Description
[The gong (seme) and shou (uke) have no blood relation, are also not in the same household register, do not share a father nor a mother, this is a serious declaration.] ~~~
In this life, Shu Ning was a joke, even to his death. Treated as a stepping stone by his biological mother, opening a path for his younger brother, only to realize all this when dying.
Shu Ning, who was thirsty for maternal love, was extremely hardworking, acting as a well-behaved child in front of his father, while fighting with his elder brother, although his IQ was not high, he still played dirty tricks to the utmost. Constantly being encouraged by his mother's warm feelings, the more he obstructed his elder brother, the braver he got. When he met with a mishap, his mother took his younger brother and escaped to a faraway place, leaving Shu Ning alone to bear the crime and get thrown into jail.
Love is more solid than gold, his lover decided to embrace another man.
Attaching great importance to friendship, not only did they take the time to visit Shu Ning in jail and laugh at him, they even rubbed salt in the wound.
His most loved and respected mother did not even bother to show her face.
However, when he closed his eyes, his elder brother came. Truth was, it was Shu Heng who had arranged for him to be able to live comfortably in prison.
If he hadn't followed them and was a clever little brother, would it all have changed? In the blink of an eye, Shu Ning returned to the time where he was a junior high school student.
Two-faced, controlling elder brother gong X Clever and cute little wolf shou.
Elder brother thinks that younger brother is very cute, very adorable, very soft, how could he be this close to the ideal?
The younger brother is thinking, hahaha… that elder brother with facial nerve paralysis could blush? What happened to your cold and handsome image? Becoming foolish with just one kiss? What happened to your mysophobia? I'm just sitting in your lap and your whole body stiffened up? ()
To prevent his elder brother from thinking that Shu Ning was after the company, Shu Ning relied on memories from his previous life to earn a bit of money, becoming financially independent while being a silkpants, also slowly raising that soft and immature elder brother, Shu Ning felt that these days were just too comfortable. However… why is his elder brother becoming more and more strange? What is this sleeping together for warmth? What is this good morning and good night kiss? Do you really take me for a brat? Σ( )
Note: The 'Silkpants' part means mean a rich and hedonistic son.
Associated Names
RWSB
Chapter 1: Rebirth
Shu Ning lay on the hospital bed with blurred vision, wondering, 'in the end, what happened?'
In prison, it was common to fight and scheme against each other, fighting and gangs forming were everyday events. During noon today, two people started fighting and Shu Ning got dragged into it. As he dodged, he was unlucky and tripped, falling from the second floor, causing his head to split open, covering the floor with blood.
Bad luck really can't be blamed on society.
It seemed… he wasn't going to make it. His body felt weaker and weaker, his head felt heavier and heavier, and he couldn't even hear the surrounding sounds clearly anymore.
Shu Ning wasn't scared, it even felt like he was free of all his worries. His life was such a huge failure that it was practically a joke.
As a child, he was an illegitimate child brought up by his maternal grandmother, envying those children who had their parents' love. In a sudden turn of events when he was in middle school, his mother returned. She cried bitterly while holding Shu Ning remorsefully. She said that they would never be separated again and wished that their family of three could live happily together.
Shu Ning who desperately craved familial love threw himself into his mother's embrace without the slightest hesitation. As he experienced the unfamiliar warmth and familial love, he was ecstatic and fully believed in her.
The him then was really naive!
How was it possible that a cold-blooded woman who had abandoned her child for so many years could suddenly treat that child well?
In order to see his mother smile and to live up to her expectations, Shu Ning worked hard to improve himself, protect his younger brother, and curry favor with his birth father. He lived cautiously and conscientiously, so wary and vigilant that he was even afraid to buy his favorite sports car. He could only drive a low-profile, dependable, black Audi. Secretly, Shu Ning fiercely fought against his birth father's oldest son. He naively listened to his mother's lies and thought that his parents were true love partners and that his older brother Shu Heng was the product of an arranged marriage that shouldn't have ever existed.
Shu Ning even felt that his childhood of suffering in the rural village and the separation of his parents were all Shu Heng's fault.
Shu Ning exhaled and closed his eyes as he was starting to feel a sleepy.
At that moment, there was a commotion outside as if a VIP was coming. Shu Ning smiled bitterly. In the past, wasn't he a cool young rich master? Otherwise, how could his vain boyfriend happily pretend to be a begonia? How else could his miscreant friends call him brother?
Shu Ning pretended to be a well-behaved youth in front of everyone, but he was secretly performing misdeeds. When he got thrown in jail, he found himself even more alone. His former best friends specially came to kick him while he was down. Now that he thought about it, he was really dumb. He clearly didn't have the skills yet he put his all into creating mischief. When he thought back onto it, Shu Ning felt his reflection was unfamiliar.
The door opened, and many people came in.
"How is he?"
A low, mellow, and rich voice was particularly attractive, displaying a man's carefully reigned in, ferocious temper. A penetrating gaze settled on Shu Ning's deathly pale face.
The hospital director and the doctor both broke out in a cold sweat. The man they had just sent over wasn't going to make it and had no hope of resuscitation. By President Shu's appearance, it seemed as if he had a deep relationship with this man who was about to die.
Shu Heng is a powerful man. Resolute and decisive, he could be classified as the lord at the top of the food pyramid. Our hospital cannot afford to offend him! The hospital director organized his thoughts and tactfully explained, "We were told that he was wounded too deeply in jail and wasn't sent over immediately for emergency treatment. Because of the long delay, he's already…" dying.
The normally expressionless Shu Heng frowned. His special assistant immediately got the hint and sent the doctor and hospital director out of the room.
"President Shu, don't be too sad. The prison warden is my old classmate. According to your wishes, I had already greeted him and asked that he take extra care of Second Young Master Shu. I'm sorry that this accident happened. My condolences." The special assistant bent at a 90 degree angle in apology. He was very uneasy as cold sweat soaked his back.
"Accident?"
"Yes," The special assistant was afraid to rise.
"Investigate."
"Yes." The special assistant left at once. His legs felt like jelly. If President Shu requested an investigation, that meant that someone hurt Second Young Master Shu. Damn it! The special assistant's eyes turned cold. Being one of the few that knew of President Shu's birth history, the special assistant would never dare to look down on Shu Ning, the real 'crown prince'. If second master hadn't been incited by his birth mother into having no feelings for his birth father and not having the ability to succeed the company, why would President Shu condescend to hand over the expensive management company to allow second master collect dividends and comfortably live an aristocratic life?
The grace of adoption that he had received, could not be recompensed.
It was extremely quiet in the room. Shu Heng sat for ten minutes before getting up. "That year, I didn't release the evidence of your mother's and your crimes. I only collected the evidence to force your mother to give up on the right of inheritance and be content with her lot. She would stay Mrs. Shu and live in the main house with no decreases in her living expenses… Yet I didn't expect that she'd rather you take the fall before allowing Shu Yao relinquish the right of inheritance and ran away that very night."
"If you hadn't had a DNA test, I really suspect that you aren't her child."
"She's made quite a few small movements lately. I don't know if she had anything to do with what happened to you right now, but I think it's very likely. If you die, she has a reason to come back and live in the main house again to act against me. For Shu Yao, her younger son who is almost an adult, she is willing to give up on you. After all, she has 20% of the company's shares. If you add on yours, she has a chance of winning."
"You should go peacefully. If it really was her, I will take care of it."
Shu Heng looked at Shu Ning determinedly, then turned and left. When the door closed, a tear trickled out of the corner of Shu Ning's eye.
What an awful truth! That year when the criminal evidence was being reported all over the place by the media and Shu Ning fell from grace, his mother cried as she took out a contract pertaining to his shares. The beneficiary was his blood brother Shu Yao. At the time, Shu Ning felt like it was a matter of course in case something happened to him because he couldn't let Shu Heng, that bastard, off lightly.
