Chapter 13: He’s a Good Guy

The village clinic doctor happened to be there and came forward to press Feng Chunhua’s philtrum.

Feng Chunhua slowly came to, pointed at Chu Zhi, and her eyes instantly filled with tears. “That’s right, I was the one who forced him with a knife. The idea to steal today was all mine—it had nothing to do with Chu Zhi. I was just taking things from my own granddaughter. This is a family matter! I’m not guilty! You can’t arrest me!”

Chu Xuan’s face was full of mockery. Feng Chunhua could go this far for the good-for-nothing Chu Zhi, so why couldn’t she treat her own grandson and granddaughter better?

But even so, Chu Zhi still had to be taken away for further questioning.

Chu Xuan and Chu Feng packed up their belongings into a large burlap sack.

Chu Xuan thanked the security officers, made it clear she was determined to press charges against Feng Chunhua and Chu Zhi, hoisted the sack onto her shoulder, and left with her little brother…

The rest wasn’t her concern.

Back home, they put everything away properly.

Chu Feng gave Chu Xuan a thumbs-up, admiration all over his face. “Sis, you’re amazing! If you hadn’t thought ahead, we wouldn’t have gotten all this rice and flour for nothing.”

Chu Xuan wasn’t about to tell him that she’d lived this life once before.

Let him admire her!

It’d be best if she became his role model—maybe then it wouldn’t take as long to steer him onto the right path.

There was no breakfast in the kitchen—it had long since been stolen by Chu Zhi and Feng Chunhua.

The siblings got busy: one scrubbing pots and dishes, the other washing vegetables and dried scallops.

They made cabbage and scallop dumpling soup to fill their stomachs.

As he blew on his soup, Chu Feng sighed, “Sis, it feels like I’m dreaming these past few days. Every meal is so good! I’ve been craving this scallop dumpling soup for years, and now I finally get to eat it. And those big meat buns and pork rib soup yesterday, and that big mackerel the day before… Delicious!”

Sometimes, the more you can’t have something, the more you crave it.

Growing up by the sea, Chu Xuan used to have to watch Feng Chunhua’s mood even to eat scallops. Thinking back, she and her little brother had really been foolish.

“Xiao Feng, drink slowly—don’t burn yourself.”

“Mm!”

Chu Feng wiped away his tears, sniffled, and kept drinking his soup.

Near noon, Gao Meijuan arrived with a bamboo basket, bringing ten cabbage and pork buns.

She also brought news that their application to rebuild the house had been approved, and the construction team would start work in three days.

They’d need to provide lunch for the workers, and Gao Meijuan would bring her daughter Wang Xia to help cook.

If one stove wasn’t enough, they could set up a temporary one in the yard.

Chu Xuan invited Gao Meijuan to stay for lunch, but she declined and hurried off.

Back home, Gao Meijuan couldn’t help but mutter to her husband Wang Depin, “Poor Xiao Xuan and Xiao Feng, being born into the Chu family! If Xiao Xuan hadn’t left the money with me ahead of time, Feng Chunhua would have taken it all today.”

Wang Depin sighed. “You and Xiao Xuan accidentally saved Feng Chunhua. If she’d robbed over two thousand yuan from their house, she’d never get out of jail in this lifetime.”

“That’s true. But I just don’t get it—how can Feng Chunhua be so heartless to those two? Is it just because Xiao Xuan’s dad died and can’t support her in old age?”

“Maybe. But all of Xiao Xuan’s dad’s compensation money went to Feng Chunhua anyway, so that’s basically supporting her.”

“Don’t get me started! That was a thousand yuan in compensation! Xiao Xuan, her brother, and Tian Xiaoyun didn’t get a cent—it all went to Chu Dashan and his wife!”

“What could they do? Back then, the three of them signed a waiver agreeing to let Feng Chunhua have it.”

“Like they dared say no! Feng Chunhua beat and scolded them all the time. Forget it, let’s not talk about this upsetting stuff.”

