Chapter 376 The Orphanage's Lies: The Handsome Flower Boy 76
Hearing the commotion, the neighbors peeked out to see what was going on, and that's when someone recognized Zhou Weimin.
"Isn't this the Zhou family's son who works in the Ministry of Education? What happened to him?"
Old Zhou's son is quite successful; he became a high-ranking official and found a capable father-in-law. He hasn't come back here much in recent years.
Zhou's mother didn't bother picking up the vegetables anymore. More and more people were watching, and it was too embarrassing. She quickly helped her son upstairs.
The mother and son walked for nearly twenty minutes up three floors. With each step, Zhou Weimin trembled with pain.
There was nothing that Zhou's mother could do; she couldn't carry him on her back.
Although Zhou Weimin has nothing left now, he has enjoyed a lot of good fortune over the years, and he has gained a lot of weight.
Zhou's mother supported him while tears streamed down her face.
"What a terrible sin! What a terrible sin this is!"
"What a mess to a perfectly healthy person."
The door opened, and Zhou's father was sitting in the room listening to the radio. He looked up and saw this scene, and the teacup in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.
"dad."
Zhou Weimin shouted, but he couldn't hold on any longer. His vision went black, and he fainted.
Even if you feel dizzy, you have to hold on until you get home, to a safe place, before you feel dizzy again. Why didn't you think about home when you were successful before?
When Zhou Weimin woke up, it was already completely dark outside.
He lay on a hard bed, covered with a thick quilt, so at least he wasn't so cold anymore.
The room was lit, and in the dim light, he recognized it as his old room. Over the years, the furnishings had hardly changed, except for some dust.
My left leg still hurts terribly, but it has been re-bandaged, and the dust and dirt on my body have been removed.
He tried to move, and gasped in pain.
Zhou's mother brought in a bowl of hot soup. Seeing him fidgeting, she felt both distressed and anxious.
"Don't move, don't move."
"We just changed your dressing. The doctor said your leg injury is too severe. The delay in treatment might cause serious problems later on."
She didn't finish speaking, but Zhou Weimin understood.
"Mom, how did I get back?"
His mind was being driven almost mad by the torment.
Zhou's mother placed the soup on the bedside table, wondering why her capable son had turned out this way. She sighed.
“You fainted at the door, and your dad and I carried you in.”
What happened? How did you get into this mess? Where's the Wang family? Where's Xiuying? Where are the children?
Zhou Weimin closed his eyes and briefly recounted the events of the past few months: Wang Zhenguo's downfall, his own dismissal, Wang Xiuying's divorce, unpaid medical bills, and being kicked out of the hospital...
With each word she spoke, Zhou's mother's face paled a little more.
By the time he finished speaking, the old lady was already in tears. Some people, as they get older, believe more and more in karma and retribution.
"It's retribution! This is all retribution! How did we advise you back then? We told you not to do those immoral things, but you wouldn't listen!"
Now look what's happened! I've lost my job, my home, and my legs!
Hearing the commotion, Zhou's father pushed open the door and came in, holding a half-empty bottle of liquor, his eyes bloodshot.
"What's the use of saying all this now! Why didn't you say this back then? What's the point of being wise after the event?!"
Zhou's mother cried even harder, heartbroken at the thought of her son ending up like this.
"Why didn't I say that? How many times have I said it? Did he even listen?"
He was single-mindedly focused on climbing the social ladder and becoming an official; he was even willing to harm his own son!
"Stop talking!"
Zhou's father roared, "If outsiders hear this, who knows how things will end?"
The house quieted down, with only the flames flickering on the iron stove; the family still used firewood.
After a long while, Zhou's father sat down on a chair by the bed and said in a muffled voice.
"Let's eat first."
Dinner was cabbage stewed with tofu, with a few slices of fatty meat, and two steamed buns.
This was considered a decent meal for the Zhou family. The elderly couple's combined pension was less than sixty yuan, which they had to support themselves and also help their youngest daughter in Northeast China.
Zhou's mother picked all the meat into her son's bowl, and Zhou Weimin looked at those few pieces of white, fatty meat, his throat tightening.
He used to dislike eating such fatty meat, only consuming the best parts. In his view, only poor people ate this kind of fatty meat.
Poor people lack oil and fat in their bellies.
He wanted to tell them to eat, but his stomach started growling and his mouth was already watering. In the end, he ate silently anyway.
He hadn't eaten meat in a long time. The last time he had any meat was when his mother-in-law brought him the bowl of wontons that had caused his accident.
The dinner table was silent. Mr. Zhou drank his liquor slowly, while Mrs. Zhou wiped away tears from time to time.
Zhou Weimin lowered his head, broke the cornbread into pieces, soaked it in the vegetable soup, and ate it bite by bite.
"What are your plans for next?" Zhou's father suddenly asked.
Zhou Weimin paused.
"I...I don't know."
"Don't know?" Zhou's father slammed down his wine glass, pointed at his son's nose, his hand trembling.
"She's over thirty, don't you know?"
If you lose your job, you can find another one; if your leg is injured, you can take care of it.
But your heart is corrupted, how can it be cured?
"Old man!" Zhou's mother grabbed him.
Mr. Zhou shook off her hand, stood up, and paced around the room.
"I, Zhou Zhenghua, have never done anything wrong in my life, so how could I have given birth to such a thing as you!"
In his quest to climb the social ladder, he abandoned his wife, his children, and his conscience! And now look at him.
They treated you like a dog and threw you away! You deserved it!
"Dad, I..."
Zhou's father's eyes suddenly reddened.
"Don't call me Dad! I don't have a son like you!"
Do you know how your mother has been all these years? She talks about that child every day, and even in her dreams she's calling out for the Lunar New Year!
If that child were here, he would be fifteen or sixteen this year! A fifteen or sixteen-year-old should be in high school!
But where is he? Huh? Where is he?!
Zhou Weimin dropped his chopsticks on the table. He opened his mouth, wanting to say that he didn't know, that he had no choice, but the words stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say a single word.
Little New Year.
The name was like a knife, stabbing into the most painful part of his heart.
Of course, it's not regret, but rather crocodile tears that appear when a person is at their wit's end.
He remembered that on that snowy day, when he carried the child out of the house, the child was still drowsy and asked questions.
"Dad, where are we going?"
He said.
"Go buy candy."
Then he walked a very, very long way, so far that the child fell asleep in his arms.
He placed the child in the snow at the entrance of the orphanage, and as he turned to leave, he heard the child cry once, but he did not turn back.
Now, karma has caught up with them.
After scolding himself to exhaustion, Zhou's father sat back down in his chair, holding his head in his hands. Zhou's mother cried as she served her son food.
"Eat up, eat up, at least there's still food to eat."
I wonder if my eldest grandson has anything to eat right now.
She's always like this; she'll start talking about that child, which is why Zhou Weimin doesn't like to come back.
That night, Zhou Weimin lay on the hard bed, listening to his parents' murmurs next door, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep a wink.
The wind howled outside the window, like the crying of a child abandoned in the snow on countless winter nights.
The mental torment, coupled with the physical pain, caused Zhou Weimin to have nightmares about the child as soon as he fell asleep.
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