CH 80.3

Not A Murderer (3)

The light blue cashmere sweater was a perfect fit, with a high collar accentuating the boy’s long, slender neck and handsome features.

Mu Wanli looked at her son and suddenly raised her hand to rub her eyes gently. “Here, try this one too.”

Ruan Qingmu looked at Mu Wanli, whose eyes were slightly red, and made fun of her with a smile. “Your son looks so good in new clothes. Why are you crying?”

Mu Wanli smiled with difficulty. “I’ve never bought you any good clothes all these years…”

“According to what you say, you make me sound like Cinderella. The students in the class wear school uniforms daily and there’s no need to compete with them.” Ruan Qingmu was unconcerned about any of this.

Mu Wanli looked around and refused to ask her son to take it off, so she picked up the scissors and cut off the tag on the back of his neck. “Wear it like this. You returned home today, so you’ll have to wear new clothes.”

Ruan Qingmu was forced to change into a short jacket, looking down at it. “Is this real leather? It must be very expensive.”

“So what if it’s real leather? My son will become eighteen soon. Can’t he have some nice clothes?” Mu Wanli helped him fix the jacket and her gaze was slightly dazed. Suddenly, tears flowed down in a torrent.

Ruan Qignmu was startled and hurried to help wipe her tears. “Mom, what’s wrong? No matter how handsome your son is, it shouldn’t move you like this?”

Mu Wanli was finally amused by him and took a tissue to wipe her tears after crying. “I thought of your dad. He used to wear this kind of short leather jacket too, but it was an imitation one since we were poor.”

Ruan Qingmu looked at her. “Oh… how did my dad die?”

He casually asked, not intentionally trying to find out, but he was slightly curious all the same.

The host of this body had never heard his mother talk about this and his memories were only of those fragmented things from his childhood.

He had been thrown stones by the neighborhood kids, saying he was the son of a murderer, and when Mu Wanli quarreled with the neighbors, she was also humiliated and scolded. “Your man died early for cutting people. Be careful that your son doesn’t follow his example.”

Mu Wanli’s face was slightly pale. “Why… do you suddenly want to ask about this?”

Ruan Qingmu looked at her, feeling slightly remorseful. “No, I’m only mentioning it casually. If you don’t want to talk about it, then it’s okay too.”

Mu Wanli quietly sat and pulled her hair back into a bun after a long time. “It’s nothing. I came up from the same village as your dad. We came to the city because our old house was so poor that it was unlivable before becoming partners later on.”

Ruan Qingmu smiled at her. “Childhood sweethearts sharing life’s joys and sorrows?”

Mu Wanli’s gaze was gentle. “It could be considered that. Your dad was handsome when he was young, fair-skinned, and graceful. Even if he wore a cheap shirt, he wasn’t inferior to the small celebrities in films and magazines.”

Ruan Qingmu faintly smiled. “Mom, you’re even more good-looking.”

Even now, Mu Wanli, who was nearly forty years old, still had beautiful features and fair skin. Her photos when she was younger were at home, so she could be considered an extremely beautiful woman.

Mu Wanli rolled her eyes at her son, but her gaze was faintly proud. “Of course. Many young men with good backgrounds courted me. I didn’t like them and set my mind on your dad. He was also the same. The factory director’s daughter chased after him, but he ignored her.”

The two young people were poor and naïve. None of them was snobbish and had a simple marriage without a house and much of a wedding. Although they were poor, they were together daily, so this kind of life didn’t make them tired.

“And then?” Ruan Qingmu asked softly.

“Then, we had you, ah. Everyone had a child early on at that time.” Mu Wanli’s smile was slightly miserable. “And then, we ate at a small stand outside one night and met gangsters. Seeing that I was pretty and your dad was thin, a few of them came up, wanting to do shameful things.”

Ruan Qingmu fiercely closed his eyes.

“The gang had been drinking and there was a wanted criminal who had fled among them. Your dad picked up a beer bottle and fought with a few of them, infuriating them, and he was beaten until he was covered in blood.” Mu Wanli miserably gazed at her feet. “I was dragged to a car and desperately screamed… Your dad heard my screams for help and went crazy. He rushed to the stall owner and grabbed a knife, stabbing two people to death in the middle of the fight.”

Ruan Qingmu gritted his teeth. “This is considered a legitimate defense, ah. What’s wrong with it?”

Mu Wanli bitterly smiled. “Yes, ah. Nobody said he was guilty. He was also stabbed in the stomach by those people and died not long after being sent to the hospital. This was a quite big deal at that time, with three lives in a case. That person involved in our attack was a wanted criminal had been on the loose for a few years without being caught, but he ended up in the gutter and was stabbed in the gut by your dad.”

Ruan Qingmu listened in a daze.

“I was pregnant with you for a few months only at that time. When your dad was on the verge of dying, his whole body and face were covered in blood, but he looked at me straight and told me to abort the baby, marry another good man before it was too late, and not to miss him.” Mu Wanli looked outside the window pensively. “How could I listen to him?”

Ruan Qingmu looked at her fixedly and softly called out after a while. “Mom, you’re so stupid.”

Mu Wanli smiled and her tears fell down her cheeks.

She was in a daze for a while before suddenly puffing out her chest crudely. “Lao-Niang thinks it’s worth it! Many women were cheated by men out of their money and hearts and couldn’t meet a person who sincerely treated them well for a lifetime. I met a man who was willing to die for me. I’ve not lived my life in vain.”

Ruan Qingmu was silent for a while before hugging Mu Wanli’s shoulder and patting it. “Mom, I got it.”

“Got what?” Mu Wanli stared at him.

Ruan Qingmu smiled gently, gaze exceptionally bright. “My dad only killed a person, but he’s not a murderer.”

After pondering, he added again, “My dad is super awesome, really. It’s just that he died early. If not, I will hold a wine cup at the dining table and say to him, ‘Dad, you’re extremely great!’”