After breakfast, Chen Xuan wanted to help Li’s mother wash the dishes, but she stopped her. “Go play. I’ll be thankful enough if you don’t break my bowls.”
Chen Xuan pouted, then turned to look at Li Xianglian sitting in her wheelchair. She walked over and stood beside her. “Mother, let me massage you.”
Li Xianglian allowed it.
A child’s strength was weak and even a bit ticklish.
Watching Chen Xuan put in all her effort, Li Xianglian’s lips curved into a faint smile. Then she asked, “How long do you plan to stay?”
Chen Xuan froze and looked up. After a pause, her big dark eyes filled with tears. “Mother… are you driving me away?”
“I don’t know why you came here, and I don’t want to assume the worst of you. You are my daughter, the one I gave birth to. I hope you can learn to tell right from wrong, instead of following your father and speaking nonsense.”
Chen Xuan pursed her lips as tears streamed down. She hugged Li Xianglian. “Mother, I know I was wrong. I won’t do it again. Only by staying with you can I have food to eat. Father can’t take care of me and brother anymore.”
“Is that so? Your father will find a way.”
Chen Xuan shook her head. “There’s no way. If they don’t give him money, he won’t have any, and he can’t support me and brother.”
“They?” Li Xianglian frowned. “Who are ‘they’?”
Chen Xuan’s body trembled slightly. She shook her head. “I don’t know who they are. I just heard father say they won’t give him money. Maybe someone owes him money and won’t pay him back.”
Li Xianglian let out a cold laugh. “I’ve been married to your father for so long—do you think I don’t know how much money he has? He has never lent money to anyone! You’re still trying to lie to me?”
Chen Xuan shook her head. “I really don’t know. I’m not lying.”
Li’s mother had overheard their conversation and stepped in. “She’s still young. Don’t scare her.”
Forget it.
Li Xianglian stopped pressing her. “How is your brother now?”
“Father’s cooking tastes bad, but brother can still eat it.”
“You should be grateful there’s food at all. Being picky… I must have spoiled you too much before.” After thinking for a moment, she asked, “Has your father gone to the fields?”
Chen Xuan shook her head. “Hasn’t father never worked in the fields? You know that.”
Li Xianglian shook her head again. The cornfield must already be overgrown with weeds—who knew how much corn they would harvest later.
After Chen Xuan came to stay, Li Xianglian warned her parents not to believe everything she said and to keep an eye on her. If she ever met Chen Lang again, then her coming here wouldn’t be simple.
Li’s mother kept Chen Xuan close. In the following days, Chen Xuan never mentioned Chen Lang. But one day, while they were returning from washing clothes, they ran into him.
“Xuan’er!”
Instinctively, Chen Xuan hid behind Li’s mother. “Grandmother, I’m scared.”
“With me here, he won’t do anything to you.”
Chen Lang glared at Chen Xuan. “You’ve got some nerve, running off without telling me. Come back with me.”
Chen Xuan burst into tears, clinging to Li’s mother’s leg. “Grandmother, I don’t want to go back! I want to stay with mother. Father’s food is so bad—I’ll starve if I go back!”
“Chen Lang, you’re scaring the child.” Li’s mother set down her basket and shielded Chen Xuan. “If you dare touch her, I won’t let this go.”
Chen Lang’s face twisted. “She’s my child, not yours. Move aside. If she gets hurt, I won’t be responsible.”
Li’s mother was no match for him. He snatched Chen Xuan away. She wailed and struggled. “Grandmother, save me! I don’t want to go back! I want to stay with mother! Grandmother! Mother, save me!”
“Chen Lang!” Li’s mother tried to grab the child but was shoved to the ground.
“You old woman, you think you’re worthy of taking my child? She belongs to my Chen family. How I raise her is my business. It’s none of your concern.”
Li’s mother fell to the ground.
Someone reached out to help her up. Turning around, she saw Wen Zhile.
“Doctor Wen…” she said awkwardly. “You must be laughing at us.”
“Are you alright?” Wen Zhile brushed the dry leaves off her shoulder and asked with concern, “Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine.” She looked at Chen Lang carrying the crying child farther and farther away and sighed. “What kind of sin did my family commit to end up with such a wretched son-in-law…”
“Don’t worry. She is his child after all. He won’t harm her.”
Wen Zhile noticed the basket nearby and picked it up. “Let me walk you home.”
“Oh no, I can carry it myself. I shouldn’t trouble you.”
He didn’t give it back and walked ahead with long strides. When they got home, he even helped hang the clothes on the bamboo pole.
Li Xianglian saw him and thought she was mistaken. Leaning on her crutch, she walked over and tilted her head at him. “Wen Zhile? Why are you here? Where’s my mother?”
“She’s behind me. She walks slowly, so I brought the laundry back first.” He smiled when he saw her and hung up the last piece of clothing just as Li’s mother arrived.
“Oh dear, this won’t do. How can I let you hang clothes?” Li’s mother felt even more embarrassed.
“I’m just doing what I can. If it were anyone else today, I wouldn’t stand by either.”
Li Xianglian didn’t understand what they were talking about and noticed Chen Xuan wasn’t there. “What happened?”
Li’s mother sighed.
“Let’s go inside first,” Wen Zhile said, helping her into the house. “It’s hot outside.”
Seeing her mother’s expression, Li Xianglian knew it must involve Chen Lang. Sure enough, after hearing the whole story, she slammed the table.
“No wonder my chest suddenly felt warm earlier… So that’s what happened. Chen Lang is inhuman!”
Seeing her so angry, Wen Zhile asked, “Do you want me to bring the child back?”
Li Xianglian shook her head. “No need. It was probably a plan between him and the child—putting on a show to make me feel sorry for her.”
Li’s mother disagreed. “What are you saying? You didn’t see how hard Xuan’er cried. It broke my heart.”
She felt guilty for not protecting the child.
“Auntie, you’ve misunderstood her,” Wen Zhile said gently. He didn’t know how to comfort her, but he believed Li Xianglian—not because she was cold-hearted, but because she had suffered enough to understand Chen Lang and the children better than anyone.
Her chest hadn’t continued to feel warm—that alone explained everything.
Chen Lang and Chen Xuan had staged a convincing act, all to make her pity the child and go back to fight him for custody.