Chapter 60: Qingming Festival Special (Part 1)

The next morning at 8:15, Chen Chen’s mom arrived on time to drop him off at Wen Yue Yuan. She looked apologetically at Zhu Jia. “I’m sorry, did Chen Chen’s grandma cause you any trouble yesterday?”

“No,” Zhu Jia shook her head. “It wasn’t really a problem. Have you talked it over at home?”

“We’ve discussed it, and we’ll continue with the classes here. How was Chen Chen’s performance yesterday?”

Zhu Jia smiled. “He did great. He can feed himself, use the restroom, and even dress and undress by himself. The music teacher praised him yesterday. Honestly, you don’t need to worry. He’s already doing better than 19% of the kids. Our teachers will also keep you updated on his progress.”

Chen Chen’s mom’s face showed a hint of sadness. “Chen Chen has always been very well-behaved. But now, I really don’t have the time to be with him. My job doesn’t allow for long gaps, and if I wait another year or two to return to work, it will be much harder than now.”

“Chénchén’s mom, actually, you don’t need to feel conflicted or guilty. Loving your child doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be with them at home every day.”

Looking at Zhù Jiā’s sincere eyes, Chénchén’s mom couldn’t help but confide, “Actually, our family’s financial situation isn’t as good as my mother-in-law thinks. My husband has to pay the mortgage and car loan every month. As a full-time mom for the past two years, I haven’t even bought new clothes for myself. All our living expenses have gone to the child and the family.”

She lowered her eyes. “Also, I really like the major I studied in college. Now, going back to work feels so out of place. I don’t even know if I can still work as hard as I did before.”

“I believe mothers should first take care of their own lives in order to better love their children and their families. Don’t worry about Chénchén; we’ll take good care of him. Right now, focus more on yourself.”

Chénchén’s mom smiled gently, “Actually, I made this decision to return to work after a lot of thought. Thank you for your encouragement.”

Zhù Jiā took Chénchén’s hand, “Chénchén, go play with your friends and the teacher. Mom will pick you up after work, okay?”

Chénchén nodded obediently.

“Chénchén is great. The teacher will give you a sticker later,” Zhù Jiā said, patting Chénchén on the head, and then turned to Chénchén’s mom. “We’ll go upstairs now.”

Chénchén’s mom looked a bit reluctant and waved at Chénchén, “Okay, you go.”

As Zhù Jiā took Chénchén back to the classroom, she thought to herself, separation anxiety isn’t just something children experience. Sometimes, parents feel it even more.

It’s not that children can’t live without their mothers; it’s that mothers can’t live without their children.

Children’s ability to adapt is far stronger than adults realize! During the first week of school, while there were occasional tears and tantrums, the overall atmosphere at Wényuèyuán remained peaceful.

.

Tomorrow is Qingming Festival, and Wényuèyuán will have a day off. At 5:30 p.m., Zhù Jiā took little Wén home.

When they arrived, she was surprised to find that Mò Yìchén had come home early. He and Fāng Bǎirán were sitting on the living room sofa chatting.

“Little Wén, say hello to Uncle Fāng,” Zhù Jiā took off her shoes and walked into the living room.

“Uncle…” Little Wén smiled and walked over, clearly already familiar with Fāng Bǎirán.

“Good boy,” Fāng Bǎirán squatted down and patted Little Wén’s head before standing up and looking at Mò Yìchén. “I’ll head out now, see you tomorrow.”

He waved goodbye to Zhù Jiā before leaving.

“Are you going out with Fāng Bǎirán tomorrow?”

“Yes, I’ll take you and Little Wén along.”

“Little Wén and I are going too? Where to?”

“To meet an old acquaintance.” Mò Yìchén said, his expression slightly melancholic. He stood up and walked over to Zhù Jiā, “Jiā Jiā, actually there’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time, but I’ve always found it hard to bring up.”

“What’s wrong? Do you have a bunch of illegitimate children out there?” Zhù Jiā pouted, raising an eyebrow.

Mò Yìchén furrowed his brow, “Of course not.”

“Then what is it?”

Mò Yìchén hesitated, “It’s hard to explain now. I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

Zhù Jiā eyed him suspiciously, her curiosity piqued by his words.

On April 5th, Qingming Festival, the weather was overcast and drizzling. Zhù Jiā held Little Wén and followed Mò Yìchén into the car. The black sedan slowly drove to a cemetery on the outskirts of the city.

Mò Yìchén, dressed in black, carried Little Wén with his left arm and held a black umbrella with his right hand. Zhù Jiā linked her arm with his as the three of them walked through the misty drizzle.

The cemetery was busy with people paying their respects for Qingming. Zhù Jiā saw rows of tombstones, with people placing flowers, candles, and burning paper money. In the distance, she could hear the sound of firecrackers.

In the misty drizzle, the lonely cemetery seemed to have a touch of human presence.

Mò Yìchén led them up a flight of stairs, turning into a maze of tombstones at the top, eventually stopping in front of a large grave.

