Chapter 2198: Good Judgment?
Zhai Sheng had already guessed that Qiao Nan would be upset, so he had gone upstairs to accompany her and wipe away her tears. “Don’t cry. Didn’t Mom say that you can’t stand in the wind or cry? Otherwise, you’ll get arthritis in the future. Actually, Chief Zhu didn’t have it as hard as you think. His departure might not necessarily be a bad thing.”
In Zhai Sheng’s opinion, there was no point in Zhu Chengqi continuing to live in that way. He had no close relatives by his side, and the only one he did have around was evil and greedy. In his youth, Zhu Chengqi had given his life to the military. When he got older, Zhu Chengqi’s mental capacity and physical abilities could no longer keep up with the pace of the army once he reached the retirement age.
Another day of such an uninteresting life was simply redundant.
“Who said so? He could have been happier!” Qiao Nan was unconvinced and she sniffled. “Brother Zhai. Tell me honestly. Zhu… Did my godfather refuse to meet me before this to protect me?” Zhu Chengqi had already entered a special ward while Qiao Nan had been only four to five months pregnant because the doctors had said that he was about to pass away at any minute.
Someone who was toeing the line of death had held on for half a year more and had passed away in the middle of the night only a few days after she had given birth to her three children. Qiao Nan could not help but think about such a situation. After all, this was not her first time encountering it. In her dream, her master, Lin Yuankang, had insisted on holding on until the triplets’ birthday passed before letting her know.
In this lifetime, Qiao Nan hardly thought about things that had happened in her dream because very often, things were not as smooth-sailing in reality as they had been in her dream. Lin Yuankang had severed his ties with the Lin family a long time ago. This had not changed, whether it was in her dream or in reality.
What was different was that in her dream, Lin Yuankang had had a caring disciple, Qiao Nan. That was why he had been able to enjoy his last days like any other senior, with children and grandchildren around him. Even though he had succumbed to his illness in the end, he had had a fulfilling life, at the very least. But that was not the case in reality. Lin Yuankang had not been in contact with the Lin family and had even been misunderstood as an old man with a strange temper. Lin Yuankang had passed away at about the same time as he had in her dream, but he had encountered many more problems before his death in reality.
The Lin family knew that Lin Yuankang was dying soon, but he still had wads of cash in his hands. Money was something one couldn’t bring into the grave. As such, the Lin family tried to scheme to get hold of that sum of money, creating so much trouble for Lin Yuankang that he had not been able to rest well even in his last days.
Qiao Nan had only enquired about it because she had been curious. But upon learning about such heart-wrenching news regarding Lin Yuankang, Qiao Nan did not have the heart to go any further. Even though these events had happened a few years ago, Qiao Nan could not bear to hear about how much this old man, who had no ties to her, had suffered in his old age.
In her dream, Lin Yuankang and Old Zhai had left peacefully at around the same time. Qiao Nan had been upset for a long while and had not been able to pick herself up. If not for the fact that Old Lin and Old Zhai had already passed away quite a few years ago by the time she awoke from her dream, Qiao Nan might very well have been trapped in that misery again.
In the face of the departure of an elder whom she felt deeply for, Qiao Nan had no control over her emotions. Now that Zhu Chengqi had truly ‘left’ this time, Qiao Nan felt like her world was crashing down. Why did the elders who treated her well always pass on so early? Her godfather was about the same age as her own father!
It was not that Qiao Nan wanted to curse Ding Jiayi or Qiao Dongliang. But she was truly upset at such a difference. Why had the heavens given her such a dream? Was it exceptional love or was it a special kind of torture for her? If not for that dream, the departures of these elders would never have made her so emotional or sad. However, if not for that dream, she would have received much less love too.
Qiao Nan had reached a dead-end in her mind. She could not wrap her head around why such an average person like her had to deal with so many unacceptable events. Was she a jinx? Would Zhu Chengqi have been able to live a longer life if he had hated her like Ding Jiayi did or ignored her like Qiao Dongliang had?
“Nan Nan, what are you thinking about?” Zhai Sheng was the first to realize that Qiao Nan’s emotions were in turmoil. Even though Qiao Nan had the children in her arms, she was down. “What’s wrong? Tell me about it. I’ll help you resolve it.”
Qiao Nan leaned into Zhai Sheng’s embrace. “I’m just a little upset. I don’t understand why good people have such short lives.” Qiao Nan also knew that she was not in a good mood. But no matter how much she tried to persuade herself, she could not seem to lift her mood. If not for the three children, Qiao Nan might have already broken down.
Zhai Sheng understood her words. “Are you still upset about the Zhu family?”
“Yes.”
Zhai Sheng patted her back. “I don’t know if good people have short lives, but what I do know is that bad people will always get what they deserve. It’s inconvenient for you to get out of the house now that you’re doing your confinement. That’s why you haven’t been able to see the situation out there. After Wang Yang found out about Chief Zhu’s will and that he will have nothing to do with the Zhu family’s assets, he nearly went crazy.”
Even though he had not gone crazy, he had not been very right in the mind either. Wang Yang had even said that the lawyers had been bribed by the Zhai family and Nan Nan. She had nothing to do with the Zhu family, while he was Chief Zhu’s biological nephew.
Who would give everything in the family to someone who had nothing to do with him instead of his own nephew? There was no way he was going to accept that will. He even suspected that the will was a fake, had requested for an investigation, and had even taken the law firm to court. Of course, since he had already gone to such an extent, Wang Yang had also sued Qiao Nan as well.
Since Qiao Nan had already given Zhai Sheng the power of attorney, he would be able to act on her behalf without the need for her to be present.
Because of this incident, there had been quite a lot of gossip regarding the Zhai family and Qiao Nan lately. Striking a windfall was something that everyone dreamed of, yet it was not something that just anyone had the good fortune of having. It was only natural for Qiao Nan to become the object of envy because of her sudden windfall. Everyone talked about how Qiao Nan was truly an extraordinary person who must have resorted to extraordinary means.
Earlier, everyone had been comforting themselves that Zhai Sheng had had poor judgment and that was why he had lowered his standards to marry such an old woman like Qiao Nan.