Zhou Jianguo took Mother Chen out of the apartment building and walked on the road back to the urban village. Mother Chen didn’t say much and seemed lost in thought.
“Um, Auntie, actually Master Sun is not that reliable. You can just listen to what these fortune tellers say without taking it to heart,” Zhou Jianguo said carefully as he supported her. “I don’t think they’re that amazing. Only the Gods know a person’s future. Don’t you think so?”
Mother Chen snapped out of her thoughts but shook her head. “No, I think Master Sun is really good at this. How else could he tell that my daughter had a son just from her bazi? Xiao Zhou, my daughter has a tough fate, and so does my grandson. He was born without a father. Let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart, I know my daughter isn’t good to the child. I came here this time to persuade her to bring the child back with her. My husband and I will take care of the child’s daily needs, and it’ll be better for the child. But now, it seems like there’s a reason why the mother and son don’t get along. Anyway, my daughter is determined not to go back, so I’ll take my grandson back to our hometown.”
Zhou Jianguo was shocked. “Auntie, are you sure? Separating the mother and child isn’t good for the child’s development. I shouldn’t have brought you here today. Now I’m the one who caused them to separate.”
“Xiao Zhou, don’t worry. This matter has nothing to do with you. I have to thank you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known where the problem was,” Mother Chen sighed. “In the end, children are debts. My husband and I are almost retired, so it’s okay at home. We should just follow what Master Sun said and raise our grandson well.”
Zhou tried to persuade her all the way, but Mother Chen had already made up her mind.
Finally, Zhou Jianguo had no choice but to say, “If Chen Lan finds out that I took you to see Master Sun and caused them to separate, we probably won’t even be able to be neighbors anymore. She’ll hate me.”
Mother Chen reassured him repeatedly. “Xiao Zhou, don’t worry. I won’t tell her about this. You’re a kind-hearted person. If my daughter encounters anything in the future, she’ll have to rely on you and other neighbors. We all know that a far-away relative can’t compare to a close neighbor.”
After reaching the urban village, Mother Chen mother went upstairs while Zhou Jianguo went downstairs to the basement. He had just sat down and had not even had a chance to take a sip of tea when someone knocked on the door. Upon opening the door, Zhou Jianguo was not surprised to see Luo Bei paying a visit.
“You came just in time. That old lady insisted on thanking me by buying me apples and oranges, but I can’t finish them all myself.”
Luo Bei sat down, and Zhou Jianguo quickly sliced the oranges and placed them in front of her.
“Just wait and see. Within a week, the big matter on your mind will be resolved,” Zhou Jianguo confidently declared.
While nibbling on the oranges, Luo Bei asked, “What exactly is going on? How did you manage to do it?”
“This means I’m just a little smarter than you,” Zhou Jianguo sat on the bed and recounted the details of what happened today, leaving Luo Bei amazed and stunned.
He can do that?
What kind of tricky operation is this?
“Middle-aged women like Chen Lan’s mother, even if they don’t believe in the existence of ghosts and gods, will still have doubts about fortune-telling. Especially since Master Sun was able to calculate information that others couldn’t. After we left the apartment building, I added fuel to the fire and tell her not to believe in fortune-telling. But human psychology is such that the more you tell her not to believe, the more she will believe.” Zhou Jianguo paused and added, “Of course, this old lady still cares about Xiao Jingzhou. If she were like Chen Lan, who sees the child as a burden or a useless mouth to feed, things wouldn’t be so smooth.
“Okay, you don’t have to worry anymore. I think it won’t be long before this old lady takes Xiao Jingzhou back to her hometown. Chen Lan’s parents only have one daughter, so no matter what, they will treat their grandson well. And while Xiao Jingzhou is still here, you should take him out to play these next few days.”
After hearing this, Luo Bei finally felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief as if she had solved a major problem.
In the story, Fang Jingzhou’s grandparents may not be well-educated, but they are good people and have treated him well. However, when Fang Jingzhou came to live with them at the age of ten, his psychological state was already twisted, and his grandparents did not realize it in time. His experiences with Chen Lan had made him different from other children, and as a result, he developed a selfish, distorted and even misogynistic personality.
Fang Jingzhou is only five years old now, and although Chen Lan was not a responsible mother in the past, she at least did not sink to that level of depravity or intentionally abuse her child psychologically. Therefore, Fang Jingzhou is not very different from other children at the moment, and leaving Chen Lan now is the best opportunity.
If they waited two or three more years, even Luo Bei wouldn’t be confident that she could guide Fang Jingzhou back on track.
