Chapter 49 Zhang the Rascal's Mother's Plea for Help
The joyful atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly froze.
The landlady's expression changed slightly, and she quickly nudged her daughter: "Zhenzhen, why are you saying these things!"
Cheng Zhenzhen ignored the strange looks from others and kept staring at Chu Ci.
Her face was gloomy, but her expression was very serious. "I heard from his mother that she's going to come to you for help. Don't save her then."
The landlady quickly went over to cover her mouth, but she yanked it away.
He emphasized to Chu Ci, "A beast like him deserves to die."
"Zhenzhen!"
Although the landlady thought so too, how could she say such things in front of so many people!
Especially since her daughter Zhenzhen isn't married yet, what if she finds a suitable man in the future, and the neighbors say she's too cruel when they inquire around?
The landlady tried to pull Cheng Zhenzhen away, but Cheng Zhenzhen held onto Chu Ci and wouldn't move, stubbornly waiting for Chu Ci's answer.
Chu Ci was surprised that Cheng Zhenzhen would say that.
She paused for a moment, then quickly nodded.
"Of course, Granny Guo was driven to her death by people like them, so I definitely won't help her."
Cheng Zhenzhen smiled and planned to leave with her mother, but her mother stared blankly at Chu Ci and stopped moving.
With Cheng Zhenzhen boldly expressing her opinion on the matter, and later Chu Ci's affirmation, the situation improved.
Even the silent majority of neighbors started talking about Granny Guo and Zhang the Rascal.
"Grandma Guo, oh, she's so pitiful. Tongtong really shouldn't have gone to that school. If she hadn't gone, she'd be preparing to be a sophomore in high school now..."
“Zhang Wulai is a beast! When he was a kid, he stole things from my family. When I went to confront him, his mother beat us up and kicked us out.”
“When I said I was going to call the police, his mother lay down on the ground and insisted that I pushed her and demanded compensation. It’s not surprising at all that she raised a son like Zhang the Scoundrel!”
“I’ve never believed a word Zhang Wulai said! He’d even go so far as to frame Tongtong for money. He’s only reaping what he’s got!”
As the conversation went on, it turned to Grandma Guo.
Those present were all old neighbors. They weren't exactly familiar with Granny Guo, but they had seen each other every day for so many years, and they couldn't help but feel a little sad.
"Poor Granny Guo, her husband died when she was young, and she raised her son alone. Finally, her son grew up, got married and had children, but then her son and daughter-in-law were in a car accident, leaving her with only a little granddaughter."
"My granddaughter was bullied to the point of jumping off a building. Even after she died, the parents of those bad kids still smeared her reputation..."
Sighs filled the dining table.
Everyone ate and drank well, and even before leaving, they were still talking about Granny Guo.
Now that Granny Guo and Tongtong are both gone, and the two of them have no relatives, the neighbors are planning to pool their money to hold a proper funeral for them.
Chen Xinxin stayed by Chu Ci's side without saying a word.
Grandma wanted to have a long chat with her old friends today, so she asked Chu Ci and Chen Xinxin to help Grandma Guo pack her things.
The wind has been strong these past few days, and even though no one has lived here for just a few days, a thick layer of dust has accumulated in the house.
The two first tidied up the house, then took out the things they wanted to throw away and piled them in the yard. They would tidy up the yard after the house was cleaned up.
Chu Ci helped tidy up Granny Guo's room, while Chen Xinxin was responsible for tidying up Guo Miaotong's room.
Chu Ci finished packing her things and came out. Through the door of Guo Miaotong's room, she heard Chen Xinxin crying.
She paused, realizing that it wasn't a person in danger, so she didn't go over.
When they were about to leave, Chen Xinxin had an extra photo frame in her arms.
Noticing Chu Ci's gaze, Chen Xinxin, holding the photo frame, explained, "This is from Tongtong's room. She always keeps our photo on her bedside table..."
Overwhelmed by guilt, she couldn't help but squat down, hugging the photo frame, and burst into tears.
“Sister Aci, it’s all my fault… I was afraid that Granny Guo would harm me because I had a guilty conscience.”
"If I hadn't abandoned Tongtong and transferred schools myself, if I had been able to hold on a little longer, Tongtong wouldn't have been driven to jump off the building..."
“Bai Anna and the others are the murderers, and I'm an accomplice... Tongtong always considered me her best friend, but I couldn't even save her grandmother…”
Her frail body curled up in a ball, trembling as she cried.
Chu Ci looked at the whorl of hair on her head, squatted down and patted her head.
“Since Tongtong considers you her best friend, she certainly wouldn’t want you to stay with her and wallow in that kind of environment when you clearly have a way out.”
As for Granny Guo...
“You were Tongtong’s best friend. Since you were Tongtong’s best friend and helped find evidence after Tongtong’s death, how could Granny Guo hurt you?”
Chen Xinxin didn't feel better because of her comforting words; instead, she cried even louder.
But Chu Ci didn't think it was a bad thing.
The process of growing up is like a piece of wood being carved with a chisel; for most people, pain is the norm.
It is often through suffering that one can grow.
After what happened tonight, Chen Xinxin said goodbye to her grandmother after returning to the 15th floor and planned to move back to the 8th floor.
Grandma asked, puzzled, "It's alright if you stay a few more days. Why don't you wait until Grandma Guo's matter is resolved before you go back?"
