Chapter 22

Although it was only a competition for elementary children, Li Xia still took it very seriously. The grapes in the yard were not ripe yet, so she went out to buy two kilograms of early-ripening sand apples, a pack of biscuits and a can of canned food and took them to the teacher’s house.

“It’s okay, I’m here, I’ll guide her.” The teacher has no children and has been very interested in painting these days. Since ancient times, the relationship between a master and an apprentice is second only to that between a father and a son, and she is also very concerned about the little girl’s affairs.

“Thank you very much, teacher.”

After a brief greeting, the mother and daughter said goodbye and left. On the way, Li Xia asked her daughter on her bike: “Do you still have any colored pencils or anything else?”

“That’s quite a lot.”

Since there is no need to buy new, let’s go home. She rode her daughter back on her bike. On the way, she drew pictures behind her and whispered to her.

“Mom, my brother had a fight with a classmate this morning. But the fight wasn’t serious, so the teacher didn’t call our parents.”

“What’s the fight about?”

“Little Fatty said that brother hui was a flatterer who only liked to please the teacher, so brother hui started fighting with him.” After saying that, Huihua sighed, “My brother hui fought so fiercely that Little Fatty was so scared that he begged for mercy. Boys are really something, why would they fight for no reason?”

Since the child was not injured and the matter did not warrant calling the parents, Li Xia remained ignorant of the matter. However, she still had to pay more attention to Shen Hui’s situation and go back to tell Shen Haiyang about the child’s fight at school.

His father was still alive, but he was provoked by Murong Danling to fight with his classmates. In his previous life, he had no father, so he must have grown up crooked. She had already told Shen Haiyang what she knew about her previous life, and he should pay more attention to the child’s mental health.

“When does summer vacation officially start?”

“This weekend. The fifth graders have an exam today, and they will have a holiday after the exam. They will go to school next week to get their notices, and we will have a holiday this week. Mom, we…” The little girl hesitated halfway through her words, looking at her mother with some trepidation. When she saw her mother turn around and look at her with a gentle expression, she continued, “We also took the test. I don’t think I did very well.”

“It’s okay. Just do your best in the exam.”

She felt relieved when she said that, and spent the next two days doing the homework assigned by the teacher. On Friday afternoon, all three children in their family had their summer vacation, and ahe handed in the drawings for the competition. They said that there would be results after the summer vacation, so parents don’t need to worry.

“Have you applied for leave? Shall we set off for the capital?”

In the evening, Li Xia couldn’t wait to speak. She was ready to bring back a batch of goods. The bun shop at home had been arranged so that it could operate normally even without her. Time is money and can’t be missed.

“Okay, give me a day to hand over the work.”

Shen Hui was worried that Murong Danling was in a bad mood recently. If it was before, he would not care so much, thinking that the child was just upset. But after listening to Li Xia’s words, he began to be alert, fearing that the child had some psychological problems. Taking this opportunity to take the child out to see the beautiful mountains and rivers of the motherland, broadening his mind is beneficial to his physical and mental development.

“Okay, I’ll go buy the tickets and pack our luggage, and we’ll leave the day after tomorrow when you’re done.”

“What about the hospital?”

“My second brother is being discharged from the hospital today. I will go see them off later and buy our tickets to the capital.”

“I’ll call Lao Li and ask him to help buy a sleeper berth. You can go directly to the duty room to find him.”

“Okay.”

This was planned long ago, Shen Haiyang nodded in agreement. He rode his bike to the office to deal with things, and Li Xia rode her bike to the hospital first. As soon as she entered the door, she heard her second sister-in-law complaining to Li Xia’s father.

“He can’t get out of bed like this. Why don’t we just stay here with Xia for a while? Why are you rushing home? She is your daughter, and the one lying in bed is her second brother. She shouldn’t…”

“Shut your mouth.” The one who got angry and cursed was the second brother on the bed. “My surgery fee was borrowed by my sister, and she bought all the food and nutritional supplements for me during my hospital stay. You are such an unsatisfied woman, you even want to live in her house? What’s wrong with you?”

“I, I didn’t say anything… I’m just worried about your legs. How are you going to take the train if you can’t get out of bed?”

“How did I get here?” The second brother glared at her, and the woman lowered her head like a quail. “When I came here, I could lie under the seat. When I leave, I can still lie under the seat after discussing with others.”

“Brother, have you completed the discharge procedures? “

Li Xia came in, and her old father hurried over to greet her. “It’s done, it’s done. Let’s pack up and get ready to go.”

