“Yunqiu, please listen to my explanation. I didn’t ask the child for money because I wanted it for myself. I wanted to hold it for him, afraid that he might spend it recklessly. Our family has always had this tradition of helping children manage their money.” Father An and Mother An asked her to seek help from the Yin family, but she didn’t dare to make any requests to Yin Yunqiu. She was afraid that he would find out that she had incurred a lot of debt because she had accepted gifts from other men, and that they had no chance of rekindling their relationship.
The woman looked pitiful, but Yin Yunqiu had lost his patience. He looked at her with indifference, his eyebrows furrowing, and dialed a number. “Send Miss An back downstairs.”
“Yes!” the driver replied with a trembling voice. Even through the phone, he could sense his boss’s dissatisfaction with his efficiency. He felt bitter inside because it was Miss An who had repeatedly delayed her departure. He couldn’t forcefully put her into the car.
When the man indicated that she should leave, An Meijun’s face turned pale. Her throat felt dry and scratchy. She hurriedly said, “Yunqiu! Actually, here’s the thing. Our family has encountered some problems these days, my dad…” Just as she was about to explain everything in a rush, someone immediately grabbed her shoulder and said, “Miss An, pardon the intrusion.”
“Ah!” An Meijun cried out in pain. She looked at the man who used to be her lover with a pair of helpless watery eyes. However, he remained indifferent, as if she were just an insignificant passerby.
Worried that her boss would become even more dissatisfied, the driver acted decisively this time. He quickly pulled her away, and this time, An Meijun didn’t even have a chance to cry out in pain. She was forcefully put into the car by the driver and the butler, denying her any further opportunity to disturb them.
An Meijun returned home dejectedly, opened the door, and faced three pairs of hopeful eyes. She said apologetically, “I’m sorry, Mom, Dad. Yunqiu didn’t give me the money, but I’ll try to persuade him another day…” She could only let them endure for a while and go to work.
“It’s for sure. I’ll be able to raise the money soon.”
Soon, she found out that she was also a party to the agreement to sell her body. Her parents and her younger brother worked at the car wash, and she had to serve tea and water to others. She was stunned, her head spinning, almost exploding. She shouted, “Dad! Mom! How could you sign without my consent? Why didn’t you wait for me to come back to sign?” What she didn’t say was, “Why did you sign such an unfair contract on behalf of your daughter without her permission?”
This kind of parental signing was a family tradition. In her previous life, An Meijun often signed various unequal contracts on behalf of the original owner using her mother’s name. In order to train him towards the entertainment industry, An Meijun intentionally accepted many acting scripts for him, making him, the son of the richest man, participate in various reality shows like a clown. If he refused, the penalty clause was exorbitant.
Now, it seemed like karma had come back to haunt her.
Seeing her sister returning empty-handed, An Jun was more disappointed than anyone. He thought that his sister was so useless, and he even considered working as a car wash attendant. So, he also lost his temper. His pupils were bloodshot from waiting all night. “You didn’t answer the phone yourself. Do you know how many times we called you last night? Those people almost held knives to my and Dad’s necks. Dad had no choice but to agree! It’s all your fault! You’ve brought disaster upon our whole family! Letting you beg brother-in-law, you can’t even do this small thing! You obviously don’t care about me and our parents’ lives!”
An Meijun was furious. She gave him a slap in the face, her voice raised, “When you were spending my money, did you ever think you would be implicated by me? Don’t think I don’t know that both you and Dad secretly took a lot of that money. Now you want to blame all the mistakes on me!”
On New Year’s Day, the An family started quarreling again, attracting the attention of the neighbors. Father An and Mother An were old, unable to control their argumentative children, so they became a source of entertainment for others. They were on the verge of tears, grieving over the fact that they would soon have to work.
They had considered using their house as collateral, but if they mortgaged both properties, where would they live? Especially when their younger son begged them not to sell the house, as he would need it to get married in the future. Local girls with Beijing hukou1Beijing household registration were highly sought after, and marrying a local girl without a house and a car was nearly impossible. Not everyone was as ignorant as An Jun’s ex-girlfriend.
With their son’s plea, the parents relented, further angering their daughter. She didn’t expect her parents to be so indecisive. They continued arguing, and the next day, several young masters and their friends arrived, bringing several sets of nightclub uniforms and forcing them to work.
The burly bodyguards lifted them up like chickens and treated them without any sympathy, making An Meijun feel ashamed. She couldn’t control her anger and threw wine at them. The manager stepped in, even angrier and deducted her salary, saying that she had offended the customers.
This made An Meijun breathless with anger. She longed for the day when she could go back to college, and she regretted the extravagant life she had led in the Yin family.
An Jun felt the same way. He had been arrogant in the past, often flaunting his brother-in-law’s name. Now, he was being ridiculed by the classmates he had once bullied. They whistled and dangled their car keys in front of him, passing by with an air of indifference. Then, they would look at him with surprise, as if they had stumbled upon something in the trash. They would say, “Isn’t this An Jun, our classmate? Long time no see. It turns out you’re working here. Could it be that you’re here to experience life, big shot?”
