Why does the good husband not forget the past of being bullied by the evil woman after marriage?

"Things aren't that bad. Don't be too pessimistic. I actually did something for Yuki that will make you happy."

The woman suppressed her excitement and said calmly, "I went back to Nagano this time and took some time out to visit Aunt Shimizu's grave."

"Who allowed you to go?! Don't disturb my mother!"

Even though he had suffered threats and oppression from Mieko, Shimizu Hiroki had never lost his composure like this. His hand holding the phone was almost shaking as he roared and yelled.

"Why are you so excited? I just miss Aunt Qingshui from the bottom of my heart."

Mina Sakai chuckled, her tone indifferent, "After all, Aunt Shimizu liked me so much back then, and she wanted me to be Yuki's wife. She even gave me a pair of earrings, which I still have..."

"That's enough!" Shimizu Yuki interrupted loudly, "Stop it! I don't allow you to mention my mother, you don't deserve it!"

"At least I still miss Aunt Shimizu, but what about you, Yuuki? It's been seven years... You haven't even gone back to take a look. The area around the tombstone is overgrown with weeds and no one cares about it. Do you still remember Aunt Shimizu's last wish? Have you fulfilled it and paid tribute to Aunt Shimizu's spirit in heaven?"

There was a sound of electricity in the receiver, and the woman's voice stopped abruptly, and Shimizu Yuki hung up directly.

He threw the phone away and sat down weakly on the cold floor. The dark night enveloped the man again.

The eerie black fog was surging, and the past was aching in his mind. Hiroki Shimizu looked back at his wife who was sleeping soundly in the bedroom on the balcony.

How could he forget?

This was his mother's last wish told to him at her bedside in the hospital before she died.

43. Unbearable to look back & the death of Shimizu Iori

That year, Shimizu Hiroki was admitted to the most prestigious aristocratic elite school in the area, Akino High School.

His mother, Shimizu Iori, died of illness due to the sequelae of surviving a car accident three years ago.

In fact, Hiroki Shimizu has always known that his mother Iori Shimizu could not hold on much longer, and she should have died with her husband in that sudden car accident.

But after all, she is a strong mother. She really can't let go of her son. She doesn't want Shimizu Hiroki to live alone in the world without the company of his relatives from now on.

Thus, Shimizu Iori, who was weak and vulnerable, had no opinion of her own and only depended on men in the world, crawled back from the gates of hell alive and protected Shimizu Hiroki from the hands of the Shimizu relatives who were like jackals and tigers, eating raw meat and drinking blood and wanted to divide and embezzle the family property.

But that was all. From then on, the Qingshui family, which was considered a prominent family in the local area and was involved in various industries, fell apart and disappeared.

Even those so-called partners and competitors were not satisfied after having their mouths full of grease, and they actually wanted to absurdly blame the huge losses caused by the car accident on the twelve-year-old Shimizu Hiroki.

Fortunately, Shimizu Iori spent a lot of energy, and through several turns and compromises, and also begging for favors, she was finally able to temporarily maintain superficial stability, allowing the mother and son to catch their breath and continue their difficult life.

Born into a wealthy family, Shimizu Iori enjoyed a privileged life with everything provided for her before she got married.

Needless to say, she was forced to marry into the Qingshui family due to a family marriage, so she only needed to make a beautiful white porcelain vase for pure viewing.

But it was just bad luck. Who could have expected that the Shimizu family, which was supposed to be at its peak, would collapse overnight? Shimizu Iori also experienced the hardships of life for the first time.

I almost blew up the kitchen while cooking and was reported as an arsonist by my neighbors. I used up a whole bag of detergent while doing laundry. I worked part-time to supplement my family income but ended up owing money to others...

Shimizu Iori, who has no common sense at all, has suffered a lot in life, but the one who makes her extremely happy and proud and makes her grit her teeth and persevere is undoubtedly her own flesh and blood, Shimizu Hiroki.

Although Hiroki Shimizu was not so well-behaved at first and was occasionally rebellious and naughty due to his family's decline and life changes.

