BTYFOV Chapter 52

 Chapter 52: You Deserve a Beating

Blowing and playing music—did someone in your family die?

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Qin Feng: "……"

This little rascal really causes trouble when not disciplined for a day.

"Where does it itch?"

The young boy picked up the bowl and drank the porridge in big gulps.

After wiping his mouth, he headed straight outside.

Qin Feng couldn't help but shake his head. This child…

"Hat and scarf!"

The child stopped but didn’t dare go back inside, afraid his father would change his mind.

Gu Xiao’er handed them to him with a smile. "Weren’t you acting all tough?"

The child grabbed them, gave Gu Xiao’er a quick shove, and ran off.

Gu Xiao’er stomped his foot in place. The child got scared and dashed out the door in a few quick steps. As he turned around, he saw his second brother still standing at the hall entrance. Realizing he had been tricked, his face puffed up in anger.

"Come here." Gu Xiao’er curled his finger at him.

Miao Miao pursed his lips and beckoned back, "You come here."

Gu Xiao’er walked over, and the child took off running again.

Qin Feng quickly said, "Don’t chase him. It’s the weekend, and there are a lot of bicycles on the road."

Gu Xiao’er returned to continue eating.

Qin Miaomiao stood outside alone, feeling bored but not daring to go back inside. So, he clung to the front gate, peeking in.

A passerby found it strange. "Miaomiao, aren’t you cold?"

Miaomiao was startled. Turning around, he saw it was a neighbor from the front and let out a sigh of relief. "Daddy hit me."

"Huh?" The neighbor exclaimed and looked into the house—Qin Feng was eating. "Have you eaten yet?"

Miaomiao shook his head pitifully.

The neighbor frowned slightly. "How could your father be like this? In this freezing weather, who can go without a hot meal?" Saying that, they started heading inside.

Qin Miaomiao panicked. "W-what are you doing?"

"Looking for your dad." The neighbor stopped.

Miaomiao opened his mouth. "N-no—no need, I'm not that hungry."

"Don't be afraid! With me here, your dad won’t dare hit you." The neighbor continued toward the house.

Qin Miaomiao instinctively reached out but then met his dad’s half-smiling, unreadable gaze. His scalp tingled instantly—I'm doomed!

After a brief hesitation—better to run first!

The neighbor reached the doorway and sensed something was off. There were no footsteps behind them. Turning around, they asked, "Huh? Where's Miaomiao?"

Qin Feng: "Look east."

The neighbor turned southeast and saw the child sprinting away at full speed. "What’s wrong with him?"

Qin Feng chuckled. "He’s full. Just putting on a pitiful act at the door."

The neighbor was speechless.

Qin Feng put down his chopsticks. "You heard me right. That little rascal is getting bolder—he doesn’t even bother thinking through his lies anymore."

The neighbor couldn't help but recall four years ago when the boy was like a sickly kitten, clinging to Qin Feng wherever he went. No matter who spoke to him, he either nodded or shook his head, barely uttering a word.

If they hadn’t seen the child grow and change little by little, they would have never believed that both versions of the boy were the same person.

"That’s great." The neighbor said sincerely. "It's all thanks to you, Engineer Qin."

Qin Feng chuckled. “He’s my son. Raising him is my responsibility.”

The neighbor sighed in realization. “I forgot, I forgot. It’s just that four of them in your house don’t even share your surname.”

Gu Xiao’er didn’t like hearing that. “We want to change it too!”

The neighbor asked curiously, “Then why don’t you?”

Qin Feng replied, “If I change one, Miaomiao and Gu Xue will both cause a fuss. Giving them a reason will only make it worse.”

The neighbor recalled a scene from years ago and nodded in agreement. “Speaking of Gu Xue, I haven’t seen her in the city. She didn’t move away, did she?”

Qin Feng shook his head. “It’s not that I look down on her, but with her education, knowledge, and mindset, she couldn’t hold onto money even if she had a fortune handed to her, let alone make a living on her own.”

Gu Xiao’er couldn’t help but glance at his father.

—So sharp!

In his past life, Gu Xue had squandered everything their grandfather left behind. Later, when she came to them for money and they refused, their so-called father—whose conscience had long been eaten by dogs—gave her plenty.

She didn’t even know that red meant a stock was rising and green meant it was falling, yet she dared to invest. She couldn’t even do basic arithmetic under 100 but still tried to start a business.

The last he heard of her, she was being chased by loan sharks, hiding for dear life.

