“Mom!” Lin Qiao called as soon as she entered.
Hu Zi’s mother, who had been resting in her room since the afternoon, quickly asked when she saw Lin Qiao.
“Qiao’er, how was school in the morning? Are you used to it? Did any of your classmates bully you?”
Lin Qiao revealed an amused expression and said.
“Mom, don’t worry! No. 8 High School is the best in arts teaching in the province! And the teachers are very good to me. When I went to report today, even the principal came!”
“Huh? Even the principal went?” Hu Zi’s mother sounded incredulous.
Xia Ruofei smiled and explained.
“Auntie, the school leaders went down to welcome her because of Sister Wu… Oh, it’s Mayor Tian’s secretary, Wu Liqian.”
“Oh… I see! It must be so much trouble for her…” Hu Zi’s mother said.
Xia Ruofei smiled and said.
“Auntie, don’t worry! Mayor Tian has personally greeted them. The school will take good care of Qiao’er, so you don’t have to worry about her life or studies in school!”
“That’s right! Mom, don’t worry!” Lin Qiao said with a smile. “Let’s go and have dinner! We still have to look at houses later!”
“Look at houses? What house?” Hu Zi’s mother asked, puzzled.
“Brother Ruofei helped us find a house. It’s the family home of the Forestry Bureau! It’s also very close to my school. We’re going to see the house after dinner!” Lin Qiao said happily.
“Ruofei, sorry to trouble you…” Hu Zi’s mother said gratefully.
Xia Ruofei said.
“Auntie, actually, it was Sister Wu who helped to contact them. If you want to thank someone, thank her! If you think it’s alright after seeing the house tonight, let’s settle on it! You don’t have to worry about the rent. I’ll transfer it to the landlord directly!”
“How… how can we do that?” Hu Zi’s mother said. “Ruofei, our family still has some savings. Now that I don’t have to see a doctor, I have enough to spend. We can pay for the rent ourselves… We’ve already troubled you enough these days!”
Xia Ruofei looked at Hu Zi’s mother and said sincerely.
“Auntie, don’t treat me like an outsider! On the battlefield, Hu Zi even sacrificed his life to save me. He’s your only son! Before Hu Zi died, I personally told him that from now on, I’ll be filial on behalf of him. His mother will be my mother!”
Thinking of her sacrificed son, Hu Zi’s mother’s eyes reddened and her lips trembled slightly. She said emotionally.
“Good … good boy …”
“So, Auntie, you really don’t have to be so polite in the future. I still have to take care of you for the rest of my life and support you!” Xia Ruofei said.
“Mmhmm!”
Hu Zi’s mother nodded slightly. Beside her, Lin Qiao also had tears in her eyes.
Hu Zi’s mother said.
“Okay, Ruofei, we’ll do as you say about the rent! But you have to promise me something!”
Xia Ruofei said happily.
“Yes! Just tell me what you need!”
Hu Zi’s mother said to Lin Qiao.
“Qiao’er, go get my coat.”
“Oh, okay!”
Lin Qiao quickly brought the coat over. Hu Zi’s mother took out a bank card from her pocket and handed it to Xia Ruofei.
“Ruofei, this card contains the 500,000 yuan that you transferred to treat my illness. I didn’t touch a single cent. I heard from Qiao’er that this is the money that you obtained from selling your house. Young people definitely need money for their careers. Take this card back! The password is Hu Zi’s birthday.”
Xia Ruofei waved his hand and said.
“Auntie! This won’t do! This is all a piece of my filial piety! Even if you don’t need dialysis and a kidney transplant now, you can still save it for your health! Qiao’er needs a lot of money in her third year of high school. Moreover, she still has to go to university next semester. She can’t do without money!”
Hu Zi’s mother said.
“Ruofei, listen to me. We all know how you feel. However, we don’t need such a large sum of money for the time being. On the other hand, you’ve just returned from the army. There are many things that officers need money for. Take this money back. I promise you that I’ll definitely talk to you if I need money, okay?”
“That’s right! Brother Ruofei! You gave us so much money, but we don’t have anywhere to spend it on! It’s just benefiting the bank!” Lin Qiao also said, “Just take it back!”
Xia Ruofei thought for a long time before nodding.
“Alright, I’ll take this money back first…”
Hu Zi’s mother said with relief.
“Yes! That’s a good child!”
But Xia Ruofei continued.
“Auntie, I haven’t finished yet. I can take the money back, but there are conditions.”
“Go ahead.”
“I can’t take all this money. You have to leave at least 100,000 yuan for you to live and Qiao’er to study!” Xia Ruofei said firmly. “If you don’t agree, I won’t take this money no matter what. Just let it rot in the bank!”
