CHAPTER 375: CHAPTER 372 【FAMILY AFFAIRS】

Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy-Two [Family Affairs]

Of course, this kind of van couldn’t possibly have air conditioning, but a small electric fan had been set up in front of the passenger seat.

It was still a bit hot in September, and now the fan was blowing air directly towards Ou Xiuhua. However, this breeze only made Ou Xiuhua even more agitated.

"Later, after I’ve picked up the child, I can take the child back by myself, really, there’s no need to trouble you..." Ou Xiuhua said, while turning her head to glance at the van’s cargo area.

All the seats in the van had been removed, clearing the cargo area for transporting goods. At this moment, Ou Xiuhua’s bicycle was also placed inside the cargo area.

"It’s no trouble at all, Xiao Ou." The driver waved his hand and smiled.

"No, it’s not right." Ou Xiuhua shook her head. "You should hurry back. If the manager finds out you used the company’s van to help me pick up the child, you will definitely get your salary docked."

"It’s fine, the manager isn’t in today. And... he usually turns a blind eye to these things. Last time the manager’s sister moved house, it was me who drove over to help move things. The manager is a nice person. As long as it doesn’t interfere with the company’s work of transporting goods, he doesn’t mind us using the vehicle for personal errands."

Ou Xiuhua pursed her lips tightly, thought for a moment, and then said, "This really isn’t right, I feel uneasy about it..."

"It’s truly fine." The driver tried to smile reassuringly, then waved his hand. "Right, school isn’t out yet, right? Take a seat. I’ll pop over to the little shop across the road to buy a pack of cigarettes."

Having said this, the driver opened the door and quickly walked away.

「 」

Hou Changwei was forty-four years old this year.

He was average in appearance, average in ability, average in capacity, and average in intelligence. He was the kind of person you could lose in a crowd on the street, one of the most ordinary among men.

In his life, he had never done anything spectacular, nor had he ever planned to do anything spectacular.

Hou Changwei wasn’t well educated; his generation had their education disrupted by a particular decade when they were young. After finishing primary school, he stopped studying. His current level of education was sufficient to read newspapers and books, but beyond that, his literacy was limited. Even so, occasionally when he read books or newspapers, he had to guess at some uncommon characters.

But it didn’t matter as long as he could understand.

His father had died early, but his mother was still alive.

He himself was childless.

To be precise, Hou Changwei was a middle-aged widower.

Seven years ago, his wife had died of leukemia. Before her death, the couple’s relationship had been fairly loving, with the occasional quarrel, but overall, it was good. The only issue was that they had never had children.

They had gone to the hospital for checks, which revealed the problem lay with Hou Changwei.

At first, he was puzzled. Since getting married, everything in that aspect of his and his wife’s life had always been quite normal and harmonious. He had never felt incapable. However, the doctor explained that this issue wasn’t related to a man’s virility. The doctor used a vivid metaphor: blank shots.

Only then did Hou Changwei understand.

After understanding, there was nothing the couple could do. This wasn’t an easy illness to cure.

Hou Changwei became very good to his wife afterward, harboring a sense of guilt. Having this problem meant he might never have children in his life, and his wife, having married him, would end up childless all her life, which was quite unfortunate.

Then, some years later, his wife fell ill. Hou Changwei served her devotedly and without complaint, shuttling between major hospitals. They struggled for a year and a half, but ultimately she did not survive. After she passed away, all that remained was her urn, buried in a public cemetery on the outskirts of the city.

When his wife left, Hou Changwei was only in his thirties. He was still at an age full of strength and health, not lacking any limb, and although he was plain, others still suggested that he should remarry.

Hou Changwei refused all such offers.

Firstly, in the early years after his wife’s death, the ache in Hou Changwei’s heart had not yet dissipated, and he had no desire to find someone. In the later years, even though the grief subsided, he rejected all attempts by relatives and elders to introduce him to someone.

The reason was simple: he didn’t want to be a burden to anyone. Only he knew of his infertility. He deserved to be childless for life. Why marry another woman only to deprive her of the joy of having a house full of children and grandchildren? It was better not to harm others.

