Chapter 23: The Child Who Isn’t Their Own

Chapter 23: A Child Not of Their Own Blood

The morning passed quickly. The teachers were uniformly strict during class, as the final exams were approaching, and they always wanted everyone to learn a bit more and memorize a bit more.

Cheng Miao estimated the time—today was Tuesday, the final exams were on Saturday, and after that came winter break. His grandfather's birthday fell on the twentieth day of the first lunar month.

There was still a month to go, but he couldn't be sure it would happen right around then. Once winter break started, he'd have to find a way to keep an eye on Lin Jinrui.

Cheng Miao's deskmate noticed his gloomy expression and asked curiously, "Cheng Miao, are you worried about the exams?"

"Yeah." Cheng Miao replied offhandedly.

"Your grades are definitely good enough to pass. Aren't you the type who's always been happy with a passing sixty?"

Cheng Miao didn't expect his younger self to be so lazy. He tightened his grip on his pen, determined to turn over a new leaf and blow everyone away—only to trip up on the very first question.

It was a math problem:

Xiao Ming went to buy a schoolbag. Because the salesperson accidentally left off a zero, Xiao Ming paid 63 yuan less than he should have. What was the price of the schoolbag?

Cheng Miao was stumped. Was this really third-grade level?

He stared at it for ages but still had no clue. He put his pen down for good—forget it, he'd rather figure out how to get closer to Lin Jinrui.

When they lined up to head home, Cheng Miao dragged Lu Yu along and made sure to stand next to Lin Jinrui. The winding line filed out of the school gate, slowly thinning out until just a few stragglers were left.

Cheng Miao stood in the middle, Lu Yu on his left and Lin Jinrui on his right.

Neither of them said much. Lu Yu was never much of a talker, and Lin Jinrui was too shy to break the silence.

Cheng Miao figured school was fine, but he'd still need to keep tabs on Lin Jinrui during the break, so he decided to speak up and ask, "Lin Jinrui, do you have any plans for winter break?"

Lin Jinrui was caught off guard. "Oh! I'll just be at home—doing chores and homework."

Cheng Miao looked at her hopefully. "Can we come to your place to do homework together?"

Lin Jinrui felt a bit awkward. Her parents were super strict, and she didn't know if she could bring anyone over. Her house was freezing too, and there was nothing to eat—she couldn't exactly host anyone. She said hesitantly, "I... I have to ask my parents first!"

Cheng Miao nodded and added, "Or you could come to my place. There's no one at my house in the morning—just me and Lu Yu."

Lin Jinrui was a little surprised. "Is Lu Yu at your house too?"

Cheng Miao nodded. "It's more fun when we're all together. You should come too!"

Lin Jinrui's eyes dropped, and she looked dejected. "I have to clean the house and cook in the morning. I probably won't have time."

Cheng Miao knew Lin Jinrui's life probably wasn't easy, but he hadn't expected all those chores to fall on a little kid. "Don't your parents do any housework?"

Lin Jinrui slowly shook her head. "Mom's getting ready to have a baby brother—she's taking medicine to rest up. Dad says men don't do chores."

Cheng Miao rolled his eyes. "That's bull. My dad does chores, and I will too when I grow up. Lu Yu does them too. Guys can eat, so why can't they do chores? It's not like they're missing a limb."

Lu Yu glanced at him and, for once, actually spoke. "Your mom is pregnant?"

Lin Jinrui tensed up the second Lu Yu spoke. She quickly said, "No, not yet. She's taking medicine—once she takes it, she can have a baby."

"They already have you. Why do they want another one?" Lu Yu asked, sounding casual.

Lin Jinrui didn't answer. She kept her head down, pausing for a good ten seconds before speaking in a low, raspy voice. "Actually... I'm not my parents' real kid."

Aha—just as he'd figured. Cheng Miao felt a jolt inside, exchanged a look with Lu Yu, and quickly asked, "How do you know?"

"They fight a lot, and I've overheard them plenty of times. They say I'm ungrateful and useless, and that they never should've taken me in."

With that, Lin Jinrui looked up at them, her eyes glistening with hurt tears. "Honestly, I don't want to be here either. I want to go find my real parents."

Cheng Miao's heart sank. Her birth mom didn't seem like a good person either. All he could do was comfort her. "It's okay. You're still young. Study hard, and when you grow up, you can go anywhere you want."

Lin Jinrui nodded firmly, a spark of light finally coming back to her eyes. "Yeah, that's what my teacher said too. I need to study hard, get into college, and get out of here."

Before long, they reached the alley to Lin Jinrui's house. Cheng Miao quickly reminded her, "Don't forget to ask your parents if you can come over to do homework!"

Lin Jinrui's back, which had just been straight and proud, slowly sagged. "Yeah, I know," she replied weakly.

Sure enough, at dinner, the second Lin Jinrui brought it up, Lin Shun cut her off harshly. "If it weren't for the village making a fuss, I wouldn't even let you go to school. Just stay home and behave—you don't need to do any work, huh?!"

Lin Jinrui kept her head down, tears welling up on their own and dripping one by one into her porridge.

"What are you crying for? You're a jinx—bad luck." Lin Shun's anger flared even more at the sight of her tears. Today had already been rough enough.

With the New Year approaching, the factory had an out-of-town assignment in a neighboring county. The conditions were harsh and the pay was poor—no one wanted to go, so it ended up falling on him.

"Enough. If you don't want to eat, then get lost. Go brew your mother's medicine." Lin Shun kicked the table and impatiently shooed Lin Jinrui away.

Lin Jinrui curled up in her tiny room, sitting by the little stove, watching the Chinese medicine bubble away. Big tears fell from her eyes.

She figured she'd never escape this house. Maybe after elementary school she'd have to drop out, and then she'd be stuck here forever, in a place where no one liked her.

The more she thought about it, the sadder she became. She curled up, resting her head on her knees, and sobbed aloud.

Suddenly, the door was shoved open. "Still wailing in here? Is the medicine ready?" Ding Cuicui's impatient voice came through.

Lin Jinrui flinched in fright. She tried to suppress her sobs. Her mother was even fiercer than her father—she cursed viciously and hit hard. Sure enough, the next second, her arm was pinched hard. "Go pour the medicine and set it out to cool."

Lin Jinrui frantically wiped her tears and hurried to pour the medicine. In her haste, she forgot to grab a cloth to protect her hand. Her hand was scalded red, but she didn't dare let go of the bowl.

Ding Cuicui stood nearby, seemingly lost in thought. Lin Jinrui placed the medicine by the bedside and stood quietly without saying a word.

Ding Cuicui suddenly spoke. "You want to go to a classmate's house to do homework during break?"

Lin Jinrui quickly said, "No, no—I'm not going. I need to do chores."

"If you want to go, go."

"But Dad won't let me."

"Just don't tell him. He's heading out for work in a few days anyway." With that, Ding Cuicui waved her hand impatiently. "This broken house is freezing." She picked up the medicine and walked out.

Lin Jinrui was left alone, overjoyed. So she could go out during winter break after all. Maybe her mother didn't hate her that much. Lin Jinrui's heart felt warm and cozy. Best of all, she could go to Cheng Miao's house to do homework.