Chapter 191 Yaozu in the Mountain Village (Part 6) Beep! Striving to be a good person...
The next morning, Song Ce and Song Xi boarded the train back to their hometown. The carriage was bustling with people, but the noise couldn't mask Song Xi's anxiety.
She gazed at the scenery rushing past the window, but had no heart to appreciate it. Her fingertips unconsciously tugged at the hem of her clothes, her mind filled with the scene of facing her father.
Song Ce naturally noticed Song Xi's unease, but this time he didn't say anything, only smiled and handed her a bottle of mineral water.
Song Xi took the water and forced a smile.
By the time the train arrived in Xing City, it was already afternoon. Song Xi took a deep breath, bought the fastest bus ticket, and returned to that familiar, isolated little mountain village that filled her with both fear and apprehension.
From afar, Song Xi could see that her family's wooden door was wide open, and her father was standing at the door, the wrinkles on his face seeming even deeper than when she last saw him.
Her steps unconsciously slowed down, but Song Ce gently patted her shoulder and said, "Sister, let's go."
"Um……"
Song Xi followed behind her younger brother, watching him walk steadily to the front door, and called out first, "Dad."
Song's father paused, his angry gaze fixed on Song Xi behind Song Ce, as if trying to see right through her.
"Hmph, so you still know how to come back?"
Song Xi gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, and after a long while, she managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Dad."
"Don't call me dad!"
Suddenly, Song's father raised his voice, whirled around, kicked the stool at his feet, and began to yell, "I've worked so hard to send you to school all these years, and you just ran off without a word! You think you're all grown up now? Or do you think I'm dead?!"
Upon hearing this, Song Ce stepped forward and said calmly, "Dad, my sister has always wanted to be a doctor since she was a child. Why can't you support her?"
"Support? Come in, my good son! Come in!" Song's father, his face flushed, dragged Song Ce around the impoverished house, looking him over inside and out. He sneered, "Let me ask you, what support do I have? If she goes to university, where will the tuition come from? Where will the living expenses come from? Huh? Besides, what's the use of a girl studying so much? She'll get married sooner or later! Once she's married, she'll be someone else's wife! What will she have to do with our Song family? A married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl!"
At this point, Song's father became increasingly angry, pointing at Song Ce's nose and cursing, "You should be glad you're my son, otherwise, I wouldn't tolerate your bad habits! You've gone stupid from studying!"
"In the end, isn't it all about money? Dad, you always say that you spent a lot of money to send me to school, but how much money have I actually spent on the family over the years? Our family is poor. From elementary school to junior high school, all my tuition and fees were waived! After entering high school, because I was first in my grade, my high school tuition was also waived, right?" Song Xi suddenly spoke up, her voice filled with unprecedented sarcasm and sharpness.
Startled by her sudden retort, Song's father flew into a rage, shouting, "What are you saying? Isn't it money to raise you and provide for your needs?"
“I’ve been helping with chores around the house since I was six. During winter and summer vacations in junior and senior high school, I worked as a dishwasher and assistant at my aunt’s restaurant. When she got paid, she skipped me and gave it all to you! To this day, I still don’t know how much they paid me, right? In my three years of high school, I didn’t buy a single new piece of clothing. I wore only hand-me-downs from relatives! Right? And for my living expenses, you only gave me 100 yuan a month. In my second year of high school, I was so hungry that I tried to ask you for 20 more, but when I came home that week, you beat me severely with a carrying pole, didn’t you? Dad, put your hand on your heart and tell me, what do you want me to do to satisfy you?”
"You!" Song's father was so angry that his face turned purple. He grabbed a broom from the corner of the wall and swung it at Song Xi, cursing, "You've gone too far! How dare you talk to your father like that!"
Song Ce reacted quickly and grabbed the broom.
"Get out of my way!" Song's father roared, pulling hard on the broom. "I'm going to beat this heartless bastard to death today!"
"Conscience?" Song Ce's expression turned extremely cold as he asked him calmly, "What is conscience?"
“You eat my food, drink my water, use my things, and if you don’t listen to me, you’re heartless! To put it another way, your lives were given to you by your parents! Although our family is poor, have I ever let you go hungry? No! You can never repay such a huge debt of gratitude in your lifetime! I’m not afraid to tell you that I’ve kept a record of every penny you two have spent since you were little!”
Soon, the commotion at the Song family's house attracted many villagers who wanted to watch the spectacle.
"What's going on with the Song family?"
"You don't know, do you? His daughter insisted on applying to a useless medical school, the tuition is extremely expensive. Old Song kindly suggested that she change her application, but she was incredibly stubborn and wouldn't listen to anything! So, Xiao Ce secretly took his sister to Beijing, and now she can't change her application even if she wants to!"
"I heard that her medical school is five years long! The tuition is extremely expensive! With the Song family's financial situation, how could they possibly afford to support her!"
"She's so inconsiderate! She doesn't even think about Old Song! They say on TV that once parents raise their children to eighteen, they've fulfilled their responsibility and it's their turn to take care of us in our old age!"
"That's right, that's right! In the past, this would have been considered unfilial!"
...
Seeing Song's father's hysterical state and the villagers' whispering, Song Xi suddenly smiled.
She straightened her back and said in a clear voice, "Dad, since you've written down all our expenses, let's do a proper accounting today."
