Chapter 1068 Public Resources

Xu Chunliang lifted a corner of the tent and happened to witness this heart-wrenching scene. He pressed his lips together, feeling overwhelmed by indescribable emotions, and quietly withdrew.

The phone rang; it was Ye Qingya calling. Xu Chunliang hesitated whether to answer, unsure if Ye Qingya was already aware of the tragic news.

“Answer it, she has to know sooner or later,” Lin Sijin appeared beside Xu Chunliang at some point.

Xu Chunliang nodded, moved aside to take the call, while Lin Sijin watched from afar. Although she couldn’t see her daughter, she could vividly sense her daughter’s sorrow. She always thought she was strong enough to face everything, yet she lacked the courage to tell her daughter about her husband’s death, so she relied on Xu Chunliang to reveal the truth.

The truth is often cruel, but it is unavoidably true.

Lin Sijin decided to return Ye Changyuan’s remains to Capital City. But given the current situation, utilizing public resources would inevitably invite criticism. Yet, she couldn’t consider too much; if the remains were cremated locally, the Ye Family wouldn’t get to see him one last time.

Out of respect for the Ye Family, Lin Sijin still consulted Ye Changquan. Ye Changquan’s flight had just landed at the Capital Airport, and he approached the matter with caution. As a person within the system, he had to consider the subsequent impacts. Though he wished his elder brother’s remains could be transported back to Capital City for cremation, using a special flight during such sensitive times would likely cause unnecessary trouble.

Ye Changquan dared not make the decision alone and chose to first seek his father’s opinion.

Elder Ye stayed awake all night, gazing at the sky turning pale outside, sighed softly, turned around, and seeing his tear-stricken granddaughter, he tightly gripped the armrest of the sofa, shook his head, signaling that she need not say anything—he understood completely.

Receiving Ye Changquan’s call, Elder Ye pondered for a moment, replied solemnly and slowly, “I am old, and tired; you decide for yourself.” After speaking, he hung up the phone, stood up, looked at Ye Qingya who was silently crying beside him, and walked over to gently embrace his granddaughter, “I’m going to sleep; wake me when your dad returns.”

Ye Qingya looked tearfully at her grandfather’s suddenly stooped back, knowing he chose to leave now to keep others from witnessing his grief.

As people age, they tend to wake early; this was true for Old Qiao as well. Upon waking, he immediately focused on news of the Juzhou earthquake. Learning about the Disaster Reduction Committee’s plane accident, Old Qiao fell silent, his mood becoming especially heavy, picking up and putting down the phone several times.

As an old friend for years, it was only natural to offer condolences now. He hesitated whether to visit the Ye Family personally.

During his internal struggle, Elder Wang called. Elder Wang also heard about Ye Changyuan. Despite less interaction over recent years due to differing principles, their revolutionary friendship was unchanged.

Old Qiao clearly remembered when his son, Qiao Yuanshan, went missing, how his two friends comforted him. Now, with the Ye Family facing trouble, not offering immediate condolences would seem indifferent. Moreover, the Qiao and Ye Families were originally in-laws.

Driven by Elder Wang’s call, Old Qiao decided to first call Elder Ye, at least to show his stance; he wouldn’t stand aside.

The phone rang only a few times before Elder Ye answered. Although Elder Ye’s voice didn’t reveal too much grief, it sounded weary: “Old Qiao.”

Old Qiao acknowledged quietly, “I’ve heard about Changyuan. Since it’s already happened, don’t be too upset. Please take care of yourself. If you need my help, just tell me.”

Elder Ye said, “Dying in service is an honorable thing; I am not sad. Ever since he embarked on the path within the system, I’ve been mentally prepared to entrust him to the country.”

Old Qiao remarked, “Old Ye, you raised an exemplary son.”

Elder Ye replied, “I didn’t do much; the country cultivated him. His path was built on his own efforts; giving one’s all unto death is our Communist pursuit, isn’t it?”

Old Qiao said, “Old Ye, I know you have noble character. Some matters are not easy to bring up to the organization, but I can express them.”

“No need, Old Qiao; I appreciate your kind intentions. You’ve already helped enough.”

Old Qiao’s heart felt gripped tightly; he sensed Elder Ye’s current mood was far from as calm as his words suggested. He wanted to clarify some things, but now wasn’t the right time. After some consideration, he added, “I’ll arrange to have Changyuan transported back to Capital City.”

Elder Ye said, “There were others aboard, too; they also died in service—some bodies haven’t even been found. Our Ye Family doesn’t want to use public resources at this time. Changyuan would likely agree in spirit; we can manage our own family’s matters.”

This statement was already quite blunt. Old Qiao understood Elder Ye’s distress was not solely from grief. Saying no more, he briefly consoled Elder Ye and quickly hung up.

Since the incident involving Qi Shuang’s mother and child, Qiao Rulong had been dutifully staying in Capital City for self-reflection, and today happened to be at his grandfather’s home.

He had just heard about Ye Changyuan’s death in service and was about to inform his grandfather, but upon seeing his grandfather’s expression, he realized he already knew.

“Morning, Grandpa!”

