Ch 53: Those who wronged me are now begging me for mercy

We Need Someone Who Can Play an Instrument

He opened the item details to take a closer look.

Suona: A wind instrument with a robust and loud tone, featuring a wooden body, copper whistle, and flared bell. It’s the pride of an old craftsman. As the saying goes, “A year to master the qin, three years for the xiao, but the erhu can break your back; when the suona plays, the show ends.” A rogue among instruments, it’s played from birth to the grave. The perfect companion for humans.

System: Isn’t this part of the national cultural heritage? Why call it a rogue?

Rong Ziyin silently took out the suona and gave it a blow.

The high-pitched, resonant sound instantly shook the entire dorm three times over. With this kind of volume, never mind cellos and violins—even high-tech electronic instruments would be overshadowed by the suona’s powerful voice.

System: Okay, okay, I get it, please stop!

Whether or not it’s about birth is irrelevant; a sudden blast like that could practically send someone off to the afterlife.

And it seemed others shared the system’s thoughts.

Within three seconds, someone was banging on Rong Ziyin’s door.

“Coming!” Rong Ziyin casually grabbed the suona and opened the door.

Standing outside was the class monitor. He had heard that earth-shattering sound and came to check if something had happened to Rong Ziyin. But when he looked down and saw the instrument in Rong Ziyin’s hand, he had a strange premonition.

“Hey, Rong, what are you holding…?” The class monitor felt utterly exhausted, like a young man suddenly burdened with the worries of an old father.

But Rong Ziyin answered calmly, “It’s a suona. I just got it.”

Class Monitor: “… So, are you planning to learn it?”

Rong Ziyin: “No need to learn. I already know how to play it.”

Class Monitor: “???”

Rong Ziyin: “Don’t worry, I won’t play it in the dorm.”

The class monitor received this promise, but his eyes still looked dazed. He was still half in shock even after returning to his dorm.

“What happened? Did Rong pull some crazy stunt again?” His roommate pretended to be concerned, but excitement sparkled in his eyes.

“I don’t know,” the class monitor sighed deeply. “But he did get a suona.”

“???” His roommate was stunned. “So that sound earlier was…”

“Yeah,” the class monitor nodded grimly.

Tears welled up in the roommate’s eyes. Damn, this was terrifying. Rong Ziyin was already a handful, and now he had a weapon. How were they supposed to live like this?

But then he thought again, and realized that apart from being a bit annoying with his words, Rong Ziyin wasn’t that bad. He was actually the backbone of their department, and his increased combat power could be a good thing.

Besides, with the five jerks in Rong Ziyin’s room, if one suona tune could send them off, it would be doing everyone a favor!

After discussing it with the class monitor, the roommate’s initial anxiety eased considerably.

Back in his room, Rong Ziyin heard the system notifications: Class Monitor’s worry value +1000, Class Monitor’s relief value +1000, Class Monitor’s happiness value +1000.

System: Master! Look at what you’ve done to these poor kids!

Rong Ziyin: Don’t exaggerate. The process doesn’t matter. The outcome is clear—I brought him happiness.

System: The fact that you’re still alive is like the latest Andersen fairy tale.

The mental conversation quickly ended, as usual, but this had become a familiar routine. Within five minutes, Rong Ziyin and the system were already onto a new topic.

System: “So why do you know how to play the suona?”

The system was genuinely curious.

Rong Ziyin casually replied, “I learned it from Uncle Liu at the village entrance when I was a kid. Later, when I got into Agricultural University, I stopped playing.”

“Why did you learn that?” The system was puzzled. Could it be that Rong Ziyin knew the importance of well-rounded development even as a child?

Rong Ziyin said, “To make money! The countryside is different from the city. You play the suona for a baby’s full month celebration, for welcoming a new bride, and even for funerals. Throughout the year, other jobs might be uncertain, but there’s always work for a suona player.”

“…” The system sighed, feeling a pang of sympathy.

Back then, how old could Rong Ziyin have been? While other kids were running wild in the hills, returning to their parents for comfort when upset, Rong Ziyin had already started learning skills to support himself.

But Rong Ziyin didn’t seem to harbor any self-pity. Instead, he remarked, “I was pretty popular back then. The suona players always stood at the front during events, and everyone was envious that I got to be in the spotlight for every major occasion. I was practically a celebrity.”

“Ah! In today’s online terms, I suppose you could call me an ‘idol’?”