It was extremely ridiculous that the familial love he had been looking forward to for so long only amounted to this. Even though his mother had not come to visit him over so many years and didn't make a single phone call, Shu Ning kept finding reasons to calm his feelings of dissatisfaction. Shu Yao was still little. Mother needed to take care of him while opposing Shu Heng. She naturally couldn't break away to visit someone in jail.
In actuality, the reason why he could live so comfortably in jail was because Shu Heng had organized it.
Big Brother. I'm sorry. All this time, I was naïve and misunderstood you. If only I hadn't fought against you from the beginning and was an obedient little brother, would everything end up differently?
After all, no matter how Shu Ning provoked him, Shu Heng never dealt with him harshly. In contrast, it was his birth mother who…
Regret and remorse mixed together. Shu Ning who had been numb suddenly started to feel pain beyond endurance. A white light shone so brightly in front of his eyes that he couldn't even open them. His body felt as if it was going to dissolve.
I feel awful…I don't want to die…
Who's shouting…?
"Shu Ning…Shu Ning. How are you? Ah! Don't scare me… Shu Ning? Hey Hey Hey! My God! So much sweat! Should I call an ambulance? Shu Ning, wake up! Or I'll go find the teacher!"
Calling a teacher for help seemed like something from the far away past, like something a child would do in elementary school.
"Shu Ning~Shu Ning!"
So loud! Shu Ning felt agony as he sat up and opened his eyes.
The scene he took in was extremely strange. There was a long cabinet in front of him and it even had names on it! He looked down to see a washbowl, soap, shampoo, and other toiletries thrown together chaotically. It was all products from 20 years ago. Shu Ning rubbed his aching temples to ease his awful headache. Then he gazed into a pair of extremely worried eyes which cleared his head.
"Class monitor?"
The class monitor raised an eyebrow, "You You You~You~are you okay?"
"Are you a person or a ghost?"
"Did you have a nightmare?" The class monitor waved his hands in front of Shu Ning. When he saw his black pupils following his movements, he felt relieved, " You scared me to death."
"Did I scare the pee out of you?" Me too.
"This little lord stopped peeing the bed 800 years ago!" The class monitor angrily jumped up off the bed, ashen-faced. "I worried about you, yet you are laugh at me!"
Shu Ning grimaced then looked at his run-down dormitory and his naggy, annoying yet warm-hearted and kind class monitor. His mind went blank and his ears rang. Could it be that I've been reborn? How could it be? It's too weird. But the light of hope was like a weed he couldn't ignore and made him anxious to seek proof.
"Class monitor, when is this? I mean month, day year?"
"I don't blame you for not studying well but not having common knowledge is too tragic. As the class monitor, I should tell you without asking for anything in return…" blah blah blah –nonstop torrent…
For the first time, Shu Ning listened to the class monitor speak with patience and felt very warm. In the past, the person he disliked the most was the class monitor who wielded his good studies to lecture others. He was also tall, good at sports, and handsome. All the teachers liked him. Why? But now, Shu Ning collected the useful information. He learned the approximate time he had returned to in his middle school days as well as some things he'd forgotten.
Shu Ning's expression darkened suddenly.
"What's wrong? Finding me bothersome again? It's for your own good that I'm saying so much, okay?"
"I understand. Thank you, class monitor."
The class monitor's eyes lit up like a husky looking for praise. He sat back down by the bed and started to nag again. Shu Ning lowered his head and didn't listen to a word. Today…is the day that his eldest aunt came to the school. Why wasn't he reborn before his grandmother passed away? He really wanted to see her again. His heart felt heavy and he couldn't breathe.
Shu Ning smirked. Eldest aunt! Since I've come back, I won't let you steal grandmother's assets again and secretly throw her corpse deep into the mountains like trash. We should settle some old scores!
Right at that moment, a student came in, "Shu Ning, the teacher asked you to go to the office. Your eldest aunt came!"
Chapter 2: The Best Relatives
Eldest aunt!!!
Classmate! Looking at your face that's completely straight, do you even know what eldest aunt means??
It's a good thing there were no girls around, or Shu Ning would never be able to wash himself clean, even if he had jumped into the Yellow River.
Shu Ning massaged his temples due to the headache he had, then bent down to wear his shoes. As the dormitory had no toilets, he couldn't take a shower, but at least a mirror was provided. Shu Ning wore a set of washed out uniform, a pair of old shoes, which had been worn by the next door neighbour's son, which then had been passed on to his maternal grandmother, which finally had been given to Shu Ning to wear.
In the rural areas, such things were very common, all the households would pass on their belongings to others who could use it.
The youth in the mirror was small and withered, looking as if there was no nourishment, his hair was yellowed and slightly long. Oversized clothes hung on his thin frame, no matter how one looked, the youth looked ill. A small face, large palms, whitened lips, at least his facial features were delicate, and a pair of large eyes that still could be looked at.
The class monitor curiously leaned over: "What are you looking at?" The teacher was calling urgently!
Shu Ning smiled slightly, turning back to pat the class monitor that was taller than him by one head: "I'm so jealous of you, I want to drink milk."
"Ah?"
Shu Ning waved a bit and left, leaving with an air of unfathomable mystery, causing the class monitor to look at him thoughtfully.
In the teacher's office, a sorrowful performance called 'I'm crying, pitiful, feeling bad, quickly console me ah' was being put on.
The teacher in charge of the class was kind, continuously handing over tissues, comfortingly patting the back of a married lady, while the lady had cried till her eyes were red, and was choking back tears are she told of the situation at home.
"Then… … In the future, who will Shu Ning live with?" The teacher in charge was very worried about his student's future, pulling at the lady's hand: "Is it possible to get in contact with Shu Ning's parents?"
The lady's whole body jolted, a sneer appearing on her face for a split second before she suppressed it: "Ai, don't mention them, if they really cared, the child wouldn't have been passed to me to take care of. Most country bumpkins would have been lucky to even graduate from primary school, I pitied Shu Ning, so I wanted to let him graduate from middle school, but… … Mother has left already, even if I wanted to, I can't send him."
No matter the era, no teacher wanted their student to dropout of school. Once the lady suggested that, all the teachers' backs stiffened up, and their gazes all turned to look at the lady!
At one side, the unmarried male teacher sighed unendingly, thinking inwardly that this relative was really pitiful, at least he could help a bit, thus he took $200 out of his wallet and put it on the table. The rest of the teachers were also willing to help others, and the married ones couldn't be too generous, one took out $50, another $30, whatever they could take out, they contributed, all together close to $500-$600.
Nowadays teachers' wages weren't high, at most it was about $200, slightly higher than the average white-collar worker, this amount of money was equivalent to about a few months of farming in the village, once Qin Yu Zhi glanced at it, her heart was full of happiness, crying even more enthusiastically.
... …
Shu Ning stood at the office door, raising his eyebrows, this woman even deceived teachers? If it wasn't for him wanting to calm down because of his rebirth and thus not going in immediately, maybe in this whole life, he wouldn't ever know that Qin Yu Zhi could be this disgraceful.
Once a person is shameless, they won't even be afraid of ghosts.
The maternal grandfather died early, so maternal grandmother suffered bitter hardship her whole life to bring up 4 children.
The eldest Qin Yu Zhi, married early with two children, one son and one daughter, both older than Shu Ning.
The second child, Qin Yu Lan, also married early with 3 children, one son two daughters, the smallest was younger than Shu Ning.
The third child Qin Yu Zhuo, was Shu Ning's mother, working overseas, has never returned.
The fourth child Qin Yu Fu, was the only male child amongst the 4 siblings, unmarried and was working at a construction site.
