Sun Rain Chapter 41
byLeaving the prosecutor’s office, Shi Meng got into Jiang Xue’s car and headed toward her home.
“I made you pig’s trotters soup,” Jiang Xue said while driving. “It’s good for recovery. Drink a bowl as soon as we get home.”
Hearing the word “home” twice in such a short time, Shi Meng was slightly taken aback. He subconsciously said, “You don’t need to go to all that trouble. I’ll only stay for two days and then leave.”
Jiang Xue paused. “Leave? Go where?”
“Outside Fengcheng,” Shi Meng said. “I want to see other places.”
“But your hand hasn’t healed yet.”
“I can do physical therapy anywhere.”
“Then you’re not finishing your graduate studies?”
“I already spoke to Professor Ma. We’ll keep in touch via email.”
“What about money? You refused the shares, and you can’t paint for a while…”
“I sold my car, and I have some artworks. I’ve asked Sister Xue to help me handle them.”
Shi Meng clearly had everything planned out. Jiang Xue had nothing more to ask. After a long silence, she muttered, “So you never intended to ask for my opinion, you were just informing me.”
She was clearly displeased. Shi Meng let out a breath. “Sister Xue, I can’t keep earning money for you.”
Jiang Xue glared at him. “You think I’m being good to you just so you can earn me money?”
“I know you’re not.” Shi Meng lowered his eyes. “But I actually already…”
—Already had no expectations left, for anyone or anything.
“Alright, alright, as long as you know.” Jiang Xue knew exactly what he was about to say and quickly changed the subject, afraid he might actually voice it. “It’s probably good to leave Fengcheng anyway. The pollution here is too severe. Have you thought about where you want to go?”
Shi Meng shook his head. “Not yet.”
“Then why not Xuncheng, my hometown?” Jiang Xue recommended. “The scenery is beautiful, the air is fresh, and it’s perfect for recuperation.”
Shi Meng blinked and turned to look at Jiang Xue.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Jiang Xue said righteously. “I’m doing this for myself too. I just bought a house there, originally planning to use it for retirement. Now I’ll rent it to you at market price. Do you want it or not?”
Shi Meng hadn’t intended to trouble Jiang Xue further.
During his hospital stay, Jiang Xue had been busy taking care of everything for him. She barely left the hospital, except to go home for clothes, and she helped him follow up on the police investigation. It was undeniably hard work.
Although Shi Meng wasn’t well-versed in social etiquette, he disliked disrupting other people’s lives. Logically, now that he was discharged, he shouldn’t impose on her anymore. However, Jiang Xue had a strong personality and was overly enthusiastic. Once they arrived home, she immediately pulled out photos and videos to show Shi Meng, asking if he was satisfied.
“It’s a detached house with its own courtyard, north-south facing, unobstructed sunlight, and all the surrounding amenities you could need, without the noise of the city center… The renovation cost a fortune. I personally selected all these small decorations, and there’s room for your paintings… Just a short walk outside is the riverbank. It’s truly close to nature, convenient for walks or sketching.”
Jiang Xue praised the house from every angle, like a real estate agent trying to hit a sales target, making it impossible for Shi Meng to find a reason to refuse.
The truth was, the residence he was looking for was exactly like this: quiet, undisturbed, a place where he could live aimlessly, without needing any so-called meaning.
Sensing Shi Meng’s interest in the house, Jiang Xue played her trump card: “Besides, you know how busy I am. I won’t be able to live there until I retire. It’s impossible otherwise.”
Shi Meng knew this was true. Furthermore, besides work, Jiang Xue had recently started dating Gao Lecheng. Except for holidays, she wouldn’t have time to travel to Xuncheng.
“You can rest assured completely.” Jiang Xue keenly sensed Shi Meng’s concern and raised both hands to prove her innocence. “Men can be replaced, but friends cannot be betrayed. Even if I marry him, I won’t give him a chance to leak information to that Fu guy!”
With his last doubt dispelled, Shi Meng’s destination was settled.
