The bright red color made the angry Jiang Yaohai completely dazed.
He watched with a numbing sensation all over his body as his stepmother screamed and recoiled.
The neighbors who heard the noise broke down the door and rushed in. Some rushed to Jiang's father, and some rushed in front of him.
He felt like he was trapped in a hood. Everyone was talking in a buzzing voice and everyone was swaying. More and more people came to him. His eyes went dark and he knew nothing.
When I woke up again, I was in the hospital.
Guarding the bedside were uniformed police officers.
They told him that Jiang's father had died from a severe head injury and excessive blood loss.
Jiang Yaohai listened expressionlessly, remained silent for a long time, and then asked, "Am I going to jail?"
The police said they had taken statements from the stepmother and neighbors and determined that Jiang Yaohai was guilty of manslaughter. Because he was not intentionally causing death and considering his young age, they did not hold him responsible.
"What about her?" Jiang Yaohai asked, "She killed my sister, so she doesn't have to go to jail?"
The police officer looked at Jiang Yaohai's intimidating gaze and reluctantly explained that the stepmother claimed that Jiang's father had beaten her sister, and that the neighbors had a good opinion of her. The evidence was insufficient to support her conclusion.
The police all felt sympathy for Jiang Yaohai, as he had lost two close relatives in a single day, one of whom was accidentally injured.
When she got home, her stepmother was gone. She left the Jiang family with the family savings and all her clothes.
He couldn't stay in school. Some parents complained to the school and refused to allow the murderer to attend school with their children.
The school was helpless. It could neither expel the top-performing boy in his grade nor fight with the angry parents to keep him in school.
Jiang Yaohai understood the principal's dilemma and never went to school again.
The dream of flying that was so close to home came to an end.
At that time, he was penniless and couldn't even afford the funeral expenses.
When the neighbors and community learned about his situation, they all sighed that his stepmother had harmed others, sympathized with his situation, and donated money.
He used the donations to cremate his sister and father Jiang.
Place my sister in a place where she can see the beautiful scenery.
Then, Jiang's father's ashes were scattered in front of his mother's grave.
After finishing all these, I started making money day and night.
He wrote down every donation and wanted to repay the money as soon as possible.
It was not easy for a minor to make money. He carried a sack and went out to the streets every day to pick up scraps, and then sold them at the scrap yard at night.
He himself is open-minded, but Gao Fei is not.
After this series of setbacks, Gao Fei lost interest in studying and kept begging the school to allow him to continue attending school.
He often went to Jiang Yaohai, asking him not to give up studying and to continue taking the college entrance examination, so that knowledge could change one's destiny.
Jiang Yaohai looked at Gao Fei, who was almost innocent because he was protected by his family and himself. He felt comforted and sad at the same time, and he started to curse.
"Do you know what it means to have killed someone?"
"You didn't mean it!" Gao Fei was anxious. Everyone who knew Jiang Yaohai knew that he didn't mean it.
"It's not important; the result is what matters," Jiang Yaohai said. "The school we want to go to has a strict review process. I can't go."
Gao Fei wanted to say that there were other schools, but Jiang Yaohai threw the sack in his hand in front of his feet, and the bottles inside spilled all over the ground.
"If I don't continue, I won't even be able to afford breakfast tomorrow." Jiang Yaohai's crisis is not limited to academic problems.
He thought about selling the house.
But when the incident made the news, everyone knew someone had died in that house, and no one cared about it.
"Gao Fei, go ahead. You should also work hard for me and take the aviation exam!" Tears flashed in Jiang Yaohai's eyes.
Gao Fei seemed to have grown a lot in this moment, and he accepted the reality.
He didn't try to persuade her anymore and returned to school with gritted teeth.
After that, he never contacted Jiang Yaohai again. He devoted himself to studying and vowed to get into the aviation academy with the best grades.
He succeeded. When he received the admission letter from Hangfei University, the first person he wanted to share it with Jiang Yaohai.
But, Jiang Yaohai... was gone.
No matter how hard he looked, Jiang Yaohai just didn't show up.
Later, he went to school and graduated, and came back less and less often, and never saw Jiang Yaohai again.
But Grandpa Gao and Grandma Gao told him more than once that Jiang Yaohai was taking care of them privately, but they had never met each other.
Until I met him by chance today.
"Do you know that I have been looking for you for so many years? How could you..." Gao Fei wanted to curse, but couldn't bear to do so anymore. He knew what Jiang Yaohai was worried about.
Everyone present sighed after hearing this.
How helpless this is!
This person was able to overcome all difficulties and open such a tea house. The hardships he went through are unimaginable.
"Did you go out and mingle in society during your disappearing time?" Song Ren is not someone who is easily disturbed by emotions.
"No, I have never been involved in society." Jiang Yaohai denied it unexpectedly.
"How could that be? That street urchin just came up to you and called you brother?" Li Chunhua said.
The social circle is very exclusive. If you are not an insider, no one will call you their brother easily.
Jiang Yaohai poured tea for everyone slowly and leisurely, then continued, "I'm very smart and entered society early, so I know the hardships of life. I started out as a ragpicker. After paying off my debts, I went south to earn money. Once I had saved enough, I started my business again."
He chose to work in the restaurant industry. Because he was smart and diplomatic, his business quickly stabilized and he soon opened a chain of stores.
After becoming financially independent, he was still worried about his childhood friend's elderly grandparents, so he opened this teahouse near his home to take care of them.
The street urchins were all people he had interacted with in his past life, and he had no intention of joining them.
On the contrary, after they heard about how he killed his own father, they thought he was a ruthless person and unconsciously followed him as their leader.
"I realized these street urchins weren't really any bad guys, so I decided to give them a chance and give them a living. Over time, the people here started to respect me, and my life got back on track. It's just that their old habits weren't easy to change."
Jiang Yaohai finished his story and took a sip of hot tea.
After listening to his story, everyone felt that if these were all true, this person was very worthy of admiration.
Song Ren didn't say anything. He would have to go back and check to find out if it was true.
"I didn't expect you to be so close to me." Gao Fei knew that this teahouse had been open for several years, but he never thought that the person he was looking for was here.
"When you weren't home, I helped look after your grandparents. You know, I don't have any relatives anymore. The only ones I'm close to are you three. So, no need to thank me, I volunteered."
Jiang Yaohai was not trying to show off. Gao Fei was just like the yearning for innocence in his heart, so he always protected him and prevented him from being exposed to too much of the dark side.
This is also why Gao Fei is sometimes too innocent, not like a 26-year-old young man. Most of the time, he still looks like a student.
After chatting for a while, it was time for lunch, and Jiang Yaohai invited them to his restaurant for lunch.
Gao Fei hesitated for a moment, but thinking of the missed opportunities over the years, he finally agreed.
I called my grandparents to explain the situation. Luckily, they hadn't made any preparations yet. They were very happy to meet Jiang Yaohai and told them to go without worry.
It was not until Jiang Yaohai led everyone into a well-known restaurant that everyone realized that what he had earned was not as much as he had mentioned lightly.
"Come on, let me make amends for your crime today." Jiang Yaohai said, hooking his arm around Gao Fei's shoulder.
Song Ren's cell phone rang.
Jiang Yaohai’s investigation materials have arrived.
Jiang Yaohai didn't fall into darkness. Through his own efforts, he realized his own value while also lifting up those around him. Jiang Yaohai is a good person. Please vote for him.