A few years passed by

A lot of things happened during this period.

14 years.

He Zhengyue and her boyfriend whom he had been dating for many years entered the marriage hall.

Meng Yuning obtained a master's degree in finance from LSE and joined Xu's Trust, providing a series of investment and transaction plans such as property, taxation, real estate, and estate for institutional high-net-worth clients.

15 years.

Shenzhen's housing prices soared, and the increase reached its historical peak. Pei Lianyi and his friend Li Zhicai and Xu Ming were proud, collecting hooks and baits, crossing the ports and going deep into the Special Administrative Region, seeking long-term development of real estate. On Xuezhu's 19th birthday, Pei Lianyi placed a house in Futian District as a birthday gift to his daughter.

16 years.

Under the urging of her husband's family, He Zhengyue finally compromised and withdrew from the company's senior executives' campaign, and began to prepare for pregnancy with her husband.

Zhong Zihan completed eight years of undergraduate and doctoral medical courses, returned from Beijing, and joined the Department of Gastroenterology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Tongda University.

On the 120th anniversary of Peking University, Meng Yuning returned to China to stay for several months, and then returned to the UK to officially join the Xu family's foundation in the UK, serving as CFO.

17 years.

Xuezhu participated in the "Special Zone and Mainland Exchange" project jointly with the school and the University of Hong Kong, and went to Hong Kong for a year's exchange career.

My friend ended his term of dispatch by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and bid farewell to the British Embassy. Meng Yuning withdrew from Xu's shares and joined a top investment bank in London. With the support of his friend's family and personal resources, he became the youngest investment bank executive in history.

He Zhengyue gave birth to a pair of twin daughters, Meng Yuning and Xuezhu sent their belated blessings from the UK and Hong Kong respectively.

18 years.

He Zhengyue's husband served as marketing director and accepted the company's overseas investigation task. He Zhengyue had a big fight with her in-laws over returning to work.

Zhong Zihan passed the exam and was promoted to the attending physician of the department.

As financial market changes, investment banks introduced new strategic plans and decided to go deep into the mainland Chinese market. Meng Yuning was transferred to the headquarters of Shanghai Lujiazui Financial City in the Asia-Pacific region.

Graduated from Xuezhu University, he stayed in Hong Kong to pursue his master's degree.

19 years.

The VP-level positions of investment banks are in an internal dispute. The Securities Regulatory Bureau announced its new executive qualifications on its official website in the first half of the year. Meng Yuning served as vice president of Tongzhou Branch under the headquarters, in charge of investment banking business.

At that time, Xuezhu, who had just finished taking graduation photos, was taking photos in Victoria Harbor, who was blowing the sea breeze, suddenly received a call from her father.

"Grandpa is not in good health recently. I have been in the hospital for a while. The old man misses you very much. Anyway, you are about to graduate and just go back to see my grandpa. Also, the teaching and staff community in the affiliated high school is about to be demolished, and some procedures may require you to go to the Housing Management Bureau to handle."

The house was transferred to Xuezhu by Pei Lianyi a few years ago.

Now Xuezhu is the owner of the house, so she naturally needs to go back and do any procedures.

"knew."

"I will spend more time with my grandfather during this period, and I will go back after I finish my work."

Xuezhu was a little dissatisfied: "Grandpa is hospitalized and you still have to finish your work before going back?"

Pei Lianyi explained on the phone that the recent policy changes made him and Uncle Li's property that he and Uncle Li had to temporarily hold in their hands because of the recent policy changes.

Xuezhu understood a lot, but in short, it was just to make money.

"Oh yes, Dad sent you a few WeChat options to choose from a few apartments a few days ago, but why didn't you reply to me?"

“I don’t think there is any difference.”

"Silly girl, why is there no difference? House design, floor orientation, aren't these all the differences?"

"...I'm not doing this, how do I know?"

Pei Lianyi sighed on the phone: "Okay, okay, I'll help you choose. You can sign it directly then."

"Well," Xuezhu agreed perfunctorily, reminding her father, "You must remember to go back to Tongzhou to see your grandfather after you finish your work."

"Know."

After hanging up the phone, Xuezhu held the fence and looked at the blue sea surface that intersected the sky at the end of the port. The sound of waves hitting the reefs was loud, and the surroundings were crowded with people, and tourists from all over the place stopped to watch the scenery.

At this time, the cruise ship sounded a heavy flute, and the sea water hit the side panels, causing foamy white waves. She didn't bother to be noisy and was stunned at the scenery in front of her.

"Snow! Look here!"

The friend beside her suddenly shouted at her, Xue Zhu turned her head, her friend pressed the shutter and took a picture of the moment of confusion in her eyes at this moment.

In the photo with the blue sky and sea water as the background, the young woman's long hair was blown up by the sea breeze.