Too bad he never got to see whether she ended up dismembered or thrown into a pond.

Qin Feng noticed him staring and raised an eyebrow. “You don’t believe me?”

Gu Xiao’er snapped out of his thoughts and nodded vigorously.

Qin Feng couldn’t help but smile. “Finish eating and clean up. I’ll go see where that rascal ran off to.”

Fu Qingyun interjected, “You can’t go. Even if you wait at the gate, the moment he sees you, he’ll take off running again.”

Qin Feng: “Then you go. Your grandpa isn’t going out this morning, so you can learn the erhu with him by the river.”

The neighbor was about to take their leave but couldn’t help asking, “By the river? In this freezing weather?”

Outside, the northern wind was howling. Qin Feng also felt that going to the river wasn’t the best idea.

Then he suddenly remembered that the two families on either side of their house were inconsiderate troublemakers—there was no issue of disturbing the neighbors.

“Qingyun, you and Miaomiao can play in tune now, right?”

Fu Qingyun nodded. “Dad, do you want to hear us?”

Qin Feng shook his head. “From now on, practice indoors.”

Fu Qingyun frowned. “That won’t work. Grandpa says it’s too noisy.”

Qin Feng chuckled. “Tell Grandpa that I said it’s fine.”

Fu Qingyun looked doubtful.

Qin Feng gave him a slight nod of assurance.

Fu Qingyun stacked the empty bowls and went to find Miaomiao.

Sure enough, Qin Miaomiao hadn’t left—he was huddled in the security booth, secretly observing.

As soon as he saw that only his third brother had come, he rushed out and ran toward him. “Where’s Dad?”

“He’s busy. He told us to go first.”

The boy was instantly pleased. “Busy? That’s great.” He grabbed his brother’s hand. “Warm me up.”

Fu Qingyun pulled out a pair of thick gloves from his pocket. “I knew you wouldn’t wear any.”

“Whose are these?”

“Big Brother’s—he wears them when biking to school.”

The boy’s eyes lit up. “These are thick and warm!” He immediately snatched them and put them on.

After a while, the inside of the gloves became warm and toasty.

However, as soon as they stepped out of the gate, the strong wind rushed past them. Qin Miaomiao shivered from the cold.

Fu Qingyun grabbed his hand and hurried across the street toward the village.

With the houses blocking the wind, it was much better—but still much colder than indoors.

“Hurry up!” Miaomiao tugged him forward.

Fu Qingyun warned, “Don’t trip.”

“I’m wearing thick clothes, so even if I fall, it won’t hurt.”

Hearing that, Fu Qingyun stopped nagging and simply sped up.

When they arrived at the entrance of their grandfather’s house, they saw Old Qin standing with his arms crossed, head tucked in against the cold. He was chatting with someone while pacing back and forth.

Fu Qingyun couldn’t help but ask, “Grandpa, are you waiting for us?”

“Waiting for you?” Old Qin was puzzled.

Miaomiao quickly asked, “Aren’t you teaching us to play the suona and erhu?”

—Great! That means no lesson today!

Old Qin suddenly remembered. “Oh, right! It’s time to practice. Wait here, I’ll go get them.”

Miaomiao was instantly disappointed.

Fu Qingyun sighed, half amused, and shook his head before pulling Miaomiao inside. Then he relayed what Qin Feng had said.

At first, Old Qin instinctively wanted to refuse. But when he glanced outside, he remembered that back when Qin Feng was learning the suona, their family hadn’t yet fallen out with the neighbors.

Now that those people had stopped acting like decent humans, why should he inconvenience himself and his grandchildren?

If they caught a cold, wouldn’t that just mean spending money and suffering?

“Your dad’s right. Let’s go to the inner room—it’s warmer in there.” Saying that, Old Qin led them into the bedroom.

The two brothers exchanged a glance, feeling both surprised and delighted.

—Dad is amazing!

In less than ten minutes, another person appeared on top of the east and west walls of the Qin family home, craning their necks toward the main hall and shouting, “Blowing and playing—did someone in your house die?”

The sounds of the suona and erhu stopped abruptly.

Old Qin stepped out from the hall, saw the front gate being pushed open from the outside, and immediately turned back into the house.

A moment later, they heard his son reply, “Yes, actually. It’s my eldest and second aunt. The kids are being filial and playing for their funeral.”

“Cough!” Fu Qingyun choked on his own saliva.

Old Qin quickly hushed him, “Keep your voice down.”

