Chu Jiangchuan quickly brought out cotton quilts to cover them both: “How did you fall into the water?”
Nana’s eyes reddened with grievance: “I don’t know who pushed me, and they said ‘go die’…”
Xu Guangfen held Nana, feeling her own breath becoming labored.
Chu Jiangrong’s gaze also turned fierce.
She might be timid, but she was already divorced, and her child was her only hope. If anyone dared harm her child, she would fight them to the death!
Tang Ximian’s face was cold: “It was Fang Juan. I saw her running away. It must be because Jiangchuan hit her before. In the end, it’s because of me!”
She anxiously grasped Nana’s icy little hand.
The child’s health was already poor—who knew if she would catch a cold!
“It was her?” Xu Guangfen was about to go confront her.
“Mom, don’t rush. Even if you go now, she won’t admit it!” Tang Ximian stopped the old woman and looked at Chu Jiangchuan: “Jiangchuan, what do you think?”
“Let’s report it to the police first, call the comrades from the Public Security Bureau!” Chu Jiangchuan’s first thought was to report it: “Fang Juan’s actions constitute attempted murder.”
“Alright.” Tang Ximian agreed.
Before they could leave, Fang Juan’s family arrived.
Fang Dajun entered and immediately knelt down: “Elder sister-in-law, I’m truly sorry! Our child momentarily lost her judgment and did something wrong. Please don’t blame her!”
Even Fang Juan’s mother repeatedly apologized: “This child really just had a momentary lapse! After she came back and told us what happened, we were terrified! Is the child alright?”
She took out five yuan she had saved and offered it: “So sorry, so sorry! Please don’t report this to the police! We’ll pay! As long as you don’t report it, we’ll do anything!”
The Chu family was stunned.
Tang Ximian’s smile held a hint of mockery.
Fang Juan fell to her knees with a thud: “Sister Jiangrong, I know I was wrong! I was just still angry about Jiangchuan slapping me before. At that moment, I only wanted to scare Nana, but I slipped and couldn’t stop myself! At that time, I… I’m sorry, wuwu… I wanted to save her, but when Tang Ximian came out, I got scared and instinctively turned and ran…”
Chu Jiangchuan tilted his head and glanced at Tang Ximian, sneering: “Is that so.”
Fang Juan crawled on her knees to Chu Jiangrong, crying: “Sister, sister, I know I was wrong! I won’t dare do it again! This time it was really just a moment of impulse. You mustn’t report me to the police! Otherwise… my whole life would be ruined! Sister!”
Though Fang Dajun had stood up by now, his back remained bent: “Sister-in-law, we’re truly sorry. If you’re really angry, just beat this girl! We only beg you not to report it, only ask for a way out for our child!”
Tang Ximian’s voice was icy: “Fang Juan, are you saying that I, as the aunt, prevented you from saving her?”
“No, no!” Fang Juan’s mother hurriedly put on an apologetic smile: “Mianmian, look, you’ve already hit and scolded her before. How about just beating her again this time! We don’t know what else to say, we just beg you not to report it! The child really didn’t mean to kill anyone. Please let her off this once!”
Chu Jiangrong didn’t hold back with them either: “Five yuan isn’t enough. Bring ten yuan! Who knows if our child will get sick? You know our child’s health is poor!”
Fang Juan hurriedly pulled out another five-yuan note: “This is our last bit of money…”
Chu Jiangchuan knew his elder sister had relented and sighed inwardly: “Sis, you…”
Chu Jiangrong gave her brother an apologetic look: “When I was a child, I encountered a wild boar in the mountains. It was Old Master Fang who saved me…”
Old Master Fang had passed away over a decade ago, but she had never forgotten his kindness.
Tang Ximian remained silent. The child was Chu Jiangrong’s, and how she chose to handle the situation was her decision. As the aunt, not the biological mother, she could be good to the child, but when it came to major matters, she couldn’t overstep her bounds rashly, lest her sister-in-law feel uncomfortable.
Chu Jiangchuan turned and led Tang Ximian away by the hand.
“I’m fine,” Tang Ximian said as soon as they returned to the room, finding herself tightly wrapped in a cotton quilt by Chu Jiangchuan.
But he didn’t let her go, whispering softly, “Sis values loyalty. I’m afraid we can’t report this to the police. We’ll have to protect Nana ourselves!”
Tang Ximian nodded. “I understand, and I don’t blame Sister. Don’t worry!”
“I was afraid you’d feel wronged,” Chu Jiangchuan said, not wanting her to misunderstand him. He went to the kitchen to prepare Brown Sugar Ginger Water and fed it to her spoon by spoon. “You’re the one holding this family together all by yourself. You’ve worked hard.”
Soon, the Fang family, having gotten what they wanted, left.
Fang Juan regretted her actions immediately after, just as she had claimed. When Tang Ximian appeared at that moment, she fled without having time to rescue anyone.
Upon learning what happened, Fang Dajun brought her to apologize immediately, partly to protect his daughter. If she were really arrested, even if she didn’t receive a death sentence, her life would be ruined!
The question remained: would Fang Juan stop here?
Chu Jiangrong pushed the door open, her face full of awkward apology: “Mianmian, I… I’m sorry. I know we should have reported it to the police, but…”
“It’s alright, Sis. But you must take good care of the child from now on. She can’t go out alone anymore, to avoid any accidents!”
Tang Ximian shook her head to show it didn’t matter.
She wasn’t afraid of Fang Juan causing trouble. Most of the time, Fang Juan would come after her anyway. As long as no one else was hurt, Fang Juan alone couldn’t do much to her!
“Sis, Mianmian is tired. You should go watch the child too. Be careful she doesn’t develop a fever. If anything seems off, we’ll take her to the hospital immediately!”
Chu Jiangrong could only nod. “Alright!”
They kept watch for half the night, but Nana still developed a fever.
Seeing the child’s face flushed red with fever, Tang Ximian went to the kitchen to fetch some baijiu—all of it was loose, unbottled liquor.
“Jiangchuan, pour some hot water. Mom, go see who has a tricycle. We’ll take the child to the hospital later!”
“Alright!” Xu Guangfen didn’t dare take it lightly and instinctively began following her daughter-in-law’s instructions.
Chu Jiangrong held the child, wrapped in blankets, her eyes red from staying up late: “Nana…”
“Waaah!”
Nana cried loudly without even opening her eyes.
Feeling how hot the child’s body was, Tang Ximian frowned. Testing the water temperature, she said, “Sis, undo the child’s clothes. I’ll rub her down with alcohol!”
As Chu Jiangrong undressed the child, she asked, “Will this work?”
“Let’s focus on reducing her fever first. We can deal with the rest later!” Tang Ximian regretted not taking the child to see a doctor immediately. “Tomorrow, everyone come with me to the county town to get the child properly examined!”
She focused on the sides of the neck, armpits, and groin…
Nana cried and struggled in discomfort, but Tang Ximian patiently soothed her over and over: “It’ll be better soon, Nana. Just sleep peacefully…”
Chu Jiangchuan also stepped in to help. The three of them repeatedly kneaded, changed water, and added baijiu…
Xu Guangfen had also returned riding a tricycle, borrowed from an old man’s house at the west end of the village.
“Jiangchuan, step aside first. Let me handle this,” Xu Guangfen said with a sigh. “Mianmian, if the child recovers this time, I’ll listen to whatever you say!”