System: Dad, please, can you stop? What kind of idol can compare to you? You could send people straight to the crematorium with one blow!

The conversation abruptly ended again, and the system lay down like a salted fish, trying to recover from the emotional impact.

Meanwhile, Rong Ziyin continued organizing the salted duck eggs in the basket, sorting the salted fish as well.

He genuinely didn’t feel troubled, nor did he think his past hardships were anything to pity.

In this life, whether you live for others or for yourself, it’s your own choice. Once you’ve made a decision and walked down that path, there’s no need for outsiders to console you or offer sympathy.

First, it might not truly bring any healing. Second, having already endured it, why dwell on the pain and torture yourself further?

Rong Ziyin recalled the time when his parents were still around. Back then, they lived together with his eldest uncle’s family, his second uncle’s family, and his grandparents.

With so many people in the courtyard, conflicts were inevitable.

Once, his two older cousins bullied him. Naturally, with Rong Ziyin’s temperament, he fought back on the spot. But a few days later, for some reason, he thought of the incident again and couldn’t help but cry.

At that time, his father held him and taught him a lesson, “Life is like this—bitterness outweighs sweetness. If you really want to suffer, you don’t need to look back on the past; just taste the present, and it’s enough to make life unbearable.”

“So, forget the past sorrows. Once it’s over, it’s over. Just remember the sweet and joyful moments, and life will be a bit easier.”

Rong Ziyin didn’t understand at the time, but he was always obedient, so he followed his father’s advice. As he matured, he came to understand the meaning behind his father’s words and realized how deeply his father truly loved him.

And that, in itself, was something to be grateful for.

However, no matter how open-minded a person is, after drifting for so long, they will still have some unresolved feelings. Rong Ziyin had left home at twelve or thirteen and had been without a permanent residence ever since.

During school, he stayed in the dorms, and during breaks, he lived where he worked. Now, in his twenties, he thought it would be nice to have a home.

Even if it was just a small single-story house, just a few square meters, with a window and a door, it would still be a place to settle down.

But in Yanjing, buying a house was too difficult.

The down payment alone would be several hundred thousand to a million, and the monthly mortgage payments wouldn’t be small either. It seemed like an impossible goal for now.

Rong Ziyin had never been one to aim too high, but perhaps because thoughts of his father had resurfaced today, those buried desires began to rise.

But he quickly calmed himself down. He quietly reassured himself that with hard work, he would eventually have a home.

It was getting late, and with these thoughts weighing on him, Rong Ziyin didn’t feel like talking anymore and went to bed early.

In the middle of the night, someone used a key to open the dormitory door, making quite a racket, and even turned on the lights after entering.

They didn’t care that there was someone else already asleep in the dorm—Rong Ziyin’s four roommates had returned.

On any other day, they wouldn’t have dared to be so brazen.

But tonight, they had gone out drinking and were feeling bold and cocky.

Rong Ziyin woke up but didn’t open his eyes, choosing instead to keep resting.

But these four started pushing their luck, even beginning to noisily wash up.

Usually, Rong Ziyin would have ignored them, but he was already irritated today, and this was pushing him to the edge.

So, Rong Ziyin sat up in bed and looked at them.

“What? You looking for a fight?” His four roommates were eager for Rong Ziyin to cause trouble.

However, they never expected Rong Ziyin to take out his phone and directly send a message to the academic advisor, “The four in my dorm returned drunk from off-campus, intentionally making noise late at night, disturbing others’ rest.”

The academic advisor, who was still awake, saw Rong Ziyin’s message and immediately called back—not to Rong Ziyin, but to his four roommates.

The advisor didn’t hold back, “What’s going on with you guys? Get to my office right now!”

Rong Ziyin was currently the department’s treasure. With the experiment reaching a critical stage, nothing could go wrong on his end. If these four disrupted him and the experiment failed, it would be a huge problem.

So, the academic advisor quickly came to the dorm himself, taking the four for a good talking-to. Before leaving, he glanced at Rong Ziyin under the bedside lamp, noticing that he didn’t look well, “If you’re not feeling well, remember to go to the infirmary.”

“Okay, don’t worry, teacher. Sorry for calling you so late.” Rong Ziyin was indeed very tired. After saying that, he leaned back on his pillow and fell asleep again.

Meanwhile, the four taken away from the dorm were practically in tears. So much for personal grudges—getting the teacher involved was quite a move!

