C8 The Childhood of the Big Boss

Heming got in trouble with his mom today and was too scared to go home, plus he was starving. But he wasn't worried; he had already planned to sneak into his grandma's house through the window.

His grandma lived alone in an old house halfway up the hill, keeping it tidy and taking care of herself. The village elementary school was also on the hill, so ten-year-old Heming and Heqiu passed by after school, just in time to hear their grandma yelling about someone stealing her sweet potato strips.

Rushing over, Heming saw his grandma holding a bowl with half the sweet potato strips missing, pacing in front of the house, trying to catch the thief. Despite her shouting, Heming didn't run. He stayed perched on the windowsill, continuing to munch on the food, until his brother caught him red-handed.

Heqiu had caught his little brother in the act and was planning to take him home to face their parents. Meanwhile, Bai Qiaoqiao was looking up at Heqiu with a silly grin, which made Heqiu pause and give her a rare smile in return.

Bai Rui was stunned. "Wow! He smiled! He can actually smile!"

Heqiu casually took the large bamboo shoot that was half as tall as Qiaoqiao from her arms and said, "Come on, I'll walk you home." Without waiting for the Bai siblings to respond, he grabbed the bamboo shoot in one hand and his mischievous brother in the other, and started walking.

Qiaoqiao quickly ran to catch up with them.

In her previous life, she didn't interact much with Shen Heqiu, partly because of Bai Xiuxiu, but also because Shen Heqiu was quite aloof and always busy. Despite everything, he was genuinely a good person. Even when things got ugly between the Shen and Bai families because of Bai Xiuxiu, Shen Heqiu tried his best to help the Bai family when they were in trouble.

He even risked everything during the fire that took Bai Qiaoqiao's life, rushing in to save her. Unfortunately, Bai Qiaoqiao couldn't hold on afterward. But it wasn't all bad... being reborn at three years old was much better!

She was thrilled, sticking close to Shen Heqiu's side, looking up at him with starry eyes. Who would have thought that even as a child, he was so reserved and mature? You could already see the steadiness that would one day support his family. As he grew older, he became incredibly handsome, even more so than her dashing second brother, Bai Liang. Looking at his eyebrows and eyes now, you could already tell...

Shen Heqiu's pace gradually slowed. He looked down patiently and asked, "Qiaoqiao, what's up?"

Bai Qiaoqiao beamed up at him, "Nothing."

Shen Heqiu, a bit puzzled, glanced at the bamboo shoots in his arms and chuckled, "Are you following the bamboo? Don't worry, I'll make sure it gets home."

Bai Qiaoqiao laughed, "No, I'm following you, Heqiu!"

Bai Rui was stunned. Since when did his sister become so clingy?

Shen Heqiu didn’t mind, though. He actually liked little Qiaoqiao. He just smiled and kept walking, though his pace was noticeably slower this time.

Shen Heqiu walked Bai Rui and his sister Qiaoqiao back home, then dragged his own brother back for a scolding.

Qiaoqiao stood at the door, waving, “Goodbye, Brother Heqiu!”

Shen Heqiu waved back without turning his head.

In the kitchen, Lin Yuefen was cooking, and the sound of scraping the pot could be heard again. Bai Rui dashed in, shouting, “Auntie! Auntie, I brought back some bamboo shoots!”

...

As night fell, Bai Feng returned from school with his three younger brothers. Lin Yuefen, mindful of the two younger kids at home, made dinner early and reheated it when the older ones returned. After a day at school and a trek through the hills, they were all ravenous, devouring their meals as soon as they sat down.

Bai Rui ran over, showing off, “Qiaoqiao and I dug up these bamboo shoots.”

Bai Feng smiled and said, “Good job. But remember, don’t just play around. Help Auntie more often.”

At seventeen, Bai Feng wasn’t as easily distracted as the younger kids. His eyes still carried a deep sadness.

After dinner, he instructed his three younger brothers, "Go do your homework."

Bai Liang nodded and led the twins, Bai Jin and Bai Xi, to start their assignments. Instead of doing his own work, he sat beside Bai Shengli, who was making shoes by lamplight, and helped him out.

Bai Shengli asked, "Did you finish all your homework?"

Bai Feng replied, "I finished it at school."

Since Bai Shengli hadn't had much schooling himself, he didn't know what senior year was like, so he didn't press further. As he hammered the shoe soles, he said, "Don't worry about things at home. Business was good today; it's a good sign."

Bai Feng acknowledged with a simple "Okay."

Making shoes required skill, and Bai Feng had picked up some basics from watching since he was young. He busied himself with tasks he could manage. Bai Shengli, aware that his nephew was troubled, was glad he chose to stay close and tried to ease his mind with conversation.

They worked until past ten at night. It wasn't until Lin Yuefen came to call him that Bai Shengli hurried Bai Feng off to bed.

"You have to get up early tomorrow. Don't overwork yourself; focus on your studies," he advised his nephew.

Bai Feng nodded, muttered "Okay," and left quietly.

Watching him go, Lin Yuefen was worried. "Is he going to be alright?"

She had been observing from the side and felt relieved when she saw Bai Feng was willing to talk.

Bai Feng answered each of Bai Shengli's questions one by one, not really speaking up on his own, which made Bai Shengli's heart tighten.

Bai Shengli sighed, "It's not something that can be resolved quickly. Asking him to take the test under these circumstances is really tough on him."

Lin Yuefen said, "What if he doesn't pass?"

The chances for kids from rural areas to pass were never high, but both Bai Feng and Bai Liang had good grades. Bai Liang, in particular, always ranked first in school. Bai Feng wasn't far behind, and Bai Shengli and his wife believed he had a good shot too. But now, with the test approaching, the family was facing this crisis...

"If he doesn't pass..." Bai Shengli licked his dry lips and said, "We'll just encourage him to try again next year."

Lin Yuefen replied, "He might not want to."

The kids' parents were rarely home, so she practically raised Bai Feng herself. She knew how determined he was. With his parents gone, as the eldest, he wouldn't just sit around doing nothing. Although the family hadn't yet decided how to divide the responsibility for the children, Bai Feng was likely already thinking about finding work.

Bai Shengli and Lin Yuefen couldn't let that happen; they were determined to make sure he took the test at least once. But what if he didn't pass this time? He might not want to take it again.

Bai Shengli thought for a moment and said, "Then he can stay and learn a trade with me."

There's no way we can send him off to do manual labor. Both of them, being from the countryside, don't know much, but they do understand that physical work is a young person's game. They can't let their child go down that path. In the past couple of years, selling shoes has brought in some money, but he believes learning a trade is the better option. Once you master a skill, if you can talk the talk and sell, you can make a living.

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