CH 8

Lu Rong and Fang Qing confronted each other on the balcony.

Lu Rong, “The story you told me about my father being jailed for smuggling sandalwood…”

Fang Qing, “It’s true.”

Lu Rong, “And the story where you divorced to take care of me …”

Fang Qing, “It’s also true.”

Lu Rong almost went berserk. “Among these stories am I the only one that is not real!”

Fang Qing pulled him to sit on the swing. Their balcony was only one metre wide, but Fang Qing set a swing there. It was normally used to put folded clothes.

Fang Qing had an expression of not knowing where to start. “It’s like this. Your father and my ex-husband are brothers. Your mother and I are close sisters. Can you understand that?”

Lu Rong calmed his breath. “I suppose.”

Fang Qing, “Then, my ex-husband was jailed for smuggling sandalwood.”

Lu Rong, “…”

Fang Qing, “Your father was also jailed for smuggling sandalwood. They are brothers, they do illegal business and everything together.”

Lu Rong, “…”

Fang Qing, “There were two choices at that time. One, take you to an orphanage, two, let me take care of you.”

Lu Rong, “…Then, where is my mother?”

Fang Qing held his hand, “…You really want to know? This is the most heart-breaking part.”

Lu Rong, “Tell me, I can handle it.”

Fang Qing took a deep breath. “She was also jailed for smuggling sandalwood.”

Lu Rong, “…”

Lu Rong, “There were three jailed among four of you? You were the only one not having wet shoes even after walking on the riverside?” [1]

Fang Qing, “Because at that time I was in the dancing hall everyday, so I didn’t know anything about it.”

Lu Rong sat on the swing, his mind was complicated, he didn’t know what to say about this family tragedy.

He thought about it for a long time and asked Fang Qing, “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

Fang Qing held his hand. “What should we tell you? Your father and mother were smugglers? Your bloodline is too special, you could pick a lock at the age of eight. We wanted you to be a normal boy, we didn’t want you to make the same mistakes.”

Lu Rong, “I’m not a monster, where did the bloodline come from? I’ve never met my parents for 16 years because of such an absurd reason?”

“Not because of this.” Fang Qing gently held his shoulder. “When you were young, your father and mother were busy, they couldn’t take care of you. They were busy being the boss in the male and female prisons, so they lost out on your childhood. Every time I took you to visit them, they lost a fight the next day. You are their weak spot. Afterwards, they didn’t let you visit.”

Lu Rong, “…”

Fang Qing faintly said, “After they came out, they went to Shanxi and became  coal bosses…”

Lu Rong was stunned. “They were released?”

“Yes, they came out after ten years of punishment. They started mining coal in Shanxi five years ago. They experienced a lot of mining accidents, finally started over and made a fortune, thus, they became coal bosses.” Fang Qing shrugged.

Lu Rong recalled something at once. “You can’t mean…”

One Chinese New Year, we were visited by a family tycoon. They were Fang Qing’s relatives. The man held a cigarette, the lady wore mink, the child wore famous branded clothes. The child was very naughty but the lady was very kind, she slipped 5 one hundred USD notes.

Fang Qing bitterly said, “That’s right. The dollars were from your father and mother, that naughty child is your brother.”

Lu Rong was silent for a moment, he couldn’t bear it anymore. He asked, “Although I didn’t really wish to be their child, but according to common sense, after they came out of jail and made a fortune, they should take me back, isn’t this natural? Why didn’t they take me?”

Fang Qing bit her lips, “You really want to know?”

Lu Rong, “Tell me.”

Fang Qing, “They think you are pretentious.”

Lu Rong, “…”

Lu Rong, “……”

Lu Rong, “………”

Lu Rong, “…………”

Lu Rong’s eyes was solemn as if preparing for murder, Fang Qing turned her head, “…It is the expression when you glare like this.”

Lu Rong laid on the swing rocking himself, his eyes were empty. He had just found out that his parents were smugglers, jailed for ten years, after coming out, they went to Shanxi and became coal bosses, didn’t want him, at last, they gave him 5 one hundred USD notes to dismiss him. What could he do besides sitting silently on the swing?

Fang Qing, “They still send money every month for your child support.”

Lu Rong, “Is that so.” He had realized that Fang Qing’s money flow was not normal early on, he once thought that Fang Qing was being kept.

“On the bright side, don’t you still have me?” Fang Qing still held his hand, she was immersed in her warm memory. “I know our Rong Rong is not pretentious at all, it was that naughty child’s fault for breaking the Estee Lauder eye cream you bought for me, you were just teaching him a lesson.”

Lu Rong stayed away from her. “You just told Ji Tong that you would only raise me until 18.”

Fang Qing felt awkward. “..You heard that.”

Lu Rong went down to toss away the trash and take a breather. Ji Tong wanted to go, so they went together. Ji Tong was a little nervous but he didn’t want the mood to be awkward, so he told Lu Rong some cold jokes [2]. As the mood turned colder, two men silently walked to the front of the alley.

Lu Rong, “How will you go home?”

Ji Tong, “I have a car.”

Lu Rong, “Oh.”

Both waited for the car silently.