Although Hu Zi’s mother had said that she would ask for money when she needed it, Xia Ruofei knew that if she had previously refused to use the money when her life was in danger, how could she ask him for help in the future?
Although Xia Ruofei could take the initiative to help the mother and daughter, he could not take care of everything, so it was absolutely necessary for them to keep some money.
Seeing that Xia Ruofei was determined, Hu Zi’s mother could only agree to this condition helplessly.
Only then did Xia Ruofei accept the bank card. Lin Qiao said happily.
“Alright! Now that the matter is settled, can we go eat? We still have to look at the house later!”
“Let’s go! Let’s eat!” Xia Ruofei said with a smile.
The three of them arrived at the restaurant on the first floor and ate a buffet with their meal vouchers. Then, they sat on the sofa in the lobby on the first floor and chatted for a while. When it was about time, they went out and took a taxi straight to the Forestry Bureau’s residence.
Wu Liqian had already informed them, so the landlord was already waiting at the entrance of the residence. After greeting them, he brought Xia Ruofei and the others to see the house.
Hu Zi’s mother and Lin Qiao were very satisfied with the house. It was not high-rise, and although the house was not big, it was fully functional. The security in the residence was better, and it was only two stops away from Lin Qiao’s school. It could be said that to be very suitable.
Hence, Xia Ruofei signed a rental agreement with the landlord on the spot and rented this house in his name.
Because Wu Liqian had already contacted the landlord, the rent was so cheap that it made one’s hair stand on end. It only cost 800 yuan a month, so Xia Ruofei decided to pay the landlord half a year’s rent in one go. Half a year later, Hu Zi’s mother would definitely be completely healed, and it was time for Lin Qiao to go to university, so she did not have to stay here anymore.
The landlord passed them the key and left. Lin Qiao happily looked around the house. Seeing an innocent smile on Lin Qiao’s face, Xia Ruofei felt very relieved.
Although the house was fully equipped with appliances, there were no bedsheets or blankets yet, so after everyone stayed in the house for a while, Xia Ruofei took a taxi to send the mother and daughter back to the city government guest house. They planned to stay there for another night and officially move in the next day.
…
The next morning, Xia Ruofei first went to the bank to transfer 400,000 yuan from Hu Zi’s mother’s card to his account. His financial difficulties, which had begun to be tight again, immediately eased.
Then he went straight to the Oriental Department Store in the center of Three Mountain City and began his shopping spree.
From bedsheets and bedding to kitchen supplies like pots and pans, and also some daily necessities, or even small things like hangers, toilet paper, as long as Xia Ruofei could think of it, he would buy everything.
After buying everything, Xia Ruofei had spent more than 10,000 yuan—because he tried his best to buy everything from big brands, so the price was naturally not cheap.
There were so many things that even a taxi could not fit them all. Xia Ruofei directly called for a small van. When they arrived at the Forestry Bureau’s residential building, he had to make several trips before he finished moving everything.
Then, Xia Ruofei personally cleaned the house from inside out. He placed all the things he had bought in place and even made the bed. Then, he entered the spiritual space to retrieve a lot of super vegetables and placed them in the refrigerator in the kitchen.
After finishing all this, the morning had passed. Xia Ruofei sent a message to Lin Qiao and told her to return to the Forestry Department residence after school at noon. Then, he took a taxi to the city government’s guest house to pick up Hu Zi’s mother.
At noon, Xia Ruofei personally cooked, mainly using super vegetables as ingredients, and made lunch. The three of them had a meal at home together as a housewarming celebration.
The deliciousness of the super vegetables made Hu Zi’s mother eat half a bowl of rice more. Lin Qiao almost swallowed her tongue and exclaimed that it was too delicious.
Xia Ruofei smiled and said that there were still a lot of these vegetables in the fridge. He asked Lin Qiao and the others to tell him after finishing them and he would send them over.
After lunch, Xia Ruofei bade farewell and left. The mother and daughter had finally settled down.
Before leaving, Xia Ruofei left the bank card with the remaining 100,000 yuan at their house. At the same time, he left a small mineral water bottle of petal solution. Of course, it was a “special mixture” with grape juice and soda water.
Then, Xia Ruofei returned to the rental house in the shanty town and began to pack his things, preparing to move house himself.
It was much simpler for Xia Ruofei to move on his own. The precious items were all in the spiritual map space. He only needed to put the few items he left in the house into the spiritual map space.
He quickly gathered his things, called the landlord, left the room key on the back of the refrigerator in the communal kitchen, and left the shantytown rental house.
As for the deposit that he had paid for two months of rent, Xia Ruofei did not mention it at all. This was because he knew that even if he cut his tongue, that fierce landlady would not return him a single cent. He might as well not waste his effort.
As he walked through the alleys of the shanty town, Xia Ruofei suddenly realized that he seemed to be missing the most important thing.