The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Jian Zheng blushed and said somewhat aggrievedly, "My mom won't let me participate."

"What do you mean? You're not allowed to participate? Aren't we all involved in this?" Zhou Yanruo was truly angry this time. She glared at Jian Zheng and raised her voice, "Tell me, this is just participation?"

"That's what my mom said, not what I said. Besides, she just told me not to get involved anymore. She didn't say that what happened yesterday was just involvement. You're being way too sensitive," Jian Zheng said, his voice betraying his unease.

Wang Jie waved his hand, stopping the two from arguing further, and said, "The problem hasn't been solved yet, we can't afford to panic. Let's discuss it properly, there'll always be a solution. Besides, Teacher Zhang has already gone back to school to report, let's wait for news."

After Wang Jie said this, Zhou Yanruo barely managed a "humph" and stopped attacking Jian Zheng for the word "participation" that he had just mentioned.

Wang Jie sensed that Jian Zheng was acting strangely today. He gently patted Jian Zheng sitting next to him and asked, "What's wrong with you today? I remember you said last night that you weren't going home. Why did you go back? Also, you rushed over here so early this morning. Is something urgent?"

Wang Jie knew Jian Zheng's personality well; he was always unable to hide anything, naturally wanting to boast about good things and even more unwilling to keep bad things bottled up inside. Therefore, he often joked that Jian Zheng "couldn't keep a fart to himself overnight." But today, Jian Zheng was behaving very strangely; half a day had passed, and he still hadn't mentioned anything about himself.

Jian Zheng took a deep breath, preparing to speak, but seeing Zhou Yanruo sitting opposite him, and remembering how she had just been furious because of her mother's words, "Don't get involved," he swallowed his words and instead let out a heavy sigh.

Zhou Yanruo noticed Jian Zheng's hesitation, so she took the initiative to ask, "Am I interrupting you? Are you two going to whisper something?"

Wang Jie asked curiously, "Jian Zheng, is there something you can't say here?"

Jian Zheng explained, "It's not that I can't tell you, Zhou Yanruo, don't misunderstand. It's not that I don't want you to hear it, it's just that this matter isn't good, and I'm afraid it will affect your mood."

Zhou Yanruo replied, "It's already like this, could I feel any worse?"

Wang Jie pressed further, "You've never been so hesitant before. Has something really happened?"

Jian Zheng sighed and finally spoke, "Last night, I called my mom and said I had something to do and couldn't come home, but she insisted that I come home immediately. You know, my mom has never made such a strong demand of me before."

"It seems so."

“When I got home, my mom asked me how I knew Cheng Zhi and why I got involved in this matter.”

"Your aunt knew what happened before you even opened your mouth?" Zhou Yanruo asked in surprise.

Wang Jie answered for Jian Zheng: "Auntie and Uncle Cheng are friends. How could she not know about something so serious?"

“They’re not friends at all. How can officials and businessmen be true friends?” Jian Zheng corrected. “My mother told me not to get involved in this anymore.”

After Jian Zheng finished speaking, he quickly glanced at Zhou Yanruo and added, "These are my mother's exact words, and they do not represent my attitude."

Zhou Yanruo nodded, indicating that that was more like it.

“It’s alright to tell you about this.” Jian Zheng began seriously, as if what he was about to say was very important. “My mother knew Uncle Cheng when she was the director of the economic department. They have known each other for many years. Back then, the country introduced policies to support the individual economy and set up an aquaculture farm in Cuihu. At that time, Uncle Cheng was set up as a high-yield model by my mother’s department.”

"Over the years, the organic matter content of Cuihu Lake has seriously exceeded the standard, so it has been criticized by the province many times and required to remove the lake fields developed on Cuihu Lake and properly resettle and transform the aquaculture farmers."

Zhou Yanruo said, "Cuihu Lake is indeed not as clear as it looked when I was a child. The pollution must be very serious."

Wang Jie said, "What you see is just the surface; the actual situation is much more serious. Last month, I was helping the professor collect environmental data on this topic, and it can be summed up in four words: shocking."

Zhou Yanruo continued, "When I came back this time, the water I was drinking tasted strange. Could it be that the drinking water has been contaminated?"

Wang Jie said, "As an important water source for the surrounding area, the deterioration of the water quality of Cuihu Lake has undoubtedly had a direct impact on the drinking water safety of local residents. During my data collection process, I visited the surrounding residents, who generally reported that their tap water had an odor and impurities, and they had to take additional water purification measures to ensure the safety of their drinking water."

Jian Zheng glanced at Wang Jie and Zhou Yanruo, and seeing the two of them chatting about the pollution of Cuihu Lake, he said in a low voice, "That's not the point I want to make. Don't get sidetracked."

Wang Jie said, "How did we get onto the topic of environmental protection? You tell us."

Jian Zheng continued, "The city has made up its mind to clean up the pollution of Cuihu Lake and has established a leading group for the environmental remediation of Cuihu Lake. My mother is the head of the group. And the model she personally set up back then has now become a key target for remediation."

Zhou Yanruo interjected, "Are you saying that Uncle Cheng is a key target of Mayor Chang's governance team?"

“Simply put, that’s right.” Jian Zheng responded, then continued, “Back when my mother was the director of the Economic Affairs Department, if it weren’t for her achievements in economics and the accumulation of political merits, she wouldn’t be the Mayor Chang she is today. Over the years, Uncle Cheng has also done a lot of things for my mother.”

Wang Jie gleaned some clues from Jian Zheng's words, which matched the information he had heard when he first met Uncle Cheng and when Uncle Cheng spoke of Mayor Chang. This made him feel that their relationship was not simple. Now it seemed that his judgment was basically correct; the relationship between Mayor Chang and Uncle Cheng was indeed extraordinary.

Wang Jie heard his grandfather coughing from the outer room, so he quickly went out to check.

Grandpa was awake. He lay on his side in bed, his upper body raised, and he coughed violently. His face turned red and he looked very uncomfortable.

Wang Jie quickly walked over and gently helped his grandfather up. Seeing this, Jian Zheng also immediately stepped forward and placed a pillow behind his grandfather's back to make him more comfortable.

When Grandpa saw Wang Jie coming to help him, he tightly closed his mouth and tried his best to control the urge to cough, but a "puff puff" sound still came out of his throat.

Wang Jie knew that his grandfather did this because he saw that he was supporting him and was very close, and his grandfather was worried that the droplets from his cough would get on Wang Jie.

At this moment, Zhou Yanruo came over with a glass of water. She walked to the bedside, handed the glass to her grandfather, and said softly, "Grandpa, drink some water first to suppress your cough."

Wang Jie said with concern, "Grandpa, your cough is getting worse. Let's go to the hospital."

Grandpa took a sip of water to suppress his cough, then waved his hand and said, "There's no need to go to the hospital anymore. I know what I'm doing. This disease can't be cured. Don't waste the money."

Grandpa took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. "When people get old, that day will come eventually. I'm not afraid to die. I used to be afraid to die, but now it doesn't matter. Let God decide."

As Grandpa spoke, the corners of his mouth turned up, a faint smile appearing between the wrinkles of his aging lips—a smile that conveyed both serenity and acceptance.