We Are Filthy, Born From Mud - Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Yes, She Gives Her Freedom. Will Make ‘Zong Liangu’ Appear…

“Mom, I’m home.”

“Baby, why didn’t you tell me? I don’t have any groceries in the house.”

Meng Lin pulled Zong Yougu down to sit on the sofa, her somewhat rough hands stroking Yougu’s cheeks back and forth. Zong Yougu didn’t dodge as she usually did; instead, she acted more obedient and gentle than ever before. This was because she had a favor to ask of Meng Lin—she had come for the sake of Zong Liangu.

Zong Liangu needed an identity, and Zong Yougu’s adoptive mother, Meng Lin, could easily arrange that.

“Mother,” Zong Yougu called out. She allowed Meng Lin to touch her face affectionately for a while before quietly and tactfully moving the woman’s hand away.

“You’ve gotten thin again,” Meng Lin said, gripping Yougu’s shoulder with distress.

“No, I haven’t,” Zong Yougu shrugged, causing Meng Lin’s hand to fall away.

“I am your mother; I am your mom. You should try to lean on me more. I want your life to be easier. If being an actress is too tiring, you’re welcome back anytime. You can always just be a daughter—you can always just be my daughter.”

Zong Yougu pursed her lips and didn’t respond.

Meng Lin let out a light laugh, her originally gentle tone turning acerbic: “Right, Zong Yougu is a big star now. Why would she care about a blind, wicked old woman like me?”

Meng Lin’s hand fumbled on the table, so Zong Yougu handed her a glass of water. Looking at Meng Lin’s clouded pupils, Yougu sighed. She remained silent.

Meng Lin was her adoptive mother. In the other world, she was likely Zong Liangu’s adoptive mother as well. Much like Zong Liangu, Zong Yougu had met Meng Lin by chance during a theft. Later, when the orphanage was struggling to make ends meet, Meng Lin adopted her.

According to Zong Liangu’s description, the Meng Lin in the other world lived a prosperous life by raising assassins, never wanting for food or drink. But the Meng Lin of this world was not so lucky. She too had once roamed the gray areas—theft and robbery provided well for her, and she made a killing occasionally reselling firearms and equipment.

But “those who walk by the river will eventually get their shoes wet.” Her luck ran out; the police caught her trail, and her companions betrayed her without mercy. During her escape, she injured her eyes. The injury was severe, and without timely medical attention, she went completely blind.

Betrayal and blindness left her feeling constantly helpless. The various inconveniences of life made her feel her own impotence and insignificance for the first time in a long while. It was then that she suddenly remembered the orphan who had tried to steal her wallet on the street. She wanted someone to take care of her daily life; she needed someone to be responsible for her basic needs. Furthermore, people always lower their guard around someone with a child; a child could facilitate a smooth transition from a criminal to a “normal” person.

One could say her initial adoption of Zong Yougu was entirely out of selfishness.

Meng Lin considered herself emotionally cold, but she hadn’t expected Zong Yougu to be even more so. Though they shared no blood relation, their innate selfishness seemed to stem from the same lineage. True, Zong Yougu took good care of her—from laundry and cooking to bathing and scrubbing her body, she never uttered a word of complaint. She also memorized Meng Lin’s instructions perfectly: whenever anyone asked about her family, she would recount how difficult it was for her mother to raise her alone.

Meng Lin was extremely satisfied with her, eventually viewing Zong Yougu as a daughter in her subconscious. She even lamented that Yougu wasn’t her biological child and regretted missing her childhood. Every time this happened, Zong Yougu would hug Meng Lin and say, “Mom, I love you too.” Having such a daughter made Meng Lin feel incomparably happy.

However, the moment Zong Yougu was discovered by a talent scout—the moment she saw a chance to leave that house—she abandoned Meng Lin without hesitation. There wasn’t a hint of delay, as if she had been waiting for the opportunity to leave all along. Struggling through the industry, she had thought of many things, but returning home was never one of them. This was the first time Zong Yougu had visited Meng Lin this year, yet she came with an ulterior motive.

“Mother, your hair is messy.”

Zong Yougu picked up the comb from the table and began combing Meng Lin’s hair stroke by stroke. Her hands skillfully separated the strands; hair interspersed with a few white strands slipped through Yougu’s fingers. Meng Lin closed her eyes, humming a tuneless song.

Just as Zong Yougu thought she had fallen asleep, Meng Lin spoke slowly: “Go on, what favor do you want from me? You only become this easy to talk to when you need something. Tell me what you want before I change my mind.”

Exposed in her intent, Zong Yougu didn’t feel a shred of embarrassment. She put down the comb and smiled candidly.

She said, “Mom, I want another identity.”

Even though Meng Lin had “washed her hands clean” of the underworld years ago, the connections she had accumulated over the years allowed her to handle such a small matter with ease. Meng Lin kept her eyes half-closed as she said dismissively, “Don’t tell me you don’t know how to do something as simple as forging documents.”

