Chapter 385 The Orphanage's Lies: The Handsome Flower Boy 85
The cold wind in December was like a knife, blowing in along with the pushed-open door and stinging people's faces.
The Zhou family's door has been in use for many years, and it creaks when you push it open.
Two hunched figures walked in, supporting each other. It turned out to be Zhou's father and mother.
Neither of them had a single unscathed spot on their bodies; their cotton-padded jackets were torn open, revealing the dark yellow cotton wadding inside, and their faces were covered in bruises.
Zhou's father had one bare foot, and the instep of his foot was red and swollen from the cold, looking like a rotten radish.
Zhou Weimin was sitting in his wheelchair reading the newspaper when he heard the noise and looked up abruptly, thinking that a thief had broken into his house.
Upon seeing that his parents had returned, he quickly scanned the area and found that there was nothing behind them.
The surprise on his face immediately turned into undisguised displeasure and gloom; he was very unhappy that he hadn't seen anyone.
Where are they?
Zhou Weimin's voice was hard and stiff, like a frozen stone.
Zhou's mother was so tired that she couldn't speak. As soon as she entered the door, she leaned against the door frame and kept panting. She felt like a donkey, exhausted from all the hard work.
Mr. Zhou's heart sank even further. He was in such a state, yet his son only cared about where everyone was.
He didn't care about them at all, only whether they had done this well. He was such a filial son.
Zhou's father's voice was hoarse and his lips were chapped. He had long since finished the water he brought with him and was in a hurry to come back, so he didn't bother to find water on the way.
"First, get some hot water."
Is drinking water the most important thing right now?
Zhou Weimin was furious. He was so anxious at home, like a cat on a hot tin roof. They needed water! He really couldn't tell what was more important.
He raised his voice, and the wheelchair creaked loudly as it turned.
"Where are you all?! Where are the children? Where is Shen Ci?"
"You went there and came back in this mess? What happened?!"
A surge of evil fire rushed to the top of his head, and Zhou's father felt as if a lump of charcoal was stuck in his heart, burning his heart.
He pointed to his swollen face, then to his mother's tattered clothes and the dust covering both of them.
"thing?!
Look at yourself! Open your eyes and see what kind of state your parents have become!
We got beaten as soon as we entered the village, we were almost beaten to death there! Can't you even speak a normal language anymore?!
I lost one of my shoes while running around!
Zhou's mother started sobbing again, half from pain and half from heartbreak.
Zhou Weimin puffed out his cheeks, but ultimately swallowed back the even harsher words.
He now relies on this old house for everything, from eating and drinking to relieving himself. If things really come to a head, he won't even be able to get out of the door in his wheelchair.
His stiff facial muscles twitched a few times, forcing out a dry, insincere smile—a genuine, forced smile.
He pushed the wheelchair toward the stove, his tone softening, but it didn't sound entirely genuine.
"Dad, Mom, I... I was just anxious."
"You've suffered, rest first, I'll go heat up the leftovers."
He laboriously moved to the dark stove, took a small piece of hard cured meat from the hook on the roof beam, and then took out a small bowl of leftover food covered with solidified white oil from the cupboard.
The cured pork was sliced thinly, and as it sizzled in the pot with the cabbage, he actually scooped in a small spoonful of precious lard.
Soon, the aroma of juicy cured pork stir-fried with cabbage filled the air, mingling with the musty and medicinal smells of the dilapidated house.
There's no other way; when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Even if you have to coax them now, you have to appease them first.
The aroma of meat and oil wafted up, but it didn't make Zhou's parents feel comfortable. Instead, it made them feel even more uncomfortable, like being pricked by needles.
They ate cold cornbread and drank cold water along the way, saving every penny to get things done, trying to make every cent count.
The son stayed home and locked himself in to stir-fry cured pork with lard. The oil in the leftover bowl was enough to feed them for a week.
When people are poor, even their own sons and parents might scheme against each other.
The elderly couple exchanged a glance, both seeing the cold chill in each other's eyes, but their stomachs, empty all day, simply couldn't muster the strength to eat.
They were too exhausted to argue anymore. One of them staggered to fetch water to wash his face, while the other silently brought over the already cold rice and put it on the stove to heat it up.
After washing my face with hot water and scalding it, the injuries on my face and body hurt even more.
But at least it was warmer, and the two of them held large, rough porcelain bowls in their hands, wolfing down a particularly generous bowl of stir-fried cabbage in front of them, without having time to say a word.
With so much lard added, cabbage, let alone cabbage, would taste delicious even if it were stir-fried shoe soles.
Zhou Weimin watched them eat, but he didn't feel sorry for them; instead, he felt annoyed.
They anxiously tapped the armrests of the wheelchair with their fingers, but after thinking it over, they decided not to urge them any further. The person was already back; there was no need to rush.
The fire crackled in the stove, finally bringing a bit of warmth to my body.
With warm food in my stomach and my body warming up, I can finally relax at home.
At that moment, they felt as comfortable as if they were in heaven, and they gradually suppressed the beating and the grievances they had suffered on the way.
As Zhou's mother put down the bowl, her eyes shone with a strange light in the glow of the stove fire.
His voice trembled with excitement as he thought about what they had found out.
"Weimin, we've found out something incredible on this trip!"
Zhou Weimin perked up and leaned forward; this was exactly what he had been waiting for.
"Speak quickly!"
Zhou's father also got excited, and he no longer felt the pain from his injuries. He lowered his voice and told them the secret they had found out.
"The child you threw away didn't die! He's alive and well! The Shen family found him!"
Zhou's mother interrupted, so excited that saliva was spitting out from the corners of her mouth.
"And Shen Ci! That woman has struck it rich!"
She built a three-story school in the village! The whole village treated her like a goddess!
I heard they bought a huge house in the city—no, in Beijing! They're really living it up!
Zhou Weimin was stunned, feeling as if he had been hit on the head with a club, even more uncomfortable than that.
Shen Ci has made a fortune? That woman he abandoned in the village like trash?
His son, who was a burden, didn't die either. He could accept that his son hadn't died, as it was within his expectations. But he hadn't expected Shen Ci's situation.
However, after a brief moment of shock, an even crazier idea naturally formed in my mind.
His leg was crippled, the Wang family fell into ruin, and he got divorced. He thought he had fallen into the deepest hell, but he never expected that there was a mountain of gold buried at the bottom of hell!
Some people are born with a mind that's all about calculations.
"Dad, Mom, this is Heaven's mercy on the Zhou family!"
"The children are the foundation of our Zhou family. No matter how rich Shen Ci is, she was still my woman, Zhou Weimin's woman!"
“Yes, yes!” Zhou’s mother nodded repeatedly.
"Even a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness. She can't bear to see you suffer! And there's your eldest grandson; he needs to be recognized and returned to the family!"
They've reached a dead end; they have no other way to turn things around. Now they can only use whatever tricks they have.
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