In the end, there was only one possible outcome.
He would get a beating, then continue kneeling—to heaven, to earth, and to the family ancestors.
“Get inside.” Liu Aihua felt both love and hatred toward this son of his. At that moment, he truly wanted to club the brat to death—or ask his wife if it was still possible for them to have another child.
He had two sons.
One was a military rascal, as stubborn as a bull.
The boy had always been an outstanding student. Liu Aihua had once believed someone would inherit his career and become a teacher like him.
Instead, the little brat hadn’t even said a word before running off to join the army.
Sigh…
Then there was his younger son, Liu Changyun.
“Dad, since Older Brother likes being a soldier, just let him go. I’ll inherit your career in the future and devote myself to teaching and enlightening students.”
Teaching, my foot.
That overconfident little fool should’ve looked at his own grades first.
How had he ever believed such nonsense?
The more he thought about it, the more he regretted it.
He even found himself wondering whether his wife could still have a third child at this age.
This son…
He really couldn’t handle him anymore.
The boy was simply too exhausting.
These past few days, Liu Aihua hadn’t even dared stroll around the residential courtyard compound.
He was afraid of running into Zhou Kun and his wife.
After all, his own good-for-nothing son had talked their daughter into skipping school.
When his brother-in-law had come looking for him, he had refused to believe that a daughter from the Zhou family would do something like this.
It had to be his unreliable son who had instigated everything.
Liu Changyun was dragged away by the ear.
“I’m heading home first! See you all at school tomorrow!”
With his head tilted awkwardly because of the ear-pulling, Liu Changyun shouted back to Zhou Yuwei and the others.
“Dad! Ouch! That hurts! Go easy!”
“I should go too.”
When Cao Bingkun saw his mother standing there, her eyes filled with disappointment, he hurried over.
“Mom…”
Mother Cao said nothing.
She merely glanced at Zhou Yuwei and the others before turning and walking away.
Zhou Yuwei rubbed her nose.
Why did she feel like Mother Cao’s eyes were filled with dislike toward her?
“Bingkun and his mom only have each other now,” Xu Zitao explained. “So don’t take it personally. His mom only wants him to get into college.”
“What about the rest of his family?”
“Bingkun’s dad works in a coal mine in Shanxi. His older brother died in the earthquake a few years ago. His older sister ran away with a poet and hasn’t come back in years. The other two younger siblings are still in school.”
He paused before adding,
“Bingkun studies really hard too, but his mom still keeps an incredibly close eye on him.”
“I can understand that. After all, he’s her only son now.”
Zhou Yuwei nodded.
“By the way, were you lining up to buy books that day? What kind of books require people to queue up like that?”
She was genuinely curious.
Why would buying books require standing in line?
“Bingkun loves foreign novels, so we all queued up to help him buy them. Imported books are only available a couple of days each month, so there are always lots of people waiting.”
So that was it.
Then Zhou Yuwei suddenly remembered something.
“Older Sister, you head back first,” she said to Zhou Yulan. “I’ll go return the money to Grandma Xu.”
“Okay. Don’t stay out too late.”
With that, Zhou Yulan walked toward the back courtyard.
After entering the backyard, she thought for a moment, then turned around and went back out.
She took one hundred yuan from the money she’d earned, went to the department store to buy something, then stopped by the post office. She added several more ten-yuan notes and mailed them together with the item she had just purchased.
Meanwhile, Cao Bingkun followed his mother home.
Mother Cao didn’t say a single word.
She simply sat in a chair, tears streaming down her face.
With one hand, she picked up the framed photograph of her eldest son from the table, wiping it gently as she cried silently.
This was what Cao Bingkun feared most.
Every time his mother acted like this, it was to force him into admitting he was wrong.
“Mom… I was wrong.”
He knelt.
Honestly, he’d rather his mother be like Uncle Liu—chasing Liu Changyun around with a broom, giving him a beating now and then, glaring at him, or scolding him without holding back.