Zong Yougu shook her head and spoke seriously: “Mother, I want an identity that can stand in the light of day. Mother, can you help me?”

Meng Lin finally opened her eyes. She turned her head, her clouded, hollow eyes facing Zong Yougu directly. She didn’t intend to ask why, because she knew even if she did, Zong Yougu wouldn’t tell the truth.

“Of course. You are my daughter; I will certainly help you with such a small thing. Your… new identity, what name should it have?”

“Zong Liangu.”

“Fine. I will make ‘Zong Liangu’ appear in this world.”

Zong Yougu returned home at twilight. The sky hadn’t completely darkened when she left Meng Lin’s house. After a few steps, the faint sunlight vanished entirely. Then, the streetlights on both sides lit up one by one; the warm yellow glow made the entire street look like a crystal ball. The road home was illuminated, and along with it, Zong Yougu was lit up as well.

A beautiful future was beckoning to her. Zong Yougu smiled, unable to stop herself from dreaming. Once she had the identity, she and Zong Liangu could appear together under the guise of long-lost twin sisters.

In all her years since debut, Zong Yougu had never revealed her background in public. This was a perfect opportunity. She came from the mud; the story of her growing up in an orphanage was enough to bring tears to anyone’s eyes. Her fate had been ill-starred, her life full of twists and turns. Such a tragic past would be enough to drown out any dissatisfaction people might have regarding the sudden appearance of “Zong Liangu.”

If Zong Liangu was willing, their collaboration could continue. If Zong Liangu wanted to perform alone, she could choose for herself using the “Zong Liangu” identity. If Zong Liangu wanted to do something else, as long as it wasn’t illegal, everything was acceptable. Zong Yougu would grant Zong Liangu sufficient freedom.

Of course, Zong Yougu wasn’t being this generous out of pure kindness; she was doing it so that Zong Liangu would be more willing to stay by her side. Only then would Zong Liangu remain with her for the long term.

Zong Yougu’s home was quite a distance from Meng Lin’s. She transferred buses several times before reaching the old-fashioned residential area. By the time she reached the apartment building, it was late at night. Aside from a few distant car horns, there was almost no sound.

Still immersed in joy, a smile played involuntarily on Zong Yougu’s face. She stepped lightly up the stairs, taking them two at a time, climbing the winding concrete staircase of the tenement building to the top floor.

When she arrived home, Zong Liangu had also returned. Liangu was sitting facing the door; perhaps she hadn’t been home long, as she hadn’t yet changed out of her evening gown. Her hair and clothes were flecked with gold dust from the banquet venue, which shimmered under the energy-saving light. Zong Yougu’s gaze was repeatedly drawn to those tiny flashes of light.

Zong Yougu stared blankly, her breathing slowing and catching in her throat, her heartbeat becoming irregular.

“Where did you go?” Zong Liangu frowned; this was her first question.

“Guess.” Zong Yougu smiled without answering.

Normally, Zong Liangu would have been angry, but her mood today was exceptionally good, and she didn’t even bother to argue. She waved her hand and said casually, “Where the hell did you go… forget it, I don’t care.”

“You’ll know in a while. You are me and I am you; would I ever do anything to harm myself?” Zong Yougu leaned on the table, propping up her head with her hands, speaking with a beaming smile. Her eyes followed Zong Liangu’s movements; wherever Liangu walked, her head turned.

Zong Liangu took off her coat—the low-key, luxurious garment was draped over the old wooden chair. Liangu kept her eyes down, her hands carefully removing the ornaments pinned to her hair; the snagged strands of hair looked like crystalline lotus silk tangled in her fingers.

“How was the banquet?” Zong Yougu asked casually.

Zong Liangu paused, her hands freezing in place. But soon, she resumed unpinning her hair as if nothing had happened. With her hair falling over her shoulders and her fingertips rubbing the ends, she said nonchalantly, “How else could it be? It was just like that—a bunch of people pretentiously swirling wine glasses and complimenting each other. Boring to death.”

“Is that so?”

Zong Yougu naturally noticed Zong Liangu’s good mood; she understood Liangu’s duplicity perfectly. Since Liangu was in a good mood, Yougu’s already good mood naturally became even better. She leaned forward until their noses were almost touching. She opened her eyes wide, making them perfectly round.

Mischievously, she kept blowing air onto Zong Liangu’s face, laughing as she did, until Liangu frowned with impatience. Zong Yougu immediately stopped, looking at her with a look that was both annoying and innocent. Her arms hung around Zong Liangu’s neck as she leaned back.

With a burning gaze, she asked Zong Liangu jokingly: “Supposing I didn’t exist, and you were the only ‘Zong Yougu’ in this world, what would you do?”

Zong Liangu laughed and pushed her away. “Where do all these ‘supposes’ come from? I never indulge in delusions.”

“Is that so?” Zong Yougu planted a kiss on the other’s cheek.