Living like this, he found himself over forty before he knew it. After reaching his forties, the number of people trying to set him up gradually dwindled. Hou Changwei, a man of his age, was no longer in demand—because he only had his age, no money, no talent, and an ordinary appearance.

That’s alright. Life is to be lived, one way or another.

Hou Changwei had originally thought this would be his life.

Until he saw Ou Xiuhua at work.

「 」

Judging by Chen Nuo’s and Chen Xiaoye’s good looks, it was clear that Ou Xiuhua was very beautiful. Although she had a tough first half of her life, was poor in choosing partners, and even served time in prison, her appearance had become worn, and she had white hair in her early forties. But after her release, once her life stabilized, her complexion gradually improved.

Hou Changwei was utterly captivated by Ou Xiuhua. His feelings weren’t particularly noble, nor were they by any means vulgar.

It was just that day at work, when he saw this woman during a break, wearing her uniform, which was washed spotlessly clean, with her sleeve protectors neatly worn, and her hair tied up with a hair tie. That afternoon, the profile of her oval face pierced straight through Hou Changwei’s heart with an arrow.

After that, he took an interest and even secretly inquired about Ou Xiuhua’s situation.

A woman who had been unlucky in her first half of life, married twice, and both times to scumbags. In the end, she was even wrongfully imprisoned. Now, she lived alone with her two children, each from a different previous husband.

Her life must be very hard.

When Hou Changwei was young, he used to hear from storytellers that beautiful women are like trouble. Given Ou Xiuhua’s looks, as beautiful as she is now, she must have been even more stunning when she was younger—definitely ’femme fatale’ level. But how did this ’femme fatale’ end up living such a bitter life?

He also kept an eye on Ou Xiuhua’s situation.

She was a woman with good character. She took her job seriously, never slacked off, and when it came to dividing tasks, she never complained and performed everything diligently. The areas she was responsible for always scored the best on evaluations and received the fewest complaints.

At work, she was unassuming and uncompetitive—the only thing special about her was that she had two children to take care of at home, so she often had to ask her colleagues to switch shifts for more convenient times. But she never swapped shifts for nothing in return; she would always help out those colleagues in their work.

She lived frugally, riding her bicycle back and forth every day, no matter the weather. She was never seen wearing any jewelry or accessories.

Her relationships with her colleagues were also good. Good in the sense that they weren’t too close or distant; everyone thought she was a good person. Yet, she never grouped with others or engaged in personal gossip about this family or that person’s issues.

It was obvious she was a proper woman, and a practical one at that.

Hou Changwei’s heart warmed, and it burned.

The most crucial point... Ou Xiuhua already had two children.

Suddenly, Hou Changwei felt that this directly resolved the biggest knot in his heart. He couldn’t give a woman children, so he didn’t want to harm anyone. But with Ou Xiuhua, it seemed to be no issue at all.

Hou Changwei’s feelings for Ou Xiuhua were simple; he simply liked her. It wasn’t that patronizing attitude from a position of superiority, thinking: ’You’ve been in jail; you’ve been married twice; you’re saddled with two kids.’ Not like that.

He simply liked her. It was the kind of feeling where just seeing her at work occasionally would inexplicably make him happier. Or if they happened to meet and he nodded a greeting, hearing Ou Xiuhua politely calling him "Master Hou"—

Why did that sound so pleasant to his ears?

And then, Hou Changwei started to take action.

Old Hou didn’t know how to court a woman, but at least he had been young once. He didn’t know much, but he knew two things: to be diligent in action, and diligent with words.

On a daily basis, he would find opportunities to see Ou Xiuhua at work more often, and after getting to know her, he could occasionally engage in polite small talk. Verbally, he could converse more, showing concern for his colleague, asking about some of her non-sensitive family affairs. In terms of actions, he would help her carry something, or lift a heavy object if they met. Then, he started ’coincidentally’ running into her after work, offering her a ride for part of the way, claiming it was ’on his route.’

