Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2605 Atonement for Crimes 68.0
"Don't worry, I can still fulfill your wish. I will definitely let you see the day he is caught." Jin Miaomiao smiled, took a sip of tea, tapped the table, and said, "Although I am not very skilled, I am still confident that I can extend your life. You don't need to be so pessimistic. Perhaps one day I will be able to figure out a way to save your life."

"Then I'll leave it to you, Lord Jin!"

"Of course, I will certainly live up to your expectations." Jin Miaomiao took another sip of tea, looked at Boss Luan, and said, "Put your health matter aside for now. We were just talking about where we came from?"

"Speaking of Master Falian's parents, they had a very good relationship. His father was very possessive of his mother, which led to Master Falian not being liked by his father." Boss Luan sighed. "Oh, there's one more thing that I also don't understand."

"What is it?"

"He said his father knew a very powerful master, not a monk who had studied Buddhism, nor a Taoist priest who was good at looking good. In my opinion, he was the kind of charlatan who never told the truth, who talked nonsense and pretended to be crazy. His father found this person and had Master Falian tell his fortune. The master said that this child was hindering their family's destiny and would cause them unrest. In other words, he was bringing them bad luck. He said his father believed this so-called master and entrusted him to the head monk of Daxiangguo Temple to raise. He gave the head monk a considerable sum of money, enough for the child and the head monk to live well for the rest of their lives, and then he didn't care about him anymore." Boss Luan sighed as he spoke. "Judging from Master Falian's description, his family is either very rich, or very powerful, or both. They are definitely not an ordinary family. Moreover, being able to entrust the child to the head monk of Daxiangguo Temple to raise is not something an ordinary family can do."

"So? What do you want to say?"

“I want to say, how could someone raised in such a family possibly believe such outrageous charlatan’s words?” Boss Luan spread his hands. “In the end, this charlatan’s words catered to the thoughts of Master Falian’s father. He already disliked Master Falian and he was always competing with his son for favor. Now, he has even more reason to throw this child away.”

“That’s about it.” Jin Miaomiao nodded. “Although there’s always a reason why someone is pitiful, I have to say that he is indeed a pitiful person.”

"Whether you understand or not, I certainly don't understand. What kind of person is his father? How could he love his mother so much that he would compete with his own son for her affections?" Boss Luan spread his hands and said, "Although my wife and I were brought together by the Empress Dowager, we've always treated each other with utmost respect. I know my wife told you about my time in the Western Regions, but that was because I helped someone out; the child isn't mine."

“We know.” Jin Miaomiao nodded. “Although it’s not nice to say it like this, I need to be honest. With your health, it’s very unlikely that you can have a child. Even if you did get pregnant by accident, the baby wouldn’t survive.”

"Lord Jin, you don't need to be so cautious. Actually, my father, my brother, my wife, and I have been clear about this matter for a long time. We all said that if this child is brought into the world to suffer, and will have the same illness as my brother and me, then it's better if he doesn't come at all. But if we really have a child, we won't kill him, send him away, or ignore him just because he takes up too much of my wife's attention and makes her neglect my existence." Boss Luan said with certainty, "I can't do that." He looked at Shen Haolin, Shen Cha, Xue Ruitian, and then at Jin Miaomiao, "Gentlemen, you probably can't do that either, can you?"

“It’s definitely impossible, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t seen such people.” Xue Ruitian glanced at Shen Cha, and seeing her calm reaction, he breathed a slight sigh of relief before continuing, “There are all kinds of people in this world, and all kinds of feelings. Just because you haven’t seen them or can’t understand them doesn’t mean that such people don’t exist, right?”

"That's true, but my lord, are there really such heartless fathers and mothers in this world?"

“They don’t think they’re heartless at all.” Xue Ruitian sighed. “Boss Luan, you’re much older than us, practically our father. Haven’t you ever seen people like this before?”

"I've lived most of my life, and I've truly never seen anything like it," Boss Luan thought for a moment. "Many of the people around me are in business, like the Ning family. Although some neglect their children, at least they don't restrict their food, clothing, education, or even basic necessities like riding and archery. They do their best to provide the best for them. Although the relationship between parents and children is generally not very close, they can maintain a semblance of harmony and avoid such an embarrassing situation." "That's true. Most families are like that, but there are a few exceptions," Xue Ruitian smiled at him and said, "Not all couples in this world are arranged by their parents or matchmakers. They genuinely have feelings for each other and truly love one another. In their eyes, there is no third person in the world besides themselves and their partner. If a third person intrudes into their world, they become their enemy."

"There's such a thing? I've really learned something new at my age."

“A friend of mine is in a similar situation. His parents have a very good relationship, but his existence is not a joy for them, but rather an aversion. The child is not a testament to their relationship, but rather a hindrance to it.” Xue Ruitian glanced furtively at Shen Cha again, and seeing that she still showed no signs of discomfort, he breathed a slight sigh of relief before continuing, “Because the child was not expected to be born, they tried every means to destroy the child before he was even born, but they failed. So, what will this child face after birth, Mr. Luan, you should know very well, right?”

"Is it just indifference, neglect, pretending the child doesn't exist?"

"It's much more serious than that. My friend had to shoulder burdens that shouldn't be his age when he was very young. He had to do everything at home—laundry, cooking, and everything else. Even when he was sick, he couldn't rest; otherwise, he would be subjected to a severe beating. It wasn't just his father who beat him; his mother joined in too. And that's not even the worst part."

"There's more? This isn't serious? Then what is?"

"Whenever the fathers suffered some injustice outside, or were in a bad mood due to illness, or for some other reason, they would call my friend over and beat him until he was covered in bruises before they could calm down."

During Xue Ruitian's description, everyone except Boss Luan was paying attention to Shen Cha's condition. When they found that she was not acting abnormally, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Even so, throughout the entire narration, Shen Haolin held Shen Cha's hand tightly.

Shen Cha knew very well that everyone was worried about her. She gently squeezed Shen Haolin's hand, indicating that she no longer minded. If her experience could help or warn some people, she wouldn't mind sharing it a few more times.

"This is absolutely outrageous!"

Shen Cha didn't react much, but Boss Luan was so angry that he was trembling and his face was ashen. He was still sick and looked like he was about to faint.

"Don't get agitated. I went through a lot to save you, so don't come back and ruin my reputation."

"No, I'm just angry," Boss Luan said angrily. "These people not only don't deserve to be parents, they don't deserve to be human beings!"