That shout frightened Chen Xuan badly. Her big, round eyes were filled with fear.
“Waaah… Daddy is mean! I want Mother!” Chen Xuan suddenly thought of Li Xianglian and ran crying toward the door.
“Get out, all of you, get out!” Chen Lang overturned the table, still unable to figure out what had gone wrong. The money he had hidden must have been taken by Li Xianglian—but she was staying at her parents’ house and refusing to return. He had no idea where she had hidden it.
Chen Jue stood there blankly, not knowing what to do. He was afraid too, but he still firmly believed that his father would take him to the capital—that he was the grandson of a marquis, with a bright future ahead.
But right now, he was hungry. He wanted food. He was anxious and uneasy.
What should he do? It felt unbearable.
Li Xianglian suddenly felt a burning sensation in her chest—stronger than ever before. She returned to her room and entered her hidden space. There, she discovered that the empty land inside had expanded significantly. Squatting down to take a closer look, she saw tender green sprouts emerging from the soil.
“Wonderful… in time, they’ll surely bloom and bear fruit.”
When she came out, she faintly heard the sound of a child crying. She frowned and listened carefully—it sounded like Chen Xuan.
Even the neighbor’s dog was barking wildly. Outside the door, a three-year-old child cried out:
“Mother, open the door! It’s Xuan’er!”
“Mother, I’m scared… I’m hungry… wuu… Mother, I know I was wrong…”
Li Xianglian’s parents heard the crying too. They hurriedly dressed and went outside with an oil lamp.
“Xianglian,” her mother knocked on the door. “Are you asleep?”
Li Xianglian knew they came because of the child. She opened the door, saw the pity on her parents’ faces, and finally relented. “Mother, go see what’s going on.”
Her mother responded and hurried out.
“Waaah… Grandma, save me… I’m so scared…” Chen Xuan was shivering and hungry, crouched by the door.
At first, Li’s mother almost didn’t recognize her—she looked like a little beggar. As soon as she crouched down, Chen Xuan threw herself into her arms.
“Grandma… I was wrong… I won’t dare do it again… please take me in…”
Li’s mother sighed deeply, hesitated for a moment, then held the child close. “Don’t cry, Xuan’er. Why are you here alone? Where are your father and brother?”
Chen Xuan sobbed uncontrollably. “Father is scary… he won’t give us food… he throws things and calls me a burden… I’m not a burden…”
“Alright, alright, don’t cry. Grandma will take you inside.”
She carried Chen Xuan into the house.
Li’s father frowned. “Why did you bring her back? Have you forgotten how she falsely accused Xianglian last time?”
“Stop it,” Li’s mother said. “Look at her—she’s only three. What does she understand? Those words were probably taught by Chen Lang.”
She set the child down.
Chen Xuan looked around. When she saw Li Xianglian, she felt deeply wronged—but didn’t dare approach her. Instead, she dropped to her knees.
“Mother… I was wrong… please punish me… I won’t feel pain… please forgive me…” The little girl knelt there, crying and speaking through sobs, her words barely clear.
But Li Xianglian heard every word.
Now you know you were wrong?
Too late.
She thought of how her daughter had once despised her in her previous life, and her heart ached. Could she really trust Chen Xuan again?
Li’s father said nothing.
Li’s mother couldn’t bear it and tugged at Li Xianglian’s sleeve. After all, this was her own child—only three years old. What harm could she do?
“Get up,” Li Xianglian said coldly.
Chen Xuan’s eyes were red. “Mother… have you forgiven me?”
“Go wash your face. You look awful,” Li Xianglian said. But in truth, her heart had already softened.
Chen Xuan beamed, even sniffling with joy. Embarrassed, she wiped her nose with her sleeve.
Li Xianglian frowned even more at that.
Li’s mother nudged her to go back to her room and rest—she would take care of the child.
Li Xianglian nodded and returned inside.
She didn’t know whether Chen Xuan had come on Chen Lang’s orders. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to mistreat a three-year-old child. Keeping her close might even allow her to learn something.
But she would never believe Chen Xuan had come sincerely.
Li’s mother prepared some food. Watching the child devour it, she felt heartbroken.
“Doesn’t your father give you food? You’ve become so thin in just a few days.”
Chen Xuan spoke while eating, “Father has no money to buy food. His cooking tastes bad… I can’t eat it.”
She had wanted to say his cooking was even worse than Grandma’s, but she changed her words at the last second.
Li’s father asked, “Where’s his money?”
“He doesn’t have any,” Chen Xuan pouted. “He said Mother took it all.”
Li’s father grew furious. “Nonsense! All these years he never contributed a single coin, while your mother worked herself to exhaustion for you—”
“Why are you telling a child all this?” Li’s mother interrupted, pulling his sleeve. “She won’t understand.”
Li’s father stood up angrily, then sighed, lightly slapping his own face. Arguing with a three-year-old—what was the point?
“Eat up and go to sleep early,” he said.
Chen Xuan nodded and continued eating.
Li Xianglian didn’t know how much time had passed. When the house finally fell quiet, she drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Chen Xuan woke up early and called out in the yard:
“Grandma, let me sweep the yard!”
“Oh no, you don’t need to do that.”
“Then I’ll help you start the fire!”
“You’ll burn my house down,” Li’s mother joked.
Soon after, Chen Xuan said, “Why isn’t Mother awake yet? The sun is already up!”
“Don’t disturb her. Let her rest more,” Li’s mother replied helplessly.
“Grandma is so kind,” Chen Xuan said, chatting casually. “Grandma, where did Grandpa go?”
“He went to work,” Li’s mother said with a smile. “He has to support the whole family—it’s not easy.”
Chen Xuan walked closer. “Grandpa went to work? What kind of work? Is it tiring? How much does he earn?”
Li’s mother laughed and tapped her nose. “You wouldn’t understand. Go wash your hands—we’re about to eat.”
“Okay!”
As Chen Xuan ran out of the kitchen, she saw Li Xianglian standing at the door with a crutch. She grinned.
“Mother, you’re awake!”
Li Xianglian raised an eyebrow. Today, the child looked a bit more presentable—but in just a few days, she had clearly lost a lot of weight. Was Chen Lang actually neglecting the children?
“Mother, hurry and wash up. Grandma made breakfast—we can eat soon,” Chen Xuan said eagerly.
Li Xianglian responded with a soft “Mm,” then went to freshen up.