CHAPTER 299: CHAPTER 294: PHOENIX MAN

"Alright, I’ll take a taxi back to the hotel by myself. You two head back to school," Zhang Changfeng declined the younger ones’ offer to escort him and left by taxi on his own.

"What exactly did you say to my dad, for him to change his attitude towards you so drastically all of a sudden?" Zhang Meng asked with great curiosity.

"Nothing much." Ye Qiu smiled lightly, tenderly patted her on the head, and remained tight-lipped about the content of the discussion they had just had. Moreover, for the coming decades, Zhang Meng would never learn what the two most important men in her life actually talked about on this day that caused her father’s attitude towards Ye Qiu to change completely.

"Mengmeng, come with me to D city for the New Year celebration," Ye Qiu said.

"Why so suddenly?" Zhang Meng held her breath, feeling a bit tense. Ye Qiu once mentioned that his hometown was a small mountain village in D city, where only his mother lived, with an older sister who had married off a few years earlier.

There has always been never-ending conflict between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law since ancient times, and Zhang Meng did not know whether her future mother-in-law would like her.

"Your father has agreed that we’ll visit my home this New Year, and we’ll visit your home next New Year. After we get married, if we don’t live together, we’ll alternate between our families every year. If we live in the same city, we’ll celebrate the New Year together," Ye Qiu explained.

"How did you end up talking about such far-off matters?" asked Zhang Meng, still somewhat bewildered. They were both still students at Medical University, aiming for their PhDs—the thought of marriage was still a long way off!

"It’s better to discuss it now and avoid conflicts later on," Ye Qiu said.

"But will your mom like me?" Zhang Meng asked, feeling a bit uneasy.

Ye Qiu chuckled reassuringly, "You’re so smart and beautiful, which mother-in-law wouldn’t like you? Don’t worry, I’m here for you!"

In reality, Ye Qiu’s thoughts were drifting. He remembered the past life.

In the past life, the tragedy of Zhang Meng was not only caused by him but also by her mother-in-law and her sister-in-law.

Ye Qiu’s mother, Liu Sanying, was an uneducated old lady from a mountain village. Deep down, she believed that it was not good for a woman to be too educated and that women should not work outside but should stay home to take care of children and the husband.

Zhang Meng was an outstanding graduate of Medical University and her family owned a high-end private hospital, so abandoning her job was out of the question for her. Furthermore, she grew up in a big city and inevitably felt uncomfortable the first time she visited the small mountain village.

This solidified Liu Sanying’s perception of Zhang Meng as a delicate and pampered girl, who might even need her precious son to wait on her hand and foot!

Especially after Ye Qiu later joined Zhang Changfeng’s private hospital, the gossip around the hospital made him increasingly disgusted with Zhang Meng. Naturally, this led Granny Liu to dislike Zhang Meng even more.

In her heart, her son was the only person from their small mountain village who had earned a PhD, an intellectual that no one else could compare to; therefore, any disagreement between the couple was certainly Zhang Meng’s fault.

Not to mention that later on, Ye Qiu’s sister Ye Mei and her husband Zhao Yang started a business selling small medical devices, but because of their poor quality, Zhang Changfeng refused their contract, which led to Ye Mei being very unhappy with Zhang Meng, often badmouthing Zhang Meng to Granny Liu for no good reason.

Under the long-term domestic cold violence, Zhang Meng suffered from depression, especially after having a child, when she discovered her husband had another woman, her depression worsened. On a gloomy rainy day, she jumped from the building with her newborn child in her arms.

Zhang Changfeng also had a stroke from the shock of his daughter and grandchild’s tragedy, and the prestigious Changfeng Hospital fell into Ye Qiu’s hands. He acted as if he had finally become the master, showing not a trace of guilt or regret, instead feeling a sense of triumph.

It was several years later, after Granny Liu and Zhang Changfeng had passed away, that Ye Qiu, alone in the empty house, finally began to feel remorse and realized that he had always loved Zhang Meng, but he had never been willing to admit it.

"Mom, make sure the house is cleaned up when I come back, and herd the chickens and ducks to the coop behind the house, don’t let them defecate in front of the house." A few days before returning, Ye Qiu called his mother Liu Sanying.

"What, is your girlfriend that delicate? These are all natural things, what’s so dirty about them?" Granny Liu was impatient in her heart.

"Mom." Ye Qiu said helplessly, "Don’t be subjective, it’s me who doesn’t like the smell of chicken droppings. Besides, I study medicine, do I not know whether it’s dirty in there? Not just for the few days I’ll be home, but even when you are home alone, you shouldn’t let the chickens and ducks defecate everywhere. There’s a living environment for humans and one for animals, what if we get infected? Am I supposed to take leave or drop out of school?"

Granny Liu worried profusely when she heard this, her son had finally managed to get into a prestigious university, and she heard the competition in the big cities is tough now, she couldn’t let her own mistake delay her son’s education and career.

"That serious, huh! Son, rest assured, when you come back, I will clean the house from top to bottom, and even wash your quilt covers and sheets anew."

"Mom, you are always so good to me." Ye Qiu sweetly flattered her, "If it weren’t for your care, I would never have been admitted to Medical University."

"Of course, just look at our village, who has raised their child better than I have?" Liu Sanying laughed merrily, content in her heart. Now everyone in the village envied her for raising a child who went on to graduate school.

"Mom, also, we’ll be heading to town on the twenty-seventh, please ask Uncle Li to come pick us up with his tractor."

"What, is your girlfriend so delicate that she can’t even walk a few steps?" Granny Liu frowned, feeling uncomfortable inside.

"Mom, why are you blaming Mengmeng again? It’s not her, it’s me. Do you remember? I couldn’t carry my quilt when I first went to school, and it was you who took me to town! Mengmeng knows it’s inconvenient for you to buy things on your own in the countryside, so she bought you many things these past few days, and the delivery is only to town, right? Are you expecting me to carry them all back? I can’t handle that."

"You certainly can’t, my son, what if you hurt yourself? Don’t worry, on the twenty-seventh, I will make sure Uncle Li comes to town with the tractor early." Speaking, Granny Liu began to chide again, "Oh my, why do you buy so much stuff when I’m alone in the countryside? I don’t lack anything. Young people nowadays, still in school and yet so spendthrift. When Zhang Meng comes, I really need to talk to her, you can’t live like this after you get married."

"Mom!" Ye Qiu said helplessly, "Mengmeng bought so many things because you are my mom, she wants to show her respect for you, how can you criticize her the first time you meet? If she wasn’t my girlfriend, who would spend their hard-saved pocket money to buy so many nice things for you?"

"You’re right about that." Granny Liu felt somewhat guilty, "Alright, alright, I just won’t say anything then."