Additional Inheritance - Chap 4
Chapter 4
Wen Xiaohui’s face burned as he remembered how he’d just fantasised about this youth…
He was actually Luo Yi?!
Cao Hai said, “Come in and take a seat.”
Wen Xiaohui stiffly followed Cao Hai inside the office.
Cao Hai sat them both on the sofa. “This winery is a joint venture between me and some friends and we normally use it for informal meetings and gatherings. It’s also my hobby, so I hope you can relax a little. There aren’t any outsiders here.”
Wen Xiaohui nodded.
Luo Yi glanced at Wen Xiaohui and despite being a youth in his teens, his gaze was actually a little profound and unfathomable.
“In that case, you should get to know each other first. I heard from Mrs Luo1 that you’ve never met before.”
Wen Xiaohui glanced over at Luo Yi, inexplicably nervous.
Luo Yi extended his hand graciously. “Uncle, I’m Luo Yi.”
Wen Xiaohui stretched out his hand awkwardly and shook his. “I’m Wen Xiaohui…you don’t have to call me uncle.”
The youth’s hand was dry and warm, which made Wen Xiaohui relax a little bit.
“Why?”
“Don’t you know that your mum and I aren’t related by blood.”
“Of course I know, but my mum always treated you as her own brother.”
Wen Xiaohui’s heart ached and said sadly, “In any case, don’t call me uncle, I feel awkward hearing it.”
Luo Yi blinked. “Then, what would you like me to call you?”
“Just call me Xiaohui-ge2.”
“…Alright.”
Wen Xiaohui lightly coughed once, although he did not want to be called uncle, he nevertheless still wanted to be in the generation above Luo Yi. He asked, “How old are you?”
“15.”
Wen Xiaohui rubbed his hands together and said sharply, “My sister…how did she…” He felt tongue-tied and unable to speak.
Luo Yi lowered his eyes. “You’re better off not knowing.”
Wen Xiaohui also did not want to get to the bottom of the matter as he was reluctant to force a child to recall how his mother died; it was too cruel. He asked, “What about the funeral?”
Cao Hai said, “The funeral has already taken place and it was very low-key, like what Mrs Luo had wished for.”
“There is something I don’t quite understand about the letter that my sister left me.” Wen Xiaohui took out the letter. “What does it mean by don’t ask her…her reasons for doing this?”
Cao Hai said solemnly, “Mr Wen, I need to stress that it is extremely important, please respect Mrs Luo’s wishes and do not look deeper into the matter. This is indeed for your and Mrs3 Feng’s safety.”
“How is this related to our safety?”
Cao Hai glanced at Luo Yi and considered his choice of words. “Luo Yi’s father and his father’s family aren’t ordinary. That’s all I can say.”
Wen Xiaohui scoured his memory, but he didn’t remember much about the man that was with Yaya. After all, he was too young back then and after he grew up, he didn’t have the chance to inquire about Yaya’s matters. He’d only heard that he was powerful and influential. Could it be that there was some unspeakable secret? Regardless, since both Yaya and Mr Cao had warned him seriously, he wouldn’t risk his and his mother’s safety. He nodded. “Okay.”
Cao Hai also nodded. “Mr Wen, the purpose of the meeting today… I believe Mrs Luo has already expressed clearly in her letter, it relates to the topic of fostering Luo Yi.”
“Mn.”
“Luo Yi doesn’t have an opinion on Mrs Luo’s arrangements. What are your thoughts?”
Wen Xiaohui glanced at Luo Yi. “Do you think I have the ability to raise you? I’m not even 20 and my monthly salary is 1,500 yuan.” He muttered with a slight pout, “And, yesterday I was deducted 500 yuan.”
Cao Hai said, “Mr Wen needn’t worry about this. Mrs Luo has already prepared sufficient living expenses for Luo Yi. Excluding the inheritance that Mrs Luo left to you and Ms Feng, you’ll be in charge of allocating Luo Yi’s living expenses. You don’t have to worry about money.”
“It’s not just a matter of money. Firstly, I can’t take care of a child. I can’t guide you in your studies nor cook and wash your clothes…Eh, in any case, I wouldn’t know how to look after you and secondly, I can’t let my mum know. I don’t know how she will react.”