“Then I’ll go borrow the trolley from the department.”

After paying the deposit, the two women helped the second brother onto the trolley. The orthopedics department was located on the first floor for the convenience of patients. They helped him get on the tricycle and sat him down. They went back to change the trolley, and Li Xia came out to take him to the train station.

“My dear, you said last time that you could buy a sleeper berth. Does that mean we have to buy it in advance?”

”Haiyang called and asked a classmate for help. We can just go and get it. Don’t worry about it. I know everything.”

”That’s good , thank son-in-law for me.”

After riding for more than half an hour to the train station, Li Xia had an acquaintance help her buy three berths for her father and his family. Two lower berths and one middle berth were in the same compartment, which was just right for taking care of the patient, the second brother.

When Li Xia sent them to the train, she brought some dry food for the journey – steamed buns, and secretly gave her father 50 yuan. Knowing that her father would definitely not accept it, she stuffed it into the innerlayer of the bag containing the dry food.

“Go home and say hello to my mother. If I have time during the New Year, I will take the children back to see you.”

“Okay .”

After saying goodbye to her father, she checked the time and got off the train. The second brother asked his wife to see her off, and she immediately caught up with Li Xia. She thought it was just a polite exchange, but when she got to the door of the carriage, the woman looked away from the father and son and spoke to Li Xia.

“Your second brother’s legs are like this, and the doctor said he can’t do heavy work in the future. How are we going to live if an old farmer can’t do heavy work? Sister-in-law, please, can you find a job for your second brother in the city? Your husband is a leader, so he must know a lot of people. Please, I really have no other choice.”

During the operation, it was found that the condition of my second brother’s leg was more serious than what was seen in the film beforehand. The broken bones were not long enough to be connected together, so an artificial bone was connected. If he continues to work like before, his leg will not be able to bear it and he may soon become a cripple.

Li Xia knew about this situation and had been thinking about it for a while. She thought it was not appropriate to ask Shen Haiyang to help her find a job.

First, her second brother has little education and no skills. If he finds a job, he can only do odd jobs. This kind of job earns little money and has no security, so he is not suitable for settling down. Second, her mother’s family is large and has many trivial matters. She can’t rely on Shen Haiyang for all of them. It will affect the relationship between the couple in the long run.

“I understand. Let’s wait until my second brother’s leg is completely healed before we talk about this. Don’t worry. Take good care of him in the next year or so. Keeping healthy is more important than anything else. After all, you need a healthy body to do anything. If we encounter any difficulties, we can always get through it together.”

“Yes, I know. Then, sister-in-law you must keep it in mind.”

“Yeah.”

After seeing her family off, she bought three sleeper tickets for her family. The three children were not old enough to buy tickets, but there were too many of them to take with her, and she would not be able to accommodate them without buying one more.

“I’ll take Huihua with me and let Huihui and Yiyi sleep together, so all three of them can sleep together.”

After returning home and packing her luggage in the afternoon, she took out the ticket and showed it to Shen Haiyang. The man nodded and had no objection. His mind was now filled with the past life she mentioned, and he kept deducing the possibilities of the mother and son.

If it was before, he wouldn’t think so much. As the old saying goes, even a tiger won’t eat its own cubs, Murong Danling is the child’s biological mother. But now it’s different, because of that possible possibility, he doesn’t mind maliciously speculating on how Murong Danling and her family will take the next step.

The children didn’t like watching TV shows these days, so they would go out to play after dinner. He called the children to the main room, gave each of them a dime in pocket money, and then started talking to them.

“Don’t go alone with Murong Danling. Next time she looks for you, run away. If you miss her, dad will take you there. Remember, don’t go with her by yourself.” After saying this to Shen Hui, he turned around and looked at the other two: “The same goes for you two. If she calls the three of you, remember, don’t follow her, come home together.”

What does this mean? It’s not that he is not allowed to see his biological mother, but he is not allowed to go with his biological mother without his family knowing. Shen Hui didn’t understand what his father meant, but nodded obediently. Huihua and yiyi also nodded, not knowing what their father meant, but obeying the adults’ arrangements.

“Yeah, we got it.”

Shen Haiyang touched his son and said, “Be good.” After a moment of silence, he repeated: “Remember, if you want to meet her, your father must take you there. Don’t go with her alone. If your uncle forces you, just shout loudly and say you don’t know him.”

“I will remember.” Seeing his father’s worried expression, the little boy nodded heavily at him, “I really remember. I won’t go with her alone. I won’t let my uncle take me away again. My mother said that if a child is walking on the main road and someone forces him, he should shout or knock over other people’s things.”

