Chapter 103 I Won't Be Sad

Song Yu had heard this phrase when he was a child. He was very sad at the time and didn't want to play with the children who asked him questions afterward.

At this moment, Song Yu pursed her lips and stared at the little boy for a moment.

The little boy panicked a bit, pouted, and looked for Wang Yuhao's help.

Wang Yuhao said matter-of-factly, "When you introduced yourself, you only mentioned your mother. What about your father?"

Fu Fu clenched her little fists. She sensed the malice of Wang Yuhao and his two friends. She rushed forward, wanting to hit them. Although Fu Fu was afraid of teachers, she was not afraid of her classmates at all. When she was in kindergarten, her parents had to be called in because she got into a fight with a classmate.

Of course, Fu Fu won that time.

But Song Yu grabbed her arm, his childish voice revealing no sadness or grievance: "Fu Fu, let's go."

Fu Fu was pulled in another direction by him, squeaking and yelling, "I'm going to teach them a lesson! I can take on three of them!"

Finally, after being pulled away, she said, "You have no idea how amazing Song Yu's mother is. She has short hair and short-sightedness!"

Song Yu took Fufu to the sports hall on the playground, borrowed a small ball from the equipment teacher, and suggested, "Fufu, do you know how to bounce a ball? Let's play this."

Fu Fu stared at him wide-eyed, unable to believe that Song Yu still wanted to play. She frowned slightly, her tone full of disappointment: "Stop playing! Let's go get revenge!"

Song Yu: "But there's only a ten-minute break between classes. If you get your revenge, you won't be able to play anymore."

Fu Fu blinked, momentarily caught in a dilemma.

Song Yu's lips curved slightly: "Let's play instead."

"No!" Fu Fu made the difficult choice, grabbing Song Yu's arm, "Revenge is more important!"

Song Yu patted the ball on the ground twice and felt that the ball had good elasticity, unlike some balls that were leaking air and required a lot of force to bounce in mid-air. He liked the new school.

Song Yu: "What revenge are you talking about?"

Fufu: "Yes, yes, they were talking about you just now!"

Song Yu tilted her head and thought for a moment, then comforted Fu Fu, "It's okay, I didn't talk to them."

Fu Fu was momentarily speechless, as this was not in line with her previous experience. In kindergarten, if a child said something like that to another classmate, the classmate would argue back, which would then escalate into a fight, and finally the teacher would step in to resolve the issue, and the classmate who was talked about would receive an apology.

Why didn't Song Yu develop along this trajectory...?

She asked, "Aren't you sad and don't want to cry?"

Song Yu said with a determined look, "I don't want to cry."

Fu Fu asked, puzzled, "Why?"

Song Yu: "Because I didn't have a father to begin with. If I did, he definitely wouldn't have abandoned me."

Fufu: "...Huh?"

Her little head was suddenly caught in a whirlpool of very complicated thoughts: What does it mean to not have a father? Can there be a child without a father?

Is Song Yu the Monkey King? Did he spring from a stone?

Song Yu is not the same Song Yu as before. He used to be sad because a child would say, "Your mom and dad don't want you anymore," but now he knows it's not true, and his mother won't abandon him, so he's no longer sad.

Fufu was extremely curious and asked in a low voice, "You really don't have a father?"

She felt that the statement was inappropriate, but she was also very curious.

Song Yu said, "It used to exist, but it's gone now."

His mother also showed him a picture of his father, even though Song Yu had no memory of being an infant.

At this moment, Fufu transformed into a walking encyclopedia of questions, persistently asking, "Why?"

“Because my father passed away.” Song Yu said without any sadness. “But my mother said that if my father were still here, he would love and cherish me very much.”

Fu Fu remained silent.

Song Yu tossed the ball to her: "Fu Fu, don't you want to play?"

Fu Fu said, "I'd rather hit someone now."

Song Yu: "If you hit someone, Teacher Tang will definitely criticize you."

“No way!” Fufu immediately said, “Teachers only criticize those who make mistakes, I’m the righteous one.”

However, when it comes to Teacher Tang, Fu Fu is now most afraid of Teacher Tang, and her courage has diminished somewhat.

When the two returned to the classroom together, Fu Fu was still upset. She chose to tell the teacher. After class, she secretly went to Teacher Tang's office and mustered up the courage to tell Teacher Tang.

