Chapter 1520: The First Intense Conflict Between Mother and Son

"Why?"

"You aren't a child anymore, so I can tell you: because she is Qi Heng's younger sister."

"Qi Heng is Qi Heng, and she is she."

When Zirui heard that Qi Shishi was Qi Heng's younger sister, he was shocked at first, but after the shock, he still refused to accept it.

He felt that Qi Heng's mistakes should not be paid for by his younger sister.

Zirui argued his case, debating with his mother: "You are looking at people through colored glasses; it is not fair to Shishi at all."

"How old are you? Have you ever seen the ugliness of society?"

"Fine, even if you haven't seen it, you've read so many books, you should at least know what a genetic code is, right? Have you heard the saying 'dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and the children of mice can dig holes'..."

Shi Youxuan threw everything into the mix, tossing out scientific explanations and old proverbs all at once.

She also said: "Sheng Zirui, where did your usual calmness and wisdom go? You're actually talking to me about fairness? Have all the years of reading in your father's Study gone down the drain?"

"Your father told you that fairness is a rule set by the strong, not a right demanded by the weak; there is no such thing as absolute fairness in this world!"

If it were any other time, Zirui would certainly have admitted that his mother was right!

But now, he seemed possessed, unable to listen to a word.

"You are being unreasonable and sophistical."

Shi Youxuan was furious: "Don't you lecture me on reason; you didn't even know where you were when I was lecturing on reason. From now on, you are not allowed to have any contact with Qi Shishi, do you hear me?"

When people are angry, nothing they say sounds pleasant.

Shi Youxuan had originally intended to talk to her son properly, but the original plan fell through, and there was no talking properly at all.

"I won't listen. This is hegemony. We aren't in a puppy-love relationship; what's wrong with just watching a funny video together? It's such a small matter, and you went as far as to make her lose her job—you're making a mountain out of a molehill! I will prove to you with my actions that the facts are not as you say."

Zirui was usually obedient, but when a child like this becomes willful, it is even more infuriating.

The day after his mother dismissed Qi Shishi, he went to the Welfare Institute!

Qi Shishi was washing clothes in the courtyard and was shocked to see Zirui: "Why are you here? Does Mrs. Sheng know?" As she spoke, she looked behind Zirui, her expression very nervous.

"She doesn't need to know. It was wrong of my mother to dismiss you, and I've come to apologize to you." Zirui smiled.

"There's no need to apologize. Mrs. Sheng didn't do anything wrong; if there is a mistake, it is my family's mistake, and Mrs. Sheng cannot be blamed."

Qi Shishi had lived a life of displacement since she was young, tasting the warmth and coldness of human relationships and seeing all kinds of people. Although she was not old, she was a good judge of character and had her own unique understanding of the world.

"The things from before... do you know about them?"

Qi Shishi smiled. Even though it was a heavy subject, she spoke of it lightly: "Yes, how could I not know about such a huge accident in my family? I know everything, I just didn't say it."

Since the topic had been broached, what followed came naturally.

She asked: "Young Master Shi Yuan is actually my brother's child, right?" Her eyes were bright.

Zirui nodded and admitted: "Yes, how did you know?"

"It's very simple. He looks exactly like my brother. Is he the child of Shi Ran and my brother?"

Zirui:...

No, this misunderstanding was too big; it had to be explained clearly.

"No, no, you're overthinking it. Shi Yuan has no blood relationship with my sister; he is the child your brother had with someone else. It's a long story, do you want to hear it?"

"Yes."

So Zirui told Qi Shishi everything he knew.

He started mainly from when Black Widow came to Jiangzhou to seek revenge on Shi Ran, how the two fought for a long time, and how Black Widow eventually lost and went abroad, but left the child with Shi Ran.

Although he was concise, it still took over an hour for Qi Shishi to understand the situation.

"My god! How could there be such a woman? Black Widow is too much." She didn't have a single good impression of the sister-in-law she had never met.

"Her heart is too cruel. How could she just throw away her own child?"

The children in the Welfare Institute were all abandoned, and there were all kinds of them.

Some were because their families couldn't afford to raise them, some were born with disabilities, and there were also those like her whose parents had both passed away.

It couldn't be helped if one's parents were dead, but to have parents and still be born only to be thrown into a welfare institute—such children were too pitiful, so Qi Shishi felt deep hatred for those who abandoned their own children!

"Your whole family are good people; it was my family that did wrong. I'm sorry for your family."

"Don't say that, you are a good person too."

"Do you believe I am a good person?"

"I believe it."

Qi Shishi's eyes were bright. She smiled at Zirui: "I never dared to tell anyone about my past. My best friend in the Welfare Institute doesn't know my identity either. I don't dare tell them; I only say that I was abandoned by my mom and dad..."

Two young hearts grew closer and closer.

From that day on, Zirui went to the Welfare Institute every day to find Qi Shishi.

He wanted to find her to play, but Qi Shishi was very busy. Her job at the Sheng Family was gone, and she had to find another one, but other jobs were not easy to find.

The job she eventually found was working at a brick kiln at the entrance of the village.

Under the scorching sun, the fifteen-year-old girl had to use her weak body to pull those heavy carts of bricks.

Her gloves were worn through, and her hands were rubbed with large blood blisters.

Zirui didn't want her to do such hard work, but Qi Shishi smiled: "Everyone has their own fate, and this is my fate." She said this at such a young age.

Zirui disagreed: "What fate? In your situation, someone should be looking after you. If you don't dare to speak up, I will report it."

Qi Shishi stopped him: "Don't you dare. If this matter is blown out of proportion, our private welfare institute won't be able to continue operating."

"If it can't continue, that's fine; you can go to a formal Welfare Institute."

Qi Shishi smiled bitterly: "It's not that easy. I am from L Country, not Jiangzhou, so I don't qualify for a formal Welfare Institute. It's fine as long as no one notices me now, but if it really escalates to a certain level, I will be extradited back to my country. Whether I'll even be alive when I get back is uncertain..."

Ever since Qi Heng passed away, L Country had been in civil strife for several years. Now, the common people were not only living in misery, but their personal safety could not even be guaranteed.

People began to miss the era when the Qi Family father and son were presidents.

Back then, settling down and establishing a career was much better than it is now.

But in this world, you can buy any kind of medicine, except there is nowhere to buy regret medicine.

……

Qi Shishi's gloves were tattered and unusable, so Zirui bought a stack of work gloves and gave them to her.

"Thank you, here is the money."

Qi Shishi pulled three thin bills from her pocket, one ten-yuan note and two one-yuan notes; they were sweaty but folded neatly.

Twelve yuan, this was her half-day's wages; the work was exhausting and paid very little, which was why she couldn't bear to buy gloves!