Starting a new chapter in life

He Zhijun told An'an more than once that he didn't need his grandchildren to keep him company. Compared to the noisy and boisterous children, he preferred to go to the film studio to watch the adults working diligently.

After that, He Jin'an would only bring the children from both families to stay for a couple of days during holidays and festivals.

Shen Runze usually accompanied the two of them. In the second year after Jing Yan passed away, He Zhijun found Yuan Xiaoling and Liu Qiang, who had already retired from the construction and decoration companies. Their son took over and merged the two companies into one group.

He Zhijun returned to Shanghai to withdraw his investment. "Jingyan passed away last year. I was immersed in grief during that time. I didn't take care of the things Jingyan asked me to do before she passed away, so I came to find you a little late."

During her quarantine, Jingyan wrote me a letter with a message. She said that her investment in your company over the years had made us a lot of money, and you had done all the work while she just sat back and collected the profits. Now that she's gone, she's withdrawing her shares, and the younger generation has taken over. Let them have complete control.”

Yuan Xiaoling was still reeling from the news of Jingyan's passing when she heard him say he wanted to withdraw his shares. Her first instinct was to object, "The company is doing well now. If you're not in a hurry to use the money, wouldn't it be better to receive dividends every year? Jingyan is gone, but you're still here. If all else fails, you can transfer your shares to Zhizhi and An'an, wouldn't that be the same?"

"Without your and Jingyan's support back then, even with our hard work and perseverance, we wouldn't have achieved our current success without the initial capital. There's really no need to feel like you're taking advantage of us. If you think about it carefully, it was Jingyan's money that enabled us to seize the opportunities presented by the reform and opening up. I should be the one thanking you."

He Zhijun smiled and said, "I know what you mean. Children and grandchildren have their own lives to live. They've all started their own families and don't need to rely on their parents anymore. Since Jingyan asked me to do it, I'm determined to do it."

The relationship between our two families over the years hasn't reached the point where it's about one side taking advantage of the other; it's mutually beneficial. But Jingyan is right, all good things must come to an end, whether in life or business. We've both reached the age of knowing our destiny, so it's time to let go.

Yuan Xiaoling had always been the pillar of her family. Seeing that He Zhijun was determined, she had no choice but to take him to the group's office building. It was true that her son was in a good mood when he learned of He Zhijun's intentions.

Family businesses, after all, all want to hold absolute control. Dividing profits is fine, but any day when power is divided is something they don't want to see. Now that the Ho family has voluntarily withdrawn, he's quite satisfied.

Therefore, after calling the company's finance and legal departments to the office and calculating how much money was needed to buy back the shares held by He Zhijun, they readily transferred the money directly into He Zhijun's account.

He Zhijun wasn't familiar with him and wasn't in the mood for small talk. After leaving the company, he treated Yuan Xiaoling and her husband to a meal at a restaurant. They chatted about their youth and their entrepreneurial journey, but didn't linger. He bought a plane ticket back to Beijing and left.

Yuan Xiaoling and her husband took him to the airport and watched the plane take off before going home. Yuan Xiaoling sighed, "Who would have thought that Jingyan, the youngest among us, would be the first to leave us?"

Liu Qiang grabbed her hand: "The first wave of the epidemic was too severe, and many people did not survive it. Look at Lao He, his hair has turned so white. When I saw him a few years ago, he was still very energetic and didn't have much white hair. Now he doesn't have much black hair left. He is the one who is most heartbroken."

Pure white hair makes people look energetic, and pure black hair also looks good. It is the combination of black and white that makes people look the oldest. He Zhijun knows that he has aged very quickly in the past two years, but he doesn't care about it. So he doesn't dye his hair every six months or a year like before. Why dress so young? No one will see or appreciate it.

Back in Beijing, he called Zhizhi and An'an's families back: "These are the investment shares your mother gave to Aunt Yuan before. I went back a few days ago and returned the shares. This money is divided in half, and you two families will keep it."

Zhizhi took the bank card from He Zhijun and asked realistically, "Dad, is this considered property given to me by my mother? Is it my private property after marriage?"