The next few days were spent packing.
There wasn’t much to pack, actually. Shi Meng didn’t plan to return to the Shi family or go to the Fu family to retrieve his luggage. Jiang Xue simply bought him several sets of autumn clothes and took time to browse online appliance stores, adding trendy appliances like a garbage disposal, dishwasher, and robotic vacuum cleaner to the retirement home in Xuncheng.
Shi Meng expressed that this was unnecessary: “My hand can still work.”
Jiang Xue shook her index finger. “This has nothing to do with whether you can work. I just want to be a good landlord and let the tenant truly move in with just a suitcase.”
So, as the first leaf fell from the branch, and the people of Fengcheng welcomed autumn overnight, Shi Meng prepared to leave.
Before they left, Jiang Xue handed him a phone. “Yours. It was repaired a while ago, but I didn’t give it to you because I figured you didn’t want to contact those people.”
It was the phone Shi Meng had been using before. The last time he used it was in the heavy rain outside an abandoned warehouse in the suburbs.
After a moment of hesitation, he took it. Shi Meng promised, “I’ll call you if anything happens.”
Jiang Xue pouted. “You’ll only call me if something happens? Call me even if nothing happens, understand?”
Shi Meng agreed. He long-pressed the power button. Just as the phone turned on and he was about to put it in his pocket, it rang.
Thinking it was some inconsiderate person calling, Jiang Xue leaned over to look. Seeing the name “Professor Sun” on the caller ID, she frowned. “Why is he calling you?”
Shi Meng shook his head, indicating he didn’t know.
The phone rang for a long time. After it stopped, it immediately rang again, persistently. Shi Meng finally answered.
The call lasted only a few seconds. After hanging up, Shi Meng looked somewhat bewildered.
“What is it?” Jiang Xue asked.
After a long moment of stunned silence, Shi Meng replied, “Yang Youlan committed suicide.”
The matter traced back to Li Bihan’s visit to cause trouble.
To outsiders, she was merely the legitimate wife going to the mistress her husband kept outside to assert dominance. Those in the know assumed she was only seeking an explanation and venting years of pent-up resentment.
Who would have thought that Li Bihan had gone prepared that day? She had a recording pen hidden in her pocket and a small camera tucked into her bag opening, recording the entire argument with Yang Youlan. She immediately found a lawyer and sued her.
Shi Huaiyi disagreed with this. “It’s been so many years. Why bring up old matters?”
Li Bihan sneered. “He’s your son, so of course you think it’s unnecessary. But Mengmeng is my son, and I must stand up for him.”
“Have you asked him? Does he need you to stand up for him?” Shi Huaiyi advised. “It’s been over twenty years. This matter won’t lead to any result. I think we should withdraw the lawsuit. We should also find some good lawyers to defend Sihui. This whole thing has become very ugly. Do you want all of Fengcheng to laugh at our Shi family?”
Looking at this man who was obsessed with “family harmony,” Li Bihan felt a chilling sense of despair she had never felt before.
“I don’t need to ask anyone about this. It’s what I, as his mother, should do for him,” she stated firmly. “Sihui made a mistake, and she should bear the responsibility. As for whether the grievances from twenty years ago can bring justice to my son, that is my business, and it has nothing to do with you.”
From then on, Li Bihan continued to investigate the events of that year, filing the lawsuit while collecting evidence.
Fortunately, the reason this matter hadn’t exploded sooner was first because no one suspected anything, and later because it was deliberately concealed by those with vested interests. Now, following the clues, they uncovered many powerful leads.
For instance, even in the same hospital, Yang Youlan alone couldn’t have swapped the two newborns without anyone knowing. The moment Sun Yanfeng’s name, as her “protector,” entered the picture, no one was surprised.
Even Jiang Xue provided information during the investigation, mentioning that when the painting theft incident broke out, Sun Yanfeng had pointed out that Shi Meng’s style was similar to Shi Mu’s, intentionally guiding public opinion to believe that Shi Meng had committed the act out of jealousy of Shi Mu’s talent.
