A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1413 Tearing Off Faces! (Please Subscribe!)
Suzhou in July is like a giant steamer. During the day, the sun beats down scorchingly, and by evening, heat seeps out from the bluestone streets, white walls, and black tiles, sticking to people's bodies.

The residents of Textile Lane 3 used all sorts of methods to cool down. Some splashed water at their doorsteps to cool off, while others moved bamboo chairs to the alley entrance and fanned themselves with palm-leaf fans. The children chased and played in the limited space, not caring that their clothes were soaked with sweat.

Around 9 p.m., people who had been cooling off outdoors began to disperse and go home to rest.

Then they heard Lin Dongzhe's loud crying from next door, followed by Song Ying's angry shouts:

"Lin Dongzhe! You think I hit you because you broke a cup? No! It's because you learned to lie!"

On the Zhuang family's side, Zhuang Chaoying and Huang Ling exchanged a glance, then left the lights on and both pricked up their ears.

Then they heard Lin Dongzhe sobbing uncontrollably, but his words were clear: "I didn't lie. The cup deliberately bumped into my hand and broke. It's not my fault!"

"Pfft!" Huang Ling couldn't help but burst out laughing, then quickly covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking.

Zhuang Chaoying also shook her head with a smile: "This child's excuse is terrible."

Hua Shier's expression was a bit strange. He didn't expect that Lin Dongzhe, that rascal, would actually use his excuse. Now he just hoped that the kid would be loyal enough not to betray him.

The lesson from next door continues; Song Ying is clearly quite angry about her son's 'theory':
"The cup deliberately bumped into you? Lin Dongzhe, you've really gotten bold! You've even learned to make up stories now. Why didn't it bump into me?"

Next came a few crisp slaps, and Lin Dongzhe's crying grew even louder.

Huang Ling couldn't stand it anymore and whispered, "Wasn't Song Ying a bit too rough? She's just a child."

"He deserves a beating." Zhuang Chaoying was quite rational: "He's already learned to argue at such a young age. What will he be like in the future if we don't discipline him?"

Hua Shier lay on the small bed, listening to the sounds from next door, and silently gave Lin Dongzhe a thumbs up in his heart, thinking that this kid was really loyal, he didn't betray him.

Fortunately, in the Lin family, one parent always played the "good cop" and the other the "bad cop" when it came to disciplining the children. After Song Ying slapped him a few times, Lin Wufeng began to plead for his son, and the small incident gradually subsided.

The next day when I saw Lin Dongzhe, the kid came limping over. Of course, he was faking it, mainly to make himself look pitiful.

"Brother Pengfei"

Lin Dongzhe, with a mournful face, immediately tried to unbuckle his belt, saying, "Look at my butt, it's all red marks from being pulled."

Hua Shier quickly pressed his hand down: "No, no, no, you can't look at this!"

"Why?" Lin Dongzhe blinked.

"It caused a sty."

Hua Shier made up an excuse on the spot, took out a dime from his pocket, and said, "Let's go get some popsicles."

Upon hearing that there would be popsicles, Lin Dongzhe immediately forgot about being beaten and his eyes lit up: "Really?"

"Really, let's invite Tu Nan and Xiao Ting together."

The four children went to the corner store at the alley entrance in high spirits. The popsicles with sugar water cost two cents each. Hua Shier bought four popsicles and put the remaining two cents back in his pocket.

Those sugar water popsicles are the simplest transparent white popsicles, frozen with sugar water, without any fancy designs, but in the sweltering summer, they are the ultimate treat for children.

The four of them took their popsicles to a shady spot and started eating. Lin Dongzhe licked his popsicle, a silly grin on his face, having completely forgotten about being beaten up last night, and even forgetting to pretend to be lame.

Hua Shier looked at him and found it amusing; children are so easy to coax.

Just then, he noticed that Wu Shanshan had taken her younger brother and sister to buy popsicles.

Wu Shanshan took out four cents from her pocket and handed it to the aunt selling popsicles. The aunt handed her two popsicles, which Wu Shanshan took and then handed to her younger brother Wu Jun and younger sister Zhang Min.

"Thank you, sis!" Wu Jun took the popsicle and eagerly started licking it.

Zhang Min also whispered "Thank you, sister," and ate in small bites.

Wu Shanshan stood to the side, watching her younger siblings eat with relish, and unconsciously swallowed.

Her eyes held envy, longing, and a hint of barely perceptible grievance.

Hua Shier saw it clearly, and he called out, "Shanshan, come here!"

Wu Shanshan and her two siblings turned around, saw that it was them, and ran over.

