Chapter 36: Dropping Out of School

Chen Liyang turned to look at the boy looking up at him and explained in an equally low voice, “Wanning wet her pants. I’m finding a clean pair to change her into.”

Hearing that his little sister had wet her pants, Zhou Chengdong immediately got out of bed and offered to help look.

He and his second brother usually folded and put away their sister’s clothes, so he could find them with his eyes closed.

Before long, he found a pair of pants.

Chen Liyang took them from him. “It’s late. Go back to sleep. You have to get up early for school tomorrow.”

Still uneasy, Zhou Chengdong followed along as Chen Liyang went to change Zhou Wanning’s pants.

Standing at the bedroom doorway, he watched the man change Wanning’s pants while gently soothing her, feeling a profound sense of strangeness.

Ever since this man had been beaten bloody and carried home, he had turned into a completely different person.

Could he have been beaten to death, and someone else’s ghost had possessed his body?

Otherwise, it was genuinely hard to explain how he had changed so drastically in such a short time.

However, as someone who revered martial strength, he had never believed in tales of supernatural forces and spirits.

Rather than possession, he was more inclined to believe that this severe beating had snapped the man to his senses.

But how long this sudden realization would last, no one knew.

After Chen Liyang finished changing Wanning’s pants, he fetched a towel from the bathroom, dampened it, and wiped the mattress down twice before turning off the light to go back to sleep.

As for Zhou Chengdong, he had already returned to his room before Chen Liyang came out.

Looking through the window, the moon hung high in the night sky alongside a scattering of stars, while the occasional buzz of mosquitoes hummed past his ears.

Zhou Chengdong’s heart grew quiet for no apparent reason, and the burden on his shoulders felt lighter than it ever had before.

Soon, he drifted off into a deep sleep once more.

By the time he woke up, daylight had flooded the room, blazing sunlight pouring through the window and slanting across his bed.

Seeing that his second brother was already up, he hurried out of bed as well.

For several days now, he hadn’t gotten up early to make breakfast, sleeping in until he woke up naturally every morning.

Perhaps Chen Liyang’s indulgence over the past few days had freed him from waking up early in a state of high anxiety, his head constantly filled with thoughts of having to wake up the next morning to make breakfast for his younger siblings.

Just as he expected, stepping out of the room revealed a piping-hot breakfast sitting on the dining table.

Today it wasn’t noodles, but wontons that Chen Liyang had bought early in the morning.

Chen Liyang hadn’t slept well these past two nights, so he had woken up a bit early today, leaving him no time to cook breakfast.

So he had gone out to buy breakfast instead.

The wontons were quite hot, so fearing Wanning might burn herself, Chen Liyang fed her himself.

His own bowl was casually set aside. As Zhou Chengdong watched the man patiently feeding his little sister breakfast, he couldn’t help recalling the scene from last night when Chen Liyang had changed her pants.

To think a man who used to be so short-tempered could be so patient one day.

What kind of mindset had a person like this been in back then, when he committed those unforgivable acts against them?

Sensing the oldest brother’s gaze, Chen Liyang turned to glance at him. Though Zhou Chengdong quickly looked away, Chen Liyang still caught it.

“Dad woke up a bit late today and really didn’t have time to make breakfast, so just make do with this for now,” Chen Liyang explained immediately, assuming the oldest brother simply didn’t like wontons.

Remembering Chen Liyang’s cooking skills, Zhou Chengnan replied, “This is fine, actually. You don’t need to go out of your way to make breakfast for us.”

Chen Liyang thought he was showing concern for him and smiled slightly. “It’s no trouble. ‘The plan for the day begins in the morning^[1].’ You need to eat well to have energy for class.

“From now on, Dad will do his best to make breakfast for you all. You won’t need to do household chores either. Just focus on your studies.” Chen Liyang spoke with utter sincerity.

Speaking of school, Zhou Chengdong realized that with his grades, there was no way he could get into a key high school^[2], and even getting into a regular high school would be a stretch.

So he said, “Once exams are over, I plan to go work at a martial arts hall. I’ll use the money to supplement the family expenses, and I hope you can take good care of my younger brothers and sister.”

To his surprise, Chen Liyang flatly rejected the idea the moment he heard it. “No!”

Zhou Chengdong assumed “no” meant Chen Liyang was afraid he would distance himself from the family once he started working, so he immediately offered a guarantee. “Don’t worry, I won’t abandon my brothers and sister. Aside from essential living expenses, I’ll hand over every single cent I earn to you. It’s just that once I start working, I won’t be able to look after things at home, so I can only trouble you to take care of them.”

Chen Liyang frowned, making Zhou Chengdong’s heart tighten. Is even that not enough?

Does he insist that I hand over every single cent?

If that were really the case, he would have to find a job that provided room and board.

“Big Brother, we don’t need his care! Save the money you make for yourself. You’ll need it to marry a wife in the future!” Zhou Chengxi snapped, having no intention of indulging Chen Liyang.

Just because he had acted like a good person for a few days, did he really think he could dictate their lives?

Chen Liyang acted as if he hadn’t heard Zhou Chengxi at all. Fixing his gaze intently on the oldest brother, he said, “You’re only fifteen years old. You’re at the age where you should be studying—what job are you talking about working?

“I’m your father. Supporting this family will never fall to your shoulders, no matter what happens.”

When those words left his mouth, everyone turned to look at him.

Zhou Chengdong had never expected that to be the reason behind his refusal.

Yet he remembered clearly that at the beginning of his third year of middle school, the man had repeatedly told him that going to school was a waste of money, and that he should drop out early to work and lighten the family’s burden.

Now he was the one telling him to study hard and not to worry about supporting the family.

Which one was the real him? Zhou Chengdong felt more confused than he had ever been in his life.

Seeing the varied looks they were giving him, Chen Liyang knew the original owner had left a deeply ingrained impression in their minds.

Because of that, his current changes seemed completely unbelievable to them.

But he didn’t plan to give them time to adjust gradually. He was himself, not some so-called original owner.

One day, he would make them accept who he was now.

With that thought in mind, Chen Liyang continued, “I’m the head of this household, and what I say goes.

“You’re going to school no matter what. If you don’t get into high school, then you’ll repeat a grade^[3].

“You’re all smart kids. Dad believes that as long as you work hard, you’ll definitely succeed in your studies.”

Given Chen Liyang’s firm tone, Zhou Chengdong ultimately couldn’t bring himself to bring up working again.

Watching him silently eat his wontons, Chen Liyang felt deeply uneasy inside.

The eldest son eventually becoming a mercenary had a lot to do with him dropping out of school.

If he could stop him from dropping out and treat Wanning well, perhaps he could alter his trajectory from the book.

Besides, come summer vacation, he would also need to find a way to keep Zhou Chengdong from fighting in underground matches.

The kid had recklessly risked his life in underground fights just to afford taking his little sister to the hospital to find out why she couldn’t speak, getting himself horribly injured in the process. No matter what, Chen Liyang couldn’t allow that to happen.