Chapter 22: The Brooch
Old Sun was very efficient. This wasn't to say Old Sun was better at getting things done than Chen Nuo. After all, being an adult with a respectable, legitimate profession, he was naturally more convincing in many matters than a seventeen-year-old high school student would be.
The next day, Old Sun replied to Chen Nuo. He said he had consulted a lawyer classmate, then contacted Instructor Zhang at the prison, and arranged for a lawyer to seek authorization from Chen Nuo's mother.
Then, he contacted the Gu Family by phone. Chen Nuo didn't know what was said, but afterward, Old Sun severely lectured him, blaming him for acting too recklessly.
However, Old Sun didn't say Chen Nuo was wrong for hitting someone—only that he was too reckless.
Hmm, Chen Nuo mused, does that mean... I shouldn't have hit them openly?
"The paperwork can be processed, but you need to meet and talk with Officer Liu from the sub-district office!" Old Sun had said. "She was very diligent before, and this kind of custody transfer requires procedural approval from the sub-district's Women's Federation. Take some gifts when you visit her home. She went to a lot of trouble for you before, even accompanying you during the New Year. You should go to her place to handle the matter and express your gratitude. It's the proper thing to do... This is all about maintaining good relations."
After hanging up, Chen Nuo did as Old Sun suggested.
He bought some New Year's gifts and, following the address, went to Officer Liu's home that evening.
He knocked on the door.
CLACK.
The security door opened. Officer Liu saw Chen Nuo and smiled. "Chen? You're here quickly. Come in, come in."
Chen Nuo entered, his attitude very polite. "I've troubled you so much before, and now my sister's matter will require more of your attention. Since it's still the New Year holiday, I thought I should pay a visit..."
Suddenly, he trailed off. He had spotted a familiar face sitting at the dining table in the living room.
"Well, if it isn't Worker Liu... ah, no, Teacher Liu?" Chen Nuo, momentarily stunned, quickly switched to the sheepish grin of a young man.
Worker Liu was sitting there, a peanut held in his chopsticks. Before it reached his mouth, PLINK, it dropped onto the table.
Seeing the youth with the sheepish smile at the doorway, Worker Liu was utterly aghast!
"What the hell! What are you doing in my house?!" Worker Liu leaped to his feet.
Officer Liu turned to her brother. "You two know each other?"
Know each other?!! Worker Liu fumed internally. I'd recognize him even if he were ashes!!!
Worker Liu looked thoroughly displeased.
Chen Nuo, in a polite and proper manner, explained his reason for visiting to Officer Liu.
Officer Liu's attitude was still very good, perhaps even tinged with a hint of guilt. After prior contact with Old Sun, Officer Liu already knew about the Gu Family's abuse of the child. If one were to be critical, she had been somewhat negligent in her duties for not investigating these circumstances sooner.
Young Chen wasn't making a fuss, nor was he blaming her or flying into a rage. Although she heard he'd caused a scene at the Gu Family's, the fallout hadn't reached her. For a low-level civil servant like herself, this meant one less major problem. Besides, he had obtained the biological mother's authorization for the custody transfer; it was merely a matter of her processing the paperwork.
Throughout their conversation, Worker Liu (the brother) fumed silently to the side. Chen Nuo completely ignored him.
The sky's cleared, the rain's stopped, and now you think you're hot stuff again? Chen Nuo thought. Forgotten when your head was under my foot?
Still, appearances had to be maintained. After finishing his discussion with Officer Liu, Chen Nuo offered a cigarette to Worker Liu.
Worker Liu was about to act tough, but then he saw it was a Zhonghua cigarette—whoa, and a "Series 3" one at that!
He hesitated. Before he could say anything more, Chen Nuo had already pressed the whole pack into his hand. "A little something for the trouble I caused you before."
Worker Liu felt the Zhonghua pack in his hand and sneered, "Not fake again, are they?"
"Now, now," Chen Nuo chuckled. "Would I do something like that? I promised before: no more trouble for you in the future. I'm a man of my word!"
"I got a formal reprimand because of you!" Worker Liu said, his face dark. "My boss chewed me out, and I almost lost my job!"
Almost, but you didn't actually lose it, did you? Chen Nuo thought.
