ryethenovel Chapter 17 Is this kid telling the truth?
Chapter 17 Is this kid telling the truth?
"As I told you before, I've been studying medicine with a highly skilled old gentleman for the past few years. That old gentleman is a true hermit, and medicine and Taoism are from the same source. He is not only proficient in traditional Chinese medicine, but also has a deep understanding of fortune telling, physiognomy, and divination."
"I've been learning from him for so many years, but I've only scratched the surface of medicine. These skills are just things I've picked up through observation and learning the basics."
After hearing this, most of the doubt in Jiang Xinlan's eyes disappeared.
It turned out to be the case.
Around 8 p.m., Su Hui checked on her husband and found that his condition had finally stabilized.
My tense nerves finally relaxed. After handing over my shift to the caregiver, I carried my bags and returned to the community.
Some time ago, her husband Jiang Jianping's condition became somewhat unstable, which led her to spend the past week taking care of him at the hospital.
For the past week, she has been constantly worried about her daughter and two grandchildren, fearing that her daughter, and especially her two grandchildren, would be cold and hungry while she was not by their side.
Eager to get home, I bumped into a group of neighbors enjoying the cool air downstairs as soon as I entered the community gate.
The middle-aged women who usually love to gossip and speak sarcastically to her didn't avoid her today; instead, they all greeted her warmly.
His tone was full of politeness, even carrying a hint of cautious reverence.
"Sister Hui, you're discharged from the hospital? You're finally back! No one will dare bully your Xinlan anymore!"
"Exactly! Your son-in-law is amazing! We were all stunned by what happened in the park this afternoon. Now everyone in the neighborhood admires him!"
"That shrew Li Juan has been running rampant for so long, finally someone has taught her a lesson! Your son-in-law is really capable, a true protector of his wife and children!"
A group of people surrounded her, chattering away, leaving Su Hui completely bewildered and confused.
She frowned and quickly interrupted everyone:
"Wait, what are you saying? What son-in-law? My Xinlan has no son-in-law!"
"Oh my, Sister Hui, you didn't know?"
The leader, Aunt Zhang, widened her eyes and recounted everything that had happened in the park that afternoon.
"It's Shen Yu, the father of Xinlan's two children! He's back! This afternoon, Li Juan confronted Xinlan and started yelling at her, but he subdued her with just a few words, even managing to kowtow and bleed from her head. Now the whole neighborhood is talking about it!"
Su Hui became increasingly confused as she listened, her mind a complete mess.
Shen Yu? The man who disappeared for six whole years and didn't even show his face after his child was born?
He's back?
She was filled with anxiety, and the resentment and anger that had been building up for six years surged up instantly. Without bothering to exchange pleasantries with the older women, she hurriedly thanked them and carried her luggage home.
When she arrived at her door, Su Hui took out her keys and opened the door. As soon as she changed her shoes, she saw a brand new pair of men's slippers neatly arranged on the shoe rack in the entryway.
It was the same outfit Shen Yu wore when he came during the day.
Su Hui's heart skipped a beat. She slammed her luggage down on the ground and shouted at the top of her lungs:
"Xinlan? Jiang Xinlan? Come out here!"
Jiang Xinlan was washing fruit for her child in the kitchen when she heard her mother's voice and quickly came to greet her.
"Mom, how is Dad? Why didn't you call ahead when you came back? I could have picked you up from the hospital."
"Why are you answering the phone! Your dad is doing fine. It's you, on the other hand, that's why I had no idea such a big thing had happened at home if I hadn't come back!"
Su Hui grabbed her and pulled her into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She lowered her voice, her eyes filled with urgency and scrutiny.
"Tell me the truth, did Shen Yu leave these things in the house? Has he come back?"
Seeing her mother's excited expression, Jiang Xinlan nodded gently, her voice calm, yet carrying a hint of relaxation she herself didn't realize:
"Yes, he's back. He's been back for a few days."
She paused, then briefly recounted what had happened in the park that afternoon to her mother, adding softly at the end:
He said that he didn't disappear on purpose back then, but that there was an accident and he was trapped outside, unable to come back.
Su Hui stood there, listening to these words. Clutching her daughter's hand, six years of pent-up resentment and anger surged up, and she gritted her teeth, cursing:
"He just said it was an accident and that's it? All these years you've raised two children, running to the hospital alone with them when they had a fever in the middle of the night, and you could only grit your teeth and bear it when you were bullied."
He wasn't there when you needed him most, and now that the kids are grown up, he knows to come back? Pshaw!
But as she continued to curse, her voice gradually weakened.
Because she noticed that her daughter seemed a little different; when she talked about Shen Yu, her eyes would unconsciously light up.
Her whole demeanor was more relaxed than before, unlike in the past when she looked exhausted and full of thorns, which made her feel sorry for her.
This discovery softened her heart.
For the past six years, her daughter has been carrying a heavy burden on her own. As her mother, she sees it all and feels the pain in her heart, but there's not much she can do to help.
Now that someone has finally stepped forward to protect her and shoulder her burdens, the deep-seated resentment in her heart has finally eased a little.
But she still couldn't accept it so easily.
