CH 24.1

Chapter 24.1 – Admission

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When Li Chuan helped to ask for her chance to take the exam, he already explained her situation to the principal.

Sympathizing with her encounter, he gave her the chance. However, there is still the necessary admission process which requires documents such as the household register booklet and the ID card.

Su Qin knew she would come to this step long ago.

Problems nevertheless have to be addressed. Wanting to establish her own household register now is not possible, since she needs to be an adult and own a property, which she hasn’t met the conditions yet.

Su Qin thought about it for a long time and found a day time to make a phone call home.

“Mom.”

Hearing her daughter’s voice, Wang Lin was stunned and her eyes reddened, “Su-su, you finally called back. There hasn’t been any news from you these few months, I thought you were again being … Mom is worried sick, are you doing well over there?”

Su Qin let out a sigh.

Thinking of worrying about her now? What did they say at that time?

In order to raise the mistress’ child, her mother asked her to go work in the coastal city. Why didn’t she worry she would be abducted and sold again?

Her mother, Wang Lin, was precisely a sad existence in her previous lifetime.

As she had no job, she stayed home to look after the child full-time. When her husband’s business failed, she suffered hardships with him without a word of complaint. Once her daughter was abducted and sold, she completely lost her footing in the family and her husband believed it was her fault that their daughter was missing, that she didn’t take good care of the family nor kept an eye on their daughter.

Her husband later brought back a child from outside and she didn’t dare utter a word. In order to get a good word from her husband, she began to treat this son wholeheartedly.

But then what happened? The son was rebelliously disobedient during his adolescence, where he went out brawling and caused troubles.

When the husband’s business improved and the family gradually became well-off, the devoted woman had breast cancer and what she finally got was just a divorce paper.

With no cure and didn’t want to spend money on treatment, all she wanted was for her husband to accompany on the last leg of her life.

Her final days were spent with her daughter, Su Qin.

As a housewife, her mother Wang Lin had no source of income and no standing at home. Her whole life was centered on her husband without self-worth and whatever her husband said was right, but in the end, was what she got worthwhile?

Laying on the hospital bed and staring at the ceiling during the final moment of her life, Wang Lin didn’t utter a word as she passed away with her eyes wide open, presumably regretting all of it.

**********

Su Qin felt that her mother in her previous lifetime was hateful and pitiful. She came back this time not only for the household register booklet, but also intended to have a good talk with her mother.

Although what her mother said before was loathsome, she is after all a pitiful person and has once cared a lot about her. Taking into consideration the grace of bearing and raising her, Su Qin is obliged to have a good talk with her.

On the phone, she briefly told her mother about the need for the household register booklet to be admitted to Yunzhong.

Her mother was dumbfounded at the other end of the phone and then asked her, “Su-su … didn’t you go work in a coastal city? Why are you still in Yunyang? And you even got into Yunzhong? Su-su, are you lying to Mom?”

Su Qin said, “Mom, do you still remember the girl who was abducted with me? Her elder sister opened a clothing shop in Yunyang and happened to be hiring, so I went there. Didn’t Dad mind that I was a disgrace to him by staying home? I didn’t dare to let you guys know. Mom, don’t tell Dad about this either, okay?”

Wang Lin subconsciously blurted out, “How can that be? Your Dad will kill me if he knows I’m hiding this from him! Su-su, since you got into Yunzhong, you should also talk to your Dad about this. After all, getting into Yunzhong is a big deal and your Dad will definitely be very happy. What do you think?”

Su Qin had guessed that Wang Lin would have such an approach. She was silent momentarily before saying, “Let’s talk about this in person. You send Su Wu to Aunt Wen’s house next door for a while and I’ll come look for you right away. Don’t tell Dad about this beforehand, okay?”

The moment Wang Lin hung up the phone, tears overflowed the rims of her eyes. She wiped it off and didn’t know why she cried, but she just anyhow wanted to cry and felt that life is hard.

Sitting on the sofa and playing with toys, the little boy asked her, “Mom, I want to eat bubble gum.”

“Xiao Wu, Mom will go out to buy you bubble gum. You go to Aunt Wen’s house to play for a while, okay?”

Hearing he would have bubble gum, the little boy nodded in agreement and followed Wang Lin to Aunt Wen’s house next door.

The little boy is only 4 years old and thinks that Wang Lin is his biological mother. Calling out Mom in a baby-like voice is very pleasing to women. This was also the reason why Wang Lin agreed with her husband and urged her daughter to go work to earn money for her younger son’s schooling.

After all, her daughter has finished junior high school but her younger son is only 4 years old and will attend kindergarten soon. The family’s condition can only afford to send one child to school. Moreover, will her daughter be able to marry into a good family in the future even if she studies after what has happened to her?

Wang Lin sighed and felt that her daughter’s life would be just like that. She might as well go out to work and cut down the family expenses. She thought she wouldn’t be sad the moment her daughter went out but when her daughter left without saying goodbye, she still felt sad for a long time.

After all, she is a piece of her own flesh who she raised herself. After such hardships and being urged by them to go work in the coastal city, she felt aggrieved for her daughter when she thought about it.