He Zhijun was stunned and hadn't reacted yet when An'an chimed in, "Of course, even if Cheng Heng treats you badly in the future and you separate, he can't divide this money among his assets. Keep it safe. Of course, spend it as you need to, and give the rest to your son when you're old. We can't be short of money for the rest of our lives."

After explaining, An An took his bank card. Seeing Fu Zixu's gaze, she reluctantly handed it over: "Of course, I'm willing to let my wife spend my money."

Fu Zixu said irritably, "Don't worry, I won't spend this money; I'll save it for my son."

An'an quickly pledged her loyalty: "What's mine is yours. Spend it as you please. Give any leftovers to our son. If he doesn't have any, he can earn it himself when he grows up." The high school student glanced at his father's useless appearance and pouted, but ultimately said nothing. There was nothing he could do. His mother looked gentle, but she came from an accounting background, and no one could go against her wishes. He was already used to it.

Zhizhi looked at Cheng Heng and waved the card in her hand: "Do you want me to keep this for you?"

Cheng Heng silently took out his wallet, pulled out a card and handed it to Zhizhi: "This is my salary card. This is the card you got for my allowance, so I'll keep it. Of course, my wife is in charge of the household."

Zhizhi asked in confusion, "Don't you receive an annual salary and bonuses every year? That card is with me, so why do you have another salary card?"

Cheng Heng swallowed hard: "Well, every man wants to keep a little stash of money, so our company's finance department gives everyone two cards. One is a regular salary card, where my bonuses and annual salary are kept. I'll give it to you when we get married."

The other card is a bonus/benefits card. It doesn't necessarily provide monthly income, but you'll always receive a small amount of this extra income every quarter. Since it's not a large sum, it's deposited directly into the other card, which is your personal savings card.

Zhizhi was so angry she laughed: "Who came up with this idea?"

Cheng Heng rubbed his nose: "About three years ago, our company hired a new director. His wife was very strict, and he never had more than two hundred yuan in pocket money. When he first joined the company, he treated his close subordinates to dinner, and when it came time to pay the bill, he had to call his wife to ask for the money. His subordinates found out about this at the company."

He was embarrassed by everyone's teasing. Actually, no one had any bad intentions; they just thought his wife was good at managing her husband and made a few jokes. Our company's finance person is a Gen Z, quick-witted, and came up with this idea.

Unexpectedly, the male employees in the company responded very well after the implementation, so it was maintained. The families of the long-term employees thought that the company's benefits had been reduced, and they did not suspect that the company had falsified the money distribution process. Those employees who did not handle the money were able to save some money on their own.

"Then why did you take it out today?" Zhizhi pressed.

Cheng Heng touched his nose, somewhat embarrassed: "My brother-in-law hands over his salary and savings, so as his brother-in-law, I have to follow suit. Besides, the allowance you give me every month is enough for me. I haven't touched the money in this card. You can check the bank statement if you don't believe me."

He Anzhi slapped his arm speechlessly and stuffed the card back into his hand: "Keep it safe. Since it's your secret stash, you can keep it. You can treat us when we go on a trip in the future."

Cheng Heng happily took the card, stuffed it back into his wallet, and patted his chest to assure him, "Don't worry, we'll definitely arrange the route and activities perfectly when we go out to play."

He Zhijun, too lazy to deal with their subtle sparring, continued, "There are some good things left by your mother. She said she would give them to you two, half and half. Since everyone is here today, I've decided to distribute them to you in advance. You can choose for yourselves, and try to divide them equally in terms of value."

After saying that, he took out two boxes. One box contained things that his grandmother had left behind, and the other box contained half of what his grandmother had later given to Jingyan, and the other half contained gold bars that Jingyan had bought over the years.

There's no way around it; Chinese aunties either love hoarding houses or gold, because nobody ever has too much of something that preserves and increases value.

Looking at the glittering gold, Zhizhi and An'an were both surprised: "Our mom has actually saved so much over the years? I always thought Mom was good at making money, but now I'm truly impressed," An'an said.

The brother and sister didn't stand on ceremony. After opening the package, they each took one, one for themselves, and one for each other. They picked out their favorite jewelry, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings. As for the price, neither family was short of money, so no one cared. He Zhijun didn't care at all, and leaned back on the sofa with his eyes slightly closed, waiting for them to finish.

