America: John Wick 1924

Chapter 70 Li Yu: "Nun, why are you pretending to be a 'saint'?"

April 16, 1924 —

San Francisco, Maple Street, outside the door of a house—

"Sister Lovegood... thank you... thank you so much..."

Susan held her son John's urn, sobbing uncontrollably, and repeatedly thanked Janet in front of her.

If Jane hadn't caught her in time, she would have knelt down long ago, expressing her sincerest gratitude to Jane with the utmost humility.

Jane travels to a distant place to retrieve Susan's son's remains—this is the opportunity that leads Li Yu and Jane to meet.

Susan was so heartbroken that she stayed in the hospital for a while before finally being discharged and returning home today.

Early this morning, Jane took Li Yu to visit Susan and solemnly handed over John's remains—thus, this scene was carved.

Susan, who opened the door to greet Jeanne, was overjoyed and wept uncontrollably upon seeing the urn containing Jeanne's remains.

The neighbors on Maple Street rushed over upon hearing the news, surrounding Susan's house in three concentric circles. Looking at Jane, who was still supporting Susan, they couldn't help but sigh:
"Sister Lovegood is so kind; she actually brought back little John's remains."

“I’ve said it before, she is the embodiment of the Virgin Mary.”

"If there is only one person in this world who can go to heaven, then that spot must belong to Sister Lovegood."

Li Yu stood quietly to the side, listening to the sighs of the people around him while gazing thoughtfully at Jane's back.

……

……

That night, at 26 Maple Street (Li Yu & Jane's home) —

As pastors/nuns, Li Yu and Jane's main source of income is the donations from their parishioners—simply put, "offerings money."

The more money the parishioners put in front of the cross, the higher their income will be; the less money the parishioners put in front of the cross, the lower their income will be.

In other words, their income is not fixed; how much they receive depends entirely on the mood of the church members.

However, unlike other churches, Jane was extremely popular on Maple Street.

The neighbors respected her like a saint and doted on her like their own daughter.

Therefore, she often receives "feeding" from her neighbors.

From steaks to pasta, from milk to soft drinks... the neighbors generously donated batch after batch of food.

There were even people giving away clothes, furniture, and appliances.

Li Yu had been staying at Jane's house for so many days, and he had hardly ever seen Jane spend a penny on food and drink. She was well-fed just by being "fed" by her fellow church members.

For example, at this very moment, a plump woman with a height and waist of about 1.6 meters knocked on the door of No. 26 Maple Street.

After Jane opened the door, she handed over a large bag of flour with a big smile.

"Sister Lovegood, my sister has sent me another huge pile of flour! Look at all this flour, how can I possibly finish it all? I need your and Pastor Li's help!"

Without waiting for a reply, she shoved the large bag of flour into Jane's arms.

Jane smiled helplessly:
"Mrs. Martin, we can't possibly finish all this flour..."

“We can finish it! We definitely can! You and Pastor Li are both young, you can finish all this flour in no time!”

At this point, the plump aunt deliberately turned her head, her gaze passing over Jane's shoulder and staring intently at Li Yu, who was standing behind Jane.

"Good evening, Pastor Li! I hope you like this bag of flour!"

After saying that, she blinked a few times, casting "emotionally rich" glances.

Li Yu was quite familiar with this plump auntie... She was one of the most enthusiastic middle-aged women on Maple Street, so enthusiastic that Li Yu felt completely at a loss. Especially after learning that her husband had died young and that she had been a widow for over ten years, Li Yu felt even more at a loss.

Of course, Li Yu, who values ​​cultivation and character, would not reveal his complex inner thoughts.

When the plump woman looked at him, he immediately returned a polite smile.

The next moment, Jane subtly stepped to the side, blocking the fat aunt's view and preventing her from looking at Li Yu.

The plump woman regretfully withdrew her gaze, then, as if remembering something, asked with great interest:
"Sister Lovegood, isn't it time to show us your violin skills? We've never heard you play the violin before, and we'd love to hear you play some music!"

Upon hearing this, Jane's expression immediately turned strange and complicated.

"I'm very sorry, I... I haven't played the violin for a long time, and I can no longer produce beautiful music."

The plump woman waved her hand:
"It's alright, it's alright. We're just ordinary people anyway, we don't understand music! We can't tell the difference between good and bad pieces! When the old nun was still alive, we all loved listening to her play the violin... Ah, yes, I'm sorry..."

Realizing she had misspoke, the plump woman quickly stopped talking and apologized to Jane with a face full of shame.

Jane calmly shook her head:

"It's okay, I've already let it go."

Even though Jane had said that, the fat aunt's guilt did not diminish; on the contrary, it intensified.

Feeling ashamed to stay any longer, she exchanged a few perfunctory pleasantries before hastily saying goodbye.

After seeing the plump woman off, Li Yu, who had been quietly eavesdropping since earlier, looked at Jane with great curiosity:

"Sister, you can play the violin?"

"Hmm... my foster mother taught me a little violin..."

Li Yu remembered that Jane had mentioned that her adoptive mother was a well-known violinist.

"If that's the case, why don't you play the violin anymore?"

Jane pursed her lips, a look of hesitation appearing on her face.

After hesitating for a moment, she turned to Li Yu and said:

"...Pastor, could you wait a moment?"

After saying that, she slipped on her slippers and ran back to her bedroom on the second floor in a few quick steps.

When she returned, she was carrying an old violin case in her arms.

With a solemn gesture, she placed the violin case on the square table in the hall, then gently opened it—inside lay a well-preserved and exquisitely crafted violin.

Upon seeing the violin, Li Yu's eyes widened instantly. He unconsciously straightened his back, stood up straight, and muttered to himself:

"This instrument is so beautiful..."

Because of his privileged family background, Li Yu, who had studied music since childhood, had been exposed to many famous and expensive violins, so he could tell at a glance that this violin was no ordinary piece!
Li Yu's straightforward praise of the violin made Janel's lips curl into a happy and calm smile.

"This is my adoptive mother's beloved piano, and it's also one of her belongings..."

As she spoke, she gently stroked the violin, a look of reminiscence gradually gathering on her pretty face.

After hearing this, Li Yu quietly raised his gaze, staring intently at Jane in front of him with a deep look.

After a short while, he spoke softly:

“Sister, I have a very pointed question for you. Please forgive me if it offends you.”

Before Jane could respond, he asked to himself:
“Sister, you clearly don’t believe in God, so why are you pretending to be a ‘devout saint’?”

(End of this chapter)