In 1992, a small village owner became the richest man in the village by owning a car.

Chapter 457 Dad might be back a little later
“This…” Duan Xiaowu stood to the side, his lips twitching. After thinking for a moment, he interjected, “Xiaoxue, how about I help you?”

As Duan Xiaowu spoke, he bent down and approached Shao Mingxue's father on the hospital bed, mimicking Xiaoxue's voice: "Dad, I sold your excavator."

No sooner had he said this than Shao Mingxue's father on the bed reacted. First, his fingers struggled more violently, his chest heaved, and finally, as if he were having a nightmare, he slowly opened his eyes.

For a fleeting moment, the once silent world was suddenly filled with the blazing sunlight and the cacophony of cries from all around.

Shao Gang lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He hadn't even realized where he was, as if he were having a very long dream.

In his dream, everything was dark, but he could occasionally hear his daughter talking to him, though her voice was very soft and quiet. Most of the time, everything around him seemed to be nothingness.

Until he opened his eyes, some past memories began to surface.

He remembered that he was repairing a car. Not long after he finished working at the construction site last time, his Caterpillar excavator suddenly broke down because the hydraulic system suddenly malfunctioned.

Because he had signed a short-term contract at another construction site, time was tight, so he had to hurry up with the repairs.

It was a dark day, with thick clouds, and a light drizzle began to fall.

He was standing on the boom at that time, checking if there was a problem with the hydraulic lines. He was also planning to check the hydraulic pump after checking the hydraulic lines.

It was at this moment that he accidentally slipped, lost his balance, and fell headfirst down onto a part of the excavator.

He knew nothing about what happened after that.

But he no longer needs to know.

He guessed that he must have fallen into a coma. He turned his head to look at the girl standing beside him who kept calling him "Dad." The girl's bangs were longer than when he was awake.

This indicates that he has been asleep for quite some time.

"Xiao Wu, A Gui, come here, give the father and daughter some space." Yu Dawei reached out and pulled the two children over from the side, and they stood aside with the female doctor in perfect harmony.

Yu Dawei felt very fortunate. Gangzi was quite lucky to be alive. If he hadn't been physically strong, he probably would have been killed on the spot by the impact.

"Dad? Do you remember me? I'm Xiaoxue!" Shao Mingxue nervously stretched out her hand and waved it back and forth in front of her father's eyes.

Deep down, she had already made the worst-case scenario plan for her father, and even prepared to drop out of school and work odd jobs, but her father suddenly woke up.

This suddenly stirred a clear stream in her barren heart, like a person walking in the desert who, upon gazing into the distance, once again saw an oasis.

Her heart, which had been fluttering again, could no longer be suppressed, and she looked nervously at her father.

Even though she used to rarely see her father and sometimes he would come home very late, at least the father and daughter could still find time to go out for a nice meal and play in the park together, which was a million times better than now.

"Dad, don't you recognize me? I'm Xiaoxue!" Shao Mingxue was a little frightened when she saw that her father hadn't spoken since he opened his eyes.

After Shao Gang came to his senses, he heard his daughter calling him repeatedly. He turned his head and looked at his daughter with concern in his eyes: "I know you. You are my daughter, Shao Mingxue."

He opened his chapped lips, his voice weak and feeble, then said with a hint of reproach and a bitter smile, "I'm sorry, girl, Dad didn't protect myself well and made you worry."

When Shao Mingxue saw her father finally speak, she felt relieved. But when she heard his apologetic apology, she felt as if something was stuck in her chest.

She lowered her head, unwilling to speak, and unsure of what to say. In the end, she simply shook her head in silence.

"Xuexue." Shao Gang reached out his left hand and stroked the girl's head. Seeing that her face was much darker than before, his eyes instantly reddened. "You got tanned while Dad was away."

Do you eat on time every day?

"Is there enough money at home to get by? Are you not making things difficult for yourself?"

"It's all Dad's fault. If he had known this would happen, he should have taken the time to write down your two aunts' contact information and addresses on a piece of paper."

Each rambling word was like a sharp arrow piercing Shao Mingxue's heart. All the past hardships and sorrows converged at this moment, turning into tears that flowed uncontrollably down her cheeks.

She nestled in her father's arms, like a stray kitten that had finally found refuge, crying and howling desperately, expressing the grievances and bitterness of being all alone.

"Don't cry, don't cry, Daddy's back." Shao Gang patted the girl's petite back, his heart aching as if it were being cut by a knife.

He knew his daughter had suffered some injustice during this time, but thankfully, thankfully, she had woken up.

After that, Shao Mingxue introduced Yu Dawei to her father and told him about selling the excavator.

When Shao Gang learned that his daughter had sold the excavator, his heart skipped a beat, and he almost fainted again. Fortunately, understanding that his daughter had done this to save her elderly father, Shao Gang didn't blame her and expressed his gratitude to Dawei for extending a helping hand.

