"I am also honored to be Bingjie's friend," Xu Zhengyang said calmly.
Jiang Lan nodded slightly, gently rubbing her forehead as if considering her words. After a while, she looked up at her daughter, who had her back to her, before turning to Xu Zhengyang. Her expression became increasingly serious, even somewhat condescending. Her gaze occasionally swept over the manuscript on the table as she softly said, "Zhengyang, the family's financial situation has improved considerably lately, hasn't it?"
"It's alright," Xu Zhengyang replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, but in his heart he wondered if she could possibly know about his treasure hunt? He had already been cautious enough.
"You're really lucky to have found an antique so easily, especially a blue-and-white porcelain jar with dragons and phoenixes intertwined with floral patterns." Jiang Lan smiled, her expression unreadable, as if she found it amusing or disdainful. She continued, "But luck doesn't last forever, don't you think?"
Xu Zhengyang's anxiety subsided. It turned out she didn't know he had been constantly searching for treasure. He smiled and said, "Yes, that's why I recently opened an antique shop with a friend, hoping to make some money."
"This is not good." Jiang Lan shook her head and said with feigned concern, "The risks are huge. Tomb raiding and selling national cultural relics are serious crimes."
Xu Zhengyang paused, cursing inwardly, "Damn it, how did she find out everything?"
However… Xu Zhengyang chuckled inwardly, “Although I’m digging for treasure, I really didn’t rob a tomb!”
“Perhaps you should find a safer job.” Jiang Lan calmly observed Xu Zhengyang. She noticed that this simply dressed, seemingly honest young man from the countryside no longer had the sharp glint that had flashed in his half-closed eyes before. She realized she had indeed misjudged him. “Recently, I consulted several internationally renowned psychologists and mentioned your existence to them. They said that perhaps you could help Bingjie…”
Xu Zhengyang looked bewildered. How did this get involved with doctors again?
When did I, Xu Zhengyang, become so famous that even internationally renowned psychologists recognize me?
He truly doesn't know that Li Bingjie's personality is actually a medical condition; he certainly doesn't understand what autism is, or how many types of symptoms there are...
“I hope you can spend more time with Bingjie, communicate with her more, and cooperate with the doctor’s medication treatment.” Jiang Lan’s eyelids drooped slightly, then lifted, and she said seriously, “Consider it a job, with an annual salary of 100,000! I think that’s enough for you to live a good life in your hometown village.”
Xu Zhengyang scratched his head and said in a very simple and honest way, "Auntie, to be honest... I don't understand what you're talking about."
"It's nothing, I just hope you can help her." Jiang Lan smiled. "As I just said, I will give you a reward, 100,000 a year. However..." Jiang Lan paused, her expression extremely serious, and said, "You are only helping her with treatment and recovery, you can't have any other thoughts. I'm not against you being friends, but don't have any unrealistic ideas about certain emotional issues."
"She's listening." Xu Zhengyang seemed not to have heard Jiang Lan's last words, and turned to look at Li Bingjie, who was still standing under the landscape painting admiring the scenery.
Jiang Lan frowned slightly. She had just noticed once again that unsettling glint in the young man's squinting eyes.
Volume Two, Gong Cao Chapter 055: All for Her
The atmosphere in the room became somewhat strange for a moment.
Xu Zhengyang, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and offered one to Li Chengzong. Li Chengzong shook his head and declined with an awkward smile. He knew that Jiang Lan's words had genuinely hurt his pride; the phrase "wishful thinking" could have been phrased more tactfully.
Li Chengzong turned to Xu Zhengyang, giving him a reassuring look. Living in this realistic society, it's best to put away that cheap sense of pride. Since the two were never from the same social class, Jiang Lan's words didn't seem inappropriate.
Xu Zhengyang certainly wouldn't understand what Li Chengzong was thinking, but from his eyes, Xu Zhengyang knew that the other party was trying to comfort him and not to take it too seriously.
So Xu Zhengyang returned a very simple and honest smile, and then lit a cigarette by himself.
There was no ashtray on the table...
Xu Zhengyang gently puffed on his cigarette, tapping the ash into his water glass. He watched as the wisps of dark gray ash were soaked into the clear water and slowly settled to the bottom of the glass.
