“Mom, I…” Lin Shuhua looked a little nervous. She frowned at Chen Yayun, who had come out wearing a thick dressing gown. “You went to take a bath, Mom. Why didn’t you tell me? Is Nanny Wang watching Xiaobao? I’ve told you not to let the nanny near him at night. He’ll become wary of strangers.”
“Wanwan is watching Xiaobao.” Chen Yayun’s expression was displeased. She looked at Lin Shuhua and said, “Shuhua, autumn’s here and the weather is getting cold. You need to wear more. Xiaobao is still nursing.”
Because Xiaobao was still nursing, Lin Shuhua’s chest—which had once been as flat as a little steamed bun—was now practically bursting out of her nightgown.
At first, after giving birth, Lin Shuhua hadn’t wanted to breastfeed Xiaobao. When she was staying in the obstetrics and gynecology ward at the Capital Military District Hospital, she had heard that the wives of the wealthiest and most powerful families never nursed their own babies.
But after she came home, Lin Shuhua discovered that as long as she kept breastfeeding Xiaobao, her chest stayed high and full, and looked beautiful.
“Lin Wan…” When Lin Shuhua heard Chen Yayun’s words, she hadn’t even heard the second half before she immediately stepped back and looked into the bedroom.
Inside, Lin Wan was still sitting on the sofa, chin propped on one hand, watching the scene at the door with unhurried amusement.
She had heard every word, loud and clear.
“Older Sister!” Lin Wan didn’t get up. She glanced at the crib and smiled. “You just said Xiaobao looks exactly like Yanzhou when he’s asleep. I took a closer look, and he really doesn’t look much like him. Yanzhou’s eyes turn up at the corners, a little like phoenix eyes. Xiaobao’s don’t.”
“Lin Wan, what are you doing in Xiaobao’s room?” Lin Shuhua demanded, looking furious. She turned and rushed into the room.
“Shh!” Lin Wan raised a finger to her lips. Getting up from the sofa, she shook her head. “Keep your voice down, or you’ll wake Xiaobao. Sis, remember how our younger brother and Little Sister were when they were little? Once they were woken up, they were so hard to soothe.”
“Mom, how could you leave Xiaobao with her all by herself?” Lin Shuhua turned to Chen Yayun and demanded.
“Older Sister, what’s the matter with you? I’m not just talking about taking care of Xiaobao. I raised our younger brother and Little Sister from the time they were little, especially our Little Sister—I practically carried her everywhere.” Lin Wan spoke.
As she said it, she thought of her younger sister in her previous life.
Such a clever, lovely child, yet people despised her, humiliated her, frightened her until she finally broke down and chose to throw herself into the river.
During those days when she trembled with fear, whenever her little sister briefly came to her senses, she would gaze at Lin Wan through tear-filled eyes and say, “Older Sister, it hurts so much. While I’m not in my right mind, kill me. Then I won’t feel anything.”
She was timid and afraid, but each time she briefly woke, she begged her older sister again and again to end her life.
“Shuhua, don’t treat Wanwan like that. She loves Xiaobao so much, and you sisters have always been so close. What’s gotten into you today?” Chen Yayun saw the tears in Lin Wan’s eyes and gently scolded Lin Shuhua. Then she patted Lin Wan’s back, took her by the arm, and led her over to Xie Yanzhou, who was standing in the hallway. “Take Wanwan out for a walk and get her some late-night food. She barely ate anything tonight.”
“All right.” Xie Yanzhou nodded. He looked at Lin Wan’s reddened eyes, nodded again, then turned and headed downstairs on his own.
“Go on. Get yourself something good to eat,” Chen Yayun urged, patting Lin Wan’s arm.
“Mm.” Lin Wan nodded and followed Xie Yanzhou.
She knew Chen Yayun had mistaken her tear-streaked face—brought on by the pain in her heart—for sorrow at being mistreated by Lin Shuhua.
That was fine. It was time for the Xie family to see Lin Shuhua for who she really was.
In her previous life, Lin Shuhua had falsely accused Xie Zhenshan in order to seize custody of the child, which led to Xie Zhenshan being sent down to the countryside. Chen Yayun, people said, had been so shaken by what happened that she’d become confused and misdiagnosed a patient while working at the hospital. After the patient beat her, she was confined to a wheelchair, and remained depressed for the rest of her life.
Lin Wan didn’t want to sympathize with the Xie family.
Still, she was happy to watch Lin Shuhua and the Xie family turn against each other right in front of her.
After talking with his son, Xie Zhenshan went to the study. Xie Yanzhou took Lin Wan out, and only Nanny Wang stopped them to remind Xie Yanzhou, “Yanzhou, take Wanwan to eat on East Street. I’ve noticed she likes seafood, and there’s plenty of good food at the night market over there.”
Nanny Wang had worked for the Xie family for twenty years. She had watched Xie Yanqing and Xie Yanzhou grow up.
She was deeply attached to both boys.
When the eldest son died, Nanny Wang had gone several days without sleep alongside Chen Yayun. She felt as though she had lost a child of her own.
Over the past year, Nanny Wang had truly had enough of Lin Shuhua.
She felt the Xie family shouldn’t have spoiled Lin Shuhua so much. The woman was becoming more and more outrageous.
She had even started acting disrespectfully in front of Division Commander Xie.
Lin Wan, on the other hand, was different. Though they had only seen each other a few times over the past two years, the girl was sensible. Whenever she visited, she helped Nanny Wang with the chores. Whether she ran into her early in the morning or late at night, she always greeted her sweetly as “Nanny Wang.” She was warm and lovable!
“Thank you, Nanny Wang. I’ll bring you something tasty!” Lin Wan said with a sweet, heartfelt smile.
In her previous life, when she was gravely ill, she had encountered Nanny Wang at the hospital, accompanying Chen Yayun for treatment.
It was from Nanny Wang that Lin Wan learned how Division Commander Xie had been falsely accused and sent down, what had happened to Chen Yayun, and how Lin Shuhua later got together with a wealthy businessman…
At the time, someone had found Lin Wan unconscious and brought her to the hospital.
She had no money to pay her medical bills, so Nanny Wang paid them out of her own pocket and even pressed five hundred yuan into her hand.
That five hundred yuan had kept Lin Wan going, day after day, until she found Lin Shuhua and arranged to meet her at the cemetery.
As it turned out, the twenty-yuan dagger had also been bought with the money Nanny Wang gave her.
Watching Lin Wan walk away beside Xie Yanzhou, Nanny Wang sighed softly. “What a lovely couple!”
If Lin Shuhua hadn’t stirred up trouble between them, they would have been so happy together!
Walking beside Xie Yanzhou, Lin Wan could tell he was deliberately slowing his pace.
Otherwise, with his long legs and his military training, she would have had to jog to keep up.
“I asked Mom. Your sister-in-law’s emotions are always up and down like this, so…” Xie Yanzhou wanted to explain what had happened that evening to Lin Wan.
Their whole family was always accommodating Lin Shuhua, soothing her.
Xie Yanzhou had been very close to his older brother, and the two brothers had gotten along exceptionally well, so he could understand what it felt like to lose someone he loved.
He was grieving, too!
“So, Xie Yanzhou, because your sister-in-law objected, you don’t want to marry me anymore?” Lin Wan turned to him, her gaze cold.