Free Web NovelChapter 148: Chapter 148: Younger Brother Lin Zheng
Lin Shan and Chen Fengjiao were sitting together, both wondering what was happening, when Gu’er suddenly knelt before them.
"What are you doing? Quick, get up."
Chen Fengjiao hurriedly tried to pull Gu’er up.
"Dad, Mom, please listen to me."
But Gu’er didn’t move. Instead, she looked at her parents earnestly.
"Even though I was lost when I was little, and I’ve suffered all these years out there, I know it must have been hard for you, too. I’ve felt resentment. I resented my parents for abandoning me and letting me suffer. I even thought that since I’m all grown up now, maybe it was better not to acknowledge you. But I also know how hard it is to be a parent. Today, I’ve come back to be your child. I don’t know what the future holds, but for this moment, please let me kowtow to you. Because you are the parents who gave me life."
Gu’er spoke from the heart, tears welling in her eyes. ’In her previous life, she had felt such heartache even for someone like Zhang Juan. She believed her parents did have feelings for her. Whatever happened later, for this one moment, she believed they were sincere. That was enough.’
’As for everything else, that could be dealt with later. No one knew what tomorrow would bring. Maybe she could get along well in this family. Or maybe she would clash with Lin Sui’er, her parents would disappoint her, and she would move out. But those were problems for another day. For today, it was enough that she had acknowledged her parents.’
"My dear Gu’er, my good daughter, Mom is so sorry. It’s all my fault for not watching over you. You have no idea... all these years, I haven’t been able to sleep well at night. Every time I saw Sui’er, I’d think of you. I’d wonder where you were, if you were even getting enough to eat. It tore me apart. From now on, Mom will treat you well. I promise."
Chen Fengjiao burst into tears again. No one knew the torment she’d endured all these years. She was a mother, yet she couldn’t even keep her own daughter safe. How could she not be in agony? ’She was my own flesh and blood, how could I not miss her?’ She spent her postpartum confinement crying every day while holding her younger daughter, until her milk dried up from the grief. Sui’er would wail from hunger, so they had to scrimp and save to buy formula to mix with rice cereal for her.
Although her husband never blamed her, seeing his bloodshot eyes, his sheer exhaustion as he worked all day and searched the villages all night... it broke her heart.
Though the pain had faded somewhat over the years, her guilt never lessened. She poured all her heart into her second daughter, Sui’er. It was as if she was giving Sui’er all the love meant for Gu’er as well, as if by being better and better to Sui’er, she could somehow make it up to Gu’er.
Now that her daughter had been found, the great weight that had been crushing her for decades was finally lifted. But along with the relief came a host of new problems. Of course, they couldn’t be solved all at once; they would have to take it slow. All she could think about right now was being good to Gu’er, giving her the best of everything she could to make it up to her.
Lin Shan hadn’t expected Gu’er to do this either, but he could tell she was sincere.
’His eldest daughter was a grateful person. Even though life had been hard for her all those years, her character hadn’t become twisted. She didn’t forget her roots just because she’d seen wealth, nor did she talk about getting revenge on anyone now that her circumstances had changed. This was a very good thing.’
Gu’er wiped Chen Fengjiao’s tears, but the more she wiped, the more they flowed.
After a while, Chen Fengjiao finally stopped crying and went to pull Gu’er up.
But Gu’er picked up a cup of water instead.
"Dad, drink some water."
Gu’er offered the first cup to her father.
"Good, good. My good daughter."
Lin Shan took the cup and nodded at Gu’er, formally acknowledging her as his daughter.
Gu’er then picked up another cup and gave it to her mother.
"Mom, drink some water."
"Yes, yes, I’ll drink."
Chen Fengjiao’s hands trembled as she took the cup. A tear fell into the water, but she took a sip anyway. A mix of emotions welled up inside her, and then she pulled Gu’er to her feet. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Gu’er sat back down on the sofa. ’Well, I guess I’ve officially recognized them as my parents now,’ she thought. ’I hadn’t actually planned on doing all this, but for some reason, the idea just came to me.’
As she spoke with her parents, Gu’er glanced around the room again. ’That’s strange, why isn’t my sister, Lin Sui’er, home today? I heard I have a younger brother too, but I haven’t met him yet.’
"Sui’er went to school, and your brother, Lin Zheng, went to daycare. I told Sui’er to pick him up at noon. Now that you’re here, we’ll go out to a restaurant for a nice meal."
Lin Shan seemed to have noticed Gu’er’s confusion and explained.
"Sui’er is still in school?"
Gu’er was a little confused. ’I remember that day I was steaming jujube cakes wasn’t a weekend. If Sui’er is still in school, why wasn’t she there that day?’
"She is. That girl, Sui’er, her grades aren’t very good. I have no idea what’s on her mind all day. Whenever I tell her to study, she says her head hurts. I’m so worried about her. I don’t even know if she’ll be able to get into high school."
Speaking of Lin Sui’er, Chen Fengjiao’s face showed a trace of worry, but Gu’er didn’t miss the adoration in her eyes.
Gu’er didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to talk much about Lin Sui’er.
"Dad, Mom, I’d like to stay in that small room. I’m used to sleeping on a kang from my time in the village. I’m afraid I won’t be used to a bed."
Gu’er changed the subject.
Lin Shan froze for a second, looking at Gu’er with a deep, searching gaze.
"No, absolutely not. That room is too small. Besides the kang, it’s just full of your dad’s books. There’s no space for anything else. If you want your own room, you can stay in your brother’s."
Chen Fengjiao refused anxiously. How could she let her eldest daughter live in such a tiny space? She wanted to give her daughter the very best and didn’t want Gu’er to feel wronged.
"Mom, please, just listen to me. I’m really not used to sleeping in a bed. Besides, it’s just for sleeping. Why do I need so much space? As long as there’s enough room for me to sleep, it’s fine."
Gu’er insisted. ’I may have come to the Lin Family,’ she thought, ’but it’s not right to make my brother give up his room the moment I arrive. As for Lin Sui’er... I don’t want to share a room with her.’
"Fine, let Gu’er stay in the small room then," Lin Shan conceded. "I’ll move those books out when I have time to make space for your things."
Lin Shan, for his part, rather admired Gu’er’s attitude.
"There’s no need, Dad. Just leave the books there. I can look at them when I have time. Dad, you can just act as you always do. If you want to go in and read, just go. I won’t disturb you, and you don’t have to worry about disturbing me. Just act like you always have."
Gu’er shook her head, insisting it wasn’t necessary.
Before Lin Shan and Chen Fengjiao could say anything more, Gu’er heard the door open. She saw a joyful smile spread across Chen Fengjiao’s face, and Gu’er’s own expression darkened. ’That was a truly genuine smile,’ she thought, ’the kind a mother should have. Toward me, what she feels is mostly guilt, isn’t it?’
As Lin Sui’er walked in, she glared resentfully at Gu’er, who was sitting on the sofa.
Gu’er didn’t look at her. Instead, her gaze fell on the boy behind Lin Sui’er. He looked to be about five or six years old, not quite four feet tall. He wasn’t chubby and had slightly tan skin, but he looked very spirited. His eyes were especially striking—large, round, and with irises so dark they were like black pearls. He looked incredibly clever and cute.
’This boy actually resembles me a little. He looks more like me than Lin Sui’er does. I wonder if he’s easy to get along with. Will he be like Zhou Cai?’
Gu’er felt a surprising knot of nervousness in her stomach.
"Sui’er, Zheng’er, quickly, your big sister is back! Hurry up and greet your big sister."
Chen Fengjiao stood up, walked over, and took each of them by the hand, introducing them to Gu’er.
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