If it weren’t for Lu Wanwan holding back for Xiaobao’s sake, Fang Anqian would have slapped her directly.
Out of the corner of her eye, Fang Anqian noticed Zhou Yushen walking in. She immediately raised her voice, sounding aggrieved: “Comrade Lu, you’re holding Xiaobao here, playing with your two kids—does Shu-jie know about this?”
“Chen-jie hired me to help take care of Xiaobao, and she knows. Comrade Fang, suddenly taking Xiaobao away like this isn’t appropriate, right?”
Faced with Lu Wanwan’s question, Fang Anqian showed no guilt and instead accused her: “Shu-jie asked you to feed Xiaobao, not to randomly hold him as a toy for your two kids. I just saw them pinch Xiaobao. He started crying, so I took him away.”
Lu Wanwan took a deep, furious breath. Clearly, it was Fang Anqian who had taken Xiaobao—he only cried because of her—but now she was turning it around.
Tuantuan and Yuanyuan widened their eyes, confused, shaking their heads to deny it.
“No, Tuantuan didn’t pinch Xiaobao.”
“Yuanyuan didn’t pinch Xiaobao, it hurts.”
Having raised twins for so long, Lu Wanwan knew they weren’t the type to bully others. Angrily, she directly called out Fang Anqian: “You’re lying. You ran in and took Xiaobao yourself.”
Fang Anqian ignored Lu Wanwan’s accusation and looked at Zhou Yushen with feigned grievance: “I’m not wrong, Shen-ge. Trust me—I saw them bullying Xiaobao, that’s why I took him away.”
Lu Wanwan then realized Zhou Yushen had returned. She turned to him and asked, “Tuantuan and Yuanyuan definitely didn’t pinch Xiaobao. Do you believe Comrade Fang or me and the kids?”
All four eyes—two adults and two children—looked at Zhou Yushen.
He hesitated, not having seen the incident himself, and objectively wouldn’t just take anyone’s word.
Fang Anqian felt smug, sure that this time Shen-ge would believe her. But in the next second, she heard Zhou Yushen speak up for Lu Wanwan:
“Comrade Lu was hired by my sister-in-law, so of course she’s trustworthy. Comrade Fang, Xiaobao is crying badly. Let Lu Wanwan soothe him.”
Professional matters should be handled by professionals. As Xiaobao’s uncle, Zhou Yushen naturally put his nephew first.
Fang Anqian was shocked. “How can this be? Shen-ge, she even allowed her own kids to bully Xiaobao just now! I don’t believe her—I can calm Xiaobao down myself.”
She tried to soothe him but barely knew how to hold him. Xiaobao struggled violently, his face red, looking pitiful.
Lu Wanwan quickly warned her: “Comrade Fang, Xiaobao is uncomfortable. Don’t hold him too tightly—he’ll be scared.”
Fang Anqian didn’t listen. She glared at Lu Wanwan, thinking she was deliberately trying to discredit her in front of Shen-ge. She was determined to prove she could soothe Xiaobao.
Xiaobao cried so hard that even Zhou Yushen couldn’t bear to watch. He wanted to take him, but Fang Anqian stubbornly refused to hand him over, backing away while still holding him.
Chen Shu, having finally had a good sleep, was woken by her son’s cries. She opened her eyes, didn’t see him beside her, and stumbled downstairs. Seeing him crying pitifully, she rushed over and grabbed him from Fang Anqian’s arms.
“Xiaobao… Xiaobao, don’t cry. Mommy’s here. Be good, don’t cry.”
At that moment, Chen Shu’s eyes were fixed solely on her son. She repeated soothing words mechanically, holding him uncomfortably as he continued to cry.
Her gaze was vacant, movements stiff, repeating the same phrases as she had countless times during the night.
Although Zhou Yushen rarely returned home, his work made him perceptive. He noticed that his sister-in-law’s state was different from usual.
Lu Wanwan also realized something was wrong with Chen Shu. She stepped forward, softened her voice, and helped Chen Shu soothe Xiaobao. She handed her the special cloth for Xiaobao: “Chen-jie, wipe Xiaobao’s tears. He’ll feel more comfortable.”
Only then did Chen Shu respond slightly. Seeing it was her son’s cloth, she reached for it to wipe his tears.
Fang Anqian stepped forward, grabbing Chen Shu’s hand, urgently stopping her: “Shu-jie, she’s not a good person! I just saw her kids pinch Xiaobao, that’s why he cried. Don’t trust her or use the cloth she gave you.”
Not a good person? Pinched Xiaobao? Chen Shu looked at Fang Anqian, then at Lu Wanwan. Suddenly, her expression turned fierce: “Who are you? Why are you holding my son? Why would you pinch him to make him cry?”
“Chen-jie, I’m the one you hired to feed and take care of Xiaobao. I just soothed him to sleep and applied baby powder. Later, you fell asleep. I didn’t want him to disturb your rest, so I took him to the living room. Chen-jie, you’re exhausted—you need proper rest.”
The last words were spoken softly, gently, with a soothing tone that reminded Chen Shu of the bedtime scene. She nodded: “Yes… you fed Xiaobao, and he stopped crying.”
She handed Xiaobao back to Lu Wanwan.
Fang Anqian, though reluctant, was intimidated by Chen Shu’s state. Seeing Xiaobao taken away by Lu Wanwan, she couldn’t help muttering internally, calling Chen Shu useless for being calmed so easily.
For now, Fang Anqian had to play the role of a caring friend, since her excuse to Zhou Yushen was that she was comforting Chen Shu.
“Shu-jie, let me help you sit down. How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay… just a little… Anqian, can you sit with me in the room for a while?”
Of course she wasn’t okay. Fang Anqian didn’t want Lu Wanwan and Zhou Yushen alone together, but she couldn’t refuse.
Grumbling inside, she forced a concerned expression and agreed politely.
“Okay, Shu-jie. I’ll help you—take it slow. Shen-ge, can you bring a glass of water upstairs for her while I keep her company?”
Aunt Zhang quickly came out of the kitchen and agreed: “Comrade Fang, I made some calming tea. I’ll bring it upstairs shortly.”
Fang Anqian’s smile twisted slightly: “Fine.”
In the living room, Lu Wanwan awkwardly soothed Xiaobao. Luckily, he had just eaten and didn’t need more milk, or it would have been more embarrassing. Zhou Yushen sat nearby, turning on the TV and finding a cartoon for Tuantuan and Yuanyuan.
After Xiaobao was calmed and asleep, Zhou Yushen lowered the TV volume, occasionally glancing at Lu Wanwan holding his nephew. When they had asked him earlier whom he believed, he already knew his answer: he trusted Lu Wanwan.
Upstairs, Fang Anqian impatiently gave perfunctory attention to Chen Shu.
“Shu-jie, having a baby is always like this. Once this stage passes and Xiaobao grows up, things will be easier. You didn’t even need to hire a country woman to take care of him and make your life so chaotic.”