Shao Guangrong was in a rush. In 1985, Beijing had no traffic jams, so he reached the Zhou residence in less than half an hour.

“Little Shao is here!”

“Auntie Guan, it’s been a while! You’re still looking as beautiful as ever!”

Guan Hue’e had no interest in his sweet talk and flattery. “Hurry along now. Zhou Cheng said you two have business to attend to. Get it done early so you can return. Be careful driving at night!”

Now that her son had grown up, it was like he belonged to Xia Xiaolan’s family. He’d arrived in Beijing at noon but only showed his face at home in the evening, and that was because Xia Xiaolan had insisted on sending him back.

If Xia Xiaolan hadn’t made him leave, Guan Hue’e believed Zhou Cheng would have stayed overnight at her place. Was he even her son anymore? It seemed like she had raised him for Liu Fen instead.

Guan Hue’e felt dejected. She urged Zhou Cheng to go handle his business and return early so he could at least see his father. She knew that first thing tomorrow morning, he would surely run off to stick close to his girlfriend again.

Zhou Cheng grabbed some health supplements from home. They never ran short of such things, and neither Zhou Guobin nor Guan Hue’e were particularly fond of taking them anyway, as they were both in good health.

Once they left the Zhou residence, Shao Guangrong made a guess: “Who are we going to visit?”

Zhou Cheng nodded, “We’re going to the cigarette factory to see Aunt Stone.”

While Kang Wei knew the full story about the Stone family, Shao Guangrong only knew about half of it. He didn’t ask why Zhou Cheng needed him to come along – he was content just being the driver.

Why did Zhou Cheng ask Shao Guangrong to come? Though he was going to see Aunt Stone, he would inevitably encounter Wei Juanhong.

It would be better to avoid misunderstandings late at night. With Shao Guangrong present, hopefully, Wei Juanhong would know her boundaries and not say anything strange. Zhou Cheng had learned his lesson after being bitten once – hadn’t he and Xiaolan had a long cold war previously because he hadn’t handled this matter properly?

He couldn’t risk a cold war now. Xiaolan would be going abroad in February – if they had a falling out, was Zhou Cheng supposed to chase her overseas to make amends?

To put his wife’s mind at ease, he was determined to nip any potential misunderstandings in the bud!

But man proposes God disposes. While Zhou Cheng wanted Shao Guangrong as a witness, Shao Guangrong ended up hitting someone on the way. They were driving smoothly when suddenly someone darted out from the roadside to stop the car. Shao Guangrong slammed on the brakes, but the figure had already fallen.

The 212’s chassis was already quite high, and with its large hood blocking the view, they couldn’t see the person after they fell. Shao Guangrong feared they might have rolled under the wheels.

Zhou Cheng quickly jumped out while Shao Guangrong seemed glued to his seat, purely from shock!

“…How is it you?”

There was puzzlement in Zhou Cheng’s voice. Shao Guangrong barely managed to find his voice: “Brother, are they still alive?”

“Of course they’re alive. Stop talking nonsense and get out here!”

Relieved they were alive, Shao Guangrong got out on shaky legs. Even though the person had suddenly darted out and hit the car themselves, if they had died, Shao Guangrong would still have nightmares.

When he got out and looked, the figure on the ground seemed somewhat familiar.

Zhou Cheng moved slightly, allowing the streetlight to illuminate the person’s face. Shao Guangrong was surprised: “Little You?!”

Little You wished she could close her eyes and play dead.

She had spotted the familiar car from the roadside – she remembered the license plate number clearly. Last time, Kang Wei had said he wouldn’t drive, and Xia Xiaolan had her car, so Little You guessed it might be Shao Guangrong driving.

By the time she confirmed the license plate, Shao Guangrong’s car had almost passed. In her hurry to stop it, she ended up being knocked down.

She hadn’t mistaken the car, but the first person to get out was Zhou Cheng! Little You had learned last time that Zhou Cheng was considered the “big brother” among Shao Guangrong’s group, and now she had embarrassed herself so thoroughly in front of him.

