Chapter 27: Wang Tian

After returning home, Yu Yan didn't immediately busy herself tidying up or putting things in order. Instead, she sat on the threshold, sighing heavily, her gaze toward Wanshun filled with pity and heartache. There was also an undercurrent of powerless frustration and self-reproach, her entire demeanor steeped in dejection.

Wanshun clicked her tongue and shook her head—this old lady was really stuck in her own thoughts, but in time, she would recover. Wanshun picked up the broom and cleaned the house, then put away the things she had bought, preparing to make lunch.

Yu Yan, only then coming to her senses, took the work from Wanshun's hands, hesitating as if she had something to say. Wanshun, not wanting to hear her nagging, turned and ran outside.

Once out the door, her expression darkened sharply.

Ma Kai.

Ha, Ma Kai again. Did they still want to use Ma Kai’s life to brand her a murderer in this lifetime? Even if she avoided all the causes, would she still have to reap such a consequence? Was the Wan family truly set on destroying her?

Did Ma Kai even know about this?

"Bookworm, your limp-fish father is tangled up again with that rotten-vegetable Wan Yu. Aren’t you going to call your mother to catch them in the act?"

Wanshun raised an eyebrow. Wasn't that her five-year-old little friend? Bookworm?

She took a few steps forward and saw a five-year-old peanut of a child and a towering, brawny eighteen-year-old lug, both circling a frail boy of about thirteen or fourteen.

No matter how one looked at it, the scene resembled bullying. But the beset boy seemed unaware—his small figure stood upright, his expression calm, as if nothing could faze him.

"Grown-up affairs aren't for children like me to get involved in. And giving people random nicknames is rude, as is talking about others behind their backs," the boy said.

The peanut instantly bristled. "You're the rude one! Your whole family's rude! Hmph, and just so you know, I just saw Rotten-Vegetable threaten your mother using you. She said if your mother didn't let her be with your dad, she'd ruin your reputation so you couldn't get into college or find a good job. Your mom was so scared, she didn't even catch them in the act."

The snot-nosed child finished, looking smug, waiting for the bookworm to lose his composure and burst into tears.

But nothing happened; the bookworm remained unruffled and serene.

"I study simply because I like it. I haven't done anything wrong, so I'm not afraid of slander—others can't use that to hurt me. Still, thank you for telling me. I'll talk to my mother and tell her not to compromise on anything for my sake."

The snot-nosed child, as if punching a heap of cotton, flushed in frustration.

"Who—who wants your thanks? Bing, hit him."

"Hit," echoed the big lug, Wang Bing, raising his massive fist and, in his simple-minded way, preparing to punch the bookworm.

Wanshun's lips twitched at the sight. One punch and the Li family's butcher knife could mash Wang Bing into paste.

"Hey, hey, hey, is that all you can do when you lose an argument? Real impressive."

Seeing Wanshun, the peanut and the big lug were instantly delighted. "Sister Shun, is it true you're marrying that old man and becoming a stepmother?"

They blamed themselves for learning of it too late, unable to stop it in time and now full of regret. On their way to find Wanshun, they’d run into Wang Zheng’s son, Wang Tian. Now, as a matter of children paying for their fathers' misdeeds, the peanut wanted to vent on Wang Tian for Wanshun’s sake.

Wanshun ruffled the peanut’s round head. "Grown-up matters aren’t for children to meddle in."

The peanut puffed up. "I'm not a child! I'm already five—ask Bing!"

Wang Bing nodded earnestly. "Right, five."

Wanshun couldn't help but laugh, handing out the candy she’d brought as gifts. "Here, eat—it's very sweet."

The two little friends grinned in delight.

Finally, Wanshun turned to the composed bookworm, Wang Tian.

Wang Tian met her gaze, neither arrogant nor timid, and greeted her politely, "Hello, Sister Wanshun."

Wanshun raised an eyebrow—she could see the shadow of Jiang Yingzhi in this bookworm: the same precocious intelligence, the same love of learning.

If not for the trouble in the Jiang family back then, Jiang Yingzhi would have grown into a top student, perhaps even the first university student in Fu’an Village, maybe even winning top marks in the province.