Fu Qingyun only became more amused.

He had thought Grandpa would scold them for taking pleasure in the misfortune of others.

“I’m going to take a look.” Miaomiao shuffled to the doorway of the main hall and peeked out.

He saw his father standing in the middle of the courtyard, glancing at the east side before turning to the west. Then, in a slow, deliberate tone, he said, “Did we forget to burn paper money for you two? Don’t worry. When Aunt Qin comes to pay respects to Grandpa and Grandma, I’ll go with her to your graves too.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a clump of dirt landed near Qin Feng’s feet.

Qin Feng turned, grabbed a metal hoe leaning against the wall, and flung it toward the east side.

A sharp scream rang out as the hoe hit the ground.

Miaomiao covered his mouth, eyes wide in shock.

Qin Feng then picked up a broom and hurled it toward the west side.

The person on the west wall was already prepared. The broom missed its target and didn’t scare her either.

Qin Feng shook his head in disappointment, then lifted his chin toward Miaomiao. “Continue!”

The boy who had just tried to escape home didn’t dare act up anymore. He immediately returned and obediently resumed playing.

Qin Feng stepped outside and asked the neighbors chatting at the door across the street whether they found the noise annoying.

An erhu being played like a saw cutting wood was definitely noisy, but when paired with a suona, it could actually produce a proper melody—and it was free entertainment. The neighbors all said it wasn’t too bad.

Some villagers even praised how quickly the two kids were learning.

Encouraged by the compliments, Qin Feng was convinced they weren’t just being polite. When he returned inside, he and his father decided they would practice at home from now on. However, they agreed to switch up the songs—no matter how patient the neighbors were, playing the same tune over and over would eventually get on their nerves.

Old Qin didn’t mind the change, but he only knew a few erhu pieces that could be played with the suona.

Qin Feng said, “I’ll check the library tomorrow.”

“You’re buying music books?” Old Qin asked.

Qin Feng nodded and turned to the two kids. “Since you’re learning, you should learn properly—make it a real skill you can show off in the future.”

Miaomiao looked at the suona in his hands. “This counts as a skill?”

“Of course it does.”

Miaomiao frowned.

“You don’t think so? Ever heard the saying: ‘A pipa lasts a thousand years, a guzheng ten thousand years, and a suona can be played for a lifetime’?”

Miaomiao had never heard of it. “But who even wants to listen to this? On TV, people play pianos and violins.”

Qin Feng agreed—Western instruments did seem more elegant on television. But he couldn’t say that outright. “That’s because those are Western instruments. What we’re learning is traditional Chinese music. Sure, piano and violin look fancy, but can you carry them around and play whenever you want?”

Miaomiao thought about it and found that reasonable—then immediately realized it wasn’t. “Then how does Third Brother carry his erhu?”

“Your Third Brother has never complained about his erhu.”

Miaomiao couldn’t help but look at Fu Qingyun.

Fu Qingyun nodded.

In his past life, he had wanted to learn things, but no one had been there to teach him. Now, in this life, he had someone guiding him hand in hand. If he were still picky, wouldn’t that make him incredibly ungrateful and clueless?

“Third Brother, do you really like the erhu that much?” Miaomiao couldn’t help but ask.

Fu Qingyun made something up. “Not entirely. The main thing is, I told my classmates I’d play Galloping Horses for them. They’re all waiting to hear it.”

Old Qin immediately interjected, “Then you’d better practice hard. Galloping Horses is pretty difficult. Even if you practice every other day, it’ll take at least a year to master.”

Miaomiao gasped. “That long?”

Qin Feng asked, “From the way you’re talking, it sounds like you’ve already learned quite a bit? Play Hundred Phoenixes Facing the Sun for us.”

Miaomiao wilted.

Qin Feng almost laughed. “If you don’t know it yet, then learn it properly.”

“What about the thing you promised me?” Miaomiao reminded him.

Qin Feng nodded.

Miaomiao immediately asked his grandfather to teach him Hundred Phoenixes Facing the Sun.

It was the first time the kid had ever voluntarily requested to learn something. Old Qin dared not waste time.

Qin Feng didn’t leave either—he stayed in the room to accompany them.

Or rather, to supervise them.

With Qin Feng watching over him, Qin Miaomiao took his practice seriously.

He and Fu Qingyun played on and off for half a day.

Seeing how dedicated the child was, Qin Feng knew that when New Year’s came, there had better be watermelon on the table—otherwise, it wouldn’t sit right.

