Before being reborn and getting married, the pampered young lady emptied her family's assets to

Chapter 107 A Photograph That Came Half a Lifetime Late

Anmin rummaged through the drawers in her room that night and actually found something.

It was Qin Shuwei's school uniform when she was at Huacheng University.

Anmin pulled Liang Yi over to see, and she even put on the clothes for him to see.

"Look, doesn't he look like the person in the photo?"

She was still holding the photo of Zhou Bonian and Qin Shuwei in her hand.

Liang Yi leaned closer, looked at it carefully, and then nodded: "Yes, you and your mother really look alike."

Fortunately, she resembles Qin Shuwei, not Andy On.

An Min seemed to understand Liang Yi's implied meaning and snorted.

A few days later, on a rare sunny afternoon, Zhou Ruian appeared again outside Anmin's courtyard gate, pushing his wheelchair.

Zhou Bonian was still wearing the same Zhongshan suit, and seemed to be in slightly better spirits than a few days ago. His eyes were half-open as he gazed at a small patch of azure sky above the courtyard wall.

The warm sunlight shone on him, but it couldn't dispel the terminal illness and weariness he was experiencing.

It just so happens that Anmin and Liang Yi are also at home today, and the two are waiting in the yard.

On the small square table sat a cup of warm water and a small dish of soft, sticky pastries bought from the village.

Seeing the wheelchair enter, Anmin stood up with a gentle smile on her face.

Zhou Ruian carefully parked the wheelchair at a spot not too far from the table, leaned close to his father's ear, and raised his voice slightly, clear and gentle: "Dad, look, Comrade Anmin has come to see you."

He paused, looking at his father's unresponsive face, and added, "It's Aunt Shuwei's daughter, Anmin."

"Shuwei...daughter..."

Zhou Bonian only looked up when he heard Qin Shuwei's name.

He stared at her intently for a very long time.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally murmured something.

"So much like...so much like..."

An Min picked up the warm water on the table and handed it to the old man: "Uncle Zhou, would you like some water?"

Zhou Ruian quickly took it and carefully fed his father a few sips.

After moistening his throat with water, Zhou Bonian's breathing became more steady.

He stopped looking at Anmin, as if he had fallen into his own thoughts again.

Liang Yi stood half a step behind An Min.

A few days ago, when Anmin found that school uniform, an idea came to her mind.

So this time, she turned to Zhou Ruian and said, "Comrade Zhou, I would like to take a picture with Uncle Zhou."

"I found the school uniform of Huacheng University."

Zhou Ruian was bending down to straighten the thin blanket that had slipped off his father's lap when he heard this. He stopped and looked up at An Min in disbelief.

A complex mix of emotions welled up in his eyes, his gratitude almost bursting out of them.

"...Comrade Anmin, are you...are you sure?"

An Min nodded, a smile on her face, her gaze falling on Zhou Bonian: "Uncle Zhou has been thinking about this his whole life and waiting for so long. A photo is the only thing I can do for my mother."

She paused, then added, "It can also be considered... fulfilling an old man's wish."

Liang Yi said in a deep voice, "I'll go get the camera."

He borrowed it from the camp, because he had prepared it after Anmin had this idea.

Liang Yi never questioned his wife's decisions.

He believed her.

Soon, Liang Yi took out a slightly worn camera from the house.

Zhou Ruian glanced gratefully at An Min and Liang Yi, took a deep breath, and then squatted down in front of the wheelchair.

He leaned close to his father's ear and slowly said, "Dad, wake up and look around."

He gently shook his father's arm, pointing in the direction where Anmin was standing.

"Aunt Shuwei's daughter wants to take a picture with you, Dad, did you hear that?"

"Shuwei..."

Zhou Bonian looked at An Min for a few seconds.

Anmin had already changed into her school uniform. She stood at the door, her flowing skirt just like her mother's back then.

A bright and pretty face cannot be hidden no matter what.

"it is good……"

Upon hearing Zhou Bonian's answer, An Min walked to the wheelchair and turned slightly to the side.

Liang Yi stood a few steps away with his camera, adjusting the angle.

Zhou Ruian then stood behind the wheelchair and gently held his father's shoulders with both hands to help him sit more upright.

"Click."

The crisp sound of the shutter rang out, and time was frozen in that moment.

This belated group photo is not a substitute for Anmin's mother.

It is a bridge that carried the old man across the regrets he could never cross in his life.

"The photos will take a while; I'll send them to you once they're developed."

Liang Yi said something softly, and Zhou Ruian nodded.

After the photo was taken, Zhou Bonian uttered a few words haltingly: "Shuwei, I'm sorry about what happened back then..."

Anmin stood aside, listening to this belated apology.

She remembered the photo her aunt had given her, with a piece of white paper pasted on the back.

That day, Anmin carefully took it down and saw that it said, "Years have passed, may we all be well."

Some regrets, spanning half a lifetime, remain unresolved.

Liang Yi put the camera away, walked over to An Min, and gently patted his wife's shoulder.

He knew that Anmin, though seemingly carefree, was actually deeply concerned about her mother's past.

Hearing his father's words, Zhou Ruian's eyes reddened slightly. He whispered to An Min, "Comrade An Min, thank you. My father has been less and less lucid these past few years. It's a miracle that he can say these things today."

Anmin shook her head: "He's the one I should thank."

She turned around, picked up a pastry from the table, and handed one to Zhou Ruian.

"Want to try some? Aunt Zhang from the village makes it; it tastes a bit like the ones in Huacheng."

Zhou Ruian took the pastry, gently broke off a small piece, and fed it to his father.

Zhou Bonian slowly opened his mouth and chewed a few times.

As the sun gradually slanted westward, the shadows cast by the courtyard wall were stretched long.

Seeing that his father was not in good spirits, Zhou Ruian prepared to say goodbye: "We'll go back now and come to see you another day."

Liang Yi nodded in agreement and helped push the wheelchair out of the yard.

As they passed the courtyard wall, Zhou Bonian suddenly reached out his hand, pointing tremblingly to one of the pink flowers, and mumbled, "Shuwei likes roses."

Anmin paused, turned around, and saw that the pink flower was gradually withering.

Those weren't roses, just the most common wildflowers in Baiyanggou.

"What are you thinking about?"

Liang Yi walked up behind her and asked a question.

"I'm wondering how many regrets a person has to leave behind in their life before it's over."

Anmin turned to look at him: "If, perhaps..."

"There are no 'what ifs.' What you're doing now is already making amends for them."

"Let's deliver the photos together once they're developed. Maybe seeing them will help Uncle Zhou stay lucid for a few more days."

An Min smiled. What she loved most about Liang Yi was that he always unconditionally supported all her decisions.

It was as if he was telling Anmin that no matter what, he was always there for her.

After resolving Zhou Bonian's matter, An Min felt much more at ease.

Life returned to normal, but Anmin was stunned when the Women's Federation released its layoff list.

"Why is Chun-Li on this list?"

Everyone was surprised to hear her words.

"Exactly, why is Chun-Li's name on it? Who did this?!"