It was already 5 PM when Xia Yu returned from An Siyao’s place. After a brief rest, he headed to Kong Hanyue’s house.
As soon as he walked in, Kong Hanyue hugged him tightly: “Yuyu, you’re just too amazing!”
Xia Yu guessed that it must be about Zhong Yunxin’s matter reaching Kong Hanyue’s ears.
Sure enough, what Kong Hanyue mentioned was indeed about Zhong Yunxin.
“I got a call from Zeze today and heard about Xinxin’s situation. I also asked a few of Xinxin’s classmates and found out that you’ve already taken care of her!”
Kong Hanyue’s eyes sparkled with admiration. She didn’t care that Xia Yu was technically her child; she had always been like this since Xia Yu was little.
It’s exciting to be admired by younger generations, but being admired by elders felt somewhat awkward.
“How did you manage that?” Kong Hanyue asked curiously. “Zeze mentioned that Xinxin said a classmate approached her.”
Remembering their previous agreement, Kong Hanyue added, “I didn’t tell Zeze anything, by the way!”
“You don’t need to know the details,” Xia Yu avoided answering.
“Then at least tell me how that girl dealt with Xinxin? Surely you can share that much?” Kong Hanyue thought about it, planning to use the same method on Zhong Yunxin in the future to make her obedient.
“What kind of skill could there be? Just beating, scolding, and threatening,” Xia Yu replied with a smile, understanding her thoughts. “You can try it yourself.”
Kong Hanyue became discouraged. Beating and threatening weren’t really her style.
Her most effective method of dealing with enemies was simply ignoring them, which worked well against Youxue.
It might also work on Zhong Yunze, though Zhong Yunze was naturally obedient and wouldn’t oppose her anyway.
Xia Yu glanced at Kong Hanyue again. Ordinary people would usually ask, upon hearing about beating and threatening, how badly someone was hurt. But Kong Hanyue showed no intention of asking at all.
To her, Zhong Yunxin was merely a task, and she genuinely didn’t care about her.
Thinking about this, Xia Yu felt admiration again for Kong Hanyue’s late husband, who had shown great foresight by establishing those rules.
Otherwise, it was hard to say about Zhong Yunze, but Zhong Yunxin would definitely have been abandoned by Kong Hanyue.
According to the law, Kong Hanyue should have been entitled to a share of the property acquired during the marriage, but she actually received nothing. Xia Yu wondered what legal methods the deceased had used.
When Xia Yu asked, Kong Hanyue explained, “His shares weren’t under his own name but placed under some other institution, so they weren’t considered marital property. He paid himself a salary from the company, only three thousand yuan a month.”
“…”
Indeed, the rich weren’t stupid.
Putting that aside, Xia Yu and Kong Hanyue entered the guzheng room together and continued their practice.
“Oh, right! Yuyu helped Mom with such a big favor, so you must be rewarded!” Kong Hanyue became excited again. “What do you want? Mom secretly saved up 1.53 million yuan. I can give you 500,000.”
She felt a bit reluctant. She had worked hard to get that money, and even when her late husband was alive, she had dared not touch a penny for fear of being discovered.
“Once Mom gets her shares, I’ll buy you a big house. That kid Zeze isn’t careful enough. From now on, Mom will live with you and help you raise your son.”
After resolving Zhong Yunxin’s issue, Kong Hanyue had already begun envisioning the future: “No girls! They’re all disobedient and troublesome. Boys are much better!”
“…Let’s talk about this later. Let’s practice the guzheng first,” Xia Yu said.
Among what Kong Hanyue had just said, the only thing Xia Yu really cared about was the phrase “live together.”
Of course, his own mother should live with him. After all, those two from the Zhong family had no blood relation to him whatsoever.
“Then Mom will keep it for you. When you go to Huadu University, I’ll buy you a car,” Kong Hanyue decided.
She then turned serious and said to Xia Yu, “This 500,000 is just an extra bonus. The real reward Mom wants to give you is something else.”
Seeing her mysterious expression, Xia Yu became curious.
“You wait here,” she said, and left the guzheng room.
Five minutes later, she returned carrying a small square box.
She handed the box to Xia Yu.
It was an iron box, with patterns and words on it:
“East Palace Biscuits”
“…”
Hiding treasures in a biscuit box was a common practice, nothing surprising.
With anticipation, Xia Yu opened the biscuit box and found a photocopied sheet of paper inside.
On the paper was a simplified musical score, with three words printed at the top:
“Water City”
Xia Yu flipped through the score, looked puzzled, and turned to Kong Hanyue: “What is this?”
“It’s a secret guzheng piece passed down in our Kong family. Only the head of the family can learn it. Originally, it was supposed to be given to you only after I passed away,” Kong Hanyue said proudly.
“???”
“You actually kept a guzheng piece from me!” Xia Yu grabbed a nearby book, rolled it into a cylinder, and threatened Kong Hanyue.
“Hmph! Isn’t it normal for a master to keep one or two secret techniques that aren’t easily passed on?” Kong Hanyue argued.
“Don’t make excuses! Do you have any more?”
“There’s another one called ‘Iron Will.'”
“Any more?”
“‘Tears of the Moon’ was originally reserved for Zeze, but you have another one.”
“Do you think you’re a master in a martial arts novel, giving each apprentice a unique skill!”
Under Xia Yu’s pressure, Kong Hanyue eventually handed over all her musical pieces.
The pieces themselves weren’t important—they were all available online. But if Kong Hanyue had held back while teaching, Xia Yu wouldn’t have been able to notice. Making her hand over the scores ensured she would teach honestly.
Looking at the rare musical scores she had given him, Kong Hanyue felt wronged. As she taught Xia Yu, she kept muttering about “disrespecting the master” and “grave disobedience.”
Xia Yi had learned “Water City.” It was a calm and peaceful melody. Xia Yu listened to Kong Hanyue’s demonstration.
In the sound of the guzheng, he felt a city in his heart gradually being submerged by water.
The city disappeared, the noise faded away, and the water surface became tranquil.
All worries and distracting thoughts were buried beneath the water along with the city.
Truly a wonderful piece.
Thinking about how Kong Hanyue had planned to keep it hidden, Xia Yu pinched her cheek again.
They practiced until ten o’clock at night. He took the last bus home.
The next morning, he woke up groggily, opened his bedroom door, and went to the bathroom to wash up.
After finishing, he stretched and sat at the dining table.
When Youxue brought over the bread and bacon, Xia Yu suddenly realized—it was October 8th, a school day, and Yan Wei wasn’t here.
Every morning this week, he had seen Yan Wei upon waking. Suddenly not having her around felt a bit unfamiliar.
He sandwiched the bacon between two slices of bread, took a bite, and frowned.
The bacon was slightly overcooked, and the bread slices were cut too thick.
Yan Wei wouldn’t have made such mistakes.
Before Youxue could look over, Xia Yu quickly adjusted his expression, finished his breakfast, and headed to school.
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