The day before Fang Yuan’s funeral, Jian Wei returned to Suzhou from the United States. She came back specifically to attend Fang Yuan’s funeral. Arriving on the same day was Yan Zhuomei, who brought with her a powerful legal team to prepare a defense for Mi Lan aimed at securing the lightest possible sentence. Their strategy focused on the fact that Fang Yuan’s previous actions had caused her to miscarry and rendered her infertile, which led to her extreme behavior. I consulted many lawyers about this, and they all agreed that with this angle, there was a real chance that Mi Lan could receive a prison sentence of less than ten years.
But who could say this outcome was fortunate amidst the tragedy? We all witnessed that the warning left by this tragedy is indelible.
This time, I didn’t have the opportunity to meet Yan Zhuomei, but I knew that when she left the country, Mi Cai would return.
At this critical moment of reintegration for New Green Energy, either she or Mi Cai had to remain in the United States, with only one of them returning to China to deal with Mi Lan’s case. The fact that Yan Zhuomei was the one who came back sufficiently indicated that New Green Energy was now under Mi Cai’s control, and Yan Zhuomei had indeed relinquished much of her power.
The next day, I met Jian Wei at Fang Yuan’s funeral. In the morning sunlight, she was wearing a black suit and sunglasses, her demeanor unchanged from before. I saw no significant change in her appearance.
Standing beside her, I didn’t exchange greetings or mention the past. Instead, I quietly asked her, “Before Fang Yuan died, he told me that the person who pushed you downstairs was hired by someone close to you. Do you know who it was?”
Jian Wei didn’t even remove her sunglasses. After a long silence, she shook her head and said, “I don’t want to investigate anymore…”
“Why not investigate?”
“Too many people have hurt me; I don’t have the energy to pursue them all. Besides, I’m living well now!”
“That’s a bit of a stretch. Do you have some unspoken reason?”
Jian Wei finally took off her sunglasses and looked at me. She snapped, “I said I don’t want to investigate, so I don’t want to investigate. Who gave you the right to try to control my will?”
“You misunderstood. I didn’t mean to control you.”
Jian Wei fell silent again. She seemed to have gained much insight from her recent life. Finally, in a low voice, she said to me, “Do you want us to repeat a tragedy like Fang Yuan’s again? For me now, everything in the past is no longer important. At this point, if I still can’t learn to cherish my current life, then I am the most foolish woman in the world… So now the issue isn’t whether I pursue it or not, but whether you are willing to leave me alone!”
I looked at her wordlessly. Her face was full of fatigue. Then she turned her back to me. At that moment, I truly saw in her back a kind of emotion that had been extinguished, yet her body had broken through taboos… Perhaps she was right. We should all learn enough lessons from Fang Yuan’s incident. Our pain has always stemmed from the desire to know the truth, so over these years, we’ve all been lost at the crossroads of life…
Yes, after stumbling for so many years, we should finally find the most suitable path for ourselves. Therefore, choosing not to uncover some things is a blessing for me, for Jian Wei, and even for Mo Zishi. We indeed should carry a peaceful mindset and let this noisy world return to calm… The storms of life have already soaked us enough!
I finally said to her, “I choose to respect you!”
“Mm.”
I couldn’t see her expression and felt some regret.
She then softly said, “You once told me there’s a city hanging in the sky. Because I loved you, I instinctively imagined this city as the most beautiful existence in the material world. But I ignored the fact that even if it’s in the sky, what difference does it make? Isn’t there also cloudy skies and unpredictable storms in heaven?”
I lowered my head and replied, “Yes!”
She was about to leave. Before she went, she told me, “Zhaoyang, you must live well…”
“Mm, what about you?”
“I will live well too.”
This was the most simple farewell I had ever heard. Our entangled first half of life thus ended with the words “live well.” It seemed insufficient to summarize everything we had experienced, yet it was the best interpretation of life. Since then, I have had no further contact with Jian Wei in any form. She was like a brilliant meteor that passed through my life, leaving only a fleeting beauty before disappearing silently. But the remorse she left in my heart was real, and the calmness after letting go was also real.
…
After Fang Yuan’s funeral, Yan Zhuomei unexpectedly sought me out. We met at that old house filled with memories of me and Mi Cai. She didn’t come empty-handed but brought some groceries and cooked lunch for me. However, this only made me more puzzled about her purpose.
After Yan Zhuomei prepared the meal, I instinctively kept my distance and sat farthest from her… Perhaps because of the tragic outcome involving Mi Lan and Fang Yuan, her mood seemed very poor, and she remained silent throughout the meal. Just as we were about to finish, she finally asked me, “Zhaoyang, how do you evaluate Auntie in your heart?”
