Rebirth: Start to Save the Treasure Girl

Ren Qunfang sat on the edge of the bed and sobbed for a long time. After catching her breath, she slowly opened her eyes and tried hard to see what was in front of her.

The room's furnishings were both familiar and strange. She stared blankly at the yellowed New Year's pictures of dolls on the wall.

There was a faint smell of firewood in the room, the smell left over from heating the kang (a traditional heated brick bed).

The environment can awaken memories. She recalled the time more than 20 years ago, even if it wasn't so wonderful, it was her youth.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ren Qunfang saw her own photo on the wall, and her eyes lit up slightly.

Looking around, she found that everything there belonged to her.

Some old books, stationery...

It gave me the illusion of going back to my high school days.

Ren Qunfang wiped her eyes and said, "Xiao Rui, you're so thoughtful."

"Mom, it's not entirely my fault. It's also thanks to my grandparents that they've kept these things until now."

Xue Rui didn't take all the credit for himself. Since the goal was to reconcile his mother and grandparents, he naturally had to say a few good words for the elderly.

Ren Qunfang gave a wry smile, thinking to herself that perhaps your maternal grandparents couldn't tell whose things belonged to whom, and were afraid of accidentally throwing away your eldest uncle's things, so they kept her things along with them.

Xue Rui picked up a book and flipped through it. The yellowed pages stirred in the breeze, and when they brushed against his face, they carried the scent of ink.

"Look at how beautifully these characters are written."

Xue Rui had seen it before, but every time he saw it, he felt much more relaxed. Good students' handwriting is beautiful, neat and tidy, with a gentle and jade-like touch, like little flowers blooming on the pages of a book.

With such handwriting, how could I not understand Lao Gu's love letters back then?
Xue Rui, anyway, didn't believe it.

But those hands, in the end, didn't go to hold a pen; instead, they followed his father into the kitchen.

Ren Qunfang's gaze was somewhat unnatural; it seemed that her son had discovered what she was hiding.

“Our generation was taught by strict teachers, so our handwriting is all beautiful,” Ren Qunfang said calmly.

"Mom, as one of the few girls who were able to get into high school back then, what were your thoughts? I heard from Xixi that back then, there might not be more than a few girls in a whole town who could get in."

Xue Rui rolled the book into a scroll and handed it to Ren Qunfang.

Suddenly, Xue Rui realized a new problem.

Not many girls can get in; isn't that like a Buddhist temple?

With my mother's looks, she probably has a huge swarm of admirers following her around, including many rich kids.

How did Lao Xue manage to stand out from countless second-generation rich kids?

Wow, Lao Xue is no simpleton either.

Ren Qunfang patted Xue Rui on the back: "You didn't inherit any good genes. You're the worst student in our family."

"Mom, would you like to go to the university?" Xue Rui asked.

His mother was such a good student, but she never even stepped foot inside a university in her entire life.

Ren Qunfang was stunned for a long time. She understood the meaning behind Xue Rui's words. It seemed that he was planning to take her to the school to play.

But she's long past that age and doesn't have that ambition anymore.

Now all she wants is to live a simple life, raise her two children, and watch them get married and have children.

“Xiao Rui, Mom is almost forty, and I’ve come to terms with everything.”

Ren Qunfang smiled gently, her eyes crinkling slightly.

Xue Rui felt a pang of heartache. He knelt down in front of his mother and praised her with a smile, "I was just afraid you'd regret it. You were capable of getting in. If you had gone to university back then, you'd definitely be at least the most beautiful girl in your department, a combination of beauty and academic star..."

Ren Qunfang shook her head without hesitation, gently stroking the back of Xue Rui's head:

"Life is full of regrets. People always romanticize the paths they didn't take. If I had gone to university back then, where would you and Yao Yao be? I can't bear to lose you. I wouldn't trade you for anything."

She is very happy now. Her husband and son take good care of her, and even though she is nearly forty, she is still pampered like a child.

Ren Qunfang vaguely sensed a gaze coming from outside the window. She looked up and saw her sister-in-law looking at her with envy.

Ren Qunfang smiled contentedly and patted Xue Rui's head a few more times.

"A life without regrets..."

Xue Rui kept repeating this sentence in his mind: Is this something a woman who plays mahjong every day could say?

That's so damn philosophical.

He appears foolish but is actually wise.

"After you graduate from university and get married, I'll help you..."

Ren Qunfang's voice stopped abruptly. She had meant to say "help you take care of the children," but her son was two-timing her. Who did "you" refer to?
A nameless anger rose within her, and she used more force in her hands:
"Xiao Rui, which one do you like?"

Xue Rui suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

No, we were just showing our loving mother-son bond a moment ago, why are you suddenly pulling my hair?

"Mom, I like them both." Xue Rui felt his scalp tighten even more after he finished speaking.

