Chapter 204 I'm sorry, I lied to you silly children, I'll raise them myself...
After hanging up Jiang Manzhi's call, An Fusheng silently went back to bed, pulled the blanket over himself, and huddled inside.
Lou Lan thought he was listless because he had been sick for several days and was exhausted. She asked him a few questions, and An Fusheng said he was fine, so she told him to continue to rest.
To her surprise, Lou Lan touched An Fusheng's forehead in the middle of the night out of habit, and found it burning hot again. Lou Lan shook An Fusheng anxiously, "Fuzi, wake up, you have a fever again."
An Fusheng didn't want to wake up, and drowsily pleaded, "Let me sleep a little longer, I'm still growing and can sleep in."
Lou Lan was both amused and exasperated. "Fine, you're still growing, so go to sleep. I'll go get the doctor to come and take a look at you."
The on-duty doctor and nurse came over and took An Fusheng's temperature. It was just a low-grade fever. The doctor said there was nothing seriously wrong. The nurse gave him an IV drip, and An Fusheng cooperated in a daze. After the IV drip was finished, the doctor and nurse left, and An Fusheng fell into a deep sleep again.
Lou Lan sighed almost imperceptibly.
...
Because of his fever that night, An Fusheng stayed in the hospital for another day before being discharged.
Wen Yue had been delivering meals to him for the past few days, and An Fusheng expressed his gratitude.
"How about something more meaningful to express your gratitude?" Wen Yue suggested.
An Fusheng thought she made sense. "What do you want?"
Wen Yue said shyly, "Big brother, I... have a boyfriend."
An Fusheng didn't react for a moment, "What?"
Wen Yue: "Could you please talk to Mrs. Lou and Mrs. Wen for me? It would be best if you could help persuade them to let my boyfriend visit us."
An Fusheng: "How old are you? You're already dating? You're having a puppy love?"
"I'm almost twenty-seven, how could I be in a relationship so early?" Wen Yue said incredulously.
“You’re only twenty-seven and you’re already dating? You’ve only just graduated from school and haven’t been working for many years. Do you even know how to tell a good man from a bad one? Do you know that dating can be a lifelong commitment? How could you be so hasty?” An Fusheng questioned.
“How could I be hasty? I considered it seriously and talked to him carefully.” Wen Yue retorted, “I’m already twenty-seven, I can tell whether a man is good or bad.”
"You can tell the difference, you can tell the difference." An Fusheng didn't know what to say: "Just tell me, am I not a good man?"
Wen Yue replied without hesitation: "Of course you're a good man!"
An Fusheng: "How could you possibly tell the difference? I don't even know if I'm good or bad."
Wen Yue: "..."
Wen Yue is angry.
Wen Yue didn't want to talk to An Fusheng anymore.
But she still needed someone's help.
After sulking for a few minutes, Wen Yue asked again, "Will you help me or not?"
An Fusheng snorted to indicate his disagreement.
Wen Yue: "I'll bring you food every day while you're sick."
An Fusheng: "..."
In the end, An Fusheng agreed, but he did so with the intention of complaining. He knew that his mothers, Lou and Wen, would definitely stop him. However, when they found out, they simply said, "Then let's bring him back to see."
A few days later, Wen Yue brought her boyfriend back. The whole family waited anxiously at the gate, but Lin Yuantang was the one who got out of the car!
Wen Yue: "Hehe, I didn't tell you beforehand because I wanted to give you a surprise."
An Fusheng: Not a surprise at all.
An Fusheng originally thought Lin Yuantang was a pretty good person, but he didn't expect that Wen Yue would be pursued by him after only a little over a year of managing the canteen. The canteen work is so busy, and Wen Yue goes home on time every day after get off work. How much time do they spend together? How could he still be seduced by him? This person seems honest and straightforward on the surface, but he is actually very cunning. An Fusheng has to re-evaluate him.
Wen Min and Lou Lan were quite satisfied with Lin Yuantang. They not only had An Fusheng cook for him, but also greeted him with smiles and spoke to him in a kind and gentle manner.
An Fusheng felt that this was not a good idea. After Wen Yue left, he pulled Wen Min and Lou Lan aside and asked her to reconsider. Wen Yue had been abandoned before and was very sensitive. If she were to be wronged in a relationship again, it would be a wound that could never be healed.
