In the afternoon, Second Son of Zeng Family didn’t show up until 3:30. This person was about fifty years old, not very tall, and he kept dodging Su Ronggui’s questions.
"It’s not like we don’t care for her, it’s just that my son got married and there aren’t enough rooms. She chose to live in the garage. Her grandson is the apple of her eye, she loves him dearly. Besides, it’s not impossible to live in a garage, lots of people in the neighborhood rent them out for others to live in..."
"Whose house is this?" Su Ronggui directly got to the heart of the matter.
"My mom used to live with us, but after my son got married and my daughter-in-law gave birth, the house isn’t big enough. I initially disagreed with her moving down, but she insisted..." Second Son of Zeng Family avoided the question.
Su Ronggui persistently asked again, "Then, whose house is this?"
Zeng Er could no longer avoid it. He stamred, "It’s... my parents’..." And then he explained, "When my dad was still alive, he ntioned it would be ours... My mom insisted on living there... The garage really is livable..."
He kept emphasizing that Granny Zeng chose to live there herself.
"Why didn’t soone else live there instead?"
Tu Hengsha, who was filming from the side, instinctively glanced at Su Ronggui. He was known for his skillful interviewing techniques, maintaining objectivity as a journalist to truthfully reflect issues. Even when expressing a clear value stance was necessary, he rarely displayed it so overtly. He typically extracted the information he wanted and conveyed his sentints subtly through seemingly unremarkable dialogue. In the industry, he was known for hiding needles in silk, or as others might harshly put it, masking a dagger in a smile. It was rare for him to reveal his sharpness so early in an interview.
Zeng Er’s answers beca more hesitant, "It’s not... My son is getting married. We can’t let him and his new wife live in the garage, right? My daughter-in-law is pregnant, my wife and I can help take care of her, but my mom is old; she can’t really do much..."
"So, because Granny Zeng is old and useless, she was abandoned?"
"No..." Zeng Er beca a bit flustered, "We didn’t abandon her... She wasn’t abandoned..."
"Then what do you think abandonnt ans?" continued Su Ronggui, "Where does Granny Zeng get her food and clothing? When she’s sick, who takes care of her? When there’s no electricity, and she can’t keep warm, who looks after her?"
At this point, soone from the property managent interrupted, "Granny usually goes scavenging, collecting mineral water bottles, old books, and newspapers, which she can sell for so money."
"It’s not... We’re all busy... She can cook for herself... We didn’t know about the lack of power or heat, and we didn’t know she was sick either..." Zeng Er’s voice grew quieter.
"You didn’t know she couldn’t keep warm for a winter—no, several winters. How long has it been since you’ve visited Granny?"
"...Not... Busy..." Zeng Er muttered.
"So, this still isn’t considered abandonnt?" Su Ronggui’s calm expression concealed his aggressive montum.
"She... She still has a place to stay, right?" Zeng Er bowed his head.
"So, what you’re saying is you occupied what was originally hers, without sparing even a corner for her, leaving her to fend for herself. This still isn’t called abandonnt?"
"It’s not... It’s just that... The house isn’t big enough."
"But it’s her house!" Su Ronggui quickly cut him off. "Because she’s old and ’useless,’ you drove her out?"
Zeng Er finally fell silent.
"Then when was she ever ’useful’?" Su Ronggui asked again.
Zeng Er stayed silent for a mont before answering, "In the past, my mom was very capable and hardworking. She took care of my dad and raised us siblings, and then she helped my brother and with our kids..."
"So, it was also her who raised your grandson?"
"Yes..." After all, she was his own mother. His expression and tone revealed a deep sadness.
Su Ronggui said nothing further. Tu Hengsha looked at Zeng Er through the cara. At this mont, his silence spoke volus more than words ever could.
However, in that silence, a woman’s bellow suddenly erupted, "What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you looking at? What are you filming? What are you filming?"
A woman burst into the interview room, rushed up to Tu Hengsha with the speed of lightning, and slapped the cara, knocking it over.
Tu Hengsha was quick, reaching out to catch it, but the woman’s fingernails swiftly lunged for her face. Just as they were about to scratch her, another hand stretched out, catching the woman’s wrist in ti. It was undoubtedly Su Ronggui...
Yet, unexpectedly, the woman reached out with her other hand and quickly scratched Su Ronggui’s face. By the ti Su Ronggui reacted and grabbed the woman’s other wrist, the woman began howling, "See that! See that? A journalist hitting people! You think journalists are so great? Why do you bully people..."
Tu Hengsha saw shock on Su Ronggui’s face...
Indeed, how could he not be shocked? All these years as a reporter, having faced life and death, having crossed disasters, this was probably the first ti he encountered such a person, such a scene. So stunned was he that amid the woman’s loud wailing, he loosened his grip.
The woman took this chance to sit on the floor, crying and shouting, "You heartless journalists! Not reporting on national matters, or good people and good deeds, but harassing us common folk. You’re wicked! Picking on the weakest, aren’t you? I’m telling you, if you dare report this! If you report it, I’ll die right in front of you! You drove soone to death! You’ll pay with your lives! And you there!"
She pointed at the onlooking neighborhood crowd, "Which one of you called the journalists? You think you’re so smart! You’re so capable, why not take the old lady ho with you? Want to do good deeds? See injustice and act, right? Then take the old lady ho! Treat her as your own mother!"
"And you!" She pointed at the property managent again, "Now you’re all capable? During normal tis when there’s water leakage or noisy upstairs renovations, you never resolve things this fast! The old lady’s lived in the garage for so long, and you never cared! Now you’re putting on a show? Want the journalists to write articles praising you, huh? If you like praise so much, let the old lady live here forever! It’s so nice here! With heating and lights! And security guards standing watch 24/7! Doing a good deed once isn’t hard. What’s hard is doing just good deeds and not a single bad one your entire life. Since you love good deeds so much, rember to keep doing them for life!"
Zeng Er probably felt embarrassed and went over to pull her up to talk it over.
"And you!" the woman turned her wrath onto Zeng Er, "What are you doing acting cowardly here? Was it us who sent your mom to the garage? She chose to go herself! Didn’t we give her a place to stay? Others live in garages cleanly, but she made hers sll worse than a toilet, and you bla us?"
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