Even when he was in junior high school, he got into fights outside the school, beating several kids of his age so hard that they were crying and screaming. The parents were so angry that they took the matter directly to the school.

Not only will you have to pay a large amount of medical expenses, but you may also be at risk of being expelled from school.

This almost made Shimizu Iori faint from anger. Shimizu Iori, who had always spoken softly to others, was gentle and kind, and never had anger on her face, actually hit her own son for the first time.

But Shimizu Yuki didn't cry or make a fuss after being beaten. He just stared at her with his dark eyes, as if he was not convinced.

Shimizu Iori became even more furious, feeling that all the calmness, discipline and manners that she had carefully taught herself since childhood had gone to waste.

But in the end, Shimizu Iori raised her hand to slap him but stopped. She couldn't bear to do it, so she just sulked and hid in her room for the whole day without coming out.

When she calmed down, the woman thought of the boy's fair and clean cheeks that were swollen and red from being hit by her, and she couldn't help but feel distressed for her own flesh and blood.

A person quietly walked out of the house and saw the food that Shimizu Hiroki left for her outside the door. Shimizu Iori burst into tears again, feeling extremely remorseful and guilty.

She was busy applying the ointment secretly, and she hugged her son and cried and apologized until midnight, and she was so stupid that she thought she did not wake up Yuki Shimizu.

This is the growth environment that Shimizu Hiroki has had created by his mother Shimizu Iori since he was a child. To be honest... it is not easy for him to grow up soundly and healthily.

But Shimizu Hiroki never disliked Shimizu Iori, even when he was the eldest son of the Shimizu family, everyone was talking about and criticizing her mother in private.

Everyone thought she was a victim of a family marriage, a parasite without any opinion of her own, a white porcelain vase with nothing on it...she was just too lucky.

Just by living like a puppet, you can enjoy a lifetime of food and clothing, wealth and glory. What a good deal.

Shimizu Hiroki could allow kids of his age to curse him, target him, and even not fight back when they were beaten, but he just couldn't stand Shimizu Iori being ridiculed and slandered like that for no reason, not even his father could allow it!

Because this cowardly, soft-hearted, timid and clumsy woman is her mother, the only relative he has left in this world.

So he worked hard, often studying until late at night, and also had to take care of this stupid woman who was obviously older than him but so careless and had no common sense.

When Shimizu Hiroki received the admission notice from Sakino High School, which was open to civilian students in its first year, this was also the school her mother Shimizu Iori graduated from.

He thought that he and his mother's lives, which had fallen from point A to point B, had finally seen a ray of light and that things were about to turn around.

Shimizu Iori, who luckily survived a car accident, had to be hospitalized due to serious illness because of overwork over the years and because he had not taken medicine for a long time due to lack of money.

In the hospital, Shimizu Hiroki held one of his mother's thin knuckles and rubbed the thin callus on his palm. His breathing became tight and he almost suffocated in this cruel reality.

Shimizu Iori was smiling. She was truly one of the most beautiful women in the world, especially when she smiled, she looked like she had walked out of a painting.

She looked at the child she gave birth to with relief and happiness. The child had truly grown up. The handsome and elegant boy's gradually mature features were at least 80% similar to hers.

"You've really grown up. Seeing Yuki like this, Mom is really happy."

"Mom has been really hard these past three years, but I feel really happy from the bottom of my heart. Isn't that strange?"

"Mom always forces Yuuki to study hard, to get into a good college or university, to live a smooth and brilliant life, and not to live a hard life with mom anymore. I'm sorry... I'm sorry, it's my fault. Even if Yuuki can't do it, it doesn't matter at all."

Shimizu Iori raised her trembling hand and stroked Shimizu Hiroki's eyebrows. Her tightly furrowed brows were full of guilt and apology.

"A child as obedient and sensible as Yuki will definitely meet a woman whom he truly loves and who can also love and care for Yuki, marry her, and give birth to a child of yours."

"This is my only wish, Yuki... My child, I just hope that you can live a free and happy life, that's enough."

"I...I know, I know, mother."

