Chapter 408 - 404: The Cruel Truth

Chapter 408: Chapter 404: The Cruel Truth

"Don’t worry."

Luo Hongyi looked at Gu Nuan Nuan and continued slowly, "If I were to make the same mistake twice, I’d be a true fool. In fact, I already figured it out in my last life. In their eyes, I was probably just someone to be exploited. If they truly had my best interests at heart back then, they wouldn’t have—and more importantly, shouldn’t have—treated you that way. To put it bluntly, weren’t they just doing all that to get more out of me?"

"..."

Gu Nuan Nuan paused for a long while before saying, "As long as you’ve truly figured it out, that’s what matters. My only fear is when someone sees things clearly but chooses to remain confused." ’For Luo Hongyi to say that, it seems he really has thought it all through,’ she mused. ’His clarity will make my future path of "slaying demons" smooth and unobstructed, which is obviously a wonderful thing.’ The corners of her lips couldn’t help but curl into a smile.

’Nuannuan, still so easily satisfied.’

Luo Hongyi smiled along with her, a complicated feeling stirring in his heart.

’If only those people from my hometown had an ounce of contentment in my past life, or could have reined in their insatiable greed... If only they had understood that a small stream flows for a long time, that they should have planned for the long run instead of draining the pond to get all the fish. They just kept taking from us as if it were their right, all while deliberately destroying the relationship between my wife and me. If they weren’t so avaricious and had shown just a little bit of genuine affection for my son, instead of treating him as a mere tool to line their pockets... If they hadn’t just feigned affection on the surface while being utterly cold to him in reality, wouldn’t Nuannuan and the child’s hearts have been won over eventually?’

’Other people might not know, but could those who interacted with her not have known how easy it was to win Nuannuan’s heart? She’s the type of person who, if you give her a drop of water, she’ll want to repay you with a gushing spring. The hardships of her childhood didn’t make her bitter; instead, they made her more sensitive, and especially grateful when faced with the goodwill of others.’

’Unfortunately, kindness is destined for a bad end when it encounters the wrong people. All of my what-ifs were just that—what-ifs. In my last life, the actions of my family might have fooled me, but they couldn’t fool a child who was only a few years old, yet already sensible enough to know right from wrong and stood firmly by his mother’s side.’

’That’s why, in the end, they couldn’t even tolerate the child who was their own grandson and nephew.’

’Haoyang falling into the water was indeed an accident. But it wasn’t that they couldn’t save him, and he didn’t have to die. It was all because they secretly harbored a dark and absurd idea: that if Haoyang died, my wife and I would have no heir and would eventually be forced to choose one from among their other nephews. Because of this, they deliberately ignored him and delayed the crucial first moments of the rescue...’

He would never have been able to uncover such a cruel truth, but someone eventually broke down and confessed it all.

Thinking of his son, and of the many years after Nuannuan’s death when he only had Shengnan left... He remembered how he had insisted on giving the family fortune to his daughter as her dowry instead of passing it to a nephew. He recalled the words his sister-in-law had blurted out in a fit of rage after he did so. At the memory, a dull ache throbbed in his chest once more.

’So it turned out it wasn’t just one or two of them who wished me ill, who wished my wife and children ill. Most of my so-called family had been involved, and those who weren’t had chosen to conceal the truth... Just how stupid had I been? What unforgivable wrong had I done to them to deserve such treatment from my own kin?’

’Perhaps Nuannuan had sensed this cruel truth long ago, which was why she was so reluctant to let our son return to my hometown alone. But I just had to insist... Just how stupid was I in my past life to have been so completely fooled? Why didn’t I ever stop to think that Nuannuan has always been an incredibly soft-hearted, kind, and generous person? If she could be so giving even to strangers, how could she possibly have been stingy with my own family?’

’A dragon has a reverse scale—touch it, and you die.’

’In this life, I will never again acknowledge them as my family.’ As they walked on, Luo Hongyi’s resolve hardened further.

His heart was heavy with pent-up frustration, and he quickened his pace as if to vent his anger. Seeing his tense expression, Gu Nuan Nuan felt suspicious but said nothing, simply matching his speed. Finally, Luo Hongyi stopped and surveyed the area. "We’re here."

"Here?"

Watching Luo Hongyi pull five large backpacks from a hidden spot and place them in his storage ring, Gu Nuan Nuan also looked around and called out to Cao Cao in her mind, "Why does this place look a little familiar?"

"Of course it looks familiar! This is really close to where we were digging the gold mine, isn’t it? We’ve been here before. We dumped some waste ore just two turns ahead of here." Cao Cao popped out, instantly energized, and replied in a flurry. Twiddling its fingers, it shot Luo Hongyi a resentful glance. ’Hmph! The moment the male master appears, he steals my master away. Master’s been so busy talking to him that she’s ignored me for ages. It’s so unfair!’

"What is it?" The moment Gu Nuan Nuan’s attention drifted, Luo Hongyi noticed. He asked, puzzled, "Is something wrong with this place?"

"Nothing’s wrong. This is near the area I was staying in before. I just never imagined I was so close to you." Gu Nuan Nuan smiled.

"That’s right, I haven’t asked you yet. What exactly did you come here for?" Luo Hongyi asked.

"I originally came for raw stones." Gu Nuan Nuan casually took out a piece of the Jade she had cut and showed it to Luo Hongyi. "See this? I got it from stone gambling over in Ju State. Nan’an Country is where they originate, so there are many more of them here. I want to take advantage of the situation and collect more now so I can open a jewelry store later and save up for our two children—a bride-price for our son and a dowry for our daughter."

Luo Hongyi frowned as he looked at the piece of Jade. "I don’t remember you being particularly fond of these things before. Was it because you didn’t want to add to my pressure back then, so you wouldn’t say it even if you liked them?"

"That’s partly true, but not entirely. I mean, everyone likes beautiful things. But back then, by the time we could have afforded something like this, the price was already sky-high. We only had the money you earned through blood and sweat, and we still had to feed all those people from your hometown. Even if I had wanted to like these things, I just couldn’t bring myself to."

Luo Hongyi handed the piece of Jade back to her. "When it comes down to it, I was just too useless back then."

Gu Nuan Nuan tossed the Jade directly back into her storage ring. "You have nothing to blame yourself for. To be honest, I was never particularly fond of them anyway. You know I’ve always been a practical person; I don’t have much ambition or desire for luxuries that are beyond my means. In my opinion, these things are just adornments. It’s nice to have them, but it changes nothing if I don’t."

"It’s a man’s job to support his family. It seems I didn’t do a good enough job of that in our last life. But you don’t have to worry about money in this life. Over the years, besides the money I’ve earned from my official company, I’ve also used my foreknowledge of certain events to make quite a bit on the side. I’ve acquired some assets out there, and they’re all registered directly in your name."