Simple white lining and light-colored denim shorts are still the only coolness even when standing in the crowd.

***

The next day, Xuezhu boarded the plane back to Tongzhou.

Through the window, she saw the clouds flowing under the wings. She was a little tired, but she couldn't sleep, so she had to take out her iPad to watch the old movie to pass the time.

After getting off the plane, my feet had just landed on the ground, and the feeling of being head-heavy and light-hearted came instantly.

Because he came back temporarily, Xuezhu didn't inform anyone except to say to his mother in advance.

Of course no one came to pick us up.

Without stopping for a long time, she directly called a car to drive to the hospital.

According to what my father said, Xuezhu found her grandfather's ward. As soon as she opened the door, several patients lying on the beds in the ward looked back at her.

The TV is still on, and it is a large-scale bitter TV series set in the Republic of China.

Several old men came to their senses from the TV and saw the young girl standing at the door of the ward.

The girl was stared at by so many people, feeling a little embarrassed, stretching her slender neck like a white crane and looking in, as if she was looking for someone.

"Girl, who are you looking for?"

An uncle who was closest to the door of the bed asked her.

Xuezhu said: "I'll look for Pei Qingcheng."

The uncle asked again: "Then are Uncle Pei's granddaughter?"

"Um."

"Why don't you look very similar to your brother?"

The uncle whispered inexplicably and said to one of the hospital beds: "Uncle Pei, your granddaughter is here to see you."

Xuezhu knew her grandfather’s location, walked over quietly and called her grandfather.

He moved his back to the old man at the door of the ward and opened his eyes slowly. He moved his body slightly. Xuezhu immediately stepped forward to support him: "Grandpa, don't get up, lie down."

The old man looked at her with his gray eyes open, slowly opened his lips, and said with a smile: "Xiaozhu, are you back?"

Grandpa's voice was a little dull. Seeing that his lips had dried skin, Xuezhu nodded and responded to his grandfather, and walked to the water dispenser to pour a glass of water for his grandfather.

"Have you taken the college entrance exam?" the old man asked her.

Xuezhu held grandpa's dry and old hand like a dead branch: "I've graduated from college."

"Oh, you have graduated from college. Our Xiaozhu has grown so big," the old man smiled slightly, his voice becoming a little low, and he looked at her with some guilt, "Your grandma told me, but I forgot again."

"It's okay, I'll tell you if I don't remember." Xuezhu also said with a smile.

The old man curled up his hard fingers, firmly held Xuezhu's hand, put it in warmth, and then talked to her about family matters: "Then are you looking for a job now?"

“Not yet.”

"Where are you going to work?"

Xuezhu was silent for a moment, and suddenly tilted her head and asked the old man: "Is it okay for me to go back to Tongzhou to work?"

The old man bent his eyes and smiled, and several thick folds bloomed in the sunken area around his eye socket: "I clearly have such a good opportunity in a big city, why do I have to come back?"

"What's wrong with Tongzhou? Tongzhou is now a new frontline," Xuezhu said patiently to the old man. "When I came here, I saw that many places had built high-rise buildings, and the home I lived in before. I heard that the government has designated it as a new commercial center to be built in the next few years. After demolishing it, the real estate company will build a new building."

These were all heard from my father. Xuezhu didn't listen to them very seriously at the time, but she didn't expect that she could explain them to her grandfather word for word.

"Is that house going to be demolished?"

"right."

The old man did not show any excitement and his tone was calm: "Your grandma and I lived there for decades before retirement. Later, your parents took you to move in. It took another ten years. I didn't expect it to be demolished now."

Xuezhu didn't know how to answer the conversation for a while.

At this time, the grandmother who went out to talk to the doctor happened to come back.

When grandma saw Xiaozhu, she smiled and praised her for being more and more beautiful, then reached out and touched her thin arms and shoulders, and said with distress: "Why are you so thin? Didn't you eat there?"

Xuezhu was pinched a little itchy, so she had to say, "It's actually not a big loser, I'm losing weight recently."

"What weight loss! The weight loss of girls at every family will reduce their health," Grandma's eyes widened, her tone was unquestionable, and she directly ordered her, "Do you hear that you are not allowed to lose weight? Do you know that girls are more fat and beautiful?"

Xuezhu thought that it was not unreasonable that the photos of her childhood looked like meatballs.

It was obvious that it was my grandmother who fed her.

Grandma was here to take care of her grandfather, and Xuezhu was not worried. She planned to peel two apples for the two old men. The shape of the apples she cut was terrible. Grandma snatched the fruit knife in her hand and said while cutting the apples for her, "How can you do things in your generation? They are all spoiled by their parents and don't know how to do anything. I, the old man, have to serve you."
To be continued...