Shimizu Hiroki agreed loudly. He was completely panicked and blew air randomly into the woman's palm, hoping to warm up the gradually cooling skin again, but it was of no avail.

Shimizu Iori, who had been naive all her life, was unable to figure out before she died. She mistakenly believed that the handsome young man whom she had carefully raised and taught would naturally have a happy life of his own.

But she never thought that the sunshine, warmth, gentleness and kindness she inherited were not the keys to a so-called happy and free life.

Instead, she was the culprit who pushed her son into the abyss, imprisoned his freedom and sunshine, and completely separated him from happiness.

44. Unbearable to look back & Shimizu Hiroki goes to argue!

In the first year after his mother Shimizu Iori passed away, Shimizu Hiroki successfully entered the second year of Akino High School. As an ordinary civilian, he stood out among the young masters and young ladies who had been trained and influenced by the aristocratic elite since childhood, and won the top three in the grade.

In the discussion meeting of the school's top management, the success story of Hiroki Shimizu also proved to a great extent that completely relaxing restrictions, no longer being complacent, and trying to accept and train civilian students is undoubtedly a very good decision.

On the one hand, it can improve the admission rate of Qiye High School, which has been declining year by year like a roller coaster, and save the school's reputation, which has plummeted due to major scandals such as bullying, sexual harassment, and suicide.

Secondly, it is to create a sufficient sense of crisis to motivate the majority of aristocratic children who rely on their noble birth to play all day long and have no ambition to make progress. It can also ensure that precious learning resources are not wasted and are put to the best use, thus achieving a win-win situation on both ends and forming a virtuous circle.

However, some people raised objections, believing that Hiroki Shimizu, who was once the eldest son of the Shimizu family, was not enough to be a perfect example, and that academic performance is not the only indicator to measure the quality of a student.

The fine school spirit that has been inherited by Qianye High School for a hundred years also emphasizes the need to focus on cultivating students' comprehensive qualities, and the consideration of personal character cultivation and personality morality is indispensable.

With such trade-offs and bargaining on the table, this year's college scholarship quotas were once again rapidly divided up and eroded according to the methods and standards of previous years.

The students who can receive such honors are none other than the few families that everyone knows well. This is the case every year. Although they are angry and curse the hidden shady dealings, unspoken rules, and the powerful and wealthy covering up everything...

But everyone understood that this was simply because their family and company were not doing well, and they were not as good as others in terms of money, power, and status, so they had no choice but to swallow their anger and dared not complain at all.

So at the opening ceremony of the second grade, Yuuki Shimizu, who was standing in the audience with a burning heart and eagerly waiting, learned this extremely sad news.

How can this be?

This was too absurd. With his excellent grades of being in the top three in his grade and never falling out of the top ten in every exam, how could he have missed out on the scholarship?

There must be some shady dealings, unspoken rules, or dirty money transactions going on!

Even with the good upbringing ingrained in Hiroki Shimizu's bones, he wanted to rush up to confront the principal on the stage and take back everything that belonged to him!

However, Hiroki Shimizu did not know that he was completely framed. In fact, he had never considered the added value behind the scholarship and the honor that could make his resume bright and beautiful. The three words "scholarship" alone were what he really cared about.

Because he was really so poor that he couldn't even make ends meet. After his family fell into poverty, he had to experience firsthand the pain of making money and the heartache of spending money like water.

In the past, Master Qingshui was so aloof and self-respecting, he looked down on others, and even secretly despised those vulgar people who valued money and were stingy.

But now he has already become corrupt and is no different from these people.

No money? Sorry, no matter how high you stood, you will trample it into mud.

The dream of moving out of the storage room and living in a 30-square-meter "big villa" has been shattered.

Having experienced the hardships of life and become extremely realistic, Shimizu Hiroki knows that he has no time to complain about himself. He has to find a way to raise money quickly, otherwise he will not be able to face the unscrupulous landlord who is determined to raise the rent, and he will probably end up homeless.

He is now living in such poverty, which is completely contrary to the last wish left by her mother Shimizu Iori before her death: "to live a free and happy life."

