Blood is thicker than water

  Dusk is approaching, and the black crown slowly departs from the alley entrance.

  Tang Yurou's face was pale and her eyebrows were furrowed, with a hint of sadness hidden in her eyes. After an entire afternoon of ardent persuasion, all she got from Mo Shaokun was: "Let me think about it."

  She could hear from his tone that it was just a perfunctory remark, but she didn't blame Mo Shao Kun because she knew this matter was indeed too sudden, and anyone else would probably also be unable to accept it for the time being.

  "Qin Qin, do you think that child of Shao Kun will be willing to return to the Tang family?" Tang Yu Ru couldn't help but turn her head and ask her daughter beside her.

  Qin Xuan sighed and shook his head: "I don't know, he's different from other kids."

  Tang Yurou understood her daughter's meaning, although she hadn't spent much time with Mo Shaokun, they could both clearly feel that this child was different from others of the same age.

  Having no parents by his side since childhood, relying on an elderly woman for survival, these experiences and living environment destined him to be more mature than his peers.

  "Ah, I really didn't expect him to be in Anping all along. If we had found him earlier, he wouldn't have had to suffer so much and eat so much bitterness." Tang Yurou's eyes were red again, and she could imagine Mo Shaokun's experiences since childhood without even asking, especially the half bowl of leftover rice that lingered in her mind.

  "Mom, don't worry, I believe Shao Kun is a sensible kid. We need to give him some time to calm down and think things through."

  "I know, but we can't wait for your grandfather forever, oh..." Tang Yurou said anxiously.

  Qin Xuan's expression slightly darkened upon hearing the words, as no one could predict whether her grandfather would pull through in his current state. Her emotions at this moment were not much better than her mother's, on the contrary, having grown up under her grandfather's doting care since childhood, she more than anyone else hoped that Mo Shao Kun could fulfill her grandfather's last wish, but for the sake of taking care of her mother's emotions, she could only suppress these feelings deep down.

  "Mom, should we inform your younger brother about this matter first?"

  Tang Yuju furrowed her brow and thought for a moment, finally shaking her head. "Forget it, let's not tell your younger brother-in-law for now. With his personality, he'll definitely rush to Anping at the first opportunity. Today's events have already made Shao Kun somewhat hard to accept; if your younger brother-in-law comes over and adds pressure on him at this time, I'm afraid it will backfire."

  Qin Chen didn't say anything else, Mom was right, if he were to put pressure on him at this time, it might really have the opposite effect. Now it can only be seen by Mo Shaokun himself, if he can figure it out that's naturally the best, if he can't figure it out then it can only come slowly.

  In the dimly lit small house, Mo Shaokun lay on his back on the bed with his arms under his head, staring blankly and thinking about something.

  Today's events had a huge impact on him, he never thought that being reborn as a human would unexpectedly unravel the mystery of his life!

  Although he pretended to be calm in front of Tang Yu and her mother, he couldn't deceive himself.

  The more someone hasn't experienced family love, the more they yearn for it, and he is no exception!

  As he himself said, he has become accustomed to living alone. Although his face always wears a humble smile in everyday life, giving people the image of a sunny youth, only he knows that his heart has been closed all along.

  To some extent, he has always been self-abased. He always felt that his life was incomplete because he was different from others. He had no father, no mother, and no relatives. His childhood experiences forced him to learn how to disguise himself, like a hedgehog curled up in a ball, using a strong exterior to hide the fragility within.

  He has always repelled anyone from entering his world, and at the same time, he has also resisted entering anyone else's world.

  He had lived for nearly forty years, but the only people who could truly get close to him and enter his heart were Fang Daqi, Long Yufei, and Milan. If it weren't for his resistance, if it weren't for his rejection, if it weren't for his self-abasement, perhaps he and Milan would have had a result long ago.

  He took a deep breath, Mo Shaokun rubbed his somewhat numb face and slowly got up.

  He rummaged through his pocket with his hand and gave a faint smile. In high school, he hadn't learned to smoke yet, but now he suddenly had the urge to do so.

  Ma Shao Kun bought a pack of cigarettes at the small grocery store near the alley entrance, took out one and lit it up, taking a deep drag. The pungent smoke slid down his throat, irritating him to let out two light coughs.

  "Shao Kun, when did you learn how to smoke?"

  Suddenly, the familiar voice of Grandpa Sun rang out behind him, and Mo Shaokun hastily threw away the cigarette in his hand, turning around awkwardly to look at him.