Knocking on the door, Shu Ning entered after getting permission. The crowd gathered around Qin Yu Zhi as if they were stars crowding around the moon. Her gaze swept towards the pile of money, quickly placing it in her purse, before looking towards the door, immediately beginning to cry again: "Shu Ning, quickly come over here, eldest aunt has something to tell you."
Wanting the deed to the house, who didn't know that? Shu Ning walked over obediently, letting the teacher in charge to hold his hand: "Shu Ning, this….. In a while, whatever you hear, don't be too sad… … " A few other teachers also said a few words to him.
Shu Ning's mood was dim, actually, his maternal grandmother had already died.
Qin Yu Zhi sighed: "Your maternal grandmother was hospitalised, all along, she didn't want to tell you because she was worried you'd be distracted and wouldn't focus on your studies, but now… … Eldest aunt also has no other means, your grandmother needs to undergo surgery, your aunt's savings also can't make up for the cost, we can only sell the house."
Shu Ning kept his head lowered: "Eldest aunt wants to sell her own house?"
"Nonsense!" Qin Yu Zhi shouted, then quickly realised her mistake and took a tissue to wipe the corners of her eyes, holding back the anger in her heart, thinking in her heart that this piece of paper was very important: "I have two children at home, a family of four, when your maternal grandmother is discharged, she will definitely want to stay with us, and you as well."
Haha, living with a corpse? Really shameless.
Shu Ning lifted his head, who didn't know how to put on a show, his whole face full of grievances: "What about Uncle?"
The corners of Qin Yu Zhi's mouth moved a bit, her whole face full of dissatisfaction: "Him? He's already working, didn't even contribute a cent when hearing about such a big matter as Mother being hospitalised. I don't have such a cruel and unscrupulous brother, when he comes back I'll also chase his away."
In face, this uncle had been scrimping and saving, all his money had been sent to eldest aunt, after second aunt knew about that, also came to ask for a portion, and even omitted the fact that his mother was already dead. When that uncle wanted to come home to celebrate the lunar new year, they wouldn't allow it, wanting him to continuing working to send more money back in order to line their pockets.
Two years had already past before Uncle had met a fellow villager, and was finally enlightened as to his mother's death, eldest aunt and second aunt cried while saying that they were worried he'd be sad so they didn't tell him. Uncle was naive and had been easy to trick ever since young, so he immediately kowtowed and wept tears to show his remorse.
All the people in the office were very sympathetic, every family had its problems, there were both good and bad apples in each basket, the teacher in charge comfortingly patted eldest aunt's shoulder.
Shu Ning laughed grimly in his heart, continuing to act pitiful: "We can't do that, that year when Mother sent me to the village, she was worried that it would be hard to Maternal Grandmother, so she left $5000 and built 3 houses, to ensure that Maternal Grandmother could continue to live with Uncle and me.
"You're lying, at that time, just how old were you? How would you know?" Qin Yu Zhi agitatedly stood up, her saliva spraying madly: "If your mother had money, why would she abandon you?"
Shu Ning's eyes reddened: "If eldest aunt doesn't believe, you can ask uncle!"
"I don't care whose money was used to build the house, but in any case Mother's hospitalisation and operation fees need money, this house has to be sold, where was the house deed hid-... kept, you come with me to go back and find it!"
Actually, the house in the village didn't have much left, eldest aunt and second aunt were both extremely avaricious, whatever they could sell they'd already sold, even digging a meter into the ground, they still couldn't find the house deed. Eldest aunt was a little more clever than second aunt, so she set her sights on Shu Ning. In the last life, Shu Ning rushed back with eldest aunt to find it, wanting to sell the house and the land to cure his maternal grandmother.
That time he was really stupid, wanting to go to the hospital to visit maternal grandmother, but eldest aunt said to properly study, since she would be there, and Shu Ning believed her.
The teachers couldn't bear to see it, but this was other people's household problems, it wasn't good for them to interfere too much, but it happened to be lunchtime, the students were entering and leaving, there were many who were watching the scene.
When Shu Ning thought of his maternal grandmother, he really started crying: "The house already doesn't belong to the Qin family."
Qin Yu Zhi was frightened, and immediately darted forward to grab Shu Ning's collar, her whole face turning green: "What do you mean by that? You don't mean that you don't want to sell it right? Your maternal grandmother worked so hard to bring you up! It wasn't easy for her to endure all sorts of hardship to raise you up! Where has your conscience gone! You can even live there even after getting married, you're so greedy, really raised an ingrate, if time could flow backwards, we should have abandoned you!"
"Eldest aunt, did you just come from the hospital?"
"Yes!"
"How's maternal grandmother?"
"Of course she doesn't feel well, the doctor said that she needs to undergo surgery as soon as possible, don't ask so much, just quickly go with me."
When saying all this, Qin Yu Zhi's expression was a slightly unnatural, Shu Ning's gaze was suddenly sharp as a knife, harshly staring at Qin Yu Zhi. For a short while, the lady was so scared that she shifted her gaze away, but to think that the brat dared to stare at her, and was immediately became fierce, almost lifting Shu Ning off the floor by his collar.
A woman that did farm work was really strong! Strong and sturdy, once she became fierce, she was very difficult to deal with, the teacher held onto Qin Yu Zhi's arm: "Older Sister! You calm down, he's still a child, persuade him nicely."
"What persuade nicely, he's so shameless, pei, no matter what he has to go with me today! Mother's illness can't wait!" Qin Yu Zhi was disinclined to continue act like a saint in front of these dumb teachers, glaring and spitting out her words harshly: "Shu Ning you waste of money, if you dare to disagree, I'm doing to break your legs today."
"The house has already been sold for a while, if not there wouldn't have been enough to let maternal grandmother stay in hospital for one day," Shu Ning laughed gloomily: "Besides, maternal grandmother had no savings to speak of, hasn't all of uncle's money he earned from the construction site been sent to you?"
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
"Nonsense? Maternal grandmother's corpse has yet to cool, lying in the morgue, yet here you are trying to pocket her assets!"
All the teachers in the office were dumbstruck, the many students at the door all started whispering, even their gazes became unkind.
"Pei, this unfilial grandson spouting rubbish! I'll beat you to death!"
Qin Yu Zhi felt as if she was being burned, surrounded by disdainful gazes and sneers, as if they were looking at something extremely unsightly, it was as if a slap had landed on her face, like a clown put on the spot. Once she thought of those 3 large houses that were extremely valuable, how could it be gone just like that! The selfish Qin Yu Zhi became irrational, lifting her arm high up, even shaking off the teacher in charge, the male teachers on the side quickly grabbed on to her, and barely held her back. As it suddenly became a messy situation, the male teachers that only just graduated from university weren't her opponents, and Qin Yu Zhi lifted her leg to kick Shu Ning's stomach.
If it was before his rebirth, he would definitely have been injured, but Shu Ning smoothly dodged, while making seem as if his stomach had really been kicked. The female students shrieked, and a male student stepped forward bravely to support Shu Ning, or he would have fallen down.
Shu Ning bit his tongue to let blood flow out: "Which of us is lying, can be found out just by calling the hospital to check."
Blood! The timid students were so scared that they shivered, the teachers were even more indignant, all helping out. Qin Yu Zhi didn't achieve her goal, how could she leave the matter at that? Sitting on the floor to cry, swearing away, cursing at Shu Ning all the way. The teachers were all cultured adults, where would they have ever seen such attitudes?
It was a good thing the head teacher had seen many of this type of people, after coming over to take a look, quickly shouted: "If you don't leave, we'll call the police to arrest you."
Qin Yu Zhi was an avaricious person, but she was scared of the police, and glared at Shu Ning: "You just wait."