Fortunately, in just a few days, his aunt arrived.

It was the New Year. The living were busy preparing for the celebrations, and the spirits of the dead also needed to "go to the market," so Aunt Qin came to burn spirit money for her parents.

Of course, Qin Feng and the others had to go as well.

However, Madam Zhou didn’t allow the younger children to go. It wasn’t because they didn’t share the Qin surname, but because, in rural traditions, children’s souls were believed to be unstable, making them more susceptible to being possessed by wandering spirits.

The old cemetery was at Wuli Village and housed not just the ancestors of the Qin family but also those of other families. While the Qin ancestors might not harm their own descendants, the spirits of other families weren’t necessarily as considerate.

On the way to the cemetery, Aunt Qin walked alongside Qin Feng, and he asked about the watermelon situation.

Aunt Qin, not wanting to put the Lin family at a disadvantage, had been checking in on them whenever she had the chance. “They’re almost ready for market, but Brother Lin wants to wait two more days.”

“The price won’t be cheap, right?”

Aunt Qin replied, “In weather this cold, growing greenhouse vegetables is tough work. It should at least be more profitable than a regular job.”

Qin Feng nodded. “Two days ago, I went to the library to buy books and passed by Binhai’s Vegetable Market. I didn’t see any watermelons there. Binhai City has had quite a few newly rich people in recent years. As long as the price isn’t outrageous, there should be buyers.”

Hearing this, Aunt Qin started to consider the idea.

Since her husband had driven a hand-pulled tractor to the city, transportation was convenient. That afternoon, on their way back, they stopped by the Lin family and relayed Qin Feng’s thoughts to Lin Xiaobo’s father.

Aunt Qin’s family also raised the prices of their vegetables, though they kept the rates steady for hotels.

As the saying goes, Scarcity makes things valuable.

Off-season vegetables had significantly higher production costs than in-season ones. They raised prices by 20%, and no regulatory officials came knocking.

On the 18th of the twelfth lunar month, a Saturday afternoon, Lin Xiaobo accompanied his father to the city to deliver watermelons. Passing by the Northern Railway Factory, he packed four watermelons in a bag and brought them to Qin Feng.

Qin Feng wasn’t home, and Gu Wuyi didn’t dare to accept the watermelons.  

Lin Xiaobo couldn’t win against Gu Xiao’er and Fu Lingyun alone, so he had no choice but to carry the watermelons back.  

Old Lin, the watermelon farmer, guessed that Qin Feng hadn’t taken his promise too seriously and hadn’t mentioned it to the kids. So, he simply told Lin Xiaobo to put the watermelons back on the truck. They would swing by again when Qin Feng was about to finish work.  

Sure enough, after making a round, they returned to find that Qin Feng had indeed finished work.  

Knowing how much hard work went into farming, Qin Feng only accepted two watermelons. He reasoned that the youngest child in their house didn’t understand moderation and might get an upset stomach from eating too much. With the New Year coming up, it wouldn’t be good to start the year sick.  

Old Lin thought this made sense. He decided to let them try a couple first and then give Qin Feng four more at the end of the year—half for the Qin family and half for hosting guests.  

Watermelons in winter were too eye-catching.  

Qin Feng even had to call his parents over to eat the fruit behind closed doors in the courtyard. Otherwise, in less than half a day, the news would spread across the entire residential compound.  

He didn’t care much about what others thought, but he also didn’t want to become the topic of gossip.  

However, some people had no such concerns.  

On the afternoon of New Years Eve, the family ate watermelon at the staff residence before heading back to the village for dinner.  

Before they even reached the house, Qin Feng saw a crowd gathered at the door of his eldest and second eldest aunts’ houses.  

Miaomiao was curious. She tugged at her father’s arm and swung it back and forth. “What’s going on?”  

Qin Feng had no idea.  

So, he turned to his parents.  

But Old Qin and Madam Zhou had been at the staff residence after lunch and also had no clue.  

Just as they were about to ask around, they took a few more steps forward and saw that Qin Feng’s eldest aunt, Madam Qian, was holding a piece of watermelon in her hand.  

Qin Feng found it amusing. “I thought it was something serious.” 

Madam Qian‘s ears were as sharp as her personality. Even though she was a good five or six meters away, and Qin Feng hadn’t spoken loudly, she still heard him crystal clear.  

“Never had winter watermelon before, have you? My son bought it. He begged me, considering we’re all relatives, to let you have a bite.”

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