"I'm sorry, perhaps my words were inappropriate just now. I hope you didn't misunderstand."
The eerie silence in the room was broken by Jiang Lan. A bitter smile appeared on her face; even she couldn't understand why she felt so uneasy. A brief period of silence often ends with the one who remains calm until the end emerging victorious. The art of conversation isn't about striking first, but about composed calmness. When she first met Xu Zhengyang, Jiang Lan hadn't considered this possibility. She had always thought of him as nothing more than a poor country boy, uneducated and without connections, only capable of using petty tricks and superstitious methods to fool the ignorant farmers. Jiang Lan even wondered why, in this day and age, there could still be such backward and ignorant places.
Perhaps this is precisely why this young man from the countryside has something extraordinary about him?
However, when she first accidentally noticed the fleeting, eerie look in Xu Zhengyang's squinting eyes, she began to feel uneasy. So she thought of using reality and the most practical strength to make him understand how cheap his self-esteem was in her eyes, and at the same time, to put some pressure on him so that he wouldn't do anything excessive.
But now, Jiang Lan realized that she seemed to have made a mistake: this poor boy who had grown up in the countryside and had basically never seen the world had a self-esteem that was extremely cheap in the eyes of these upper-class people, which seemed... to be very strong?
"Auntie..." Xu Zhengyang still used the same old country-style polite address to call her softly. He looked up, squinted his eyes and smiled, "What you said is right, but you've misjudged the person and the wrong person."
"Hmm?" Jiang Lan forced a smile, feigning confusion as she looked at Xu Zhengyang, waiting for him to continue.
Xu Zhengyang smiled, leaned back on the sofa, took a relaxed drag of his cigarette, and slowly exhaled the smoke, saying, "My name is Xu Zhengyang... I'm a genuine farmer, not scheming at all, and I never like to overcomplicate things. You really don't need to think of me as a bad guy."
"I was just reminding you," Jiang Lan said, somewhat embarrassed.
"What are you reminding me of? I'm not good enough for Bingjie, let alone dream of marrying her?" Xu Zhengyang asked with a smile.
Jiang Lan looked at Xu Zhengyang and could only respond with silence, telling him that this was the truth.
"It's really not that complicated... There's an old saying in my hometown: 'A person lives for their reputation, a tree lives for its bark.' After all, I'm a grown man." Xu Zhengyang leaned down and gently placed the half-smoked cigarette into his water glass, making a soft hissing sound. He squinted and sighed, "I don't really have any outstanding qualities. Maybe you don't know me well enough. I'm a loyal and good friend, and I'm usually quite hardworking. I don't have high demands for life... But I've never thought about relying on women for a living."
"I'm sorry, I think you misunderstood me." Jiang Lan gave an apologetic smile, though it was somewhat forced. "I'm just asking you to help treat Bingjie's illness, so paying you is perfectly reasonable..."
Xu Zhengyang waved his hand and said, "I didn't say that. Well, you can think that way if you want. Even if you don't contribute money, do you think I wouldn't help her?"
Are you emphasizing how much you value friendship?
"Yes."
"It's hard to believe," Jiang Lan said, shaking her head dismissively.
Xu Zhengyang stood up. He didn't want to sit on the sofa anymore, facing the woman who was sitting behind the desk and was obviously a head taller than him. She wasn't a bad person, but she was too self-righteous.
“Auntie, not everyone in this world spends their days scheming to fight and harm others, especially us lowly people. We’re too lazy to do it, and we don’t have the brains to think about such headaches.” Xu Zhengyang tilted his head slightly, squinted his eyes, and smiled as he said, “I’ve traded Xiaomi’er before. When I earned thirty yuan a day, I would happily buy a bottle of beer and feel incredibly good. I’ve even beaten up the nephew of the local police station chief, and I wasn’t afraid of anything… Hmm, enough of this nonsense, it sounds like I’m showing off. I hope you understand that I’m self-aware, but I also have ambition. I don’t cheat people, and of course, I don’t want to be cheated either…”
“Young man, you’re quite the talker,” Jiang Lan interrupted Xu Zhengyang, “but don’t try to use your superstitious propaganda tricks on me. I’m not one of those ignorant and backward villagers.”
