Mu Jingzhe wanted to carry Xiao Wu out, but Xiao Wu didn’t want to. “No, I don’t wanna go out.”
He didn’t want to go out. He only wanted to hide there. He didn’t want to see anyone. He was fine just having Mommy with him.
“Alright, alright. We won’t go out. We’ll stay here.” Seeing that Xiao Wu was crying so sadly, Mu Jingzhe quickly comforted him and knelt down, not moving anymore.
Xiao Wu cried and vented for a while before his emotions finally eased up a little. He took a deep breath and burped.
Mu Jingzhe quickly put Xiao Wu down and took out a piece of tissue to wipe his eyes. “Your eyes are swollen from crying. If there’s anything wrong, tell me. Don’t be afraid. Stop crying. Otherwise, you’ll hurt your eyes and throat.”
Xiao Wu nodded. Feeling Mu Jingzhe’s warmth, he became even more upset. He stopped wailing, but tears started flowing from his eyes again.
Mu Jingzhe was anxious. “Xiao Wu, are you hurting somewhere? Or is something wrong?”
Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was anxious, Xiao Wu finally said, “My heart hurts, Mommy. I only want you to be my mother. I don’t want anyone else.”
Mu Jingzhe was puzzled. “Alright, alright. I’m here.”
However, Xiao Wu was still crying. “Will you despise me in the future, Mommy? Will you abandon me? Grandma said that dragons give birth to dragons, phoenixes give birth to phoenixes, and the son of a rat knows how to dig holes. I’m afraid that you won’t want me anymore, Mommy.”
Mu Jingzhe was dumbfounded. She had been kneeling, feeling anxious to begin with, and her face was red. “Xiao Wu, what are you talking about? Why would I despise you? I would never abandon you. What did you hear? Why would you say such a thing?”
Mu Jingzhe suddenly paused. “Xiao Wu, did you ask your father about your biological mother? What did he say to you?”
At this point, Xiao Wu suddenly shook his head. “No, I don’t want my biological mother. I only want you, Mommy.”
He didn’t want a mother like Shao Qiyun.
Shao Qihai’s guess was right. Xiao Wu had heard. When Xiao Wu had caught up to him, he’d happened to hear Shao Qihai’s words. Not only had he heard that Shao Qiyun was his mother, but he had also heard that Shao Qiyun had once wanted to drown him.
Surprisingly, Xiao Wu wasn’t sad about this, as it seemed perfectly normal for someone like Shao Qiyun to do something like that. Xiao Wu wasn’t surprised.
What had upset him was the fact that he was Shao Qiyun’s son and she had given birth to him. This fact had shocked Xiao Wu greatly. How could this be?!
There were so many people in the world. Billions of people… Of all the people out there, Shao Qiyun was his mother.
According to an old saying, a son shouldn’t disdain his mother for being ugly, but she wasn’t fit to be a mother at all. Shao Qiyun didn’t want him either. Since she didn’t want him, why had she given birth to him?
In the past, like many children, Xiao Wu had been curious to know about his mother. However, now that he had found out about it, Xiao Wu would rather not have such a person as a mother. He would even rather he had never been born.
Grandma said that a dragon gave birth to a dragon, a phoenix gave birth to a phoenix, and the son of a rat knew how to dig holes. This sentence often proved to be true. In the past, he had been praised by Mu Jingzhe many times. When he had seen everyone acknowledge his talent, he had thought that he was a wonderful person. When he grew up, he would definitely become successful and contribute to society.
He had been waiting, anticipating to be as outstanding as Mommy, but now he knew that Shao Qiyun was his mother.
Shao Qiyun was a different sort of person. Xiao Wu was furious and fearful. He feared that when he grew up, he would become a wicked person, just like Shao Qiyun.
His four siblings, as well as his mother and father, were all good people, whereas he was the only bad apple. What should he do?
Xiao Wu burst into tears. He’d always known that he was different from his siblings because he didn’t share the same biological mother with them. Only now had he learned that he didn’t even share the same biological father with them.
They hadn’t mentioned his biological father, but based on their attitude, if his biological father didn’t care about him, then he definitely wasn’t a good person either.
Neither of his biological parents was a good person. If Mommy and his older brothers and sister found out, would they despise him and not want him anymore?
“Mommy, can you not despise me? I’ll definitely be a good person in the future. I won’t become bad. If I become a bad person, I’ll commit suicide. I’ll kill myself, alright?”
At that moment, Xiao Wu decided that if he became a bad person in the future, he would end his life.
Mu Jingzhe was shocked. “How old are you to talk about committing suicide? How can you spout nonsense? Quick, spit three times[1].”
Xiao Wu obediently spat three times before Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief. “Xiao Wu, don’t hold it in anymore. Can you tell me what’s going on?”
Although Xiao Wu had spat as he’d been told, he had already made up his mind and really calmed down as a result. He then took a deep breath. “Mommy, I know who my biological mother is.”
Mu Jingzhe had thought to herself that this was indeed the case. Upon thinking about Xiao Wu’s attitude, she was a little conflicted. “Does she not like you very much? Or is there a problem?”
“She doesn’t like me. I don’t like her either.”
Mu Jingzhe was stunned. She hadn’t thought much about it when she’d asked the question, but after this exchange, a problem surfaced. Could Xiao Wu’s mother be someone from their village or a nearby village? Otherwise, why would Xiao Wu answer as if he had met this person before?
She hesitated for a moment and said, “Xiao Wu, would it be convenient for you to tell me who it is? Of course, if you don’t want to tell me or it’s inconvenient, you can choose not to tell me.”
Xiao Wu was silent for a moment before spitting out a name that surprised Mu Jingzhe to the core—Shao Qiyun.
“What? She… That’s impossible. She and your father are siblings.” Wasn’t it incest for siblings to have children?
That couldn’t be right. Mu Jingzhe shook her head violently. That might mean that Shao Qihai wasn’t his biological father!
Never in Mu Jingzhe’s wildest dreams had this answer occurred to her. Only then did she understand what Xiao Wu had meant by those words.
“Xiao Wu, you…”
“Mommy, I definitely won’t become wicked like her, right?”
“Of course not!” Mu Jingzhe declared firmly.
“Then you won’t despise me, will you, Mommy? Her blood runs in my veins…”
“Of course not. You will always be the cutest, Xiao Wu.”
Mu Jingzhe knew that Xiao Wu had suffered a shock, so she simply lay down and hugged him. “Don’t be afraid, Xiao Wu. It’s alright. One’s parentage isn’t important. Who says that children must turn out exactly like their parents? If birth determined everything, then the world would be finished.
“It’s true that children are bound to their parents after they’re born, but from the moment they’re born, they’re an independent entity. It’s up to them what their future turns out to be like.
“Let’s not talk about anything else. Just look at the people in our village. Parents and children are completely different, so don’t be afraid, Xiao Wu. No matter who your parents are, we still love you and you’re still our darling. I also believe that you’ll be useful to society in the future.”
Mu Jingzhe had told the children a lot in the past. Xiao Wu finally calmed down. “Really?”
“Of course, it’s true. Even if you don’t believe in yourself, you have to believe in Mommy. I’m the one raising you now. One is shaped by the company one keeps. It will definitely be beneficial for you to learn from me. If you don’t, I’ll teach you a lesson before you can even make a move.
“Xiao Wu, you believe Mommy, right?”
[1] to prevent bad omens