Leaving? That's not so easy, Shu Ning quickly shouted: "Leave behind the money you tricked from the teachers!"
Shu Ning knew her too well, to ask her to take out the money was as painful as stripping off her skin.
"Since it's entered my purse, it's mine."
The head teacher was tall and strong, and was so angry that his eyebrows raised up, grabbing onto the clothes of Qin Yu Zhi who was preparing to run away: "Committing fraud will land you in prison."
This scared someone with no knowledge and experience, trembling, she took the money out, as if it was the same as wanting her life.
After the shrew left, the teacher in charge held on to Shu Ning, looking him over, as he was still worried: "I'll take you to the hospital to visit a doctor."
"It's okay, teacher, thank you. I'd like to request for a few days off, I'd like to take care of maternal grandmother's funeral arrangements before coming back to school," Shu Ning's gaze was resolute, there was still another battle to be fought, he was really looking forward to it!
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Hermit's Notes:
The chapter title: "The Best Relatives" is meant as a sarcastic remark
Eldest aunt: Usually, 大姨妈 (great aunt) is used to refer to a female's monthlies, but for consistency sake, I tl-ed it as eldest instead of great as it wouldn't have made sense in this context.
'but… … Mother has left already, even if I wanted to, I can't send him': it conflicts with the story as the eldest aunt was trying to trick others by saying her mother was still hospitalised, but the raws here show her as saying that the maternal grandmother has just passed away. I left it as it is to keep the translated version as close to the raws as possible.
Pei: the equivalent of 'pah', to spit in contempt.
Chapter 3: Attack his heart
"Looking at your aunt, it seems as if she'll make trouble for you," the male teacher wrinkled his eyebrows, his face full of worry: "Do you have anyone else at home?"
Shu Ning was very touched: "Yes, I will contact my Uncle and go back with him."
Shu Ning only left after repeatedly thanking the teachers and surrounding students. The teacher in charge blinked her eyes, feeling that the Shu Ning that had an inferiority complex and used to walk around his head lowered, seemed to have grown up within a night, the change was so significant that it was as if the sky and earth had turned upside down. That perfectly straight back that was neither servile nor overbearing, that sincere gaze, and that indescribable sense of maturity, was it a good or a bad thing?
Perhaps because he had to experience too much, thus he had no choice but to mature early. This poor child, the teacher sighed.
Shu Ning calmly headed to the dining hall to have his meal, as the majority of the students had already finished eating, so there was no need to queue up, actually saving him some trouble. After all, he had mingled with the rich and powerful for many years, it was easy for him to automatically emit an aura of nobility, exuding a simple elegance. He ate slowly and deliberately, waiting for someone to walk right into the trap.
Not long after, the class monitor ran over, his forehead covered in sweat.
"Shu Ning! I've heard about everything that happened in the teacher's office, you….how are you?"
The feeling of someone being concerned for him was really good, Shu Ning curved his eyes up in a smile: "It's nothing."
"What nothing!" The class monitor was so angry that he even jumped up: "You even got hurt until you bled, how is that nothing? Let's go, I'll go with you to the doctor to take an x-ray."
"No need," Shu Ning had finished eating, pulling down the class monitor to sit, giving him his untouched cup of water to relax his tone: "I want to contact uncle to go to the hospital to visit maternal grandmother, and I'll go for a check up at the same time. Class is about to start, finish the water and quickly go!"
"Shu Ning, my condolences."
Shu Ning patted the class monitor's shoulder: "You're a good friend, thank you."
The class monitor, however, looked at him askance: "Do you have money to make a telephone call?"
"No," That's why I was waiting for you, and you really came, I'm really grateful.
Class monitor: "... …"
The class monitor who was worried for Shu Ning, would rather skip a class, wanting to stay around Shu Ning, holding his hand as if he were an elder brother coaxing a younger brother, walking to the small shop.
In the shop sat an amiable aunt who wore glasses, the class monitor easily insisted on helping Shu Ning to press the numbers, only after the call was picked up, did he pass the phone to Shu Ning.
At this very moment, the exhausted Shu Ning's voice was rough: "Uncle."
"En."
"Uncle."
"En."
"Uncle!"
"En."
Class monitor: "... …" Just what on earth is happening here?
Only after repeatedly calling Uncle for a few times, then did Shu Ning manage to heal that heartwrenching pain he felt. In the past when he first went back with his mother, as he was worried, Uncle still came over to see him now and then. But the Shu Ning who had mingled with the rich and wealthy had started thinking and acting like Qin Yu Zhuo, thinking that his Uncle was trash that shouldn't have surfaced, completely ignoring him.
Although his Uncle was simple, but after a while his smiles became weak. Knowing that Shu Ning lived well, and didn't like himself, he didn't visit anymore. Truth was, Uncle treated others with honesty and didn't deceive others, just that his personality was slow and prudent, his brain worked slowly, not knowing how to use honeyed words to flatter others, thus naturally he couldn't win against other people who had put in more effort.
"Uncle, maternal grandmother passed away," Shu Ning choked out those words with emotion, the pain he had experienced in the past, it was still as painful when experiencing it now, but since he traveled back, naturally, he couldn't let them get away with things: "Maternal grandmother already fainted 10 days ago, it was discovered by the neighbour Aunt Zhang, Uncle Li's family had a car so they send maternal grandmother to the hospital to be treated, and even paid $200 first. After eldest aunt and second aunt knew about this they weren't willing to pay the fees, they didn't even return the money, delaying the optimal time for treatment, maternal grandmother… … passed away."
"In our village, there is the custom of leaving the house to the son, eldest and second aunt were scared that maternal grandmother would leave all her assets to her only son, so they already sold anything of value in the house, and because they couldn't find the housing deed, today, eldest aunt came to the teacher's office and beat me until I spat blood."
As Uncle heard this, his mind drew to a blank, not wanting and unable to believe what he had heard, his hands shivering madly, completely unable to accept that his elderly mother had just gone like this. He still hadn't married a wife, hasn't been filial to her. Tears flowed unendingly down a tanned face, pursing his lips, so full of grief that he was momentarily unable to speak, the foreman at his side looked at him askew.
The public telephones in the past were very loud, if one was standing nearby, they could hear every single word.
The other party's silence made Shu Ning disappointed, that painful way of speaking immediately changed into a sharp blade: "How much money did you send to eldest aunt? If she had given maternal grandmother some living expenses, would maternal grandmother need to brush metal film to make money to pay my school fees? Even if I say so much, you don't believe me right? I understand your feelings of wanting to trust your kin, but you also have to judge for yourself if they are human?"
"Xiao Ning… …" This voice was incomparably gloomy and hoarse, causing people to feel extremely unwell.
"I know, blood relations are a kind of unbreakable spell," His hand being held by the class monitor, Shu Ning's heart felt warm and he continued to attack his heart: "Uncle, eldest and second aunt won't fish out a single cent to bury maternal grandmother, they would even find all sorts of reasons to push away the responsibility, finding all sorts of reasons to sell the house. You come back today, borrow $2000 just to be prepared, we'll go the Ou Hospital to see maternal grandmother, at the same time ask the nurses, then go back to the village and ask the neighbours."
"Alright, I'll listen to you." The Qin Yu Fu whose IQ had become as messed up as a ball of string felt as if his ears were buzzing.
Putting down the telephone receiver, the class monitor immediately paid, pulling Shu Ning to sit on the nearby flight of steps. He was very emotional, the mouth that was usually pretty impressive, was somehow unable to say any words of comfort. As his face blushed, the class monitor who had never seen the evils of society made a decision: "I'll stay here and keep you company."
Shu Ning was very tired, his head tilted, leaning onto the class monitor's shoulder: "Bai Peng, from now on we'll be good friends."
