Chang Dachun drove, and I sat in the passenger seat, watching the dim sky. The day was exhausting, but I felt not tired, but a dull ache in my heart. Li Feng's talent deserved an enviable life, but he didn't have one. Fate was too unfair to him. If it were me, I would have sought revenge too; I wouldn't let those who abandoned me off easy.
...
I was silent for a long time. Chang Dachun couldn't help but ask, "Tang Nan, what did you see?"
Facing his question, I didn't answer directly. Instead, I asked Chang Dachun, "Brother, have you ever thought about abandoning your daughter?" I asked this for a reason. Although Chang Dachun was doing well now, it didn't mean his life had always been smooth sailing. When I first met the three brothers, they were all in dire straits.
"Of course not. You've spent some time with Tang Yi, haven't you? I believe you feel the same. Sometimes you're so angry you could explode, wanting to throw your child away, but you'd never do it. I think that feeling is kinship."
Yes, Chang Dachun's words resonated deeply with me. Tang Yi was mostly adorable, but she also had her moments of causing frustration. The bond of kinship is stronger than that of love.
What kind of person could abandon their own child?
I told Chang Dachun about Li Feng's situation. Chang Dachun listened with a sigh, "Tang Nan, we are not gods. If we were in some situations, we might not be able to handle it either."
"Brother, what should I do?" I asked, feeling a bit helpless.
"Forget about it."
"I have a bet with Wang Ren. Wang Ren said he would kill someone, and I want to help him."
"What are you afraid of? We're all men."
Li Feng heard this, smiled faintly, and shyly extended his hand.
...
Chang Dachun and I left that place. Li Feng wouldn't leave; this was his hometown, the beginning of his path to revenge. Once in the car, Chang Dachun asked me, "Tang Nan, have you really decided to help him?"
"Brother, did I make a mistake?"
"Who knows? All I want to say is, no matter what you do, I'll support you. Opening a branch store in Tianjin, right?"
"Isn't that a reason?"
"City people get tired of delicacies, and occasionally eating a hearty stew is nice. In business, I think the idea of a branch store is good."
I could only smile helplessly at his answer.
...
When I returned to Wende Xiaoyuan, I saw the light was on. Puzzled, I walked in and found Teacher Wang Ren reading in the study.
"Martial Uncle, you're here."
"I'm not surprised. How could I not be here?"
"The cleaning lady hasn't changed. She knows you better than I do."
Wang Ren chuckled and got straight to the point: "You went to Li Feng's hometown."
"Yes!"
"Any thoughts?"
"I concede defeat."
Wang Ren frowned, "Tang Nan, you've improved again."
"Martial Uncle, you're something else. You lead people astray. I've admitted defeat, and you're still praising me, making me go further down the wrong path."
"In a scheme, recognizing your own shortcomings is progress. Thinking you can always turn the tide is where the mistake lies."
"You're still the same, confident, proud, and generous with your thoughts."
"Tang Nan, you've also made great progress. Honestly, the moment you stopped looking at me with hostility, I could no longer see through you."
"That has nothing to do with me. I met Old Ghost."
I said sincerely. My current state of mind had nothing to do with me; it was mainly Old Ghost's help.
"Little Ten helped you remove the seal in your heart." Wang Ren seemed quite surprised.
"Yes!" I admitted everything.
"Such indulgence is not good for you. With your state of mind, even if you had moments of confusion, doubt, and self-negation, they would have been temporary. This feeling wouldn't have plagued you forever. Little Ten's intervention was like pulling up seedlings to help them grow; treating you like a hothouse flower. With his help, when will you be able to face harsh survival environments on your own?" Wang Ren was somewhat displeased and strongly disagreed with Old Ghost's actions.
I looked at Wang Ren. "Martial Uncle, when you planted that barbed chain in my heart, did you ever think I would come back?"
"I did, with a heart bleeding and covered in wounds. You would have been stronger then, more decisive."
"And then?"
"You would have killed me." It was a brutal outcome, but Wang Ren said it calmly.
"Did you ever consider one point?" I changed my tone.
"Which point?"
"The times have changed."
This was something Old Ghost taught me when he was educating me. I decided to use this to reason with Teacher Wang Ren.
"The times have changed, but tradition remains. Didn't Teacher Wende push his disciples to the brink? If Teacher Wende hadn't had a steadfast heart, with our mediocre aptitude, how could we have achieved such capabilities?"
Teacher Wang Ren insisted on her viewpoint with her life experience.
"Old Mr. Wende was not wrong, but you are." I continued to insist on my view.
"Where did I go wrong?"
"This is the 21st century, a new era. People are happier, and schemers should be happier too. What the older generation should give to the younger generation should no longer be a whipping-style education. A praising education can lead to faster progress, and indulgent protection can allow young seedlings to grow more firmly."
"Did Little Ten teach you this?"
"Probably." I answered insincerely. This was the beginning of my educational journey. With Li Feng's situation, I decided to treat the daughter I adopted, Tang Yi, this way, and I would use this method for the child I was expecting.
"He is wrong!"
Teacher Wang Ren vehemently denied everything I said. She put down her book and spoke to me seriously, "I had already calculated that you would concede defeat today, so I waited here for you. Let me remind you, out of the three matches, if you win just one, this competition will be over."
"As agreed, best of three." I persisted.
"You've already lost one match, why keep being stubborn?"
"I will definitely win the remaining two matches. When does the next one begin?"
"It has already begun."
I looked at Wang Ren in surprise. "When was it arranged?"
"True planning is like pushing the wheel of fate. Once you push it, it starts to move on its own."
If this was true, the next one I faced would be unavoidable. On the issue of Li Feng, I agreed with him, I relented, because I felt fate was unfair to him, and his future had nothing to do with me. But next time, I couldn't give up. Because Wang Ren said the next person was Chang Dachun, and for that reason alone, I would fight with all my might. If I couldn't win, I would never give up.