Chapter: 1071

This is what makes him different from every single person at the welfare institute.

At this moment, Zhao Hao walked up excitedly, exclaiming: "Ye Chen, my good brother! We haven't seen each other for so long!"

In the past, he and Ye Chen lived together in a labor camp, carrying cement and moving bricks together. The two of them supported each other along the way, and it was many years later.

Later, Zhao Hao saved up several thousand yuan and met a woman he liked at the construction site, so he followed her to Haicheng.

After several years apart, Ye Chen's heart couldn't help but be filled with excitement as he said: "Zhao Hao, we haven't seen each other for three or four years? How have you been in Haicheng all these years?"

Zhao Hao chuckled upon hearing Ye Chen's question, and said, "Oh, okay, okay! I managed to scrape by with a warm meal!"

Ye Chen asked again, "What about that woman you met on the construction site back then? Are you two married?"

"Hey." Zhao Hao's expression flashed a hint of sadness, but he laughed carelessly, saying, "We just got engaged, actually, after dating for two to three years. But it's not like we're talking about getting married or anything. I couldn't afford any dowry, and I couldn't even buy a house. The woman's parents looked down on me, constantly blowing wind in her ear, until she eventually lost interest in me."

Ye Chen furrowed his brow and asked, "When did this happen?"

Zhao Hao smiled slightly and said, "Just last month."

Ye Chen nodded, saying, "It was a loss for you, not me."

He finished speaking and added, "Oh, I forgot to ask you - aren't you in Haicheng? How did you end up coming all the way to Jinling so quickly?"

"He said with a smile, 'It's quite coincidental. My unit arranged for me to come here on business, and I just arrived in the afternoon after getting off the bus. Then I saw you all chatting together, so I hurried over.'"

"Yè Chén asked curiously, 'Aren't you running your own business? How did you end up working again?'"

"Zhào Hǎo let out a bitter laugh and said, 'My business went sour, to be honest. Nowadays, it's hard to make a living, especially with the economic situation being so poor these past two years. Nothing is easy.'"

"After that, he looked at Xuō Chū Rán and smiled, saying, 'Yè Chén, is this your sister?'"

"Yè Chén nodded, saying, 'This is my wife, Xuō Chū Rán.'"

"After that, he introduced Xuō Chū Rán to Zhào Hǎo, saying, 'Initial, this is Zhào Hǎo. He was my best friend when I was at the welfare home.'"

"Zhào Hǎo laughed and said, 'Yè Chén, you're really lucky! Your sister is too beautiful.'"

"Xuō Chū Rán smiled and said, 'Thank you.'"

"Zhào Hǎo nodded and then pretended to be indignant as he spoke to Yè Chén, saying, 'Yè Chén, you're not being honest! You didn't make an effort to get in touch with us these past few years. After Li Ají fell ill with uremic syndrome, I heard from Li Ají that you would often visit her, but each time you'd avoid us siblings and friends. Why was that?'"

"Yè Chén laughed and said sincerely, 'The past few years have been tough, and I didn't want everyone to see.'"

Yè Chén also had self-respect, and since he got married to Xuō Chū Rán, he was often teased by others, saying he was useless, a vagrant, or an upper-class son-in-law. Although he didn't care what others thought of him, he didn't want his childhood friends who grew up with him to know about his miserable situation.

Zhào Hǎo said sincerely: "My good brother, we used to live in the same makeshift shelter on a construction site for a long time. A pie could be divided into two parts, one for each of us. What's there to feel ashamed about in front of me? Besides, brother, I didn't have it easy these past few years either. Look at me, I'm still laughing and joking every day."

Yè Chén nodded slightly. JrNovels.com