Jiang Yingzhi had been truly gifted, and warm too—a quality this little bookworm couldn't quite match.

She pulled out more candy and handed it to Wang Tian. "Here, have some."

"Thank you, Sister Wanshun," the boy replied calmly, accepting it.

The peanut pouted and huffed, "I thought you’d be too proud to take it."

The bookworm unwrapped a candy and popped it in his mouth. The instant sweetness touched his palate, and the boy’s eyes glimmered with quiet joy.

Who would have guessed—he really had a taste for sweets.

"When an elder offers a gift, it must not be refused; it's a matter of manners."

The peanut scoffed, "Nonsense. You just like sweets—why make excuses?"

The boy remained unruffled, which only further irked the peanut.

Wanshun found their bickering rather entertaining. But, recalling the eventual fate of the Wang family boy, her gaze narrowed slightly.

Calling Wang Tian a bookworm was no exaggeration—his genius for study had shown itself from the start; he could recite poetry as soon as he learned to speak. Not just in Fu’an Brigade, but throughout Damai Commune and Qijiang County, every teacher fought to have him as their student. He was the Li family's cherished treasure.

The Li family lived by butchering pigs, with only Old Man Li ever having served as the village secretary—a man of any standing. People said the Li family's bloody trade had cursed their descendants with stupidity, each generation thicker than the last.

Wang Tian was living proof against both rumor and curse. So, even if Wang Zheng was unreliable, the Li family, wielding their butcher’s knives, never once aimed them at Wang Zheng.

Wang Tian was the only contribution Wang Zheng made to the Li family.

The Li family cherished Wang Tian as dearly as life itself. Wan Yu manipulated the Li family by threatening Wang Tian’s future, and it worked every time.

In Wanshun's previous life, Wan Yu used Wang Tian to control the Li family, colluding with Wang Zheng to get everything she wanted. Later, after she had climbed to greater heights and Wang Zheng was no longer useful, she kicked him aside and even arranged a car accident that killed Wang Tian. It was said the boy had just received his university acceptance letter from the provincial capital.

The Li family went collectively mad, perishing together with the driver responsible. Wan Yu, meanwhile, escaped unscathed.

Wanshun's gaze fell on the zen-like boy. "What color do you think the world is?"

The boy froze, looking at her in confusion. "All the colors of the rainbow?"

Wanshun chuckled softly. Such a beautiful world, through the eyes of youth.

"If one day you feel the colors of the world have changed, and you want someone to help, you can come to me. Maybe, for the sake of... I’ll help you."

Wang Tian tilted his head, not quite catching what she meant by "for the sake of..."

Wanshun smiled, patting her two young friends on the head. "Come on, let’s go get something good to eat."

Without another word, the two children cheerfully trotted off with Wanshun.

"Sister Shun, we heard you have a motorcycle. Can we ride it?"

"No, you can only sit on it."

"Sitting is fine too. Can we go around the village a few times?"

"You can."

Their happy laughter faded into the distance. Wang Tian rolled his tongue, savoring the lingering sweetness of the candy, but for all his self-assured cleverness, he still couldn't decipher Wanshun's words.

That evening, the village head, Xu Hanshan, arrived at the Jiang household with the women's committee director.

Upon entering the courtyard, the eye was instantly drawn to the three-wheeled motorcycle painted in striking red.

Though no one commented on it while Wanshun was present, once she left, her motorcycle became the talk of the village. Many questioned its origins; given the Jiang family’s situation, they could barely afford food—where did they get the money for such a thing?

The gossip was harsh. Stealing or cheating would have been the kinder rumors; many claimed Wanshun must have sold herself to buy it.

There was genuine envy—how could the poorest family in the village own a motorcycle when those living in red-brick, tiled houses didn't even have a bicycle? The more they thought about it, the more aggrieved they felt.

Unable to bear their own resentment, they could not stomach others’ good fortune. Every vile, stinking rumor tumbled from their lips. Some even threatened to call the authorities, just to vent their dissatisfaction and jealousy.

Of course, no one really dared; it was all speculation, and Wanshun had ridden the motorcycle home openly and aboveboard. They couldn't be sure.

If they were wrong, they would only bring trouble upon themselves.