Xu Zhengyang smiled, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and squinted as he said, "Auntie, don't you think you did more harm than good today? Or to put it bluntly, you're more likely to cause trouble than achieve anything?"
Li Bingjie, who had been silently admiring the landscape painting, suddenly turned around, a glint of light flashing in her ethereal eyes, and stared blankly at Xu Zhengyang.
Jiang Lan's brows furrowed even more. She tried her best to control her anger, leaned back in her chair, and said calmly, "Let's not talk about this anymore. I apologize to you. To show my remorse, I'm willing to give you a reward of 200,000 yuan per year. Of course, I hope you remember what I said before."
"Hehe, I'll just pretend I didn't hear that, otherwise I'll feel really frustrated." Xu Zhengyang waved his hand. "Let's not talk about money. I don't work for anyone. As for Bingjie... I'm always welcome to contact me whenever she wants, and I'll do my best to help her."
After saying this, Xu Zhengyang turned and walked towards the door.
"Wait..." Jiang Lan seemed to blurt it out, and then regretted calling him.
Jiang Lan had initially thought this boastful, superstitious young man from the countryside was just putting on an act, but she hadn't expected him to actually get angry and dare to talk back. Realizing Xu Zhengyang showed no sign of stopping or turning around, Jiang Lan grew increasingly annoyed, staring directly at his back and saying, "Young man, don't be so arrogant!"
Xu Zhengyang opened the door, one leg already outside, then suddenly turned his head and asked, "Auntie, what exactly is Bingjie's illness?"
Jiang Lan was taken aback and couldn't help but turn her head to look at her daughter.
"Never mind." Xu Zhengyang walked out and gently closed the door.
Inside the office, Li Bingjie stared indifferently at the closed door. She glanced back at Jiang Lan briefly, then walked lightly to the door, opened it, and went out.
Jiang Lan felt a chill in her heart. Her daughter, who was always as indifferent as ice, had just glanced at her with a look that held a certain expression. She felt a pang of regret for what she had said in front of her daughter, but she gently bit her lip, even if her daughter had misunderstood her... Just as the doctor had said, for her daughter's current symptoms, perhaps this kind of mental stimulation would activate her emotional thinking.
After all, we've tried all sorts of methods over the years!
Li Chengzong had already stood up, his expression showing no sign of anything amiss, and said, "President Jiang, Grandpa said... this young man is quite good."
"The old man made a statement?" Jiang Lan's eyes widened, and she asked incredulously, "What did Ruiyu say?"
"He didn't say anything." Li Chengzong turned and walked out.
Jiang Lan slumped weakly into her office chair. After a while, she suddenly stood up, a hint of ferocity and anger flashing across her still youthful face. She grabbed the thin sheet of fax paper on the table and tore it to shreds with a few quick rips!
With her hands on the table, Jiang Lan lowered her head and breathed heavily: "They've gone mad! They've all gone mad!"
...
In the western suburbs of Fuhe City, nestled among lush green trees, a courtyard house in the style of a traditional Chinese courtyard has been built against the mountain and beside the water.
The courtyard is planted with several pomegranate trees and some flowers and plants. There are no two-story buildings, just green tiles and blue bricks, simple and unadorned, yet exuding a unique tranquility and elegance. A cement road, only four or five meters wide, meanders from the entrance of the courtyard to the road, showing that this is not a secluded place.
Under the eaves, an elderly man, well past seventy, sat back in a rattan chair. He was dressed casually in a white shirt with a front opening, looking like an old man who had just finished practicing Tai Chi. He held a purple clay teapot in his hands and sipped the tea slowly.
The old man suddenly smiled and said, "That young man is going to have to suffer a bit."
The middle-aged man beside him was tall and stood like a pine tree, his thick eyebrows concealing deep-set eyes that exuded authority without anger. Hearing the old man's words, the middle-aged man frowned, turned to the old man, and said, "Dad, try to avoid letting Jiang Lan see Bingjie in the future..."
The old woman shook her head and sighed, "No matter what, she is Bingjie's mother! Besides, she was right this time. It's worth a try. It's just that it's tough on her as the mother, playing the bad cop, while the young man suffers for no reason."
