They had burnt their red braised pork belly, so the family of three only had two vegetarian dishes for dinner.
President Kang stared at the carrots and bok choy without any appetite.
However, it was the complete opposite for the little couple. Not only did they enjoy the meal, but they also took him on a walk after dinner.
Right as they went down the building, some middle-aged women warmly greeted them——
“You’re that amazing mother who broke the human trafficker’s nose with one punch, right?”
“It must be her. She was also wearing this on TV.”
“I knew she’s from our neighborhood. She’s so pretty, I can tell her apart from miles away.”
Oooh, we got on the news. President Kang thought.
Yue Qin had a face full of confusion, turning to his wife, “What human trafficker?”
President Kang: “...” Your point of focus seems off, shouldn’t it be on how she broke someone’s nose with one punch?
“Some mentally insane person wanted to kidnap our son, so I had to smash him with a brick. It’s nothing to worry about.”
Brick? President Kang thought in his mind. This woman sure is hiding something, not even daring to say it was her with her fist.
Yue Qin was worried. “How did this get on the news? What if the human trafficker pretended to be mentally ill? What will you do if the others come to strike back now that everyone knows how you two look?” He didn’t have much time to stay by his wife and son’s side.
“It’s okay,“ Xia Sheng assured. “They blurred my face, other people shouldn’t be able to tell.”
“Plus, it’s only a local news channel. Not a lot of people will see this.”
A frail-looking young mother taking out a human trafficker taller and stockier than her was good news content. Xia Sheng accepted the interview as it came with a one-thousand Yuan payment.
However, few people would see minor news like this.
As Xia Sheng just finished speaking, Yue Qin’s phone rang——
He picked it up.
“Mom?”
“The child is fine.”
“Shengsheng is also fine. I just learned of this, too. I’ll send you the video once I get back.”
Another call immediately followed as he ended this one.
“You guys saw the news? Yes, it’s Shengsheng. She’s fine.”
”Thanks for your care. She left her phone at home.”
It turned out that the news was airing right now.
Xia Sheng continued as Yue Qin ended the call. “It’s okay. They only recognize me because we’re familiar with each other. Strangers wouldn’t be able to tell that the person was me with a blurred face.”
Meanwhile, a random woman was also walking in the neighbourhood with her daughter. When they passed by the family of three, she couldn’t help but ask, “You’re that mother who broke the human trafficker’s nose on TV, right?”
President Kang couldn’t help but make an audible laugh. The embarrassment came way too quickly.
Xia Sheng was speechless. It’s just in a small local news catalogue, does everyone watch it?
They did!
When they returned home, Xia Sheng saw a dozen unanswered calls on her phone: One from her mother, from her sisters-in-law, her former classmates, colleagues, and friends. They were all asking whether she was okay, and the situation of the human trafficker.
Xia Sheng replied to the calls one by one. Sitting to the side, Yue Qin hesitated before speaking, “Your mother messaged me, asking for your phone number. She probably saw the news, worried about you getting hurt.”
Xia Sheng instantly scoffed from anger. “You don’t have to reply. She knows that I’m fine. I’ll ask her for help whenever I’m about to get beaten to death. I didn’t say anything this time, so she knows I’m definitely fine.”
It wasn’t Yue Qin’s first time hearing his beloved one’s past of abuse. His heart would ache in pain every time.
It was hard for him to imagine a cute, five-year-old little girl being subject to this. Every time she’d asked her mother for help, she would criticize her on how she was too weak and small. She had never helped her once. It was unimaginable how tough such childhood was.
“I won’t reply to her.” Yue Qin didn’t want to make any excuses to his mother-in-law. “You still have me and our son.”
President Kang quietly listened at the side, but his emotions slowly spiralled out of control!
This woman was bullied? How does she get abused with this look?
The next day, when Xia Sheng woke up, Yue Qin was still at home.
“I’ll take you guys to school and back during noon.” Yue Qin didn’t rest very well last night, his mind filled with scenes of his wife and son encountering dangers.
“You’ll be late for work,” Xia Sheng said.
“It’s okay, my boss… is fine.”
President Kang came out of his room, holding his shoes when he heard this. He stroked his nose, deciding to put on the shoes himself.
He didn’t quite understand why Yue Qin deliberately decided to switch jobs.
He actually drove his wife and son to the school. If it wasn’t for his job, he would’ve stuck by their side 24/7.
“It’s okay, this is a school. People can’t come in at their will. You should go to work.” Yue Qin just realized he had to make money as well.
Meanwhile, President Kang sat hopelessly between a bunch of “special” children. The kid beside him had finally stopped chewing toys, eating a piece of bread instead.
He looked at Xia Sheng through the window from time to time. She seemed distracted today.
For some reason, he felt that there was quite a story behind this woman. She gave off a “Don’t mess with me” feeling.
President Kang was always very sensitive to danger.
Xia Sheng had her head lowered, replying to the latest message——
[I saw the news, are you okay?]
[What do you think?]
[I didn’t ask how you felt, I was asking if the criminal is fine.]
[It’s just his nose, nothing big.]
[Are you coming back? We need people right now.]
[No.]
It took a while for the other side to respond——
[If you regret your decision, feel free to contact us anytime.]
Xia Sheng raised her head, looking at the child inside the classroom. Her son was four years old.
She still remembered how she’d seemed to cry every day when she was four.
When she was little, she’d always thought she wouldn’t have grown up, wouldn’t have lived until adulthood.
However, now, her son was four years old. She was an adult.
President Kang finally came out. He felt that Xia Sheng’s mood was a bit low right away.
President Kang didn’t care about her emotions. Everyone has rough times, so it was quite normal.
He was like a robot, letting the mother lead him out of the school.
Xia Sheng’s sadness didn’t last very long.
She received a message from the arts center. A teacher had an emergency and had to cancel the class at the last minute. The students had all arrived, so they asked whether Xia Sheng could substitute for one lesson.
That teacher worked a full-time job and led an adult piano class. It was much easier than the children's classes.
Xia Sheng asked whether she could bring her son along. When they agreed, she went to the arts center with her son.
“Thank you, Ms. Xia.”
“No problem, this is paid anyway.”
“Definitely.”
President Kang felt that her mood was still low, but her entire face was in a professional smile.
The condescending President Kang experienced what a shachiku* was.
*A Japanese term used to describe the working class sacrificing their private time to the office.
Even if her mood was low, she must control them and force herself to work.
In the classroom, President Kang sat in the back row, watching the gently-smiling woman teaching four adults piano.
As a robot, President Kang watched his mother repeatedly teach basic piano fingering, tirelessly repeating and correcting the students.
It reminded him of yesterday’s piano songs. For an unknown reason, his heart felt a bit unwell.
It was the side of life he had never seen, it was the cruelty of the real world.