Lou Lan said earnestly, "We're just as worried as you are, but we can't prevent her from trying anything just because we're afraid she'll get hurt. Yueyue is stronger than you think. She grew up in an orphanage. To put it bluntly, she's always been eager to grab whatever she can get, whether it's the mothers' love or any other resources in life. Her ability to read people is definitely not worse than most people, if not better. She was adopted and then returned, so she's never really felt secure. The person she's willing to accept will definitely be someone who can give her that sense of security. You don't need to worry too much. Besides, so what if they break up? She has her own job now, and she's not short of money. She can buy a house anytime she wants. Even if she doesn't buy one, the orphanage has a room for her. She's not going to end up on the streets, is she?"
An Fusheng was reluctantly persuaded, but the damage was irreversible, and An Fusheng felt that he still could not let his guard down against Lin Yuantang.
Hearing that Lin Yuantang and He Zhi grew up together, An Fusheng went to He Zhi to ask about Lin Yuantang. He Zhi said that he and Lin Yuantang used to be classmates and are now colleagues, and he doesn't know much about his private life. An Fusheng felt that he was covering for him.
Anfu was so angry that for the first time he didn't call He Zhi "Boss." "He Zhi, from now on I'm the biggest obstacle in your path to Xu San Nian! You old man, you can forget about getting a wife!"
More than that: "I'm only two years older than you, and you call me an old man?"
An Fusheng: "That's him. You're more than ten years older than me!"
More than that: "..."
An Fusheng also recalled how He Zhiming had discovered he wasn't the original owner of the body but hadn't told him, and he angrily questioned, "You knew I wasn't him a long time ago, why didn't you tell me?"
More than that: "Didn't I tell you?"
An Fusheng: "You didn't say that my body is also my own."
It took He Zhi a while to understand what An Fusheng meant: "How was I supposed to know that someone is so stupid that they don't even recognize themselves?"
An Fusheng: "Are you mocking me?"
He said, "I'm just stating a fact."
An Fusheng: "There is no need to use adjectives when stating facts."
More than that: "Sorry, I couldn't help it."
An Fusheng: "We're breaking off relations. From now on, your company cafeteria will not offer any discounts of 1% on any food!"
More than that: "..."
Why do I have this inexplicable feeling of having lost both my wife and my army?
...
Not only that, he also has many employees. Don't underestimate the intelligence-gathering ability of the cafeteria workers. They can definitely expose Lin Yuantang completely!
...
The conversation with He Zhi reminded An Fusheng once again that he and the original owner were two completely independent individuals. He didn't want to live in someone else's 'body'. Since he was going to live in this world, he wanted to live for himself.
Wen Min was so busy with the simulated family project that she was nowhere to be seen every day. An Fusheng waited for several days but couldn't find her available, so he had to go to Lou Mama.
Lou Lan, seeing An Fusheng suddenly looking for her with a serious expression, asked, "What is it?"
An Fusheng knelt down in front of Lou Lan without saying a word.
Lou Lan was startled. "You're in a relationship too?"
An Fusheng shook his head and then said, "Aunt Lou, I have something very serious to tell you. After I tell you, you might kick me out of the house."
"What's so serious?" Lou Lan asked, reaching out to help An Fusheng up.
An Fusheng refused to get up, saying, "I lied to you."
"What did they lie to us about?"
An Fusheng had mentally prepared himself countless times over the past few days, but he still found it hard to say it. He was genuinely afraid of being kicked out. He kept saying he was afraid Wen Yue would be abandoned again, but he was actually more afraid of being abandoned himself.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Lou, I lied to you. I’m not the son you raised. I’ve been lying to you since the first day I came to the orphanage. I didn’t want to lie to you, but suddenly I came to this strange world and I have nowhere to go. I’m sorry, I know it’s wrong, but I’ve kept deceiving you. I’m really sorry, I was too selfish. Hit me, hit me hard, cripple me and then throw me out.” An Fusheng didn’t dare to look at Lou Lan, he just kept his head down and talked to himself, his speech getting faster and faster. After he finished speaking, he didn’t dare to raise his head to look at Lou Lan for a long time.