"I don't want to have any regrets." Xue Rui immediately changed his words, and clearly felt his scalp relax a little.

Ren Qunfang was both angry and helpless at this moment, as the womanizer was described in such a high-sounding way.

But then I thought, why would the two girls accept it?

Xue Rui is gentle and considerate. Her son really knows how to charm women; he always manages to find the most vulnerable and tender spot in a woman's heart.

"Mom, I really love them. Losing any one of them would feel like a piece of my heart has been ripped out," Xue Rui said sincerely.

Ren Qunfang released her hand and gently stroked Xue Rui's hair.

She suddenly couldn't bear it. Rather than watching her son be sad and upset, she thought it better to grant his wish.

It will hurt another girl.

Hmm... if she, as the mother-in-law, gives her more care and compensation, life might not be so bad.

"Sigh~" Ren Qunfang sighed deeply, thinking to herself, "Who told you to be my son?"
Xue Rui was overjoyed; he vaguely felt that his mother seemed to have relented.

"Go play with Mu Xue, and remember to check on Xi Xi later, she's petty," Ren Qunfang said cheerfully.

Xue Rui was overjoyed. He jumped up from the ground and gave his mother a big hug: "I love you, Mom."

This was the first time I'd received a positive answer from my mother.

“This child.” Ren Qunfang shook her head with a wry smile and gently patted Xue Rui on the back of the head: “Go ahead.”

"okay!"

……

Stepping into the courtyard, Xue Rui was in high spirits. A gentle breeze caressed his face, giving the feeling that spring was just around the corner.

Today, I not only resolved my mother's inner conflict, but also received "official certification" for having two relationships at the same time.

Xue Rui knew very well that although his mother was the most vehemently opposed verbally, her actions spoke louder than words.

Whether it was transferring the house to Lin Ruoxi before, or helping him coax Gu Muxue this morning, it was all to help him appease the two girls.

At this moment, my grandparents acted as if nothing had happened, leisurely preparing lunch.

Gu Muxue moved a small stool and tutored her cousin's homework in the sun, while her uncle kept nagging from the side.

Xue Rui crept closer.

The eldest uncle said with exasperation, "My eldest daughter's grades have been getting worse every day since she started junior high school. Look at her final exam paper, it's simply unbearable to look at. She won't be able to get into high school with these grades."

"Mu Xue, you're a top student who got into Changsha Jiaotong University. Talk to her more about study techniques and how to make up for your weaknesses."

"Uncle, I'm far from good enough," Gu Muxue said modestly.

"I heard from Yao Yao that Xiao Rui was trained by you. Even he was able to get into a top university, which shows that you have unique skills."

The eldest uncle spoke with admiration.

"It's mainly because Xiao Rui loves learning; otherwise, no amount of tutoring would have helped," Gu Muxue attributed the credit to Xue Rui. "Do you think I don't know what kind of person he is? All the credit goes to you."

Xue Rui was speechless. So this is what I look like?
"Uncle, why are you always talking badly about me behind my back?" Xue Rui said, displeased.

My uncle glared at me, thinking to himself that I hadn't said anything wrong.

This is a "prodigal son who has turned over a new leaf" contestant, and he has a lot of valuable experience to share...

The eldest uncle handed a stack of test papers to Xue Rui: "Take a look at Yin Yin's test papers."

Xue Rui opened it and saw:
Chinese: 96 points

Mathematics: 40 points

English: 49 points

……

Except for Chinese, the scores for most subjects were terrible.

"Where do you think the problem lies?" the uncle asked.

Xue Rui put down the test paper and said earnestly, "Yinyin, you're a bit unbalanced in your studies."

Ren De Kui laughed in exasperation: "Is this a matter of being biased towards one subject or another?"

Has this person not learned anything at all?

Gu Muxue couldn't help but pinch Xue Rui: "Xiao Rui, speak properly."

Xue Rui pulled his uncle aside:
"Her grades are the kind that indicate she's given up on herself. Uncle, don't just focus on her studies. Her talent is the most important thing. Ask her more about what she likes and what she wants to do in the future. Stop comparing her to her sister and give her more positive praise..."

Xue Rui also came from being a poor student. Not all poor students are stupid; most of them can't find their learning goals, and the main problem lies within their families.

Especially for someone like my eldest uncle, who achieved upward social mobility through education, he always pays too much attention to his children's academic performance and is used to judging a person based on their grades.

For example, a child has just finished their homework and played on the computer for a while. When the parents come home, they scold the child harshly: "With grades like yours, how dare you play games? Go study!"

No matter how the child explains, the parents simply won't listen to their opinions...

The child, through repeated misunderstandings, began to give up on himself.

"You mean, the problem lies with me?" Ren De Kui asked in surprise.

