CH 125

Seeing that Mo Zenian had closed his stall and went home, Mo Yan and the others also closed their stall. Ms. Liang and Mo Feng went home first.

They had just arrived at the village when they saw Mo Zenian standing there, as if he was waiting for someone. They didn’t intend to talk to him at first, but when they got closer, he called Ms. Liang “Yanfen”.

She was taken aback, as it had been many years since anyone had called her by her birth name. She stopped, looked at Mo Zenian and said, “Manager Mo, it’s inappropriate to call a divorced woman by her birth name like this!”

He smiled and replied, “Yanfen, Feng’er is here! Why do you have to be so distant?”

Ms. Liang sneered, “What does it have to do with you?”

“Business hasn’t been going well for you these days!”

He still has the gall to mention business. “Shameless!”

Not only did he not get angry, he continued speaking with a smile, “Women and children can’t do business well, you have to rely on men. I have been working in a commercial firm for many years, and you aren’t my opponent. For the sake of the children, it is better for us to combine our businesses and let me run it. You can enjoy the happiness at home.”

Ms. Liang spat at him angrily, “Saying you are shameless would flatter you. Do you think I’m daft? Merging our businesses and letting you run it…it’s the same as trying to rob me of my business!”

He was still smiling, “You’re all bark and no bite. I know you’re kind-hearted and it wasn’t easy for you to take care of the elderly and children for so long. I know I owe you a lot. Why don’t we get back together! I’ll earn money with this business, and you can enjoy life with the children at home. I don’t care who Mo Ling marries, and I’ll take Feng’er to work, to earn some money and help him marry a good wife.”

So that was his plan! If he had said this in the past, she would definitely be grateful, but now, Ms. Liang just thought he was a shameless scoundrel!

She spat at Mo Zenian and pulled Mo Feng away, “Feng’er, don’t believe his lies. If he really had us in his heart, he wouldn’t be here right now.”

Mo Zenian saw there was no hope of remarrying, so caught up and changed his tune completely, “I was trying to give you an out, but I refused. As long as I’m here, don’t even think about doing any business!”

Ms. Liang didn’t even look at him, and said to Mo Feng, “You see! This is his true personality!”

When Mo Zenian came home, it wasn’t Mo Zheng who ran out to meet him, but his sister. Her aged face was smiling broadly, “Zenian, you’re back, I heard your business in town was doing very well. You must be tired! Go inside and rest.”

As soon as he entered the room and sat down, Mo Zheng immediately leaned over to snuggle up to him. Mo Zenian took out a small paper bag and gave it to him, which he opened. Inside were two pieces of glutinous rice candy.

Mo Zheng took them and went to the yard. His aunt smiled and said, “Zenian, he gets snacks every day, he’s much luckier than my grandson.”

Mo Zenian sighed and said, “A motherless child is already pitiful, how can I starve him.”

“Our mother is getting old, it’s hard to take care of herself, and you leave a child to her to take care of all day long!”

“Zheng’er is very sensible, don’t worry about it. Hasn’t the school in the village reopened? I’ll send him to study there from now on.”

The woman sighed and said, “He can start studying when he’s only five. My grandson is eight this year and hasn’t started going to school yet! It’s because of poverty!”

She kept crying about being poor, and no one wanted to respond. Mo Zenian went to the kitchen to find food, and the woman watched him eat.

Then, the old woman yelled at Mo Zheng in the yard, “Little bastard, go find that promiscuous mother of yours, and stop troubling me here all day. What crime did I commit?”

Mu Zenian put down his food and went out of the house, “Mother, how could you scold the child like this? He’s your own grandson!”

The old woman vigorously knocked her cane on the ground, “What’s the use of having a grandson? Can I get money from him? Send him away quickly, I can’t deal with him.”

Mo Zenian’s sister quickly echoed, “That’s right! Our mother is so weak, how can she deal with this child? If you are filial, send him away as soon as possible.”

Mo Zenian was disturbed by them and said impatiently, “Where would I send him away to? I can’t give away my child!”

“You don’t need to give him away, I’m your sister after all. I won’t just stand there and ignore your troubles. We live in the same village, I can take care of you! He can’t eat much, and I’m just asking you to pay my grandson’s tuition along with his.”

She made Mo Zenian forget what had happened on the second day of the New Year. Seeing he was still hesitating, the old woman urged him, “Your sister is helping you, why aren’t you thanking her? What are you doing?”

Mo Zenian thanked her in a daze.

The woman replied with a smile, “We’re siblings after all. I heard that you want to remarry the woman in the front courtyard? Don’t be stupid! They saw that you’re making a lot of money, and they want to get rich! As the saying goes, money can make demons act, now you have it, what woman wouldn’t follow you? In the future, I’ll find a better one for you.” [1]

Mo Zenian’s ego hadn’t been flattered like this for a long time.

“Then I’ll have to trouble you, but I should still give you money to spend on Zheng’er.”

The woman’s scheme succeeded, and she suppressed a smile, “You don’t have to be polite with me. Then I’ll take him back today, and enrol him and my grandson in school together.”

Mo Zenian took out a string of copper coins and handed them to the woman, “This should be enough for the two childrens’ tuition fees. Buy them some food for the rest, I’ll send him some food when I’m able to.”

The woman left with Mo Zheng. He turned his head to look at Mo Zenian, calling for him, but Mo Zenian couldn’t hear the panic in his voice.

When Mo Zenian came out for some fresh air, Mo Yan’s second grandma came out from her room and whispered, “Zenian, how can you let her just take the child away?”

“She is the child’s aunt, how would she abuse the child?”

“That’s hard to say, you should be careful.”

Mo Zenian knew his aunt had a good relationship with Ms. Liang, so he didn’t take what she said to heart at all.

Post-translation notes: I know Mo Zenian is a bastard, but does the author really need to abuse his actual bastard so much?

[1] This is so incredibly hypocritical it epitomised how ridiculous Mo Yan’s aunt is.

Next Chapter should be on Friday (24/3/2023)