"Ah? The class monitor scratched his head, puzzling over what he heard: "Weren't we friends all along?"
Shu Ning finally laughed, his laugh was sincere and without guilt, after all, his outward appearance was a 13 year old youth!
The foreman drove his car and sent Uncle to the school, there was no need to exchange greetings, letting Shu Ning get on the car hurriedly. Qin Yu Fu wished that he could grow a pair of wings to fly to his mother's side.
The class monitor held on the car window that had been wound down, looking at the two tanned men, neither of them looking like Shu Ning, which one was his uncle? In any case, the class monitor knew they were rushing for time so he quickly opened his mouth: "I'm the class monitor of class 3, Bai Peng, the teacher wanted me to tell you that Shu Ning was beaten up by his aunt until he bled, the reason was that they wanted the housing deed to sell the house to pay for the operation fee."
A teacher was a sacred job, the words spoken by a teacher were very important. However, this class monitor Bai Peng lied, but he did not regret, when his good friend called earlier, he did not mention the health check up, but since they needed to go to the hospital, they could find out the truth just by asking any nurse they came across. Bai Peng let go of the car window, glancing at Shu Ning, good friend, my ability is limited, I can only help you till here.
Shu Ning nodded his head a few times, if he said thank you now, it would be regarding him as an outsider.
The car disappeared in an instant. Bai Peng stood at the roadside, feeling that he really was insignificant, he couldn't do anything. Suddenly, an idea came to mind, there were many students in the school who were from the same village as Shu Ning, rumors and slanders could kill invisibly, hehehe… …
After the car reached the hospital, the foreman didn't leave, following Shu Ning and Qin Yu Fu to inquire, and found the morgue.
Standing outside and leaning against the wall, the foreman held an unlit cigarette in his mouth, narrowing his eyes, listening to the broken hearted crying sounds coming from inside.
After an hour, Qin Yu Fu cried until his was tired, completely unable to stand, the foreman pulled him up: "Alright, what are you doing in the morning? Quickly bury the elderly and let her go to rest."
Nodding non-stop, the Qin Yu Fu and Shu Ning today cried unstoppable tears, Shu Ning also saw his maternal grandmother's corpse for the first time, naturally his real feelings were revealed.
However, somethings still had to be done, Shu Ning couldn't not be mentally alert. If he was spiritless, his eldest and second aunt would take advantage of his uncle till he died.
"Uncle, let's go ask the doctor in charge?"
The foreman was more experienced in the ways of the world, as the child kept saying that the eldest and second aunt were utterly heartless, he somewhat found it unbelievable. The person who died was their biological mother ah! Thus, he pulled Qin Yu Fu along to determine the truth.
Shu Ning didn't follow, some things couldn't be solved just by telling them, letting them find out the truth for themselves would be better.
From the doctor in charge, chief nurse, after they learned of the situation regarding payments and the general situation, Qin Yu Fu was utterly stunned. From when his elderly mother had been hospitalized to when she died…. only $250 in fees had been paid, and it had even been paid for first by the neighbour! The truth was like a knife lodged in his heart, it felt intolerable.
The foreman placed the cigarette near his nose and sniffed it a bit, then forced down the flames in his heart: "Are you even a man? Quickly get yourself together, the dead have passed on, you have to cherish the living."
Qin Yu Fu stared at the foreman bewilderedly for a while, then patting his legs, he stood up, running towards the morgue, Shu Ning hadn't seen the doctor yet!
Actually, Shu Ning was completely fine, he bit the tip of his tongue in the teacher's office so that eldest aunt's reputation would be ruined. If not, when he waited for Qin Yu Zhuo to take him away, what if eldest aunt went to the school again to trick people's money using his dropping out of school as a reason? She had all kinds of schemes, Shu Ning had to prevent her from using them.
After finishing up the procedures, the foreman contacted a good friend to help buy a casket. At that time, the village favoured burial, the rich held a 7 day ceremony while the poor held 3 day ceremonies, inviting over the elderly in the village to have a meal and to cry. That afternoon, the 3 returned to the village, the house was very messy, all the furniture was gone, even the blankets and clothes were gone.
They were originally penniless, the only thing they had of value was the house. Qin Yu Fu's eyes reddened again, Shu Ning sighed: "Let's first go to the neighbour's house to return the money."
Qin Yu Fu nodded, walking out. It was tough for such a honest man to borrow money to settle a debt. Shu Ning quickly tidied up the place, letting the foreman sit down: "Thank you for the help today."
"Don't mention it, child."
"May I know why you helped Uncle?" Shu Ning could also be regarded as being experienced in the ways of the world. It couldn't be helped that he was blind in his previous life, but in this life he had to be more cautious. In order to leave the man a good impression of him, Shu Ning tilted his head, looking just like a curious child.
"I was the one who took him out of this village," the foreman was finally able to smoke, squinting his eyes comfortably: "Xiao Fu is honest and doesn't overstep his bounds, I also never thought that his elder sister would take all his salary in the name of saving up for a wife. You seem to have something you want to say to me, say it."
"Today my eldest aunt forced me, wanting the house deed, causing me to become suspicious. If I didn't check, I wouldn't know, but once I checked, my heart broke. Maternal grandmother left desolately, eldest and second aunt will definitely fight for the house, once Uncle's heart softens, I'm worried that the same thing will happen again."
"You also want to sell the house?" The man's gaze became thoughtful, what innocent child, could it be that this child also was a wolf?"
"En," Shu Ning looked him in the face without shrinking back, broadly and levelly: "It should be enough to buy a bungalow in a remote area. When maternal grandmother was alive, her last regret was that Uncle still hadn't gotten himself a wife."
The foreman's eyes lit up, finding it feasible: "I understand your idea, leave the sale of the house to me."
There was a racket outside, eldest and second aunt came really fast. Shouting in such a loud voice, as if wanting to let everyone know that they had been wronged.
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Hermit's Notes:
Xiao Fu/ Xiao Ning: Xiao = Little, is added to the front of someone's name, usually used as a nickname.
There were quite a few idioms in Chinese that wouldn't have made any sense if translated into English, thus I've translated what the author was trying to convey. Hope the chapter still flows well, if not, leave me a comment on what I could improve on!
Chapter 4: Retaliation
There was a loud ruckus outside, second and eldest aunt came really quickly, such loud voices, as if wishing to let everyone know of their grievances.
As the fourth child, Qin Yu Fu was the youngest of the family, and the only male. Thus ever since they were young, the parents always wanted the three older sisters to yield to the younger brother, he was the pillar of the family! Once they grew up and married into another family, their maternal home's brother was their iron spine!
The three sisters listened to their parents at first, treating their younger brother nicely, letting him have anything good, but afterwards, as they grew older, the sisters felt that something wasn't right. Why did they have to give way to him?
They did all the household chores, they fed the chickens, ducks, geese and even the pigs, how could this Qin Yu Fu reap what he did not sow?
However, if they thought about it from another angle, Qin Yu Fu started helping out around the house as soon as he was sensible enough to do so. After his 3 sisters were married, he would have to do all the chores himself, there was no 'who owed who'.
It got even noisier outside, as if there were many crying sounds mixing together outside. The foreman ran out immediately, while Shu Ning quietly and calmly tidied up the house, leaving the battlefield to Uncle. Hopefully, he would be enlightened to the true characters of his sisters.
There were a lot of neighbours standing in a circle to watch, their gazes lukewarm, pointing and gesticulating.
Eldest aunt sat on the floor crying and cursing. Since second aunt's husband was a teacher, she at least had a little character. She asked questions loudly, kept saying that the younger brother was not filial, never coming home, now that their mother needed to undergo surgery, they could only sell the house. Qin Yu Fu didn't say a word, his head hanging, as if really feeling that he had been wrong.
