Chapter 133: Putting an End to Things
The day before, Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang had already arrived in Jiang City and checked into a small guesthouse far from the Mu Lantu family home.
Mu Lantu hadn’t wanted Xu Huazhang to come along. The weather was unbearably hot, and train rides were no fun at all—no air conditioning, no fans, and even with a sleeper ticket, it was uncomfortable.
But Xu Huazhang refused. He didn’t want to be separated from Mu Lantu for too long. Since Mu Lantu was traveling far from home, he felt uneasy letting him go alone, so he chose to come with him.
After a night’s rest, Mu Lantu first visited his maternal grandparents and uncle. He ate breakfast and lunch at his uncle’s house, then took Xu Huazhang around Jiang City’s sights worth seeing, snapping a few photos along the way.
The next day, he went to the Mu family alone.
He had no intention of introducing Xu Huazhang to his parents. Mu Aijun was nothing like Mu Zhenguo from his previous life—Mu Aijun was completely unworthy of being called a father, and Sun Yuhe’s status was even worse. His relationship with Xu Huazhang didn’t need their acknowledgment.
Xu Huazhang, too, had no obsession with meeting the family. Human relationships were a matter of fate. Clearly, in this lifetime, neither he nor his baby had much fate with their respective parents. Since that was the case, there was no need to force things.
On the surface, Mu Lantu was just a student living on school stipends, with no other income.
When he went to the Mu family, he didn’t bring large bags of gifts like he did for his maternal grandparents.
For Mu Aijun, he brought a pack of cigarettes; for Sun Yuhe, a silk scarf; for Mu Hongtu and Mu Lanlan, two new schoolbags. In addition, he carried one jin of mung bean cake and one jin of milk candies.
This wasn’t a shabby offering. Cigarettes required ration tickets, and so did pastries; they weren’t easy to buy. Milk candies, schoolbags, and silk scarves were all expensive as well.
He also had two jin of fruit candies prepared for the neighbors in the family compound, pre-packed into small bags to give to the households closest to them.
He didn’t bother preparing anything for Mu Hongbing, Mu Honghong, or Mu Xiuxiu. Whether they were at home or not didn’t matter—he wouldn’t have prepared anything anyway.
They were already in their twenties, and he was just a student. No one could fault him for not bringing them gifts.
Not wanting to sit through awkward conversations, Mu Lantu timed his visit carefully, arriving at eleven o’clock.
At that hour, workers and students hadn’t yet come home, so the family compound was quiet. Mostly, it was elderly men and women minding children, sitting in doorways to catch a breeze, all of them sneaking glances toward the compound gate.
Near noon, a tall and slender figure walked in at an unhurried pace. The young man wore a crisp white shirt, gray slacks, and white canvas shoes. His features were handsome as jade, his eyes bright as morning stars—like a noble son who had wandered into the wrong neighborhood.
The neighbors stared. His face was familiar, but none dared to believe he was the same skinny little boy from the Mu Lantu family all those years ago!
Mu Lantu also saw them. A bright, joyful smile spread across his handsome face, and he greeted them warmly.
“Grandma Li, Grandpa Jiang, Grandma Chen… It’s been so long! How’s your health? Oh, is this your granddaughter? So chubby and cute! And this is your grandson? Looks so clever!”
Everyone finally snapped out of it, realizing he really was the Mu family’s Lantu. They eagerly surrounded him with cheerful words.
“Our bright scholar is back! It’s good you’ve come home!”
“I even held you when you were little! I knew back then you’d amount to something, and look—it came true!”
“As soon as they announced the reinstatement of college entrance exams, I knew you’d make it into university!”
“I still remember once you were so hungry you just squatted on the ground for half the day. Such a tiny, pitiful thing—my wife had to run home and bring you half a steamed bun. And now look at you, all grown up, a success!”
“….”
Hearing the commotion, Mu Aijun and Sun Yuhe hurried outside. They happened to catch some of the neighbors’ words. Who knew what they thought inside, but they quickly strode over.
Mu Aijun scolded lightly, “Lantu, you child, in this heat you’ll wear out your grandparents and elders. Let’s go home first. You can chat with them later when it’s cooler.”
Mu Lantu nodded with a smile. “If you don’t mind me bothering you, I’ll come visit you this afternoon.”
The old men and women, feeling proud to be treated with such respect, quickly agreed.
Mu Lantu followed Mu Aijun and Sun Yuhe home.
“Aijun, hurry, help him with his bag. He’s been on the train all day, it must’ve been exhausting.”
Prompted by Sun Yuhe, Mu Aijun finally reached for the bag in Mu Lantu’s hand.
But Mu Lantu sidestepped lightly. “It’s fine, it’s just a few steps.”
At the doorway, he saw Mu Hongtu and Mu Lanlan were at home.
Clearly, they had taken leave from school—no doubt at Sun Yuhe’s urging.
Mu Lanlan was sixteen now, already a young lady. Mu Hongtu, at thirteen, was turning into a proper boy. Both were clean and neatly dressed. Their eyes on Mu Lantu carried strangeness, curiosity, and even admiration.