Li Bihan was fighting a lonely battle, so the Fu family proactively helped with the investigation. When they found Sun Yanfeng, he was guarding Yang Youlan’s home. As if knowing their purpose, he asked them to wait outside, saying he would turn himself in after finishing the porridge he was cooking.
Sun Yanfeng took all the blame upon himself, claiming that swapping the children was his idea alone.
“Youlan isn’t well-educated. After following Shi Huaiyi, she desperately wanted to become his legitimate wife, but Shi Huaiyi was never serious about her. Later, she had a miscarriage, and then she became pregnant with Mu Mu. I saw her crying all the time, worried that the child wouldn’t have a good life, so I decided to swap them.”
Although Fu Xuanliao was infuriated by this, he maintained his composure. “I know you want to take all the blame, but in court, evidence is what matters. Be careful not to protect the person you intend to, and instead end up with a charge of harboring a criminal.”
When asked about The Flame, Sun Yanfeng maintained his calm tone. “They are both my students. When asked, I could only truthfully say that their painting styles were indeed similar.”
It was clear he was relying on the fact that Shi Mu was deceased, leaving no counter-evidence, allowing him to say whatever he wanted.
Fu Xuanliao asked, “The signature on the painting was added later, wasn’t it? The ink is different from the painting itself.”
Sun Yanfeng’s eyes flickered slightly, but realizing he was being tricked, he quickly regained his composure. “Since the painting is gone, pursuing it further will yield no results. I also feel bad for Mengmeng. Otherwise, why would I have given you his photo? You should know how I treated him all these years if you ask him.”
“How you treated him?” Li Bihan retorted. “You aided and abetted in rewriting his life. Do you think such a profound sin can be wiped clean with belated compensation?”
Sun Yanfeng remained silent.
Facing the person who had harmed her son for over twenty years, Li Bihan’s emotions were understandably unstable. She stepped forward, glaring at Sun Yanfeng, asking how he could bear the title of Shi Meng’s teacher, and how he wasn’t afraid of being haunted by ghosts in his midnight dreams.
“No wonder you cared so much for Mu Mu, treating him so well. Even Shi Huaiyi didn’t know you were involved and thought you were kind to the Shi family,” Li Bihan laughed in her fury. “Kind? You clearly repaid kindness with malice! You and Yang Youlan are truly heartless, one more so than the other.”
Sun Yanfeng tried to explain for Yang Youlan again, saying that she actually loved Shi Meng, but was just harsh-tongued. Li Bihan gritted her teeth. “Was I blind to how thin Mengmeng was when he first came to the Shi family? She herself said she wished Mengmeng was dead!”
It was at this moment that Yang Youlan attempted suicide.
With a clang, a knife dropped to the floor. Sun Yanfeng rushed into the room, seeing Yang Youlan’s arm dangling over the side of the bed and a pool of blood on the ground. He lost his usual composure and quickly picked her up, rushing her to the nearest hospital.
Everyone present followed them, not out of concern for Yang Youlan’s life, but out of fear that she would die before receiving the punishment she deserved.
Therefore, when Shi Meng arrived at the hospital, everyone was surprised, including Yang Youlan, who had just been rescued and was lying in the hospital bed.
He wasn’t actually there to see anyone, but having heard about the incident, he felt it was necessary to come.
He ignored Li Bihan, who approached him, didn’t spare a glance for Fu Xuanliao standing nearby, and didn’t ask why Sun Yanfeng had called him. Instead, he walked unhurriedly to the bedside and looked down at the back of Yang Youlan’s hand, where a needle was inserted.
It was withered and frail, reminding him inexplicably of when Shi Mu was sick, and she had begged him to save Shi Mu, only to cry and curse him, “Why didn’t you die instead?” after Shi Mu passed away.
She had also constantly reminded him to call Shi Mu “older brother” after sending him to the Shi family, yet on Shi Mu’s death anniversary, she would take out her frustration on him because she couldn’t visit the grave.
