Chapter 42: It's All in the Past

Words : 1561 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 42: It's All in the PastAfter lunch, Lu Liang returned home. He packed a few sets of clothes and planned to leave early. “Goodbye~ Be careful on the road,” Li Manli said as she tiptoed, raising her head, and puckered her lips, waiting for a kiss. Lu Liang bent down and kissed her, gently caressing her cheek. “Be good at home these days. If anything happens, give me a call.” With that, he grabbed his small suitcase and left. Lu Liang didn’t head straight home. He stopped by a fresh market to buy some fruit and then went to the hospital to visit Zhang Qian’s mother. He had promised Zhang Yun that he would spend the weekend with her, and he needed to bring back some gifts since he was heading home. Zhang Qian was more mature and thoughtful, so she would know what kind of gift would be best for elders and relatives. Soon, Lu Liang arrived at the inpatient department of the city’s third hospital. He vaguely remembered that Zhang Qian’s mother’s name was Zhuang Huilan. After inquiring with a nurse, he learned that the medical account was sufficient to cover the costs until the elderly lady was discharged. Lu Liang brought a fruit basket into the ward. Because Lu Liang had made an extra payment last time, the room had been upgraded from a multi-bed ward to a private room. Grandmother Zhuang had a fractured tailbone and could only lie on her side. When she saw Lu Liang, she smiled kindly. “Auntie, I’m sorry. I’ve been busy with work lately, and it’s only now that I’ve had time to come visit you,” Lu Liang said, smiling, as he entered the room with the fruit basket. He also noticed that Zhang Xiaoguai was sitting nearby, focused on her homework. When the little one heard Lu Liang’s voice, she beamed with joy, put down her pen, and almost ran toward him. She tightly hugged Lu Liang’s leg, looked up, and beamed a bright smile. “Uncle Lu, I missed you so much!” After a few days, the finger marks from that woman’s slap were almost gone. “Where’s your mom?” The room had a 24-hour nurse, so there was nothing Lu Liang needed to do. He held Xiaoguai in his arms and chatted with Grandmother Zhuang. “Qianqian just left. She usually doesn’t come back until evening. Xiaoguai stays here to do her homework on weekends,” Grandmother Zhuang said, holding Lu Liang’s hand, thanking him for his help and care for Zhang Qian and her daughter. Lu Liang was puzzled until he realized that Zhang Qian had credited all the expenses for the nurse and her medical treatment to him. Xiaoguai jumped in, “Mom told Grandma about Zhao Tianqi bullying me.” “Lu, you’ve been so kind to my daughter and me. I can die in peace now,” Grandmother Zhuang said, her voice tinged with emotion. “Auntie, please don’t say that. It’s all my responsibility,” Lu Liang replied, reluctantly accepting the praise. Grandmother Zhuang suddenly said, “Xiaoguai, haven’t you been asking Uncle Lu to take you out to play? Have you finished your homework?” Zhang Xiaoguai, with her innocent face, hurriedly said, “Uncle Lu, wait for me. I’ll finish in half an hour at most.” “Do your homework carefully. Don’t rush. Uncle will check it later.” Sёarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Lu Liang smiled lightly and patted Xiaoguai on the back of her head, watching her rush back to her desk. Then, crouching down by the bedside, he realized that Grandmother Zhuang was likely trying to send Xiaoguai away, wanting to speak with him privately. After a long hesitation, Grandmother Zhuang spoke softly, “Lu, do you know what kind of work Qianqian used to do?” Lu Liang didn’t think twice and replied, “Qianqian has always helped me at the company.” Grandmother Zhuang forced a wry smile. “Actually, I know. I was just worried you didn’t.” Lu Liang was stunned. Grandmother Zhuang’s cloudy eyes sparkled with tears. “Qianqian is such a good girl, but she’s just had bad luck.” She began talking about Zhang Qian’s biological father, a jerk. They had almost gotten married, but he suddenly disappeared. Later, Zhang Qian found out she was pregnant and tried to find him, but he was nowhere to be found, leaving her to raise the child alone. Grandmother Zhuang learned about Zhang Qian’s job during a late-night call from the hospital when they needed a family member’s signature. That night, Zhang Qian had severe stomach bleeding and needed surgery. It was then that Grandmother Zhuang learned her daughter worked as a liquor saleswoman. ŕ????