Anything would be better than this silent crying.
Mother Cao’s hand paused briefly.
Then she resumed wiping the photograph.
“Mom, I said I was wrong. I really know I was wrong. But I didn’t mean anything else by it. I just wanted to earn money so I could pay Changyun and Zitao back.”
After all, over the years, they had always been the ones lending him money to buy books.
“…Mm.”
Mother Cao spoke only that single syllable.
She continued wiping the photograph.
“Mom… I’m sorry. I won’t do this again.”
“It’s your father and I who failed you. If we’d been more capable… if we could’ve earned more money… you wouldn’t have ended up like this.”
“Mom… what do you want me to do?”
At that, Mother Cao finally stopped wiping the photograph and looked up at him.
“First, when you get to school tomorrow morning, the very first thing you’ll do is apologize to Teacher Lin.”
Cao Bingkun nodded.
“Second, from now on, stay away from that Zhou Yuwei girl.”
She simply didn’t like her.
Not only was the girl too alluring-looking, but after only a few days, she’d already led her son into skipping school.
“Mom, Yuwei—”
“If you won’t listen to me, then don’t bother going to school tomorrow. In fact, don’t ever go again!”
Mother Cao suddenly exploded in anger.
That child absolutely could not continue associating with the Zhou family’s little girl.
He had actually argued with his own mother because of her.
Bingkun had never dared do that before.
“Mom, I earned money. Without Yuwei, there was no way I could’ve earned over five hundred yuan in just three days.”
He took out the money he had set aside to repay Changyun and Zitao, then placed everything else in front of his mother.
“I don’t care about your money! What’s the use of having money if you can’t get into college? I’d rather stay poor for the rest of my life!”
Mother Cao shouted hysterically.
“Why?”
Cao Bingkun finally couldn’t take it anymore.
“Older Brother died, but I’m still alive! Why do I have to sacrifice myself just to fulfill his unfulfilled dream?”
For the past several years, his mother had become almost obsessive, watching over his studies every single day.
Just because his older brother had died in the earthquake while preparing for the college entrance examination…
Did that mean he had to be the one to get into university?
“Why do you think I moved us here? It was to give you a better environment to study in! If it weren’t for getting you into a university in Beijing, why would we have gone through all this trouble?”
“But Mom, that’s not my—”
Before Cao Bingkun could finish speaking, he saw his mother holding a knife against her own throat.
“Will you promise me or not?”
For one brief moment, life felt unbearably meaningless.
He wanted to snatch the knife away…
…and turn it on himself.
But he knew he absolutely couldn’t.
If he did…
His older sister and his father would never come back either.
“I promise.”
Cao Bingkun’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“I promise you everything.”
“Grandma!”
Xu Zitao called toward Grandma Xu, who was sitting beside the kitchen stove.
“You’re back.”
That meant their business had gone well and they’d made money.
“Grandma Xu, I’m here to return the money.”
Zhou Yuwei handed her an envelope.
“Perfect timing. The food’s still warm. You can stay and eat.”
Grandma Xu accepted the envelope with a cheerful smile.
“You all eat. I’ll head home first.”
“Stay and have dinner with Zitao.”
She chuckled.
“As for Changyun, he’ll probably only be eating a meal of bamboo switches tonight. And Bingkun… I doubt he’ll be able to come out either.”
Zhou Yuwei fell silent.
“Grandma Xu… was I wrong this time?”
She really had overlooked something.
She had forgotten that they were all still high school seniors, right in the most important stage of their final year.
She herself had already experienced the college entrance examination once in her previous life and had graduated from a prestigious university.
She was confident that after a little review, passing the exam again wouldn’t be difficult.
But the others…
Grandma Xu shook her head.
“This has nothing to do with you. They made their own choices.”
“Changyun isn’t really cut out for studying. As for Bingkun and Zitao, they’re both excellent students. Missing one day of school won’t make any real difference.”
