Zhang Qiang was lazy by nature and loved doing nothing but eating and enjoying himself. By middle age, he had hardly ever done any hard physical work.
Aside from having a smooth-talking mouth that could sweet-talk people, he was completely useless.
During the years when Xu Changchun had been wasting away, Xu Qingyan had single-handedly held the entire family together. Though he was still only a teenager, he had already developed remarkable resilience and determination.
The moment Zhang Qiang’s wrist was seized, he knew he was no match for the boy in front of him.
His face immediately turned pale with fear, and he wailed at the top of his lungs, “Li Li, hurry! This kid is going to beat me to death!”
Xu Qingyan’s back was ramrod straight as he stood firmly in front, completely shielding Lin Zhinuo behind him.
Lin Zhinuo had not yet seen what was happening when a sharp female voice suddenly rang out.
“Xu Qingyan, let go of him!”
“If you dare break his hand, I’ll kill you!”
The little boy seemed frightened by the woman’s shrill shouting and burst into loud sobs, crying out, “Mommy!”
Slap!
The sharp crack rang out, and the air around them seemed to freeze.
Xu Qingyan had remained standing exactly where he was from beginning to end. His head was slightly turned to the side, his lips pressed into a cold, hard line.
That slap felt as though it had struck Lin Zhinuo directly in the heart, leaving a deep, aching wound.
She practically rushed forward in a frenzy, forcefully pushing the woman away and stepping in front of Xu Qingyan.
“How dare you hit him!”
Her voice trembled with anger.
The girl in front of him only came up to his chest. Her cheeks were round and soft, her baby fat not yet completely gone. Even when she was angry, her crisp, clear voice sounded sweet.
Yet this tiny, delicate little princess had suddenly become like a small animal bristling with spines, fiercely standing protectively in front of him.
Xu Qingyan couldn’t help wondering: If he let himself be slapped a few more times, would his little princess start crying little golden tears?
Li Li staggered backward from the force of the shove, even knocking her younger son behind her onto his bottom.
The boy immediately began crying even harder, his sobs heart-wrenching.
Li Li’s eyes instantly reddened with fury, and she lunged forward in a fit of rage.
Xu Qingyan reacted incredibly quickly. With his long arm, he swept Lin Zhinuo toward him and turned, firmly shielding her in his embrace.
Lin Jingshan had gone out early that morning to take care of some business. Just as he arrived at the gate, he heard quite a commotion coming from next door.
He hurriedly pushed open the gate and immediately saw a hysterical woman hitting and clawing at the boy’s back.
The boy endured it without making a sound, his body slightly hunched and his shoulders tense, protecting Lin Jingshan’s precious daughter as though she were a priceless treasure.
Lin Jingshan rushed over and grabbed the hysterical woman, pulling her away.
Having served in the military, Lin Jingshan carried himself with a naturally straight posture. Especially when he glared fiercely, he exuded an intimidating, imposing presence.
Li Li shuddered from fright. She immediately hugged her younger son tightly and shrank beside Zhang Qiang.
Zhang Qiang was even more cowardly and hid behind the other side of the locust tree.
The commotion attracted quite a crowd at the courtyard entrance.
They were all old neighbors from the area, people who had watched Xu Qingyan grow up. Everyone knew exactly what had happened in their family.
Naturally, they also recognized the troublemaker, Li Li.
Years ago, this woman had looked down on the honest and straightforward Xu Changchun. The moment life became a little difficult, she could no longer endure it. Only a few years after getting married, she had been lured away by a smooth-talking man from another village.
She had been gone for years, completely neglecting her child and never bothering to ask after him.
Now that they saw the red scratches covering the boy’s neck and knowing that he had only just lost his father the neighbors could not help discussing it among themselves.
“Oh my, isn’t that Li Li? Wasn’t she the one who abandoned her husband and child and disappeared without a care? And now she actually has the nerve to come back?”
“Qingyan is such a good kid. He’s sensible and dependable. He was so young, yet he managed to hold the whole family together. His own mother never showed him the slightest bit of concern, and now she even comes here to bully him. What kind of person does that?”
“Someone with a conscience that’s been eaten by dogs isn’t welcome around here.”
The neighbors exchanged comments one after another, leaving Li Li red-faced with embarrassment.
She had thought that after so many years, with Xu Changchun dead, no one would remember what she had done.
She never expected that not only would she fail to get her hands on the house, but she would also run into such fierce opposition.
She grabbed her son and the man hiding behind the tree and fled as though she were running for her life.
Lin Jingshan said a few words to calm everyone down and eventually persuaded the crowd to disperse.
Xu Qingyan had fair skin, and the skin exposed to the air was covered in patches of red where he had been scratched.
Several places had even been clawed badly enough to draw blood.
Lin Zhinuo was both angry and heartbroken.
