Chapter 20: Return in Glory
Time flies like songs, and human life is but an inch.
The taxi stopped on Ping'an Avenue. Ye Shaofeng paid the fare, got out of the car, and the cigarette in his mouth was not finished yet, leaving only one butt.
He took two puffs and threw the cigarette to the ground, extinguishing it with his foot.
Ping'an Avenue is not a business street, but rather a general term for a residential area.
Ping'an Avenue is a very large bungalow area.
Look carefully, it's a flat house area, not a slum. Those who live here are not poor people, every family has their own private courtyard with bright and spacious houses, good lighting. The high-ranking officials of the old Luoyang city like to live in such courtyards.
Ye Shaofeng's family used to live here. Although he had never seen his father since birth, he had asked his mother about his father more than once. But his mother never said a word.
"Your father is a good man, he's a real man. As long as you work hard, you will definitely see your father."
Ye Shaofeng is now twenty-six or seven years old, his mother has passed away, and he still hasn't seen the true face of his father's Lushan. He doesn't know his father's identity or why he abandoned his wife and left this family. All he knows is that his father is a good person, and as long as he works hard, he will definitely see him.
The French plane trees on both sides of the street stood upright in the cold wind, like a warrior. These trees have seen Ye Shaofeng grow up here.
Like every autumn, the streets were still covered with yellow leaves, and from time to time, a luxurious car would pass by Ye Shaofeng's side, stirring up the fallen leaves.
After his mother's death, Ye Shaofeng joined the army. This home had become strange to him. Walking into Ping'an Street, he almost couldn't find his own home.
After much difficulty, I finally arrived in front of a gate. At the entrance, two stone lions sat majestically. The iron door handles on the crimson double solid wood doors had rusted, and the paint on them was cracked and peeling.
The door plate number was 086. Ye Shaofeng confirmed that this was his home, took out a heavy keychain and made a long-awaited sound. He inserted the key into the lock, which was a bit rusty, but with some force, the lock opened.
Ye Shaofeng pushed open the folding fan door with a complicated mood, and inside the courtyard was a desolate scene. The pond in the center of the courtyard had dried up, and the fish that used to swim in it were nowhere to be found. Several Chinese parasol trees grew luxuriantly, their yellow leaves hanging down, blocking out large patches of sunlight.
In the living room, there was a black and white photo of his mother. It was her memorial portrait. However, Ye Shaofeng had always found it hard to understand his mother's death. A report from the public security bureau simply stated that she had died in a car accident, and her body had been cremated. Ye Shaofeng hadn't even gotten a chance to see his mother's body one last time.
Ye Shaofeng never believed that his mother was dead, he thought the ashes in the box were not his mother's. The cremation without family consent is not a normal procedure, and when the police informed him of the car accident case back then, they were evasive about the details such as where and when it happened, whose responsibility it was, Ye Shaofeng didn't know anything. At that time, he could only listen to what the police said, as a high school student, he couldn't do or find out anything.
With a heavy heart, Ye Shaofeng's studies also came to an end. This material that could have been admitted to Tsinghua or Peking University gave up his future on his own and joined the army with the help of his neighbors.
Eight years had passed, and he finally returned to his own home. The scene of desolation before him caused Ye Shaofeng to shed tears uncontrollably. After shedding a few tears, Ye Shaofeng quickly wiped them away.
Gather your heavy heart, tell yourself secretly: a man can't cry, to see his father, to clarify whether his mother is really dead or not, he must be strong, he must make himself stronger! Only when he becomes strong will those puzzles and questions be solved one by one.
The house is still the same, without any change. The pot of flowers in front of the window is still there, but it has long withered and only dry branches are left struggling in the sunlight.
A layer of dust covered the coffee table in the living room, soft and fine to the touch. Under the sunlight, dust danced in the air. No matter how shabby the house was, I was finally back home.
Ye Shao Feng didn't want to live in the company anymore, so he simply moved back home. The house was so big and had many rooms, and after checking, all the water pipes at home were intact. Living in one's own home is always better than drifting around outside.
Anyway, it's now easy to get close to Song Fu Guo and his daughter too. Living in the company doesn't make much sense anymore. Going back home, everything is convenient and comfortable.
Ye Shaofeng made a phone call and asked several cleaning staff to come and thoroughly clean the house. Then, he ran to the heating company again, paid the heating fee, and the heating pipes at home were unblocked, providing warmth. Even in the cold winter, it would be very warm.
Later, the kid went to the flower market and bought a few potted plants, placing them in the bright living room. Everything seemed to have returned to its former state, and everything began to flourish again.
Open the closet, put on eight years ago pajamas, wear the slippers that I used to wear, found they are all too small, still have to go out and buy a new one.
In the evening, Ye Shaofeng went to the supermarket alone. He bought some daily necessities and a few sets of home clothes. From now on, he had to take care of himself when he got back home.
Carrying two big bags of things back home, just after putting away the purchases, changing into new pajamas and slippers, preparing to sleep comfortably, at this time the phone suddenly rang.
The originally quiet atmosphere was broken by the ringing sound. Ye Shaofeng jumped down, almost throwing his mobile phone like a grenade.
The phone number was unfamiliar and seemed to be from another place. However, Ye Shaofeng still answered it.
"Who is it?" Ye Shaofeng asked.
Chen Jiannan.
"Oh, Director, what's up?" Ye Shaofeng said with a hint of teasing upon hearing the voice of this living Bodhisattva.
"I've already sent someone to take care of the debt issue for you, and we used police tactics to intimidate that Kang Dahua. Later, you can go to his so-called entertainment city and get the money directly from the accountant."
"Oh, you didn't expose my identity, did you?" Ye Shaofeng asked.
"Don't be ridiculous, we police also have principles when handling cases. We say what should be said and don't mention what shouldn't be mentioned. Besides, with me in charge, you can rest assured that everything will be done properly. It's just that we use legitimate and proper channels."
"Alright, let me warn you one last time. I can cover for your minor mistakes and help with small matters, but don't make a big mess!" Chen Jiannan said, his tone stern but laced with more warmth.
"Thank you, Director. From now on, if there's anything that needs to be done, just give me the order. I, Ye Shaofeng, owe you one!"
"Stop bothering me with this nonsense! It's better than anything else!" With that, he hung up the phone.
Ye Shaofeng put down his phone, feeling a sense of relief. He changed into new clothes and walked out the door, heading straight to Yu Huan Entertainment City. Everything went smoothly there, and the younger brothers who had been beaten by him yesterday all bowed their heads and greeted him with respect.
"Come and get your money, hurry up, go to the third floor accounting department to collect it, it's been prepared for you a long time ago."
"Where's your boss?" Ye Shaofeng asked.
"The boss was beaten into hospital by you, probably won't be able to come out for a month or two..."
