Chapter 534: Chapter 50: To Save or Not to Save
In the end, Shanyang still didn’t reveal the whole story to Xiao Xian. Father and son left the mat behind and hurried away.
Xiao Xian sighed, turned her head to check Mao Dazhu’s reaction. She had also lost her composure today, exposing her background in front of others. She just hoped that Mao Dazhu wouldn’t look at her differently.
Mao Dazhu was indeed looking at her with "different" eyes, crumpling a tissue in his hand, wiping away tears and sniffling loudly.
"Niece, I really misjudged you. When Bai Juyi took you in as his apprentice, I was wondering why he accepted someone who knew nothing about our ways, and moreover, a woman at that - someone who looked like she couldn’t shoulder a burden. Little did I know your background was so pitiable, and you carried such heavy burdens. Rest assured, with your mat-weaving skills, that scoundrel Old Yu won’t be able to bully you. I’ve made up my mind, I will pass the position of Sect Leader of the South Gate to you." Mao Dazhu spoke while sobbing, yet he was extremely determined in his decision, leaving Xiao Xian in an awkward position, neither able to agree nor disagree.
"Master, what are you talking about? I don’t want to be the Sect Leader of the South Gate," besides, did Mao Dazhu even have the right to decide on the Sect Leader of the South Gate? Xiao Xian picked up the mat, thinking it was better to leave this place of trouble first.
Since Shanyang wasn’t willing to talk, she decided to start from the other two names listed in the Party Constitution; maybe she could find out some news.
"Hey Xiao Xian, don’t leave just yet. If you really want to leave, at least leave the mat behind. It’s the face of our shop. I also have a proposition for you, Master and Niece: how about you provide me with one Black Purple Vine Mat every day, and I’ll figure out how to supply the materials. What? That won’t work; you’re busy with finding a location for the specialty agricultural product store. No problem, we’re Master and Niece, we shouldn’t be so estranged. Besides, the rattan mat shop has plenty of space, and it’s going to be the off-season for mat sales soon. I’ll rent out half of the shop to you guys. Rent? Just a symbolic fee of five to ten thousand. Too expensive? That’s still too expensive? This is a prime location. A mat for rent, one a week? That’s too few. What, one a month? Let’s keep it as one per week." Mao Dazhu, afraid that Xiao Xian would change her mind, hastily drafted a contract, ripped a piece of paper, had Xiao Xian sign it and make a fingerprint, before happily letting her leave.
It turns out things weren’t too bad, Xiao Xian patted the Black Purple Vine Mat in her hand, feeling she had accomplished something. She left the business district, hailed a taxi, and headed directly towards "Plum Rice Ball".
At that time, Yu Gang was driving towards "Plum Rice Ball". After leaving the rattan mat shop, Shanyang clutched his chest, saying he was in pain.
This was his father’s old ailment; hospitals all over had seen it numerous times, all to no avail. At that moment, all he could do was to take his father to Mei Nian to see if she had a remedy.
Leaning against the car seat, his father was gasping for air, his complexion changing from pale to waxen yellow but he didn’t cry out in pain. Yu Gang knew his father’s stubborn nature too well.
Zhu Xiaoxian is Zhu Shijun’s granddaughter.
Yu Gang might be a research institute director, but half of the people he dealt with were farmers, and the other half were government officials.
When Zhu Shijun was the head of the Tobacco Bureau, he had been traveling around the country. Although he had never formally met him, he was quite familiar with Zhu Shijun.
When Shanyang used to come home, he would roar and curse in the living room: "That dead old Zhu Shi with his foul and stubborn temper, always has the final say on matters, then what’s the need for me as the deputy director."
The two of them had shared a decade of work together, during which they seemed to have eleven years of mutual displeasure. Their incompatible characteristics were widely known across Beijing’s political circles back then, leading many to believe that when Zhu Shijun was ousted, Shanyang would be the most relieved.
Only Yu Gang knew that when Zhu Shijun was escorted onto the train to Guizhou, his father actually went to the train station, reminding that there was a significant temperature difference between day and night in Guizhou. He even had Yu Gang help select some good cotton to make a new cotton quilt. In the end, that cotton quilt was never sent.
When Shanyang was brought to "Plum Rice Ball", his face had turned ashen, his stooped back was rigid like a clump of hardened concrete, and he couldn’t walk anymore.
Yu Gang, in a panic, cradled his father’s arm, carried him out of the car, and called out loudly for Mei Nian.
Mei Nian was in the pharmacy as well, and upon hearing Yu Gang’s frantic shrieks, came out of the shop. Seeing Shanyang’s condition, she quickly had Yu Gang bring him into the middle room of the pharmacy where they prepared medicines.