Chapter 146 A Mother's Hard Work

Their son is older now, and dating costs money. The couple shouldn't say anything. But with their son's brain, he got scammed and even thanked them! How can they not worry?

Sometimes Liu Fenlan wondered if her husband had dragged down her intelligence. If only he had inherited her good looks, he wouldn't be this stupid.

When she first graduated, her husband wanted to send their child to Kyoto to be cared for by her two aunts. She disagreed; wouldn't that just be adding trouble for them? Although she came from a poor background, and her family was dirt poor, it didn't mean she should lack ambition! Now, the couple owns a supermarket in their small county town and lives in a large three-bedroom apartment! They don't even have a mortgage! This kind of life is all thanks to her hard work and planning! It's certainly not the best of the best, but it's more than enough compared to those in poverty!

She originally planned that after her son graduated from university and got a good job, she would stop running the supermarket once she had a grandson. She and Lao Kong would rent out the storefront and collect their pensions. Life couldn't be more comfortable!

But the prerequisite for all of this to come true is that her mentally challenged son doesn't hold her back.

These days, he no longer expects his son to achieve great things in his career. Well, retirement might not be an option for now. As for her expectations of her son... well, just knowing to run home on rainy days is enough.

"The New Year is just around the corner, so please send those two big bags of New Year's goods that I packed away. The red bag is for my eldest sister, and the blue bag is for my second sister. Don't forget any!"

Kong Chenglong lifted the two huge packages and muttered a complaint: "Those two are so rich, what can't they eat, bird's nest or shark fin? I'm the only one who cares about your little bit of cured chicken, cured fish, and cured meat."

Liu Fenlan knew her husband had relapsed, and calmly said, "They don't need our money, but it's still our way of showing our appreciation. You know, our..."

Seeing that his wife was about to grumble about those old stories again, Kong Chenglong quickly begged for mercy, "Stop! Don't say anymore. I was wrong, okay?"

Seeing that he admitted his mistake, Liu Fenlan nodded in satisfaction, her attitude changing 180 degrees: "Honey, I know you love my cured meat, but it's fine to eat it occasionally, but it's not very healthy to eat it all the time. I'm doing this for your health. Our son isn't home now, so let's not cook dinner tonight, let's go out to eat! And have a drink while we're at it!"

After so many years of marriage, Kong Chenglong's brainstem had long been smoothed out by his wife, leaving not a single wrinkle. He instantly forgot his complaints, cheerfully loaded the two packages onto the tricycle, and took them to be mailed.

Seeing his silly grinning figure as he left, Liu Fenlan snorted, "You ungrateful old man!" She knew all too well how her in-laws were when she first married into the family. If it weren't for her family's financial situation, Kong Chenglong would never have been chosen.

The in-laws weren't exactly kind to their two daughters. In their younger years, they were all smiles and kindness, but that was only to extract money from them. Later, when they were near death, they stopped pretending altogether, desperately trying to use their daughters' assets to subsidize their own son.

She had already married into the family by then, but luckily she was quick-witted and managed to prevent things from getting too tense between the three siblings. Just look at all the benefits she's gained over the years!

The couple's insurance was a solution devised by her second sister; her son almost had to be assigned to a different major in university, and it was her second aunt who pulled some strings! The way she opened her supermarket was also thanks to her second sister's advice and her eldest sister's start-up capital. In the early years, when things were just starting to get better, Kong Chenglong showed signs of going astray—not to prostitutes, of course! But the more horrible thing was gambling! It was her second sister who arranged for someone to stage a scene, saying they were going to chop off one of his hands, and that's when he finally behaved!

If that damned man dares to be ungrateful and start talking like his parents, offending his two sisters-in-law, she'll be the first to object!

Sending her son to Shishi in Kyoto was a well-considered decision. She and Lao Kong would grow old eventually, and her family back home were all exploitative. It would be good enough if they didn't become a burden. With Shishi, it didn't matter how much money they earned; her son wasn't particularly bright, but he was kind and helpful. As long as the three siblings got along well, her son wouldn't be completely lost if her parents ever met their demise.

Looking at the 15 yuan transferred to her phone, Liu Fenlan felt somewhat relieved. At least this silly boy was somewhat obedient. Otherwise, he really would be hopeless!

Everything was going well for her, but for Zhang Jie, who was also a mother, things were completely different.

She had the second day off and wanted to visit her son. Shi Shi even gave her an extra day off. Two days would allow her to spend more time with her child.

Unlike his usual cheerful demeanor, her son was unexpectedly quiet today. She didn't want to ask too many questions at school, fearing he might say something inappropriate and offend the teacher. So she took him out to eat hamburgers at [a fast-food chain].

To her surprise, her son's mood didn't improve much even after eating the hamburger.

"What's wrong, little ginseng? When Mom came to see you last time, didn't you say you wanted to eat a hamburger? Why don't you want it now?"

Fortunately for Little Ginseng, his illness did not result in facial deformities, which made his innocent eyes still somewhat endearing. However, developmental delays and intellectual disabilities were unavoidable.

The little ginseng, who was already taller than Zhang Jie, still sweetly called out "Mommy."

"Mom, my new friend is missing."

Zhang Jie inserted a straw into her son's Coke and gently handed it to him: "Where did it go? Did he drop out of school and go home?"

The little ginseng blankly gestured as if falling from a height: "The teacher said Coco went to heaven. But Coco turned into pieces, will she still be whole when she goes to heaven?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jie covered her mouth in astonishment.

Zhang Jie told the little ginseng to sit there and eat properly, then took her phone and went outside the transparent glass door, watching him while calling her teacher.

After the call was connected, Zhang Jie asked the teacher a few questions.

Teacher Zhang on the other end of the phone sounded a bit downcast: "Coco is a child with depression. It's our fault for not supervising him properly. I'm so sorry, Ginseng Mom. Little Ginseng witnessed something unpleasant. However, we have already tried to talk to him. He doesn't quite understand the true meaning of death."

After learning what had happened, Zhang Jie felt a heavy weight in her heart. As a young girl, she had always thought of herself as a very strong person. But after becoming a mother, her heart had softened considerably, to the point that she couldn't bear to hear about such things.

Back at Shi Shi's house, she seemed somewhat distracted. Seeing this, Shi Shi asked her what had happened. After learning what had happened, Shi Shi couldn't help but sigh.

Back in her office, Shi Shi researched the global community of people with depression. She discovered that this group was far larger than she had imagined.

Suddenly, a song popped into my head.