A Dream of Five Hundred Years (Part 2)

  He couldn't fall asleep, and under the dim light of the sky, he gazed at his father lying on the desk, unable to calm down for a long time.

  He isn't worried about his current food and clothing, although it seems like a big problem, with this... father around, he shouldn't let himself starve to death...... right?

  He is even more worried about his future fate. He believes that as long as he recovers his health, his fate will be in his own hands. No matter where he is or when, he believes he can do it.

  The reason he couldn't sleep was laughable - he was excited to have a father who cared about him. Perhaps it was a fusion of personalities or perhaps it was a deep-seated desire, but he didn't reject this father who seemed like a failure at life at first glance, except for the fact that it was hard to call him "father" with feeling.

  The loneliness and helplessness of his past life deeply told him that hard work could bring success, status, wealth, and beautiful women, but not the love of parents. That was the most selfless, purest, and most precious thing in the world, yet he had never possessed it.

  Now heaven has given him a chance to have it, which is the most precious gift for an orphan who has been alone since childhood and has never enjoyed family happiness!

  So Shen decided to open up her heart and try her best to accept him, to enjoy this feeling...

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  He spent the night in a daze, and before he knew it, dawn had broken. The birds on the windowsill were chirping and foraging for food, which also woke up Shen He, who was dozing off on the table. Rubbing his eyes, he looked over at the bed and saw Shen Mo smiling at him.

  Shen He's tears burst out, and he rushed to the bedside, but was tripped by the chair leg, stumbled a few steps, and almost hit his head on the bed frame. But he didn't care about these things, grabbed Shen Mo's hand with one hand, and said in a crying voice: "Heaven has eyes, Buddha Bodhisattva City God bless, finally returned my son to me..."

  He used all his strength to hold back, grasped his hand and said in a hoarse voice: "...Don't cry..." Although he had accepted it, the words "Dad" were not so easy to say.

  Shen He was immersed in ecstasy, how could he notice these trivial matters, hugging him and crying and laughing, making the seriously ill Chao Sheng's child suffer, but he endured it all, letting Shen He vent his emotions.

  After a while, Shen He felt a bit ashamed and wiped away his tears, his eyes red as he said: "It's all Father's fault, I was so obsessed with the imperial examination that I couldn't extricate myself, and as a result, I ruined our family business and dragged your mother to her death..." As soon as he thought of his late wife, his eyes welled up with tears again, and he choked back sobs: "Your mother told me before she left that I must raise you into a capable person. But no sooner had she passed away than I almost lost you... I, Shen He, have read the classics but failed to be filial to my parents, have let down my wife, and have no face to show my only son - what dignity do I have left to stand in this world?"

  The silent former life became a spirit, the ability to speculate on people's hearts did not disappear with the transformation of identity. He could feel that Shen He was in the painful stage of 'self-doubt and self-reflection', either breaking through or sinking from then on.

  He had intended to offer a few words of comfort, telling the old man about the sayings "three hundred and sixty trades, every trade produces a top scholar" and "there are only stupid bears that die, no one dies from being stifled", but thinking again, as the son himself, saying these things was clearly not suitable, so he reluctantly shut his mouth.

  But Shen Mo felt that as long as he was there, Lao Tou would be able to regain his spirit and make a comeback, so he tightly grasped his hand, silently giving him strength.

  It took a long time for Shen He's emotions to calm down, he wiped away the tears on his face and smiled self-deprecatingly: "I've never cried so hard in my life." He patted Shen Mo's shoulder lightly and said with a very complex expression: "After decades of studying poetry and books, I finally understand that being a scholar is useless. From today on, I'll find a job to make a living and take good care of you!"

  She smiled silently, thought for a moment, and then spoke up: "You don't have to force yourself, wait until the child's body is better, there will be a way, we don't need to worry about making a living." As she said this, she grinned mischievously and added: "Who knows, maybe next time I'll even get into high school."

  Shen He seemed to not recognize him at all, looking him up and down, fondly rubbing his head, and laughing happily: "Heavens, Shen Mo has grown up and become sensible this time, it's a blessing in disguise."

  She slightly tilted her head to the side, avoiding Shen He's hand, and licked her dry, cracked lips, saying: "After striving for half a lifetime, can't you bear to give it up?"

  Shen He was shocked again... This is not surprising, as he loves being surprised. A young man who used to be dull and inarticulate suddenly says something so profound, it's shocking. But Shen, being a scholar, quickly connected this to the philosophical idea of "否极泰来" (when things reach an extreme, they will reverse) and got up from his seat, walked around the room a few times, rubbing his hands excitedly, saying: "It seems that our ancestors are watching over us, letting my son's wisdom be opened early, indeed there is a predetermined fate in the universe!"