The middle-aged man seemed unwilling to mention Jiang Lan again and asked, "This young man, Xu Zhengyang..."
The old man waved his hand to interrupt his son, saying, "Not everyone lives as stressful a life as you do. What do you think of everyone in this world? If it weren't for that, would Bingjie be the way she is now?"
The middle-aged man fell silent, gazing thoughtfully at the distant horizon.
A few small birds whose names I didn't know suddenly flew across the porch, chirping happily.
...
Volume Two, Gong Cao, Chapter 56: It's Better to Rely on Yourself Than on Others
Stepping out of the building, Xu Zhengyang lit another cigarette and took two deep drags. Looking up at the sky, surrounded by several tall buildings, he truly felt a bit like a frog in a well, looking at the sky from the bottom of a well.
Li Bingjie, dressed in a white dress, then walked out and saw Xu Zhengyang looking up at the not-so-large patch of sky. So she also looked up with some curiosity, frowning as she looked at the thin veil of clouds gently trailing across the azure sky.
"I'm not angry," Xu Zhengyang said abruptly.
Li Bingjie remained silent.
Xu Zhengyang looked at Li Bingjie and laughed, "I thought you had no temper at all, but it turns out you can get angry too..."
Li Bingjie looked directly at Xu Zhengyang, and suddenly a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"That's good, you smiled... To be honest, it was exhausting for me to keep up this act!" Xu Zhengyang clapped his hands encouragingly, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
A taxi drove up along the roundabout, and Xu Zhengyang flagged it down, got in, and waved to Li Bingjie, saying, "Whenever you want to see me, just come."
The taxi drove out of the area surrounded by the building.
Li Bingjie's eyes were vacant, her expression cold and indifferent, and a gust of wind blew by, causing her skirt to flutter.
In the taxi, Xu Zhengyang leaned back in his seat, looking tired. He told the driver to go to Zhengqiying Community on Chengfu Road, and then closed his eyes to doze off.
Just as Xu Zhengyang said to Li Bingjie, "I'm so tired of pretending," yes, he was indeed pretending, trying his best to appear composed and mature. Especially when facing the domineering attitude of Li Bingjie's mother, it would be a lie to say that Xu Zhengyang himself had no intention of backing down or felt even a trace of fear. But he held on, and even suppressed the other party's momentum... not for anything else, but simply to stand up for someone.
In Xu Zhengyang's view, no matter how capable or wealthy you are, you should at least respect me and talk to me on an equal footing. Of course, perhaps people like Jiang Lan are used to this kind of superior life, so they can't change it in a short time, nor do they think that they must change their attitude towards Xu Zhengyang.
However... just as a township head walks with his chin held high in front of ordinary villagers, he has to look at someone else who is also a township head at eye level, but when he sees a county head, he has to bow and scrape.
I am the Chief Clerk! I am a god!
This is the reason why Xu Zhengyang, besides his underlying pride, has such strong confidence in himself.
If I were just an ordinary person, not a local deity or a merit officer, what would I have done? Xu Zhengyang opened his eyes, then shook his head with a wry smile. Why so many "what ifs"... If things had turned out this way or that way, none of this would have happened. So, thinking about these questions is a bit of nonsense.
At this point, Xu Zhengyang hadn't realized that even if he didn't try to pretend, he would no longer have the look and demeanor of a poor rural boy.
He took out his phone, dialed his sister's number, and said directly after she answered, "Rouyue, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll be there soon, let's eat together."
Xu Rouyue paused for a moment, but didn't ask anything else, and replied, "Okay, Yingying will be back soon, so we can eat together."
After hanging up the phone, Xu Zhengyang began to consider how to resolve Huang Chen's situation.
If, as Ouyang Ying and Xia Dan suggested to their sister on the phone, Yu Xuan could mediate and resolve the issue, that would be ideal. However, the idea of their sister and themselves apologizing to the other party was absolutely out of the question. Although Xu Zhengyang had previously told his sister, "Even if there's an apology, you don't need to apologize. I hit him, and it's no big deal for me to swallow my pride and apologize. But you did nothing wrong, so why should you apologize?"
But if Xu Zhengyang were to apologize, he would absolutely not agree.
Otherwise, do you really think men are easy to bully?