At the grave, Uncle Sansheng fell silent when he heard Yang Fei’s question.
He seemed to be recalling the events of the past, a hint of sadness spreading across his face. Silently, he took a pack of Bai Sha cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and took several deep puffs.
Yang Fei, craving a smoke as well, took one and lit it up.
Qin Yanyang watched them for a moment and then said, "I’ll take a walk around."
Uncle Sansheng quickly said, "Yanyang, you don’t need to step away. It’s alright for you to know about this matter."
Yang Fei nodded in agreement, "Yeah, it’s not something shameful, listening won’t hurt."
Seeing them both say this, Qin Yanyang stayed.
After a few drags on his cigarette, Uncle Sansheng looked at Yang Fei and said, "When your dad brought you back, he already looked ill, barely hanging on to life. I went to the town to get the best doctor available. After examining him, the doctor told me to prepare for your father’s final arrangements... Indeed, within three days, your dad had passed away and left you behind."
Qin Yanyang, curious, said, "At twenty-five, at the prime of youth, unless it was a terminal illness, wasn’t there still hope for recovery?"
Uncle Sansheng nodded and said, "I asked your big brother back then what had happened, why he was in such a state, but he just gave a bitter smile and told me not to inquire further, saying it would be useless even if I knew."
Yang Fei squinted his eyes and asked, "Did he have any injuries or signs of trauma on his body? What was his complexion like?"
Uncle Sansheng shook his head, "There were no wounds at all, only a very poor complexion. The doctor we called in said that his Life Qi Mechanism had been exhausted, and with the medical conditions at that time, there was no way to bring him back."
Qin Yanyang opened her mouth but, seeing a glint of insight flash in Yang Fei’s eyes, she knew that he too had guessed something and promptly closed her mouth.
She was about to say something that might raise Yang Fei’s suspicions.
Yang Fei asked, "Uncle, when did my dad leave the village?"
"At seventeen," Uncle Sansheng replied.
Yang Fei thought for a while before asking, "Before the age of seventeen, did he always live in the village without ever going out?"
Yang Changjin nodded, "Your dad was a couple of years older than I am. We grew up together. It was at the age of seventeen that he left the village to work elsewhere."
"Did he never come back after that?" Yang Fei asked again.
Yang Changjin nodded, "Yes, he lost touch for a while. Your grandparents thought he had died outside somewhere. Five years later, he suddenly called back home and we got in touch again, but he never returned until he was 25, and when he did, he brought you with him."
Unable to hold back, Qin Yanyang said, "Uncle, didn’t Yang Fei’s father say anything after he came back?"
Yang Changjin gave a bitter smile and shook his head, "He was only back for a few days, and he was very weak by then. We asked him many questions, but he remained silent, insisting we should not inquire further and just asked us to raise Yang Fei into an adult."
Yang Fei furrowed his brows and sighed, "He really didn’t say anything else? Uncle, I’m grown up now; there’s no need to hide things from me."
Yang Changjin looked innocent, "Xiao Fei, I really haven’t hidden anything from you. Besides, why would I need to do that?"
Yang Fei gazed into his eyes.
Qin Yanyang also scrutinized Yang Changjin intently.
Yang Changjin looked bewildered and innocent.
Both Yang Fei and Qin Yanyang could confirm that Uncle hadn’t lied.
Yang Fei sighed inwardly and asked, "Did he ever mention anything about my mother?"
Yang Changjin said, "We all asked about that, but your Dad refused to tell us anything. We didn’t even know your mother’s name, let alone where she lived. Sigh, Xiao Fei, you’re all grown up now, you shouldn’t dwell on these things. Your father is gone, and even if he wronged you, as for your mother, whether she’s still alive or not, she may have had her own difficulties. I hope you won’t hold any resentment in your heart."
Yang Fei felt a sense of loss, a faint bitterness. He shook his head and smiled, "How could I? Although there was a time when I really longed for parents as a child, I got used to it later on. It’s just a bit of longing in my heart. If she’s still alive, I always wanted to meet her."
