Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 60 (Part 1)
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Translated by Pure
Chapter 60.1 "You even dare to twist the words of the Bodhisattva?"
There were a total of 108 beads in the string of red sandalwood buddhist bracelets. The surface of each bead has been polished to a shiny glenn[1] from the owner's many years of wearing. The scriptures on the surface of the wooden beads were engraved by Xiao Chi himself. A little rough as it was done back when he was a fifteen-year-old.
He had studied art, sculpture, and many other things in the past. All unbeknownst to Shu Yuan.
She and her husband were doing diplomatic work, which was really busy. The country was currently developing, and there were countless burdens on their shoulders at every moment. She was not at home often, and neither was Xiao Shenxing. For most of the year, the couple traveled abroad and all around the world. In her memory, her pair of children were still in a state of ignorance, still in their youth. At that time, Xiao Chi was often troubled by his soft and curly hair. But it seemed that in the blink of an eye, this child had grown up to the point where even she had trouble reading his thoughts.
It was the same for Xiao Miao. She would insist on projecting a cold front whenever they were outside. Yu Shuyuan once questioned her motives, but her daughter didn't want to confide in her. When children grew up, they would gradually no longer be restrained by their parents. This was a helpless rule of life.
But even so, it didn't mean she could easily accept this reality!
The Xiao Family always advocated for peaceful and rational solutions. Yu Shuyuan stared at the prayer beads twirling in her son's hand. She felt a strong sense of oppression from its impetuous turning speed and the slight sound of collision. It quickly awakened herself back to her senses, and turned to look at Xiao Chi's eyes. Those dark pupils were like a bottomless cold pool but it lacked Buddha nature in them. Yu Shuyuan regained her composure and stopped raising her sharp voice. She glanced towards the door, as if she could penetrate time and space to catch the young man who left here just now.
In an instant, Lin Jingzhe's height, appearance, choice of clothing, expression, and even his somewhat messy short hair all came to her mind. He was a child with exceptional conditions.
She pulled a chair and sat down. Yu Shuyuan stopped raising her voice, straightened her back, and said solemnly, "We need to talk."
Her business-like attitude, on the contrary, eased Xiao Chi's tense aura. He stared intently at his mother for a moment, then changed his sitting position, restraining his sluggish attitude.
Yu Shuyuan carefully began with a relatively non-aggressive question, "Is he the child you want to bring to our home for dinner?"
Xiao Chi answered, "Yes."
"Have you been together for a year?" Yu Shuyuan asked, "You are also living with him when you move out?"
Xiao Chi: "Yes."
Yu Shuyuan took a deep breath. Her son's attitude made her feel that she had encountered a difficult problem, "He’s a man!"
Xiao Chi obviously couldn't understand her resistance, "Apart from this, is there anything else you are dissatisfied with?"
Yu Shuyuan was pulled into his pace, and couldn't help but follow this line of thinking. Lin Jingzhe's height, appearance, age, education background, and his gentle aura were what all mothers in her age group preferred. Compared with Xiao Chi's personality that could suffocate people to death, Yu Shuyuan had hoped that her own son was someone similar to Lin Jingzhe. Not to mention that the latter had founded New Beginnings Real Estate by himself. To build a company up to its current standing from scratch, his ability was without a doubt...
No no no!
Yu Shuyuan quickly interrupted her own thoughts. "Xiao Chi, don’t play with me. You should understand why this is difficult for me to accept."
Xiao Chi laughed. His voice echoed in the office, completely incompatible with the current tense atmosphere.
Yu Shuyuan asked, "Why are you laughing?"
Xiao Chi stared at her. "Why are you assuming that I will understand?"
Yu Shuyuan knew that he was pretending to be stupid. She knew her son’s personality all too well. This child was full of violence and cunning that was completely opposite to his outward demeanor. This difficult opponent caused her emotions to fluctuate again, "You understand what I mean! This is what society dictates! It’s human nature! You need to procreate, you need to get married, and you need a complete family!"
Xiao Chi asked softly, "Like you and dad?"
Yu Shuyuan was stunned for a moment. She opened her mouth a moment later, not knowing how to respond, "Your father and I..."
"How many days can you two meet every year?" Xiao Chi’s words were extremely sharp, and there was even an inexplicable smile in his eyes. He leaned forward to look straight into Yu Shuyuan's eyes, "Do you feel happy? Are you complete?"
Yu Shuyuan and Xiao Shenxing were an atypical peripatetic couple; both of them drowned in endless work and were often half a world away from each other. The couple may only see each other a few times throughout the year, and even the New Year gatherings were usually short-lived, not to mention participating in the growth of their children. The fulcrum of their relationship had long been transformed from romance and love to the responsibility as a family. Yu Shuyuan's voice was a little dry but she stubbornly refused to admit, "I have you and Miaomiao..."
But her voice was gradually cut off by her son's impassive gaze.
Yu Shuyuan sighed. She closed her eyes, her back could no longer remain upright as she fell into her chair.
Xiao Chi slowly moved his buddhist beads back onto his wrist, then walked out from behind the desk, went to the water dispenser, and poured her a cup of tea.
Yu Shuyuan took the tea and thanked him. She then took off her glasses and kneaded her sore nose with her two fingers. Xiao Chi leaned against the table, watched her drink water slowly, and suddenly said in a low voice, "I'm sorry."
"Huh?" Yu Shuyuan looked up at her son.
Xiao Chi said, "I shouldn't have mentioned that."
Yu Shuyuan's expression became complicated for a moment. She stared at her son's handsome face and suddenly realized how tall her son had become. She paused for a moment, put down the teacup, and held her son's hand with both hands. She stroked the unevenly polished wooden beads on his wrist with her fingers. The uniformed carved text showed the sculptor's inexperience. Yu Shuyuan tried to recall, but she really couldn't remember many moments of Xiao Chi after he started practicing Buddhism at fifteen.
Yu Shuyuan shook her head. "You don't have to apologize to me. It’s true, your father and I did not fulfill our responsibilities as parents."
She paused, then asked again, "That child, I remember he’s called Lin Jingzhe?"
Xiao Chi nodded, so she continued to ask, "You two. Did he take the initiative first, or did you..."
Xiao Chi said, "I did."
It’s over, it’s completely irrevocable. Yu Shuyuan felt a burst of strong despair at his answer. She really had a good grasp at her son’s personality. Xiao Chi had never been someone who would easily reveal his desire, but since childhood, as long as he wanted something, no one could stop him.
"Why is it a man..." She still couldn't accept it, "There are so many good girls..."
Xiao Chi raised his hand to stroke his mother's hair, and combed one of the hair on the side of her face behind her ears.
Yu Shuyuan let out a long sigh, then sharpened her eyes, and slapped his hand away. "I just had it done this morning! Can you stop that!?"
The office door was pushed open, Xiao Miao peeked her head in, and was slightly taken aback by this scene.
Yu Shuyuan indigiantly pushed her son away, walked towards her daughter, and said, "We're leaving! Let’s go home!"
Xiao Miao glanced outside, there were still many women in the secretarys’ office. Puzzled, she asked her mother, "Don't we still need to...?"
In front of this innocent little girl, Yu Shuyuan didn't know how to explain. Her daughter was so innocent and still lived in an ivory tower. She may not even know what homosexuality was. Therefore, Mother Xiao didn’t bother to explain as she patted her daughter's shoulder and walked out.
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Footnote:
[1] shiny glenn - Basicly when you get Buddhist bracelets, it's initially really a dull color— but when you keep rubbing it, it gets shinier from the oil from your hands. It's to show your dedication, I guess?
Translated by pure, hosted on puretl.com / do not repost!