"You...you get up and talk first. What kind of mother kneels before her son?" Grandpa Lin panicked and tried to pull Shufen up.
Lin Nian turned his head away, took a deep drag on his cigarette, and the smoke made his eyes turn red.
He had considered that his mother might have come back this time because he was now rich, and that she was after his money.
However, he refused to think about the reason and continued to deceive himself, believing that his mother had returned because she missed him.
Unfortunately... it was all just wishful thinking on his part.
His smile was somewhat sarcastic, and tears welled up in his eyes as he choked on the smoke.
It's been twenty years since we last met. What kind of pitiful family affection is left? I'm so terribly naive.
"Dad, I won't get up. I've wronged Lin Nian all these years; I owe Lin Nian..."
"It's all my fault. I know I was shameless and inhuman this time, but I had no choice."
"If I don't raise the money soon, he'll die. Lin Nian, I beg you, please help me this once..."
"As long as you're willing to help me, I'll do anything you ask. I'm willing to be your slave from now on."
Shufen cried her heart out, kneeling on the ground, refusing to get up no matter how much Grandpa Lin tried to pull her up.
"Who cares..."
Lin Nian's voice choked with sobs, and it took him a long time to finally utter a sound.
"So you came to acknowledge me because you want to save your current son, is that right?" Lin Nian said, tears streaming down his face, looking at Shu Fen kneeling on the ground.
"I really wanted to save him, but I also really missed you."
"Over the years, I know you hate me, but I also miss you. It's just that the longer I don't come back, the less I dare to go back. My heart is filled with guilt towards you, and I don't know how to face you."
“I was thinking that I would support him through college, and then I would have time and opportunity to visit you. But I never expected that he would get seriously ill before he even finished his senior year of high school.”
“I’ve sold everything I own, but I still can’t afford to treat him. I can only watch him die…” Shufen cried bitterly, and at one point she even had trouble breathing.
"Stop pretending. What do you mean you miss me? If I didn't have money, would you still come?" Lin Nian found her words ridiculous, even pathetic.
"Your son is sick, and you think of me now. Do you remember that in this small mountain village, there is also a son who has always been waiting for you?"
Lin Nian suddenly stood up, becoming more and more agitated as he spoke, his voice trembling with sobs as he roared.
"I've waited for you for twenty years, twenty years!"
"I've been waiting for you so long that I've even forgotten what you look like!"
Where were you when I was being bullied by those kids from my village?!
Where were you when they called me an orphan?
"When they surrounded and beat me up because I didn't have a mother to support me, where were you then?!"
"You were reuniting with your youngest son, trying to make him happy, afraid he might get hurt. Did you ever think of me then?"
"When I called out 'Mom' over and over again until my voice was hoarse and I couldn't even speak anymore, did you hear me? Or, even if you did hear me, did you not care at all?"
Lin Nian wore a sarcastic smile. He was laughing at himself for actually deceiving himself into thinking he could accept her. How pathetic.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Lin Nian, it's all my fault..." Shufen repeated this sentence over and over again. She really hated herself for not being able to stay by his side back then.
If she had chosen not to leave back then... things wouldn't have escalated to this point; it's all her fault.
"You're not wrong, you've done nothing wrong, I'm the one who's wrong, I've always been the one who's wrong..."
"I should have forgotten you long ago, I shouldn't have held onto even a sliver of hope for you..."
"Go away, go as far away as possible, just like back then, I'll pretend I never saw you."
As Lin Nian spoke, he could no longer hold back his tears, which welled up in his eyes once again. He slammed the door and left, leaving his grandfather calling out behind him.
"Lin Nian, Lin Nian, Lin Nian!"
When Grandpa Lin couldn't get Lin Nian back, he could only squat down and comfort Shu Fen.
"Alright, Shufen, stop crying. Stand up first."
Lin Nian's words struck Shufen's heart like a heavy hammer, leaving her utterly crushed and unable to lift her head.
Hearing Shufen's cries and wails, Lin Tiegang bit his lip, walked over, squatted down, and patted her shoulder.
Things have developed to this point, which is something no one expected.
He knew about Shufen's situation; he knew she was married with children and that her husband had died.
Little did he know, her child was seriously ill, and she wanted to borrow money from Lin Nian.
Lin Nian ran to a haystack and ignored his ringing phone, not even bothering to look at it.
He had already smoked two packs of cigarettes, and the tear stains on his face were still clearly visible.
He just sat there staring blankly at the distant sun.
What am I in her eyes? A burden... a discarded pawn... or just a tool for money...?
He didn't know how long he had been sitting there, only that the sun was about to set. Just as he was about to have another cigarette, someone sat down next to him.
Before he could turn around, he heard a familiar voice, a voice filled with exhaustion and relief.
"So you were here."
Lin Nian turned around blankly and saw a smiling little horse.
"You...why are you here?" Lin Nian asked, full of surprise.
“I sent you a lot of messages, but you didn’t reply. I didn’t know what was wrong with you, so I went to your house to look for you.”
"Then, since no one was home at your house, I had no choice but to go to Brother Feng's house again."
“Feng’s mother told me the general situation, saying that you ran away and everyone was very worried.”
"So I came out to look for you too."
"I never expected that I would be the first to find you," Xiao Ma said, sounding somewhat proud.
"How did you know I was here?" Lin Nian asked, hugging his legs and looking somewhat helpless.
"I guessed it. You said before that you used to like sitting alone in the straw, which gave you a sense of security from being wrapped up."
"So I thought I'd come here to find you. I searched many places before I finally found this place, and sure enough, you're here," Xiao Ma said with a smile.
"So... what exactly happened? Would you like to tell me?" Xiao Ma asked with a smile.
Lin Nian took a deep breath and spoke after a long while.
"It's nothing serious. He's just a child who grew up without a mother. He suddenly encountered his mother coming back and thought she missed him and couldn't bear to part with him."
"The truth is that she sought him out to get treatment for her youngest son."
"To put it bluntly, they're only after his money."
"What a load of rubbish about family ties! It's all just wishful thinking on his part. How ironic..."
Lin Nian chuckled softly and buried her head in her knees.
"This is a bit tricky. Do you know the real reason why his parents divorced?" Xiao Ma asked gently, looking at Lin Nian who had hidden his head.
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