Chen Nuo grinned and fished a supermarket gift card from his pocket. I got this card today when I bought New Year's supplies. It was for five hundred yuan, but after buying a bunch of things, there's still... well, there should be some balance left.
Shoving the card into Worker Liu's hand, Chen Nuo smiled kindly. "Please, accept this for your troubles."
This guy's something else! Worker Liu's face lit up. He took the card, glanced towards the kitchen, and seeing Officer Liu hadn't come out, quickly pocketed it.
Chen Dog—ah, no, *Chen Nuo* then asked, "And you and Officer Liu are...?"
"My younger sister." Worker Liu took a drag from the Zhonghua. Its rich aroma confirmed it was genuine, and his expression softened a little as he began to boast, "Well, about our family... technically, as the man of the house, I should be the one supporting the family. But I'm a free spirit, used to an unrestrained life, so I never considered a bureaucratic career. No other way around it, so my sister took the civil service exam, inherited our father's mantle, and now serves the people, you see."
Wow, listen to him go, Chen Nuo thought.
Worker Liu continued his bragging, "It's just that our old man retired early. But he still has some influence, and my sister's doing pretty well. She'll get there, step by step."
Right, Chen Nuo thought wryly. To hear him talk, anyone who didn't know better would think their father was the vice premier.
Turns out, before retiring, his father had been a mere neighborhood committee director.
Chen Nuo just smiled.
This Worker Liu was rather interesting. Not a bad person, just a bit of a show-off, but he had a certain amusing quality.
After chatting idly with him for a while, Chen Nuo noticed it was dinnertime. He politely declined the Liu siblings' invitation to stay for the meal and got up to leave.
Officer Liu closed the door. "That boy... he's really something."
Worker Liu pursed his lips. Something? Damn right, he's something! Back in the Northeast, he vanished for four days, off gallivanting who knows where, and then he pinned my head—your own brother's head—to the ground and stomped on it! Simple? Hardly!
Once outside, Chen Nuo breathed a sigh of relief.
His sister's affairs were pretty much settled. The paperwork was being processed by the sub-district office, and Officer Liu had promised to get it done quickly.
The kindergarten already had her school registration and household registration records. Once it opened in a couple of days, he just needed to take her there. After all, she was born in wedlock, not an unregistered child; her parents were simply in prison. It was a local public kindergarten—not great, but not bad either. Previously, the Gu Family hadn't let Chen Xiaoye attend, claiming she was on medical leave, likely because they feared the daily hassle of taking her to and from school. Truly heartless.
Kindergarten started two days earlier than high school.
On the first day of kindergarten, Chen Nuo took his sister.
Normally, children cry and fuss on their first day of kindergarten. But Chen Xiaoye was incredibly well-behaved. She didn't make a sound, obediently following the teacher into the classroom. Her eyes welled with tears, but she bravely held them back in front of Chen Nuo. Her quiet compliance was heartbreaking.
Just before he left, she asked cautiously in a small voice, "Big Brother, you'll come get me on the weekend... right?"
Chen Nuo patted her head. "Of course."
Yes, on the weekend, he thought.
Considering Chen Nuo was still a high school student and could hardly manage daily pick-ups and drop-offs for his sister, Old Sun took the initiative to enroll her in full-time boarding at the kindergarten. It was a boarding-style kindergarten. He would pick her up to spend weekends at home, but during the week, she would live and eat at the kindergarten. Of course, the room and board fees weren't cheap, an expense the Gu Family had clearly been unwilling to bear.
The day after settling his sister into kindergarten, Jiangning No.8 Middle School also started its term.
Based on last semester's exam results, the second half of the sophomore year saw classes streamed into arts and sciences.
Chen Nuo walked into the classroom for the new Sophomore Class Six. Seeing that more than half the faces were unfamiliar, he paused for a moment.
Then he saw a few girls smiling at him. Among them was a chubby girl with a round face whom Chen Nuo recognized: she was the one who had opened the door that night in Yanbian when he had gone looking for School Belle Sun.
"Hey! Chen Nuo's here!" the round-faced girl deliberately shouted, and a group of girls burst into giggles.
In the midst of them, School Belle Sun, blushing prettily, forcefully nudged the girl beside her.
