C1 You Want to Steal the Meat

"What more do you have to say?"

Inside the VIP ward at Jiangbei Hospital, a woman in her twenties gazed at the old man on the hospital bed, her eyes filled with icy detachment.

Tang Jin lay there, his life force ebbing away, completely drained of strength.

Yet, with great effort, he clenched his teeth and lifted his wrinkled hand to look at the woman.

"I... I just want to hear you call me 'Dad' one more time."

His voice was tinged with desperation. The woman stiffened visibly, then a sneer curled her lips.

"Dad? Do you think you deserve that title?"

"Where were you thirty years ago, when all you did was indulge in your vices while my mother struggled to care for me and work?"

"When she was so desperate to give me meat for the New Year's feast that she stole from the ancestral hall, only to be cornered and humiliated by the villagers, where were you?"

"And when she was so heartbroken that she took her own life, where were you?"

"Now you want me to call you 'Dad'? It's too late!"

"Tang Jin, I'll have you know that the day my mother died was the day I lost my father. I don't want a penny of your inheritance! I will never forgive you in this lifetime!"

With eyes blazing and tears streaming down her face, the woman yelled at Tang Jin before turning on her heel and storming out of the room.

Tang Jin watched her leave, his heart aching so intensely he found it hard to breathe.

For thirty years they had been at odds, and he had nearly forgotten that once, long ago, she was the little girl who would chase after him, begging for his attention.

Regrettably, he had let them down—both her and her mother.

With a heavy sigh, Tang Jin closed his eyes, and the memories from thirty years past played through his mind like scenes from a film.

Back then, he was nothing more than a wastrel, squandering his days with ne'er-do-wells, neglecting his family, and constantly demanding money from his wife.

Their poverty was so dire they could barely make ends meet. That New Year, desperate to give her daughter a taste of meat, his wife committed her first unlawful act by stealing from the village's ancestral hall.

Back then, meat was as valuable as gold. When the incident came to light, the villagers quickly descended upon her, encircling and berating her, while he simply stood aside, observing with a detached gaze.

In the aftermath, his wife, unable to bear the disgrace, took her own life the following day. His daughter was taken in by her grandmother. It was only then that he had an epiphany. He dedicated himself to learning and tirelessly worked to amass wealth. Over the course of thirty years, he transformed from an impoverished child into the wealthiest man in China.

Regrettably, it was far too late.

The love of his life was no longer there, and his daughter looked upon him with cold indifference.

All the riches in the world could not replace a whole family.

As his consciousness began to blur and his heartbeat slowed, he took his final breath.

Suddenly, amidst the fading sounds around him, he felt a touch on his face—like the caress of a small hand.

Then, his stomach turned, and the urge to vomit overwhelmed him.

Tang Jin bolted upright in bed and dashed for the bathroom.

"Wow!"

A torrent of vomit erupted, laced with the foul stench of alcohol, as his stomach spasmed in agony. Then, he felt the touch of small hands on his back.

"Dad, what's wrong?" asked a voice filled with youthful innocence, yet tinged with a haunting familiarity.

Tang Jin froze, his body tensing.

He turned to see a little girl about four or five years old, her skin fair and her appearance endearing. However, due to an imbalance of energies, her hair was dull and her frame was frail.

This was Tang Tang, looking just as she had when she was younger.

Hadn't he died? What was happening?

Tang Jin's eyes widened in shock. The pain in his stomach was a stark reminder that this was no dream—he was very much alive.

Could it be that he had been given a second chance at life?

The little one in his arms, witnessing Tang Jin's alternating tears and laughter, was utterly baffled. She spoke up cautiously, "Dad, what's wrong? Don't you feel well?"

Fear flickered in her eyes—the fear born from past experiences of Tang Jin's anger.

At that moment, Tang Jin came to his senses, turned around, and embraced his daughter tightly.

"Dad's okay, sweetheart. Daddy's just overwhelmed with joy. Daddy never imagined..."

Tears welled up in his eyes as he spoke. Suddenly, footsteps approached, and a woman rushed in from outside. Upon seeing them, she quickly moved to pull her daughter from Tang Jin's embrace, cautiously shielding her.

"Tang Jin, what are you up to?"

Suspicion and fear were etched across the woman's face.

Rising from the ground, Tang Jin's gaze met hers, stirring emotions within him.

"Churan..."

He had yearned for this moment for thirty years, never expecting to see her again. As he attempted to step closer, Xia Churan's face tensed with increased wariness.

"What exactly are you trying to do? There's not a penny left in the house!"

She held her daughter close, shielding her with her body. Despite the winter chill, she wore an old, worn cotton-padded jacket, her slender wrists exposed, revealing stark bruises.

The sight of those marks pained Tang Jin, a reminder of the injuries he had inflicted in a drunken stupor.

Realizing her fear, Tang Jin retreated a step.

"Churan, I'm not after your money. From now on, I won't come to you for money ever again."

He spoke softly, careful not to trigger Xia Churan's fear anew.

Her eyes clouded with confusion at his change in demeanor. He had been violent just that morning; how could a night's sleep have altered him so drastically? But Xia Churan's instincts told her he must be after money again.

Before she could confront him, her daughter's voice piped up.

"Mommy, can we have meat tonight? Tang Tang wants meat."

Her daughter's hopeful eyes bore into her, and Xia Churan felt a tug at her heart. Tomorrow was the first day of the New Year, and she had promised her daughter a special meal of stewed meat tonight. But the last of their money had been taken by Tang Jin for his drinking.

Now, they were down to their last grains of rice.

Yet, faced with her daughter's longing gaze, Xia Churan found herself at a loss for words.

Forget it. Just this once, only this time.

All she wanted was for her daughter to enjoy a piece of meat for the New Year, even if it meant breaking the rules just this once.

Determined, Xia Churan bit her lip, crouched down, and gently stroked her daughter's head, a poignant sadness peeking through her lovely features.

"Yes, Mommy will make sure you have meat tonight!"

Tang Jin was taken aback upon hearing this.

He glanced at the festive lights adorning the village and then at the calendar on the wall.

The eve of the New Year... wasn't that the day before Xia Churan had taken her own life?

In his past life, it was the desire for that piece of meat that drove Xia Churan to poison herself.

This time around, he was resolute in preventing such a tragedy at all costs.

He stepped forward abruptly, locking eyes with Xia Churan.

"Are you planning to steal meat from the ancestral hall?"