“Well, just do as your mother says. If you miss her, make sure your father picks you up.”

“I see.”

“Okay, be good. Go and play.”

He had talked to his son and had given him a heads up. He went to the yard with a palm leaf fan and sat on a reclining chair, thinking about the father and son again. The people of the Murong family were just selfish, not desperate, and would not dare to do anything crazy. If they were not alone with them, they would not be able to use Shen Hui.

On the summer night with a bright moon and a light breeze, Li Xia came out of the house and sat down beside him, and the two of them chatted in the yard while enjoying the cool air. Shen Haiyang picked up the large cattail leaf fan on the table and fanned the two of them, not only to keep them cool, but also to drive away mosquitoes.

“Pah,” just like that, a mosquito still landed on Shen Haiyang’s shoulder. She raised her hand and slapped it, but the mosquito ran away and she didn’t hit it. Facing Shen Haiyang’s playful smile, she quickly explained.

“There are mosquitoes. Really. I’m not lying to you.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Your smile…” Li Xia raised her hand and patted him again, this time showing him her palm. “See, I didn’t lie.”

“Well, thank you, wife.” In fact, he didn’t even look at it.

Li Xia blushed at the sudden reveal of emotion. This man was really something. He usually looked as gentle as jade, but when they were alone, he was full of charm and seduction with just a slight raise of his eyebrows.

For a moment, she forgot what she was going to say. She was stunned for a moment and then smiled and rolled her eyes at him. Shen Haiyang smiled and told her about going to Beijing. The couple chatted with each other.

“You’re really not feeling unwell, right?”

Shen Haiyang was silent for a moment and then smiled, “I’ll go to the hospital for a check-up as you said.” He sometimes felt stuffy and uncomfortable in his chest, but he didn’t tell her until the test results came out so as not to worry her.

“Well, you’re smart, otherwise I might have knocked you out and carried you to the hospital.”

“You’re a female bandit.”

The two of them were enjoying their leisure time in the yard, unaware that the three children outside the yard had been targeted. The three little ones were playing with the other children outside, chasing fireflies everywhere, laughing and carefree, and before they knew it, they were already far away from the Shen family.

“Huihui,” Murong Danling reached out to pull her son. When Shen Hui saw it was her, he immediately stopped smiling and stepped back to avoid her hand. Murong Danling looked nervous and didn’t care about his attitude, and continued.

“Huihui, it’s your mother. I’m telling you, don’t be fooled by others. In this world, biological mothers are the best. No stepmother is better. Come on, follow me. I’ll take care of you from now on.”

Shen Hui wanted to leave but she grabbed him by the corner of his clothes. He looked at her helplessly. “Can’t you just be well? Don’t look for me anymore.”

“What are you talking about, kid?” Murong Danling held him back and refused to let him go. “What did your stepmother say to you? Why are you so easily fooled by her?”

“She didn’t coax me.” Shen Hui yelled, and then pulled the corner of the clothes out of her hand. “I’m not a fool, I can tell the difference between good and bad.”

After he yelled, he turned and ran. The child was so fast that Murong Danling couldn’t catch him at all. Huihua and yiyi heard the noise and came over. Seeing Shen Hui ignoring his mother and running away, they followed him home.

Murong Danling stamped her feet anxiously when she saw her son running away. Then she walked to the alley next to her. Her second brother glared at her and despised her for being useless.

“If you can’t even coax your own son, what else can you do?”

Murong Danling was also angry and retorted to him angrily. “If you have the ability, then go ahead. Take him away when no one is paying attention. Why don’t you go?”

Her second brother looked at her like a fool: “You’ve lost your mind, haven’t you? You forgot what we discussed? Take the child away as a mother, coax him and play with him. Delay for a few days and we’ll ask Shen Haiyang for money. As long as we don’t leave any evidence and erase all traces, we can wait for the police.

If they find out that it was you who took the child, at most they would criticize you for taking the child away without saying hello, causing misunderstanding.

If I carry the child away and control him, that’s kidnapping. Kidnapping is something that only bandits dare to do in times of chaos. Now that we are in a peaceful time, if you are caught by the police, you will have to go to jail. We have lived here for generations. Where can I go if I break the law? I make money to enjoy myself and live a good life, not to hide from others. “

“Since you don’t dare to do it, then don’t be jealous of those US dollars.”