The surrounding boys cast complex glances his way—some tinged with hidden jealousy, others openly displeased. Of course, there was admiration too. After all, he was the hero who dared to pursue the Dean of Students' daughter.
Chen Nuo didn't feign shyness or hesitation. He swaggered over to School Belle Sun and placed his backpack on the desk next to hers, the spot for her deskmate.
A chorus of teasing erupted from those nearby.
Chen Nuo looked at these giggling, half-grown teenagers, shook his head, and sat down beside School Belle Sun.
The girl's face instantly turned crimson. "You... you're really sitting here?"
"Do you object?"
School Belle Sun fell silent. Of course, I'm happy, she thought, but... how could I possibly say that out loud?
The classroom quickly quieted down.
The homeroom teacher walked in, and the students scattered with a WHOOSH, returning to their seats.
"I'll be the homeroom teacher for Sophomore Class Six from now until your graduation," Old Sun announced, standing at the podium. His gaze swept across the room, then suddenly landed on that pretty-boy rascal brazenly sitting next to his daughter. Instantly, he seethed with anger!
"Chen Nuo!"
"Present!"
Old Sun didn't deign to look him in the eye, merely pointing to an empty desk in the last row. "You! Go sit over there!"
Amidst the class's uproarious laughter, Chen Nuo grinned, grabbed his backpack, and moved.
As the homeroom teacher, Old Sun announced a few matters regarding the new class arrangements for the semester and then left.
Before the first math class of the morning, Chen Nuo swaggered back to School Belle Sun's side, tossed his backpack down, and leisurely took out his textbook and stationery, arranging them neatly.
School Belle Sun, her face flushed, looked at him. "Why did you move back? My... my dad said you can't..."
Chen Nuo grinned. "It's not his class, and he's not here anyway."
Unfortunately, Chen Nuo had miscalculated.
As soon as the math teacher entered, her gaze fell directly on School Belle Sun and Chen Nuo.
The teacher smiled, then pointed at Chen Nuo. "Chen Nuo, isn't it? Go back to your own seat. Old Sun specifically warned me about you. Don't try any tricks."
Damn, Old Sun, Chen Nuo thought. You're a real piece of work!
During the break, ignoring the teasing gazes of the entire class, Chen Nuo strolled over to her again, an indifferent expression on his face.
School Belle Sun felt a mix of joy and exasperation. "You... stop hanging around me."
Chen Nuo smiled as he looked at the young lady. Hmm, she's actually put on a little weight over the Spring Festival. The baby fat on her face perfectly accentuates her youthful vitality.
His gaze slid down about a foot... Hmm, a little chubbier is good. Very good.
Suddenly, an object caught Chen Nuo's eye. Pinned to School Belle Sun's sweater was a small, exquisite brooch. A white four-leaf clover, it looked quite elegant against her black sweater.
Chen Nuo raised an eyebrow. "Oh, that's quite pretty."
School Belle Sun glanced down at it, then shot Chen Nuo an embarrassed glare. "Where are you looking!" She quickly pulled the zipper of her school uniform jacket higher.
Chen Nuo smiled. "Where did you get it?"
"It was a gift from one of Mom's friends," School Belle Sun said casually. "A couple of days ago, Mom took me to dinner with some of her friends, and one of the 'uncles' there gave it to me as a first-meeting gift."
She paused, then seemed to remember something. "Oh, right! It was that 'uncle' we met last time after ice skating, the one who gave me a lot of lucky money."
Chen Nuo asked, keeping his expression neutral, "That's not cheap, is it?"
School Belle Sun looked baffled. "A brooch? It can't be worth much, can it? Besides, Mom said it was okay for me to accept it."
Not worth much?
He looked at the somewhat clueless girl.
Chen Nuo sighed inwardly.
Van Cleef & Arpels, a world-renowned jewelry brand. Not in the absolute top tier of luxury, but not far behind. In 2001, Van Cleef & Arpels hadn't yet made a significant entry into the domestic market, and there were no boutiques in Jinling. Consequently, few people knew of the brand.
This particular brooch... it wasn't diamond-studded, just a basic model, but it would still cost around a five-figure sum.
In an era when monthly salaries were only a few hundred yuan, a five-figure sum was truly not cheap.