“I’m sorry, I just wanted to say hello…”

Shao Guangrong nearly had a heart attack!

What kind of greeting was this – risking her life to say hello?

“Are you hurt? Where does it hurt?”

Zhou Cheng didn’t know what business existed between these two. He had met Little You before when she was Shao Guangrong’s temporary date. Though Little You had been reckless, now wasn’t the time for scolding – checking for injuries was more important.

There was no blood on the ground, and Zhou Cheng suspected Little You had fallen on her own, without the car directly hitting her.

Shao Guangrong was both angry and worried. “Can you move?”

Little You had indeed fallen on her own. When she got up, she didn’t complain of any discomfort. The ground was uneven, and her pants were torn at the knee and side, causing her to walk with a slight limp.

“I’m fine, I’m sorry I’m okay. What I did was wrong. You must have things to do, please go ahead. I can get back by myself.”

Thoroughly embarrassed, Little You stood there awkwardly.

Shao Guangrong snorted, “You’re going to hop back home? How many miles is it to your house? Get in the car. After we finish Brother Cheng’s business, I’ll take you to the hospital for a check-up.”

He’d had such bad luck – when he needed a temporary date, he’d ended up with a sixteen-year-old girl.

Shao Guangrong was too embarrassed to explain this to Zhou Cheng. He’d been trying to avoid Little You since returning from Hebei Province. But now, in front of Zhou Cheng, Shao Guangrong couldn’t explain, and leaving Little You stranded would seem too heartless.

Zhou Cheng couldn’t be bothered with whatever game these two were playing.

“Drop me at the cigarette factory, then take her to the hospital to check for internal injuries. Little You, can you get into the car by yourself?”

When Zhou Cheng spoke, Little You didn’t dare disobey. She nodded obediently.

Shao Guangrong refused to let Zhou Cheng go to the Stone family alone. Halfway there, they left Little You at the emergency room. Shao Guangrong paid 200 yuan to the hospital and warned Little You not to leave: “I’ll be back after finishing my business. If you try to sneak away, you might escape the monk but not the temple. This isn’t over!”

Little You was as meek as a quail.

Shao Guangrong suppressed his irritation and put on a jovial face for Zhou Cheng. “Brother Cheng, let’s go to the cigarette factory first, I’ll come back for her later.”

With this delay, Zhou Cheng arrived at the cigarette factory quite late.

Stone Kai’s two children were already in bed. Wei Juanhong was struggling with documents she’d brought home from the office. Work that others could finish during office hours, she couldn’t complete even working overtime at night. This job was too difficult for her.

Aunt Stone sat beside her daughter-in-law, making shoe insoles. She had undergone eye surgery and couldn’t stay up too late. The electric light wasn’t very bright, and after working for a while, her eyes felt sore and dry.

“Juanhong, if you can’t finish it, continue tomorrow. You’re too busy every day. If you ask me, it would be better to work in the workshop – you get paid for what you do, and at most you’d earn a few yuan less in bonuses.”

Aunt Stone had taken over all the housework and was responsible for watching the two children. She didn’t mind these tasks, but she could see how hard the office job was for Wei Juanhong. Rural people didn’t lack strength or fear hard work, but they lacked education. When you don’t understand something, you just don’t understand. Wei Juanhong lacked too much knowledge and didn’t know how to make up for it, so she often complained about the work she brought home.

Hearing her mother-in-law’s words, Wei Juanhong became irritated:

“If I can’t finish today’s work, tomorrow will bring more! Mother, I know you’ve noticed how Big Treasure and Little Treasure want to be close to me, but I need to have time for that… Mother, could you talk to Captain Zhou for me? I regret not taking his advice to work in the workshop. Can I go back there?”

Outside the door, Zhou Cheng and Shao Guangrong stood listening. The thin door panel couldn’t block the conversation from inside.

Shao Guangrong raised his eyebrows meaningfully – well, it was as if she knew Brother Cheng was standing outside the door.