DSYOM Chapter 46

T/N: This ‘Family’ arc will have five chapters and basically it’s on how Bian Cheng ended up adopting Jiang Yu. In the gongzicp, the author put them after the main chapter and extra, but the author actually posted these chapters first. So I decided to posted this as how the author posted it. Anyway, just like the author said, you can read these five chapters if you want, and you can also skip these if you want since it doesn’t affect the main storyline between Wen Di and Bian Cheng (however, I very much recommend you all to not skip because trust me, these five chapters are the few of my favourite chapters from this book!)

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Bian Cheng searched the map for a long time before finally finding the address from the text message.

The line of text seemed like a secret code: No. 23 Baoyuan Road, behind the gray iron door covered by a cloth curtain, by the river.

He stood in front of an illegally built shed, and checked again and again. It was indeed by the river, but the river was narrow, more like an expanded drainage ditch. The water was a strange shade of green, and suspiciously, some people were washing clothes by the side. There was indeed a door covered with a cloth curtain; when he lifted it, there was a plain, unpainted iron door behind it.

Bian Cheng looked at the torn fabric hanging from the door and felt that its only purpose was as a signpost.

Not seeing a doorbell, he raised his hand and knocked on the door. A clear voice quickly replied from inside, “Coming!”

The door opened with a loud screech, revealing a fair face with dark black eyes that were beautiful, though they were large and lifeless. “Gege.”

Bian Cheng didn’t reciprocate the brotherly greeting, asking instead, “Where’s your mom?”

“Mom’s cooking!” Jiang Yu pulled out a pair of slippers. “Come in!”

Bian Cheng smelled the fragrance of green peppers and sliced meat. The scent of such home-cooked dishes always brought back memories. Bian Cheng put on the slippers and stepped inside. The room had a cement floor, so there was no real need to change shoes, but the neat furniture and clean floor showed that the owner of the house was very particular about cleanliness. Though the room was small, the owner had clearly put effort into maintaining it.

“Are you here?” a voice came from the kitchen. “The food will be ready soon, sit by the table and wait a bit.”

“No need,” Bian Cheng raised his voice. “I’ll leave once we’re done talking.”

“You came all the way here, how can you not even have a meal?” Jiang Yunrou brought the dishes out, and the fragrance turned into a tangible white mist that swirled up. She had lipstick on her lips, and that little bit of red was the only color on her face.

Jiang Yu had already run over to Bian Cheng, pulled out a chair, and sat down properly. He turned his head and stared wide-eyed at Bian Cheng. Bian Cheng hesitated for a moment, sat next to him, but didn’t touch his chopsticks.

“I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly,” Jiang Yunrou scooped the rice. The bowl in front of Bian Cheng was piled high, like an ice cream scoop. “You must have gotten up early. You must be hungry now.”

Bian Cheng was indeed hungry, but the mouth that had been fed by others would be soft. Since Jiang Yunrou had invited him over, he suspected she had something to ask of him, and he wouldn’t accept a soft approach.

“It’s okay,” he said. “You said there was something very important that had to be discussed in person, so I came. Let’s get the business over with first.”

Jiang Yunrou placed the ladle on the edge of the bowl and wiped her hands on her apron, saying to Jiang Yu: “Mom and brother need to talk in private, you go to your room and eat while watching cartoons.”

Jiang Yu didn’t ask anything, but took a plate obediently, picked up a little of each, and ran happily to the inner room. Jiang Yunrou walked to a cabinet in the living room, took out a file from a drawer, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Bian Cheng. Bian Cheng pulled out the file, and the words ‘Guardianship Authorization Agreement’ were written at the top of the A4 paper.

Bian Cheng stared at the striking black characters and was shocked: “What does this mean?”

Jiang Yunrou glanced at the bedroom door to make sure it was shut, then pulled out another sheet from beneath the file—a diagnosis certificate. Even someone with no medical knowledge would know from the name of the illness that it was an incurable disease.

He thought of his grandfather in the ward, and his father in the ICU a few years ago. Unconsciously, he had reached the age where he had to face death. Although this woman was not related to him by blood, in front of this cold diagnosis certificate, he was still shaken by the cruelty of life.

“How long?” Bian Cheng asked.

“About three months,” Jiang Yunrou smiled faintly, “Before I leave, I need to find him a new home.”

“Why me?”

“To be honest, I don’t have any other choice,” Jiang Yunrou said. “You know what his father is like; I would never entrust the child to him…I don’t have other relatives. If I send him to an orphanage, with his temperament, he’ll definitely be bullied…” She paused, looking long and earnestly at Bian Cheng. “I haven’t spent much time with you, but that day in the hospital, you two had a good conversation. He likes you a lot, and I think…you probably don’t dislike him that much. If you can…”

“Sorry,” Bian Cheng put the agreement back down, “I don’t agree.”

He refused so decisively, not hesitating for a second because of the humble house or the cruel terminal illness.

Jiang Yunrou’s hand, holding the ladle, paused, trembling ever so slightly. “I’ve already made up my mind,” she said quickly, “The money I’ve saved these years, the child support from Bian Huaiyuan, adds up to quite a bit, over several hundred thousand, all in my card…” She took out a bank card and pushed it towards Bian Cheng, but he didn’t move.

“It’s not about the money,” Bian Cheng said. “I don’t like children, and I’m not suited to being a parent. I’m busy with work, rarely go home, I don’t know how to communicate with people, and I don’t want others disturbing my life.”