She sighed.
“But some people simply can’t see that children need a balance between work and rest.”
“Sometimes, after enduring all the hardship, what lies ahead isn’t rock candy…”
“…but an even deeper abyss.”
She slowly shook her head.
“Unless it’s absolutely necessary, don’t romanticize suffering. If there’s a way around hardship, then find a way around it.”
Zhou Yuwei couldn’t have agreed more.
After finishing dinner at Grandma Xu’s house, she left.
Only then did Grandma Xu ask Xu Zitao,
“So, what did you learn from this trip?”
She had always believed children should learn as much as possible from real life.
Experiences like these would be invaluable to his future.
A person should never confine themselves beneath a single roof.
One ought to get out and see more of the world. Even Confucius traveled among the various states before becoming a great scholar.
“I learned how to pick good eggs, how to keep them from breaking, and, most importantly, I saw how money can make more money. I also got to see scenery I’d never seen before.”
As Xu Zitao spoke, he soaked his grandmother’s feet and massaged the soles of them.
“I learned a lot and saw a lot. It was definitely worthwhile.”
“It really was.” He smiled. “Everyone got 540 yuan. I never imagined that the first time I did business, I’d earn several hundred yuan.”
It was something he had never even dreamed of before.
Xu Zitao took the money out of his pocket and tried to hand it to his grandmother.
“You earned it yourself, so keep it.” Grandma Xu waved her hand for him to put it away. “Didn’t you just say you learned how money makes more money? Then use your own brain and figure out how to make this money earn even more.”
“I…”
The question genuinely left him speechless.
“It’s fine if you’re confused. Learn little by little. Just keep following behind those who know what they’re doing and watch carefully.”
There was meaning behind Grandma Xu’s words.
Xu Zitao nodded.
As soon as Zhou Yuwei stepped out of the Xu family’s house, she heard noises coming from next door, where the Liu family lived.
Hmm…
It sounded pretty intense.
Next time, she’d definitely have to think things through more carefully before doing something like this.
When Zhou Yuwei got home—
“You’re back!”
Lin Hongmei looked excited.
“Where’s your older sister?”
“She hasn’t come back yet?”
Hadn’t Zhou Yulan returned before she did?
“No. I haven’t seen her.”
Just as they were talking, Zhou Yulan and Zhou Kun walked in together.
“You’re back. Yulan, where did you go?”
Zhou Yulan didn’t answer.
“Are you girls hungry? I made egg pancakes for you.”
The cafeteria’s head chef had secretly saved a little cornmeal for Lin Hongmei and let her bring it home for the children because the family had run out of grain.
Zhou Yuwei handed the money to Lin Hongmei.
“Keep your own money.”
“But we’re out of food. We can use it to buy some grain.”
“N-No, there’s no need.”
Originally, she had planned to use the money to buy grain over the next couple of days.
But then Yuwei had wanted to start the egg business.
So she had given her every penny the family had—money that had come from Zhou Kun selling his job.
That was why she no longer had any money to buy grain.
Although Zhou Kun had been going around repairing furniture for people, the work only brought in a few yuan a day.
It would probably take quite a while before they earned enough to buy food.
“Mom, why are you being so polite with us?” Zhou Yuwei smiled as she stuffed the money into her mother’s hands. “You worked so hard to support this family before. Now it’s our turn to take care of you.”
After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Yulan also handed over her share.
“Mom, Yuwei’s right. From now on, we’ll work hard and earn money to support the family.”
Lin Hongmei suddenly felt a lump in her throat.
“All right. I’ll keep it safe for you. If either of you ever needs money, just let me know.”
…
Early the next morning—
“Zhou Yuwei! Hurry up!”
Liu Changyun was already shouting outside her house at daybreak.
“What is it?”
Zhou Yuwei stuck her head out the door.
“What do you mean, ‘What is it?’ Don’t you have school? Aren’t you planning to get into college anymore?”
