Father He was so infuriated by his words that his hand, which was pointing at his son, began to tremble.
Mother He was startled and quickly said to her son, "Ziyu, say a few less words. What if you really make your father ill?"
Seeing this, He Ziyu dared not argue with him further.
"Did something burn?" Mother He suddenly sniffed the air, then turned towards the kitchen. She discovered something cooking on the gas stove.
Lifting the lid, she saw that the porridge inside was almost burnt. She quickly turned off the gas stove.
This incident served as a distraction, and the tense atmosphere between father and son eased considerably.
Knowing that her son hadn't had breakfast yet, Mother He took a bowl to serve him some porridge.
Meanwhile, in the capital, when He Zinian heard that the person who wanted to speak with him was regarding the land he had previously taken a fancy to, he agreed without much hesitation.
Upon arriving at the agreed-upon location, He Zinian was led by a waiter to a luxurious private room.
"Mr. He," the man said, standing up to greet him with a smile as he entered.
"Mr. Luo, hello. I've heard of your name for a long time. I didn't expect to finally have the chance to meet," He Zinian extended his hand to shake the other man's.
He had lived in Hong Kong for several years and had heard the name Luo Yaowu. However, since returning to the capital, his focus had been on the capital for the past few years. Coupled with his unpleasantness with the He family, his contact with Hong Kong had dwindled.
"I was quite surprised when my subordinate told me that you bought the land near the New City Department Store. I had also sent people to contact Mr. Zhang back then, but unfortunately, he didn't seem inclined to sell."
Luo Yaowu: "It was a matter of chance. I had helped him a little with his business before, and coincidentally, I was also interested in developing in the mainland. So, I shamelessly bought the land."
He Zinian: "So, Mr. Luo, what is your intention in looking for me?"
"Dong Sheng Company's reputation precedes it. To tell you the truth, my current funds are limited, so I'm looking for a partnership with you. I'll provide the land, and you provide the capital. We can invest together and build. We can both make money."
He Zinian's greatest hope was to buy the land and develop it himself. However, most of his cash was tied up in other projects. If he took on this project, he would definitely have to take out a bank loan.
So, taking it all by himself was out of the question. Moreover, this was definitely a project with guaranteed profits. Even if it was a fifty-fifty split, he would still make a considerable amount of money.
In just a few months, once the buildings were erected, there would be a large inflow of capital.
He had no reason to refuse.
Thus, the two parties hit it off and reached a consensus on the spot.
Two days later, the contract process was completed by the legal department.
In addition to mobilizing some funds, He Zinian also secured a loan of two million from the bank.
Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
...
When Chen Lishu heard that He Ziyu was pursuing Xu Ning, she was a little surprised, but upon further thought, she found it quite reasonable.
Xu Ning was an excellent individual with a very good personality. If it weren't for her family circumstances, many young men would likely have liked her.
Mother He: "I heard from Ziyu that you know that Comrade Xu. She even went to the countryside as a 'sent-down youth' before."
Chen Lishu nodded. "At that time, Xu Ning was the thinnest and smallest among those sent-down youths, but she never fell behind in her work. Her ideological awareness was very high, and she never neglected her studies. Later, when the college entrance examination was reinstated, she was admitted to the Provincial Medical University, and she also took great care of her family."
Mother He nodded. "I heard a bit about her family situation from Ziyu. I know she must be a very outstanding girl, otherwise, Ziyu wouldn't be so infatuated with her."
Mother He sighed as she spoke. "But, her family, her mother still has to rely on medication to maintain her health, and her elder brother seems to only have the intellect of a few-year-old."
Mother He's words were quite tactful, but Chen Lishu already understood her meaning.
She was a mother herself now. If her own children, Rui Rui or Xiao Chengzi, wanted to find a girl like that in the future, she would surely struggle with it.
However, she vaguely recalled that Xu Ning's elder brother's intellect seemed to have stopped at a few years old because his high fever in childhood was not treated promptly.
And her mother seemed to have suffered a mental breakdown due to some shock in her youth.
Although she wasn't a medical professional, she knew that such acquired illnesses should not be hereditary.
But she wasn't sure yet, so she didn't tell Mother He directly.