With the forty thousand compensation from Yang Qian added, Shen Jiaojiao now had 273,000 in cash on hand. After deducting the agent fee and deed tax, she would still have nearly ten thousand left. She went to see the house, which was well-maintained and included a study and a children’s room. Moreover, all the furniture and appliances in the house were included, allowing them to move in with just their luggage.
After spending the weekend at the hotel, they went to complete the transfer on Monday. That same day, Shen Jiaojiao checked out with Xiao Yueyue and moved into their new home. The landlord couple had already cleaned the place thoroughly, so it was spotless. She only needed to buy new bedding and tableware.
“Mother, are we going to live here from now on?”
Xiao Yueyue ran around the new house, her favorite being the children’s room because it had many toys—puzzles, toy guns, tanks, and the like. The landlord couple’s child was about the same age as Xiao Yueyue and was a boy.
Originally, Shen Jiaojiao had planned to save up money and redecorate a pink princess room, but since Xiao Yueyue liked it so much, she felt she should respect the child’s wishes.
“Yes, we’ll live here from now on. Yueyue, do you like this room?”
“I like it, I like this one the most.”
Xiao Yueyue was holding a short knife that had appeared in her hand at some point. Although it wasn’t sharpened, it gleamed coldly and looked rather frightening.
“Where did you get that knife? Children shouldn’t play with knives. Be careful not to cut your hand.”
Shen Jiaojiao was startled and quickly took the knife away. In her previous life, Xiao Yueyue had dealt with those scoundrels so thoroughly that none of them were left whole. Many of their body parts were scattered, thrown here and there, and none of the corpses could be pieced back together completely. They were probably eaten by wild dogs.
She had to prevent this child from playing with knives from a young age. What if it triggered her bloodthirsty and violent tendencies?
“I got it from here, Mother. I like this knife.”
Xiao Yueyue pointed at the bookshelf, her eyes burning with enthusiasm.
Shen Jiaojiao’s internal alarm bells rang loudly. She deliberately asked, “Why do you like this knife? Aren’t the other toys fun?”
“They can’t cut things, Mother. I won’t cut my hand. Let me play with it, please.”
Xiao Yueyue began to whine. She liked the knife too much.
Shen Jiaojiao’s heart sank. Cutting things?
Could it be that this child already liked cutting meat at such a young age?
Antisocial personality disorder?
The term suddenly crossed her mind. If Xiao Yueyue had an antisocial personality, no matter how hard she tried to teach her, she might not be able to guide this child properly. Would it even be worth her effort to persist?
No, she still had to try.
In just a few minutes, countless thoughts flashed through Shen Jiaojiao’s mind. In the end, she couldn’t bear to give up on Xiao Yueyue. She was this child’s only support. If she gave up, Xiao Yueyue in this life would follow the same path as in the previous one.
Moreover, she was now Xiao Yueyue’s biological mother. That so-called father, surnamed Xiao, was as good as dead. If she didn’t take care of her, who would?
“Yueyue, you like cutting things, don’t you?” Shen Jiaojiao asked patiently.
“Yes, cutting them into pieces makes me so happy.”
Xiao Yueyue nodded. She loved playing at cutting things, slicing them into pieces of the same size and length, arranging them neatly in a row, and then mixing them up again. It felt especially satisfying.
Shen Jiaojiao felt a mix of emotions. In her previous life, Xiao Yueyue had the same hobby—cutting things into pieces and scattering them far and wide. The entire city had been searched, and even then, only a somewhat incomplete body could be pieced together.
This child’s hobby… was truly unique!
“Then what do you like cutting?” Shen Jiaojiao asked, pretending to be nonchalant.Xiao Yueyue thought seriously for a moment and replied, “Either is fine, but preferably something more complex.”
Actually, she wanted to say animal carcasses, but she was afraid of scaring Mother.
Because she enjoyed studying animal carcasses. In the past, whenever she found dead sparrows or geckos, she would secretly bring them home, cut them open, separate the skin and flesh from the bones, and then slice them into pieces, neatly arranging them. This process made her particularly happy.
