Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2758 Human Nature (Second Update, Please Subscribe)

Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; sometimes, it can change everything in just a few dozen days.

this day.

The news brought by the foreign guests changed everything.

That night, countless people in the village stayed awake, men and women whispering amongst themselves, their eyes filled with longing.

Although they lived in the countryside and were isolated from information, they had heard some things.

They don't know if the moon is rounder or not in foreign countries, but those foreigners are living a life of luxury.

Fang Siwei was woken up early the next morning. Unlike his usual lifeless state, when he woke up again, the room was filled with noise.

It was noisy outside.

Even without opening the door, you can hear the sounds outside and feel the liveliness outside.

In the open space in front of his house, a row of half-grown children were kneeling. The youngest was only five or six years old, timidly bowing their heads, while the oldest was only ten or so, with tear stains still on their faces.

Chunsheng was also among the children, but he kept his neck stiff and refused to kneel down, his feet firmly planted on the ground, his face full of stubbornness.

Chunsheng's father, standing in the crowd, saw that Chunsheng refused to kneel. His face instantly darkened, and he stepped forward, grabbing Chunsheng's arm and scolding him in a low voice:
"You son of a bitch! Have you gone too far? Kneel down right now!"

Chun Sheng abruptly pulled his hand away, straightening his neck even more, and said:
"I won't kneel! I'll never be that old man Fang's dog! His family are black dogs..."

These words were like a match, instantly igniting Chun Sheng's father's anger and causing the surrounding noise to pause slightly. He raised his hand and slapped Chun Sheng across the face. The crisp sound of the slap was particularly jarring even amidst the noisy crowd. Chun Sheng's cheek instantly swelled up, and the clear finger mark was particularly conspicuous.

"You don't know anything!"

Chunsheng's father was trembling with anger, pointing his finger at Chunsheng's nose and roaring, his tone full of impatience:

"Once you get to a foreign country, you'll have food to eat and clothes to wear. You won't have to wear tattered cotton-padded coats and eat cornbread anymore. What a blessing that is! Kneel down and beg Grandpa Fang to adopt you, or I'll beat you to death, you son of a bitch!"

Seeing this, the surrounding villagers stepped forward to smooth things over:
"Chunsheng's father, calm down. The child is still young and doesn't understand."

"That's right, that's right, Chunsheng doesn't want to kneel because he is filial."

“Chunsheng, listen to your father and kneel down now. If you keep being so stubborn, Uncle Fang might not even take you in.”

"If you won't take my Chunsheng, then you can take yours!"

Chunsheng's father, panting heavily, glared fiercely at Chunsheng.

Chunsheng finally knelt down. The surrounding noise gradually rose again, with children's sobs and adults' whispers intertwining once more, breaking the chill of the second day of the Lunar New Year.

Fang Siwei's heart sank. He vaguely guessed the reason—when the foreign guests visited yesterday, he could immigrate to SEA and even adopt a child for them in his son's name to go with them.

These words quickly spread like wildfire throughout the village, becoming the hope of every household. Everyone wanted their child to be adopted by him, hoping to escape their current hardship through this opportunity.

In the past, when villagers talked about him behind his back, it was always with a hint of disdain and alienation; no one was willing to say a word to him.

But at this moment, the villagers behind the child kneeling on the ground, who usually avoided him like the plague, had changed completely. Their faces were plastered with deliberate smiles, and their tone was full of fawning flattery, a stark contrast to their previous indifference.

A middle-aged man who would usually turn and walk away at the sight of him was the first to squeeze to the front, his face beaming with smiles. He rubbed his hands together and approached Fang Siwei, his tone respectful to the point of being almost humble:

"Fourth Uncle, look at you, you are so lucky to have such a great opportunity to go abroad! My child is the most sensible and capable. If you adopt him, he will definitely take good care of you, serving you tea and water, doing your laundry and cooking, and never letting you suffer any hardship."

As she spoke, she gave the child next to her a hard shove:

"Quickly, kowtow to Fourth Master and beg him to accept you!"

An elderly woman nearby quickly joined in, her face full of flattery:

“Four brothers, we are all family. My eldest son is your Guo, Guo, yes, Guoqiang’s son.”

Several elderly people also stepped forward, trembling, and tugged at Fang Siwei's sleeve, their tone earnest yet obsequious:

"Siwei, we've known each other for a long time. If it weren't for your help back then, my family might not have made it through. Look at my grandson, he's handsome and clever. You'll definitely benefit from adopting him. He won't let you down when you go abroad!"

Everything changed. The indifference and disdain that people usually showed him vanished. They surrounded him, showering him with flattery and scheming.

Looking at these familiar yet unfamiliar faces, Fang Siwei recalled his past experiences and how no one cared when he visited his grave. A surge of emotions welled up inside him, a feeling he couldn't quite describe as bitterness or helplessness.

In the crowd, Chunsheng's father saw that Chunsheng remained silent, neither crying nor pleading, and his face immediately showed impatience. He reached out and slapped Chunsheng hard across the face.