“Changyun, Yuwei hasn’t fully recovered yet,” Lin Hongmei explained.
“Recovered from what? She’s been running around outside these past few days without any problems. Hurry up! Time waits for no one! Once it’s gone, it’s gone! Now’s the time to work hard!”
Zhou Yuwei was speechless.
Looks like his dad really put him through the wringer yesterday.
“All right, all right. I’ll be right out.”
She went back inside to grab her schoolbag.
“Zitao, where’s Bingkun?”
“He left for school first thing this morning.”
Xu Zitao tossed a steamed bun to Zhou Yuwei and another to Liu Changyun.
“Meat buns! Big meat buns!”
“My grandma steamed them early this morning.”
The two of them wheeled their bicycles out.
“Zhou Yuwei, can you ride a bike?”
“I… think so.”
She looked at the heavy twenty-eight-inch bicycle with little confidence.
“Then ride mine. I’ll ride with Zitao.”
Liu Changyun jumped onto the back of Xu Zitao’s bicycle.
“Hurry up!”
Gritting her teeth, Zhou Yuwei swung herself onto the bicycle.
…
“Now that’s a unique riding posture!”
Liu Changyun laughed shamelessly.
“Hahaha! You look so awkward!”
“My legs are short, okay?”
What’s so funny about that?
It wasn’t as though she’d never ridden a bicycle before.
Back when she was in school in her previous life, she had always ridden one herself. She had refused to let her grandfather send a car to pick her up, and her grandmother had also thought it would be too ostentatious.
So she had ridden her bicycle to school throughout her second year of high school.
Only after that incident had happened did her grandfather say,
“When it’s time to be high-profile, you should be. Otherwise, people with no sense will always think they can bully you.”
So it wasn’t that she didn’t know how to ride.
It was simply that this old-style bicycle was too heavy.
She wasn’t used to it yet, so she wobbled from side to side.
“Hey! Watch out! Don’t hit anyone!”
Liu Changyun hurriedly warned her.
Trying to avoid a pedestrian, Zhou Yuwei quickly swerved.
Bang!
A loud crash echoed through the street.
The bicycle slammed into a wall.
“Uncle Guan! Are you okay?”
Xu Zitao and the others immediately rushed over to check on the elderly man.
“I’m fine. Was that the Zhou family’s girl?”
Only then did the two boys remember Zhou Yuwei, who was still sitting on the bicycle, supporting herself with both feet on the ground, staring blankly without saying a word.
“My bicycle…”
The front wheel had completely fallen off.
Zhou Yuwei was dumbfounded as well.
Wasn’t everyone supposed to say that bicycles from this era were built like tanks?
“The quality’s definitely fine! I’ve been riding it for over three years already! Zhou Yuwei, you…”
“I’ll pay to have it repaired.”
“Forget it. Please don’t touch my beloved bike anymore. We’ll fix it ourselves after we get back. Come on—we’re going to be late.”
…
After school—
“Bingkun, what’s with you? Why’d you leave by yourself this morning?”
“I had something to do.”
“Oh.”
“Aren’t you leaving?”
“We’re waiting for Zhou Yuwei. What’s taking her class so long to get out?”
“Then I’ll go first.”
The moment Cao Bingkun heard Zhou Yuwei’s name, he lowered his head.
“Oh… okay. Wait, you’re leaving first?”
Liu Changyun looked at him in surprise.
“I’ve got something to do. See you.”
Watching Cao Bingkun’s retreating figure, Liu Changyun muttered,
“I’m guessing it’s because of what happened yesterday. Aunt Cao probably doesn’t want him walking with us anymore.”
He didn’t have the heart to say that it was probably more accurate to say Aunt Cao didn’t want him getting anywhere near Zhou Yuwei.
After all, when he’d delivered the pancakes Grandma Xu had made to the Cao family yesterday, he had overheard part of their conversation.