He also recalled the dumplings they made together before the New Year, her gaze watching him leave in the bleak autumn wind the night before his birthday last year, and how, when they lived in the leaky house in the suburbs when he was a child, she had covered him with a thick quilt on cold winter nights, warming his icy palms.
Occasional warmth, mixed with overwhelming coldness and cruelty most of the time.
Now that she had fallen to this state, Shi Meng thought he would be happy, that he would laugh uproariously at her getting what she deserved. But seeing her so wretched, Shi Meng’s heart was as calm as stagnant water, without a ripple.
He had no interest in asking why she attempted suicide. It had nothing to do with him anyway.
“Are you… here to laugh at me too?” Yang Youlan hadn’t changed at all, still wearing that sharp expression. “Go away, I don’t want to see you. Go enjoy yourself with your rich biological parents!”
Shi Meng turned and left, pretending not to notice her reddened eyes.
He had confirmed what he needed to confirm. He had long lost any attachment to this world, which seemed to believe everyone owed him something, watching him intently, eager for a chance to compensate him.
Downstairs, Li Bihan chased after him, pulling a small thermos from her bag.
“Mom… no, I made you soup. It’s good for bone recovery. I finally had some free time today and was planning to deliver it myself.”
She seemed a little cautious, but the look in her eyes toward Shi Meng was intensely warm, impossible to ignore.
She said, “Whether you believe it or not, I truly didn’t know about the painting five years ago.”
Although Li Bihan had resented that her own son died young while someone else’s son lived well, she had never harbored malicious intent because of it. Her upbringing and moral compass wouldn’t allow her to do so.
“The rest, that Miss Jiang should have conveyed for me,” she said, speaking quickly, as if knowing Shi Meng was about to leave. “I’m dealing with some things right now. Once they’re finished, I’ll come and join you.”
Then, without waiting for a response, she shoved the thermos into Shi Meng’s arms.
Opening the car door and getting in, Jiang Xue saw the item in Shi Meng’s hand, guessed who gave it to him, and felt relieved.
“Is that pig’s trotters soup too?” she asked while starting the car. “Let me have a taste later, it must be better than mine.”
Shi Meng noncommittally placed the thermos on his lap. His fingertip brushed against a raised area. He looked down and saw a small rabbit drawn on the side of the thermos.
He recognized the rabbit. When he first arrived at the Shi family as a child, he would watch the animated series featuring this rabbit every day after finishing his homework.
The thermos was clearly new, and the lid was engraved with the character “Meng” in the slender gold style, proving it was specifically for him.
Shi Meng looked down at it for a long time, pretending not to notice the familiar car following them.
Jiang Xue also noticed, checking the rearview mirror several times. “He’s not going to try to kidnap you, is he?”
Fortunately, it was a false alarm. Fu Xuanliao’s car only followed them to the entrance of the residential area before stopping by the roadside.
As they went upstairs, the phone in Shi Meng’s pocket vibrated. His left hand was occupied holding the thermos, so he forgot about it until he checked the time before bed that night and noticed an unread text message.
The sender was saved in the phone as “001,” and the content was only three words—I am sorry.
001 represented the first, the most important person, causing Shi Meng to instinctively hold his breath.
But only for a few seconds. He exited the message interface and put the phone aside.
About three minutes later, he picked up the phone in the dark again, opened his contacts, removed the “001” from the first entry, displaying only the phone number, and after fumbling for a while, blocked the number.
In the last week of September, Shi Meng finally moved into his new residence in Xuncheng.
He had just gone for a follow-up check-up before leaving, and his right hand was still wrapped in a fixed bandage. He didn’t let Jiang Xue come with him. Fortunately, he didn’t bring much, and he finished organizing everything in one afternoon. That evening, standing on the balcony of the second-floor bedroom, letting the damp river breeze blow across his face, Shi Meng took a deep breath, feeling renewed from the inside out.
