Chen Jianmin chuckled after hearing his friend's words and said, "I don't mind not getting paid. After everything your family has done for mine, it's only right that I repay the favor. Besides, you were the one who found the pearls—I just helped you harvest them."
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Dong Li smiled and nodded, "I get what you an. But this and that are different matters."
Seeing his friend want to refuse again, he added, "The wild vegetables, mushrooms, and fish are yours."
"You don't want them?" Chen Jianmin asked.
Dong Li shook his head and said, "My family already has plenty and we couldn't finish them. You should take them ho and cook sothing delicious for your family."
Seeing that Dong Li was sincere and not just being polite, Chen Jianmin nodded and said, "Thanks, Ah Li."
"No problem."
After packing up everything, Chen Jianmin headed ho, while Dong Li locked up and went to find his parents.
Standing outside his parents' room, Dong Li knocked on the door and asked, "Mother, Father, can I co in?"
Inside, Lu Jueyu and Li Chenmo were reading when they heard the knock.
"Co in," Li Chenmo replied.
Monts later, the door opened, and Dong Li stepped inside. After closing it behind him, he walked over and sat at the edge of the Kang bed.
Lu Jueyu set her book down and asked, "Ah Li, do you need sothing?"
After a brief hesitation, Dong Li finally said, "Mother, Father, there is sothing I need to tell you."
Sensing the seriousness in his tone, Li Chenmo placed his book aside and asked, "What is it?"
Taking a deep breath, Dong Li explained in one go, "Father, I found an underground cave behind a waterfall in the mountains. It's a jadeite mine, and there is an underground river inside. I also found a lot of mussels there. Today, Jianmin and I went to harvest so pearls."
The mont his parents heard this, they exchanged glances, their expressions darkening. It wasn't that they forbade him from going into the mountains, but the location of the waterfall was too deep inside, an area known to be filled with wild beasts.
Fixing his gaze on his son, Li Chenmo asked, "Ah Li, you knew how dangerous the deep mountains are, yet you still ventured that far?"
Guilt surged in Dong Li's heart when he heard his father's words, and he lowered his head.
His father had always warned him not to go too deep into the mountains, but curiosity had gotten the better of him. When he discovered the waterfall lake, excitent overtook caution, and he forgot about the dangers lurking in that place.
That hidden area had beco his secret place and he often explored it whenever he went to the mountains. That was how he had stumbled upon the cave and the treasures it held.
Now, looking back, he realized how reckless he had been. He liked his lips and said, "Father, I was wrong."
Li Chenmo studied his son in silence. Even though Dong Li wasn't his biological son, he had always treated him as his own.
As a father, the thought of his son disregarding his warnings and putting himself in danger filled him with both fear and frustration. If sothing had happened to him, the guilt would have haunted him for the rest of his life.
Sensing her husband's emotions, Lu Jueyu let out a soft sigh and gently patted his arm. Then, she turned to her son and said, "Ah Li, it's not that Father and Mother don't allow you to go into the mountains, but your safety must always co first."
"You have learned combat from your father and train daily. Compared to others your age, you are more skilled and stronger. But that doesn't an you are invincible. Have you ever thought about what would happen to Xiao Huang and us if sothing bad happened to you?"
She paused, her voice soft but firm as she continued, "Ah Li, even if we are not your biological parents, you and Xiao Huang are no different to us than our own flesh and blood."
"We worry about you just as any parents would. So before you do sothing risky, please think about the people who care about you, alright?"
Dong Li sat in silence as he listened to his mother's words.
Deep down, he had always felt a thin barrier separating him from his adoptive parents. He was overjoyed when he learned about his mother's pregnancy, but along with that happiness ca fear.
What if they favored their own biological child and abandoned him and his sister?
What would they do then?
Because of that fear, he slowly started distancing himself from them while trying to make a backup plan. If the worst happened, he wanted to make sure he and Xiao Huang wouldn't have to endure the sa pain they had suffered before.
He had always thought of himself as perceptive and wise, soone who could see through people's true intentions. But at this mont, he realized how foolish he had been.
He had judged his parents' kindness, love, and generosity through the eyes of his own insecurity and mistrust.
Clenching his fists, he suddenly felt unworthy of them. He couldn't even bring himself to say sorry.
Seeing his son's silence, Li Chenmo frowned and asked, "Dong Li, did you hear your mother's words?"
Hearing his father address him by his full na, Dong Li snapped out of his thoughts and lifted his head, eting his father's sharp gaze.
In his father's eyes, he saw no anger—only worry and confusion. Even after he had gone against his father's words, he wasn't t with rage, only concern.
Thinking of this, he felt that the thin barrier surrounding his heart was finally broken. A smile broke across Dong Li's face as he said, "Mother, I understand."
Seeing him grin so casually, Li Chenmo's frown deepened as he scolded him, "You still dare to smile after making a mistake? As punishnt, write a 1,000-word self-reflection essay and hand it over in three days."
Dong Li nodded without complaint, "Yes, Father."
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