Zhao Cheng turned around and said with extreme seriousness, "This family is a burden, and so am I."
Xia Weiliang didn't know why, but she stood up and went over, slapping him twice on the backside!
"You hit me?!"
Zhao Cheng rubbed his backside, shocked, "You're so good-looking, why do you hit people!"
Xia Weiliang glared at him and said angrily, "Who told you to call yourself a burden? Let me tell you, no one is anyone's burden!"
Zhao Cheng shot her a look and pouted, "If it weren't for me, my mom might have left here long ago!"
"That's because she loves you!"
Do not offer advice to others without having experienced their hardship.
Before, she thought Zhao Cheng's mother was too selfish, but seeing how well Zhao Cheng had been raised, she felt she might have been wrong.
Perhaps, the one who was most heartbroken was not Zhao Cheng, but his mother.
Zhao Cheng looked at her intently, then sat down in a corner, took off his shoes, and placed them by the stove to dry.
Seeing his small feet covered in frostbite, Xia Weiliang felt her heart ache so much that tears welled up.
"Zhao Cheng, I'm here to ask you to come back to school."
Zhao Cheng was blunt, "I'm not going."
"Why?"
"What's so good about school? In two more years, when I turn fourteen, the village chief won't be able to control me, and I'll go out to make money!" Sudan Fiction Network
Xia Weiliang didn't rush to persuade him. Instead, she asked, "What do you want to do with the money you earn?"
He looked around, completely serious, "My house is too run-down, I want to renovate it." He pointed to the inner room, "Paint those walls white, and buy a really, really soft bed, and a television..."
He then pointed outside, "And tidy up the yard, like Sixi Zi's house, raise a few sheep, and some chickens. Chickens lay eggs, and the eggs can be used to nourish my mom."
Zhao Cheng said whatever came to mind, and Xia Weiliang just listened quietly.
When Xiao Yi pushed the door open, he saw her sitting at the entrance, resting her chin on her hand, gazing intently at the child opposite her.
It seemed like no one had listened to him speak so quietly for a long time. Zhao Cheng was unusually talkative today, even recounting stories from the past. When his father was sick and the village couldn't treat him, his mother carried him over the mountains to town.
A woman weighing only eighty-odd jin, carrying her seriously ill husband, trudging step by step over this great mountain. Xia Weiliang couldn't bear to imagine the scene.
Her eyes welled up, and she quietly wiped them away with the back of her hand.
Someone came to her side, looked down at her, and without disturbing her, leaned against her quietly, watching the two of them.
Zhao Cheng stared at the stove fire, his small feet warming by the heat. With a provincial accent, he spoke plainly about his past life, when he had grandparents, parents, and a little dog named Erha.
He said he called it Erha because he always heard it on TV and thought it sounded fashionable.
Oh, right, the television was at Sixi Zi's house. He always liked to curl up there to watch TV. His mother would call him a few times, and he would pretend not to hear. Finally, his mother had to come personally and drag him back by the ear.
He smiled, "It's so good now, no one bothers me anymore, I can come back whenever I want."
Xia Weiliang said nothing, but stood up, walked over, and hugged him from behind.
Zhao Cheng was startled, as if hit by a powerful force, and panicked, "What are you doing? My mom said, except for your own wife, you can't hug other women... Let go quickly, how will I find a wife when I grow up like this?!"
Xia Weiliang sniffled and hugged his small shoulders, saying, "Zhao Cheng, can you not be so sensible from now on?"
Zhao Cheng fell silent again.
Xia Weiliang choked back a sob and whispered, "You're still a child. You can be willful, you can throw a tantrum, you can... cry and keep your mother. But you... don't be so sensible from now on."
Zhao Cheng lowered his head and said with the resigned tone of an old soul, "My dad told me that after he left, it would be my turn to protect my mom. She's too tired, she hasn't rested all these years..."
He suddenly added, "I secretly went to that man's house. His family seems to be doing quite well. I heard from the village chief that with his conditions, he could marry someone better, but he just liked my mom."
Lowering his head, his voice became even softer, "I can't be a burden to her. I'm still young, but she's no longer young."
Xia Weiliang couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears.
Her crying startled Zhao Cheng, "Why are you crying? Hey, hey, hey, you all saw that, I didn't bully her..."
Xiao Yi remained silent the entire time, but his gaze towards her softened, as if she were the only treasure in the world.
Xiao Shuai, while patting her, also wiped away tears, so the image presented was one of occasional wobbling.
"What's wrong with you, child, making people feel so sorry for you... Woo woo woo..."
Compared to Zhao Cheng, Xia Weiliang realized how incredibly fortunate she was!
At least, she didn't have to worry about material needs. In fact, she had experienced things that ordinary people couldn't even imagine!
When she was abandoned by the Xia family, she also had a career to strive for, a goal to work towards! She no longer needed anyone to protect her; she could stand on her own!
Looking at Zhao Cheng again, she felt even more ashamed.
As a human being, who doesn't suffer?
So, what was the point of being melodramatic!
Seeing her cry uncontrollably, Zhao Cheng sighed heavily like an adult, "Women, they're so troublesome!"
Saying that, he looked up at Xiao Yi, tilted his chin up, frowned, and said seriously, "If you're a man, take responsibility for your own woman. Hmph, don't expect me to handle your troubles!"
Xiao Shuai: "?!"
Zhao Cheng, did you come out of Tai Shang Lao Jun's alchemical furnace?
Xiao Yi raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips.
He walked over seemingly lazily, but his movements were not slow at all. He took out a tissue, unfolded it, and placed it on her face.
Xia Weiliang was still in a heightened emotional state. When she reacted, she glared at him, "What are you covering?"
What, you want to send her away that badly!
Xiao Yi seemed to ponder for a moment and said, "Next time, let's use a red one."
Xiao Shuai: "???!!"
Pat?
Or not pat?
This was too difficult for him!
On the other hand, Zhao Cheng was leaning on his hand, looking at the two of them, with a calm expression as if he had seen it all before.
Comparing himself to them, Xiao Shuai felt he was inferior to a child.
So, after calming down, he steadied the camera again.
Xia Weiliang wiped her nose and said sheepishly, "I didn't really want to cry..."
Zhao Cheng waved his hand, "It's okay, women love to cry."
Xiao Yi, rarely speaking, said in a hoarse voice, "No matter the reason, you have to go to school."
"Mhmm, mhmm!" Xia Weiliang nodded vigorously, "Zhao Cheng, you're still too young. No matter what you want to do, only by studying hard will you have the right to choose your life in the future, instead of being chosen!"
Although he didn't quite understand the concept of choosing or being chosen, Zhao Cheng was resolute, "I won't. It's too much of a waste of time! In these few years of school, think of how much money I could earn! My house is waiting for me to fix it!"
Xiao Yi stared at him and suddenly asked, "After fixing the house, will you bring your mother back?"
Zhao Cheng froze and lowered his head, falling silent.