Mr. Song's lips trembled with anger: "What accounts are we talking about?"
Song Xi stared straight at him expressionlessly and said, "You always say that providing us with food and clothing is an immense favor, then we, as your children, must repay this favor!"
The villagers were astonished. An elderly woman couldn't help but mutter, "A young woman like you is so calculating. How will she ever be able to face others in the future? Your father has never remarried because of you two. He has worked so hard to raise you two. He is so great!"
"That's right. They've been raised to be so successful; it's time for them to give back to their families. Otherwise, what's the point of having them?"
"Respecting the elderly and caring for the young is a traditional Chinese virtue. Your father has shown love for the young, but you haven't shown respect for the elderly! Remember this: children always owe their parents a debt they can never repay!"
"Absolutely! The only person who would selflessly dedicate themselves to them without expecting anything in return is their own father!"
Hearing this, even Song Ce, who was usually unfazed by anything, was amused. He stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Song Xi, his voice not loud but clear: "Dad, if you feel that you've been unfair to raising me and my sister for the past eighteen years, just name your price."
"Good! Good! Good!"
Mr. Song was speechless, his face turning red. He walked into the house with a cold expression, took out a greasy notebook, waved it in front of the siblings, and smiled sinisterly: "Have you two thought this through? Especially you, Song Ce, do you really think money is so easy to earn?"
As he spoke, Song's father read aloud, "Song Xi, when you were born, I spent 2.8 yuan on brown sugar, 1.5 yuan on a pair of rubber shoes when you were three, 5 yuan on a tooth extraction in fifth grade, and 7.2 yuan on books..."
He became more and more agitated as he read, and flipped directly to the last page, angrily saying, "Last month, I gave you 100 yuan for living expenses and your brother 200 yuan. In total, you've spent 25,134 yuan and 5 mao of mine over the years!"
Before Song Xi could react to the string of numbers, her younger brother pulled out three stacks of hundred-yuan bills from his bag and slammed them on the table: "Here's thirty thousand, the extra five thousand will be interest. From now on, my sister and I will not owe you a single penny."
The villagers standing by were stunned by what they saw. After all, the impact of 30,000 yuan was undoubtedly enormous for farmers who toiled in the fields for their livelihood. Grandma Li, who had watched the siblings grow up, couldn't help but step forward, "Xiaoxi, Xiaoce, don't do this... He's your father..."
"grandmother."
Song Xi's voice softened a little, but remained firm. "We don't disown him as our father. When he gets old, Xiao Ce and I will send money back every month. We will fulfill every obligation we are obligated to. But now, we don't want him to use 'raising' as an excuse to control us anymore."
Looking at the money on the table, and then at his children's cold faces, Song's father suddenly grabbed the money and threw it hard on the ground. "I see you've really grown up! Do you think I need this little bit of money from you?"
Song Xi smiled faintly, ignoring him, and turned to Song Ce, nodding softly, "Xiao Ce, let's go."
"Um."
The siblings walked side by side, then turned and headed towards the village entrance. Behind them came Song's father's angry roar and the villagers' pointing and whispering. Song Xi held her breath, not looking back even once. Only when she reached the village entrance and saw the crooked old willow tree did she suddenly stop, squat down, and burst into tears.
"Xiao Ce, tell me... am I being too cruel? After all, after all..."
"Sister, you're not heartless." Song Ce squatted down, gently patted Song Xi's back, and whispered, "You just don't want to be hurt anymore."
Upon hearing this, Song Xi looked up at her younger brother, her eyes filled with tears, and said, "Xiao Ce, thank you."
"No need to thank me!" Song Ce smiled, stood up and pulled Song Xi up, saying, "Sister, let's go back to Beijing. Your college admission notice should be arriving soon."
"Um."
On the train back to Beijing, Song Xi leaned against the window, watching her hometown gradually recede into the distance, a surge of strength welling up inside her. After all, some things, once spoken, can never be undone. She still had dreams, she still had a future; let those heavy past events remain firmly in the past!
Looking at her younger brother's profile as he focused on reading, Song Xi smiled slightly. Perhaps, leaving that suffocating home was the real beginning.
...
At this time, the Song family.
As Song's father stared at the backs of his brother and sister disappearing at the village entrance, his chest heaving violently, overwhelmed by shame and anger. Suddenly, he raised his foot and kicked over the water vat in the yard, spilling water all over the ground.
The villagers who had come to watch the commotion gathered around one by one, clicking their tongues and advising, "Old Song, children grow up and can't be kept at home, especially since those two siblings are going to study in a big city. They're such promising kids... You shouldn't have said such harsh things just now!"
"Exactly! Now that they've grown up, they've flown away!"
"Hmph! I think it's all because Xiao Xi has read a little and become wild! She's even corrupted her brother!"
"Yes, Xiao Xi is alright, she's just a girl. Who would have thought Xiao Ce would be like this too?"
"Oh, what a tragedy..."
Hearing the villagers' words, which were half comforting and half gloating, Song's father could no longer save face. He flung his hand away in anger and said, "From today onwards, even if those two die out there, it has nothing to do with my Song family!"
"It's okay! It's never going to be okay again..."
Song's father murmured, his voice trembling with a hint of regret that he himself was unaware of.
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Author's Note: [Crying uncontrollably]
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