sinovels Chapter 125 Recognized Slaves
Chapter 125 Recognized Slaves
Lu Zhaoye followed behind, and there were fewer and fewer people on the road. Xu Qingwan's originally very fast pace gradually slowed down, and it seemed that they were about to arrive at their destination.
The area near No. 2 Middle School is a small town. Just 200 meters from the school gate is a tributary of the city's mother river. The scenery is beautiful, the air is fresh, and it is a secluded place where few young people come.
When Xu Qingwan was in her first year of high school, she had no friends and didn't want to go back to school immediately after eating, so she often wandered around the school area.
Just then, Lu Zhaoye saw Xu Qingwan in front of him suddenly put her hands behind her back.
He looked up and stood there, stunned, staring at the harmonious pastoral scene.
This is a dead-end road. A small bridge separates the town from the fields. Looking ahead, there are endless fields where crops are happily basking in the sun. In the distance, several men wearing farm hats are working hard in the fields.
Xu Qingwan walked to a large tree in a very good location, a sweet smile on her lips, and turned around to look at him intently.
Lu Zhaoye looked at Xu Qingwan from several meters away, smiled, shook his head, and walked over.
"When did you find me?"
Xu Qingwan tilted her head cutely, thought for a moment, and then said,
"When Chen Ziniu and the others disappeared."
Lu Zhaoye couldn't help but raise his hand and tap Xu Qingwan's head, asking curiously,
Why?
Xu Qingwan reached out her small hand and took Lu Zhaoye's wrist, then turned around and led Lu Zhaoye towards the riverbank. More and more bushes and big trees came into view.
"If you weren't here, Chen Ziniu and the others wouldn't have left," Xu Qingwan said with a light laugh.
Lu Zhaoye was taken aback and said, "Hey, I didn't expect the housekeeper to be so smart."
"That's right," Xu Qingwan laughed happily upon hearing this, then stopped and pointed to an open space.
"Hey, you naughty deskmate, let's sit there."
Lu Zhaoye nodded.
The two sat in a secluded corner of the river, where the shade of the trees effectively blocked most of the sunlight. Apart from being a bit stuffy, there were no other drawbacks.
Lu Zhaoye looked at the slowly flowing stream at his feet and couldn't help but praise it in his heart. After all, he had seen too many rivers and streams polluted by industrial wastewater in his later life, and none of them were as clear as this.
Lu Zhaoye and Xu Qingwan leaned their shoulders together, neither of them speaking, just quietly watching this pastoral scene, feeling the symphony of cicadas chirping and water splashing against rocks in the air.
Until Xu Qingwan gently rested her head on Lu Zhaoye's shoulder and slowly said...
"Lu Zhaoye, Mom scolded me again today."
Lu Zhaoye didn't speak, but listened quietly.
Xu Qingwan's face remained expressionless; she simply murmured softly, her voice tinged with emotion.
"My grandpa called me a few days ago, and we talked for a long, long time. He still loves and cares for me just like he always has..."
"He asked me if I had made any new friends at school, if I had eaten enough, and if anything unpleasant had happened..."
Xu Qingwan paused at this point.
Lu Zhaoye glanced at her slightly. Xu Qingwan used to always wear a bun, but since Wednesday, she had changed it to a high ponytail, which made her look more youthful.
However, at this moment, Xu Qingwan's lips were slightly pursed and her expression was indifferent, but the tears that flashed in her eyes still betrayed her true feelings.
"What, did Grandpa find out you were lying?" Lu Zhaoye said with a light laugh.
Xu Qingwan's eyes were somewhat complicated; her naughty deskmate had guessed correctly again.
"Yes, Grandpa asked Mom if she scolded me again, or if she cut off my allowance again."
"I lied to my grandfather and said it was the same as before, and then he hung up the phone."
Xu Qingwan stared blankly at the flowing river and slowly said,
"Actually, I used to have a lot of pocket money, so much that I could buy whatever I wanted."
Lu Zhaoye couldn't help but feel alarmed upon hearing this.
Buy whatever you want, isn't that sneaky?
"But I can never finish the tasks my mom gives me, so my allowance keeps getting less and less."
"My mother's love for me... is also decreasing."
"So, I only have four hundred dollars a week. My mom says that if I have more pocket money, I will be distracted."
Lu Zhaoye nodded, finally understanding why Xu Qingwan only had four hundred yuan a week. "Then your mother..."
"When I was little, I practiced piano every day, but I still couldn't learn it well," Xu Qingwan continued to murmur.
"At first, my mom would encourage me and comfort me, saying that I just hadn't found what I was good at yet."
"But later I learned so many other things: violin, guitar, Go, programming..."
"I still can't learn any of them."
Xu Qingwan's face finally showed expression; she hugged her legs with both arms in great pain.
"Then my mother changed. She just made me study like crazy, and I wasn't allowed to eat until I finished studying."
She said the other girls were proficient in all the arts, such as music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and could learn them in a short time.
"I'm the only one who can't do it; it takes me so much time to barely reach their level."
"So my mother never smiled at me again, and she never encouraged me again."
Lu Zhaoye sighed inwardly, having already discerned what Xu Qingwan truly desired.
She wasn't craving academic achievements; she just wanted her family's approval.
What's even more cruel is that rather than saying Xu Qingwan wanted recognition, it's more accurate to say she had become a slave to recognition.
Even if Xu Qingwan gets good grades, so what? In the end, she still becomes a tool for comparison in her mother's eyes.
Lu Zhaoye was quite certain of this, because there were countless such cases.
"My mother said that only if I get into a prestigious university will I be qualified to become the person I want to be."
"And what about you? What kind of person do you want to be?" Lu Zhaoye couldn't help but interrupt, no longer remaining silent.
Xu Qingwan paused for a moment, a hint of stubbornness flashing in her eyes.
"I want to be someone who is approved by my parents."
"No, you don't want approval," Lu Zhaoye interrupted again, his voice deep, "you want love."
Xu Qingwan turned around instantly, her pupils dilating involuntarily, staring blankly at Lu Zhaoye.
"Do you like the piano? Do you like the guitar?" Lu Zhaoye asked Xu Qingwan directly, staring into her eyes.
"I like it," Hsu Ching-wan said, her eyes darting away as she was about to nod.
However, Lu Zhaoye swiftly reached out with both hands, grasped Xu Qingwan's face, and said in a deep voice...
"Xu Qingwan, I'm neither your mother nor your father, you don't need to lie to me."
Tears welled in Xu Qingwan's eyes, her lips were pressed together, and the corners of her mouth twitched uncontrollably, leaving her speechless.
"Actually, you don't like it; you only like it because they like it."
Lu Zhaoye was actually a little worried that this might drive Xu Qingwan to the brink of collapse, but now that the opportunity was so good, if he didn't speak up, he might not have another chance.
He moved his face closer to Xu Qingwan, steeling himself, and asked,
"You always take your parents' approval as your motivation, but even if you do get into a prestigious university and gain that approval, will you really be happy?"
"Xu Qingwan, you can lie to me, you can lie to Grandpa, and you can even lie to your own heart."
"But can you lie to yourself forever?"
"Can't you really tell whether your parents love you or not?"