Su Hui wiped away her tears, her tone still hard, but without the previous sharpness:
"I'm not trying to stop you, but I'm afraid you'll get hurt again. Whether he's reliable or not, whether he can protect you for life, I have to personally check him out to make a decision."
She took a deep breath and made her final decision:
"Tomorrow, you'll have him come to my house to see me. If he can't get past me, he can forget about ever setting foot in this house again, and he can forget about ever seeing Nian Nian and Gui Gui!"
Jiang Xinlan had no choice but to tell Shen Yu about it.
Shen Yu had already guessed that this would happen when he realized Su Hui had returned.
"Xinlan, don't worry, I'll have it ready by tomorrow."
Parents always have the same heart, and Su Hui was doing it for Jiang Xinlan's own good.
He would do his best to gain her approval and not put Jiang Xinlan in a difficult position.
The next day, at 10:00 AM.
Shen Yu appeared at Jiang Xinlan's door right on time.
"Hello, Auntie, I'm Shen Yu. Sorry to bother you."
"Come in."
Su Hui turned aside with a cold face to let him in, and then closed the door behind her.
As soon as she sat down on the sofa, Su Hui stopped Jiang Xinlan, who was trying to smooth things over, and looked at Shen Yu with a scrutinizing gaze, getting straight to the point:
"Shen Yu, I didn't call you here today to hear your grievances. I just want to ask you one question: how will you repay the suffering my daughter and grandson have endured these past six years?"
"Over the past six years, Xinlan, she..."
She recounted Jiang Xinlan's hardships over the past six years, each word filled with a mother's heartache.
Shen Yu listened quietly the whole time. After Su Hui finished speaking, he stood up and bowed deeply to her.
"Auntie, I'm sorry. No matter the reason, I made Xinlan and the child suffer for six years. That's an unchangeable fact, and the fault lies entirely with me. You can scold me however you want without a word of complaint."
Put yourself in Jiang Xinlan's shoes. If he were Jiang Xinlan's father, his precious daughter, a promising college student, would be pregnant out of wedlock because of a scumbag.
Not only was she expelled from school and her reputation ruined, but she also gave birth to twins for him, becoming a single mother at a young age and shouldering the heavy responsibility of supporting her family, suffering countless grievances.
She would also harbor resentment towards the person who harmed her daughter.
Therefore, he fully understood Su Hui's feelings and genuinely felt guilty.
Su Hui saw Shen Yu's seriousness and remorse, and was somewhat moved, but thinking of his past record of leaving without saying goodbye, she still snorted coldly and turned her face away:
"Is an 'I'm sorry' all you're going to do? Why should I believe you won't let my daughter suffer like this again? Why should I believe you won't just disappear without a word again?"
Shen Yu didn't rush to defend himself, but instead looked at Su Hui carefully and made a promise.
"Auntie, I promise you, from now on I will protect Xinlan and the two children. As long as I'm alive, I won't allow anyone to mistreat them!"
These words sounded encouraging, but Su Hui, having lived most of her life and seen countless men who only knew how to talk nice things, remained cold and refused to budge.
"Protect her? What makes you think you can protect her? You haven't been around for the past six years. How am I supposed to know you're not just lying to Xinlan with your words?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xinlan subconsciously tightened her grip on the hem of her clothes, worried that Shen Yu would be embarrassed.
But Shen Yu wasn't annoyed at all. He merely glanced at the two-bedroom apartment before his gaze returned to Su Hui.
"It's understandable if you don't believe me. Then I'll be frank. This apartment is too small. As the two kids grow up, it won't be enough room. Within three days, I'll get Xinlan a river-view apartment in the city center."
"I will also arrange the education of our two children. As for Xinlan, if she wants to continue acting, then let her go for it. I will support her in terms of resources and connections. She can just do what she likes and doesn't have to worry about any investors or directors."
Su Hui frowned even more, thinking he was just bragging and boasting, and was about to retort.
Seeing her clearly disbelieving expression, Shen Yu added another sentence, his tone still nonchalant, as if he weren't talking about hundreds of millions of assets, but simply picking a leaf.
"If you think these are too abstract, then I'll give you the most practical one. Within three days, I'll transfer 100 million yuan into Xinlan's account as a living allowance with no threshold. She can spend it however she wants."
"Even if she threw the money into the water just to make a splash, I would applaud and not interfere at all."
Upon hearing this, Su Hui was completely stunned. She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word for a long time.
One hundred million?!
She'd lived her whole life without ever seeing a million in savings, and this guy just casually offered to give Xinlan a hundred million?
Within three days?
Is it really up to Xinlan to spend money as she pleases?
Her first thought was that this kid was either crazy or just bragging!
Young people these days will say anything to win a girl's heart!
But when she looked up at Shen Yu, she saw him sitting there with a calm and confident look in his eyes, without the slightest hint of panic or guilt.
It was as if he wasn't talking about a hundred million, but just something as casual as going to the supermarket to buy a bottle of water tomorrow.
That absolute confidence that comes from within, that comes from being in a position of power, cannot be faked.
Su Hui's mind was in turmoil, with only one thought remaining: Could this kid be telling the truth?