Some of the neighbours were also bewildered, was there actually such a thing? But that's wrong, this family's two eldest daughters were quite difficult to deal with, they weren't good people. The youngest daughter had left for 10 years with no contact, in fact it was the youngest male who was obedient and thoughtful, very filial, how could it be that he would stay unconcerned even when he heard that his elderly mother was ill and bedridden?
Qin Yu Zhi wiped her tears, and couldn't help but laugh secretly, Qin Yu Lan also raised the corners of her mouth in satisfaction. The pair of sisters thought to themselves that since Qin Yu Fu had been stupid and cowardly since young, it would be easy to send him away with just a few words, just nice, they could split the money half-half. And as for how to bury their elderly mother? They had really never thought about it.
It was at this moment, that the crowd parted, an old man slowly walked over with both hands behind his back, it was the village chief.
"What happened for it to be so noisy here?"
Both women didn't speak, instead, Qin Yu Fu who had been silent all the while lifted his head: "Inviting the village chief to be the witness."
The village chief raised his eyebrows: "Speak."
Qin Yu Lan wanted to speak, but was stopped by Qin Yu Zhi, even if they couldn't find the housing deed today, if the village chief stepped in and replaced the housing deed, then they could sell the house!
The foreman stood next to Qin Yu Fu, patting the honest man on the shoulder.
At this moment, Qin Yu Fu seemed as if he had been immersed in a jar of pickles, feeling incomparable pain: "Eldest sister and second sister, is mother waiting for money to undergo surgery?"
"Yes ah," after Qin Yu Lan finished saying this, she eyed eldest sister, why wasn't she saying anything? Suddenly, she felt some unease. Ever since they were young, eldest sister had been crafty, if anything went wrong eldest sister would use her as a scapegoat, could it be… …
The foreman fished out his phone, after pressing a series of numbers, he passed it to the village chief.
Anyone who could become the village chief was not simple. Even under the weight of the stares of the crowd, he remained unperturbed. After the call connected, the party stated that it was the Ou Hospital. The elderly village chief's heart already had some suspicions, after asking a few questions, that old face underwent a great change in a split second, staring at the pair of sisters, shocked, they were truly too undisciplined and out of control, just where had they misplaced their humanity and morality?
With the village chief to bear witness, it would be easy to manage the situation. Once everyone knew that this elderly neighbour was dead, naturally they immediately hurled abuse and berated the pair of sisters for being scoundrels, causing them to be unable to lift their heads. The few elderly ladies who had been closer to maternal grandmother were especially harsh, cursing them repeatedly, hoping that they wouldn't die a good death.
A dog could even jump a wall when it was cornered, Qin Yu Lan was so scared that she wept endlessly. Instead, it was Qin Yu Zhi who immediately had yet another plan: "Everyone, don't be noisy, listen to me, my mother is dead, but it was true that she needed to undergo surgery before this, Qin Yu Fu not doing his filial duty before the sickbed is also the truth. Truly, us two sisters have taken care of our sickly mother till she left this world."
Qin Yu Lan thought of the combat plan she had thought out with her sister beforehand, and her eyes lit up: "That's right, that's right, our elderly mother only had this one son, she didn't even get to see him before she died, and so she was extremely grieved, saying that she would leave the house to us two sisters, and cannot let Qin Yu Fu this child that was picked up off lightly."
Picked up!
Heavens!
For the sake of money, even throwing away their face, what relatives? They truly had no sense of shame!
The foreman snorted disdainfully: "Relatives or not has nothing to do with it, as long as he's on the household register, he's the elderly's son in the eyes of the law."
At this moment, Shu Ning came out, holding on to the household register, laughing in his heart, these two idiots, their ability to cut off their own path of retreat was the best. This was good, there was no need to take a lot of trouble to persuade Uncle to cut all ties with them.
The village chief flipped through the household register page by page, nodding his head: "The household register has Qin Yu Fu's name."
Since they've already come to this stage, how could Qin Yu Lan give up just like this, with her red face and thick neck, she argued noisily: "Could it be that the words elderly mother said just before she died are considered invalid?"
The foreman frowned, if this pair of sisters bribed a few of the nurses to act as their witness, then this case would not be resolved smoothly.
Qin Yu Fu was someone even more stupid, even after thinking so long, he couldn't think of any ideas, his whole face going white. Especially that sentence about being picked up, nearly destroying him.
The surroundings began becoming explosive again. While people in the city wrote wills, villagers delivered them verbally or wrote on slips of paper.
"Oh?" Shu Ning laughed coldly, his gaze incomparably sharp: "I didn't know that you were both so filial. There's this thing that's called a monitoring device, there are surveillance cameras set up throughout all the hospital's doorways and corridors. Please tell everyone, how did you evade the monitoring devices to enter the ward. Could it be that you were dreaming in broad daylight?"
Once these words were spoken, everyone started smiling one by one. The pair of sisters' faces became extremely unsightly in an instant, wishing that they could dig a hole and hide in the ground. Now, there was no way to flip the tables, their reputation was soiled, similar to a stray rat on the street, being taught a lesson by everyone, giving Shu Ning a malicious glare before making their getaway, as if to say 'you just wait'.
After the farce was over, the funeral arrangements were set up over seven days. In that period, Qin Yu Zhi came back with a thicker skin, kneeling down to bawl loudly, as if it were real. She then pretended to faint, going into the house to rest, but actually hadn't given up yet, looking everywhere for the housing deed. After ending up empty handed, she even went through her younger brother's pants and coat, taking off with $20.
Shu Ning was guarded against her, after seeing that Qin Yu Zhi had gone into the house for 5 minutes, he purposely called for the tall and strong Aunt Zhang to go and take a look. Even after Qin Yu Zhi's plot was exposed and she was caught red handed, she still did not repent, trying to turn the tables. Aunt Zhang was incomparably honest and her reputation was good. 'pa pa pa!' After she gave a few slaps, Qin Yu Zhi was ashamed and unable to show her face, and did not appear again.
The second child's husband was a teacher, and had to keep his reputation clean, so Qin Yu Lan had no choice but to come, being forced to be busy both inside and outside. Even at night, she had to keep watch over the black and white photographs, seeing her elderly mother's kindly smiling face, she felt extremely scared, feeling that looking at anything caused her to panic and feel terrified! Her face was constantly pale and wan, she was constantly frightened.
Qin Yu Lan's heart was definitely unable to be peaceful, as long as she felt unwell, Shu Ning would be reassured. In the day, he was impolite to her, getting her to do this and that purposely in front on others, causing her to be extremely depressed, her gaze full of hate, but she had to do as instructed, really enjoyable! On the day of the burial, it was drizzling, Qin Yu Lan couldn't use the umbrella, having no choice but to kneel, after getting hope, she fell sick, experiencing many nightmares in her sleep.
The foreman's ability to handle affairs was very high, he had already found a reliable person to buy the house, Shu Ning participated from the beginning to end, selling the house for $5000. The houses in the village were not worth a lot of money, and it was even an old house that had been occupied for more than 10 years. Actually, there weren't many houses in the city more than 2 stories high, a majority were single-leveled bungalows. Shu Ning made a few calculations, because in a month, Qin Yu Zhuo would come to find him.
Buying a house required the foreman's help, Qin Yu Fu was unwilling, wanting to leave the money for Shu Ning, especially since this money was brought back by Third Sister during that time, he couldn't take it. The foreman tried to persuade Qin Yu Fu, even doing so for 2 days didn't work, in the end it was Shu Ning who took the deed and visited the construction site. Once the foreman saw this, he knew it was genuine, and attached more importance to this child.
Shu Ning had a brilliant smile on his face: "Uncle, do you want to go out with us to eat lunch?"
