“What about you, Su Mian? What are your plans for the future?” Qin Chuan asked.
Su Mian smiled at him and accepted the money he held out.
“Me? I’m turning over a new leaf, starting fresh, and raising these two children.”
She held up the cash and added, “Consider this a loan. I’ll pay you back later.”
“No need. I’m not even sure if I’ll ever come back.”
Those words revealed just how deeply hurt Qin Chuan truly was.
“Qin Chuan, would you believe me if I told you that this world is actually a novel, and you and I—we’re just the supporting villain and the devoted second lead?”
At her words, Qin Chuan’s expression soured instantly.
Seeing his reaction, Su Mian thought for a moment that he might actually know something.
To her surprise, Qin Chuan looked at her with grave seriousness and asked, “Su Mian… have you been through so much stress that something’s gone wrong upstairs?”
Su Mian was speechless.
“Your brain’s the one with a problem. I was just joking.”
Only then did Qin Chuan let out a breath of relief.
Looking over at the two children sitting quietly nearby, he advised her earnestly, “Look, you need to pull yourself together and stay sane. If you lose your mind, I really don’t know what will become of those kids.”
“Don’t worry. For their sake, I won’t go crazy.”
If she had known Qin Chuan would react like this, she wouldn’t have bothered asking—now she just looked out of her mind.
“By the way did you ever find the children’s biological father? Do you want me to arrange another paternity test for you? Are the kids really not Lu Zheng’s?”
Back then, to confirm whether the children carried the Lu family bloodline, the Lu family had conducted a paternity test between Lu Zheng and the twins.
It was only after the test results came back that Su Mian realized she hadn’t actually slept with Lu Zheng that night.
“They’re not his.“
Qin Chuan parted his lips as if to ask more, but ultimately decided against it.
“Alright, it’s getting dark. I should head back so you all can rest. This will probably be my last visit, though. After today… I won’t be able to help you anymore.”
Coming to see Su Mian this time, he found her surprisingly coherent, unlike before when she would go on hysterical rants, cursing the Lu family or Chen Zhiyi.
If he hadn’t felt pity for her, Qin Chuan would never have stepped foot near her doorway.
Looking at her now, however, it seemed Su Mian had truly snapped back to reality.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for us. Dabao, Erbao!” Su Mian suddenly called out to the children.
Hearing their mother call them, the two kids trotted right over.
“This is your Uncle Qin. He helped us when we were at our lowest, okay?” Su Mian crouched down and whispered gently to the children.
Flustered by her sudden praise, Qin Chuan quickly chimed in, “Why are you telling the kids all that nonsense?”
Su Mian looked up at him, her gaze earnest and sincere. “It’s not nonsense. You really were the first person to lend me a hand, and I’m deeply grateful.”
At the very least, when Su Mian regained consciousness and found herself backed into a corner, Qin Chuan had been her beacon of hope.
“You overestimate it. Just… take care of yourself. Goodbye, then. My train leaves tomorrow morning, so I’ll be off.”
At this turning point, Qin Chuan didn’t want to shoulder any extra burdens.
When it came to Su Mian, he had already done more than enough.
“Alright, goodbye.”
That farewell would be their last for many years to come.
Once Qin Chuan left, Su Mian quickly pulled out the money to count it. It came out to a whopping sixty-five yuan.
Qin Chuan truly was generous likely because he knew this was the final time he would offer help, so he had given extra.
Su Mian made a mental note of the amount. If the opportunity ever arose, she would repay every last cent.
“Alright, we have money now! What would you two like to eat?” Su Mian asked with a warm smile.
Since Erbao couldn’t speak, she naturally couldn’t answer.
Dabao, ever sensible, glanced at Su Mian before whispering hesitantly, “Mama, we… we can just have a steamed bun.”
They had already eaten steamed buns several times today—and he still wanted buns?
Su Mian stood up and said to the kids, “Mama’s taking you to the stall outside the alley for some wontons.”
It wasn’t fully dark yet, so the food stall should still be open.
“Yay!” Both kids beamed with excitement.
It was getting late, and with no groceries at home, trying to cook would just be a hassle.
Su Mian figured it was best to take the kids out for a hot meal.
Tomorrow, however, she still needed to take them to the trading market to sell that pocket watch.
If for no other reason, keeping that object around made her skin crawl—she wanted to get rid of every reminder left behind.
As Su Mian led the kids outside, they crossed paths with a few neighbors returning home from work in the slum.
Seeing Su Mian, the neighbors showed expressions of pure disdain, with some even going out of their way to walk around her.
It wasn’t because Su Mian was aggressive, but because when she was completely broke before, she would immediately beg for money from anyone who so much as exchanged two words with her.
Everyone living in this neighborhood was struggling who had spare money to lend her?
Over time, Su Mian’s reputation in the area had hit rock bottom.
Lazy as she was, with two children to feed, she was an absolute bottomless pit. Who would dare help her?
At first, Su Mian felt awkward about it, but after getting used to the cold shoulder, she found it quite convenient.
A place like this was home to all kinds of people.
Her terrible reputation actually meant no one bothered her or tried to target her and the kids.
Knowing there was nothing to gain from Su Mian, no one was going to waste their time on her.
Whenordering the wontons, the stall owner insisted that Su Mian pay upfront before he would start cooking.
The reason was simple: Su Mian had dined and dashed at his stall several times before.
It was utterly embarrassing; the imposter who took over her body must have been completely brainless to leave her with such a mess.
After settling all her past debts, Su Mian finished her bowl of wontons and led the kids back home.
Once inside, she set some water to boil so she could wash the children’s hair and bathe them.
Erbao, in particular, had hair so tangled and matted it couldn’t even be combed through, requiring a thorough wash.
Fortunately, the weather wasn’t too chilly, and washing up at night meant they would dry quickly without catching a cold.
Since the two kids were growing up, Su Mian bathed them separately.
It was heartbreaking to think about how long it had been since they last washed their hair or bathed—the water turned murky and gray as it rinsed over their small bodies.
As for Su Mian herself, her heavy frame combined with days without a proper shower had left a stale, sour odor clinging to her skin.
Checking the wardrobe, she couldn’t find a single decent set of clothes for either the kids or herself.
Tomorrow, she had to sell that watch immediately, convert it to cash, and buy fresh clothes and clean bedsheets.
The current bedsheet was filthy beyond belief. Su Mian wanted nothing more than to throw it out, but with no spare to replace it, she had to make do for one more night.
When everything was finally done, Su Mian gently felt the children’s hair. Dabao’s short hair was already dry, while Erbao’s was still a bit damp.
Picking up the cattail fan nearby, Su Mian began fanning her daughter’s hair gently.
Once her daughter’s hair dried, she would fan herself.
This was the very first time Erbao had ever lain in her mother’s arms, feeling the cool breeze as her mother tenderly fanned her hair.
Young children hold no grudges. In just a single afternoon, Su Mian had completely regained Erbao’s trust.
Though an instinctive tremor of fear still flickered occasionally, the little girl nestled tightly in her mother’s embrace, holding on to Su Mian as if she never wanted to let go.