The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 494: Chapter 494: ”Prophecy” Comes True

When Liang Xiaoyu came over and told Han Xiaorui the news, she simply couldn’t believe it.

”Impossible. Zhang Xiufang only left two years ago. How could she be... gone, just like that?” Han Xiaorui remembered how smug Zhang Xiufang had been when she left, taking all that money with her.

’Even without treatment, she could still walk with a cane. There’s no way she would be dead in just two years.’

Liang Xiaoyu was exasperated. ”Why would I lie to you? Her ashes have already been delivered to Uncle Yang.”

Han Xiaorui blinked. ”Uncle Yang already divorced Zhang Xiufang. If they were going to send her ashes back, they should have sent them to the Zhang family. Why here? Oh, and did Yang Jianming come back?”

At this, Liang Xiaoyu got so angry she slapped her thigh, forgetting her composure. ”That bastard Yang Jianming didn’t come back himself. He had someone else bring the ashes. And he had the fucking nerve to say he wanted his mom to ’return to her roots’!”

”I mean, if you want your mother to return to her roots, shouldn’t you come back to bury her yourself? He paid someone to deliver them, and that person demanded three thousand yuan for their trouble. And Uncle Yang was the one who paid it!”

”Just think about how much Zhang Xiufang doted on Yang Jianming. She would’ve given him the moon. She gave him the best of everything, and what did he do? He said he was taking his own mother back with him for treatment. And look what happened. Now she’s dead.”

”No wonder the village elders said she wouldn’t live long following that unfilial son of hers. She would have been better off staying in Jinshan Bay. Uncle Yang is a kind man; he would have made sure she had food, drink, and medical care. He would have even hired someone to look after her. Now, their words have come true. She didn’t live long.”

Han Xiaorui took a few deep breaths and asked, ”Uncle Yang must be furious, right?”

Liang Xiaoyu shook her head. ”Uncle Yang isn’t saying a word. That’s what worries me. Brother Jianguo and Cuicui are with him now. I rushed over to tell you and Ye Feng. It would be better if he just flew into a rage and started cursing! At least he could vent and feel a little better.”

Han Xiaorui asked Wu Jiao, Wu Yao, and Sister Lian to watch the children at home, then went with Ye Feng to check on Yang Zhigang.

Yang Zhigang’s face was blank, his eyes dull and lifeless.

’How could someone be so heartless?’ he wondered. ’His own mother died, and he can remain this indifferent, not even coming back to see her off one last time.’

’The son he had once doted on, had such high hopes for, the son who had made him so proud... how in the world did he turn into such a morally bankrupt, disloyal, and unfilial monster?’

Seeing Yang Zhigang in this state, Han Xiaorui’s heart ached for him. ”Uncle Yang, don’t dwell on all the negativity. Think about it—you still have Minmin, Pingping and An’an, and Shunshun and Lili. You have five granddaughters!”

Yang Zhigang rubbed his face with both hands. ”I feel like heaven is punishing me for something, giving me a son like Yang Jianming. This must be my retribution.”

Han Xiaorui was exasperated. ”Uncle Yang, don’t say that. You’ve always been a good man. Don’t punish yourself for someone else’s mistakes. For now, we need to think about what to do. We can’t just leave the ashes sitting here. Should we send them to the Zhang family, or arrange for a burial?”

Yang Zhigang sighed. ”Yang Jianming didn’t return, and there’s no telling when he will. I have no idea what happened to Zhang Xiufang over in the United States. I’m divorced from her; I’m in no position to handle this.”

”I wasn’t going to accept Zhang Xiufang’s ashes at first, but the man who brought them said he’d just throw them out if I didn’t pay him. I had no choice but to give him the money. But the Zhang family has to be notified. I know it will cause trouble, but I couldn’t just stand by and watch her ashes be thrown away.”

Even a brief marriage leaves a lasting bond. That was the kind of man Yang Zhigang was; he couldn’t just do nothing.