They continued with disdain, “Is the commission here tied to the number of cars washed?” After getting a confirmation, they snorted, “Well, since we were classmates, we should take care of our old classmates. How about this, we’ll wash all your cars today. Just leave them here to be washed. It’s the New Year, and your cars are all filthy. It’s time to ‘get rid of the old and welcome the new’ and ‘cleanse away the impurities.’ We’re just helping out an old classmate and giving you some good luck.”
Other classmates chimed in, “Big brother is right. Our cars are indeed dirty, and we can’t stand it anymore.”
“My car is brand new and not dirty, but I’ll get it washed for good luck on New Year’s.”
“Thanks for helping us out, An Jun. Look how much your big brother is taking care of you, gathering friends to increase your business!”
An Jun felt his pride being trampled upon, and his face turned red with anger. However, he couldn’t do anything about it, and he had to accept their “kindness.”
An Jun clenched the water hose angrily, his hands covered in foam, wishing he could splash them all with cold water in the middle of winter. He was used to being spoiled and when he encountered such a situation, he could only vent his anger on his parents. After not working for a few days and seeing that his older sister often used the excuse of “having to attend classes” to avoid work, leaving only him and his parents to toil away and repay the debt, he felt increasingly resentful and unhappy.
The siblings erupted into another argument, and for the An family, this year had been nothing short of a disaster. They didn’t have the time or energy to bother others.
Only Yin Mingqin, who was playing the piano while her mind wandered, was concerned about An Meijun’s situation. Why hadn’t she received any money or gifts from her for such a long time? It was one thing not to show any affection during the New Year, but they had barely met a few times throughout the whole year. Could something have happened on her end? She bit her lip in frustration.
Lost in her thoughts, she made several mistakes while playing the piano. When she regained her composure, she noticed that Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Kong were looking at her with concern. “Mingqin, are you feeling okay? Is there something wrong with your health?”
She stiffened slightly and didn’t have a chance to say that she was perfectly fine before Kong Jinghua added, “Honey, even though they say you should start learning a musical instrument at a young age, I think Mingqin is still too young. Playing the piano for two hours a day is too much of a burden on her body.”
Piano lessons cost five to six hundred yuan per hour, and their family could afford it. After all, Mingqin had been taking medication since she was a child, and the prices of those bottles of medicine alone could cover the cost of seven or eight piano lessons. However, in the end, the child’s health was more important. If they forced her to learn the piano at the expense of her well-being just to make them happy, they would rather let her run around in the sun and stay healthy like her peers.
The elegant piano teacher also chimed in, “Mr. Jiang, Mrs. Kong, I share the same opinion. Recently, Mingqin’s performance has been declining, possibly due to overexertion. She may not be suited for long hours of piano practice. I suggest she focus on improving her health, and she can always learn to play the piano when she’s stronger. After all, the best age to learn the piano is between five and twelve years old, and it’s okay to start a few years later.”
She was quite well-known in the world of private tutoring and had taught many children from affluent families. However, she would not force a child to continue learning if it wasn’t in their best interest, even if it meant damaging her reputation.
Initially, she had thought that Mingqin had significant musical talent and a unique sensitivity to music, often smiling faintly when she heard a string of notes from the phonograph. She had shown a strong liking for the piano in front of her parents, leading the teacher to believe that she had a genuine passion for music.
As a result, despite her physical limitations and occasional muscle control issues that made it difficult for her to coordinate her fingers on the black and white keys, the teacher had been willing to accept her as a student due to Mingqin’s strong affection for the piano.
However, as time went on, the initial enchantment faded, and it became evident that Mingqin’s musical talent was rather ordinary at best. She couldn’t even rank among the average students in her class. Furthermore, the teacher realized that Mingqin’s interest in music wasn’t as deep as she had initially thought. It seemed more like she wanted to acquire a skill, driven by a strong sense of purpose and utility.
When the teacher suggested starting with basic musical pieces, Mingqin expressed a stronger desire to tackle advanced and impressive performance pieces. She didn’t show much interest in the classic compositions that were relatively unknown to the general public but were considered treasures by connoisseurs. This left the teacher somewhat puzzled, and her enthusiasm for teaching waned.
Moreover, over the past year, Mingqin’s performance had deteriorated significantly, whether due to health issues or other reasons. Her fingers mechanically pressed the piano keys, her gaze seemed distant, and she frequently played the wrong notes. After several lessons with no improvement, the teacher began to doubt whether the teaching fees were worth it. She genuinely suggested that Mingqin take a break, allowing her to recover her health and mental state before resuming lessons. However, the teacher couldn’t help but think that it might be best not to accept students with such severe physical limitations in the future.
“No! I want to learn!” Mingqin jumped out of her chair in desperation, but Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Kong had already considered the piano teacher’s advice seriously and politely terminated her employment.