"Brother Pengfei!"

Wu Shanshan called out first, and then greeted Zhuang Tunan, Zhuang Xiaoting, and Lin Dongzhe: "Brother Tunan, Xiaoting, Dongzhe."

She calls Hua Shier "brother," which is entirely due to her accepting defeat in the last competition. In fact, according to Xiang Pengfei's age, Wu Shanshan is a year older than him.

However, now all the kids in the alley call Hua Shier "Brother Pengfei," even Li Yiming calls him that, and everyone else has gotten used to it.

Wu Jun and Zhang Min, with popsicles in their mouths, called out to people indistinctly.

After exchanging greetings, Wu Shanshan noticed that both the Zhuang and Lin children had popsicles in their hands. Her eyes unconsciously darted towards their hands, and she unconsciously swallowed.

She tried to act natural, but the longing in her eyes was undeniable, and her eyes were even a little red.

Hua Shier knew perfectly well what was going on, but she asked aloud, "Shanshan, why aren't you eating?"

Wu Shanshan forced a smile, her voice a little hoarse: "I... I don't like popsicles."

Her younger brother, Wu Jun, said while eating an ice pop:
"Mom said that my sister is a big girl now, and big girls don't need to eat popsicles!"

Even Zhuang Tunan, who was standing next to her, noticed that something was wrong. Although Zhang Min was younger than Wu Shanshan, these two half-sisters were the same age. Wu Shanshan was a big girl and didn't need to eat popsicles, so how could Zhang Min eat them?

This is clearly the legendary case of a stepmother showing favoritism!

But Lin Dongzhe was a straightforward person. While licking his popsicle, he casually remarked:
"That's not right, Sister Shanshan. Brother Tunan is even older than you, and he can eat a lot."

These words were like a needle, gently piercing through the facade that Wu Shanshan was barely maintaining.

Wu Shanshan's smile froze, she turned her head away, and tears finally streamed down her face.

Hua Shier sighed inwardly, took out the remaining two cents from his pocket, and handed them to Lin Dongzhe:
"Look at you, you said the wrong thing! You made Sister Shanshan cry. Go buy Sister Shanshan a popsicle as an apology."

Wu Shanshan quickly wiped away her tears, turned her head and said, "No, no, I really don't."

Before she could finish speaking, Lin Dongzhe had already taken the money and dashed off to the auntie selling popsicles.

A moment later, Lin Dongzhe ran back holding a popsicle and handed it to Wu Shanshan:
"Sister Shanshan, here you go."

"I can't have it!" Wu Shanshan looked at the translucent popsicle, and although she really wanted to eat it, she still refused.

Hua Shier said from the side, "Take it, it'll melt if you don't eat it soon."

Wu Shanshan then took the popsicle and whispered:
"Thank you, Pengfei. Thank you, Dongzhe."

She licked the popsicle, the cool, sweet taste melting in her mouth, and the gloom on her face finally dissipated, revealing a smile.

After dinner, Zhuang Chaoying and Huang Ling called Hua Shier over, their expressions very serious.

"Pengfei, your uncle has something he wants to discuss with you."

Zhuang Chaoying spoke up, asking in a gentle tone, "Would you like to study in Suzhou?"

Hua Shier answered almost without hesitation: "Yes."

His answer was so quick that it startled Zhuang Chaoying for a moment:
"Don't you want to think about it? If you study in Suzhou, you might not see your mother for a long time."

"I know."

Hua Shier nodded: "But my mother said that the educational conditions in Suzhou are better than in Guizhou, and she has always wanted to send me back to school."

Huang Ling smiled and took Hua Shier's hand: "Pengfei, if you really want to stay, you can live at your uncle's house from now on. Your uncle and I will treat you like we're raising another son."

Zhuang Chaoying nodded: "Yes. I'll call your mother tomorrow and ask her to come to Suzhou when she has time to handle your household registration."

The matter was settled.

The next morning, Zhuang Chaoying took Hua Shier to the post office.

Making a long-distance call at this time is a big deal; you have to queue, register, and have staff help you transfer the call.

They waited for nearly an hour before it was their turn. Zhuang Chaoying dialed the number of the post office in Guizhou and asked the operator to transfer her to the hospital where Zhuang Hualin was.

The moment the call connected, Zhuang Chaoying's voice was tinged with excitement:
"Hello? Is this Hualin? This is Big Brother."

Zhuang Hualin's anxious voice came from the other end of the phone: "Brother, has something happened to Pengfei?"

"No, no, Pengfei is doing well." Zhuang Chaoying quickly said, "I just wanted to ask you, I heard from Mom and Dad that you want to settle Pengfei's household in Suzhou?"