The foreman could tell with one glance that these two definitely had things to say to one another, so he waved a hand, taking his safety helmet, he went off.
There were countless small restaurants outside the construction site, Shu Ning ordered a plate of spare ribs, a plate of sweet and sour pork, and egg drop soup. These were all dishes that Uncle liked but were reluctant to eat.
Uncle put on a forced smile: "If the house has been bought, let it be, actually, I can just keep staying at the construction site, there's no need for a house. But you, on the other hand, you didn't think about your school fees. Forget it, after we finish eating, let's go get a bankbook for you, in the future, I'll pay your school fees."
Shu Ning looked at him being cheerless, could it be that he still hadn't gotten over it? With a bit of worry: "There's no doubt that you're my biological uncle, they said all that because they wanted to get the house. Uncle, they caused maternal grandmother's death and humiliated us… … do you still have affection for them?"
Qin Yu Fu was silent, the slice of sweet and sour pork he had picked up was put back down.
Shu Ning sighed, as expected, thus he gave a dose of harsh reality: "Have you gotten back any of the wages you've sent to eldest aunt over all these years?"
What's gone can never come back, it's gone forever.
Qin Yu Fu's complexion became gloomy as his whole body jolted, the corners of his eyes becoming moist: "They… … In the past, they weren't like this, I still remember when we were small, when it rained, the umbrellas at home were all taken, eldest sister would go to school to fetch me, using a large piece of plastic to cover my body, yet she herself was wet from head to toe. Second sister liked to tease me and make me laugh, once I laughed she would be happy, third sister… …" Babbling on non-stop, these were all the most beautiful memories, but it was a pity that things remained the same but people changed, there was no going back to those happy days.
Shu Ning did not speak, listening silently. By the time Qin Yu Fu finished saying all these, the dishes had all become cold. Such a big man even shed tears, but seeing that the air around him had become lighter, he had most likely accepted the situation.
After this, the two went to the bank to make two bankbooks, Shu Ning who was only 13 had no identity card, making it inconvenient to handle the matter. Before, the matter of buying the house had been done by proxy while using Uncle's identity card.
"Xiao Ning, Uncle lives with more than 10 workmates, it's not good to keep precious items here, why don't you keep the housing deed in the school?"
"Alright," the house that Shu Ning had bought was naturally not for people to stay in, but was for immediate relocation, it could earn a lot: "Uncle, keep our assets a secret, do not mention whatever happened today to anyone, if eldest and second aunt want your wages and come to the construction site to make trouble, just say that you borrowed a lot of money to make the funeral arrangements, let they pay back the money."
Qin Yu Fu laughed at this, knocking on Shu Ning's little head: "You're smart."
After separating, Shu Ning went to the Trading Hall to open an account and look at stocks, keeping only a few tens out of the thousand he had, he deposited everything into the account.
After returning back to the school, Shu Ning found that everyone, including the teachers, were looking at him with pity in their gazes, after asking, then did he know that this was the class monitor's masterpiece of an effort at publicizing his situation.
Not bad, not bad, truly a close friend! With this, all the villages in the area would know of their wicked conduct.
In an instant, a month passed like this, today, there was an unusually fashionable car parked outside the school.
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Hermit's Notes:
以牙还牙 - Chapter title. Direct translation is 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth'. But it was too long so I shortened it to 'Retaliation'.
铁腰杆 - translated as iron spine, but essentially the person the sisters will rely on when they marry into another family
素质 - not sure how to translate so I used 'character'. Similar words I thought of include: "class, quality".
犹如浸泡在酸菜缸里似的 - as if he had been immersed in a jar of pickles; I translated it as I saw it, because searching around didn't yield any results for recent slang etc. I'm thinking this refers to sour feeling, because pickles are sour.
狗急还能跳墙呢 - A dog could even jump a wall when it was cornered (literal translation)
骨头 - spare ribs (short form for spare rib dishes)
锅包肉 - sweet and sour pork (this dish is slightly different, using pork slices instead of small chunks)
这些年邮寄给大姨的工资拿回来了吗 - direct translation is to take the money back, but that doesn't quite fit the situation.
The current day of his previous life was an important day, Qin Yuzhuo had come to the school to see Shu Ning. Shu Ning who was sitting in the classroom stared peacefully at the blackboard, turning the pen in his hand while his mind wandered off.
As the class teacher knocked on the door, the English teacher lifted her glasses to take a better look before opening the door right away to speak with her. The class teacher spoke a few words with her before waving towards Shu Ning. Based on how vigorous the teacher looked, she must be very happy.
I guess it was understandable, a homeless child who had no parents and had also lost his grandmother, who wouldn't be happy if his mother came calling for him?
The class teacher brought Shu Ning to the director's office and Shu Ning stood there obediently, The school transfer procedures have already been completed and the director was speaking cheerfully with a very beautiful lady. This woman who did not have the air of a country bumpkin at all was Qin Yuzhuo. She could be considered unusual here as she didn't look like anyone else here. She was beautiful had an elegant temperament, the long floral dress fitted to her perfect body made her look even more charming while her decent way of speech made her seem like a well-bred girl and not just a pretty girl from a humble family.
Is this person really Shu Ning's birth mother?
The class teacher frowned subconsciously. She wasn't trying to adopt him, was she? This woman looks quite bright and beautiful, she definitely came from a big city, not someone they from the tier IV cities can be compared to. She then took a look at Shu Ning. He looked like a withering bean sprout, thin and shriveled with dull hair, wearing faded clothes.
Shu Ning gave a simple greeting to his uncle, and only then was the class teacher relieved.
There was a laborer standing at the corner. He had seemingly just left from work as his shoes were covered in mud…
After their greetings, Qin Yuzhuo held the procedure papers and leaned down with tearful eyes, her hands hesitated, as if afraid of frightening the child. Before she even hugged him, she said, "I…I am your mother."
Her voice was very quiet, those who did not understand the situation would definitely think that Qin Yuzhuo was feeling so emotional that she could not control herself.
Shu Ning raised his brows and looked at the beautiful woman dazedly, observing her. A sense of unhappiness flashed past Qin Yuzhuo's eyes but she raised a sweet smile. Her real intentions were revealed. Under normal circumstances, she would probably be ashamed and regretful after seeing the son that she had abandoned for more than ten years. But she was the executive assistant of a CEO after all. She was very knowledgable but she was heartless, and naturally she would not be afraid to face him.
Qin Yuzhuo's appearance and temperament were actually not that outstanding, it just depends on who she's being compared to. At his father's company she was practically transparent. But, hardworking, and responsible, she managed to settle down in the executive assistant position for 15 years. Her ability to cope with situations was not uncommon in the city.
"Xiao Ning!"Qin Yuzhuo spread her arms out, watching in anticipation.
The Shu Ning of today is not the same as the foolish one from before, believing anything he's told. He took two steps back with doubt. "Didn't my mother die?"
The mask on Qin Yuzhuo's face cracked faintly. Covering her mouth, she immediately cried while she gazed towards the garbage-like Qin Yufu as if asking for help. If not for the fact that she needed him to be a witness, there was no way Qin Yuzhuo would lower her status to stand in the same room as him.
Qin Yufu gave Shu Ning's shoulder a pat and sighed. "She's your mother, my sister…had her own difficulties. During that time she got drunk and woke up in bed with someone, getting pregnant before marriage and all, she was so scared that she nearly…But she knew she had to stay strong when she thought of you. Xiao Ning, you are still young, you don't understand adult problems. Please don't blame her for what she did."
Shu Ning gave a snort of contempt. What, you want me to thank her as well?