“You fucking bastard…” Her brother stared at her angrily, and she stared back at him. Her brother was so angry that he wanted to hit her, but then he put his hand down.

“Okay, what’s the point of us arguing here? Find a chance to coax Shen Hui away, otherwise this matter can’t be solved.”

His tone softened, and Murong Danling also relaxed. “That bastard ran away when he saw me, and didn’t even follow me.”

“Look for him a few more times and be more gentle. Soften him over and over again, and then implement the plan.”

“Okay. I’ll find another chance.”

———————————

“Dad,”

Shen Haiyang was startled by his son’s cry and stood up straight, turning around to see what happened to him. What happened so late at night?

Shen Hui was the first to run into the yard. The child jumped into Shen Haiyang’s arms like a little cannonball. The two Huihua and yiyi who followed behind stopped in front of their mother.

Shen Hui hugged his father and said nothing. Li Xia and Shen Haiyang looked up at the Huihua. The little girl drank a sip of water handed to her by her mother, and then began to explain.

“Um, Auntie was here to see my brother.”

Shen Hui suddenly raised his head and said, “Don’t say anything. Don’t mention her.”

Well, this time they all shut up. Huihua was so frightened that she was as quiet as a cicada and dared not speak. Shen Haiyang saw that his son was very emotional and did not ask any more questions. He reached out and patted him to comfort him. At night, Yiyi went to bed and quietly told his mother that it was Murong Danling who came to see Shen Hui.

“I didn’t hear what he said. My sister and I heard my brother yelling and went over, then ran back with him. Oh, Dongdong and I lost two games of playing dungeon, and we haven’t won them back yet.”

“You little…”

The little guy put his arms around his mother’s neck and rubbed his chubby face against her. “Mom, you are so nice. Big brother’s mother is so mean. Last time she called brother a fool, and today she seems to have called him a fool too. No wonder brother doesn’t like her.”

A child’s likes and dislikes are so simple, he doesn’t understand complicated things, but when he saw Murong Danling getting angry at Shen Hui, he felt that she was not a good person.

“So if your mother scolds you, you will also think that she is bad and hate her?”

“Mom, are you scolding me because I did something wrong?”

The child’s childish question made Li Xia silent. It turned out that such a young child was also entangled in right and wrong, and would care so much about whether he deserved to be punished. If you don’t respect him, he will also bear grudges after being wronged again and again. When the relationship is established, cracks appear again and again, which makes the child feel a kind of desire and resistance to his parents.

Unfortunate people use their whole lives to heal their childhood, while lucky people use their childhood to heal their whole lives. This shows that the original family has a profound impact on people.

“If you do something wrong, Mom will scold you.”

“Ah?” The little guy first stepped back questioningly, then nodded as if he remembered something and said, “Oh. Mom, it seems like you haven’t scolded me for a long time.”

Li Xia smiled and pinched his cheek: “Why, do you miss the days when your mother spanked you?”

“No, no.” He said these words quickly and hastily, fearing that his mother would slap him. The little guy was very tactful and put his arms around his mother’s neck and said coquettishly: “I like the mother I have now.”

“Mom also likes obedient Yiyi.” Li Xia lowered her head and kissed the child, then reached out and patted him to coax him: “Go to sleep quickly.”

“Mom, can I have a meat bun tomorrow?”

“Okay. Go to sleep, or I won’t give you the meat buns.”

After coaxing her son to sleep, she went out to see that the lights in Shen Hui’s room were already off. She closed the door of the outer room and went back to the main room to rest. After washing up and getting into bed, Shen Haiyang put down the newspaper in his hand and suddenly asked her about Shen Hui again.

“Did the newspaper say what happened to the child?”

Li Xia shook her head: I didn’t pay attention. The newspaper was ordered by the village, and I just happened to see it. There were some issues and some were not consistent. ”

After saying that, she thought for a moment and suggested: “Find some time to talk to Murong Danling.”

The man nodded, then sighed deeply: “It may not be useful. Murong Danling is very self-centered, or selfish. It is difficult for others to persuade her to do something she has decided on.”

Because Murong Danling really came to look for the child, in the middle of the night, outdoors where the parents couldn’t reach her. What did she want to do? To secretly take the child away? Shen Haiyang worked at the Procuratorate, and he knew that she definitely had bad intentions, but he didn’t dare to force her. So he reiterated to Shen Hui the next day that he was not allowed to go alone with Murong Danling.

“I remember Daddy and I won’t go alone with her.”

“You are not allowed to go alone with anyone from the Murong family.”

“Okay I know.”