“Have you noticed that Xiao Xuan seems a lot smarter than before?”

“She really does. That’s a good sign. She and Xiao Feng are bound to have a better life from now on!”

The couple chatted as they ate lunch.

Meanwhile, Chu Xuan was reading her little brother’s self-criticism essay.

Two-thirds of it was in pinyin, and most of the rest was misspelled Chinese characters.

But at least he admitted his mistakes and promised not to repeat them.

“Xiao Feng, when school starts in September, you should go into first grade!”

With his current level, there was no way he could keep up in second grade.

Chu Feng was too embarrassed to look up. “Sis, there’s still more than two months. I promise to catch up on all the first, second, and third grade material—let me go straight into fourth grade when school starts, okay?”

Seeing her little brother so eager to improve, Chu Xuan had to support him.

“Alright! I’ll go borrow the textbooks for you.”

His old textbooks had long since been sold off by Feng Chunhua.

Only then did Chu Feng look up, eyes shining. “I’ll go borrow them! No need to trouble you with something so small.”

He was about to dash out when Chu Xuan stopped him.

“Eat a meat bun while it’s still hot!”

She stuffed a fragrant meat bun into his hand. He finished one, then another, and another.

Worried he’d overeat and get indigestion, Chu Xuan didn’t give him any more.

She ate two herself and saved the rest for dinner.

Around one in the afternoon, Chu Feng came back with first to third grade Chinese and math textbooks.

Chu Xuan patiently tutored him.

By five thirty, Chu Xuan grabbed a metal bucket and some tools and headed to the shore to gather seafood.

Chu Feng stayed home to watch the house.

When she got to the beach, the tide was just going out.

There were still plenty of clams.

Chu Xuan collected over half a bucket, working herself breathless.

By now, the sea had receded quite a bit.

She walked further out, hoping for some luck.

But her luck this afternoon wasn’t as good as in the morning.

After over an hour, all she found were a few small crabs, which she released. Just as she was about to head back, a pleasant male voice called out.

“Chu Xuan, not much luck today, huh?”

She didn’t even have to look to know it was Mu Chenze.

Feeling guilty toward this man, Chu Xuan didn’t dare meet his eyes. “The tide’s coming in soon, I should get going…”

Before she could finish, two mackerel, each about three jin, were tossed into her bucket.

Mu Chenze’s voice sounded, full of disdain. “These mackerel are too small, I don’t want them. You can have them!”

He walked off without looking back.

As soon as his family’s boat docked today, he’d heard all the gossip about the Chu family.

After selling his seafood, he’d spotted Chu Xuan out gathering at the shore and decided to join her.

In fact, before he spoke to Chu Xuan, he’d spent half an hour wrestling with himself before finally working up the courage to toss those two mackerel into her bucket.

Chu Xuan knew nothing of this, only silently cursing Mu Chenze for being wasteful—how could anyone turn up their nose at such good mackerel?

Tonight, she and her brother would each have a braised mackerel. As for the clams, they’d soak them overnight to spit out sand, then stir-fry them tomorrow.

She filled the bucket with some seawater and headed home.

By the time she got back, it was already dark.

Chu Feng took the bucket from her and volunteered to clean the fish.

At that moment, Mu Chenze’s mother, Qin Mahua, was standing at her own gate, shining a flashlight into the distance and muttering, “Why isn’t my second son home yet? The food’s getting cold.”

Her “second son” was currently squatting outside Chu Xuan’s yard with a serious face. Only when he smelled the aroma of braised mackerel did his expression finally relax.

He overheard Chu Feng praising Chu Xuan, “Sis, you’re amazing! You even picked up mackerel while gathering today!”

Chu Xuan replied softly, “Mu Chenze gave them to us.”

“Sis, I actually think Mu Chenze is a really good guy. Now that we’ve split from the family, no one will force you to send money back after you get married. Why don’t you give things another try with him?”

Mu Chenze held his breath, eager to hear how Chu Xuan would respond."