Hidden Moth-Chapter 470 - 266: Pitying Hearts of Shared Guilt (Part 3)

Chapter 470: Chapter 266: Pitying Hearts of Shared Guilt (Part 3)

Although Sesame Apartment has three types of units, the kitchen and bathroom layout is the same. Upon entering, the bathroom is on one side, and on the other side of the entry hallway is a makeshift stove, not even a proper kitchen.

The apartment doesn’t have a gas connection, so cooking can only be done with an induction stove. It’s fine for simple things like making noodles or heating up food, but cooking a proper meal for a family is troublesome. Forget about frying and deep-frying being inconvenient, there’s not even enough space for pots, pans, and bowls.

Gao Xue’e considered moving to Sesame Apartment for a while, but later dismissed the idea, thinking it would be easier to handle anything from her own home.

Looking at those issues separately, each one doesn’t seem significant. But when viewed together, they definitely don’t add up.

At this point, He Kao asked, "How far is the art training class the kid attends from here?"

Qian Guran replied, "It’s not close; six kilometers by car or five stops on the bus."

He Kao asked, "Is he planning to apply to a Qi Yuan institution?"

Qian Guran said, "Actually, no. I chatted with him a bit once. His grades for cultural subjects aren’t bad, but he just likes art. His first choice is Chunhua Academy of Fine Arts or the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

His mother wants him to study Fine Arts, but he himself prefers Industrial Design..."

He Kao commented, "Both Chunhua Academy of Fine Arts and the Central Academy of Fine Arts are in Pingjing, but they’re bringing the kid to a supplementary class here in Qi Yuan, and yet they live in an apartment so far from the class. Isn’t that suspicious?

I can see it, can’t Xiaomei see it either?"

Qian Guran replied, "Are you kidding? Two Guests of Fate who haven’t even entered the sect yet want to scheme against a Tier Six Pharmacist to their face, and Xiaomei is a Sword Cultivator. Do you know what Sword Heart Clarity is?"

Then he chuckled, "You say there’s no proper kitchen here. It’s inconvenient for home life, but ever since that family moved in, the hallway on this floor always smells like cooking oil."

The apartment’s makeshift stove comes with a range hood, but the wall-mounted kind isn’t very effective at extracting smoke. If they’re cooking, the smell of the smoke does drift into the hallway outside.

He Kao remarked, "Oh, they actually cook here. I thought they’d just order takeout."

Qian Guran said, "They cook at home, three meals a day, and they even bought a big fridge and a dining table.

The majority of people living here are single, and even if they’re not, most don’t cook for themselves. When you pass by their door and say hello, they often invite neighbors to eat with them. They’ve even invited me over for a few drinks.

Once they made dumplings at home, a lot of them, and after cooking, they gave a bowl to each neighbor to try, saying they had this habit when living in the compound..."

He Kao asked, "So you’ve eaten their food, drunk their wine, and even received their dumplings?"

Qian Guran replied, "Yes, just treating them as neighbors."

He Kao queried, "Did they ever invite Xiaomei?"

Qian Guran answered, "They do often greet Xiaomei, very warmly and politely, but Xiaomei eats three meals a day at the company cafeteria. Except for the first day when she reported there, she comes back after dinner, giving them no opportunity."

He Kao asked, "How did they get the information?"

Qian Guran replied, "I don’t know. I suppose the Ancestral Hall will investigate. Who knows what they’ll find out."

He Kao asked, "What does Ancestral Hall plan to do, just watch them act it out here every day?"

Qian Guran said, "What else can they do? As long as they don’t reveal Xiaomei’s identity or state their motives, the Ancestral Hall won’t handle it for now, and it might be difficult to penalize them afterward.

They’re just Guests of Fate, not even official disciples. They probably haven’t even heard of the Ancestral Hall’s confidentiality order, and who knows where they heard the news and decided to be clever. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

If someone did tell them this information, you can’t say they broke any rules.

They heard that Elder Mei was living here and know Elder Mei’s name is Mei Guyu, yet they don’t even know my identity, only that I am Xiaomei’s unit leader, not that I am a Sorcerer of the Qi Observation Sect.

