Chapter 323: Chapter 318: Phoenix Man
This wedding was much more elaborate than the simple rural banquet, and as Zhang Meng walked towards him arm in arm with Zhang Changfeng, Ye Qiu couldn’t help but think of his past life again.
Back then, he hadn’t realized his own feelings yet, and since he had recently graduated and had no money, everything about the wedding was prepared by Zhang Meng. That wedding wasn’t as grand as today’s, but it was certainly not cheap.
He felt inferior, yet maintained his absurd pride. His aloof demeanor gave all the guests the impression that Zhang Meng was marrying beneath her, making the wedding far from perfect.
So this time, Ye Qiu decided to let Zhang Meng rest, and he prepared everything himself. The fresh flowers in shades of pink, white, and purple were picked from the greenhouses in the suburbs early in the morning; the ceiling was like a shooting star with its lights; and the big screen on the stage replayed pictures of them from when they first knew each other to falling in love, and the sonogram from last week.
As she watched, Zhang Meng’s tears began to flow, and amid the blessings of the crowd, they exchanged rings for each other.
"Goodness, how much did this cost?" Ye Mei was astounded.
"Shut your mouth, will you? Look after your son," Granny Liu gave her a sideways glance, feeling embarrassed by the lack of sophistication on display. Zihao alone had finished an entire lobster – what were other guests supposed to eat? As parents, they didn’t even bother to intervene. It really shows, no education means no class. It seems she had to talk to her son, to not invest in his daughter and son-in-law’s business blindly.
Granny Liu did as she said, no matter how much Ye Mei pleaded, Granny Liu wouldn’t allow Ye Qiu to continue doing business in Ye Qiu’s name, nor would she allow Ye Qiu to give her money.
Eventually, Zhang Meng thought of a compromise—the roads in the small mountain village had been fixed and the government was also focusing on that region’s development. Why not do a business with the mountain goods?
These delicacies are quite sought after in the city, and there’s no need for personal foraging; Ye Mei could be a purchaser and Zhao Yang the driver, with Granny Liu supervising. As long as the goods were of quality, Zhang Meng would have no trouble finding them a market.
As soon as Zhang Meng suggested this, Granny Liu readily agreed. She had intermittently made a fair bit of money over the years through Zhang Meng’s proxy purchases of these delicacies. If her daughter and son-in-law were truly committed to this business, it could indeed be a good choice.
Ye Mei and Zhao Yang aimed to do big business, hoping to establish a large conglomerate like Zhang Meng’s family, but the couple lacked both capability and groundedness. Who would do business with them?
Without investment from Ye Qiu, they were helpless; they could either return with Granny Liu in obedience or strike out on their own. But if they dared to exploit Ye Qiu’s fame for unethical deeds, they shouldn’t blame Ye Qiu for not helping after trouble ensued.
Ye Mei and Zhao Yang had no choice, their previous earnings were lost, and the thought of starting from scratch as workers was utterly unappealing to them, so they could only grimace and return with Granny Liu.
Time flew by, and soon Zhang Meng’s due date arrived, but at this time Ye Qiu was abroad, accepting the Nobel Prize. Ye Qiu became the second Hua Country person to win the Nobel Prize after Tu Youyou.
The finished drug that was a killer of cancer had been successfully launched into the market, bringing countless families out of despair because of Ye Qiu. His photo and achievements once again spread all over the world, and some media even dubbed him the "Savior."
The little girl had quite the sense of timing for her birth, coinciding exactly with her father’s award day. Later, even international media reported on this interesting occurrence.
The name was given by Granny Liu. Since the timing of her birth was fortuitous, she was aptly named Qiaoqiao. Little Qiaoqiao was born fair and lovely, and it was already evident from her eyebrows and eyes that she would grow up to be a beauty.
Granny Liu was extremely fond of the little girl whom she had named herself. To ensure the child could drink fresh and nutritious breast milk, even Zhang Meng benefited, becoming plump and healthy during her postpartum confinement.
Throughout the pregnancy and postpartum period, Ye Qiu was very attentive to Zhang Meng’s mood. There was a reason: in her previous life, she had committed suicide due to depression, which also claimed the life of their Qiaoqiao.
"How are you more tired than me?" teased Zhang Meng, finding Ye Qiu’s overly cautious demeanor amusing, yet she was incredibly touched at the same time.
The pressure of modern life is immense, especially for women. A significant number of them are required to work and take care of children, and still must clean and cook dinner after returning home, leaving no time for rest.
If the husband is considerate, that’s fine, but it can be daunting if the husband is indifferent and the in-laws are troublesome, resulting in immense pressure on young women, particularly after having a child, with depression becoming increasingly common, and the news often reporting young mothers committing suicide with their children.
Fortunately, she was one of the lucky ones: not only was her mother-in-law considerate, but her husband was also with her every moment, making sure she never had to lift a finger if he could help it.
Sometimes she wondered just how lucky she was to have found Ye Qiu as her husband.
She was also very grateful for her courage during their school days. If she hadn’t shamelessly approached him, would he have continued to conceal his feelings?
She remembered when they first got together, almost everyone doubted their relationship, with some even suggesting Ye Qiu was only with her for her money.
But as it turned out, they were all wrong. Ye Qiu was not the person they had imagined him to be, and now he earned many times more money than she did, yet he continued to treat her as well as ever.
At night, Zhang Meng vaguely heard the baby crying. Ye Qiu got up quietly, changed the baby’s diaper, and then passed the baby to Zhang Meng, without her needing to exert any effort, and she even fell back asleep while feeding.
Because Zhang Meng lived comfortably, the depression from her past life did not follow her, and so Zhang Changfeng never suffered a stroke.
In this life, Zhang Meng was very happy, cherished and loved by Ye Qiu until her old age, although Li Xin shamelessly caused a few disturbances. However, her mother-in-law handled it without Zhang Meng needing to intervene.
How could Li Xin be a match for Granny Liu, a battle-hardened rural old lady? Although Granny Liu had now become a kind and gentle grandmother, who didn’t know in her younger days she was a feisty widow?
Ye Qiu later developed many drugs that benefited humanity, gaining worldwide fame for his countless awards. Granny Liu would not allow a single blemish in her son’s record, so naturally, Li Xin met with tragedy.
Their daughter Ye Mei and son-in-law Zhao Yang, under her pressure, earnestly worked hard. Although it was tough, the profits they earned were solid. Before Granny Liu passed away, they had built a mushroom processing plant and finally became significant business owners. After Granny Liu’s death, the now sensible couple no longer caused any trouble for Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu left this world after Zhang Meng’s death. On the day of his funeral, the scene was profoundly solemn, with patients from all over the world crowding the streets, even heads of state delivered eulogies, the United Nations lowered their flag to half-mast in mourning, and newspapers and news worldwide reported this sad news.
The Father of Cancer had finally departed from them!