"Yes," Zhuang Hualin's voice trembled violently, "there is such a policy. Brother, has Pengfei caused you any trouble? If he..."

"I didn't cause any trouble!"

Zhuang Chaoying interrupted her, her tone firm:
“Hua Lin, listen to me, Peng Fei is a really good kid. He’s sensible, capable, and caring. Huang Ling and I both really like him.”

He paused, then said the most important thing: "Your sister-in-law and I have discussed it, and we want Pengfei to settle down with our family. From now on, he will be just like our child."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

A few seconds later, a suppressed sob was heard. Zhuang Hualin was clearly covering his mouth as he cried, his voice broken and intermittent.
"Brother, thank you so much!"

"Thank you for what."

Zhuang Chaoying's eyes also reddened: "Hua Lin, I'm your older brother. When did you start being so polite to me? If you have time, just come over before the start of the semester and get Pengfei's household registration done. I'll take care of his school enrollment!"

He exchanged a few more casual words, then handed the phone to Hua Shier:
"Pengfei, say a few words to your mother."

Hua Shier took the microphone and had just begun to greet them when he heard Zhuang Hualin hurriedly say on the other end:
"Pengfei, you need to be good at your uncle's house, listen to your aunt, and get along well with Tu Nan and Xiao Ting. Phone calls are too expensive, we can talk when Mom gets there."

"Listen to me, Mom has something to do here, I'll hang up now."

"Beep—beep—beep—"

The phone hangs up.

Hua Shier held the microphone, feeling both touched and amused. This woman, who was reluctant to spend money on phone calls, insisted on saving every penny to send her son to school in Suzhou. This maternal love made him feel deeply moved.

Zhuang Chaoying patted his shoulder: "That's just how your mother is, she's reluctant to spend money. Let's go home."

A few days later, Zhuang Hualin rushed back to Suzhou, travel-worn.

She went back to her parents' home first, but the scene of her long-lost relatives reuniting and embracing and crying that she had imagined did not appear. Instead, she was met with sarcasm from her parents, brother and sister-in-law.

"Hua Lin, you should really keep a closer eye on your son!" Grandma Zhuang said, sitting in her chair without even lifting her eyelids.

Zhuang Ganmei said sarcastically, "Second sister, your son is really something. Not only did he beat up my two sons, but he also talked back to Grandpa, which made our parents very angry. He's so young and already so bad at learning, so eager to fight. When he grows up, he'll be in big trouble!"

Zhuang Hualin was stunned by this series of words. Hearing her mother and brother say this, she subconsciously thought that her son had caused trouble, even talking back to his maternal grandfather, and offending his maternal grandparents and his uncle's family.

She quickly apologized to her parents and brother's family, promising to teach that disobedient brat a lesson.

After leaving her parents' home, Zhuang Hualin found Textile Lane 3 according to the address.

She left in a hurry, seething with anger, and her face looked terrible.

Hua Shier was playing chess with Li Yiming in the shade at the alley entrance, surrounded by several children and neighbors who were watching the spectacle.

"General!"

Hua Shier placed a piece and looked at Li Yiming with a smile.

Li Yiming scratched his head for a long time and said with a wry smile:
"I lost again, Pengfei. Who did you learn chess from?"

"I've already told you, I'm self-taught," Hua Shier joked.

Just then, a figure rushed over and raised his hand to strike him: "Xiang Pengfei!"

Hua Shier reacted extremely quickly, dodging to the side and standing up at the same time, instinctively wanting to teach the other party a lesson.

Upon seeing the visitor, it turned out to be his mother, Zhuang Hualin.

Zhuang Hualin pointed at him, trembling with anger:

"Xiang Pengfei! Is this how I raised you? How did you treat your grandparents? How did you treat your uncle? I'm going to beat you to death today!"

She was about to strike again as she spoke.

Hua Shier, of course, couldn't fight back, but the other party clearly didn't give him a chance to explain. He turned and ran, shouting as he ran:

"Please listen to me first."

"I won't listen! Stop right there!"

How could Hua Shier possibly stand still? He took off running into the alley and ran all the way back to Zhuang Chaoying's house.

"Uncle! Aunt! My mom's here!" he shouted as soon as he entered the courtyard.

Zhuang Chaoying and Huang Ling came out upon hearing the noise, just in time to see Zhuang Hualin chasing in, his face ashen and panting heavily.

"Birch forest?" Zhuang Chaoying exclaimed in surprise, "How come?"