Later on, people learned that Ou Xiuhua’s family had encountered some troubles. It was said that it was her eldest son who ran into trouble. As for the specifics, nobody was sure. Even people at work didn’t know the details, just rumors.

During that period, Ou Xiuhua was in very bad shape and took several leaves of absence. When she returned to work, she looked much more haggard, with reddened eyes every day, speaking less, just burying her head in her work.

Whenever Old Hou encountered her, he would sometimes lend a hand or run errands for her. In the winter, when distributing labor protection goods, he would slip her an extra pair of gloves on the sly. In the summer, if he saw her working, he would discreetly leave a bottle of water for her and walk away. During lunch breaks, he would bring over his lunch box, pretending to make casual conversation while eating together, then complain about a stomach ache and scoop almost half of the soy-braised beef he had specially brought from home into Ou Xiuhua’s lunch box.

And so on.

Hou Changwei thought he was being extremely cautious.

But Ou Xiuhua was no fool. When she was young, she was exceptionally beautiful, truly the belle of the neighborhood. Many men had pursued her, tried to court her. After Chen Nuo’s father ran off, and she was left alone to bring up her child, there were still men who harbored improper thoughts towards her. Ou Xiuhua had fended off countless "flies." She had seen all sorts of overtures, both overt and covert.

The caution and discretion Hou Changwei thought he had, in Ou Xiuhua’s eyes, was just an honest man’s simple clumsiness.

She had always feigned ignorance and deliberately declined. But until one evening, after a night shift, she ’coincidentally’ met Hou Changwei at the company’s entrance, and Hou Changwei offered to give her a lift home, claiming it was ’on his way’...

Ou Xiuhua felt that she could no longer continue playing dumb. I was on the night shift that day. Hou Changwei is a delivery driver for the company; why on earth would *he* be working a night shift? In truth, she was very grateful. Hou Changwei was a good man, an honest man. He approached her with sincerity and helped her wholeheartedly, with such care, apprehension, simplicity, and genuineness... Such qualities were rare.

But Ou Xiuhua didn’t want it. It wasn’t that I looked down on Hou Changwei; rather, I just didn’t have the inclination. My son has run into trouble. For the rest of my life, my greatest wish is just to raise my daughter. I don’t want to think about anything else. Nor do I dare to.

「 」

Having bought a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes from the small store, Hou Changwei saw a bottle of fruit granule orange juice on the shelf and bought it before turning to leave. He walked back, opened the van door, got in, and directly thrust the bottle of orange juice into Ou Xiuhua’s hand.

"Here, you women all like these sweet drinks."

Ou Xiuhua was taken aback for a moment and hurriedly pushed it away, "No need, no need..."

"I’ve already bought it. If you don’t like it, you can give it to your Xiao Yezi later." Hou Changwei said, casually twisting open the bottle cap. "It’s opened now, so you can’t return it."

Ou Xiuhua pursed her lips, her mind made up: after picking up her child today and getting home, she would stop Hou Changwei and have a proper talk with him.

「 」

The first graders at school were dismissed in line at the school gate. Then the children scattered, running toward the school entrance.

Chen Xiaoye didn’t run. Carrying her backpack, she walked slowly, leisurely — her gait clearly emulated from someone.

Today, I get a car ride after school! I don’t have to sit on Mom’s bicycle seat. And I even get a bottle of fruit granule orange to drink!

Chen Xiaoye looked at Hou Changwei with a bit of happiness.

"Thank you, Uncle Hou."

Since it wasn’t their first meeting, Xiao Yezi was very enthusiastic and not shy.

Throughout the ride, Hou Changwei drove the car particularly carefully, even more attentively than when doing his delivery job. Inside the van, Xiao Yezi chattered and laughed all the way. Eager to show off, she took out her lunch box to display her accomplishments to Ou Xiuhua: she had eaten all her meat today, and she had also performed the great feat of washing her lunch box spotlessly clean. Then she started telling amusing stories about her classmates.

The things little children talk about are actually very boring and uninteresting to adults. But Hou Changwei found them fascinating.

He was more than happy to listen! Very willing indeed.

The woman in the car earnestly asked about school affairs, and the child bragged and joked in response.