₦О????Ёš At the time, Grandmother Zhuang felt deeply embarrassed, and afterward, she and Zhang Qian had a big argument about it. “She once said something that I remember clearly. She said she had no skills, no diploma, and a daughter to raise. If she didn’t sell liquor, should she sell herself?” Grandmother Zhuang’s voice grew more agitated as she spoke, and she couldn’t help but cough. Lu Liang hurriedly poured her a cup of warm water. “What’s wrong, Grandma?” Xiaoguai asked as she rushed over, full of concern. Grandmother Zhuang coughed a few times, trying to calm herself, and smiled. “I spoke too quickly and choked.” Xiaoguai went around to the other side of the bed, gently patting her back. “Grandma, are you feeling better?” Grandmother Zhuang smiled through her tears. “Much better. Go back and finish your homework now.” The little one, very perceptive, looked at both Grandmother Zhuang and Lu Liang, then asked, “Grandma, Uncle Lu, are you two whispering secrets?” Lu Liang smiled and nodded, openly admitting, “I was telling your grandma that I’ll take you out to play later.” “Where to?” Xiaoguai’s face lit up. “I’ll tell you once you finish your homework.” Lu Liang suddenly realized why Grandmother Zhuang had said all these things—essentially, she was worried that Lu Liang might have issues with Zhang Qian’s past job. Once Xiaoguai went back to do her homework, Lu Liang softly said, “Auntie, I understand. It’s all in the past.” Grandmother Zhuang held his hand tightly, not knowing what else to say. “Lu, thank you so much.” Grandmother Zhuang continued telling stories about Zhang Qian’s past, and though Lu Liang wasn’t sure if they were true, he listened attentively as if they were. After a while, Xiaoguai suddenly raised her hand excitedly and shouted, “I’m done!” She hopped over to Lu Liang, grinning as if presenting a treasure. “Uncle Lu, check it!” The first-grade homework wasn’t difficult for Lu Liang to check. After a quick glance, he saw it was almost all correct, with only a few spelling mistakes. “The character for ‘install’ doesn’t have the hand radical, and the character for ‘wood’ does have the wood radical. Go fix it up.” Lu Liang looked at Grandmother Zhuang, who smiled warmly and waved her hand. “Don’t mind me, you two have fun. Xiao Li will take care of me.” Xiao Li was the nurse on duty, a woman in her forties who smiled at Lu Liang. “I’ve fixed it,” Xiaoguai said, bringing the workbook back to Lu Liang. He checked it again, satisfied, and patted her head. “Say goodbye to Grandma. Let’s go play.” “What about Mommy?” Xiaoguai suddenly asked. “I’ll call her later to see where she is.” “Goodbye, Grandma! Goodbye, Aunt Xiao Li! Goodbye, Nurse Sister!” The little one was very polite, flashing a sweet smile as she waved to everyone. Lu Liang couldn’t help but smile, even without Zhang Qian, he already liked this little one. She was so well-behaved, polite, and adorable—how could anyone not love her? Zhang Xiaoguai, with her little backpack, took Lu Liang’s hand and walked with him to the hospital parking lot. Lu Liang helped her into the back seat, buckled her in, and then called Zhang Qian. When he learned she was near Dayuecheng in Hongkou, he furrowed his brow. He knew that area very well. “Could it be that this is really happening?” Lu Liang muttered to himself. Xiaoguai, curious, asked, “Uncle, what are you saying?” “Nothing, sit tight. I’m going to pick up Mommy.” “Let’s go~~” On the way, the little one was very excited, chattering about school. “Zhao Tianqi apologized to me that day, but he hasn’t come back to school. Later, Teacher Lin said he transferred schools.” “Is that so? No one’s bullying you at school?” “No, but my classmates all say you’re very handsome.” The little one smiled proudly, thinking back to the day when many classmates were watching her. After that, a lot of them came to her and said Lu Liang was so handsome, like a god descending to the mortal world. She made a lot of new friends. Lu Liang couldn’t help but laugh, though his smile didn’t last long. As they arrived at Dayuecheng, he dialed Zhang Qian’s phone again and got a more precise address. Gate 8, Huaxi Club. Lu Liang was really familiar with it—it was where Lin Wenjing worked.

Chapter 42: It's All in the Past

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