But what can be done? In this family, only her husband Su Zhengguo has the power of discourse while she and Su Qin have no right to speak out.

That day after Su Qin left without saying goodbye, Wang Lin had nightmares for several days, as if she was back to the days when she just lost her daughter.

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When Su Qin’s father woke up in the middle of the night and saw Wang Lin crying, he would kick her impatiently, “Crying my ass ah? Isn’t it better to pretend she’s missing and will never come back? You have a son now and are still afraid no one will provide for your old age?”

Getting kicked off the bed, Wang Lin spoke weakly, “Su-su is also your child, don’t you feel distressed at all? You are also at fault that our daughter left without saying goodbye.”

“I have long deem her dead. You take care of our son and if you dare to lose him, I’ll break your leg.”

**********

Wang Lin was cooking lunch when Su Qin arrived home. She had prepared three dishes and specially took out the piece of cured pig’s trotter that had been frozen for half a year which she stewed with dried kelp and daikon.

Opening the door, she saw her daughter dressed in a plain white dress and the breath suspended in her heart instantly sank down.

Wang Lin pulled her daughter to sit on the sofa and queried with concern. Su Qin went straight to the point and said, “Mom, I came back to get the household register booklet.”

“This … Su-su, can we discuss this when your Dad comes home? Getting into Yunzhong is a big deal and won’t your Dad enjoy the prestige with you attending Yunzhong ah? He will definitely provide for you to go to Yunzhong.” Wang Lin gripped her daughter’s hand.

The corners of Su Qin’s lips curled up an ironic sneer.

Wang Lin was startled by her smile and a slight chill ran up her back. She was used to seeing her daughter’s meek appearance and suddenly felt that her daughter was particularly unfamiliar seeing her like this for the first time.

Su Qin absolutely could find a ‘work purpose’ excuse to want the household register booklet, but she didn’t do so. She after all is a minor now and rather has a lot of inconvenience. Even if she gets the household register booklet the first time, what about the second or the third time?

Recalling Wang Lin’s past life, she came to see her for the sake of the mother-daughter’s affection.

She hopes that her mother can soon see her father’s nature, then walks away from this lopsided marriage and no longer follows the man blindly nor being subservient to her husband.

She also didn’t expect Wang Lin to support herself or pay for her education, but only hoped she could have a life of her own.

Su Qin scanned the room to make sure that the child was not home and said, “Mom, the fact that you listened to me today and sent the child away for the time being showed that you still have me in your heart. As a daughter, there are things I have to say.”

The girl looked solemn and her manner of speaking shouldn’t have the maturity of this age.

“First of all, you have to understand the son you gave up your daughter to raise is not your own. He was born to Dad with another woman outside, who is a mistress’ child. Secondly, raising a son does not prepare for your old age. When all is said and done, your sacrifices, is it for Dad or for the mistress? And wouldn’t the mistress be very happy in the netherworld? The mistress will probably feel gratified that there is still such a foolish woman in the world who doesn’t care that she had vied for her husband and even helps her raise her child.”

Wang Lin didn’t expect her daughter to say these words, which precisely was what she was running away from. With her hands trembling, she came up with the usual self-comfort words and tried to brainwash her daughter, “Xiao Wu doesn’t know these … he regards me as his own mother.”

“Doesn’t know?” Su Qin spoke with a hint of coldness in her tone, “A child who is already 4 years old, even if he doesn’t sense anything amiss now, are you sure he won’t notice when he grows up?”

Seeing Wang Lin’s silence, Su Qin added, “You married Dad in your teens and became a full-time housewife. Raising his children and doing house chores, so that he could work without worries, but what did he give you in return? He will raise his hand to hit you if he is upset and even uses you as his punching bag when his job doesn’t go well. You gave him a daughter, yet he cheated on you and had a son with another woman. Once your daughter was missing and got abducted, he immediately brought a little boy back home.”

Wang Lin diffidently, “I’m idle at home and have never earned a penny while he works to support the family, so his temper is a little bad due to stress which is also expected. Bringing Xiao Wu back home was because he thought you would never come back, so … “

“Mom, you need to be clear. Are your efforts any lesser than Dad as a housewife? He earns a thousand or so a month and really regards himself as the lofty emperor. What does he treat you as? In his eyes, you are not his wife but a procreation tool to vent his anger with and also a free babysitter.”

Her daughter’s words were heartbreaking and reminded her of the days when she was beaten and scolded by her husband.

Over the years, her husband’s most frequent remark to her was, “You should have listened to me back then, this money-losing-commodity[1] shouldn’t be born!”

Back then, her husband had an acquaintance in the town hospital. Knowing that his wife was bearing a girl, he suggested she get rid of it. At that time, Su Qin was a five-month fetus that had taken shape in the womb, so how could she be willing to rip out this piece of flesh?

Su Qin added, “Mom, I know you dare not resist and I also know that in your heart, your husband is a god and the lofty emperor. You wouldn’t dare not do what he asked you to do nor dare to disobey his opinions either, but is this man really worth your sacrifices?”

[1]  赔钱货 (Péiqián huò) – an old derogatory term for girls because girls couldn’t go out to earn money and her family had to prepare dowry when she got married, hence the name.