Although Xiao Yueyue didn’t say it, Shen Jiaojiao sensed that this child probably wanted to cut up people.
Not that it was impossible.
Shen Jiaojiao had already thought about Xiao Yueyue’s future career path—either a surgeon or a forensic pathologist.
Cutting up living or dead people was fine; Xiao Yueyue could cut whatever she wanted.
But for now, how could she satisfy this child’s interests and hobbies?
Xiao Yueyue felt a bit uneasy. Mother hadn’t spoken for so long—was she angry?
“Mother, I won’t play with knives anymore.”
Xiao Yueyue reluctantly glanced at the knife before resolutely turning away. If Mother didn’t like her playing with it, she would just play secretly from now on, making sure Mother didn’t see.
“Playing with knives isn’t entirely off-limits. Mother is just worried you might cut yourself. This knife is too big—Mother will buy you a small one.” Shen Jiaojiao placed the short knife on the bookshelf, planning to buy a miniature knife.
“Mother, I want one this big, and the knife needs to be sharp.”
Xiao Yueyue’s eyes sparkled as she gestured, stating her requirements for the knife. A dull knife wouldn’t cut through skin and flesh properly and wouldn’t be useful.
“Alright, we’ll go buy one together when the time comes.”
Shen Jiaojiao agreed with a smile. An extraordinary child required extraordinary education. Xiao Yueyue wasn’t an ordinary child, so naturally, she couldn’t be raised using ordinary methods.
Moreover, Shen Jiaojiao had already thought of a solution. Since Xiao Yueyue loved cutting things so much, why not let her kill fish?
It would not only redirect Xiao Yueyue’s excess energy but also earn some money.
Killing two birds with one stone!
Shen Jiaojiao had originally wanted to find a way to make a living. With only a high school education, finding a good job in Shanghai was difficult. It would be better to start as a self-employed individual. Coincidentally, she had several years of experience killing fish at RT-Mart in her previous life.
In her previous life, she was an orphan and had to rely on herself for tuition and living expenses. Aside from illegal activities, she had tried almost every job imaginable. Killing fish was quite profitable.
The fish stall owner she worked for had bought two apartments in Shanghai within three years and even upgraded to a new car.
After comforting Xiao Yueyue, Shen Jiaojiao went out to buy groceries. Moving into a new home called for a celebratory meal with a few good dishes. She also planned to check out the fish stalls at the market. If there were no stalls for sale, she would start by working for someone else.
It was now evening, and the sun had shifted considerably. Several elderly men and women were sitting in the shaded areas of the neighborhood, chatting animatedly. When they saw Shen Jiaojiao and her daughter, their voices abruptly stopped, and they all turned to look at them.
Shen Jiaojiao smiled politely at them and greeted them proactively, “I just moved in. I’ll be troubling you all in the future.”
“No trouble at all. Did you buy the first-floor apartment?”
The elderly men and women were quite curious. That apartment wasn’t cheap, and they wanted to know whether Shen Jiaojiao had bought or rented it.
“Yes, I just bought it. This is my daughter, Yueyue.”
“Hello, grandpas and grandmas.”
Xiao Yueyue was very sweet-tongued. Mother had taught her that when out and about, she must always speak sweetly to win people’s affection.
“Your daughter is already this big? I really couldn’t tell.”Elderly folks always have a soft spot for sweet-talking children, and Xiao Yueyue, dressed neatly and looking adorable, was well-liked by the grandpas and grandmas. However, they couldn’t help but think that Shen Jiaojiao didn’t look old enough to be the mother of such a big child—she appeared to be just in her early twenties.
“I’m 25,” Shen Jiaojiao said with a smile.
“What about the child’s father?” someone asked.
“My dad is dead!”
Xiao Yueyue answered quickly. Mother had told her that Dad was like the sun in the sky, someone as amazing as Sun Wukong—he just passed away too soon.