“What does she know at her age? She’s either at school or at home. The problem isn’t with you, it’s at school, where else could it be?” Xue Rui explained.

"Hmm... I'll think about it later." Ren De Kui nodded seriously.

Ren Yinyin and Gu Muxue listened intently, overhearing the conversation between the two.

My cousin blinked her big eyes and looked at Xue Rui with admiration in her eyes.

Everyone said it was her fault, but her cousin didn't think so...

Gu Muxue smiled; Xue Rui's perspective on things was always different from others.

Xue Rui will definitely be a very, very good father in the future.

"Yinyin, your handwriting is quite good," Xue Rui praised, holding up the test paper.

Ren Yinyin looked somewhat embarrassed. Her father often scolded her for her "bad handwriting" and would always compare it to the handwriting in her aunt's letters.

"Brother, are you doing this on purpose? My dad always says my handwriting is bad." Ren Yinyin snatched the test paper away, her face flushed with anger.

Gu Muxue took out her phone and showed the picture of the roll of paper to her cousin: "Look, this is your brother Xiao Rui's handwriting. In his eyes, anyone who writes better than him is beautiful."

"Huh? Someone with such terrible handwriting can still get into university?" Ren Yinyin exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes, so if you put in a little effort, you’ll definitely surpass him,” Gu Muxue said with a smile.

Xue Rui looked at Gu Muxue with gentle eyes.

How should I put it? Just like Lin Ruoxi, she likes to keep all sorts of things related to him.

However, Lin Ruoxi only kept the positive ones, while Gu Muxue preferred the negative ones, so she could secretly take them out to tease him.

Xue Rui didn't disturb the two of them. He leaned back in his chair, basking in the sun, and occasionally sent Lin Ruoxi a few emojis to comfort her.

The warm sunlight on his shoulders made him feel drowsy, and as he listened to the gentle lecture, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, almost as if by conditioned reflex.

"Lazy pig." Gu Muxue mouthed the curse silently. She went into the room, found a small blanket, and gently covered Xue Rui with it, afraid of waking him up.

When he sat down again, he lowered his voice considerably while lecturing to Ren Yinyin.

Ren Yinyin noticed that Gu Muxue was absent-minded, glancing at Xue Rui every now and then, and she didn't know what she was worried about.

"Sister, he's asleep, why are you staring at him?" Ren Yinyin asked in a low voice.

Gu Muxue was in a daze for a moment, then weakly muttered to herself, "Is it that obvious?"

She was just worried that the blanket would fall off Xue Rui.

"Yes, you've been watching," Ren Yinyin corrected.

"Read the questions carefully, don't get distracted."

"Oh."

……

The pen tip scratches across the paper, making a "whoosh" sound, and time slips away from my fingertips second by second.

The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen as Grandma laid out dishes one by one in the yard.

Gu Muxue raised her head and glanced at Xue Rui as usual, but this time, Xue Rui was also looking at her.

Gu Muxue glared at her resentfully and muttered under her breath, "Lazy pig, you're awake? You can really sleep."

"Sister, if you don't want him to sleep, why are you covering him with a blanket?" Ren Yinyin asked.

Gu Muxue's cheeks flushed red. How could someone be so sabotaging her?

"Sister, why is your face red?" Ren Yinyin asked.

“Oh, it’s from the sun.” Gu Muxue’s tone was unnatural.

"Then why isn't my face red?"

Xue Rui suppressed a laugh, thinking to herself, "Cousin, if you keep asking like this, your sister will want to crawl into a hole and disappear."

"Yinyin, have you learned it? I'll give you a test paper, let's do a pop quiz." Gu Muxue said seriously.

Ren Yinyin lowered her head guiltily and remained silent.

"Teacher Gu, if the child misbehaves, just hit him until he obeys," Xue Rui joked.

“That’s right, beat them if they don’t listen,” Auntie chimed in.

Upon hearing this, Ren Yinyin lowered her head even further.

Gu Muxue frowned and glared at Xue Rui, then whispered to her cousin, "Don't be afraid, they're just joking."

"Come and eat, everyone." Xue Jianfeng's voice echoed in the courtyard.

Ren Yinyin took off running, leaving Gu Muxue and Xue Rui staring at each other in disbelief.

"Xiao Rui, where are we going after dinner?" Gu Muxue asked, blinking her bright, watery eyes.

“Um… I’ll definitely go home,” Xue Rui said.

"Which home are we going back to?" Gu Muxue asked expectantly.

Xue Rui was in a dilemma. Gu Muxue didn't seem to have any intention of leaving, but Xue Rui didn't want to stay at his grandmother's house for long.

"As long as we're not at Grandma's house, we'll go wherever you want to go."

Xue Rui said in a low voice.

Gu Muxue looked around, a smug look on her face, and said:

"Come to my house." (End of Chapter)