Because the patient had woken up, the doctor had Shao Gang undergo a series of examinations. After confirming that there were no major problems, the doctor discharged the patient ahead of schedule and refunded part of the treatment costs.

Shao Gang knew perfectly well that hospitals were money pits, and since he was already awake and could even move his hands and feet after a little adjustment, he could recuperate at home.

After returning, Yu Dawei first prepared a sumptuous dinner for everyone, and then called Shao Gang into the kitchen alone to discuss his ideas on how to handle the excavator.

It's actually quite simple. Yu Dawei isn't the kind of person who'll make money from anything. He treated taking his two apprentices on a trip, and all he had to do was return the 100,000 yuan he owed the hospital.

However, Shao Gang seemed to have a different idea. He asked Yu Dawei to wait in the kitchen while he went into the master bedroom. When he came out, he took out a bankbook and handed it to Yu Dawei.

“Since the child sold the car, we can’t forget about it. Besides, if it weren’t for this car sale, without the money, it’s hard to say whether I would have woken up.” Shao Gang leaned on the stove with his hands behind his back, turned to look at Yu Dawei, and said, “Boss Yu, you can take this car anytime you want.”

"Of course, if you have any other ideas, there is still 160,000 yuan in this savings account." Shao Gang looked down at the savings account. "I have been hiding this money in secret. Xiaoxue has no idea. I originally planned to save it to support our child's education and college, and to use it as a dowry when she gets married. So I never told her that I was saving it in secret."

“Actually, we should have told her.” Shao Gang shook his head and smiled bitterly. “Otherwise, this child wouldn’t have had to work so hard these past few days, pretending to be an adult to sell cars.”

"So?" Yu Dawei held the passbook in a daze.

"The car or the money, you choose one."

"No, no! Just give me 105,000 for the repair costs, I don't want any more." Yu Dawei quickly handed the passbook back.

“Boss Yu, no, I’m a few years older than you, so I’ll call you Brother Yu.” Shao Gang excitedly grasped Yu Dawei’s hand and pushed him inside, his eyes slightly red as he stared at the other man. “Without you, how would my daughter survive?”

“You actually saved my daughter and my life. You can keep the money. If you don’t accept it, I’ll give you the car, although I’m a little reluctant to part with it.”

"Hahaha." Yu Dawei couldn't help but laugh when he saw Shao Gang's complicated expression of wanting to give up the car despite feeling a little pained. "Alright, I definitely can't take the car. Buying a decent Caterpillar for 100,000 yuan would be like taking advantage of you."

"Take this money, you absolutely must take it!"

After a few more shovings, Yu Dawei finally gave in to Shao Gang and had to accept the passbook. The two then drank beer and chatted idly.

Because Shao Gang had just been discharged from the hospital, Yu Dawei simply asked him to drink water instead of alcohol.

Through Yu Dawei's various actions, the other party judged that he was a truly good person and sincerely regarded him as a friend, telling Yu Dawei a lot about the construction machinery in Chuncheng.

Since we all work and live in the same circle, there is basically no generation gap, and communication is exceptionally smooth.

Knowing that Yu Dawei had a repair shop in his hometown and was also the Caterpillar brand agent in Sui City, Shao Gang was even more excited. Getting to know him would make it easier for him to buy or replace parts in the future.

There's no need to beg and plead, and it took several months to find the necessary parts.

Seeing that things were almost settled on Shao Gang's side, Yu Dawei planned to take his apprentices back the next day.

After everyone went to bed that night, Shao Gang returned to the master bedroom. He glanced at the girl who was fast asleep on the bed and smiled with a touch of heartache.

This experience made him realize that whether he earns a lot of money or a little, it doesn't really matter; the most important thing is that the girl sees him every day.

During dinner tonight, the boy named Duan Xiaowu took out an envelope full of notes, and for a moment he felt incredibly guilty.

Even though they live together, they can only leave a small note for their own child each day.

He won't do it again; he won't write those unnecessary little notes anymore.

Just as he was about to lie down, he suddenly remembered that there was a note in the drawer that he hadn't had time to give to the girl.

It was on the morning of the accident that I finished writing it before leaving, and I forgot to take it out and put it in the kitchen.

However, when he rummaged through the drawer, he didn't see it. His expression was slightly puzzled, and in the end, he lay down on the other side of the bed and fell asleep without a care.

Reaching to the knob of the bedside lamp, Shao Gang dimmed the light until it was finally turned off.

He didn't see that under the red lampshade, in the handcuff next to the incandescent light, a thin, long piece of paper was curled up.

There were several wet marks on the paper.

Even in the dimming light, the handwriting remained clear: "Daughter, I'm sorry, Dad might be a little late coming home..."

(End of this chapter)