Old Qiao glanced at his grandson. Ever since the Nanjiang hostage incident, communication between grandfather and grandson had noticeably decreased. Although they spent more time together, Old Qiao rarely initiated conversation, yet he could see his grandson was trying to ease their relationship.

Old Qiao nodded, “Something the matter?”

Qiao Rulong said: “Qingya’s father’s matter.”

Elder Qiao picked up a cigarette from the coffee table. Qiao Rulong was a bit surprised; his grandfather had quit smoking, so why had he suddenly started again? Could it be because of Ye Changyuan’s issue?

Qiao Rulong walked over and proactively lit the cigarette for his grandfather.

Elder Qiao took a drag and said softly, “He is also your father-in-law.”

Qiao Rulong pursed his lips; it was a truth he could not deny. But since he and Ye Qingya were already divorced, the relationship between him and Ye Changyuan naturally ceased to exist.

Elder Qiao said: “What do you plan to do?”

Qiao Rulong said: “I plan to visit the Ye Family, to see if there’s anything I can help with.”

Elder Qiao took another drag on the cigarette, secretly thinking to himself, fearing that the Ye Family might not want to see him. An old friend on the phone had already clearly refused earlier, but no matter what the Ye Family thinks, they must go; otherwise, others might say the Qiao Family is too heartless.

Elder Qiao said: “The Ye Family thinks that Ye Changyuan going to the Disaster Reduction Committee was due to my influence.”

Qiao Rulong looked at his grandfather in shock. He knew Elder Qiao had intervened when Ye Changquan went to Neon, but he had never heard that Ye Changyuan’s job change was related to his grandfather.

Elder Qiao said: “He made some mistakes in decision-making, and someone took the opportunity to push him off his original position, yet they pinned the blame on me. Coincidentally, our two families had some incidents, making everything seem so natural.”

Qiao Rulong said: “Grandfather, you can explain.”

Elder Qiao shook his head: “Explanations are useless; the misunderstanding between the Qiao Family and the Ye Family might deepen further.”

Qiao Rulong said: “Grandfather, should I still go?”

Elder Qiao frowned; such a simple matter, yet he still needed guidance? He said irritably: “Do as you see fit.”

Qiao Rulong said: “I heard his remains are still in the disaster area; should they be cremated locally?”

Elder Qiao said: “There are others who perished in the same incident. Logically, public resources should not be used at such times, but after such events, from a family’s emotional standpoint, they certainly wish to see him one last time.” He didn’t mention that he had offered to arrange the transport of the remains back, but was rejected by Elder Ye.

Qiao Rulong said: “We can’t intervene in this matter; it’s for the Ye Family to decide.”

Elder Qiao felt increasingly disappointed, not with his grandson drawing boundaries and standing by idly, but at discovering that Qiao Rulong lacked a broader perspective. With Rulong’s financial resources and connections, he could have used personal relations to help resolve this issue for the Ye Family, even though he and Ye Qingya were divorced, as Ye Changyuan’s former son-in-law doing this wouldn’t have been seen as meddling.

After these events, the last remnants of ties between the Qiao and Ye families broke completely. Elder Qiao understood Elder Ye’s temperament very well; Elder Ye would definitely blame him. Their familiarity led them to understand each other’s methods too well, especially since the person succeeding Ye Changyuan’s position was precisely his student, leading many to think Elder Qiao was behind it.

Originally, even if Ye Changyuan went to the Disaster Reduction Committee, it wouldn’t have reached the point of friends turning into foes, but fate was cruel; he had just gone to the Disaster Reduction Committee when he tragically died.

The pain in Elder Qiao’s heart was profound, both for Ye Changyuan’s untimely death and for the lost friendship between him and Elder Ye.

When it came to political maneuvering, Elder Ye couldn’t match him, yet when Elder Ye wanted to confront someone, he was more direct and fierce than anyone. Elder Qiao had never felt as pained as he did now, never expected that after retiring from the realm of politics, he would have to face conflict with his former friend.

Elder Qiao looked at Qiao Rulong and firmly uttered: “Rulong, I want you to resign immediately.”

Although Qiao Rulong knew this day would come eventually, when his grandfather stated it explicitly, he couldn’t help but feel a shock inside: “Immediately?”

Elder Qiao nodded: “You must resolve your situation properly, leaving no issues behind, preventing others with bad intentions from exploiting them.”

Qiao Rulong said quietly: “Grandfather, do you mean the Ye Family will target me secretly?”

Elder Qiao shook his head: “Old Ye is upright; even if he wants to confront you, he would be straightforward about it. What concerns me are other people, those who might use Changyuan’s death to divide our families and incite conflict between us.”

Qiao Rulong said: “Isn’t this a simple problem that the Ye Family can see through? Changyuan’s issue is unrelated to our family; if you intended to target them, why help Changquan…?”

Elder Qiao’s gaze upon Qiao Rulong became a bit intimidating, and Qiao Rulong didn’t dare continue speaking.

Elder Qiao spoke each word distinctly: “Remember, the Ye Family was never our enemy — not in the past, not now, nor in the future!”