How could these words be said in front of outsiders? He's seriously hopeless. All the things she was hinting to him earlier was all wasted effort. Qin Yuzhuo was furious but she did out lash out. She wanted to pull Shu Ning's hand but didn't expect for him to evade her again. It seems that it may require some effort for her to gain his favor.
The class teacher quickly came to smooth things over, "Are you still attending class today?"
Qin Yuzhuo pretended to force a smile, her finger lightly dabbing the bottom of her eye, wiping away the tears. "No, I'd like to take Shu Ning out so we can find a good place to talk. The sooner we can unravel the shackles of this child's heart, the earlier we can move on to a better life together."
Qin Yufu took the lead and walked out. After Shu Ning said his goodbyes to the teachers, he left.
In a cafe, Qin Yufu had only taken one sip of coffee before his face scrunched up in bitterness, and ordered a cup of water instead.
The look of a poor person, how shameful. Qin Yuzhuo shook her head. she looked towards Shu Ning and curved up the corners of her mouth, smiling sweetly. "Don't take your uncle's words to heart. Even if your mother is alone, I would not abandon you no matter how hard it is. Before, your mother had no house and no savings. I could only feel assured by leaving you in my hometown. You've grown up and you've also wisened up now. You can understand your mother's hardships, right?"
Qin Yuzhuo saw Shu Ning lightly furrow his brows and knew she had some hope, she spared a few glanced to Qin Yufu, but that man only cared about drinking water…Qin Yuzhuo gave him kick, albeit a really light one, because this baggage had been dumb since young. how should she explain it if he ended up asking why she kicked him? Today was her first meeting with Shu Ning, she could not afford to leave a bad impression.
Qin Yufu cleared his throat and said, "Xiao Ning, you should go with your mother."
Qin Yuzhuo also struck while the iron was hot. Her teary eyes sparkled. "Xiao Ning, let's not be separated anymore, ok?"
Shu Ning couldn't not return, Shu Cheng had already known about the existence of such a son, and naturally wouldn't let him continue living out in the wilds. But he would be doing himself a wrong if he just agreed so easily. He at least had to make some trouble to make life worthwhile, right?
Qin Yuzhuo's face had already filled with tears, she choked, "Xiao Ning, forgive mother, please? For you, I'm willing to go talk to your father so he can give you a warm home. You'll live with your mother and father, and even have a little brother to accompany you in the future. How about it?"
It sounds like a great idea, but the prerequisite is to kill off dad's eldest son, right?
She had not even seen what kind of character that Shu Heng was. His mind was so clever that it was inhumane. Sometimes Shu Ning would think in frustration, was he actually the reincarnation of a supreme bastard?
Since Shu Ning could be reborn, that other people can be devils too, right?
He was no match for them so he'd be better off holding onto his "future wisdom" to make a fortune, happily becoming a rich playboy, buying a sports car, drinking expensive alcohol, and finding a man to pass the days, without ever having to step foot in the office. That way Big Brother Shu Heng could relax as well.
"Xiao Ning! Xiao Ning, why are you not talking?" Qin Yuzhuo's face was looking really bad now. Could it be that this child was dumb like her little brother? He would be of no use then, might as well kept everything from him till the end.
She subconsciously rubbed her stomach. A small life was already growing in here. If the child didn't grow by your side then they wouldn't see you as family after all. He wouldn't even spare her a glance.
Qin Yuzhuo glared at Qin Yufu. He gulped and thought about what his sister had said to him in front of the construction site. Naturally, it wouldn't do for Shu Ning to live alone at this age. An adolescent child required the love of their parents. Qin Yufu also believed that his sister's words made sense. Third sister really was pitiful back then. That man didn't even know Xiao Ning existed. It was too absurd after all, suddenly getting drunk and getting a woman pregnant. How could his family be ruined just like that?
The folks in the countryside were simple and honest, so they felt that what Qin Yuzhuo did was right. They just didn't agree with her decision to have the child. Being an unmarried woman with a child will definitely destroy her future!
But third sister still gave birth to Shu Ning. Qin Yufu felt that his sister was very brave. His eyes reddened. "Xiao Ning, your mother's heart has already been broken because of what happened to your grandmother, you should comfort her."
Shu Ning sneered in his heart, but he went with it. "You should give grandma a kowtow before we go."
Qin Yuzhuo's hand that was holding the coffee cup paused for a moment, feeling slightly uncomfortable. But since things have come to this, she could only do it.
Qin Yuzhuo was wearing heels when she returned. The mountain roads were rugged, so with a step and a stumble, she reached the gravestone and knelt down, offering three bows, and gave a good cry. You had to go all the way if you were going to act, and she made it look just like it was real.
Shu Ning narrowed his eyes while his ears were filled with his uncle's persuasions, saying his sister did not have it easy, being a lone woman going to work in the morning and studying at night, working hard to earn a qualification certificate. She could not have handled a child at all, it's not that she didn't love you, otherwise she wouldn't have borrowed money to build a house for you, afraid that Shu Ning would live a life of hardships and whatnot, he made it sound so reasonable that…it didn't fit his IQ at all!
"She told you to say all this?"
His uncle pursed his lips. "Your mother wants you to live well, so be good, Xiao Ning. Go live out your days well with sister."
"If she really meant well, she would have tried to even make a single call to me. She abandoned me for over ten years. She had already abandoned all her loved ones." Shu Ning saw that his uncle wanted to refute, so he quickly added, "She only contacted you today because I've never seen her, and you were a suitable choice for a mediator. Think about what eldest aunt and second aunt's mouths were like. What could they help her with? Only you were honest and gullible."
His uncle was silent and he lowered his head.
Shu Ning did not want him to feel bad either, but some words had to be said or he would never find out. "The skirt she wore would cost at least thirty thousand, diamond necklace, a hundred and seventy thousand, and do you know how much her car costs? Three million and eight hundred thousand."
Qin Yufu sucked in a breath, he was almost shocked to death. "Don't talk blindly about things you don't even know about."
If Qin Yuzhuo offered her some money, his grandmother would be able to have fish and meat, and even live the rest of her life comfortably, so why was she left to die in the hospital?
"Uncle, is it that you don't believe anything I say at all? Take note of the car model and go back to ask the foreman. This is the phone I bought using the money left over from buying the house. You hold onto it. After I leave, I'll call you often. Oh and, she mentioned my real father just now. I reckon the two are already together, otherwise she would not have any thoughts to pick me up. You can rest assured, I'll be good."
Qin Yufu could not resist hugging Shu Ning's thin little body and sighed continuously, the phone he was holding was so light, yet it felt like it weighed as much as a mountain. His voice immediately became hoarse. "Xiao Ning, if you aren't living happily then come back, uncle will raise you."
Shu Ning held both his hands up and tightly hugged them around his uncle's waist!
Qin Yuzhuo cried for a good moment and stood up. Her legs were so weak that she nearly toppled over. She was scared pale as she held her stomach. Would she perhaps feel regretful if she found that that Shu Nin had already brought Qin Yufu to his side when she was still acting?
Qin Yufu frowned and his emotions were overflowing. he began to notice his sister's every move, but he didn't think that his sister was how Shu Ning had described her at all. From time to time, she would even offer him a few words on concern. She was gentle and sweet just like when they were young.
But Qin Yufu was not stupid. His sister maintained a considerable distance between them from start to end. They had no contact at all…She did not even give him her number.
Of course, Qin Yuzhuo never kowtowed to his grandma in his past life. Shu Ning got in the car and left the village, bringing nothing with him. Qin Yuzhuo will buy new ones. Knowing that she must not allow the atmosphere to grow awkward, Qin Yuzhuo tried to find some things to talk about even if she had nothing to say, like a mother carefully currying the favor of her child.
Was she happy that she was able to bring her target home successfully? There was no way Shu Ning would give her what she wanted. "Why did you not contact me for all these years?"