Thirteen Wonders (ShíSānYāo) : Chapter 44 - One Tong Nine Tong
Chapter 44: One Tong Nine Tong
After returning from the capital, Zhou Yao stayed at home for several days, sticking close to Chen Xuze to ‘make up’ for the time they had missed together.
Even something as small as folding clothes had to be done together.
The sunlight outside the window was just right, its heat blocked from entering. They enjoyed the bright daylight in the cool, comfortable room.
As Chen Xuze folded clothes, he suddenly stopped. Sitting up straight, he looked at Zhou Yao and abruptly said,
“—Yes.”
“Yes... Yes to what?” Zhou Yao was puzzled.
“I suddenly remembered that I never answered you for the photo you sent me.”
When he received the picture, he had only commented on how nice it looked. Then, she had moved on, talking about accompanying Ying Nian, and his focus had shifted. He never got around to addressing the words on that pink-lit screen.
Zhou Yao was stunned for a moment, then laughed. “Your reaction time is way too slow!”
Chen Xuze remained serious. “I just forgot.” After a pause, he added, “Something I shouldn't have forgotten.”
Zhou Yao laughed uncontrollably and lunged forward, trying to wrap her arms around his neck to playfully mess with him, but just then, a noise came from the courtyard outside.
This time, it wasn't a knock or someone calling a name—it was the sound of the door opening directly.
As Zhou Yao and Chen Xuze stood up from the pile of clothes, the Chen parents had already stepped inside. Mrs. Chen wrinkled her brows immediately. “What is that smell in here? It's awful.”
Her gaze swept over Zhou Yao lazily. “Oh, Zhou Yao is here too? Why haven’t you gone back to your own house?”
Zhou Yao didn’t speak. Chen Xuze, expressionless, said, “You haven’t lived here in years. How would you know what the house smells like?”
Being confronted by their own son right away, the Chen parents' faces darkened. They had thought that after the incident at the police station, their son would be closer to them, but his attitude hadn’t changed—in fact, it had worsened.
Mrs. Chen raised her chin slightly. “I just came to check on you, see how you’re doing alone in the house. As your mother, I—”
“You never cared before. Why start now?”
“You—”
Chen Xuze was exceptionally skilled at striking a nerve.
Mrs. Chen’s face stiffened, and she shifted her gaze to the clothes on the floor. “Are all of these yours? Some of them look old. I told you before that I'd buy you new ones, but you refused… Wait, why are there women’s clothes here?”
She was clearly asking a question she already knew the answer to.
Chen Xuze didn’t believe for a second that they had just found out today that Zhou Yao had moved in. And with Zhou Yao standing right here, wasn’t it obvious?
Mrs. Chen exaggerated her reaction, turning to Zhou Yao. “Zhou Yao, are you living here? Your house is just down the street—why aren’t you going back home? Staying here with Xuze like this isn’t proper! People will gossip! And your mother—how could she allow this? Good thing I came today. Come, let’s talk.”
Zhou Yao asked, “Talk about what?”
“About you staying in our house!” Mrs. Chen’s eyes widened, as if she couldn’t believe Zhou Yao’s question. “You’re a girl, and you don’t think this is inappropriate? What kind of upbringing did your mother give you?!”
“Auntie, you can say what you want, but leave my parents out of it.” Zhou Yao’s tone was calm, but there was little respect in it.
Mrs. Chen bristled. “Oh? Are you saying I’m causing trouble?”
“Aren’t you?” Chen Xuze cut in, making her face look even worse.
“Let me take a look.” Mrs. Chen, holding back her anger, stepped into the room. “Where do you put your folded clothes? Let me see… Oh? They're in the same closet? Xuze, you and Zhou Yao put your clothes together?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Is there a problem?” Mrs. Chen let out a cold laugh and glanced at her husband. “Did you hear what he just said? Of course, there’s a problem! A big one!”
She stepped into the bedroom and looked around. “I see only one thin blanket and two pillows. Zhou Yao is staying here—where does she sleep? Whose room is this? Why does it have both of your clothes?”
Chen Xuze, in an even and calm voice, repeated her words. “This is the room where Zhou Yao and I sleep together. The closet holds both of our clothes.”
