TFRLTOP Chapter 47 Part 2

“The material world is in a state of eternal motion and change. On this premise, two concepts were born—absolute motion and relative stillness.”

“Do you know the conceptual difference between motion and stillness?”

Mingming bit her lip and shook her head, dazed.

He stopped, sighed softly. “How can you not even know this? When the spatial position of something doesn’t change, when it’s in a stage of quantitative change while maintaining qualitative stability, it presents as relative stillness. That’s stillness.”

He held her close and kissed her ear. “Just like this right now.”

“As for motion, that’s even easier to understand…”

Mingming suddenly arched her back, a broken sob escaping her lips. She wrenched her hands free, clung desperately to his neck, biting his shoulder because she didn’t even have the strength to push him away.

After a long while, her sobs subsided. At her ear, Yan Junsheng’s voice was gentle, intimate: “Looks like that’s enough studying for today. Next time we’ll keep going—study deeper.”

Mingming shuddered.

That night, when he finally fell asleep, she packed up her money and bedding and fled home in the middle of the night.

“This marriage is impossible, I’m not taking the college exam anymore—boohoohoo!” Mingming was terrified.

The next morning, Chen Weiguo woke to find his daughter squatting by his bed, worry written all over her face. He nearly lost half his life to the scare.

“Damn girl, are you trying to make sure your old man doesn’t live long?” he cursed, clutching his chest.

“Dad, you were coughing way too hard last night. Let me take you to the hospital, okay?”

As she spoke, he coughed again, but no matter what she said, he refused to go.

“You can’t just ignore illness!” Mingming scolded, making him drink honey water. “Have you taken your medicine?”

“I have, I have. Just a cold these past couple of days, nothing serious. Don’t fuss.”

Then something hit him. “Wait, did you come back in the middle of the night? What for? I didn’t even hear you.” He had just been talking with Yuan Chenglong yesterday about parenting worries, so naturally, he was now fretting that his son-in-law had turned out as unreliable as foretold.

“You two fought, didn’t you?”

No, our sex life just imploded, that’s all.

Expression blank, Mingming said, “No fight. I just wanted to stay here a couple of days.”

“No fight, so why’d you come back?”

“Can’t I come home without a fight?”

“You come home and I still gotta take care of you.”

“…Give me that honey water back. I’d rather feed it to the chickens than waste it on you.”

Father and daughter went back and forth like a comedy skit until they heard a voice outside.

“Juan’er? You home?”

“Junsheng? She’s home. What happened with you two? Didn’t fight, did you?”

Yan Junsheng leaned past Chen Weiguo to look at Mingming, smiling. “Of course not. How could we fight? I just insisted on talking politics and economics with her last night, kept her from sleeping, so she’s mad at me. Juan’er, I came to apologize.”

“Get out!” Mingming shot back, cold as ice.

Chen Weiguo was convinced by his half-truths. “Oh, politics. Yeah, Juan’er never did like listening to that.” He ushered them both inside. “Haven’t eaten yet, have you? I’ll cook something.”

“No need, I’ll do it,” Yan said quickly, though he still couldn’t quite bring himself to call him Dad. For Mingming’s sake, he forced himself to stay polite.

He went to take Mingming’s hand, murmured something with a smile that did not look like an apology. Whatever it was, Mingming’s face immediately darkened—she kicked and shoved him straight into the kitchen.

Watching them, Chen Weiguo shook his head. “Sigh. Endless worries.”

Stepping outside, he noticed something. “Junsheng, you came by bike? Let me push it in for you.”

“Oh, right—I forgot all about it. I just came back from mailing a letter at the post office. Rode faster to get back, left it at the gate. No big deal, leave it there, I’ll move it later.”

“What nonsense. Go cook, I’ll push it in,” Chen waved him off.

Mailed a letter? Mingming recalled how, when she got home last night, Junsheng had quickly hidden his letter away.

What didn’t he want her to see?

The system clicked its tongue in her head. “Tsk, tsk. A man who isn’t ruthless can’t hold his ground.”

“What do you mean?”

“When he gave you that money, it was really to win your father over. Now that the back line is stable, he’s probably mailing the rest—cash, food stamps—to his childhood sweetheart in the city. He doesn’t trust you. Tsk tsk. If you can rely on a man, pigs can climb trees.”

“Really? Then I despise him.” Mingming thought about it, then shrugged. “But I didn’t tell him about that extra money I got yesterday either. We’re even.”