Luo Yi’s elbow rested on the arm of the sofa, supporting his chin, he smiled faintly and looked at Wen Xiaohui. “Firstly, I don’t need you to help me with my studies nor cook and wash my clothes, I can handle these things myself. Secondly, my mum left me a house, so Ms Feng will not find out.”
“Then, what do you need me for?” Despite only knowing each other for 10 minutes, Wen Xiaohui could tell that Luo Yi was mature beyond his years, his speech, social interactions and ability to respond to questions were even more advanced than his. He was convinced that Luo Yi would be able to take good care of himself.
“My mum wasn’t at ease with leaving me by myself and she only trusted you. She wanted to leave me with a close relative, it was her final wish.”
Wen Xiaohui’s heart trembled and he lowered his head slowly.
Beside him, Cao Hai said, “Yes, Mr Wen, Luo Yi is a lot more sensible than many children, but after all, he is only 15 years old, so Mrs Luo can only entrust him to you before she can rest in peace.
Wen Xiaohui inhaled deeply, those three words attacked his eardrums without warning, fiercely provoking a connection within his brain. He fumed with rage and asked rhetorically, “Rest in peace?”
Cao Hai was stunned.
Wen Xiaohui roared loudly, “Rest in peace!” He felt a wave of anger and depression surging through his chest like a bullet violently barging through6, causing his internal organs4 to ache. “How can someone rest in peace if they commit suicide! Why did she want to die if she’s worried about leaving her child? Why! Luo Yaya, why the fuck did you choose to die!” Wen Xiaohui’s sobbing roar reverberated throughout the winery.
A second later, Wen Xiaohui suddenly felt a warm hand rubbing his hair; it moved down and a fingertip brushed over his earlobe. Finally, it gripped the back of his neck and squeezed reassuringly.
Wen Xiaohui was startled and he didn’t turn around. The hand on the back of his neck was big and warm, not resembling a youth’s hand at all.
Luo Yi said softly in his ear, “Don’t be sad, my mum’s gone to a very good place, a place without suffering, deceit and despair. This is her choice, she’s finally free5 and I feel happy for her.”
Wen Xiaohui’s body trembled and he pinched his knee. “You… Why would you think that? She’s dead and you’ll never be able to see her again.”
Luo Yi’s gaze seemed to penetrate Wen Xiaohui, staring straight ahead without focus. His pupils were like two bottomless black holes in the solar system, with a faint air of coldness. His voice was like a spring breeze. “I can’t be selfish and keep her in a place where she’ll suffer. Uncle, don’t be sad, you should be happy for her too.”
Cao Hai looked at Luo Yi’s youthful face and his body involuntarily shuddered, he gulped and his fingers entangled unconsciously.
Luo Yi was aware of Cao Hai’s nervousness, and faintly smiled at him. His dark-red lips with the perfect curvature were extremely attractive and Cao Hai returned a slightly stiff smile.
Wen Xiaohui took a few deep breaths, even though he was unable to understand Luo Yi’s way of thinking, his gentle and soft voice gradually calmed his restless emotions. He said quietly, “Why are you calling me uncle again?”
Luo Yi smiled. “I forgot.” Then he let go of him.
Wen Xiaohui sat back down on the sofa and rubbed his head fiercely. “Mr Cao, I don’t know what I need to do? Can you tell me what I need to do?”
“I’ve already sorted all the paperwork, you just need to have a quick look over it and sign. In fact, you don’t need to do anything special, you only need to treat Luo Yi as a member of your family. I’m sure you don’t need anyone to teach you how to treat your family members.”
Wen Xiaohui looked at Luo Yi and he could see the trust in the youth’s eyes. He shut his eyes and made a decision. He nodded his head. “Please hand me the documents.”
He read through the documents once and couldn’t see anything unusual. The document clearly stated his and his mother’s inheritance, which they could only receive after Luo Yi turned 18. Luo Yi had 10,000 yuan a month for living expenses, and he could access extra funds in the event of an emergency. The emergency funds and the inheritance Luo Yi was entitled to were specified in the contract, but he didn’t bother reading since it had nothing to do with him.
