Chapter 98 - 98: Not Arguing with Fools

Words : 1459 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Not Arguing with Fools “` Chang Qing seemed to be gradually regaining his composure, though the roots of his ears were still a bit red. He sneakily glanced at Gu Qiaoqiao and, seeing that she appeared to have emerged from her dream, he quietly exhaled in relief. He nodded at Gu Qiaoqiao, eyes sparkling, “Sister Qiaoqiao, I’ll wait for you over there.” He would never reject the affections of Sister Qiaoqiao. Gu Qiaoqiao sat on the edge of the kang bed, swinging her legs and suddenly asked Chang Qing, “Chang Qing, do you know the allegory of Zhuangzi and the butterfly in his dream?” Chang Qing nodded, “Mmm, I know it.” ... Then he waited quietly for what Gu Qiaoqiao would say next. “Zhuangzi dreamed he was a butterfly, and when he awoke, he wasn’t sure if he was Zhuangzi or a butterfly. Perhaps the person called Zhuangzi was nothing but a butterfly’s dream. A dream is a state of being; hence, awakening is also a state. Chang Qing, what do you think, is it Zhuangzi’s dream that contains the butterfly, or is it the butterfly’s dream that contains Zhuangzi?” At the moment when Qin Yize left, Gu Qiaoqiao had a sense that everything was just a dream. In fact, she knew she was deceiving herself, but there were times when her mind was in disarray. Were the experiences from her past life just a nightmare? And now, it was merely the beginning. Chang Qing furrowed his brows in thought. After a moment, he replied very seriously, “Sister Qiaoqiao, the dreams that people have are nothing but images, sounds, thoughts, or feelings produced by the imagination while sleeping. It’s a psychological activity during sleep. A dream is just a dream, while Zhuangzi dreaming of the butterfly is a poetic representation of philosophy, a romantic conjecture of the unknown world…” Gu Qiaoqiao stared at Chang Qing as he explained earnestly, then suddenly let out a chuckle. She was the one who was confused. Her current self was real, and the experiences from her last life were real as well. It was just that she had been greatly favored by the heavens! Chang Qing had work to do, and after exchanging a few words with Gu Qiaoqiao, he left reluctantly. Lian Yuhong walked in, took the sparrows to the kitchen, while Gu Qianqian and Gu Zishu started playing checkers. Gu Tianfeng was reading a book. In the living room, the large kang bed bathed in sunlight, radiating a warm and cozy feeling. Despite the home’s bare walls, there was a sense of peaceful time, and current stability. Gu Qiaoqiao’s mood was better than it had ever been. She walked briskly to her grandfather’s study. She hadn’t expected that Gu Tianfeng would have heated the kang bed in there so thoroughly. Gu Qiaoqiao took out the black box, placed it on the kang table, and started to examine it closely. Gu Tianfeng came in, saw his daughter absorbed in her task, and decided not to disturb her. Instead, he quietly left. But he added another log to the fire under the big stove in the kitchen – his eldest daughter had always been afraid of the cold, so this room had to be kept nice and warm. Meanwhile, Gu Tianfeng was also curious about what was inside the black box. Gu Qiaoqiao pondered over the box until it was time to turn the lights on in the evening, yet she couldn’t figure it out. At seven o’clock in the evening, Gu Qiaoqiao came to the fence wall carrying a small basin wrapped in thick cotton cloth. Chang Qing quietly emerged from a corner and whispered, “Sister Qiao…” His arrival made things easier. Gu Qiaoqiao quickly opened the basin and handed it to Chang Qing, “Hurry and eat, I mixed the rice with the vegetables for you, and the sparrow bones are stewed until tender, so you can eat them directly…” Chang Qing was indeed hungry. Today, because he was catching sparrows and cleaning them up in the snow, he had missed out on gathering firewood, leading to his stepmother forbidding him from eating lunch and dinner. She had also beaten him with a stick more than a dozen times. In fact, he could have resisted, but he knew that once he did, that woman would throw herself on the ground throughout the courtyard, wailing and cursing foully, not even sparing his deceased mother. And his father would just squat in the corner, smoking his dry tobacco pipe. Utterly silent. He endured it. He had been enduring it for over a decade. A few more days wouldn’t make a difference. “` So, he watched everything with cold detachment, with only one thought in his mind, as soon as he got into college, he could break free. Because Principal Gao said if he really came first in the entire city, he would receive a sum of money as a prize. Though it wasn’t much, it would be enough to cover his tuition fees for the first academic year. After that, he could work part-time and study part-time. As long as he left this place, he would do well. They say, “Don’t argue with fools.” In his eyes, his stepmother was a woman to the utmost stupidity. Therefore, he wouldn’t stoop to her level. Chang Qing thought he had become invulnerable, but as he squatted in the corner, eating the hot food, the tears still couldn’t help falling. Gu Qiaoqiao couldn’t make out Chang Qing’s expression, but she knew he must be hungry. She whispered, “Chang Qing, just bear with it a little longer, just over a hundred more days, and once you’re in college, your days of suffering will be over. I’m leaving now, take your time eating, and put the bowl back in the usual place when you’re done, I’ll come for it tomorrow…” Chang Qing choked up with a sob, and continued to eat with his head down. Gu Qiaoqiao sighed softly and turned to leave. If that shrew saw her, it would inevitably lead to another round of senseless hassle. She had come to terms with it, this matter was not hers to handle. What was before will be the same now. She had never considered persuading that woman to treat Chang Qing well; the way things were now was for the best. In the future, it could also be a clean break. In his past life, Chang Qing had moved his household registration and never again contacted the Chang Family, and moreover, his place of work was a restricted area. That family couldn’t find him even if they wanted to. Gu Qiaoqiao remembered how gleeful and overactive Chang Qing’s stepmother was when she returned in her past life, and she let out a cold laugh. In this life, you’re still the same as in your past life, perhaps even worse than before! Just like that, half a month passed. Gu Zishu and Gu Qianqian started school. Gu Tianfeng went back to work as well. That left only her and Lian Yuhong at home. The days of lying on the kang, idly waiting for death, were absurdly carefree. The only drawback was that Qin Xiaoyu kept calling. This was something she had never considered. S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Logically speaking, the Gu Family couldn’t afford to install a telephone. It was the Qin Family who had helped with the installation, getting an internal rate from the post office, and the call charges were likewise reduced. Gu Tianfeng didn’t refuse because with his daughter married off to the Imperial Capital, which was too far away, having a phone would make it more convenient to keep in touch. Although they couldn’t talk every day, at the very least they could find someone in case of an emergency. Moreover, the call charges for the internal rate were genuinely cheap. Gu Qiaoqiao thought, fortunately, there weren’t many families in Stone Town who needed to make phone calls, otherwise, it would really be a hot potato. It was like the television; the Gu Family didn’t have one, which made it quite peaceful. In the homes with televisions in the town, the evenings were very lively. It was said that the big kang was filled with neighbors from left and right and children from around the town, all coming to watch television. But now, it was becoming a nuisance. Qin Xiaoyu seemed to have forgotten how she used to treat her. Her skin was even thicker than Gu Zishu’s. Although it was annoying, it also kept her informed of many things.

Chapter 98 - 98: Not Arguing with Fools

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