“You—what did you just say?! Listen to yourself!”
Mrs. Chen lashed out, “I don’t care what you were doing before, but starting now, Zhou Yao has to go home! You two cannot live together!”
“Says who?” Chen Xuze challenged.
“Says—”
“Says you, because you’re my mother?” His dark eyes were like an endless abyss. “How many times have you actually taken care of me? It was Grandpa and Grandma who raised me. This house was left to me by them. Before they passed, they transferred ownership. The deed is in my name. I’m already nineteen, fully capable of making my own decisions. So—”
He paused. “If you’re going to shout in my house, please lower your voice.”
Mrs. Chen gasped sharply, nearly fainting. Her husband stepped forward to steady her, yelling at Chen Xuze, “What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!”
“Nonsense? I’m stating facts.”
“Fine, the house is yours, but you’re still our child! You should listen to your parents—”
“I’ve already said it, and I won’t repeat myself. How many times have you taken care of me? Since you haven’t fulfilled your duties as parents, you don’t have the right to exert parental authority over me now.”
“We haven’t taken care of you? Every piece of clothing on your back, every meal you’ve eaten—”
“All came from Grandpa and Grandma’s assets.” Chen Xuze interrupted. “You really think I didn’t know? The money you sent every month, they never touched it. The savings they accumulated in their youth were more than enough for me to live on for a lifetime. Even now, every penny I spend comes from what they left me. I don’t see what that has to do with you. But if you want to claim your share, I can tell you exactly which safe Grandpa locked the passbook in.”
The Chen parents were speechless. No matter what they said, Chen Xuze remained unshaken, as if he had already rehearsed this confrontation countless times.
Unable to control their son, their frustration turned outward.
Mrs. Chen, steadied by her husband, turned on Zhou Yao instead. “Are you even a girl? Do you have no shame? Don’t you care about your reputation? I’ve heard the neighbors gossiping about you! You should have the decency to keep your distance! You and Xuze were close as kids, but you’re adults now! If you had any self-respect—”
“—Who are you calling shameless?!”
A rough voice boomed from the doorway. Zhou Ma stood there holding a box of watermelon. He had come to deliver fruit for the two kids. Beside him, Mother Zhou, who hadn’t planned on coming but worried they ‘wouldn’t cook properly,’ had followed along to ‘check in out of kindness.’
And now, she had walked straight into this scene.
Before the conflict between the two women could escalate further, Chen Xuze suddenly said, “I’m dating Zhou Yao. And it’s with marriage in mind. Therefore, we know everything we do.”
Mrs. Chen and Mother Zhou both froze at his words. Mother Zhou felt slightly relieved, but she was still fuming over Mrs. Chen’s earlier insults.
Not for long though— Because in the next second, the real storm broke out.
“You and her are dating?” Mrs. Chen pointed at Zhou Yao, her breath uneven with anger, her fingers trembling. “I get it! I get it now! People always say common folk are petty, but I always thought our old neighbors were decent. I never expected there'd be someone scheming to climb up the social ladder and become a phoenix!”
Her last words were sharp, landing heavily. “What makes you think you’re worthy of Xuze?”
Zhou Yao remained calm, her expression unchanged. In this situation, she and Chen Xuze displayed the same level of composure.
“What makes me worthy?” She smiled. “Everything.”
Mrs. Chen jabbed a finger at her. “Shameless!”
“And who are you calling shameless?” Unable to hold back, Mother Zhou stormed forward, grabbed Mrs. Chen's hair, and yanked. “Say that again! Who are you calling shameless?”
Mrs. Chen's head snapped backward. Mr. Chen moved to pull them apart, but Zhou Ma dropped the box of watermelons on the ground and shoved him hard in the chest. “What do you think you're doing? You want to lay hands on my wife?”
Mr. Chen didn’t get the chance to do anything—Mother Zhou was already yanking at Mrs. Chen’s hair so hard she was practically tearing it out.
Because she had always had a good relationship with Chen Xuze’s grandparents and had looked after him over the years, Mother Zhou couldn’t hit Mrs. Chen the way she had beaten up the Lin family’s second daughter-in-law in the past. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t teach her a lesson.
