Chapter 94 The Ninety-Fourth Day of Not Running Away The Ninety-Fourth Day of Not Running Away...

Chapter 94 The Ninety-Fourth Day of Not Running Away The Ninety-Fourth Day of Not Running Away...

"Sir, you've fallen. Are you alright? Shall I go with you to the hospital?"

Chen Bo was taking Grandpa He home, but he still had some concerns.

The old man was very old and thin. Chen Bo hadn't thought much of it before, but as he walked back, he realized this.

Before his grandfather passed away, he was also very afraid of falling, saying that old people's bones are brittle and that a fall could cause any serious injury.

Grandpa He snorted, "No need, I'm not going to a place like that."

He said it, but his hand involuntarily pressed down on his spine.

Seeing his state, Chen Bo was really worried. "You should go there. If something happens to you by yourself, wouldn't that benefit your son?"

Grandpa He was taken aback, his brows furrowed, clearly hesitant.

Seeing that he was wavering, Chen Bo pressed his advantage and persuaded him again and again, eventually taking the old man to a nearby hospital.

When they arrived at the hospital and registered, the doctor recognized Grandpa He and exclaimed in surprise, "Grandpa, you've finally decided to come to the hospital?"

Chen Bo asked curiously, "You two know each other?"

Grandpa He said impatiently, "What's the point of saying all this nonsense? Hurry up and give me the examination. I want to be discharged after the examination. I don't want to stay in this place."

The nurse next to him frowned and glared at Grandpa He.

The doctor quickly tried to smooth things over: "It's nothing, the old man just doesn't like going to the hospital, he doesn't like any of them. What's wrong with you?"

Chen Bozheng explained, and the doctor understood. He first examined the old man, then had him take an X-ray, and then smiled and said, "Sir, good news, you're fine."

Grandpa He immediately looked at Chen Bozheng and said, "See? What did I tell you? I told you I was fine, but you insisted on bringing me to this hospital, wasting my whole morning."

After saying this, Grandpa He left the medical bills and got up to leave.

Chen Bo was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He wasn't in a hurry to chase after Grandpa He, but instead looked at the doctor and asked, "Doctor, how many years have you known Grandpa He?"

The doctor put the money away and gave Chen Bozheng change. "That's quite a few years old. I came to this hospital in 1968, so it's been more than 20 years now. I'll be retiring in a few years."

"Then you must know Grandpa He very well, right? Do you know why he and his son had a falling out?"

Chen Bo was desperate, so he tried to start with the doctor.

Old Man He really lives a solitary life. Chen Bo has been following him for so many days, but he hasn't seen him say more than a few words to anyone.

Traditionally, old Beijingers valued human relationships, and this coming and going inevitably involved dealing with the surrounding shops and restaurants.

But this old man managed to ignore people who greeted him.

The doctor paused, looking at Chen Bozheng suspiciously. "Why are you asking this?"

"Oh, I'm a distant relative of his. It's not that he has no one to take care of him; my mother felt sorry for him and asked me to look after him more."

Chen Bo was daring to spout nonsense, betting that the doctor wasn't familiar with Old Man He and didn't know much about Old Man He's family relationship.

Sure enough, the doctor's expression immediately changed towards Chen Bozheng, a hint of appreciation appearing in his eyes. "I didn't realize Old He had such a good relative like you. If you ask me about other things, I might not know, but I happen to know a little about this..."

Grandpa He went home, turned on the TV, watched for a while, then turned to look outside.

The young man didn't show up.

Grandpa He muttered, "They ran away so easily, what a coward!"

It's strange, but before, when the house was quiet and no one came, I didn't feel anything was wrong. But after these past few days of liveliness and conversation, the sudden quiet made me feel empty inside.

Grandpa He turned up the TV volume, but the louder the volume, the better the opera sounded, yet the more desolate the small room felt.

"uncle!"

Chen Bo was returning from outside, carrying some medicine and groceries he had bought.

After he came in, he turned the TV volume down without any politeness. "The doctor asked me to bring you some vitamin pills. Also, he said you are malnourished and anemic, so I bought you a pigeon. I'll make pigeon soup for you at noon to help you recover your blood."

“There’s no need to be so kind,” Grandpa He said pretentiously. “No matter how much you try to please me, I won’t sell the house.”

“Sir,” Chen Bozheng said with a smile, “Don’t worry, I’m not forcing you to sell, but I have an idea that you might be interested in.”

Grandpa He glanced sideways at Chen Bozheng.

Chen Bo was all smiles, not in a hurry to explain, but instead took the pigeons to clean them and prepare to cook.

The lunch was quite sumptuous, consisting of three dishes and a soup: stir-fried pork liver, steamed eggs with minced meat, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a pigeon soup.

Grandpa He hadn't eaten such delicious food in a long time. He wasn't short of money, but he didn't care much about food and drink; as long as he didn't starve, he was fine. As a result, he made himself malnourished.

Grandpa He ate two bowls of rice and wanted more, but Chen Bozheng stopped him.

Chen Bozheng said, "Sir, if you eat any more, you'll get too full, which isn't good for your health."

