Chapter 27 Craftsmanship
"Mom's still having a headache. You know she's been having headaches for a while, so don't make her angry again."
"Just tell the truth, stop hiding things. Why did you have to go to a place like that? What were you going there to do?"
Lu Xiuye lowered her head, her fingers clenched tightly.
After a few seconds of silence, she raised her head, her eyes reddening.
"Mom, I don't want to give up my studies..."
“I really want to go to school, but you won’t let me continue.”
She took a breath, her voice trembling slightly.
"I heard that Qu Dong is offering jobs where you can earn one yuan for a night of serving dishes at a restaurant."
"I'm thinking of working for two months during the summer vacation so I can save some tuition fees."
"That's why I asked him to help me find a job..."
After she finished speaking, she lowered her head, but still kept her lips tightly pressed together.
Upon hearing this, Shen Cuifen's head buzzed.
I felt completely struck by those words.
She stumbled back several steps, barely managing to steady herself against the wall, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
It turns out that all of this was caused by my own ignorance!
In her past life, Xiuye suffered such misfortune because she didn't receive understanding from her family...
"Yes, you don't pay for the child's tuition, you won't let her work to earn money, and you even beat me up without any explanation!"
“Our teachers all say that Xiuye has excellent grades and will definitely get into high school.”
"She might even get into university and become a college student. Why can't you trust her a little?"
"You don't care about Xiuye at all!"
"You've even extinguished her only hope!"
"Qu Dong! Shut up!"
"You dare to make up stories about my mom!"
Lu Xiuye pointed her finger fiercely at Qu Dong, her eyes filled with anger.
Faced with this scene, Qu Dong felt extremely embarrassed and could only awkwardly close his mouth, not daring to say another word.
Everyone originally said that Lu Xiuye was a gentle and sensible girl.
But who would have thought that today's move would be so ruthless, completely unlike the easygoing person he seemed to be on the surface.
Meanwhile, Shen Cuifen was lost in memories of the past.
In that lifetime, she was a mother who lost her daughter.
Thinking of the moment when I failed to protect my own flesh and blood.
The guilt overwhelmed her and made her feel suffocated.
She spoke softly, her voice trembling slightly.
"Xiuye, I'm so sorry. Did I hit you too hard just now? Does your face still hurt?"
As she spoke, Shen Cuifen couldn't help but reach out and carefully cup Lu Xiuye's face in her hands.
Lu Xiuye slowly shook her head, her gaze lowered, and remained silent.
Qu Dong, who had been unable to get a word in edgewise for a long time, immediately chimed in.
"Oh dear, I'm in so much pain, I think my whole arm is ruined!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Cuifen merely frowned, her lips twitched slightly, and her neck instinctively shrank back.
She said it casually.
"You deserve this injury! Who told you to bare your teeth like that, looking so unreliable!"
Upon hearing this, Qu Dong scratched his head and grinned, revealing a silly smile.
He grinned shamelessly and said, "Auntie, you don't know this, but young girls these days like guys like us who can make people laugh. As long as I speak well and do things interestingly, girls will feel comfortable with me! That's what it means to know how to please a girl!"
The three reacted in exactly the same way.
The air suddenly cooled down by several degrees.
Qu Dong was left standing there awkwardly, grinning foolishly.
At this moment, Shen Cuifen turned around and looked at Lu Xiuye.
“Honey, Mom has finally figured it out. If you really want to study, I will support you to the end, whether you go to high school or college, we will stick with it. As for that Jinmantang place, we won’t go there. That kind of messy place is most likely to affect a child’s growth. I think it’s better to get away from it as soon as possible.”
She spoke very seriously.
He was already resentful about being injured.
Now, hearing Shen Cuifen simply categorize them all as objects of negative influence, one can understand her opinion.
He immediately retorted, "Hey, Auntie, couldn't you have gone any further? Do you have to say I'm an unreliable person? Why are you being so reasonable? I really don't agree with this kind of discrimination!"
Seeing her mother Shen Cuifen's indifferent expression, Lu Xiuye felt uneasy.
I was afraid she would get angry again and make me drop out of school to work.
He quickly lowered his voice and said, "Mom, I really understand. I will focus on my studies and will never have those thoughts again, nor will I mention going to work at Jinmantang again."
When she heard her mother slowly agree to let her continue her studies, Lu Xiuye felt relieved and a joyful smile appeared on her face.
However, the thought of his father, Lu Weidong, being furious when he found out about this was unbearable.
The smile on her face gradually faded.
However, she simply couldn't bring herself to talk about such shameful things at home in front of Qu Dong.
He could only lower his head, thinking he'd see how things went when he got home.
At that moment, she saw Qu Dong gently rubbing his hands beside her.
So, Lu Xiuye bit her lip and tentatively said something.
"Mom, Qu Dong is actually a good person. He's not the kind of bad guy you imagine. He went to work at Jinmantang because his father was seriously ill and needed money for treatment, so he had no choice but to drop out of school and go out to earn money."
In fact, Qu Dong's academic performance has always been good.
He is considered to be in the upper-middle range of his class.
He would never have left school if it weren't for a family crisis.
According to Lu Xiuye, just half a month ago, her father was diagnosed with lung cancer, and the family's savings were quickly depleted.
To save his father, Qu Dong had to interrupt his studies and go to work at the Jinmantang Restaurant.
About a week ago, she ran into Qu Dong, who was wearing his work uniform and had just finished get off work, on her way to buy stationery.
I learned from him that he had officially started working there.
Listening to Lu Xiuye's words and looking at Qu Dong's face, Shen Cuifen's expression was complicated.
Suddenly, she asked a question.
"Do you live in Daxing Village?"
Qu Dong was slightly taken aback by her question.
She nodded and replied, "Yes, my home is in Daxing Village. Why did you suddenly ask about this, Auntie?"
What was she thinking of?
In her previous life, she was overcome with grief and indignation after her daughter, Lu Xiuye, died unexpectedly.
As it happened, on that very day, a man standing at the restaurant entrance pulled out a knife and stabbed the manager.
By the time the surrounding crowd rushed forward, the young man had already plunged the knife into his own chest.
He jumped into the river in front of the door and died without hesitation.
The scene was chaotic, with people talking all at once.
This person's surname is Qu, and he is from Daxing Village.
He was hardworking and resilient from a young age, lived a simple life, but was of good character.
Later, because her partner was abused, she was driven to despair.
His father also passed away early due to lung cancer.
Moreover, the surname "Qu" is not commonly seen within a radius of 100 miles.
So even though a long time has passed, Shen Cuifen still remembers this name vividly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