The car passed one intersection after another...

Suddenly, Hou Changwei had a thought: If every day from now on could be like this, that would be wonderful.

When Chen Xiaoye mentioned something about a classmate going to the zoo, Hou Changwei, gripping the steering wheel with both hands, immediately laughed and said, "Xiao Yezi, how about Uncle Hou takes you to see the giraffes at the zoo sometime?"

Without a second thought, the child gleefully responded, "Yes please!!"

Ou Xiuhua immediately frowned, "Don’t be silly, Xiao Yezi. Uncle Hou has to work; where would he find the time...?"

"It’s okay, Xiao Yezi, we’ll go on Sunday. Uncle doesn’t work on Sundays," Hou Changwei interrupted Ou Xiuhua with a smile.

They drove all the way to the entrance of the Chen Family’s residential area.

To Hou Changwei’s surprise, this time, just as he pulled up to the neighborhood entrance, ready to drive off as usual after the mother and daughter got out, Ou Xiuhua stopped him.

"Master Hou, if you’re not in a hurry, come upstairs for a cup of water."

"Ah?" Hou Changwei’s heart skipped a beat, and he was overwhelmed with joy, "Drink, drink water?"

"I actually wanted to invite you for dinner. You drove me to pick up my child three times already, so I wanted to treat you to a meal to thank you. And you’ve also been very supportive at work..." As Ou Xiuhua spoke, she took a deep breath, "I don’t know if it’s convenient for you. If you have other plans tonight, we can do this another time..."

"Convenient!" Old Hou immediately turned off the engine!

How could it not be convenient? What could possibly be inconvenient? Go home? What business could I possibly have at home? Ah, right, Old He and the guys invited me to play cards tonight; it was all arranged... I’m not going! What’s so great about playing cards anyway!

His overly excited reaction made Ou Xiuhua blush a little, and Old Hou quickly slapped his forehead, "Wait a moment, I just need to find a place to park the car properly, just wait, it’ll be quick, very quick!"

After parking the car, the three of them walked into the residential area. Both Ou Xiuhua and Old Hou harbored their own thoughts on the way upstairs. Old Hou’s heart was practically blooming with joy.

However, when they reached the fifth floor, Ou Xiuhua suddenly froze.

The door to their home was open.

Seeing Ou Xiuhua stop in her tracks, Hou Changwei finally reacted. Staring at the wide-open door, he asked, "Is there someone at your home?"

"No one should be home..." Ou Xiuhua suddenly seemed at a loss for words.

Hou Changwei, however, reacted immediately. He pulled Ou Xiuhua behind him, shielding her with his not so imposing frame, and quickly grabbed a wooden stick from the dustpan at the doorstep, gripping it in his hand.

"Don’t go in! Wait a moment, in case a thief has broken in... Xiao Ou, take Ye Zi and move back downstairs. If something’s wrong, call for help!"

With those words, Hou Changwei approached the door with the stick at the ready, peeking his head in.

It was then that Ou Xiuhua finally reacted. She let out a low cry, her expression suddenly becoming incredibly agitated, and slipped past Hou Changwei into the house.

「 」

Inside the Chen Family’s house, Chen Nuo was sitting by the dining table near the kitchen doorway. His thick cold-weather jacket had been stripped off and thrown on the ground, his hair messy, and his face a bit grimy. He hadn’t even taken off his shoes; his large snow boots left several footprints on the floor.

At the moment, Chen Xiaoguo was holding a torn open pack of instant noodles and was gnawing on it eagerly! And judging by the trash bag on the floor, this wasn’t the first pack he’d munched on.

As Ou Xiuhua burst in and saw the scene, she froze as if petrified.

Old Hou, having come to his senses, rushed to Ou Xiuhua’s side with the stick, staring at the young man avidly chewing on dry instant noodles by the dining table, and he too was stunned.

Just then, a sharp scream came from behind.

"Brother!!!"

Xiao Yezi was already charging forward like the wind, plunging into Chen Nuo’s embrace.

THUMP. Ou Xiuhua collapsed to the floor, seated.