When Qiao Lihua saw her mother crying, she tiptoed to wipe her mother’s tears.
Qiao Wengang gently helped her wipe them away.
Shen Yunchu cried her heart out. All the caution and fear she had lived with over the years seemed to melt away in this single moment.
She had always lived carefully, afraid to take even one wrong step. But now, beside her mother, she felt as if she had returned to childhood—protected by that same gentle yet unwavering strength.
“Mom… thank you.”
Nan Lingyi patted her hand. “Alright, I’ll allow you to cry just for today. A daughter of mine should live freely and boldly!”
Her feelings were complicated. In the original storyline, Shen Yunchu eventually took her own life because she had been suppressed for far too long.
As for psychological counseling—those empty emotional pep talks—Nan Lingyi herself didn’t believe in them and found them useless.
But if someone was depressed, throwing real gold and silver in front of them—that was the best remedy.
Years of drifting without a sense of security, constantly anxious, and yet a fundamentally kind person who couldn’t bring herself to harm others… so she ended up harming only herself.
Now that the new home had been chosen, the next step was packing.
Normally, someone hospitalized wouldn’t have many belongings. But these past few days, whenever Shen Yunchu wanted something, they bought it. The hospital room was filled with new items for mother and daughter, and everything was now brought over by President Liao’s car.
Shen Yunchu also asked Qiao Wengang to go home and bring their clothes.
The moment she said that, it was clear—she had no intention of returning to the old house.
Most husbands would feel uncomfortable with such a statement. But not Qiao Wengang. Seeing the genuine smiles on his wife’s and daughter’s faces, he was happier than anyone and agreed immediately.
Nan Lingyi waved her hand. “Why bring old clothes? Just buy new ones from the department store… Don’t worry about money. Here—one yuan for pocket money. Buy whatever you want!”
This villa had already cost 100,000 yuan—a sum unimaginable to Shen Yunchu. And now her mother casually stuffed a green banknote into her hand—an entire yuan!
“Mom, th-this is too much…”
Nan Lingyi glanced at the bill and said casually, “If it fell on the ground, I wouldn’t even bother picking it up. Too much? Nonsense. Your first task now is to learn how to spend money.”
Even Qiao Wengang was stunned. His mother-in-law’s generosity was on another level…
Seeing this, Shen Yunchu no longer refused. Her heart was full of warmth, and her earlier thoughts grew stronger. She carefully tucked the money away and said, “Those clothes aren’t worth much, but many of them have Lihua’s growth marks. I want to keep them.”
So that was why. Nan Lingyi nodded.
President Liao, watching from the side, felt his heart warm. The old lady’s generosity was astonishing. He quickly said, “Why don’t I drive Mr. Qiao to pick up the items?”
Qiao Wengang waved his hands shyly. “How could I trouble you? It’s too much…”
President Liao replied, “Trouble? I’m just driving. If you ride your bicycle, you’ll be exhausted. And you’ll be needed here to help arrange things.”
Hearing that, Qiao Wengang instinctively glanced at the old lady. Seeing her nod, he agreed awkwardly.
Then he left with President Liao to collect their belongings.
Meanwhile, Nan Lingyi took Shen Yunchu and Qiao Lihua around the new home. She commented with slight distaste, “Still a bit small. Choose whichever room you like most. Think about how to decorate it, and write a list of everything the house needs. You can go to the department store and buy it all.”
With no outsiders present, Shen Yunchu finally asked, “Mom… how do you have so much money?”
Nan Lingyi answered naturally, “I used to be the daughter of a wealthy family. I just lived more cautiously for a while. Your father married me because of that, but when he realized he couldn’t get any benefits from me, he thought I was old-fashioned and wrong in every way. Then he abandoned me and remarried. Over the years, I…”
She paused.
She decided not to mention her years in the mental hospital. This child carried too much in her heart.
So she changed the topic. “These years, thanks to the help of kind people, I managed. And then I decided to search for my children…”
Though she spoke simply, Shen Yunchu wasn’t a naïve girl anymore. Those experiences didn’t need to be described; the hardships were obvious.
She didn’t ask further—since her mother wouldn’t say now, she must have her reasons.
At this moment, Shen Yunchu was a full-fledged mama’s girl. Her eyes shone as she looked at Nan Lingyi.
Holding her daughter in one hand and her mother in the other, she felt like the happiest woman in the world.
For years, she hadn’t dared argue with Old Madam Qiao, hadn’t dared speak up to her husband, hadn’t dared socialize with neighbors—all because she feared how she would survive if she divorced…
But now, she wasn’t afraid.
Her mother stood before her, the best example—living freely, boldly, beautifully. She had her mother, her husband, her daughter. What was there to fear?
Nan Lingyi had already written a list of needed items. Seeing Shen Yunchu still dazed, she sighed, pointed to the paper, and said, “You must fill it completely.”
She also looked at little Qiao Lihua, who was gnawing on a pencil, unsure how to write. The child looked at her grandmother with teary seriousness. “Grandma… I can’t write.”
Nan Lingyi slapped her forehead. Oh right, the little one was too young—still at the age of playing with mud in kindergarten. She slapped her thigh and came up with a solution. “That’s easy. If you can’t write, you can draw. Draw everything you want on this paper.”
Mother and daughter exchanged helpless looks. In the past, wanting even one thing was incredibly difficult; now they could have anything, yet they didn’t know what to write or draw…
Still, they had to finish the task. So the two sat in the living room, writing and drawing diligently, filling the page with everything they could think of.
Nan Lingyi returned to her own room leisurely. She hadn’t slept well these past few days, so she decided to take a nap.
Outside, the trees swayed, their rustling leaves creating a soothing white noise that made sleep even easier.
(End of chapter)