Teacher Tang said sternly, "I understand. I will handle this matter."

Fu Fu was happy to see the teacher like this, and skipped away from the office.

As soon as Fufu left, the teachers in the office started talking: "Teacher Tang, is Wang Yuhao in your class difficult to deal with?"

Teacher Tang said, "I could tell when we were registering yesterday that he was a troublemaker. He caused trouble on the very first day of school."

"Teacher Tang, you need to educate him properly and nip this troublemaker in the bud. If you don't suppress him now, he'll be even harder to manage when he's in fifth or sixth grade."

Liang, the math teacher who works with us, asked, "Is Song Yu from a single-parent family in our class?"

Teacher Tang hummed in agreement: "That's what it says on the student record. Song Yu's father has passed away."

“His mother must have had a tough time,” another teacher said. “Children like this need special attention, as they are most prone to psychological problems.”

Teacher Tang hummed in agreement: "From what I can see so far, Song Yu's mental state is quite good."

Teacher Tang knew she looked a bit serious, and that children would be a little afraid of her when they first met her. But on the first day of school, Song Yu smiled sweetly at her and greeted her as "Hello, Teacher."

Teacher Tang has been in this line of work for twenty years and has long since developed a knack for recognizing people. He naturally liked such a smart and generous child, so he asked him to help him distribute his new book first.

Wang Yuhao thus became the first student in the class to run into Teacher Tang's wrath. On the first day of school, he was called to the teacher's office for a private talk. When he returned to the class, he was criticized by name. Teacher Tang also told the whole class that they were a group and should be united and friendly to their classmates.

When school ended in the afternoon, Teacher Tang also told Wang Yuhao's grandmother about this.

Upon hearing this, the old man patted Wang Yuhao's vest a few times and scolded him on the spot. Then, embarrassed, he said to Teacher Tang, "I will definitely educate my child properly when I get back."

Teacher Tang frowned slightly, thinking it would be better to discuss this matter with Wang Yuhao's parents.

Fufu also told her grandmother about it, and the little girl's voice was full of confusion: "Grandma, why isn't Song Yu angry?"

Grandma Fu said, "Song Yu probably thinks this isn't a big deal and won't affect him. He can just stop talking to Wang Yuhao from now on."

"It's a big deal!" Fufu said hurriedly, "Everyone at kindergarten is going to fight."

Grandma said, "That's why Song Yu is different from your kindergarten classmates."

Grandma spoke gently, saying slowly, "Everyone has a different perspective on the same thing. The kindergarten classmates chose to settle it by fighting, while Song Yu chose to ignore them. There's nothing wrong with either choice; it just depends on which one you prefer."

Fu Fu fell into deep thought.

Grandma looked at her granddaughter's serious little face and thoughtful expression, and felt very gratified.

I thought to myself, it's amazing that Song Yu is so strong-willed in first grade and doesn't care about these rumors. I hope Fu Fu can learn some composure and calmness from her good friend.

Fu Fu is usually too impulsive and acts rashly.

"Then I'll choose to tell the teacher," Fu Fu finally gave this answer.

Grandma: "Hmm...?"

Fu Fu chuckled and said, "I told Teacher Tang about this, and Teacher Tang gave Wang Yuhao a severe scolding today."

If Teacher Tang doesn't intervene, Fufu will try to solve the problem in his own way.

However, this did not stop Fufu from thinking, "Grandma, Song Yu is so special."

She skipped and hopped along, holding her grandmother's hand, overjoyed to have such a special friend.

"Hmm..." Grandma responded. This was the first time she had learned about Song Yu's family. In fact, she had guessed the situation when she saw that Song Xinran was taking care of the child alone, but she did not expect the truth to be worse.

However... Grandma thought again, how could it be said to be worse?

Encountering unreliable men is worse than the man dying.

On the other side, Song Xinran also came to pick up Song Yu from school.

Shuangqiao Elementary School lets out at four o'clock in the afternoon. Song Xinran picked up Song Yu and took him to the store. They would go home together in the evening. On the way to the store, Song Yu had a lot to say and told Song Xinran about this.

But this matter is just one of many important events today. More important than this are how many times Song Yu raised his hand, how many times the teacher called on him to answer questions, and how the teacher praised him.