Mingqin’s face turned even paler, and her performance only confirmed Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Kong’s belief that learning the piano could wait until their daughter was older and stronger. They couldn’t bear to see their daughter’s face drained of color and decided to prioritize her well-being.
On the other side, Yin Jiyu was playing the piano, immersed in the elegant music. His handsome and fair complexion, coupled with his tall and graceful figure, gave him the aura of a prince.
He smiled as he watched, and as the music played, a chubby and adorable child couldn’t help but dance along joyfully. It was as if he was completely absorbed in the music, moving his hands and feet with enthusiasm. He raised his hands high, swayed his little feet, and even wobbled in the air, striking the classic pose of the Four Little Swans. It almost made him burst into laughter.
Yin Jiyu, who was not particularly fond of the piano to begin with, enjoyed seeing others immerse themselves in the music, captivated by the sensation. Among all his siblings, this cute little brother of his displayed it most vividly.
“Minglu, am I playing well?” Did I make you dance like that? Yin Jiyu’s eyes sparkled, and although he had considered learning something else as he got older, he now thought that he might continue with the piano.
“Good, good, good.” Yin Minglu nodded generously, giving a big thumbs up. She might not know much about music, but she could appreciate it. Although Yin Jiyu appeared a bit lazy, he had exceptional musical talent. Moreover, unlike many children from ordinary families who learned the piano for examinations, certifications, and competitions, Yin Jiyu played the piano freely and passionately, making his music much more enjoyable to listen to.
Some obscure tunes could be played effortlessly, and the newly hired piano tutor was so moved that she had tears in her eyes, praising the student’s extraordinary talent.
Soon, the teacher turned her gaze to Yin Minglu and eagerly asked, “Although this child is young, I can see that they also have great talent. Would you like to learn as well?” The enraptured expression, immersed in the music, indicated a strong sense of perception.
Yin Yunqiu also looked at his son and asked, “Minglu, do you want to learn?” He held his young son’s hand, which was soft and tender. He wasn’t sure if his son could adapt to learning the piano at such a young age.
“I think he’s more suitable for dancing,” Yin Zhongyuan laughed. Just look at how cute his dancing was earlier. If it weren’t for his son playing the piano on it, he would have burst into laughter.
Humph, daring to make fun of him. Yin Minglu gave him a soft little slap, but he genuinely didn’t want to learn the piano. So he shook his little head and said, “I don’t want to learn. I’d rather learn to draw. Look at this drawing I did recently. Isn’t it good?”
An outstanding game developer would certainly need exceptional artistic skills, and music was important too, but there was no need to delve too deep into it.
The drawing in front of them was a simple crayon drawing of a wheat field, a scarecrow, a small wooden house, and a background of a reddish sky mixed with dark blue night. For a child who was almost four years old, it was impressive.
“It’s beautiful.” Yin Yunqiu usually wouldn’t say “no” to what his son created. “Let’s frame it and hang it on the wall.”
“I think it’s beautiful too. I only used five colors for this drawing! I mixed the other colors with crayons,” the little guy said with a wide grin, his eyes forming two crescent moons. He looked very proud. After admiring it himself for a while, he reluctantly handed it over and asked, “Dad, where are you going to hang the painting? In your room?” Otherwise, he would have to run over to see it every day.
Yin Yunqiu had originally thought about it that way so he could see his son’s artwork before going to bed every day. However, it seemed that his son wasn’t too keen on that idea, so he said, “Let’s hang it in the living room so you can see it every day.”
Yin Minglu was satisfied with this arrangement. From then on, the living room of the Yin family’s old house had an out-of-place crayon drawing among the overall classical and elegant decor. More than a decade later, the number of paintings on that wall continued to grow. From crayon drawings to sketches to oil paintings, the styles ranged from romanticism to classicism and even included some chaotic abstract art and semi-nude female figure paintings. Almost every friend who came to visit the Yin family could see these paintings with just one glance.
Yin Yunqiu would sometimes stop and proudly say, “These were made by my son when he was bored.”
Guests would naturally praise the young master’s extraordinary talents while secretly complaining about the Yin family’s obsession with their son. Of course, these were stories for another time, so let’s not dwell on them.
But Grandpa Yin did have some objections. He blew his mustache and said to his son, “I know you want your son to excel, but Minglu is only four years old. You’re making him learn arithmetic, drawing, and even game design. You’re being too strict as a father. Even if he wants to learn, don’t overload him!”
On cold winter mornings, he would sometimes wake up early and see his child wearing sports attire, running in the courtyard. In the summer, he would splash around in the swimming pool and play frisbee with the dogs. If it weren’t for seeing his child’s happy smile, he would have suspected that it was because he, the old man, never acknowledged him, which made him feel guilty for no reason.
Yin Yunqiu looked helpless, but he couldn’t say that these were all things his child wanted to learn. As a father, he could only unconditionally support his son.
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Author’s note: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me and provided nourishment with their support!
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