MDPWU Chapter 15

| Previous | Table of Contents | Next |

"Your voice sounds like you're strangling a chicken—don't show off. Learn from me," Zhou You grinned smugly at Tong Tong, flashing his teeth as he waved toward Pei Yun outside the window.

Pei Yun hesitated for a moment before lifting her hand and waving back.

Tong Tong: "…………"

Whose mom is she, exactly?

Furious, Tong Tong shoved Zhou You away from the window. "Mom! Where are you going?"

"I was coming to find you!" Pei Yun shouted back. "Did you hurt your leg?"

Tong Tong was stunned. His mom hadn’t even seen him—how did she know?

"Wow, your mom has X-ray vision!" Zhou You teased.

"My leg is fine!" Tong Tong replied.

Pei Yun didn’t respond but hurried back toward the house.

When she arrived, Zhou You greeted her with a smile before heading off, sensing that mother and son had something to talk about.

And he wasn’t wrong.

Pei Yun knelt down on the floor, carefully inspecting Tong Tong’s bruised ankle.

"It’s nothing, Mom." Tong Tong frowned as he tried to pull her up. "It just looks bad, but it doesn’t hurt."

"You went looking for me last night, didn’t you?" Pei Yun suddenly asked.

Tong Tong froze for a moment before lying guiltily, "…No."

"The neighbor downstairs told me someone fell into the lake last night," Pei Yun said with a frown. "As soon as I heard, I thought of you."

"It wasn’t me… I’m not that dumb—I wouldn’t fall into a lake," Tong Tong muttered.

"My son may not be dumb," Pei Yun chuckled, "but he sure isn’t clean. The carpet is covered in mud. If you're going to lie, at least shake it off first."

"…………"

Tong Tong instinctively glanced toward the carpet by the sofa.

"Alright, I know you were worried about me," Pei Yun said as she examined his foot again. "Let's go to the hospital and get it checked."

After the hospital visit, the doctor confirmed that while his foot wasn’t severely injured, it was close to the point of needing a cast.

No wonder Tong Tong had trouble putting weight on it.

The doctor prescribed medication and wrapped his ankle with bandages for support.

After that, Tong Tong and his mother headed to the inpatient ward to visit his father.

The hospital room was quiet; his father was asleep.

Tong Tong limped inside and gently pulled the blanket up over him.

Pei Yun watched from the side with a smile.

Tong Tong smiled too, making several funny faces at his dad.

But they didn’t stay long. Pei Yun soon led him out of the room.

"What’s wrong?" Tong Tong asked.

"The doctor said your father’s condition has stabilized after dialysis. His blood pressure has gone down. Even if we don’t find a kidney donor, his condition is still better than before," Pei Yun said with a smile. "If things continue improving, he can be discharged soon. He’ll just need regular dialysis."

"That’s great!" Tong Tong said excitedly.

"It is, but…" Pei Yun lowered her head, unable to finish her sentence.

"What is it?" Tong Tong asked, confused.

"We’re almost out of money…" Pei Yun admitted with difficulty.

Tong Tong’s brows furrowed tightly, his expression darkening.

He had never imagined that his family would one day struggle financially.

Ever since their troubles began, he had been unable to help with anything. If his mother was bringing this up now, it meant they were truly out of options.

Mr. Tong Jingshen and Mrs. Pei Yun had always been in perfect sync when it came to shielding him from hardship.

"Sell my violin," Tong Tong suddenly said.

Pei Yun’s eyes turned red in an instant. She clutched her son's hand tightly. "I'm sorry."

Their family really had run out of money. They had already mortgaged everything they could and sold everything they could bear to part with.

The only thing left was the violin that had accompanied Tong Tong since he was a child.

She had been struggling with how to tell her son about it, but she just couldn’t bring herself to say it.

That violin was a gift from Tong Tong’s grandfather for his eighth birthday.

Tong Tong had been learning to play the violin ever since.

As a child, he had to sleep with the violin in his arms every night, not allowing anyone to touch it.

Pei Yun couldn’t bring herself to say that they had to sell Tong Tong’s violin.

She knew that if the violin was sold, Tong Tong’s world might truly change.

“It’s okay. Once I start earning money, I’ll buy it back,” Tong Tong pretended to be indifferent. “I haven’t been playing much lately anyway. It’s fine.”

Pei Yun lowered her head without saying a word. Her tears dripped onto the cold hospital floor, one by one.

Seeing his mother like this made Tong Tong feel even worse.

He reached out and hugged her. “It’s okay, Mom. We can buy another violin in the future. Don’t be sad.”

Pei Yun cried for a while before slowly calming down.

She forced a small smile at Tong Tong, signaling him not to worry.

Tong Tong remained silent for a moment before suddenly speaking. “Mom, can you ask the music store if I can teach students there on weekends?”

“No.” Pei Yun rejected him without hesitation.

“It’s fine. Even if I don’t study on weekends, I can still rank first in my class.” Tong Tong knew what she was worried about.

“No,” Pei Yun refused firmly, unwilling to compromise. “You just need to focus on school.”

Tong Tong frowned. His mother’s expression was too resolute.

But given their family’s situation, they needed another source of income. His mother alone couldn’t manage it.

“Go home now. You still have evening study sessions,” Pei Yun patted his back. “I’ll stay here with your dad a little longer.”

“Okay.” Tong Tong nodded.

He slowly walked out of the hospital, not taking the bus. Instead, he walked all the way home.