Chen Xinxin lowered her eyes, which were red from crying, and shook her head.
"No, Grandma. I still want to go back to my place. Even if Granny Guo really comes looking for me... it's okay."
After saying that, she left with her bedding and other personal items in a small cart.
Looking at her tall and straight back, Grandma couldn't help but ask Chu Ci.
"What's wrong with Xin Xin? She's suddenly acting like a completely different person?"
Before, this child was timid and fearful, like a frightened quail, and his eyes always looked timid when he looked at people.
He doesn't seem very enthusiastic now, but his overall mental state has changed.
Chu Ci folded gold ingots without looking up. "When you grow up and understand things, you naturally change."
Grandma had a few question marks on her head, but seeing how focused she was, she didn't ask any more questions.
The next morning, Chen Xinxin, who had slept on the 8th floor all night, came up to the 15th floor with her schoolbag.
On one hand, she wanted to let her grandmother and Chu Ci know she was safe, and on the other hand, she wanted to inform them that she had to go back to class.
Grandma was worried about her safety: "Your studies aren't that demanding right now, are they? Why don't you take a couple more days off?"
"No, Grandma," Chen Xinxin said, clutching her backpack strap and giving a quiet smile. "Schoolwork is very demanding, I still have to go to class."
After being nagged and instructed by her grandmother for a while, she turned to look at Chu Ci.
When she looked at Chu Ci, she pursed her lips, lowered her eyes, and after a long while looked into her eyes and said:
"Sister Aci, I don't want to study medicine anymore. I want to go to police academy."
Chu Ci neither fully agreed with her decision nor completely refuted it.
Choose the path you truly want to take.
"Yes, I feel that this is the path I want to take."
Chen Xinxin gripped the strap of her backpack tightly.
"I want to help people like Granny Guo and Tongtong. If I can become like them, I believe Tongtong will be happy for me."
only……
She bit her lip and asked Chu Ci uncertainly, "Sister Chu Ci, do you think what I'm doing is unfair to my mother?"
Her mother always wanted her to study medicine. Does her doing this count as betraying her mother's last wish?
“How could that be?” Chu Ci patted her head. “Your mother loves you so much, she must also hope that you can do a job that makes you feel accomplished.”
Hearing Chu Ci's words, she breathed a heavy sigh of relief and raised a genuine smile.
"Yes, Sister Aci, you're right."
She turned around with light steps and waved to Chu Ci and Grandma.
"Grandma, Sister Aci, see you tonight!"
Watching her briskly enter the elevator, Grandma sighed, her hands behind her back.
"Young people, things change so fast."
Chu Ci smiled and turned to go inside. "Young people, their real future hasn't even begun yet. Whether they have a clear preference or not is fine."
If you have a clear goal, pursue it; if you don't have a clear goal, try more things.
Young people have plenty of time; anything they do is good.
Grandma smiled and shook her head, "That's true, and no one says you can't change the university you want to go to."
She and Chu Ci entered the house together, and before they could even sit down, they heard someone rush out of the elevator, shouting:
"Chu Ci! Aci, help me!"
Upon hearing this sound, Grandma lifted her bottom up again, just as she was about to sit down.
She slapped her thigh: "Sister Zhenzhen was right! Zhang Wulai's mother really did come looking for you!"
As she spoke, she pushed Chu Ci into the house, saying, "Quick, quick! Go inside and hide, don't let her see you're home!"
Chu Ci: "..."
Two question marks appeared above her head. She flipped through the memories left behind by the original owner of the body, but didn't see much information about Zhang Wulai's mother.
She was puzzled: "Grandma, she came to beg me. I could have just refused. Why did she have to hide?"
Zhang Wulai and his mother aren't the type to avoid a confrontation, so there's no need for them to pretend they're not home.
Grandma's face scrunched up in a frown. "If you don't dodge, she'll stick to you!"
Without saying a word, he pushed her into the bedroom and slammed the door shut.
Almost the instant the door closed, the sound of Zhang the Rascal's mother crying came from outside.
"Waaaaah, Danpo! You and Aci must save my son!"
"The Bai family grew up eating coffin nails! They're a bunch of bastards! Their children are born without a shred of spit!"
"They've done so much harm to my son!"
Zhang Wulai's mother, along with her two brothers, carried Zhang Wulai on a stretcher into the incense shop.
As soon as Zhang Wulai's two uncles put him down, his mother started sitting on the ground and crying loudly.
Her shrill cries and vicious curses echoed through the corridor with her loud voice, and He Lihua and other neighbors peeked out.
Grandma looked at Zhang Wulai's mother as if she had swallowed a fly.
With annoyed expression, he waved his hand dismissively, "Your son has committed terrible sins, how can I save him! Instead of praying to gods and Buddhas, you should take him to the hospital to get him checked out!"
Zhang Wulai's mother didn't believe it. "How could you not save him? When you were living in Kowloon City, you were so powerful. Everyone said you were the reincarnation of Wong Tai Sin!"
"My son just has a sore on his body, how can it be that he can't be saved?"
Seeing that she was about to start making a scene while sitting on the ground, Grandma glanced at Zhang Wulai, who was lying on the stretcher and groaning incessantly.
That one glance was so disgusting that she almost threw up her dinner from the night before.
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