But no matter how unfair they felt, getting caught drunk by the academic advisor meant they were in for a serious reprimand.

It was truly miserable.

The next morning, Rong Ziyin uncharacteristically didn’t get up. He felt weak all over and took several seconds to manage to sit up, feeling a dull ache in every bone.

System: Host, are you sick?

Rong Ziyin forced himself to find a thermometer and took his temperature: 39.7°C.

He quickly called his mentor and the senior students at the lab, explained the situation, and asked for a day off.

Next, Rong Ziyin hurriedly dressed and headed to the campus clinic. He made sure to bring everything he needed, including a long-sleeve jacket and a water bottle.

It wasn’t a serious illness, and being young, the campus doctor quickly prescribed him some medication and arranged for him to rest on a chair while receiving an IV.

Rong Ziyin covered himself with the jacket and closed his eyes to rest.

The system sighed, “I thought you’d just take some medicine and head straight to the lab!”

Rong Ziyin shook his head, “Why would I do that? The lab requires focus and precision. If my mind isn’t clear, I’d only cause trouble by going there.”

Rong Ziyin was very clear about the situation. If he made a mistake in the lab due to being sick, the whole team would suffer. It was better to rest and recover, then catch up on work later.

The medication was effective, and before long, Rong Ziyin drifted off to sleep.

Someone came to the clinic to get medicine and saw Rong Ziyin sitting alone, resting. They couldn’t help but feel bad for him and vented on the campus forum, saying that while top students may seem glamorous, they can also be quite lonely, with no one to care for them when they’re sick.

Initially, a few people agreed, but then others focused on the main question—who was this top student who seemed so pitiful?

When they found out it was Rong Ziyin, the tone of the thread immediately changed.

“Haha, don’t be silly, how could Rong Dog get sick? Any virus would die of anger just looking at him.”

“And what’s with saying no one cares for him? If he can’t find a girlfriend, it’s definitely his own fault!”

“As if a doggedly straight guy could ever have a sweet girl caring for him!”

Despite all the banter, people soon began to show up at the clinic to check on Rong Ziyin.

Xu Chuanzi and Yao Lele were the first to arrive, followed by the class monitor and several of Rong Ziyin’s VIP customers from the dorm, who brought food for him.

Seeing that Rong Ziyin was sound asleep and noting that the clinic was quiet today, Xu Chuanzi and the others discussed with the clinic doctor whether they could let him lie down to rest more comfortably.

It was clear that Rong Ziyin was exhausted, as he didn’t wake up despite all the commotion.

“Let’s hope he’s not seriously ill!” Yao Lele, being a girl, was naturally more concerned.

However, the clinic doctor reassured them that everything was fine, so they relaxed a bit.

The doctors at the Agricultural University clinic were quite skilled, and sure enough, by the time Rong Ziyin woke up in the afternoon, he was feeling much better.

Not only had his fever subsided, but the aching in his body had also disappeared, leaving him feeling as energetic as he did before he got sick.

The system told him about everyone who had come to see him while he was asleep. Rong Ziyin acknowledged it with a simple reply but silently kept their kindness in mind.

Just then, someone pushed the door open—it was the class monitor, bringing food for Rong Ziyin. Seeing that Rong was awake, he was pleased.

After confirming with the doctor that everything was okay, the class monitor suggested taking him back to the dorm.

“Is there something going on in the department?” Rong Ziyin casually inquired.

“Yeah,” the class monitor sighed and began explaining the trouble they were facing.

It was about the graduation ceremony.

The Agricultural University had a tradition of holding a graduation ceremony every year, with each department putting on a performance by class.

Originally, Rong Ziyin’s class had planned to have someone sing a song and be done with it. But this year, all the other classes had so many talented individuals that their class’s simple song seemed too ordinary by comparison.

When the class monitor went to register the program, the advisor spent a long time trying to persuade him to come up with something more creative. But finding a new idea at the last minute was difficult.

“It would be great if someone in our department could play an instrument. Even if they could just teach everyone a short piece!” the class monitor muttered, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he instinctively felt something was off.

Then he saw Rong Ziyin’s face, smiling mischievously.

“Class monitor, I can play!” It was a coincidence that they had just entered the dorm.

Rong Ziyin enthusiastically pulled the class monitor into his room, took out his suona, and played the piece he knew best.

A funeral dirge—Ten Kneelings for the Father.

🍉🫐🍇🍒🥝