Finally, he casually added, "I don't like Wang Yuhao. He asked me if my dad didn't want me anymore."

A child’s seemingly ordinary remark stirred up a storm in Song Xinran’s heart.

"Xiao Yu," Song Xinran asked, holding the child's soft hand and trying to soften her voice, "Were you very sad at the time?"

Song Yu smiled shyly, no longer putting on a brave face like she had with Fu Fu, and no longer saying that she wasn't sad at all.

He said in a soft voice, "It's only a little bit, it'll be gone soon. They're all lying, I won't be sad."

Receiving an unexpected answer, Song Xinran placed her hand on his shoulder and gently embraced him: "How can Xiao Yu be so smart? He knew right away that they were lying."

Song Yu's tone became a little more cheerful as he leaned against her: "Because I have a mother. My mother said that if my father were here, he would love me too."

A corner of Song Xinran's heart suddenly softened. Did Song Yu believe everything she said...?

"Mom loves you very much, Xiao Yu."

Feeling embarrassed, Song Yu buried her head in her arms, her childish voice soft and only Song Xinran could hear: "Me too, Mom, I love you so much."

Song Xinran's lips curved slightly.

"Teacher Tang made Wang Yuhao stand as punishment today," Song Yu said happily to her mother, recalling the incident. "Teacher Tang said he did something wrong."

Teacher Tang did not reveal the truth about punishing Wang Yuhao in front of the whole class. She only said that he was not friendly to his classmates. Song Xinran understood Teacher Tang's actions and did not intend to go to the teacher again.

Song Xinran ruffled his soft hair: "Xiao Yu, don't pay any attention to him anymore."

"I know." Song Yu said with a serious little face, "I will never smile at him again."

Smiling at someone is a friendly gesture, but since Song Yu's friendliness was not reciprocated today, he will not do the same thing to this person again.

Song Xinran wanted to laugh, but she held it in: "Okay."

On my first day of elementary school, the teacher didn't assign any written homework, but only asked us to go home and preview what we would be learning the next day.

Song Yu sat in a corner of the restaurant, holding a book and reading for a long time, previewing the material he would be studying for the next month.

The restaurant is quite large, and Song Xinran has also set up many decorative corners to enhance its aesthetic appeal.

Although it has the style of a high-end restaurant, and it's not as noisy as a typical restaurant, talking is still unavoidable, and there's soft music playing overhead.

Once Song Yu starts doing something, he easily gets absorbed in it, and it's hard for outside distractions to bother him. However, Song Xinran still thought that she shouldn't bring Song Yu to the restaurant after school in the future, because children always need a quiet environment to study.

The most common way nowadays is to enroll children in after-school programs, and Song Xinran decided to ask Song Yu for his opinion.

At 8 p.m., after seeing off the last group of guests, Song Xinran took Song Yu home.

On the way, she received a call from Song Xinwen. Song Xinwen called to talk about two things: first, he told her about the recent business of the mala tang restaurant and then transferred the money to her card; second, he asked about Song Xinran's life in the city.

"Xiao Yu started elementary school today, right? How's the new school? Are you settling in well? Are the teachers nice? Do your classmates bully you?"

Song Xinran handed the phone to Song Yu.

Listening to her aunt's string of words, Song Yu answered one by one: "Today is the first day of school. The new school is great. It has a big playground with places to run, play soccer, play basketball, and there are also ping-pong tables. The teachers are also very nice, and my classmates didn't bully me."

Song Xinwen said, "That's good. Xiao Yu, study hard and come back to play during the New Year."

"Okay, Auntie."

"Give the phone to your mom, I want to talk to her for a bit." Song Yu obediently handed the phone to her mother.

Song Xinran smiled gently. She noticed that Song Yu answered the phone as if he were having a face-to-face conversation, with his hands hanging neatly at his sides, looking particularly well-behaved.

"What's wrong, sis?" Song Xinran asked.

On the other end of the phone, Song Xinwen chuckled first: "The brick kiln where your brother-in-law worked has gone bankrupt!"

Song Xinran: "Huh?"

Why is the wife so happy that her husband's company went bankrupt?

Song Xinwen said, "I told him to stay home and take care of the children, do some farming, and do some housework. As long as there's a hot meal for me when I get back, that's fine."

