Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Shen Jingyu sat comfortably across from Gu Zheng, both of them leisurely sipping tea.
"You really don't understand your son, do you? He's not the type to be overwhelmed by curiosity and chase after us," Gu Zheng remarked.
In a hidden cellar at the side of the backyard, two large men were squeezed together uncomfortably.
Shen Huai cast a silent glance: "I left when my son was just a few years old. Was his sense of exploration the same back then as it is now?"
Su Bokan snorted coldly, "Well, figure something out. If he doesn't leave, what am I supposed to do when I need to use the bathroom?"
Shen Huai glared at him, "Why didn’t you clean up before hiding here? If they don’t leave soon, can you really hold it in?"
Su Bokan pouted, "How was I supposed to know that little girl would bring people here? I just drank too much tea; I can hold on for another half hour at most!"
Shen Huai said coolly, "Then you might as well go out now instead of holding it in for so long!"
Given their understanding of the situation, these two had likely discovered something and decided to confront it head-on. Eventually, they would have to face it anyway; better to prepare mentally and deal with it when they met.
Meanwhile, in the front room, Shen Jingyu was chatting with his uncle. "After living with my aunt for so long, do you have any understanding of pharmacology?"
Gu Zheng shook his head slightly. "These things can't be learned just from living. Your aunt once told me that I know nothing about medicine."
"That doesn’t stop me from being able to understand," Shen Jingyu thought. These two had been cooped up for so long that they probably felt like they were being kept like specimens in a jar!
The medicinal smell in the room had almost seeped into the floorboards!
"I really want to go back quickly," Shen Jingyu suddenly blurted out.
Gu Zheng looked momentarily stunned before breaking into a smile. "Ah, so you miss Su Xing!"
Sighing, he continued, "I miss your aunt too! I wonder if she has figured out a way to treat that girl’s illness yet? She’s been working day and night! You better show your aunt some respect when you get back! Don’t act like you did before with that sour face all the time!"
"She doesn’t owe you anything! Just because she has such an older brother? Cowardly as a mouse! Too ashamed to show her face after a little disfigurement?"
"Imagine if she were like those patients in hospitals who are terminally ill, counting down their days—wouldn’t the whole world have to stop turning for her?"
At that moment, Shen Huai, who had been eavesdropping from behind, stopped in his tracks. How had his family come to understand his situation this way? What did they mean by him being too scared to go out and being cowardly as a mouse?
"This is simply nonsense! Gu Zheng, you fool! Who gave you permission to arrange things like this behind Da Jiu's back?!"
Shen Huai's voice remained as authoritative as ever. It seemed that his vocal cords had suffered some damage, preventing him from speaking too loudly; otherwise, it would come out in a hoarse, cracked manner.
Hearing that familiar yet strange voice, Shen Jingyu slowly stood up from his chair. The man who walked in from outside seemed to have lost the imposing stature Shen Jingyu remembered from his childhood.
Shen Huai's face was not only lined with deep wrinkles but also bore the mark of a chunk of flesh that appeared to have been violently removed from his left cheek. There was no need to identify his hair, as his entire scalp was covered in scars from burns, making one side of his ear asymmetrical.
A pang of bitterness filled Shen Jingyu's heart, accompanied by a heavy sense of sorrow. Once, his father had been handsome and strong, like a god in his eyes. But today, that illusion shattered effortlessly, leaving him feeling light and hollow.
"I'm sorry to meet you like this, Dad," he thought. "I truly am not presentable anymore."
The awkwardness radiating from Shen Huai made Shen Jingyu feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. Why hadn't he come to find his father sooner? Or why hadn't he managed to locate him earlier?
However, there was someone else following behind—Su Bokan—who had also lost all his hair, with burns nearly identical to Shen Huai's.
Shen Jingyu and Gu Zheng both concluded that they must have been lying down at the time; perhaps their backs bore scars as well. The most heartbreaking sight was Su Bokan's thigh, which was now completely empty below a certain point.
"Dad," Shen Jingyu addressed both men with the same title.
Before Shen Huai could embrace his son excitedly, Su Bokan had already thrown a fit.
"When did I ever have a son with you? You can't just call me that!" Su Bokan clearly took things more lightly than Shen Huai.
Gu Zheng chimed in, "That's right! You didn't even give the kid a red envelope for meeting you or anything! Why should he call you Dad?!"
"Get lost! Gu Shitou, do you not know your place? This is a reunion between father and son! What right do you have to speak here?!"
Gu Zheng's imposing demeanor remained unchanged. "Su Dashan! Don't call me by that nickname! As if you have any right to!"
After such a long time apart, you’re still so cheeky, huh? I wonder how my Brother Da Jiu has managed to tolerate you!
"Come on! Let's step outside and spar a bit. I want to see how much you can still bounce on that leg of yours!"
"Old man! Do you dare to poke at my sore spot? Just watch me send you flying today! I can knock your teeth out with just one hand, do you believe it?!"
Gu Zheng hooked his arm around Su Dashan's shoulder, gripping the armrest of his wheelchair with one hand as they made their way to the yard.
In truth, the two of them were just trying to give the father and son some space.
Inside the small room filled with the fragrance of medicine, the father and son faced each other. The glance they exchanged felt like a return to the past, yet it also carried the weight of their prolonged silence.
"Son, please, sit down." Shen Huai's voice was thick with emotion.
"I heard that your mother passed away?" he asked reluctantly, confirming what he had heard.
They both returned to their previous seats. This time, Shen Huai poured another cup of tea for his son, as if this simple act could ease the guilt in his heart.
Shen Jingyu's voice came out somewhat hoarsely: "Dad, without you around, she hasn't been doing well. Maybe she knew you weren't dead; she just didn't want to live anymore."
Perhaps it was because he didn’t want to go back and see her. Shen Jingyu had pieced together this situation from his mother’s words during her last moments.
Shen Huai's eyes were swollen but dry; he didn’t shed tears. He knew that his choice would never bring stability to his family. In this world, he could face anyone but could never forgive himself for failing Xiao Ya and his son.
"My mom doesn’t blame you; she just misses you too much. Sometimes she misses you so intensely that it drives her mad. She wishes she could live until the month she first met you."
Shen Huai's voice choked up. "Don’t say that; I failed her! One day, I will atone for my sins."
A hint of mockery appeared on Shen Jingyu’s composed face. "You don’t need to worry about that. After you left, my mom remarried three years later."
Shen Huai blinked hard and turned to look at his son in disbelief. "What?"
Comment 0 Comment Count