After the spoils were divided, Shen Runze laughed and said, "I have no children, no relatives, and you two are people I taught since you were little. Your master is like a father to you. I haven't accumulated much over the years."

As for the money, I'll keep this little for my retirement. I'll give my apartment in Beijing to Jin'an, and I also have a small villa in the suburbs where I run a farm stay; that will go to Zhizhi.

Jin'an is good at business; fixed properties are fine. Zhizhi is focused on acting and knows nothing about business. The resort is already on track, so you don't need to worry about it much. Just check the accounts when you have time; having a stable source of income is good.

Zhizhi and An'an accepted the gift without hesitation, and immediately donated one million yuan each to a school in the mountainous area in Shen Runze's name. When Shen Runze found out about this, he was both amused and exasperated.

“I’m practically halfway to the grave, what use is this empty fame to me? If they have the heart to donate, they might as well use their own names and have a good reputation, which would also help their cause.”

He Zhijun said, "It's just a token of the child's affection; you should accept it."

With everything divided, the two old men felt relieved and continued to chat and joke around the film set. However, this peaceful life ended in the autumn of 2005 when Shen Runze suffered a sudden cerebral infarction and was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved.

Shen Runze fell ill very quickly. The two were still discussing which restaurant to go to for a treat when He Zhijun turned around and Shen Runze fell down. Although calling 120 was timely, the area was relatively remote, and even after two days of intensive care at a major hospital, they could not be saved.

With Shen Runze's passing, He Zhijun's spirits vanished instantly, his back bent several degrees. When discussing where to bury him, He Zhijun made the final decision:

"Send it back to Yangzhou and bury it in our family ancestral grave. It'll be closer, so when we burn paper money and sweep the grave, no one will be there to help us. We didn't suffer much while we were alive, so we shouldn't be lacking money or incense offerings in the afterlife."

"That's perfect. If there really is an underworld, we can still be brothers there, keep each other company. That would be great."

An'an and Zhizhi naturally had no objections. The funeral was very grand. Shen Runze had been running his business in Beijing for many years and had many close friends and even more people he knew by name. Everyone came to see him off on his final journey, making it quite a lively affair.

After Shen Runze's burial, He Zhijun's mental state deteriorated, his memory worsened, and sometimes he would drift into a daze, needing to be called several times to snap out of it. His two children were worried about leaving him alone at home, so they hired a nanny. The nanny, who was in her forties or fifties and had a strong build, was known for her great strength.

He Zhijun wasn't fat to begin with, and this nanny could easily carry him in a princess carry. When she came for her trial period, she picked him up on the spot, which startled her family. An'an immediately decided to hire her to take care of her elderly father's daily life.

Despite her average looks and robust build, the nanny was clean and a good cook. Well, if the food wasn't good, she wouldn't be so... big. After a few days, Zhizhi and An'an felt more at ease and returned to work. However, this time she came home more frequently than before. She used to come once a week, but now she comes every two or three days.

The children's worries were not unfounded. Even though the nanny was very dedicated, her spirits had broken down, and her health deteriorated rapidly. A year later, He Zhijun was being rushed to the hospital three times in one month.

The doctor said the heart disease was caused by long-term emotional distress. But Jingyan had only been gone for six years, and her father had already developed heart disease, which made the two children very sad. They couldn't see how sad their father was.

He Zhijun felt really tired. After being admitted to the hospital for the third time, he told his children, "I'm really tired. I don't want to suffer anymore. Being hospitalized and resuscitated is really painful and exhausting. I don't want to be tormented anymore. Let me go peacefully."

After the children agreed, he didn't forget to give them instructions: "I told you I wouldn't live for twenty years. It's only been six years since I last saw her, and I already feel like she's here. Remember to bring your mother out and bury her with me in the ancestral grave. We'll be buried together in the same bed in life and in the same grave in death, a couple for life. I've done it."

As He Zhijun's breath weakened and eventually disappeared, the adults and children in the ward wept bitterly. No matter how reluctant they were, they had to handle the funeral arrangements properly. They chose an auspicious day to take Jingyan's urn from Songhe Garden and bury it together with He Zhijun's in the He family ancestral cemetery. Their graves were next to Shen Runze's.

Couples and friends who have been together the longest can finally reunite in another world.