She knew Xu Qingyan couldn’t hit that woman. But if he couldn’t fight back, couldn’t he at least dodge?
She stomped her foot angrily, asked Lin Jingshan for the car keys, and turned around to get the first-aid kit from the car.
When she was seven or eight, she had gone to the mountains to play and accidentally scraped her knee. Lin Jingshan had driven a long way before finally finding a clinic, and by then half of her pant leg had been stained with blood.
After that incident, Lin Jingshan always kept a first-aid kit in his car, fully stocked with disinfectant, bandages, and everything needed to stop bleeding.
When she returned, Xu Qingyan was cleaning up. Two freshly washed bowls sat on the stone table.
Lin Jingshan took the first-aid kit from her, set it on the stone table, and waved to Xu Qingyan.
“Come here. Uncle will put some medicine on those wounds.”
The small injuries were nothing to Xu Qingyan, but when he met the girl’s reddened eyes, he pressed his lips together and obediently walked over.
The boy lowered his head and crouched in front of Lin Jingshan, looking like a docile little wolfdog that had been completely tamed.
Watching this scene, a thought suddenly occurred to Lin Zhinuo.
She took a deep breath and stepped in front of the boy.
“Xu Qingyan, would you like to come home with us? To Yucheng?”
If he left this place, perhaps that woman would no longer be able to bully him.
Xu Qingyan’s entire body suddenly stiffened.
His lowered fingertips curled almost imperceptibly. It was as if he hadn’t heard her clearly or perhaps he simply couldn’t bring himself to believe it. He stood rooted to the spot, even forgetting to breathe.
The boy kept his eyes lowered, his long eyelashes hiding the emotions in his eyes. Only the line of his jaw was taut, and his lips had been pressed so tightly that they had turned pale.
Within his lowered gaze, a pair of clean, pretty white sneakers shifted slightly.
Lin Jingshan was stunned for a moment too. Looking at his daughter’s earnest, serious little face, the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
It seemed that he and his daughter really were on the same wavelength.
His business had been getting busier and busier, leaving him with less and less time to spend with his daughter. Zhizhi was all alone, without even a brother or sister to keep her company.
Besides, Lin Jingshan had long since seen through Xu Qingyan’s character. And after witnessing how firmly the boy had protected his daughter in his arms just now, he became even more certain that he had judged him correctly.
He reached out and lightly tapped the boy’s tense back, smiling.
“This morning, I even went to the school to arrange financial assistance for your education. Now that Zhizhi says she wants to take you to Yucheng, I’m fully in favor of it. Our Zhizhi has always been missing an older brother.”
Xu Qingyan still hadn’t recovered from the shock. He remained crouched stiffly where he was, his lips tightly pressed together.
Lin Zhinuo was stunned too. She had just heard her father say that he had gone to arrange financial assistance for Xu Qingyan’s schooling that morning.
She suddenly remembered her previous life.
Her father had always quietly sponsored quite a few students from poor families.
Could it be that in her previous life, Dad had also sponsored Xu Qingyan?
“Zhizhi, go see if Grandma is back yet. I’ll talk to him.”
Lin Zhinuo obediently nodded, though her heart was in turmoil.
His personality was so cold. Would he agree?
Back at her grandmother’s courtyard, Lin Zhinuo carried over a little stool and secretly sat beneath the jujube tree, trying to eavesdrop.
But they were too far away, and she couldn’t hear a single thing.
Chen Xueying returned from the supermarket, pulling a little shopping cart. The basket was packed to the brim with fruit and snacks.
Lin Jingshan happened to come in behind her.
Lin Zhinuo eagerly ran over.
“Dad, how did it go? Did he agree?”
Lin Jingshan smiled and nodded, reaching out to take the handle of the cart from Chen Xueying.
“Mom, there’s something I need to tell you.”
After hearing the whole story, Chen Xueying slapped her thigh.
The boy next door was someone she had watched grow up, so she knew his temperament and character inside out.
“I approve. The man his mother married is a notorious rogue and troublemaker in several nearby villages. There’ll definitely be plenty of trouble in the future. If he transfers to a school in Yucheng, at least the child can study in peace.”
“Besides, Qingyan may not be much of a talker, but he’s a sensible child who knows how to be grateful. Zhizhi will have someone by her side to stand up for and protect her. That’ll put my mind at ease too.”
Lin Jingshan naturally understood what his mother-in-law meant.
Zhizhi was still young, and she had grown up sheltered and pampered. Having a reliable, steady older brother to look after her would give him, as her father, considerably more peace of mind as well.
Because Xu Qingyan needed to transfer his school registration, and because Xu Changchun had only just passed away, it would be some time before Xu Qingyan could go to Yucheng.
Even so, Lin Zhinuo was so excited that she barely slept for several nights.