So she just kept pulling Mrs. Chen’s hair, shaking her back and forth, making her cry out in pain, unable to fight back.
“Who are you calling shameless? Say it again! You abandoned your own son for years—go ask Chen Xuze how many meals he’s eaten at my house, how many bowls of soup he’s had! How many times, when Old Lady Chen's eyes weren’t feeling well, was it me who sewed up his torn clothes and pants, stitch by stitch?”
“So what…? I’ll give you money, alright? I’ll pay you!”
“Pah! We common folk aren’t worthy of your noble money! Let me ask you, what part did you play in raising Chen Xuze all these years? You only gave birth to him—did you ever care for him? He’s suffered enough being your son!”
Mother Zhou’s scolding was relentless.
After a chaotic scuffle, the two families finally separated—Chen’s parents on one side, Zhou’s parents on the other, while Chen Xuze and Zhou Yao stood in the middle, surrounded by the mess of clothes.
Mrs. Chen, now crying from pain, pointed at Zhou’s parents and said to Chen Xuze, “Look at them! Look at how they behave! Do you really want to be tangled up with people like this for the rest of your life? Your father and I worked so hard to leave this lowly life behind! We let you live with your grandparents because you preferred it, but we will never allow this!”
Mother Zhou spat at her.
Then she raised her voice. “That cripple over there better not even dream of stepping into my house—!”
“Who are you calling a cripple?”
A deep, bone-chilling voice cut through the air, and the room instantly grew colder. Everyone turned toward the source of the voice—Chen Xuze’s face was like ice.
Mrs. Chen still wouldn’t stop. “Whoever’s crippled knows it themselves! That lame girl from the Zhou family dares to think she’s good enough for you? No! I won’t allow it! She’s not worthy!”
“Who are you calling crippled? Say it again!”
Mother Zhou was about to lunge at her for another round, but a voice suddenly interrupted.
“It was me who pushed Zhou Yao down the hill, and that’s how she got hurt.”
Chen Xuze’s quiet statement froze the room. Zhou Yao stood beside him, expressionless, simply watching it all unfold.
Both sets of parents stared at them in shock.
Chen Xuze repeated, “Zhou Yao was injured because I pushed her down the hill.”
He lifted his gaze to Zhou’s parents. “I owe her. I can never repay her, not in this lifetime. And because I owe her, you owe her too. The ones least qualified to insult her are you.”
Zhou Yao's fall down the hill had always been explained as an accident—no one had ever known the truth behind it.
The Chen couple didn’t fully grasp what he was implying and still tried to fight back. Mrs. Chen said, “Then… then pay her! Or find her a good job! We can take care of her for half her life! Why must it be your marriage? No—”
Before she could finish, a loud slap echoed through the room. Mother Zhou had struck Chen Xuze across the face.
“What did you say…?” Her eyes were red, tears falling uncontrollably. “My Yaoyao’s leg—was hurt because you pushed her down the hill?”
Zhou Yao wanted to speak, but Chen Xuze raised a hand, stopping her. He said, “Yes.”
“My Yaoyao became a cripple because of you?”
“Yes.”
“My Yaoyao hasn’t been able to run or jump for years, her foot aches every time it rains…”
“Yes.”
“My Yaoyao has never once blamed you, has always thought of you first… And the one who hurt her was you?”
Chen Xuze lowered his head. “Yes. I’m sorry, Auntie, I—”
Before he could finish, Mother Zhou suddenly turned, grabbed Zhou Yao’s shoulders, and fell to her knees in front of her with a heavy thud. “Mom!” Zhou Yao gasped in shock.
“Yaoyao, come home with me. Let’s not suffer through this anymore, okay?’
“The past was my fault, Mom is sorry!”
“Mom only cared about your brother and neglected you. I was wrong, I'm sorry. Can you forgive me and come home with me?”
“Mom is begging you…”
She hugged Zhou Yao, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.
Zhou Ma’s eyes were red.
At this moment, she was no longer the tough, sharp-tongued Mrs. Zhou, not the energetic mahjong parlor owner, nor the woman who could hold her own in any fight.
At this moment, she was just a mother who loved her child.
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