The first few days were a bit difficult to adjust to, especially waking up in the morning without anyone nearby and not being able to feel the sweater that had been with him for many years.
Later, his easel arrived. Before sleeping, Shi Meng tried doing quick sketches with his left hand, tiring his body so his sleep quality would improve.
Suddenly having plenty of time, Shi Meng started learning to cook.
Although he already knew how, there was a difference between knowing the basics and being proficient. This time, he was no longer in a hurry for results. He began to pursue things beyond just filling his stomach, such as color, aroma, flavor, and presentation.
Sometimes, when he made a dish that looked good, Shi Meng’s first reaction wasn’t to grab chopsticks and eat, but to hold it up to his drawing board, do a quick sketch, and then slowly savor it.
In short, a person must keep themselves busy.
Li Bihan’s package arrived just as he was starting to adapt to this kind of life.
Shi Meng knew his whereabouts would eventually be discovered, but he hadn’t expected it so soon. So, after seeing the sender’s name, he deliberately left the package unopened.
Two or three days later, another package arrived.
Shi Meng placed them on the shelf in the entryway, seeing them every time he passed by. One night, when he went downstairs to get water, he saw them again and finally couldn’t resist. He tucked them under his arm and carried them upstairs.
There was nothing particularly special inside, except for a packet of flower seeds that looked like worms, a bag of beef jerky he liked as a child, and two letters.
Before becoming a full-time housewife, Li Bihan was a Chinese teacher. Her handwriting was elegant and beautiful, and the letters were pleasant to read.
She would start each letter with “Greetings upon reading this,” and then tell Shi Meng about recent trivial matters in her life, her tone as familiar as an old friend she had known for years, yet maintaining an appropriate distance. She didn’t press Shi Meng about when he would return to Fengcheng, only chatting casually about how “the chrysanthemums in the courtyard at home have bloomed,” and “I have filed for divorce and will soon be free, just like you.”
Shi Meng learned from the letter that the strangely shaped flower seeds would grow into calendula next year. He didn’t like waste, and there was a large empty space in the courtyard outside, so he found a small shovel and buried them in the soil.
The third letter arrived just as Shi Meng received a message from Jiang Xue.
“That Shi Sihui person was sentenced in court today. She’ll get at least five years. And that Yang Youlan and that stinking Sun Yanfeng were arrested together. Your cheap father only found out that Sun was involved in the events of that year and had someone beat him up. He went in bruised, which is truly satisfying!”
As if listening to someone else’s story, Shi Meng murmured, “Oh,” but his mind was on other things.
He didn’t sleep well that night, waking up while it was still dark outside.
He got out of bed, turned on the light, and opened the letter he received today.
The pale yellow stationery had a refreshing, early autumn feel. Li Bihan, as usual, talked about things around her. She briefly mentioned the divorce in two sentences. Since it involved complex asset division, it was clearly not going smoothly.
However, she didn’t seem worried. At the end of the letter, she wrote: I don’t believe in reincarnation or fate, but I believe that what rightfully belongs to me will return to me one day.
What belongs to me… Shi Meng silently repeated the phrase in his heart, as if sensing something.
Just then, there was a knock on the door downstairs.
It was just past eleven o’clock. Shi Meng tiptoed downstairs. When he reached the door, he looked through the peephole, but it was too dark to see anything clearly.
The person outside, however, seemed to know he was at the door and spoke up. “Are you still awake? I saw the light on upstairs.”
Shi Meng was startled by the sudden voice and stepped back, accidentally bumping into the cardboard boxes piled by the door, creating a loud noise.
His guess was confirmed. The person outside laughed, a low, deep voice, a frequency Shi Meng had once loved dearly.
He didn’t ask Shi Meng to open the door, nor did he explain how he found the place. Instead, he stated his purpose first.
“I thought about it later, and an apology is more sincere in person,” he said. “Besides, in another hour, it will be Saturday. If I didn’t rush over tonight, I would miss another week.”