Everyone’s hiding something, she told herself.

The system was pleased. Looks like you’re finally edging back toward the main storyline.

Since Mingming refused to go home, Yan stayed at her father’s place too—half a month went by like that.

In the meantime, she dragged Chen Weiguo to the village clinic to get checked. After a few days of medicine, his coughing eased, and he seemed much better.

Feeling safe under her father’s roof, Mingming took full advantage. She bossed Yan around mercilessly, got under his skin in every way possible, and didn’t hold back at all.

Even Chen Weiguo eventually got fed up—not just because of their antics, but because the two freeloaders were eating through his food stores like locusts.

What was this? Leaving their own grain untouched, mooching off his instead?

Sure enough, distance made the heart grow fonder. After two weeks of living under his roof, Chen’s patience was gone. He flat-out demanded they leave.

“Dad, my dearest Dad, you don’t want your adorable daughter anymore?” Mingming clung to the doorframe.

“Out, out, out! Go live your married life at your own house. You can’t just squat here forever!”

Yan chuckled on the side. One look at his face and Mingming knew exactly what he was laughing at. She glared daggers at him.

Just then, Niu Er from the village passed by and called out, “Junsheng! Old Zhao says there’s a package for you at the post office. Came from the city. Don’t forget to pick it up!”

“Got it, thanks, Uncle Niu.” Junsheng ruffled Mingming’s hair. “I’ll grab it now. Be back to help you pack later.”

Mingming clung to her father’s arm. “You go back yourself, I’m not leaving! I want to stay with my daddy!”

“Out! Your daddy doesn’t want you anymore.” Chen pried her fingers off.

“Daddy, please, I’ll eat less! Instead of two eggs a day, I’ll cut down to one every other day, okay?”

“You dare bring that up! The hens can’t even lay fast enough to keep up with you! You’ve stressed them so much that one even laid an underdeveloped egg yesterday. Still not enough for you! I never realized you loved eggs this much!”

“I’ll eat less, I swear!” Mingming begged shamelessly.

While Junsheng went off to the post office, Mingming clung to her father, still trying to win a few more days. Then they heard a commotion outside.

They went out and ran into Chunhua, Huang’s wife.

Spotting them, Chunhua practically ran over, beaming.

“What’s going on, Chunhua?” Chen asked.

“Oh my, Lao Chen, you don’t know yet? Word is the city released some quotas—educated youth might finally get to return to the city!” She was nearly shouting with excitement.

“What?” Chen blinked. Did he hear that right?

“You’re the village head, how do you not know?” Chunhua was suspicious, but quickly brushed it aside, too caught up in her gossip. “You should’ve seen the mess at Guodong’s house this morning.”

“What happened?”

“That Guodong brat is scum. Married and settled here already, but the second he heard there’s a chance to return, he’s talking divorce with Erya! Shameless! Took him ages to beg her father to agree to their marriage, and now this. Oh, I remember—didn’t he first try to court your Juan’er before?”

Chen narrowed his eyes, muttered vaguely, “That so?” but his mind was clearly turning.

Chunhua spat. “And it’s only two quotas! Dozens of educated youth, and who knows if he’ll even get one! Yet he’s already showing his true colors.”

“Oh, and I also heard from Helin this morning…” Chunhua lowered her voice, acting casual. “Junsheng’s family seems to have settled their business. Other villages didn’t get quotas, just ours—two spots. Could it be his parents are calling him back?”

She leaned closer, feigning curiosity, but her eyes glinted with malice. “Hasn’t Junsheng said anything to you?”

Mingming instantly realized it—Chunhua wasn’t here out of concern. She was here to gloat, to see her make a fool of herself.

Mingming rolled her eyes. She wanted to snap back but thought better of it. If the story really followed its course, she would end up the butt of the joke. Still, maybe by then, she’d already be living comfortably in the city with her father.

Just then, Chen’s cough flared again.

Mingming patted his back, worried. “Don’t think too much, Dad. I’ll get you some water—”

But then he bent over, and blood gushed from his mouth.

Mingming froze.

Chunhua screamed, slapping her thigh, “Oh no! Lao Chen’s coughing blood!”

And suddenly, forgotten memories slammed back into Mingming’s mind.

In the original story, when did Yan Junsheng divorce and return to the city?

It was… it was after Chen Weiguo’s death.

How could I have forgotten that?

Mingming stared at the pool of blood, panic rising.