Han Xiaorui sighed. ’The Zhang family are a nasty bunch,’ she thought. ’They’re sure to make a huge, unreasonable fuss.’

”Notify the Zhang family,” she advised. ”If they’re reasonable, you can offer to pay for a burial plot and have Zhang Xiufang laid to rest. If they start making trouble, just call the police and let them handle it. Whatever you do, don’t let them make a scene and try to extort money from you.”

Yang Zhigang thought for a moment. ”I suppose that’s the only way to handle it,” he said. ”I’ll go to the Zhang family’s home.”

Yang Jianguo quickly spoke up. ”Second Uncle, let me go. I’m from the younger generation; I can handle whatever the Zhang family says, good or bad. You’re an elder, and you don’t owe them anything. Besides, Aunt Zhang helped me once. It’s something I should do.”

Hearing this, Yang Zhigang’s eyes filled with relief. ’At least this nephew is a good lad.’

’If only he were my son.’

’If I had known my own son, Yang Jianming, would turn out like this, I would have thrown him into the ocean to feed the fish.’

”Jianguo, when you go, don’t get into a direct confrontation with them. Just deliver the news. If the Zhang family wants to cause trouble, tell them to come find me.”

”I understand, Second Uncle,” Yang Jianguo replied.

Just then, Ye Feng spoke up. ”Brother Jianguo, I’ll go with you. We can watch out for each other.”

Yang Zhigang looked at him gratefully. ”Thank you, Ye Feng.”

Ye Feng shook his head. ”No thanks are needed, Uncle Yang. We’re all family, so there’s no need for formalities. You helped me a great deal when I first came to Jinshan Bay.”

Ye Feng was willing to do this not just because he respected Yang Zhigang and Yang Jianguo as people, but also because they were so good to Pingping and An’an, as well as Ningning and Zhuangzhuang. They treated the children as lovingly as their own grandchildren and nieces. It was a matter of returning kindness with kindness, so of course Ye Feng was happy to help them in their time of need.

In the span of a single evening, the news spread throughout Jinshan Bay: Zhang Xiufang, who had gone to the United States to live the good life with her son, was dead, and her ashes had been sent back.

Many in the village sighed and shook their heads, especially those who had predicted that Zhang Xiufang would come to a bad end.

As seasoned observers of life, the village elders had seen enough of human nature.

They knew a man like Yang Jianming couldn’t be trusted. Even though he was her own son, Zhang Xiufang couldn’t rely on him.

Yang Zhigang, on the other hand, was a decent man who acted with integrity.

When Zhang Xiufang had been causing all sorts of trouble, Yang Zhigang had been ready to divorce her. But after she was left half-paralyzed, he never mentioned divorce again.

He not only paid for her medical treatment but also hired people to take care of her.

He took care of her every need—food, clothing, everything. He acted with true conscience.

But no matter how well Yang Zhigang treated her, in Zhang Xiufang’s eyes, it was all worthless.

She believed her son had a bright future in the United States and was hell-bent on divorcing Yang Zhigang.

She didn’t just divorce him; she took more than half of his entire net worth.

At the time of the divorce, Yang Zhigang didn’t even have enough cash on hand and had to borrow money to pay her.

Ye Feng and Yang Jianguo went to the Zhang family home to inform them of Zhang Xiufang’s passing.

The last time they had dealt with Zhang Xiufang was the divorce, when she had received a huge settlement.

She hadn’t given a single cent of it to her own family, instead converting it all to US dollars and taking it with her.

When the Zhang family found out, they had been furious, cursing her and saying she was no longer one of them.

Upon hearing the news, Aunt Zhang spat, ”Didn’t that selfish woman go to the United States to live in luxury? Her illness didn’t get better and now she’s dead? Serves her right!”

Uncle Zhang shot his wife a glare. ”Whatever you say, that was my sister! I have to go see for myself!”

’He hadn’t gotten any money last time. Now that his sister was dead, he was determined to get something out of Yang Zhigang.’