“He’s not picky with food, and he doesn’t make noise, and is very sensible,” Jiang Yunrou said. “As long as you tell him not to disturb you, he won’t…”

“Sorry,” Bian Cheng repeated. “I can’t agree.”

For a moment, despair flashed in Jiang Yunrou’s eyes. Bian Cheng felt a bit scared, afraid that she might suddenly do something that would put him in an awkward position. It wasn’t that he would agree because of that, he would never agree no matter what, but he was just worried that she might throw away her dignity and still get nothing in return.

But Jiang Yunrou didn’t do anything. After her gaze darkened, she lowered her head, let out a long sigh, and then said, “Well, forget it. Let’s eat, the food’s getting cold.”

Bian Cheng said, “No, I have to rush back to the hospital.” Having refused such an important request, he felt he was not qualified to eat here.

“Eat a little. It’s easy to get carsick if you’re hungry,” Jiang Yunrou said. “There’s so much food, the two of us won’t be able to finish it all.”

Since the host had said so, Bian Cheng picked up his chopsticks and picked up some vegetables. He didn’t know if they were just picked from the field, but they were very sweet.

“Eat more meat,” Jiang Yunrou put a few slices of green pepper stir-fried with meat into his bowl. “This is my specialty, try it.”

Bian Cheng stared at the green peppers and meat on his rice for a while before picking up his chopsticks and eating.

“Is it good?” Jiang Yunrou asked. “I heard from your father that you really like this, so I cooked extra.”

“I hate green peppers,” Bian Cheng said. “I think they have a strange bitter taste.”

Jiang Yunrou’s hand, which was holding the vegetables, froze for a moment before pulling back. “I see,” she said.

“What do you mean, ‘I see’?”

“For a moment just now, I thought about morally kidnapping you, making you agree,” Jiang Yunrou said. “Kneeling on the ground, holding your hand, crying my heart out, saying he’s your little brother, his mind’s not all there, and apart from you, he has nothing. This is my last wish. If you don’t agree, I will never be able to close my eyes even if I die…”

“Then why didn’t you say it?”

She shook her head, looking at the food she hadn’t touched. “A meal made by a terminally ill person, and you say it tastes bad—those words probably wouldn’t work,” she said. “Besides, I don’t want you to take care of him because you’re forced into it. Why would I send my precious child to someone who doesn’t want him?”

Bian Cheng paused for a moment and said, “Thank you.”

“Eat something else,” Jiang Yunrou said.

They finished the meal in silence, with the folder lying quietly beside them, storing the unresolved fate of this family. After clearing the dishes, Jiang Yunrou placed it back in the drawer and locked it. At just about that time, Jiang Yu came out of the bedroom, the bowl and plate in his hands empty.

He put the dishes in the sink, then ran back to his room and then came out with a hard-shell binder.

“Going to the riverbank again?” Jiang Yunrou asked.

Jiang Yu nodded.

“Be careful, don’t get too close,” she said.

Jiang Yu nodded again and ran out the door.

Bian Cheng stood up, said goodbye to the host, and thanked her for preparing lunch.

“Thank you for making this trip,” Jiang Yunrou said. “You could have just let me talk to you on the phone.”

“You speak so seriously, like it’s a matter of life and death. I felt it was necessary to come,” Bian Cheng paused, then added, “It really is a matter of life and death.”

“I have a little selfish motive. If you see him…” Her gaze swept across the door. “Maybe you’ll like him.”

She didn’t continue.

“I’ll be going now,” Bian Cheng said, standing up. “Take care of yourself.”

Jiang Yunrou nodded. “Be careful on the road.”

Bian Cheng walked out of the iron gate and followed the river to find the way back. When he reached an intersection with two paulownia trees planted on either side, he saw Jiang Yu crouching in the grass. The boy was carefully searching the ground, a hard-cover album spread open beside him, covered with many leaves, apparently a collection of specimens.

Jiang Yu noticed his gaze, looked up, and with a slightly disappointed tone, asked, “Are you leaving?”

“En,” Bian Cheng replied, “What are you looking for?”

“Four-leaf clover.”

Bian Cheng had originally intended to say, “Take care of your mother,” but he realized that such a request would be too much to ask of the boy.

Then he realized another issue. There were only two people in this family: one was a terminally ill patient, and the other was a child with intellectual disabilities. If there was an emergency…

He crouched down and asked the boy, “Can you make a phone call?”

The boy looked at the phone, nodded, and said, “Yes.”

“Show me how.”

The boy was wearing a children’s watch. He tapped the screen, long-pressed the number 1, and the watch automatically began dialing: 120.

Before the call was connected, Bian Cheng took the phone back. Jiang Yunrou had already thought of this and had taught him how to dial emergency services.

Bian Cheng held the boy’s hand, long-pressed the number 2, and as expected, the dialed number was ‘Mom’. Bian Cheng clicked on the settings and entered his own number. “Keep pressing 3 and you can talk to me,” he said. “If anything urgent happens, just call my number. Do you understand?”

The boy thought for a long while, then nodded.

Bian Cheng stood up and walked toward the street.

He still had to return to the hospital to visit another life that was soon to come to an end.

 

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T/N: Hellooooo, long time no see everyone. I’m sorry for being MIA for how many months already, but there is a big change in my life right now and I’m currently still busy adapting to this change, so this story might need to be on hiatus until around mid April. I was planning to update all the five chapters on this family in one update/this week but I really didn’t have enough time. So see you all mid April!