I couldn’t flatter her, so I replied with the accumulated emotions from the past two years, “Cold-hearted and too self-centered…”
Yan Zhuomei sighed and put down her chopsticks. Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears as she said, “Yes, you’re right… Regarding what happened to Xiao Lan, we elders are also responsible. First, the Zhongde couple spoiled her too much, and I had the ability to resolve the disputes at Zhuomei for many years but ignored them for my own selfish interests. If we, the people involved, had done our part well, perhaps this tragedy wouldn’t have happened…”
Reflecting on the events surrounding Zhuomei over the years, my heart was filled with pain. I thought to myself: if we could have foreseen this outcome, even if we couldn’t turn hostility into peace, at least we would have chosen to avoid conflict… But now, saying these things only makes us feel worse. What’s the use?
Yan Zhuomei continued, “Since Xiaocai returned to the US, she has been in a contest with me. In life, I hoped she could build a family with Weiran and stay by my side; in terms of career, I didn’t want her to get involved in domestic affairs anymore. I would be satisfied if she could maintain the current state of New Green Energy… But she didn’t fulfill either of these wishes for me!… Auntie is indeed a cold-hearted and self-centered person, but that doesn’t mean Auntie doesn’t reflect on herself. Especially after what happened to Xiao Lan, I have seen many things in life more clearly…”
At this moment, I didn’t see malice in this once extremely strong woman. I looked at her empathetically, waiting for her to continue.
“Zhaoyang, I am Xiaocai’s birth mother. No matter how strong-willed I am, I would never maliciously arrange my daughter’s life. Based on this, I strongly opposed Xiaocai being with you, because I had a detailed understanding of your past lifestyle and attitude towards dealing with people. I judged that you were not a man who could accompany my daughter through a good life… But two years is enough time to test a person. During these two years, I saw that you have been waiting wholeheartedly for Xiaocai to come back. Although with your achievements today, you could have many choices in love, you indeed resisted many temptations and never wavered… For this, I am happy for my daughter!”
I finally understood some things and felt a surge of emotion. After a long time, I finally said, “This is something I had to do because your daughter is truly excellent…”
A slight smile finally appeared on Yan Zhuomei’s face as she replied, “But I heard you still owe her a wedding, right?”
My heart, which had long stopped fluctuating, began to beat violently again. I couldn’t quite believe my ears and asked, “Auntie, are you agreeing to let Xiaocai marry me?”
Yan Zhuomei nodded, “Yes, she must, and can only marry you… Perhaps there really is an unbreakable bond between people. In the future, treat my daughter well and never betray her. Can you do that?”
“I definitely can!… She is the greatest meaning of my life!”
“Mm… Do you have any requests for Auntie?”
I almost blurted out, “Auntie, I hope you can give Mi Cai and me a wedding with both families present!”
…
Two days later, I saw Yan Zhuomei off at Pudong Airport in Shanghai. Before she boarded, she chatted with me for a while. She told me that Mi Cai would return to China in a week, probably around New Year’s Eve, and asked me to comfort Mi Cai well. The reason Mi Cai didn’t come back this time was not only because of New Green Energy’s affairs but mainly because she couldn’t face the Mi Zhongde family. What happened between Mi Lan and Fang Yuan was also partly our fault. Although the Mi Zhongde couple didn’t blame us after their realization, our regret was still hard to eliminate…
Yan Zhuomei was already ready to board. I said goodbye to her, “Auntie, have a pleasant journey!”
For the first time, I saw a warm smile on her face. She said, “Zhaoyang, shouldn’t you change how you address me?…”
I didn’t react at first, but then I suddenly remembered that she had agreed to attend my wedding with Mi Cai. Still, I couldn’t get used to such a change and looked at her with a flushed face, unable to speak…
The boarding announcement echoed repeatedly through the loudspeaker, but Yan Zhuomei was still waiting…
Driven by a strange force, I finally opened my mouth, “…Mom!”
Yan Zhuomei’s eyes moistened as she nodded. I knew this wasn’t just emotional sentimentality; the bitterness in her heart and her longing for family were far greater than most people’s. When she decided to accept me as her son-in-law, the word “Mom,” which symbolized the formation of a family, was exactly what she wanted most.
Her back gradually disappeared from my sight along with the flow of passengers. At that moment, I truly felt the approaching presence of Mi Cai. I couldn’t help but wonder in what state she would return to me?
And what would be the surprise she had prepared for me?
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