  "Grandpa Sun, I...I was just casually playing around." Mo Shaokun scratched his head and explained, although he was almost forty years old in his heart, but in front of Grandpa Sun and the neighbors, he still felt like a child.

  "It's alright, go ahead and take a drag. You're eighteen now, old man that I am started when I was twelve." Sun Dàye smiled warmly, his eyes filled with kindness as he looked at Mo Shaokun.

  Before Mo Shao could speak, Old Man Sun continued, "Have you eaten?"

  "Not yet."

  "Come on, go home with me. My uncle Baoqiang brought back a lot of dishes from the store today, and I alone can't finish them all. You just make do with two mouths for now."

  Sun Dàye's son, Sun Baoqiang, opened a small restaurant near the university town. Every time there were leftovers, he would take them back home. Whenever this happened, Sun Dàye would invite Mo Shaokun to improve his diet.

  Baoqiang Uncle and Aunt usually stay in the store at night, while Sun Dajie's other children have all started their own families and careers. This empty courtyard is usually only inhabited by him alone on ordinary days.

  Mo Shaokun sat at the table, distractedly poking at his food. If it were any other time, seeing these meat dishes would have made his eyes light up, but now he just didn't have the heart for it.

  It seemed that he had noticed something unusual about him. Old Sun asked while stuffing tobacco into his pipe, "Shaokun, you seem to have something on your mind?"

  "What? What did you say?" Mo Shaokun looked up at Grandpa Sun with a confused expression, clearly not having heard what he said.

  "Have you run into some trouble?"

  Mo Shaokun's face changed slightly and he lowered his head.

  "I've been watching you grow up since you were a kid, although Old Lady Wang has passed away, but we're all your relatives in the neighborhood, if you encounter anything that can't be solved, don't hide it from me." Sun Grandpa lit his pipe and puffed out a few mouthfuls of smoke, saying slowly.

  Mo Shaokun bit his lip and took a deep breath before looking up at Grandpa Sun, seemingly wanting to say something but unsure of how to start.

  "Is it because of those two big bosses who came this noon?" asked Old Man Sun, actually he had no idea what the two women did, but in the eyes of these ordinary people, as long as they were rich and called out loudly, they would always be referred to as "big bosses".

  Mo Shaokun nodded slightly.

  "Those two big bosses came at noon and just left a moment ago, I knew there must be something going on. Don't be afraid, tell Grandpa about it, no matter what kind of trouble you've gotten into, we're here for you." Old Sun's face turned serious as he tapped the table with his pipe.

  Mo Shaokun's heart felt warm, and for a moment his mind seemed to clear up a lot. What is kinship? Isn't the way Grandpa Sun and the others care about him also kinship? Although they are not his relatives, they have been caring about him for so many years, what's the difference with real relatives?

  At once, Mo Shaokun no longer hesitated and told Grandfather Sun everything that had happened from start to finish.

  Grandfather Sun remained silent until he had heard everything, then he slightly furrowed his brow and looked at Mo Shaokun saying: "Shaokun, what do you really think in your heart?"

  "I...I don't know."

  "Foolish child, listening to you say that, at the beginning your mom left the Tang family was not the fault of the Tang family. The Tang family has been searching for your mom all these years, and your dad has been keeping an empty house for over ten years just for your mom. It can be said that the Tang family is already a family that values relationships and righteousness."

  After taking two puffs of smoke, Old Man Sun continued: "Your grandfather is now seriously ill in the hospital. Don't say that the Tang family hasn't wronged your mother, even if they really have wronged her, at this time you should go back and take a look. The most important thing in being human is to be guiltless, no matter what others do or say, as long as you've done what you should do, that's enough."

  Mo Shaokun's mind was filled with a loud and clear sound, and Grandpa Sun's words undoubtedly untied the knot in his heart.

  Perhaps as Qin Xuan said, he was too selfish.

  The Tang family is not wrong, the mother is not wrong, what's wrong is the era. If because he refused to go back and see Mr. Tang for the last time, letting the old man pass away with regret, isn't that a bit too cruel?

  "Go, go back and see your grandfather. As the saying goes, 'blood is thicker than water.' Even if you don't want to return to the Tang family, it's still right for you to go back and see the old man who is seriously ill. In this short life of just a few decades, don't wait until you've missed the chance to regret."

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