After they bought back the company and it resumed normal operations, Zhao Jianghe was ready to resume his business in transportation and trade once again.
Unfortunately, they encountered the same situation as last time. Ambushed by local armed forces, they were caught in an incident and lost in the dense forest.
Lu Yunqing stayed behind to prepare for the wedding, otherwise she would have accompanied Zhao Jianghe on his trip.
But, as usual, Lu Yunqing rushed to the rescue for love, disregarding rescue regulations. Fueled by her passionate spirit, she ventured into the forest as a vulnerable woman.
Ji Fei admired her for this. Despite her seeming fragility, Lu Yunqing always managed to find the way. Sometimes, Ji Fei couldn’t help but marvel at the power of true love. But then again, with the area being a chaotic border zone, a single woman’s discreet passage was less likely to be noticed, unlike a rescue team which would require numerous formalities. So, it felt like fate at play.
However, this time there was no Fifth Aunt Qin to clean up the mess. Even if they were risking their lives for their intense love, no miracles happened.
The complexity of the rescue mission kept Zhao Chengle busy and overwhelmed. When he tried to contact Fifth Aunt Qin, he found her phone unreachable.
Determined but frustrated, Zhao Chengle chose to handle the rescue on his own. Yet, the overall efficiency was nothing compared to when Fifth Aunt Qin was in charge.
Just when everyone thought the two would likely die in the forest, the rescue team finally found them. When Zhao Jianghe and Lu Yunqing were found, both were unconscious, and Zhao Jianghe’s legs were broken.
Though they were saved, as soon as Zhao Jianghe woke up, he smashed Lu Yunqing’s head in a rage, yelling at her to leave.
Zhao Jianghe believed he wouldn’t have suffered such severe injuries if not for the troublesome woman who had come looking for him. She had brought nothing useful, forgotten the way back, and had to use his supplies. This was all a repeat of the previous life, as Zhao Jianghe struggled between life and death, still moved by the experience.
But things gradually took a turn for the worse. Without Fifth Aunt Qin’s timely arrangement of the rescue team and immediate medical care, their supplies ran out. Excessive physical exhaustion followed, and he had to take care of the woman who, beyond crying and spouting romantic nonsense, only dragged him down.
Their situation accelerated their deterioration. Eventually, an accident led to him breaking his legs due to Lu Yunqing’s recklessness.
It was an almost fatal moment, a true moment of despair. He finally broke down, regretting his decisions.
By then, even if love had clouded his judgement, he should have realized that a woman rushing for love couldn’t save his life. Only the woman who silently arranged everything behind the scenes could truly save him.
With Fifth Aunt Qin, every time he faced danger, he was always rescued in time, turning misfortune into fortune. Now, without her, only a burden remained by his side, and nothing was left.
When he woke up to find himself disabled, he struggled to accept reality.
Fifth Aunt Qin had saved him in four days, while Zhao Chengle’s rescue took a full fifteen days. By then, Zhao Jianghe was haggard, mentally and physically drained, appearing to have aged ten years overnight.
Seeing Lu Yunqing cry in front of him only fueled his anger. He knew that if not for this clueless woman, who offered nothing but trouble, he might have hung on with the remaining supplies until help arrived.
But with her acting in the name of love, he had suffered tremendously.
He realized he must have gone mad to have lost someone as remarkable as Fifth Aunt Qin for the sake of such a burden.
But it was all too late.
Even if he broke things off with Lu Yunqing, Fifth Aunt Qin wouldn’t come back. No amount of regret would change that.
Similarly filled with regret was Zhao Chengle. From the moment he took over his mother’s duties, he regretted it. When he heard about his father’s accident and Lu Yunqing’s involvement, he didn’t feel the same emotion as last time. Instead, he was overcome with anger and frustration. All he could think was, “What is she messing around with in such a chaotic time?”
In that moment, his heart felt pierced.
Unable to contact his mother, he blamed her for her decision to cut ties. Yet, as he attempted to handle the situation himself, he found himself increasingly overwhelmed by how difficult his mother’s job was. He couldn’t imagine how she remained composed during the intense days. He also began to wonder what his father was doing at the time: perhaps indulging in sweet nothings with his mistress? The thought made him feel nauseous.
Thinking about it made it even harder for him to reach out to his mother. As time dragged on, he grew increasingly anxious, fearing their rescue attempts might fail.
Finally, when he was on the verge of collapsing, his father was rescued.
Seeing his father in such a miserable state, Zhao Chengle wanted to ask if he regretted it. If their mother was still there, things wouldn’t have ended this way.
His father, upon waking up, unleashed endless resentment toward Lu Yunqing. Zhao Chengle realized then that his father’s regret ran even deeper; he had truly paid a heavy price.
Now that he was disabled, the debt to the Zhao family would likely take a lifetime to pay off.
In the end, Zhao Chengle called their ancestral home, hoping to tell their mother about their fate, expecting she might curse it as karma.
Fifth Aunt Qin received the call and simply said: “I told you not to contact me again. Your affairs are none of my business.”
...
After hearing this, everyone felt some sense of closure.
Karma always catches up.
The consequences are always yours to bear.
This matter had come to a complete end in their lives. Whether Fifth Aunt Qin would reconcile with her repentant son, Zhao Chengle, was a matter of time.
Ji Fei personally thought a remarriage and a second child would be a good idea.
At night, she even discussed it with Qin Xian.
Qin Xian was flexible. He believed it was fine either way. With their younger generation around, Fifth Aunt Qin wouldn’t have to worry about aging without care. Moreover, pregnancy at an advanced age could be risky. If Fifth Aunt Qin didn’t absolutely need a spiritual anchor, not having another child might be better.
“How many children do you want in the future?” Ji Fei casually asked out of curiosity.
The question made Qin Xian freeze, and Ji Fei blushed, realizing her own impulsive curiosity.
Qin Xian sneakily glanced at Ji Fei. “You decide, you know? It’s your body being affected. A lot of suffering is yours alone to endure. I can’t replace you. So, it’s up to you. How many do you like?”
Ji Fei hadn’t really thought about it before. She had always felt that love wasn’t in the stars for her, focusing more on a fulfilling life with wealth and leisure.
Now, with love, and an upcoming wedding, she had to think about the future… definitely, children would be part of it.
After all, their family had quite a legacy to pass on.
But for now, Ji Fei was still at that childlike stage of thinking, lacking a strong maternal instinct. Upon reflection, she decided not to overthink it and take things as they came.
Qin Xian held Ji Fei close and kissed her. He had his own thoughts on the matter, but he hadn’t dared to express them.
He didn’t want children. He was afraid Ji Fei would endure pain, and that once a child was in their lives, she would inevitably spend less time with him. She would shift a lot of her affection to the child, something he wasn’t comfortable with. He never had a generous spirit and absolutely didn’t want to share Ji Fei. The option of having children felt like an unwelcome intrusion into their family.
And… he worried about being a good father. He feared he wouldn’t be able to guide a child well.
After all, he wasn’t exactly “normal” himself.
...
News soon spread that Sixth Uncle Qin was about to return.