Sitting on the couch in a daze for a while, he suddenly remembered he should take a look at his violin.

Tong Tong found the violin case tucked inside a compartment of the bookshelf.

The heavy black wood was slightly worn, but inside, the violin remained delicate and exquisite.

It gleamed as if it were glowing.

Tong Tong took it out and stared at it for a long time. Just as he was about to put it back, he hesitated.

He reached for the bow as well.

Closing his eyes, he rested the violin against his chin and gripped the bow tightly in his other hand.

He took a deep breath and slowly placed the bow on the strings.

The world fell silent—no honking cars from downstairs, no sounds of flushing from upstairs, not even the whisper of the wind.

It was as if someone had pressed pause.

But only for a second. In the next instant—

A gentle yet lively melody flowed with Tong Tong’s breath, guided by the bow, carried by the wind, dancing through the small room.

When the piece ended, a sudden burst of applause startled him. Tong Tong snapped his eyes open.

It was Zhou You.

Zhou You had somehow slipped in without him noticing. He was leaning against the doorframe, clapping with a grin.

His applause was loud and enthusiastic.

Tong Tong was suddenly reminded of the first time he had performed on stage with his violin. The applause back then had been just like this.

Warm and thunderous.

The sounds overlapped in his mind—the present blending with that memory.

He didn’t know why, but his nose suddenly tingled. When he looked down, he saw teardrops landing on his violin.

“Hey!” Zhou You froze in place before exclaiming in a flurry, “Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry! Was my applause really that bad?”

Tong Tong cried even harder, feeling like he couldn’t breathe. He simply crouched down, hugging his violin.

Tears streamed down his face, his eyes turning red—like he was bidding farewell to the past.

When the sun rose tomorrow, he would have to muster the courage to face a world full of hardships.

He felt overwhelmed. How had things come to this? He wasn’t ready.

No one had told him to be ready. Time had changed everything before he even had a chance to react.

Zhou You stood there, stunned for a long time. Then, without a word, he crouched down too, wrapping his arms around both Tong Tong and the violin, pulling them into his embrace.

He didn’t understand what had happened, but right now, Tong Tong looked just like he did when he had been abandoned as a child.

Back then, he had only wished that someone would hold him.

Not ask questions. Not say anything. Just stay.

The two of them huddled together on the floor like little mushrooms for half an hour.

“…Zhou You.” Tong Tong finally spoke, his voice hoarse.

“It’s okay. Don’t be sad.” Zhou You comforted him like a child, rubbing his back.

“No…” Tong Tong struggled to get his words out. “You’re choking me…”

“………………”

“I… I can’t breathe…”

“………………”

Zhou You hurriedly lifted him onto the bed and scrambled to find the asthma inhaler on the desk under Tong Tong’s instructions.

Tong Tong took a puff—he was literally being suffocated by Zhou You’s hug.

“You played so well you made yourself cry, huh?” Zhou You teased, leaning in. “Look at those red eyes. You look like a rabbit.”

Tong Tong wiped his face, smiled faintly, and nodded without explaining.

Some things could only be swallowed down. Whether they were digestible or not was his own problem.

That night, he skipped evening classes and fell asleep holding his violin.

The next morning—

Tong Tong handed the violin case to his mother.

Pei Yun frowned, reaching out to touch his face.

Tong Tong smiled and waved at her before heading out the door.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw Zhou You.

Zhou You was leaning against the wall, head lowered, hands stuffed in his pockets.

A bag was slung across his shoulder, unzipped, revealing the corner of a book inside.

Hearing the door open, he immediately straightened up, waved, and grinned. “I’ve been waiting forever. What took you so long?”

Zhou You looked fine, but his voice carried a heavy nasal tone.

"You caught a cold?" Tong Tong frowned and asked.

"I'm fine." Zhou You explained, "Last night, the upstairs unit had another leak, so I slept in the living room. Fell to the floor, and woke up like this."

"I have medicine at home. I'll get it for you." Tong Tong said.

"No need! I'm really fine." Zhou You clenched his fist and struck a strongman pose. "Solid as a rock."

"Wait a sec." Tong Tong turned around and went back inside.

Zhou You didn't even have a chance to stop him.

A short while later, Tong Tong came out with a glass of warm water and some cold medicine.

After taking the medicine, Zhou You crouched down to check Tong Tong’s foot. "Why are you still limping? What did the doctor say?"

"It's nothing, just a sprain." Tong Tong replied.

"Let's go, I'll carry you downstairs." Zhou You stood up, ready to pick him up.

"I can walk down by myself. It doesn’t hurt as much as yesterday." Tong Tong took a step back, then lowered his head and quietly explained, afraid Zhou You would misunderstand. "You're sick, you must not be feeling well either."

"No big deal! Did I ever tell you? I used to have a big dog." Zhou You chuckled. "Carrying you is just like carrying my old dog."

Tong Tong: "…………"

"You're a bit heavier than the dog, though." Zhou You even emphasized, "But it feels more solid!"

Tong Tong turned and went straight down the stairs.

"Hey! What? Why are you mad again?" Zhou You hurried to catch up, frowning as he tried to figure out what he had said wrong.

It took him a second, but then—bam—realization hit.

Zhou You quickly grabbed Tong Tong’s wrist. "My bad, my bad. You're lighter than the dog! Really!"

T/N: Please support the ko-fi page for more updates🍂🍂🍂