Chapter 23: Liu Zhenghua's Memories
When Xiaofan accompanied Liu Siyan, who had changed her clothes, back to the second floor, he discovered that Zhang Yongchang and his father had already left.
"Alright, are you satisfied now? We just asked you to sit for a while, there's no need to..." Liu Zhenghua looked at Ye Xiaofan, and his words hung on the tip of his tongue.
"Well, now that it's over, I'll be on my way." Xiaofan had already guessed the outcome. The task of visiting Liu Siyan's home was considered successfully completed, so there was no need to linger.
"Hey, Ye Xiaofan, stay for lunch before you go. Later, we can share a ride to the school," Liu Siyan quickly said.
Hearing Liu Siyan's words, Xiaofan felt a bit happy, but no matter what, he had come here pretending to be a boyfriend, and interacting with the elders made him a little uneasy.
"Hmm? I have an appointment, maybe another day. Goodbye, Uncle Liu." Xiaofan politely said his farewells to them and left the Liu Family, feeling a bit lost.
Ah, such a wealthy young lady. This villa, this yard, and those cars, just having several housekeepers. What made me dare to pursue Liu Siyan back then? How am I worthy of her?
"Siyan, where did you find such an oddball?" Standing by the window and watching Ye Xiaofan slowly leave, Liu Zhenghua asked his daughter curiously.
"Oddball? How so? He's just my classmate." Liu Siyan said sweetly.
"Not an oddball? A boy in his teens, able to maintain calm and composed thoughts in such a setting, confidently silencing Zhang Yongchang in just a few words. Even just this makes me, your father, feel somewhat inferior." Liu Zhenghua was actually praising Ye Xiaofan as an oddball in a good sense.
"Yeah, he might look carefree, but he's very serious when it comes to doing things, no matter what it is. Take the relay race for example. Initially, he was unwilling to participate, didn't care about it at all, but once the race started, he completely transformed. Even when he fell at the beginning, he got up immediately and continued running, even surpassing two people." Liu Siyan introduced her classmate to her father, somewhat lost in her words.
However, after these praises were said, it surprised Liu Zhenghua as he stared at his daughter.
"Dad, why are you looking at me like that?" Liu Siyan asked, puzzled.
"All these years, it's the first time I've heard you praise a boy like this."
"I..." Liu Siyan was rendered speechless, realizing she might have said too much.
"Could it be, you really fancy this poor boy?" Liu Zhenghua asked oddly.
"..." Silence, Liu Siyan actually chose to stay silent on this question, making it seem like implicit agreement.
"Siyan, you've grown up now, having feelings for boys isn't unusual, but you must remember that until you fully understand a person, it's unwise to trust them easily. If his intentions toward you aren't pure, you'll be the one getting hurt in the future." Liu Zhenghua, not good at expressing care towards his daughter, felt the need to say this.
"Dad, he won't." Liu Siyan immediately refuted her father's assumption.
Liu Zhenghua was a bit surprised at how much her daughter trusted him.
"Dad, you actually met him ten years ago. His grandfather is your life-saving benefactor."
It turns out that Liu Siyan kept a significant secret in her heart.
"Ten years ago? Lianwu Village? Could it be him..." Liu Zhenghua recalled something, his face full of shock.
Back then, ten years ago, Liu Zhenghua wasn't yet a business owner, just a small-time owner making a bit of business. That year, because Siyan's mother fell ill, it cost a lot of money, and in the end, the illness wasn't cured, she passed away, and left behind a large amount of debt.
To pay off the debt, Liu Zhenghua took the then eight-year-old Liu Siyan around, doing business wherever possible to make money. Liu Zhenghua set up street stalls, worked in sales, and sold insurance.
That year, he connected with a furniture factory that needed to order a large amount of timber. Liu Zhenghua used all his savings to bid for a large piece of forest from the villagers of Lianwu Village.
According to plan, workers and trucks were hired, and the business could be completed within a week, resulting in a handsome profit.
However, just as they were about to finish the task, an accident happened. While loading timber onto the truck, some logs fell due to rope breakage, heavily striking Liu Zhenghua.
Everyone thought Liu Zhenghua had met his end, but when the logs were lifted, they found he was still alive, although with numerous fractures, especially a leg pierced by a branch, bleeding profusely.
Just as they were about to carry Liu Zhenghua to the hospital, an elder suddenly stopped them.
"Stop, don't move him."
"Uncle Ye."
"Master Ye."
"Teacher Ye."
"Dr. Ye."
When the elder appeared, everyone respectfully gave him way.
The elder didn't say much, crouched down to examine Liu Zhenghua's body, checked his pulse, breath, and heartbeat. Then he went to the nearby grass, grabbed some herbs, started chewing them, and applied the chewed herbs to the bleeding leg.
Within just a minute, the heavily bleeding leg had remarkably stopped bleeding. The elder kept working, skillfully setting the broken bones in place wherever necessary.
The whole treatment lasted half an hour, and even when it was done, the elder with the last name Ye was drenched in sweat.
"Alright, gently carry him to my home. This life has been saved."
With the elder's reassurance, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, most of the workers hired to cut trees were from the village itself, and if anything happened to Liu Zhenghua, they wouldn't know where to claim their wages.
"Siyan, Siyan..." In his unconscious state, Liu Zhenghua was calling out his daughter's name incessantly.
"Oh, Teacher Ye, Mr. Liu has an eight-year-old daughter staying with him," a villager quickly mentioned.
"Xiaofan." The elder suddenly called.
"Yes, Grandpa, I'm here." Just then, an eight-year-old boy squeezed through the crowd. Although a bit dirt-covered, his eyes were exceptionally bright and clear.
"Go with Er Gou to bring that little girl to our home; having someone her age there will make her less afraid."
"Alright."
Thus, under the miraculous medical skills of Old Ye, Liu Zhenghua was able to stand again after just one month's recovery, though it took longer to regain full strength.
At that time, Liu Zhenghua originally intended to offer 50,000 yuan as a medical expense to express his gratitude to the life-saving benefactor. It wasn't that Liu Zhenghua was stingy; his business only profited a little over 70,000. However, Old Ye only accepted 1,000 yuan for medical fees, lodging, and daughter care.
Even today, Liu Zhenghua remembers Old Ye's words as he left the village: Trees have spirits too; cut them down, and they will naturally take their revenge. Best avoid such unkind deeds in the future.
Every time he thinks of this elder, Liu Zhenghua feels profound respect; such a person with an other-worldly demeanor in such a small mountain village is truly remarkable.
"Xiaofan? Ye Xiaofan? Could he really be that child?" Liu Zhenghua kept repeating, trapped in reminiscence.