Chapter 127: Who Owes Whom
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
After the others left, only the two of them remained in the living room.
Mei Shu sat calmly at the other end of the sofa and slowly recounted the events of the day. Then, she suddenly looked at Mei Yun and said, “Dad, I want to know why Yanyan’s classmates know so much about our family situation, and why they even call Xanyan a… bastard. Have you and Wang Yue never appeared at the school before?”
Children of Mei Yun’s age don’t fully understand the hurtful impact of their words. They only know that saying such things can hurt others, but they don’t consider the consequences or the harm they cause.
But Mei Shu wanted to know why Mei Xuan was being treated this way by his classmates.
Upon hearing Mei Shu’s words, Mei Yun fell into long silence.
Mei Shu didn’t say anything or rush him, giving him time to think things through.
After a while, just when Mei Shu was starting to feel drowsy, Mei Yun finally spoke softly, “It’s my fault. Whenever Yanyan’s homeroom teacher informed us of parent-teacher meetings, I was always too busy and left it to Wang Yue. I thought she would attend each time, but later I found out that she sometimes used busyness as an excuse to avoid going.”
This might be only one aspect of the problem.
But Mei Yun understanding this showed that he hadn’t completely ignored Mei Xuan.
Mei Shu sighed and said, “Dad, at Yanyan’s age, children have strong self-esteem. Just think about it, during parent-teacher meetings, all the parents are present, except for Yanyan’s. What do you think other students, including the teachers, would think?”
Mei Yun lowered his head in self-reproach, unconsciously clenching his fists on his knees. “Shu’er, are you blaming Dad?”
Mei Shu leaned against the back of the chair, her face cold and severe. “Dad, regardless of whether I blame you or not, you should talk to Yanyan about this matter. Also, I want to ask, has Wang Yue ever been absent from any of Mei Mu’s parent-teacher meetings in all these years?”
Mei Yun was taken aback for a moment. He was about to get angry at Mei Shu, but then he remembered something.
Every time they attended Mei Mu’s parent-teacher meetings, they came back joyfully with a reward that Wang Yue had bought on the way home.
After returning, Wang Yue would praise Mei Mu’s performance in school.
During dinner, he would praise Mei Mu too, and the three of them would enjoy their time together.
But when he thought about it carefully, he realized that such scenes had never occurred with the boys in the Mei family.
Mei Yun suddenly realized that he had been neglecting the four children left by Bai Ling for all these years.
He had always thought of himself as a responsible and caring father, but now he understood that it was just an excuse for his negligence.
“Shu’er, 1 owe you and your siblings so much. Don’t worry, from now on, Dad will never neglect you again.” He thought that since he had missed Mei Mu’s childhood, he should compensate her more.
However, he forgot that doing so would leave him with more debts to his other children.
The one who had been owed the most was Mei Shu.
The thought of having personally sent her to the countryside filled him with an overwhelming sense of self-blame.
Seeing him understand, Mei Shu’s expression softened. “Dad, it’s not too late to start now. The younger brothers haven’t grown up yet. As long as you treat them well, they will surely treat you well too.”
“I understand.” Mei Yun sat on the sofa, looking somewhat dejected.
The usually astute and capable man couldn’t quite lift his head in front of his daughter tonight.
Mei Shu stood up to leave, “I will go back to my room to study now.” She didn’t want to say much to her father.
As long as he could raise her brothers well, it would be enough.
After all, she couldn’t stay in Lin City forever. She would soon be going to the capital for university.
“Wait.” Mei Yun hurriedly stopped her and took out an exquisite little box from his pocket. His fingers unconsciously caressed it for a while before reluctantly handing it to Mei Shu, “This is the necklace your mother left. Dad bought it back again, and from now on, you can keep it with you.”
Mei Shu, who had a cold expression just moments ago, suddenly stiffened all over. She couldn’t even turn around for a while and stared at the small box. Tears flowed uncontrollably.
This was the thing her mother left behind.
“Shu’er.” Mei Yun reached out to wipe her tears and placed the box into her hand with great solemnity. “Don’t be sad. Let this necklace replace your mother and accompany you from now on.”
“Okay.” Mei Shu’s voice sounded muffled as she received the box, but she suddenly lacked the courage to open it.
In this second life, the pain of her mother’s passing hadn’t diminished at all. This would remain the deepest wound in her heart, one that would never heal in her lifetime.
She wiped her tears away abruptly, and the tips of her fingers, clutching the box, turned a faint shade of blue. Then, she lowered her head and ran back upstairs.
The door was shut with a bang as she closed it from the inside. She seemed like a wounded little animal seeking comfort in its nest. But when she lifted her head, she met Mei Xan’s watery eyes..