Song Xinran was even more surprised: "Sister, aren't you staying and eating at the shop now?"

“I don’t live here anymore,” Song Xinwen said. “I bought a women’s motorcycle, which makes it convenient to go home. I can just have lunch at the shop. Sometimes when Xiaoxia needs to go home, I give her a ride. It’s very convenient.”

Song Xinran was even more surprised, as she remembered Song Xinwen only knowing how to ride a bicycle: "When did you buy it?"

“Just a few days ago, a motorcycle shop opened in the next town. I went to see it, thought it was suitable, and bought one,” Song Xinwen said. “At the time, I was thinking that Xiaoyang would be starting elementary school soon, and his father was a man who didn’t care about anything, and his grandmother spoiled him. I had to go back and keep an eye on him often.”

However, now that Cai Yongde has been laid off and can only stay at home to take care of his children, the car is not wasted and has other uses.

“Cai Yongde initially wanted me to let him ride the bike,” Song Xinwen cursed. “He can only dream about it! I travel back and forth between town and home every day, it doesn’t take up much of my time.”

“I’ve served him for years, now it’s time for him to serve me.” Song Xinwen spoke with an air of smug satisfaction.

Song Xinran couldn't help but chuckle: "Sister, you still remember all of this?"

“How could I not remember? I’ll never forget it!” Song Xinwen said. “Xinran, come visit us again when you come back to town.”

“Okay.” Song Xinran noticed that Song Xinwen spoke with more confidence; this must be the confidence that comes with economic power.

"By the way, Xinran, there's something else I need to tell you," Song Xinwen said. "Many people in the village know you went to the city and want to ask you for a job. But don't worry, I haven't given out my phone number to any of them!"

"But you know there's a lot of gossip going on in the village. If someone contacts you, just do what you want to do. Don't worry about being embarrassed."

Song Xinran had anticipated this. In the countryside, nothing can be kept secret. Almost everyone in the village knew that she had opened a shop in town. She first asked Song Xinwen to help her, and then she found Ge Xia. Everyone had their eyes open and saw everything.

This time she went to the city again and handed the shop over to Song Xinwen and Ge Xia directly. The others must have been thinking about it too.

However, Song Xinran had her own plans. She said, "I know, sister. You should also take care of yourself and not overwork yourself."

Before hanging up the phone, Song Xinran heard Cai Yang's voice coming from the other end.

The arrogant and domineering little fat boy, who had been so domineering during their first meeting, now sounded much more polite: "Mom, Dad taught me how to write these words today."

"Mom, are you talking to Auntie on the phone?"

"Mom," Song Yu asked her, "Is Uncle unemployed?"

Song Xinran gave him a strange look and laughed: "Little Yu, you have such sharp ears. Yes, the brick kiln where your uncle worked has gone out of business."

Song Yu said worriedly, "Then Uncle will definitely be angry and will argue with Aunt."

“No,” Song Xinran said. “Your uncle’s temper has changed. He doesn’t argue anymore and even stays home to do chores, cook, and take care of the children.”

Song Yu felt deeply confused.

Song Xinran then said, "Xiao Yu, Mom doesn't think the environment for you to do your homework in the store is very good. Would you like to go to an after-school program?"

Song Xinran explained the meaning of after-school care to him. Song Yu had been exposed to this concept before, but after listening to it in detail today, he shook his head repeatedly: "I don't want to go."

He looked up at Song Xinran with a pitiful expression and said, "Mom, I want to go to the store with you."

Song Xinran also felt troubled: "There are too many people in the store, and Mom can't take full care of you. Also, the store is quite noisy. You don't have any written homework now, but as you have more and more homework in the future, you will need a quiet environment to do your homework."

Song Yu thought for a moment and asked, "Can I stay home by myself?"

He really likes the balcony at home. It's a good place for him to read and do his homework by himself. After finishing his homework, he can go to the study.

Song Xinran said, "But Xiao Yu is home alone and there's no one to cook for you."

Song Yu said softly, "I can eat later when Mom comes back."

"No, Xiao Yu." She didn't want her child to have stomach problems when she grew up.

Song Yu frowned, unable to come up with a good idea for a moment, and finally said, "Mom, let me think about it."

Looking at his conflicted face, Song Xinran said, "Okay, I'll give Xiao Yu two days to think it over."