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Chapter 72: Xu Ke’s Story

Jiang Chaoyun walked straight to Class 4 and said to Lu Li, who was surrounded by his classmates’ flattery and congratulations:

“Lu Li, could I have a word with you?”

Because Jiang Chaoyun wore a police uniform, the students automatically opened a path for Lu Li.

Lu Li nodded and followed Jiang Chaoyun to a corner.

When no one was around, Jiang Chaoyun got straight to the point and said, “Lu Li, the police need your help.”

Lu Li paused, then suddenly laughed and weighed the trophy in his hand. “Officer Jiang, the police are really generous, paying first and asking for the favor afterward.”

A trace of guilt crossed Jiang Chaoyun’s handsome face, and she said solemnly, “Lu Li, I know you are upset, and I don’t think what they did was right. Whether you help or not is up to you; we won’t force you.”

Lu Li smiled. “Officer Jiang, just tell me what you need. Shi Chen put aside his pride and apologized in person, and the government gave me such a generous reward; how could I still hold a grudge? If it’s not difficult, I’ll certainly help.”

“It won’t be difficult,” Jiang Chaoyun breathed a sigh of relief, afraid Lu Li might be petty. “We just want you to cook a pot of red-braised pork.”

“Cook red-braised pork?” Lu Li thought he had misheard and almost scratched his ear.

Jiang Chaoyun let out an awkward laugh; she also found the request absurd.

She took a deep breath and explained how the red-braised pork had calmed Xu Ke’s bipolar disorder.

Lu Li propped his chin and gently bit his lip. “That masked guy… after eating my red-braised pork, Xu Ke’s mood did calm down, but why would a single dish fix everything?”

Jiang Chaoyun sighed softly. “It’s a long story, and it all goes back to Xu Ke’s mother…”

It turned out that Xu Ke was born into a single-parent family and was raised solely by his mother.

Xu Ke’s mother was an ordinary woman with no special skills; her only income came from odd jobs and collecting scrap.

She aged quickly; before she was 40, her hands were as dry and yellow as dead branches, and half of her hair was frosted white.

Xu Ke was timid and was often bullied at school; many times he asked to quit and work to help at home, but each time his mother disciplined him harshly.

His mother said that getting into college was the only way he could repay her.

The mother and son depended on each other; life was hard, but occasionally they could afford a meal of red-braised pork.

Xu Ke loved red-braised pork the most, and whenever he was bullied and upset, he never told his mother.

Yet his mother could tell from his torn, blood-stained clothes and would cook red-braised pork to comfort him.

Mother and son sometimes quarreled fiercely, but once she made red-braised pork they easily returned to their original affection.

Red-braised pork was his mother’s silent comfort and Xu Ke’s wordless filial piety.

Xu Ke did manage to succeed; after years of hard study he was finally admitted to a middling university.

In his freshman year Xu Ke started dating an ordinary-looking girl whose front teeth were crooked and whose face was dotted with freckles.

She was his fellow townsman and high-school classmate, and they had liked each other for years.

In fact, that big quarrel with his mother had been because of this girlfriend.

At first Xu Ke did not like her, and even after graduating from high school he still had not agreed to date her.

It was her forceful personality that kept pestering him and insisting on applying to the same university; with such a dominant girlfriend around he was bullied far less, so he gradually warmed to her.

His mother had quarreled with him because she mistakenly believed he was dating too early and that the girl was hurting his studies.

In fact she studied better than he did and had chosen the same school after seeing his application.

Xu Ke and his girlfriend planned to marry after graduation with his mother as witness.

When the girlfriend formally met his mother, the mother kept a stern face throughout.

The girlfriend worried that Xu Ke’s mother would disapprove, but Xu Ke laughed and said there was red-braised pork on the table.

She did not understand, and Xu Ke did not tell her; he only chuckled.

Just when life was starting to improve, Xu Ke’s mother was suddenly diagnosed with uremia.

The news struck Xu Ke like a bolt from the blue.

It is well known that uremia is one of the most expensive illnesses to treat.

The family had already spent all their savings to put Xu Ke through school.

His mother was the one person Xu Ke could not give up, and upon hearing the diagnosis he wanted to drop out and work to pay for her treatment.

His girlfriend told him to go ahead; once she graduated she would also earn money to help, and they would still marry as agreed.

His mother firmly refused to let Xu Ke quit school and argued with him constantly.

Xu Ke insisted that this was fate, and that he ought to repay his mother just as she had raised him.

Xu Ke’s mother was stubborn, but Xu Ke was even more so, and they had a huge fight.

In the end, after Xu Ke personally cooked red-braised pork for her, mother and son reached an agreement.

Xu Ke did not withdraw but took a leave of absence, promising to return to school in 3 years whether her illness was cured or not.

Food delivery, courier work, collecting trash, screwing parts together…

Xu Ke tried every job that could earn money.

Though only in his early 20s and still somewhat baby-faced, his skin soon turned sallow, his lips cracked, and his expression grew haggard.

Xu Ke stayed optimistic; he felt lucky that, unlike many others, he had the chance to repay his mother’s kindness.

Hard work eventually paid off; after 3 years of toil he had barely managed to cover the medical bills.

After graduating with an accounting degree, his girlfriend joined a private company as she had hoped.

She did not abandon Xu Ke; after keeping only her living expenses, she sent the rest of her salary to him each month.

At last the finances eased; with enough money his mother’s condition gradually improved.

Xu Ke finally breathed a sigh of relief and returned to campus.

His girlfriend worked just as hard; her monthly wage rose from 3,000 to 12,000 in less than half a year, and she told Xu Ke happily that her boss appreciated her and her pay would only keep climbing.

Though exhausted by work, she always treated Xu Ke to meals whenever she was free and chatted about their future.

Thanks to her, Xu Ke tasted Japanese and Western food he had never tried before.

Yet suspicion lingered in his heart; he felt she earned money a little too easily.

He was no naïve student; society had already beaten him down, and he knew an ordinary graduate could not possibly earn that much.

He suspected his girlfriend had betrayed him.

She was strong-willed and somewhat careless, but when it came to someone she loved she was keenly perceptive.

Sensing Xu Ke’s doubts, she grabbed his ear, her whole body shaking with anger.

She told Xu Ke that a girl as ugly as she was would never attract the boss; if he dared suspect her again, they would break up.

Xu Ke knew she was right; she did look plain, even unattractive.

In contrast, Xu Ke was handsome; in his freshman year he received many love letters, and without his mother’s illness he would have had even more admirers.

He had always thought that being with him was her good fortune, and she had often whispered the same.

Xu Ke liked her very, very much and was willing to trust her.

All he wanted was for his mother to fully recover, then graduate and marry his girlfriend and have two adorable children.

She said the children had to look like Xu Ke; she feared that if they looked like her she would not love them.

Until one day…

He received a call from the police telling him to visit his girlfriend in prison.

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