There was a tombstone with two names inscribed: “Mò Jǐnghéng, Gù Qiáoníng.” The man had a handsome face, and the woman had a soft, graceful appearance. Both looked like they were in their twenties, full of youthful energy. Anyone passing by would sigh, “So young, what a shame…”

Zhù Jiā looked at the tombstone with confusion and sadness in her eyes, “Who are they?”

Mò Yìchén sighed deeply, “They are Little Wén’s biological parents.”

Zhù Jiā stared in disbelief, “What did you say!? Little Wén’s biological parents?”

Little Wén, his arms around Mò Yìchén’s neck, seemed to sense something and looked toward the tombstone.

“Yes, it’s a long story. I’m not sure how to explain it to you,” Mò Yìchén paused for a moment, “Let’s start with Little Wén’s mother.”

In the quiet cemetery, listening to Mò Yìchén speak, Zhù Jiā’s brows furrowed and unfurled, feeling like everything today was a dream.

“My mother, Gù Xīn, actually had an illegitimate daughter outside, named Gù Qiáoníng. Gù Qiáoníng is my half-sister.”

This revelation left Zhù Jiā stunned. The amount of information was overwhelming! So, both of Mò Yìchén’s parents had illegitimate children during their marriage? Was it common for children of wealthy families to have illegitimate siblings?

Mò Yìchén’s mother, Gù Xīn, was a famous star in the entertainment industry. She debuted at fifteen, instantly rising to stardom with a face once dubbed the most beautiful in all of Asia and a pure, fresh aura. She was at the peak of her career as soon as she debuted.

Many wealthy young men fell at her feet, trying all kinds of ways to woo her, but she dismissed them all until she met Mò Rónghuá.

Mò Rónghuá had not only a superior family background, handsome looks, and elegant manners, but he also possessed a warmth and patience that none of the other suitors had. He would drive her to the seaside at night just to watch the sunrise because she wanted to see it. If she mentioned a cake she liked, he would buy the entire brand to make her favorite desserts. Every day he came up with new surprises for her. At just eighteen years old, Gù Xīn couldn’t resist this sweet bombardment of affection. She felt like the happiest woman in the world.

The most important thing, however, is that Mo Ronghua is already the heir to the Mo family. He doesn’t need to secure his power through a business marriage; he can marry whichever woman he likes. This is something many rich young men cannot do.

Although she came from an ordinary family and was an entertainer, the Mo family did not look down on her.

Gu Xin fell in love with Mo Ronghua without any worries. After they married, they lived a very happy life, and soon she was pregnant with Mo Yichen.

But what she didn’t expect was that the man who swore he would only love her during their marriage could not withstand loneliness and cheated on her while she was pregnant.

Gu Xin couldn’t believe it. From having a fairy-tale-like happy marriage, she quickly became a resentful woman in the wealthy family.

She started throwing things at home, arguing with Mo Ronghua, and endless quarrels only made him more distant and indifferent toward her.

After giving birth, Gu Xin suffered from severe postpartum depression. One day, she stormed out of the house and went to a small town in Europe.

Unfortunately, fate played a trick on her. There, she met another man who was even more skilled in sweet talk. Not only did he make her pregnant, but he also tricked her out of a large sum of money and then disappeared.

Gu Xin’s pregnancy was advanced, so she secretly hid it from the Mo family and gave birth to Gu Qiaoning in that small European town. However, living alone with a child in a foreign country was too difficult.

In the third year after leaving the Mo family, Gu Xin returned to Mo Ronghua’s side in defeat and secretly arranged for her daughter to be taken care of in China.

From then on, she no longer cared about Mo Ronghua’s infidelities and focused on being a good wife, carefully taking care of Mo Yichen at home and secretly raising Gu Qiaoning outside.

Gu Qiaoning had always been a very fragile and sensitive child. Since her teenage years, she needed regular visits to a psychologist.

Gu Xin had always felt guilty toward Gu Qiaoning. Eight years ago, when Gu Xin was seriously ill and knew she didn’t have much time left, she quietly told Mo Yichen about these past events.

The one thing she couldn’t let go of in this life was her daughter. She made Mo Yichen promise to take care of his sister in the future.

At that time, Mo Yichen was just twenty. He coldly looked at his younger sister, who was two years younger than him.

Gu Qiaoning lowered her head, looking shy, and after Gu Xin passed away, she even had to rely on antidepressants to live.

Mo Yichen found her to be very troublesome, and he didn’t want to deal with her, so he entrusted her care to his good friend Mo Jingheng.

“Wait, is Mo Jingheng from your Mo family too? Why does he also have the surname Mo?”

“The Mo family allocates funds for charity every year, and part of it is dedicated to supporting orphans. Mo Jingheng grew up with the Mo family’s support. He, Fang Boran, and I are the same age. We have been friends since childhood.”

“Jingheng really is a good person.” At this time, Fang Boran, dressed in a black suit, arrived with a bunch of white flowers in his hand and a faint expression of sorrow on his face.

“Jingheng never had parents or family, but he was always optimistic and did well in school. He has always aspired to be a police officer, and he was admitted to the police academy when he was eighteen.”

Zhu Jia looked at the black-and-white photo on the tombstone. She could imagine how the young man, with his sharp features and upright demeanor, looked wearing a uniform—so full of vigor and righteousness.