"Brother! Don't stop me! I'm going to teach this unfilial son a lesson today!" Zhuang Hualin said, reaching out to grab Hua Shier again.

Huang Ling quickly stopped her: "Hua Lin, calm down! What exactly happened?"

"What happened?" Zhuang Hualin's eyes welled up with tears.

“You don’t need to hide it from me anymore. Mom, Dad, and Ganmei have all told me. It’s Pengfei who is ignorant, unfilial, and talked back to his elders. How could I have raised such a son?”

Zhuang Chaoying and Huang Ling exchanged a glance and both understood.

“Hualin, listen to me.”

Zhuang Chaoying pulled her sister into the house and pressed her down into a chair: "It's not what you think."

He recounted the whole story in detail.

How Huang Ling fell ill, how the children sought help but were turned away, how Hua Shier caught fish to nourish his aunt, how the parents asked Hua Shier to deliver fish regularly, and how the unpleasant incident happened that day.
As Zhuang Hualin listened, the anger on his face gradually turned into shock, and then from shock into heartache.

"How could they do this?" she murmured. "Pengfei is only eleven years old. It's so dangerous for him to go into the water to catch fish."

Hua Shier then walked over and added fuel to the fire, saying:
"Mom, catching fish is really hard for me. I almost choked on water a few times, but I persevered because my aunt is anemic and not in good health. It's because my uncle and aunt are both so good to me."

He paused deliberately at this point, then lowered his voice:
"But if I were to catch more, I wouldn't be able to deliver them to my grandparents; I might not be able to get them back up from the water."

When Hua Shier said this, Zhuang Chaoying and Huang Ling were deeply moved. Zhuang Hualin felt gratified by his son's kindness and righteousness, but also heartbroken by the actions of his parents and younger brother.

Zhuang Hualin's tears fell again.

She hugged her son tightly, crying uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry, Pengfei's mom misunderstood you."

After crying for a while, she wiped away her tears, stood up, and her eyes hardened.
"Come on, let's go back to your grandma's house with Mom."

"Hua Lin, what are you going to do?" Zhuang Chaoying asked.

"I'm going to demand an explanation."

Zhuang Hualin pulled Hua Shier and walked out: "Back then, I went to the countryside in Guizhou to let Ganmei stay. Now, my son comes to his maternal grandfather's house and they won't even take him in. They even make my grandson go down to the river to catch fish to supplement my cousin's nutrition? I want to ask, is Zhuang Ganmei's son a son, but my son, Zhuang Hualin's son, not a son?"

Seeing this, Zhuang Chaoying and Huang Ling were afraid something bad would happen, so they quickly followed.

In the Zhuang family's old house, Grandpa Zhuang was listening to the radio, Grandma Zhuang was picking vegetables, and Zhuang Ganmei and his wife were also there.

When they saw Zhuang Hualin pulling Hua Shier in aggressively, followed by Zhuang Chaoying and Huang Ling, the whole family was stunned.

"Dad, mom."

Zhuang Hualin cut to the chase: "I just want to ask one question, is Pengfei your grandson?"

Grandma Zhuang frowned: "What are you saying?"

"I'm just asking, isn't that right?" Zhuang Hualin raised his voice.

"Yes, of course." Grandpa Zhuang put down the radio he was holding.

"Well."

Zhuang Hualin pushed Hua Shier forward: "Your grandson came to Suzhou, and you didn't take him in but sent him to your elder brother's house. That's fine, but now that you hear he can catch fish, you let him risk his life to go into the water and catch fish to supplement your grandson's nutrition. I just want to ask, do you even care about this grandson?"

Zhuang Ganmei stood up: "Second sister, what are you saying? It's just catching fish, isn't it? It's better for boys to be a little more robust."

"Zhuang Ganmei, shut up!"

Zhuang Hualin suddenly turned around and pointed at his younger brother:

"It's just catching fish, why don't you let your son do it?"

"If I hadn't given you my successor spot back then, you'd be the one working in the countryside in Guizhou right now! I've sacrificed so much for you, and this is how you treat my son?"

Zhuang Ganmei's face flushed red and then turned pale as she retorted, her neck stiff:
"I stayed because I'm a son! You're a daughter, destined to be left behind like water spilled from a bowl."

These words struck Zhuang Hualin like a heavy hammer blow.

She was stunned. She had always thought that her brother would be grateful to her and would remember her kindness when she gave up her spot to him.

But it turns out that in her younger brother's mind, all of this was perfectly normal, simply because he was a son and she was a daughter!
Thank you to 08a and Little Tiger of the Demon Realm for the donations, and thank you to all the brothers who voted with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you so much!