As long as they don’t say anything, no one has a reason to do anything about them. Bringing their child to Qi Yuan for supplementary classes isn’t violating any rules or laws—is it not allowed?

There are all sorts of people and schemes in the world; being part of it inevitably means encountering them. These seem like everyday trivialities, but they can be annoying. Since Xiaomei wants to experience the world, this is part of what she has to go through..."

He Kao sighed, "They think they’re clever, but aren’t parents loving too?"

Qian Guran frowned and said, "Loving? If you don’t understand, that’s one thing, but since you’ve seen through it, you can’t say that! Parents set up schemes for their own selfish desires, plotting other people’s children for the sake of their own, that’s not loving.

Xiaoliang is just their child, but isn’t everyone their parent’s child?"

In fact, He Kao subconsciously envied Xiaoliang a bit because he hadn’t had parental care from a young age, which led to his lament. Old Qian, however, was earnest with him, and He Kao couldn’t help but retort, "You’ve never schemed for someone out of selfish desires?"

Qian Guran straightforwardly answered, "Sure, there are things you know about! But when I do that kind of thing, I never say I’m lovely."

He Kao asked, "What do you think of this family of three then?"

This time it was Qian Guran’s turn to sigh, "The child Xiaoliang is unaware, but indeed very innocent."

He Kao refuted, "How is he innocent?"

Qian Guran said, "If he could truly cultivate some day, their parents’ cleverness would backfire..."

In Old Qian’s view, parents are doing this mainly for their child, but it’s precisely of no benefit to Xiaoliang. This family who hasn’t even entered the sect yet dares to scheme against the Sect Leader, and in such a sensitive event, right under the Ancestral Hall’s nose.

If Xiaoliang fails to cultivate it will be fine, but if he succeeds and enters the sect, that would be a definite point of black history, unlikely to earn favor. But he is completely in the dark about it, which is why Old Qian says he is innocent.

He Kao frowned, "Innocent? That word isn’t suitable! Innocence means being faultless yet unduly punished. Right now, he hasn’t made any mistakes, and nobody is punishing him.

No matter how the Ancestral Hall handles it, they won’t hold him accountable, and no one will do anything to him.

He’s far from innocent; his ancestors’ tombs are practically shooting out fireworks! How many kids in this world have such good conditions? A sorcerer grandfather, parents who are financially secure, no need to work, and can accompany him to art supplementary classes.

In the future, regardless of whether he enters the sect, he at least has the opportunity to learn Techniques, with a sorcerer grandfather to guide him, and parents scheming so that he can meet the world’s high achievers before even entering the sect.

If his parents’ scheming fails today, you say he’s innocent. But if it succeeds, should he be deemed guilty? In my view, he’s neither guilty nor innocent.

The transmission of Technique isn’t compulsory education, and the Magic Sect isn’t an open recruitment training class. Parents can plan for him, but the Magic Sect owes him nothing, and there’s no reason high achievers must notice, regard, or nurture him.

Because of his parents’ actions today, if he manages to cultivate in the future, you presume he might not be welcome, but how about considering that without parents like these, he might never have the chance to enter the sect?

As for whether he’ll be welcomed post-entry, that’s just your speculation, as yet to happen. Even if it does happen as expected, how to manage it depends on him—how he can change other people’s impressions.

One can’t just take the benefits and not the responsibilities, inherit wealth without debt, and claim innocence for not gaining all advantages. The Karma he has is already rare; how he cultivates lies in his own hands!"

Hearing this string of rebuttals, Qian Guran had to smile bitterly, "You’re right, it seems I was rather taking things for granted."

He Kao also tried to soften his tone, "My mindset might be somewhat off too."

The debate behind closed doors between Old Qian and Xiao Kao, with Old Qian not recognizing the parents as pitiful, and Xiao Kao refusing to deem the child innocent, ended with them acknowledging each other’s points, aligning the granularity between leader and employee.

Taking a sip of tea, He Kao sighed again, "Speaking of innocence, Xiaomei is truly innocent."

Qian Guran leaned back on the sofa, resting on his hands, "Who says otherwise! If it were just this family, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but the whole five buildings of Sesame Apartment are filled, just thinking about it gives me a headache!"

**