  Shen Mo was unwilling to compromise, but he was very satisfied with not having to justify himself, so he tightly pursed his lips and smiled without speaking.

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  Shen He paced heavily in the room for a few rounds, suddenly stopped and looked at Shen Mo with great solemnity, as if he had made the most important decision. In a deep voice, he said: "Chao Sheng, your father has decided that from now on, you will no longer attend school."

  She rolled her eyes silently, thinking to herself: "I've said it all in vain." She was about to open her mouth to advise him, but Shen He waved his hand to stop her, saying: "You just take good care of your body and don't worry about anything. Everything will be taken care of by Father."

  She silently sensed his decision and couldn't help but say: "You..." But before she could finish, the heavy knocking on the door interrupted her.

  The two turned back to see that the door had already been pushed open, and a furious old woman appeared before them. She was wearing a long dress with floral patterns, her figure short and stout, her face detestable. Stretching out a radish-like finger, she pointed at the two of them and began scolding: "You two, an old man and a young girl, have been walking back and forth in this hall since early morning, are you trying to report a pregnancy or something?!"

  She was not used to Ah-Chang's dialect... anyway, it was all scolding words, no need to listen. Wanting to drive that stinky woman out, but having no strength at all, couldn't even sit up; wanting to argue with the woman, but almost couldn't understand what she was saying, could only glare sideways and let the old man deal with her.

  But Shen He was clearly no match for this shrew, his face turned red and he couldn't say a word. After being scolded severely, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Can't even let people walk in their own house?"

  "What's going on? In your own house?" The woman exclaimed excitedly, spitting wildly: "Is this your family? Wasn't it my attic last night?" Behind her was another barrage of rapid-fire curses, and Shen Mo didn't understand a single sentence.

  Shen He clearly heard every word, which made his expression very unsightly. Several times he wanted to refute her when she took a breath, but unexpectedly, her lung capacity was extremely astonishing, and she continued to talk incessantly without any pause.

  Shen He could only remain silent and sullen, enduring her scolding with a lowered face.

  That shrew scolded for more than a quarter of an hour, until her husband called her back home to eat. She reluctantly spat out a mouthful of thick phlegm and said: "If you don't die today, I'll scold you all day!" After finishing speaking, she shook her fat buttocks and went downstairs with difficulty.

  Looking at her stumbling away, Shen was sulking for half a day. Suddenly hearing his stomach growling loudly, he said angrily: "Barbaric and rude, simply beyond salvation!" Only then did the gloom in his heart dissipate, and he forced a smile towards Shen Mo: "Chao Sheng, starving to death, huh?"

  He shook his head silently and said in a low voice, "Why did that woman blow up? I think she's intentionally picking a fight."

  "Looking for trouble? Indeed." Shen He sighed and said: "This attic was originally her warehouse, now it's been occupied by us two, she's naturally not happy about it."

  "Are we living in her house?" Shen Mo asked incredulously. In his impression, the old man was a stubborn and proud bookworm who would rather build a thatched hut than live under someone else's roof, so how could he suddenly change his ways?

  "No," Shen He's expression turned gloomy, shaking his head: "This is the Shen family's main courtyard, our master arranged for us to live here... As for that shrew, she's just like us, seeking refuge with the Shen family, only she came earlier and bullied those who came later." The more he spoke, the darker his expression became. Not wanting to say more in front of his son, Shen He forced a smile: "Don't mind her, let's just say it's a tiger fallen into a plain being bullied by dogs."

  She said, taking a bag of rice from behind the door, carefully pouring some into the pot, then silently adding water and lighting the fire, sitting by the small mud stove in a daze, her mouth seemingly muttering to herself.

  He could faintly hear that he was reciting 'Heaven will entrust a great responsibility to the person', and knew that his father must be very distressed. Wanting to say something, but not knowing how to put it into words, he could only comfort him in a low voice: "Everything will get better."

  Shen He's body stiffened, and he nodded vigorously, but didn't say another word. When the rice porridge was cooked, he ladled out a large bowl and placed it in front of Shen Mo, asking softly, "Can you eat by yourself?"

  "Alright, I've got some strength in my hands now."

  Shen He then placed the bowl on the bedside table and said in a low voice, "Eat slowly, finish eating and continue sleeping. The doctor said that sleep is the most nourishing."

  The old man nodded silently and saw him pick up the pot, turn around, sit down with his back to himself, as if eating, as if sobbing.

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