"What's the point of having good health at my age?" Grandpa He retorted.

Chen Bo was slightly speechless. He pressed the old man's hand and said, "If you want to eat, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

Grandpa He put down his chopsticks. "That's not necessarily true. If I don't sell you the land, will you still be here acting like a dutiful grandson, showering me with filial piety?"

Chen Bozheng wasn't annoyed by the old man's sarcasm. Instead, he smiled and said, "Sir, you're right. We're here for your land, but we're more conscientious than others. As I mentioned earlier, I have an idea. I'll tell you now. If you're interested, we'll definitely offer you a fair price. If you're not interested, we won't bother you anymore. What do you think?"

"Not very good." Grandpa He leaned back in his chair, picking his teeth.

Chen Bozheng said, "We plan that if you are willing to sell this land to us, our company can donate money to the nearby Tongxin Orphanage and change the name of the orphanage to Lanxin Orphanage. The Lan in Lanxin is the name of your deceased daughter Helan."

After Chen Bozheng finished speaking, Grandpa He's face darkened. He suddenly stood up and pointed at Chen Bozheng: "You're asking about my family's affairs!"

Chen Bozheng also stood up: "That's right, I did ask around about your family's situation, but Uncle He, think about it yourself. You're so old and in poor health. Haven't you thought that if something happens to you one day, all the houses you own will end up in the hands of your unfilial son?"

Chen Bozheng's words struck a nerve with Grandpa He.

Chen Bo pressed his advantage, saying, "You've hated your son for so many years because during the [unclear context], he accidentally killed your daughter Helan in an attempt to distance himself from you. For all these years, you've visited her grave every year on the anniversary of her death, and you often help out at the Tongxin Orphanage and donate money. I heard there's a little girl at the orphanage that you really like, saying she looks a lot like your daughter when she was little. Don't you want that little girl, and all the children at the orphanage, to have a better life?"

Grandpa He sneered, "If that's how you put it, why don't I just sell the house and give all the money to the orphanage?"

A sly glint flashed in Chen Bozheng's eyes. "Grandpa, you're a smart man. We don't need to talk nonsense. If you wanted to donate the whole house to the orphanage, you would have done it long ago. The reason you haven't done so is because you're afraid that even if you sell the house and give all the money to the orphanage, how much of that money will actually benefit the children?"

Grandpa He looked at Chen Bozheng and said, "You're so young, yet you're quite knowledgeable."

Chen Bozheng laughed and said, "I can't compare to you. Let me be frank with you. I just went to the nearby orphanage and when I met the director, I understood why you, who clearly have a lot of money, don't just donate a large sum to the orphanage directly, but instead often go there to help out with some work, give some money, and buy some meat and vegetables."

Grandpa He didn't say anything and slowly sat down.

After a long pause, he finally asked, "Do you have any cigarettes?"

Chen Bo took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed one to him.

Grandpa He glanced at it, then smirked, "Your company is rich, isn't it? Smoking."

Chen Bozheng said, "For social occasions when going out."

Grandpa He lit one, took a puff, and then started coughing incessantly.

Chen Bozheng had no choice but to go over and pat him on the back, putting out his cigarette: "You're so old, don't push yourself."

"Bullshit!" Grandpa He still didn't give him a good look. He was silent for a moment, then said, "I can sell my land to you, 800 per square meter."

“Okay.” Chen Bozheng agreed without hesitation. Hu Cheng’s land was already over 900 yuan per square meter. 800 yuan per square meter was more expensive than before, but there was nothing he could do. The bidding had made the news. It was wishful thinking to think he could get the land for 500 yuan.

"I have two requests," said Grandpa He. "If you don't agree, I won't sell this land."

“Please speak,” Chen Bozheng said directly.

Having spent so many days and put in so much effort on the old man, I have to agree to at least ten of his requests, let alone two, before figuring out a way to handle them.

"First, you must guarantee that the orphanage will be renamed Helan Orphanage, and you must cover the tuition fees and living expenses for all the children in the orphanage. There are more than fifty children in the orphanage. That shouldn't be difficult for you, right?"

Fifty children, at an average cost of 600 per year, that's over 30,000 in expenses.

Without hesitation, Chen Bo replied, "No problem, I agree."

"Secondly, aren't you going to develop it into residential buildings? I want an apartment, on the first floor, which I can choose from." Seeing how readily Chen Bozheng agreed, Grandpa He's expression improved considerably, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "You'll have to find someone to cook for me and take care of me in my old age. I won't take advantage of you. After I'm gone, you can do whatever you want with that apartment."

Chen Bo thought about it carefully, "That's fine too, but the prerequisite is that you can't make things difficult for people."

Grandpa He sneered: "Who do you take me for? I've seen and enjoyed everything. I won't do such a despicable thing as tormenting people."

Chen Bo glanced at the old man, his expression meaningful.

Grandpa He understood the meaning in his eyes, crossed his arms and said, "I've been tormenting you these past few days, but you chose to do it yourself. I didn't force you."

Okay.

Chen Bozheng didn't intend to argue with him.

Grandpa He's background is quite pitiful, which explains why he has such an eccentric personality.