“I was going to charge you 800 yuan, but I promised you a discount, so I’ll only charge you 600,” Zhou Jianguo said like a businessman. “I talked to the guy at the market, and we agreed on 100 yuan. Master Sun is actually a fortune-teller and can be accurate at times, but he usually just talks nonsense. I have to give him 150 yuan, so the remaining 350 yuan is for my hard work. You can settle the payment now, or you can wait until the old lady takes Xiao Jingzhou back to her hometown.”
Luo Bei took out her wallet from her pocket and gave 600 yuan to Zhou Jianguo. “I think you’re pretty reliable and shouldn’t make any mistakes. I’ll give you the payment now.”
“Okay, after the old lady takes the child away, I’ll take out 150 yuan and treat you to a meal, let’s consider it a celebration,” he said.
Luo Beiwas amused by him, “Okay.”
If she could really successfully change Fang Jingzhou’s childhood, then the 600 yuan she spent was really cheap.
When Luo Bei got up to leave, Zhou Jianguo stopped her at the door and said, “Luo Bei, you’ve done your best and done what you should do. What kind of life Jingzhou will have and what kind of person he will become, don’t be too attached. Everyone has their own way of living.”
“En.” Luo Bei nodded, understanding what Zhou Jianguo meant.
She has always believed that life is like a big movie, with butterfly effects that ordinary people cannot avoid. So even if she knew about the future of Zhao Pianpian and Jiang Sihan, she would not change it. Because no one can guarantee what kind of big changes a small change will bring. She made Fang Jingzhou’s matter as an exception, but she also understood that if she changed this one thing, other things would inevitably happen. This is the butterfly effect.
As she has done her best, what kind of life Jingzhou will have and what kind of person he will become in the future is not something she can change or be obsessed with.
That night, Fang Jingzhou stayed at the Luo family’s house. Mother Chen knew that her grandson had a good relationship with Beibei from the Luo family and didn’t stop him, after all, she planned to take the child away soon. Letting her grandson spend more time with these people was not a bad thing.
Luo Bei and Fang Jingzhou were sitting on the sofa watching cartoons. After a while, she suddenly asked, “Jingzhou, do you have anywhere you want to go or anything you want to eat?”
Fang Jingzhou turned back and calmly asked, “Beibei, do you want me to go back with Grandma?”
Luo Bei was shocked. She had been very discreet these days, even Grandma Luo and Zhao Pianpian hadn’t noticed. But Fang Jingzhou had sensed her thoughts. How sensitive and clever must he be?
Suppressing her surprise, she slowly asked, “Don’t you want to?”
Fang Jingzhou neither nodded nor shook his head. He just said, “Grandma is very good to me. She makes delicious food for me and takes me shopping. But I want to be with Beibei.”
He relied heavily on Luo Bei and didn’t want to leave her.
Luo Bei patted his little head, thought for a moment, and said, “Your mother hasn’t been in a good mood lately. She is very sad and upset. Some adults can handle it themselves, while others need to shift their emotions. Your household registration is still at your grandparents’ house, and it would be more convenient to study in your hometown. Besides, before a child becomes an adult, they need to be with their family. Apart from your parents, your grandparents are also very close relatives to you. They will take good care of you until you grow up. Beibei is not your relative, she is your friend. So I cannot take care of you until you reach adulthood. But don’t worry, even if we can’t meet every day, we will always be the best of friends. When you have time or when I have time, we can go out and play, eat together, or go to an amusement park together.”
Fang Jingzhou probably also understood. He nodded hard and said, “Beibei, I like you the most. If I leave, don’t forget me.”
“No, I won’t. I’ll call you often, and you have to call me too. Beibei likes you the most too.”
Fang Jingzhou hugged Luo Bei’s arm and rubbed it affectionately, “I won’t forget you either. When I grow up, I will come to see you every day.”
“Okay, you promise Beibei, listen to your grandparents, study hard, be happy every day. If something makes you unhappy, you can call me. If something makes you happy, you can also call me.”
Fang Jingzhou thought for a while, “What if I’m very unhappy?”
Luo Bei made a solemn expression and touched her chin, “Then I’ll give you two chances to summon me in a year. When you’re really unhappy, I’ll come to you. But you can only use it twice a year, so you have to use it wisely.”
“Can’t I use it more times?”
“Hey, the travel cost is expensive, and Beibei also have her own life and work. You will also meet new friends, so there won’t be many unhappy times anyway.”
Reluctantly, Fang Jingzhou agreed, “Okay then.”
They’re so cute ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