Yang Changjin listened with a face full of distress and said, "It’s good that you can think this way. Just let things take their own course and don’t be too fixated."
Yang Fei nodded, stood up, and said, "Let’s go, let’s go back for lunch. We still have to catch a flight later."
He walked down the mountain.
Qin Yanyang watched his solitary figure descending, his desolate and stark demeanor gripping her heart with a pang of sorrow. She hurriedly followed him and, taking his hand, said, "Hold onto me. I’m not used to walking on mountain paths, I’m afraid of falling."
Yang Fei chuckled, and his inner melancholy dissolved into nothingness.
She had walked steadily at the back when they came, but now she wanted to hold hands.
Despite her aloof demeanor, this woman had a kind nature at her core.
They had breakfast at home in the morning, and then Yang Sansheng arrived.
Yang Hao had already arranged with him to take Yang Fei, Yang Wen, and Qin Yanyang to the airport today.
The weekend was only two days, and the long journey made the trip feel rushed.
Yang Changjin and Li Guiju were reluctant to say goodbye, urging Yang Fei and Qin Yanyang to come back often, telling Yang Fei that his roots were here, fearful that he would drift away as he grew up.
Yesterday was busy, and after going to bed, Li Guiju saw the gifts that Yang Fei and Qin Yanyang brought back for them and was almost shocked to her core.
Not to mention the watch and clothes for Yang Changjin, but there was also a gold bracelet for herself. Tsk, it was as wide as a thumb, thick, and felt heavy in her hand, far more substantial than the one worn by the village secretary’s daughter-in-law.
At current gold prices, this bracelet must be worth seventy to eighty thousand.
In addition, considering the capabilities that Qin Yanyang demonstrated yesterday, even Li Guiju, who had little exposure to the outside world, knew that her grand-nephew had really hit it off with a wealthy lady.
Therefore, she was truly grateful to Yang Fei and Qin Yanyang, and she hoped that they would visit more often.
"Rest assured, Uncle and Auntie, I’ll come back to visit you often," Yang Fei said to the couple.
Qin Yanyang also smiled and said, "Yes, I really like it here too, and I also like Wenwen and little sister Qiaoqiao very much. Uncle and Auntie, don’t worry, we brothers and sisters will definitely visit more frequently."
Yang Changjin nodded in contentment, replying "Good, good."
It wasn’t easy for the couple to raise three kids, but now the children were grown, and Yang Fei had become successful, which brought them great comfort.
On the way to the airport, Uncle Sansheng seemed very nervous and reserved.
During the drive there, he kept sneaking peeks at Qin Yanyang, finding her a delight to the eye, but now he was afraid to look at her, worried about upsetting the ’hand and eye reach the sky’ miss.
Yang Hao had picked them up when they arrived, and when they left, he also went with them to the city.
As they neared the airport, Qin Yanyang said to Yang Hao, "The Mo Family might reach out to you for some work later on. You’re a professional carpenter, and Uncle is a mason; you should be able to pull together a team, right?" Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn novel(ꜰ)ire.net
Yang Hao was inwardly thrilled, but instead of answering, he looked to Yang Fei.
Yang Fei knew Qin Yanyang wanted to help Yang Hao get work through her connections. He smiled, nodded, and said, "Aren’t you going to thank your sister-in-law?"
Yang Hao quickly thanked Qin Yanyang, "Thank you, sister-in-law. I... I... As long as there’s work to be done, I can put together a team."
Qin Yanyang nodded and said, "Okay, work diligently. Learn a lot, ask questions, observe, and strive. You will have good days ahead, don’t disappoint Qiaoqiao."
"Right, I definitely won’t let her down, and I won’t let my brother and sister-in-law down either," Yang Hao said earnestly.
Driving the car, Yang Sansheng felt a mix of envy and sighs of emotion.
It was truly the case of ’when one man gains the Way, his poultry and dogs ascend to heaven.’ With such a supportive sister-in-law backing Yang Hao, it would be difficult for him not to prosper and thrive.