Cannon Fodder Group Ch.99

Chapter 99 – Helping my friend for the last time

Cao Jiandang’s eldest and youngest sons looked at him in shock, suddenly feeling like their father had changed.

The next day, Cao Jiandang took Cao Quan to the grain station with prepared things to meet Uncle Ping.

The process of Cao Quan gaining Uncle Ping’s approval went smoothly.

Uncle Ping had been a scout in his youth, with sharp eyes and a clear judgment of people.

Although he could see that Cao Jiandang harbored some ulterior motives and wasn’t entirely straightforward, Cao Quan, who was simple and honest, still won Uncle Ping’s favor.

Therefore, Uncle Ping immediately said that he would make Cao Quan his godson when the time was right.

Moreover, upon learning that Cao Quan was about to get married, Uncle Ping expressed his happiness and said that Cao Quan could have the wedding at his house and live there with his wife afterward.

His house had four or five rooms, about 160 square meters, and he lived alone. Even if Cao Quan and his wife lived together there, there would be more than enough space.

Upon hearing this, Cao Quan couldn’t help but shed tears and agreed.

Great, he had fulfilled his promise to Yuping, and he could be with her now.

Cao Quan’s girlfriend was named Zhou Yuping, from Anren County, and she was a very nice girl. Yuping truly liked Cao Quan, so even after knowing about the difficulties in Cao Quan’s family, and even though they couldn’t afford a place to live, she still didn’t give up on being with him.

However, Yuping’s parents disagreed. They didn’t want their daughter to suffer in a family that couldn’t even afford proper living conditions, so they insisted that Cao Quan must have his own house before they could accept the relationship.

Actually, Cao Quan understood his family’s situation. He didn’t blame Yuping’s parents for their condition, and he couldn’t bear to let Yuping suffer with him.

So, even though he loved Yuping dearly, Cao Quan had originally planned to give up.

But unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better.

He gained a godfather, which not only meant he had a job but also a place to live.

Cao Quan was very grateful to his father, Cao Jiandang, for giving him this opportunity. He also thanked Uncle Ping as his godfather. He silently vowed in his heart that he would take good care of both fathers and support them in their old age!

After leaving the grain station, Cao Jiandang patted Cao Quan on the shoulder and said, “You can go and talk to the girl from the Zhou family about this matter. I believe her parents will agree to your marriage.”

“Yeah,” Cao Quan nodded with tears in his eyes, filled with excitement and joy.

“However, we also need to thank someone else…”

That afternoon, Cao Jiandang once again carried some things and took Cao Quan to the textile factory.

Yes, the other person they needed to thank was Deputy Factory Director Li.

Cao Jiandang mentioned Uncle Ping accepting Cao Quan, and he also expressed gratitude to Deputy Factory Director Li.

Unexpectedly, Deputy Factory Director Li looked at him with astonishment.

“Huh, don’t you know? Comrade Xu Aiguo didn’t tell you?”

Cao Jiandang was a bit confused.

What did Xu Aiguo say to him? Ever since that night, Cao Jiandang had assumed that he and Xu Aiguo had parted ways. In such a situation, he couldn’t go back to how things were with Xu Aiguo.

So, even though he left the textile factory yesterday, he didn’t go see Xu Aiguo.

But the next moment, Deputy Factory Director Li’s words made his head spin for a moment, blanking out his mind.

“Didn’t Comrade Xu Aiguo tell you? It was Comrade Xu Aiguo who told me to tell you about Uncle Ping accepting his godson. It was also his suggestion for Cao Quan. If he hadn’t told me to make sure I told you when you came to do the formalities, I wouldn’t have known all this.”

“So, the person you should thank is Comrade Xu Aiguo.”

Cao Jiandang was instantly stunned, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief…

In the evening, as the bell for the end of work rang, Xu Aiguo, along with others, pushed his bicycle and prepared to leave for home.

Just then, from a distance, he spotted a familiar figure.

It was none other than Cao Jiandang, and behind him stood a young man whom Xu Aiguo guessed was Cao Jiandang’s son.

Just as Xu Aiguo was about to pass by Cao Jiandang while pushing his bicycle,

Cao Jiandang grabbed his bike handle and said, “Can we talk?”

Xu Aiguo looked at Cao Jiandang for a long moment and nodded.

Xu Aiguo pushed his bicycle and joined Cao Jiandang and his son in a quieter area.

However, despite their previous lively conversations that seemed never-ending, they were now somewhat at a loss for words.

Cao Quan also found it strange as he looked at his father and Uncle Aiguo, sensing the unusual atmosphere.

Cao Quan knew that his father and Uncle Aiguo had a good relationship, but the current mood felt off.

Nevertheless, Cao Quan remained silent, unsure of what to say.

But soon, he remembered the purpose of accompanying his father to the textile factory today and recalled what Deputy Factory Director Li had said.

“Uncle Aiguo, I have good news to share with you. Today, my dad took me to meet my godfather, Uncle Ping, and he agreed to take me as his godson.”

Xu Aiguo still had a favorable impression of Cao Quan. Upon hearing this, he smiled and said, “Oh, really? Congratulations! Uncle Ping is a very kind person. Take good care of him, and he won’t let you down.”

“Yes, Uncle Aiguo, I will,” Cao Quan assured loudly, smiling innocently.

“Why?” At this moment, Cao Jiandang, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.

Xu Aiguo looked at him.

Cao Jiandang asked, “About Uncle Ping, Deputy Factory Director Li told me everything. He said you told him to tell me, why? After what I did, why did you want me to know about this?”

“You often mention that your family is large, and your house is too small to accommodate everyone comfortably. Recently, you’ve been worried about Cao Quan finding a partner, but the partner’s parents want Cao Quan to have a house. Having a job would be even better, so…”

“So, you had Deputy Factory Director Li tell me about Uncle Ping?”

“Yes.”

Cao Jiandang’s eyes instantly reddened, his voice choked, “Why, why did you help me? I did such a thing that night, I thought, I thought…”

“I thought you would hate me to death, I thought you would never associate with me again.”

“I thought I had completely lost this friend.”

Cao Jiandang knew he deserved it; he had done wrong.

But why, why did he treat Xu Aiguo like that, possibly even jeopardizing his job, yet Xu Aiguo still wanted to help him?

“I’m not helping you; I just like Cao Quan, this kid, and I’m just helping him…”

Tears streamed down Cao Jiandang’s face, his shoulders shaking, trembling continuously.

He suppressed his emotions to keep himself from crying out loud.

Xu Aiguo looked at him like this, sighed softly, and said, “Jiandang, I understand why you did what you did. When people are in difficulty and despair, they may stray from the right path, but…”

“Knowing that you’ve strayed, you must turn around and get back on the right track.”

“I’m not doing this because I want to forgive you. What happened that night means we can’t be friends anymore.”

“But, for those eight years, I considered you a friend. I still remember how you helped me when I first entered the textile factory, how we supported each other and spent time together.”

“This is my last time helping you, and it’s also the last time helping my friend.”

“Perhaps we won’t cross paths in the future, but Jiandang, life’s road is long, and I hope everything goes well for you.”

“It’s getting late; I’ll go back first.”

After saying that, Xu Aiguo rode away on his bicycle.

Cao Jiandang watched Xu Aiguo’s departing figure, and at that moment, he deeply felt that the friend he had known for eight years was truly gone.

As he continued to watch, Cao Jiandang couldn’t hold back any longer. He squatted on the ground and cried loudly like a child…

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