Don't talk nonsense, this is the Emperor's Banner

Chapter 192 The Past

the next morning.

Shen Siyuan got up first, bought breakfast, and then rode his bike to the company.

But Ruan Hongzhuang was still sleeping soundly and did not wake up.

However, Shen Siyuan went to the company not to work, but to take another day off.

Because I have an appointment with Song Meixian and others today.

At this time, Zhao Ruijin also returned to Ruijin with his father Zhao Dezhu.

The early morning sun shone in through the car window, and Zhao Dezhu stared blankly at his son's little face.

Although his face was still full of childishness, his expression seemed exceptionally mature, which made Zhao Dezhu feel a little uncomfortable. At his age, he should have been innocent and lively.

"Zhou Zhou." Zhao Dezhu reached out and took his son's little hand.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Ruijin looked back at him in confusion.

"Do you hate your mother?" Zhao Dezhu asked.

Zhao Ruijin nodded first, then shook his head.

"I used to hate her and dislike her, but now I don't hate her anymore. She is my mother." Zhao Ruijin said.

Then he turned around and looked at Zhao Dezhu: "Dad, don't hate mom. She loves you so much."

"I...I know..."

Zhao Dezhu felt like many words were stuck in his throat, but he couldn't say them, so they were stuck in his chest, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

After a long while, Zhao Dezhu asked again: "Is your mother okay?"

When Zhao Ruijin was still alive, both sides could learn about each other's current situation through him.

After Zhao Ruijin died and Zhao Dezhu returned from the funeral, the two completely lost contact.

"She...she is about to die..." Zhao Ruijin said softly, choking and wiping his tears.

"What?" Zhao Dezhu was surprised when he heard that.

He really didn't know about this.

"My mother attempted suicide several times. Although... although she was saved every time, the doctor said that she had mental problems and was stupid every day..."

"Grandma said she might not live long, and she was very sad..."

"It's all my fault. I hurt my mother..."

……

Zhao Ruijin sobbed quietly, which attracted the attention of the driver in front, who kept looking back.

"Zhou Zhou, don't cry, it's okay, let's go back to see him now, everything will be fine..."

Zhao Dezhu's eyes began to turn red. He didn't know why he had come to this point.

He thought of his wife when she was young. For him, she resolutely quit her good job and left her hometown...

I remember when my wife and I first arrived in Binhai, we lived in a shabby rental house. In order to save money, we ran a long way to buy food to improve his meals...

Think about how they could give everything for each other.

But why, as their lives were getting better and better, they ended up in this situation?

Is it his wife who has changed, or is it him?
Maybe both, maybe not.

What has changed is this society.

Getting out of the car, Zhao Dezhu looked at the alley in front of him in a daze.

Zhao Ruijin explained quietly, "After my mother got sick, she moved here to live with my grandmother."

Zhao Dezhu knew that his son must have misunderstood. The reason he was stunned was because he remembered the time when he sent his ex-wife Zhou Congfang back home when he was young.

Thinking about it now, it is still vivid in my mind, but why couldn’t I remember it before? Or did I intentionally forget it?

"Okay, I understand. Let's go." Zhao Dezhu took Zhao Ruijin's hand and walked into the alley.

On one side of the alley is a white wall, enclosing a piece of wasteland, which is said to be developed and built into houses, but more than a decade has passed and there has been no progress at all, and the land is now overgrown with weeds. On the other side are some shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, and grocery stores selling grains, oils, rice, and flour.

Nothing seems to have changed, and yet everything seems to have changed.

The shops are still the same shops, but the people who opened them are older, and the signs on the doors are older.

He had passed by several times before and never seemed to notice any of this.

After walking inside for about fifteen minutes, you will reach Zhao Ruijin’s grandmother’s home.

It is a very old community. As soon as you enter, you can feel the sense of age.

Walking among the low trees, gray-white cement walls and red tiles, it feels like going back to the 1980s and 1990s, and the flow of time seems to slow down.

I don’t know if it’s because of a change in his mentality, but Zhao Dezhu has begun to like this leisurely time.

After entering the residential area, Zhao Ruijin let go of Zhao Dezhu's hand and walked forward impatiently.

And he would turn back from time to time to urge Zhao Dezhu.

But when he reached the door, Zhao Ruijin stopped.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Dezhu asked.

"If I go in like this, it will scare my mother," said Zhao Ruijin.

"Dad, you go see mom first and talk to her, then I'll see her."

As Zhao Ruijin spoke, his figure faded before his eyes.

Zhao Dezhu opened his mouth and wanted to say that you are her son, how could she be afraid of you, but when he thought of his previous reaction, he couldn't say a word.

Looking at his empty right hand, Zhao Dezhu walked into the stairwell and pressed the elevator button.

This community is a resettlement housing complex. The quality of the houses is not very good, the property management is also very poor, the corridors are narrow, and the elevators are extremely dark.

But all this gave Zhao Dezhu a feeling that was both extremely familiar and extremely unfamiliar.

He was familiar with her because when he was in Ruijin, he would often come to his father-in-law and mother-in-law's house for dinner.

My father-in-law was also a very good and cheerful person, but unfortunately he passed away too early, before Zhou Zhou was born. Zhao Dezhu always felt quite regretful.

At this time, his mind seemed to become particularly clear.

Why didn’t you bring your mother-in-law to live with you in Binhai before getting divorced?
If the mother-in-law had been there to mediate, perhaps they wouldn't have reached this point, and Zhou Zhou wouldn't have...

His wife seemed to have mentioned this to him at the beginning. What did he say at that time? He could no longer remember, but in the end, his mother-in-law did not go to live with them.

Maybe my wife must have been very disappointed at that time...

Think about it, I am really nothing...

The sound of the elevator door opening interrupted his thoughts.

Zhao Dezhu took a deep breath and stepped out quickly when the elevator door was about to close.

The houses in this community are all arranged with two elevators and four households, so Zhao Dezhu came out of the elevator, stood in the middle and looked around, then he slowly remembered that his mother-in-law's house was the innermost room on the left.

At the entrance was a bulky iron security door with a screen on it. Because it had not been cleaned for a long time, it was covered with dust and its original color could no longer be seen.

It is said that this anti-theft door was welded by my father-in-law. Although he is not well educated, he has strong hands-on skills and many things in the house are made by him.

There is also a sharp knife made of a hacksaw blade at home. His ex-wife joked that if he betrayed her in the future, she would use this knife to commit suicide...

Thinking of this, the corners of Zhao Dezhu's mouth trembled slightly.

He stiffened his neck, swallowed, then slowly raised his hand and knocked on the iron gate.

"Who is it?" an old voice asked from inside.

Then the wooden door inside was opened.

A thin, white-haired old man appeared before him.

"Mom~"

PS: There is one more chapter~, I feel a little dizzy~
(End of this chapter)