Ji Tong suddenly said to Lu Rong, “I’m sorry for letting you hear such terrible news.” He had just wanted to eat dinner, which suddenly turned into Lu Rong not having a mother anymore. It was understandable if Lu Rong objected to him.

Lu Rong put his hand in his pocket, he indifferently said, “It’s alright.”

Ji Tong, “When your mother had started dating me, she told me that she had  a son. If I couldn’t accept her son, then nothing would happen between us. I told her that I also have a son, then we talked about your youth, later on, we got together. It was not that she didn’t meet any good men before, but they all objected to you and the relationship failed. If she really didn’t love you or wanted to cast you off, she wouldn’t say that.”

Lu Rong was silent for a moment, then asked Ji Tong, “What did you guys talk about beside us?”

Ji Tong, “Uh…”

Lu Rong didn’t wait for his answer. He said lightly, “Our family condition is not good, my mother is old, she is also not cultured, she even brought an oil jar [3].” He glanced at Ji Tong after he finished speaking.

Ji Tong was stunned, then he laughed straightforwardly, “After you reach my age, you will realize that feeling is more important than logic.”

Lu Rong was satisfied with his answer. “En. Okay then. You will pick her up tomorrow?” He had heard what these two discussed.

Ji Tong excitedly answered, “That was the plan, I wanted to take care of our affair…”

Seeing Lu Rong’s eyes move back to him, Ji Tong hurriedly changed the words, “…The main point is taking her to the cinema.”

Lu Rong smiled faintly, what was the use of so many plans for two people living together. Ji Tong was a sentimental person, Fang Qing was blessed.

While talking, a blindingly bright car light was shining in the alley, lighting up a part of the building. Lu Rong narrowed his eyes, after his eyes adapted to the light, he realized that the Bentley Mulsanne he saw at dusk had silently glided to his front. The chauffeur got down and helped Ji Tong open the door.

Ji Tong, “I’ll go back first!” He happily but politely said to Lu Rong, “Come to my house to eat tomorrow!”

Lu Rong, “…”

Were all loan sharks this rich lately?!

This marriage was not as bad as he imagined.

After Lu Rong went back from throwing the trash, he found Fang Qing sitting on the sofa, silently sobbing while packing the toys he played with when he was young.

Seeing Lu Rong, she cried even louder while hugging a baby one-piece.

Lu Rong carried the trash can, “…What are you crying about?”

Fang Qing, “I thought you had run away and wouldn’t come back anymore. Wuwuwu…”

While wearing sandals and carrying a trash can?!

Lu Rong couldn’t help but laugh secretly, “That small and dirty cotton-padded jacket in your hand is my replacement?”

Fang Qing’s tears were gushing, “You liked this cotton padded jacket the most when you were young! You slept in this every night after I finished making it.”

Lu Rong let out a slight laugh, he sat beside her.

Fang Qing immediately put her head on his shoulder, her tears flowed to his shoulder. “Actually I was afraid that you would be sad so I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want you to know that I am not your mother. If you called me aunt, my hard work for the past sixteen years would be wasted…”

Lu Rong, “Mom.”

Although Lu Rong’s mood went up and down, he understood that being his mother was not the wisest decision. Sending him to an orphanage was the wise and normal choice. He didn’t become an orphan mocked by others because of his family condition, but he grew up in a normal single parent family. It was the 20 year old Fang Qing who stood out to take care of him, who opened her wings to protect him for 16 years.

Fang Qing shed motherly tears happily after hearing Lu Rong call her mom.

Lu Rong wiped her tears gently. “If you cry today, your eyes will swell on the registration tomorrow.”

Fang Qing, “!”

Fang Qing ran to the washroom to apply eye cream. She remembered an important matter, leaned on the door frame and asked him cautiously, “You will go to the Ji family with me, right? Even if you are 18 and I am no longer your guardian, you will stay in the Ji family, won’t you?

Lu Rong, “That’s not what you said to Ji Tong just now.”

Fang Qing assured him, “That’s the tactic to swindle him into marriage. I have been dumped too many times these years.”

Lu Rong nodded. “Okay, I’ll go wherever you go.”　　

Fang Qing threw her eye cream aside, ran out and hugged him. Lu Rong also took her into his arms. “I’m also not at ease to marry you off by yourself, I’m afraid Ji Tong will bully you.” In their Lu family, there is an unwritten rule: a man has to protect women. Lu Rong even stepped forward bravely when the naughty child broke Fang Qing’s eye cream, not to mention a big matter like marriage.

Two people held each other for a long time.

Lu Rong, “It can’t be that they don’t want me because of that bear child ba.”

Fang Qing, “Sorry, it was all my fault…” letting Lu Rong lose his chance to go back to his family.

Lu Rong, “I will still make the same choice.”

Fang Qing held Lu Rong even tighter.

After hugging for a while, Lu Rong lifted his head, “It feels rather subtle.” They were actually not related by blood.

Fang Qing, “I helped you change your diapers when you were young, your faeces was exceptionally a lot, even your diapers couldn’t hold it.”

Lu Rong put his head back on her shoulder. “Now I feel better.” Fang Qing was his mother, this was a fact.

[1] not punished for doing bad things.

[2] not quite funny jokes.

[3] children from previous marriage.