Year: I planted trees in Saihanba

After that day, Lan Yaqin's health deteriorated rapidly and continued to decline.

Despite Qin Xuemei's wholehearted devotion to caring for her mother.

Lan Yaqin's condition appeared to have eased somewhat, but this was merely a brief calm before the storm.

On ordinary days, Lan Yaqin often sits alone by the window.

His gaze was blank as he stared into the distance; the light that once shone in his eyes had long since vanished.

He seemed to have lost his soul and his vitality.

Qin Xuemei saw this and was very anxious.

With nowhere to relieve his anxiety and worry, he could only spend more time with his mother.

She couldn't think of any better way to alleviate her mother's pain.

That afternoon, sunlight streamed through the windows into the room, and everything seemed no different from usual.

As usual, Qin Xuemei carried a bowl of freshly cooked, still steaming porridge.

I cautiously entered my mother's room.

However, the scene before her made her freeze in place, her heart clenching.

Lan Yaqin was lying quietly on the bed.

His face was as pale as paper, completely devoid of color.

Her breathing was so faint it was almost imperceptible.

Qin Xuemei's heart tightened suddenly, and in her panic, the bowl of porridge in her hand fell to the ground with a "clatter".

She didn't bother to tidy up and rushed to the bedside.

He gripped his mother's cold hands tightly, his voice trembling as he called out anxiously.

"Ana, Ana, what's wrong? Wake up!"

Lan Yaqin slowly opened her eyes, her gaze falling weakly on Qin Xuemei's face.

His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a sound.

Qin Xuemei panicked immediately, and tears welled up uncontrollably, rolling down her cheeks.

She frantically reached for the water glass on the table, wanting to feed her mother a sip of water.

But at that moment, Lan Yaqin's hand fell limply to her side.

With a "crack," the water glass fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Qin Xuemei didn't care about any of that. She hugged her mother tightly and burst into tears.

"Ana, don't scare me, I can't live without you!"

Lan Yaqin used her last bit of strength to slowly raise her hand.

He gently stroked Qin Xuemei's cheek, his eyes filled with reluctance and longing.

She opened her mouth, trying to say what was on her mind, but in the end, she couldn't make a sound.

Her hand slowly fell, and her eyes closed forever.

It's as if he left this world carrying endless regrets and concerns.

“Ana—”

Qin Xuemei's heartbroken cries echoed in the room for a long time. She collapsed by the bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

Outside the window, the sun was still shining brightly.

But the room was shrouded in endless darkness and sorrow.

The air seemed to freeze, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

At this time in Beiping, Qin Qiufeng was struggling with how to balance the relationship between his two families and was exhausted.

He originally planned to find a suitable time to bring Lan Yaqin and her daughter to Beiping.

The family sat down and had a good talk, untangling the knots in their hearts that had been there for years and making up for past regrets.

However, a sudden phone call came as a bolt from the blue.

His illusions were shattered in an instant—Lan Yaqin had passed away.

Upon receiving the news, Qin Qiufeng felt dizzy and disoriented.

His vision blurred, and the documents in his hands scattered on the ground with a "clatter," just like his shattered heart at that moment.

He stood there, stunned, his eyes filled with shock and grief.

It was as if the person's soul had been ripped out, leaving only an empty shell.

Upon seeing this, Secretary Li, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward and asked with concern.

"Leader, are you okay?"

"I...I'm fine!"

Qin Qiufeng then came to his senses, his face filled with grief.

"Xiao Li, go get me a glass of water!"

"Okay, leader!"

Upon hearing the instruction, Secretary Li immediately turned around to pour water.

A moment later, he gently placed a glass of warm water on the table in front of Qin Qiufeng and said.

"Boss, the water's here!"

"Okay, Xiao Li, you can go out now. I want to be alone for a while!"

"it is good!"

Upon hearing this, Secretary Li quickly tidied up the documents that had fallen to the ground.

He gently placed the document on the table, then turned and left the office.

Qin Qiufeng sat there blankly in his office chair.

He kept reminiscing about the time he spent with Lan Yaqin in the past.

Those beautiful memories flooded his mind like a tide, each scene piercing his heart.

Throughout the day, Qin Qiufeng didn't even eat lunch, unable to pull himself out of his grief.

After get off work, Qin Qiufeng returned home dejectedly and went straight to his study.

Jin Peiyun keenly noticed her husband's unusual behavior.

My heart was filled with worry, but I didn't dare to ask too many questions.

Left with no other option, she had to call her secretary, Xiao Li, to find out the reason behind the matter.

When Secretary Li saw the leader's wife asking him a question, he hesitated for a moment.

In the end, he decided to tell Jin Peiyun the whole story.

After listening to Secretary Li's account, a complex expression flashed in Jin Peiyun's eyes.

She was also confused at this moment, not knowing whether she should feel happy or sad.

"Okay, I understand. Xiao Li, you can go back now!"

"Alright, Madam, I'll be going now!"

Jin Peiyun sat alone in the living room, pondering for a long time.

In the end, I decided to go to the study to see Qin Qiufeng.

She gently pushed open the study door, carried a glass of water inside, and asked softly.

"Old Qin, are you alright?"

"I'm fine!"

When Qin Qiufeng saw that it was Jin Peiyun who came in, he frowned slightly and gave a curt reply.

Jin Peiyun looked at her husband's haggard face.

Although she felt a mix of emotions, she felt mostly heartache for her husband.

She stepped forward, gently hugged Qin Qiufeng, and softly comforted him.

"Old Tan, I know everything!"

"Since it has already happened, don't be too sad. Please accept my condolences."

Feeling the warmth of Jin Peiyun's embrace, Qin Qiufeng had a thousand words in his heart, yet he didn't know where to begin.

After a long while, he slowly spoke.

"Peiyun, I want to go to Guangxi Province to see her off on her final journey!"

"Okay, I'll go with you."

Jin Peiyun looked at her husband and nodded gently, her eyes full of understanding and support.

However, plans cannot keep up with changes.

Just as Qin Qiufeng was preparing to head to Guangxi Province, troublesome news came from forestry universities across the country.

The college students who were originally going to Saihanba to participate in afforestation work.

Despite pulling every string and trying every possible means, he refused to go to Saihanba.

Some even called Qin Qiufeng directly, asking him to make an exception for them.

If only one or two forestry universities experienced this situation, it would be somewhat understandable.

However, this situation is now occurring all over the country, which has to be taken very seriously by the Ministry of Forestry.

Listening to Secretary Li's report, Qin Qiufeng's already furrowed brows furrowed even more deeply.

His face was full of anger and helplessness.

"This is really unreasonable!"

Qin Qiufeng couldn't help but mutter a curse under his breath.

At this moment, Qin Qiufeng was extremely conflicted and caught in a dilemma.

On one hand, there's the woman he once deeply loved and his own daughter.

He wanted to go to Guangxi Province to bid farewell to Lan Yaqin and visit his daughter.

On the other hand, there are pressing work-related issues that need to be addressed.

He was struggling between his emotions and his work, unsure of what to choose.

……