However, he was indeed a little curious about how much inheritance Luo Yi would receive once he turned 18. After all, he had no concept of how Yaya had actually earned the money nor how much money she’d made over the years.
After he’d finished reading, he signed it with a shaky hand. At the time, he was still too young, and he didn’t think clearly about the consequences of the signature. His only thought was that he didn’t want to leave Yaya’s dying wish unfulfilled. Furthermore, it could only be beneficial for him and his mum to receive such a large sum of money and a house.
After Cao Hai saw his signature, he smiled and said, “Congratulations, Mr Wen.”
“Erm…” Wen Xiaohui glanced at Luo Yi, feeling a little awkward and confused.
Luo Yi said with a smile, “Would you like to come back to mine to have a look around? It’s not too far from here.”
“Okay.”
“It’s not that close. It just so happens that I’m going home and since it’s on the way, I can take you both there,” said Cao Hai.
“Okay, thank you Uncle Cao.”
Cao Hai put Luo Yi’s bicycle in the back of his SUV and drove the two of them towards Luo Yi’s house.
Wen Xiaohui asked, “Luo Yi, which school are you at?”
“XX Secondary School.”
“Oh, it’s not far from where I work.”
“Where do you work?”
“XX Road.”
Luo Yi smiled and said, “Can I come find you after school and we can hang out together?”
“Sure.”
Mr Cao interrupted. “Mr Wen, what do you do for a living?”
“I’m a trainee stylist at Juxing.”
“Juxing, it’s quite famous.”
Wen Xiaohui felt a little proud. “Yeah, it’s one of the best hairdressing studios in the capital.”
Cao Hai exclaimed, “How amazing! A clumsy person like me can only do this kind of boring work.”
Wen Xiaohui seldom made contact with elites like Cao Hai, but he suddenly felt that Cao Hai was worthy of being a lawyer since he looked the part and was articulate. Although Cao Hai didn’t have a six-pack, he couldn’t help feeling like his state of mind had been disturbed. He automatically became more modest. “What’s so great about that? My grades were awful so I couldn’t get into university. It’s my interest and it suits me.”
Cao Hai said, “Haha, no wonder you were worried about your ability to tutor Luo Yi. In fact, you really don’t need to worry, Luo Yi’s IQ is very high and he was ranked first in the city for his secondary school grades.”
Wen Xiaohui said in surprise, “First?”
Cao Hai replied with a smile, “Oh, I forgot to tell you, Luo Yi skipped a grade and he’s currently in third year of secondary school and will take his university entrance exams soon. Actually, it doesn’t matter whether he sits the exams because he’s already received offers of scholarships and full exemption from entrance exams from seven prestigious overseas universities and that doesn’t even include the top universities in China.
Wen Xiaohui widened his eyes and stared right at Luo Yi, his heart was in turmoil. Fuck, he’s a grade-A student6!
Luo Yi winked at him, displaying the smile of an obedient child.
Once he got over the shock, Wen Xiaohui became upset and his chest felt stuffy and painful. He couldn’t imagine what had happened to Yaya which made her commit suicide right before her only son’s university entrance exams. With such a beautiful and outstanding son, what could have happened to her that made her willing to leave him and this world behind?
Footnotes:
The raws actually say 洛总, i.e. President or Director Luo (a respectful address for business people), but I’ve used Mrs Luo to refer to Luo Yaya to avoid confusion with another side character who goes by that title.
Older brother, like jiejie and can also be used as a respectful term for someone who is unrelated but older than you.
You may have noticed that Wen Xiaohui and his mother have different surnames – that’s because adopting your husband’s surname on marriage is not common practice in modern China. The closest you get is the Chinese equivalent of ‘double-barrelling’ surnames like Wen Feng Yuehua but that seems to only be used in Hong Kong/Taiwan rather than on the Mainland.
More specifically this means five viscera (heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys) and six bowels (gallbladder, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, triple burner/heater meridian, bladder).
解脱, the original text has Buddhist connotations of being free from worldly troubles.
学霸, slang meaning school overlord i.e. someone who is a top student/swot.
