Lin Shuhua ran upstairs in tears. Lin Wan, meanwhile, rested her chin on one hand and leaned back in the armchair, watching Xie Yanzhou with a squinting smile.
Xie Yanzhou looked back at her, thinking that the last time they had seen each other had been at the beginning of the year, when he’d come home on leave.
Xiaobao had just been born then. Lin Wan had come with Factory Director Lin and his wife, bringing pork leg bones from a black pig and a free-range old hen they had gone out of their way to buy in the countryside.
During that time, Sister-in-law had been in low spirits ever since Eldest Brother died. Everyone in the Xie family had indulged her and tried to comfort her.
Xie Yanzhou remembered that one afternoon, Lin Shuhua had flown into a terrible rage at Lin Wan. At first, she’d only scolded Lin Wan, but later she even started in on Factory Director Lin and his wife, saying that no one in the Lin family cared about her.
Back then, Lin Wan had been meek and gentle, clearly feeling both tenderness and reluctance toward her older sister. She let Lin Shuhua berate her, yet still helped her clean up the things she’d smashed.
Later, Mom told Xie Yanzhou that Lin Wan hadn’t actually done anything wrong. She had brought Lin Shuhua red-date and longan porridge, but Lin Shuhua had complained that she’d used brown sugar instead of rock sugar. Lin Wan had only tried to explain that rock sugar was cooling, while brown sugar was good for pregnant women.
Lin Shuhua had yelled at Lin Wan for a full ten minutes over that one thing.
Mom had asked Xie Yanzhou to take Lin Wan out that evening, buy her something, and cheer her up.
But Xie Yanzhou hadn’t taken Lin Wan out that day. Xiaobao kept crying; whenever Xie Yanzhou put him down and tried to leave, he started crying again. Lin Shuhua insisted that Xie Yanzhou hold him and wouldn’t let him go…
And Lin Wan had been the one to urge Xie Yanzhou to stay and take care of Xiaobao.
Gentle, considerate, mild-tempered, understanding—that had been Xie Yanzhou’s impression of Lin Wan back then.
In just a few short months, Yanzhou had found that she had completely changed.
Never mind what had happened last night. Just thinking about it now made Xie Yanzhou’s body grow hot; he’d never experienced a woman before.
And her attitude toward Lin Shuhua had changed enormously, too.
Now she was like a hedgehog with every quill standing on end.
It was the same with Lin Shuhua and with his Mom, Chen Yayun, whom Lin Wan used to cling to whenever she came over.
Even when Chen Yayun held Lin Wan’s hand, Xie Yanzhou could tell from Lin Wan’s movements that she was restraining herself and resisting.
What had happened?
Xie Yanzhou was intensely curious.
“Yayun, go put Xiaobao to sleep first.” Xie Zhenshan raised a hand, curled it into a fist, and tapped his forehead. His head hurt.
“I’ll go help put Xiaobao to sleep, too.” Lin Wan left Xie Yanzhou and Xie Zhenshan some space so they could talk father to son about the wedding.
She didn’t want to be involved in the process. She only wanted the result.
If she wasn’t satisfied with it, she’d go report Xie Yanzhou. She definitely would!
Lin Wan thought that Heaven had let her be reborn because her life in her previous one had been far, far too hard.
Even Heaven couldn’t bear to watch anymore.
In this life, she would protect herself and her family.
As for those scumbags—every last one of them!
They were all accomplices!
“All right, Wanwan. You can sleep with me tonight, and we’ll keep Xiaobao company.” Chen Yayun nodded.
Ever since the baby was born, Chen Yayun had taken care of him every night. Even when Lin Shuhua only had to feed him every two or three hours, she would still give her mother-in-law a hard time and lose her temper.
“Sure!” Lin Wan nodded and went upstairs with Chen Yayun.
Whenever she’d visited before, she’d stayed in the Xie family’s guest room. Two years ago, Chen Yayun had taken her along to pick out the bedding for it.
Chen Yayun was known throughout the Military Compound as an elegant, refined woman. She was also an orthopedic doctor at the Capital People’s Hospital.
Lin Wan thought of her own Mom, a plain and simple woman.
In her previous life, after trouble had struck the family, her Mom hadn’t let Lin Wan go to the Xie family.
Now that she thought about it, Lin Wan guessed her Mom had known the reason as soon as the family fell into trouble.
But she was a woman who kept everything inside; she had chosen to swallow it all herself.
So although Lin Wan followed Chen Yayun into the room with light steps, her gaze at the woman before her was cold.
Downstairs in the living room.
Xie Zhenshan looked at his son for a long while before finally asking, “What exactly is going on?”
After decades of commanding troops, Xie Zhenshan had seen countless people. How could anyone’s little tricks escape his notice?
“Nothing much, Dad. I made a mistake, and I’ll take responsibility. Besides, Lin Wan was going to marry me anyway,” Xie Yanzhou said.
“Hmph!” Xie Zhenshan fixed Xie Yanzhou with a cold stare and said gravely, “I don’t care what games you young people play. Xie Yanzhou, I’ll tell you this: marriage is no game. A harmonious family and a happy marriage matter most. There’s nothing worse than spending your whole life trapped in a troubled marriage.”
“I know, Dad.” Xie Yanzhou nodded.
Upstairs, Chen Yayun had gone to wash up. Lin Wan sat beside the crib, reading.
The floor lamp cast a gentle glow. Seated on the sofa, Lin Wan gently rocked the crib with one foot.
It was an undeniably warm and lovely scene.
The door was ajar. Xie Yanzhou came upstairs and, as he passed the room, slowed and stopped at the doorway for quite a while.
The young woman inside seemed to have gone back to the way she’d been a year ago.
She loved reading. Though she didn’t say much when the two of them were alone, Xie Yanzhou had always rather liked the quiet, cultured grace that seemed to come from deep within her.
“Click!”
At the other end of the hall, the master bedroom door opened.
Lin Shuhua stood in the doorway. Seeing Xie Yanzhou, she came over and asked, “Yanzhou, are you looking in on Xiaobao? Why aren’t you going in? Is he asleep?”
Lin Shuhua didn’t know that Lin Wan had come upstairs with Chen Yayun.
“I just wanted to take a look. Xiaobao should be asleep,” Xie Yanzhou replied, turning around and lowering his voice.
“Yanzhou, have you ever watched Xiaobao sleep? He’s so cute. He looks especially like you when he’s asleep.” Lin Shuhua came closer as she spoke.
She had already changed into her pajamas.
It was early autumn, and Lin Shuhua wore a camisole nightdress with a small shawl draped over it. The shawl had no buttons, so the slightest lift of her arm would reveal most of her chest.
“Sister-in-law, you should get some rest. I’m going back to my room.” Xie Yanzhou didn’t look at Lin Shuhua. He turned to leave.
“Yanzhou!” Lin Shuhua called after him at once.
“Hm?” Xie Yanzhou stood turned slightly sideways, positioned just so that he blocked the gap in the door.
“What happened between you and Lin Wan last night?” Lin Shuhua approached and asked.
Xie Yanzhou shook his head. “Wang Juan, Lin Wan and I are planning to marry after the Mid-Autumn Festival.”
“Why do you want to marry her?” Lin Shuhua’s voice grew sharp.
“Wang Juan.” Xie Yanzhou’s voice carried a note of warning.
“Lin Wan isn’t right for you, Yanzhou. You shouldn’t marry her,” Lin Shuhua said.
“Yanzhou, Shuhua, what are you doing here?” Chen Xiya’s voice came from the other end of the hallway.