“Brother.”
The two called out together, looking obedient and well-mannered.
“Lanlan, Hongtu—you’ve both grown up.”
Mu Lantu felt no hostility toward these two. Back then, influenced by Sun Yuhe, their treatment of his younger self wasn’t kind. But they were just children then. He didn’t hold grudges. Still, they weren’t close either. He had been gone so many years, and they’d never once reached out—whatever the reason, feelings naturally faded.
He opened his bag, took out the gifts, and distributed them.
Mu Aijun secretly breathed a huge sigh of relief.
When Mu Lantu had been sent down to the countryside, he’d assumed the boy would never return to the city and could never be relied on for old-age support. With or without him, it made no difference. That was why he never once wrote or sent supplies—an investment with no return.
All these years, he worried that Lantu would hold resentment. Seeing his calm attitude today, he realized perhaps not. The weight lifted off his chest at last.
Sun Yuhe was pleased too. She knew well that Lantu was just a poor student. Even these modest gifts must have cost him great effort.
Mu Lanlan hugged her new powder-blue schoolbag, eyes shining with delight. She’d never seen one like this before—clearly a high-end item, likely only sold at overseas Chinese stores. She couldn’t wait to carry it to school the next day.
Mu Hongtu examined his black schoolbag from every angle, obviously just as pleased. He even tried it on his back.
“You men chat, I’ll go cook.”
Sun Yuhe went to the kitchen, while Mu Aijun asked about Lantu’s past few years with a face full of concern, as though he cared deeply.
Mu Lantu answered lightly, first asking about their health, then about Mu Hongbing and the others.
Mu Aijun glanced toward the kitchen.
“Hongbing found a girlfriend not long after joining the factory, married the same year. Her father’s the deputy director at the glass factory. They stayed here for two months before moving into a factory-allocated apartment. They only come back to visit your Aunt Sun once a month.”
The implications were clear enough.
Mu Lantu thought idly: Did they regret their choices? Probably not. Not that it mattered.
“Last year, when the exams were reinstated, both Hongbing and his wife tried but failed. Your sister Xiuxiu married in the countryside. Luckily, she has no children yet, but her husband’s family tried to stop her from even sitting the exam! Later, with help from the educated youth office, she managed to register, but still didn’t pass. That child’s future is likely set… As her elder brother, if you can lend her a hand, do so.”
Mu Lantu only listened, nothing more.
“As for Honghong, she didn’t pass either. She—”
He cut him off, asking instead about Lanlan and Hongtu’s studies.
“They’re both doing well!” Mu Aijun said proudly. “I don’t expect them to be like you and get into the Imperial Capital University. But even if they test into a lesser school, with your help, they’ll be fine! In the future, I’ll just wait to enjoy the blessings from you all, hahaha…”
Mu Lantu almost laughed out loud. What gave him that confidence—that he’d let him enjoy anything? His words from before, Mu Aijun had never taken seriously.
Not wanting to engage further, he turned to Lanlan and Hongtu instead. He truly hoped they would succeed, so that Mu Aijun and Sun Yuhe would rely on them for support in old age and keep their distance from him.
“You two study hard. If either of you gets into university, I’ll reward you with 200 yuan.”
Their eyes lit up, and their affection for him soared.
“Really, Brother?”
“Really.”
From the kitchen, Sun Yuhe had been eavesdropping the whole time—otherwise she wouldn’t feel at ease. She noticed well enough Mu Aijun’s indifference toward Hongbing and Honghong. She herself had given up on them too, so his attitude didn’t surprise her.
What mattered to her was how Lantu treated Hongtu and Lanlan. She didn’t care about his feelings toward herself, toward Hongbing, Honghong, or even Mu Aijun. All she wanted was for him to support Hongtu and Lanlan.
Hearing his promise, she let out a long, relieved breath.
But Mu Aijun asked suspiciously, “Where would you get that much money?”
Lanlan and Hongtu both looked nervously at Lantu.
Mu Lantu only smiled faintly. “I don’t have it now, but a few years from now, you think I still won’t?”
The three of them relaxed, smiling. Of course—he was a top student at Imperial Capital University. How could he not earn money in the future? In their eyes, that school was something extraordinary.
For lunch, Sun Yuhe had put in real effort: eight dishes—braised pork, braised fish, stir-fried pork with peppers, tomato and egg, hot-and-sour shredded potatoes, fried peanuts, chilled soybeans, and cucumber salad, with white rice as the staple.
Lanlan and Hongtu ate without even lifting their heads.
Mu Lantu drank one cup of liquor with Mu Aijun, then excused himself, saying he was too tired from the trip to drink more.
Mu Aijun didn’t press. Meals like this were rare at home—better to eat more dishes than waste the chance on drink.
After the meal, Mu Lantu said he was going to visit the neighbors.
That was only proper.
On this point, Mu Aijun and Sun Yuhe understood.
Knowing he had brought fruit candies for the neighbors, they dug out two jin of sunflower seeds, divided them into bags, and told him to bring those along too.