After the opening ceremony, Hiroki Shimizu was still unwilling to give in. After much hesitation, he decided to go to the principal's office to find out what was going on.

Even if it's just some small compensation, he has a good appetite now and is not picky about food at all.

……

"I understand Qingshui's anger and confusion, and he thinks this is an unfair decision made by the school. However, I can tell him responsibly that the list of scholarship winners was drawn up by the school in strict accordance with the selection criteria and after many discussions and evaluations. There is absolutely no abuse of power for personal gain or behind-the-scenes manipulation."

The principal of Akino High School, Aiko Yoshinaga, is a middle-aged woman. The years have left deep marks on her body, but she still has some charm and her figure is well maintained.

That friendly and kind face makes it impossible for people to even think of offending or questioning him.

"But my grades are among the top three in the grade..." Shimizu Yuuki looked at the kind smile on the woman's face, subconsciously lowered his voice, and asked in a negotiating manner: "Is there no possibility that the school has made a mistake?"

"Of course not. As the first civilian student admitted to the school after the school opened up its enrollment, Qingshui-san deserves praise for achieving such excellent results.

But Yegao High School was once an elite aristocratic school, and grades alone cannot be the only basis for judging. This point... as a student like Qingshui, you should be very clear about it, right?"

Shimizu Hiroki understood what the other party meant. If even Yoshinaga Aiko, the head of the school, couldn't figure out his previous identity, then it would be completely a dereliction of duty on the other party's part.

"Shimizu-san, do you still have any doubts?"

"I want to find out what the so-called selection criteria are."

Hiroki Shimizu has already made plans to fight again next year, and Nodaka's scholarship is a very tempting figure for him.

"Well, it shouldn't be disclosed to the outside world, but if it's an excellent, hard-working and motivated student like Shimizu, I'll make an exception."

Yoshinaga Aiko smiled, and then explained the logic behind the selection criteria to Shimizu Hiroki in a very serious and responsible manner.

After hearing these words, I definitely benefited a lot, and it also made Hiroki Shimizu more confident in facing this year's selection.

"Now that we've come to this, I might as well say a few more words. I think Qingshui-san is still too focused on his studies and neglects to exercise his own abilities. It just so happens that the student council election is about to begin, so perhaps this is a good opportunity."

Yoshinaga Aiko's suggestion is very pertinent. Given Shimizu Hiroki's current miserable situation, how could he have the capital to spend a lot of money to cultivate the so-called "comprehensive qualities"?

Then he can take the initiative to join a small group like the Student Union, make his presence felt in front of all the students and school leaders, and strive for some "political achievements". Coupled with his top academic performance, he will naturally be a sure thing by then.

The amiable headmistress did help him.

Hiroki Shimizu was grateful to Aiko Yoshinaga in his heart. After saying thank you, he stood up and left.

"Wait a minute, I'm asking you this a little presumptuously. Qingshui-san values the scholarship so much. Is he really short of money?"

"Yes... a little bit."

There was nothing to be embarrassed about, Yuki Shimizu admitted it directly.

"I see. I guess Shimizu-san is going through a very difficult and hard life, right?"

Yoshinaga Aiko slowly stood up from her office chair and walked step by step towards Shimizu Hiroki who was sitting on the sofa.

The woman looked down at the young man, his hands flat on his knees, his back straight... The young man was sitting upright, and his every move exuded a sense of dignity and self-possession.

He really is a young man from a big family. Even though he has fallen from grace now and hit rock bottom, the things in his bones have not changed.

I just don't know what this one tastes like?

"It really hurts to see that my students can't even concentrate on their studies. I sympathize with Shimizu-san from the bottom of my heart."

She sat down next to the boy, who frowned at the strong smell of perfume on her body.

"Is there anything else, Principal Yoshinaga?"

"I was just thinking about how I could help Shimizu-san."

Yoshinaga Aiko lifted up her long and graceful legs, and her high heels slipped off without her noticing. They dangled on her toes, swinging back and forth, as if they could fall off at any time, revealing her woman's feet.