A sharp "smack" rang out, particularly jarring, and a clear finger mark reappeared on Chunsheng's face, causing him to wince in pain. "Cry! You good-for-nothing! How have I ever told you, Fourth Uncle is family, you have to treat him with respect!"

Chunsheng's father shouted:

"Quickly, go and kowtow to your fourth uncle."

Chunsheng pursed his lips and knelt there firmly, refusing to move forward. No one stopped him this time; some even quietly nudged their children, signaling them to cry more and plead for mercy.

Listening to the cries and shouts, looking at the children kneeling on the ground and the adults behind them with expectant faces, Fang Siwei slowly closed his eyes and sighed deeply. In that sigh, there was helplessness and a bit of indescribable bitterness.

He said to the crowd:

“You all go back. I have no plans to go abroad or adopt a child.”

His words had barely left his lips when the crowd erupted in commotion. A woman in a patched blue cotton jacket was the first to stand up, her face filled with agitation and discontent, and she shouted loudly:

"Fang Laosi, you can't do this! How can you go back on your word? Aren't you ruining my child's future? My child is such a good boy, why won't you have a little pity for him!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than another woman retorted:

"Why should it be your child? Don't be so unreasonable! My family is the closest to Fourth Brother. If anyone is going to adopt, they should adopt my child first!"

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Another woman chimed in, her voice sharp:

“Our family is the closest; in terms of seniority and friendship, they should be our child! What makes you think you’re close?”

In an instant, the women argued heatedly, their faces flushed and spittle flying everywhere. Some even started pulling at each other. The men also argued in hushed tones, each refusing to give in. The once orderly crowd instantly descended into chaos.

The children kneeling on the ground were so frightened by the scene that they cried even louder.

Fang Siwei stood at the door, looking at the chaotic scene before him, shook his head helplessly, and sighed softly.

After learning of his son's death two weeks later, he was filled with sorrow and relief. He did not intend to accept the foreigner's suggestion yesterday. He had never thought of immigrating abroad, nor had he ever considered adopting a child.

For him, his only thought was to visit his son's grave, nothing more. But who would have thought it would lead to such a farce?

This is human nature!

……

Two small figures knelt before the door. The older one was a boy of about twelve or thirteen, wearing a tattered cotton-padded coat with cotton padded bulging out from the collar, cuffs, and patches. His face was covered in dust and chapped skin. Beside him, he clung tightly to a little boy of about three or four, wearing an even smaller, tattered cotton-padded coat. The little boy's hat was askew, revealing dry, yellow hair. His face was purple from the cold, and his large eyes were filled with fear and helplessness. His little hands gripped the older boy's clothes tightly, and his body trembled slightly.

Upon seeing the two people clearly, Fang Siwei's heart clenched—it was Gouzi, the most pitiful child in the village.

A few years ago, Gouzi's father suddenly fell ill and passed away; less than half a year later, his mother also passed away, leaving behind Gouzi, his young brother, and an elderly grandmother.

With the sporadic help from the villagers, Gouzi, at such a young age, single-handedly supported his family. But last winter, his grandmother also passed away. Gouzi kowtowed to every household, his forehead bleeding from the effort, before finally begging the villagers to pool their money to buy his grandmother a simple coffin.

In the end, even the dilapidated mud-brick house left by their grandmother was gone. The two brothers were homeless from then on and lived in a collapsed mud-brick kiln outside the village, relying on the help of the villagers to survive.

As soon as the door opened, Gouzi quickly pulled his younger brother along, kowtowed deeply, and then shouted:

"Fourth Master, my father is dead, my mother is dead, and my grandmother is gone. Only my brother and I are left... Please, give my brother a way to live. Take him in and let him take care of you in your old age! Quick, little brother, kowtow to Grandpa."

After saying that, he kowtowed repeatedly, one kowtow after another, until his forehead was red. The little boy beside him was quite frightened by his brother's actions, but he still held on tightly to his brother's hand and clumsily kowtowed in imitation of his brother.

Standing at the door, Fang Siwei looked at the two helpless brothers who were desperately seeking a way to survive. His throat felt like it was blocked, and he couldn't speak for a long time. He could only whisper in a trembling voice:
"You child...why do this..."

He subconsciously touched the change in his pocket, wanting to give some money to the dogs so that the two brothers could buy some food and find a place to shelter from the cold.

But before he could extend his hand, Gouzi pulled his younger brother aside and walked over to him, saying:

"Fourth Master, please, please spare my brother's life! Little brother, quickly kowtow to Grandpa. From now on, he's your grandpa, understand? You must be filial to Grandpa and never make him angry!"

The little boy nodded as if he understood, then quickly knelt down and kowtowed several times. His little face was full of seriousness, and his timid big eyes now only showed trust in his older brother.

After his younger brother knelt down, Gouzi wiped away the tears in his eyes and said:
"Fourth Master, I'm entrusting my brother to you..."

Having said that, he turned and left, leaving his underling standing up and shouting:

"My brother, my brother..."

(End of this chapter)