After a long while, An Fusheng heard Lou Lan sigh, and then she said, "Silly child, do you think I can't tell that the child I raised is different?"
An Fusheng suddenly looked up.
Lou Lan's eyes were full of pity and love. "I don't know how to tell you why you've had such a hard time. I'm so sorry."
"You know?" An Fusheng asked incredulously.
Lou Lan: "Your mother and I both know."
“Then why are you still…” An Fusheng suddenly choked up.
Lou Lan: "Are you asking why we don't expose you and are still nice to you?"
An Fusheng: "Why?"
Lou Lan: "Because you are a good child, you deserve it. You are kind, smart and hardworking. You could have gone anywhere, but you came here. We are so lucky to have you. Thank you for helping us so much."
“Aunt Lou…I have no known background. Aren’t you worried that I’m a bad person? Won’t you kick me out?”
"Isn't it a bit late to say that your origins are unknown now?" Lou Lan chuckled. "Alright, get up quickly, don't catch a cold on the ground and get a fever again. If we're talking about unknown origins, how many people in our family have known origins? We're all one family."
An Fusheng slowly got up from the ground. "When did you find out?"
Lou Lan: "I felt something was wrong from the beginning, and then I found out that it was indeed wrong. Plus, Xiao Ba was sleeping with you, so I was worried and went to check on you several times a night. I often heard you talking in your sleep."
"Huh?" An Fusheng exclaimed in disbelief.
"What, you don't believe you're talking in your sleep?"
An Fusheng: I don't really believe it, but it doesn't seem like Mrs. Lou is lying to me.
Lou Lan sighed softly, "I'm sorry I never told you, and I made you carry such a heavy psychological burden for three years."
An Fusheng shook his head: "I was wrong too. Thank you and Aunt Wen for taking me in."
“What are you saying? In the hearts of your mother and me, we have long regarded you as our own child. Your mother thinks you are naive and is afraid that you will suffer in the future, so she has been working hard to train you to be independent. We love you just like we love other children.”
An Fusheng recalled what Wen's mother had said when she promised him he could open a restaurant, and his heart was filled with emotion. "Thank you all."
"Where did it come from?" Lou Lan asked.
“There’s a place called Fushan Village. I’ve checked it many times, but it’s not here. It’s… another world,” An Fusheng said.
"Another world?"
An Fusheng nodded: "Yes, I just tripped and fell, and then I came."
Lou Lan: "Then..."
“He should be in the world I live in now. I dreamt he was at my house, and he was even chatting with my older sister.” An Fusheng’s tone was tinged with undisguised bitterness.
"You really like your older sister?"
“Yes, my older sister is beautiful and academically gifted. After graduating from university, she even became a cadre.” An Fusheng began to chatter on and on about the world he used to live in and the people and things in that world.
Lou Lan listened with great interest, "Your village is really interesting."
"That's right!"
Lou Lan noticed that An Fusheng didn't mention his parents, and asked, "What kind of people are your parents?"
An Fusheng fell silent instantly.
"If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. It was just a casual question from Mrs. Lou."
“My father passed away in an accident before I was born, and my mother passed away when I was seven years old. After that, my grandmother raised me.”
Lou Lan said with heartache, "It's good to be with Grandma. She's raised you very well."
"Um."
"By the way, how old are you now?" Lou Lan asked.
An Fusheng: "I was eighteen when I first came here, and I'm twenty-one now."
"You're only eighteen. At an age when others are still dating and having their parents called in, you're already capable of handling things on your own. Your parents, grandma, and sister must be very proud of you."
"Where we're from, we have a coming-of-age ceremony when we turn eighteen, which makes us adult men. A man must be able to hunt in the mountains, work in the fields, be decisive in the face of adversity, and have backbone in the face of hardship; he must be a true man. But I haven't had my coming-of-age ceremony yet..."
"Then don't rush to become an adult, continue to be happy and free to be yourself."
"ah?"
“Eighteen is very young here, and twenty-one is still very young. There’s no need to rush to become an adult.”
"Thank you, Aunt Lou."
When is your birthday?
"The fifteenth day of the ninth lunar month."
“Starting this year, we will celebrate our birthdays on the 15th day of the ninth lunar month.”
...
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Author's note: Almost forgot: Happy Winter Solstice everyone! [Let me see...]
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