Chapter 72.1

Li Xiao covered himself and Jiang Rou with the quilt, maintaining a neutral expression. He then sat up and said calmly, “Mom has been very busy lately, so Dad is giving her a massage.”

He then asked, “Why are you here? You scared Mom and Dad.”

An An, now grown up and not easily fooled, frowned and asked, “But why do you have to kiss when you give a massage?”

“Zhenzhen’s mother said that kissing leads to having a baby,” she added.

Li Xiao cleared his throat and explained, “Mom and Dad aren’t kissing. Dad is giving Mom artificial respiration.”

“…”

Jiang Rou couldn’t take it anymore, and secretly kicked Li Xiao in the bed—this guy was really getting more and more impudent.

An An, who had learned about artificial respiration from Jiang Rou before, understood that it was a life-saving technique.

She nodded, though still a bit confused, and said, “Okay, then Dad can continue the massage for Mom.”

She then lay down beside them, looking at them with a well-behaved expression.

Despite his usual bravado, Li Xiao couldn’t act tough in front of his daughter. “No, your mother is fine,” he said with a sigh, then lay back down. “Alright, go to sleep.”

Seeing that her father didn’t chase her away, An An immediately crawled between the two of them: “Dad, I love you.”

It was impossible to get angry at her.

—o—o—o—

Before Jiang Rou and Li Xiao were about to leave the county, Lin Meiru, having heard they were back, came over to visit.

She stood stealthily at the door, holding a child, and peered inside. It was cold in her hometown during winter, and it had snowed a few days after the New Year. Jiang Rou and Li Xiao were huddled inside by the fire to keep warm.

Wang Minjun and her husband had returned, so, Jiang Rou and Li Xiao were reluctant to visit them next door. The snow today had also kept them indoors; otherwise, Li Xiao would have taken Jiang Rou and the others to the river to go fishing.

Li Xin stayed inside and didn’t come out, while only An An was outside, playing energetically.

An An, having been well-nourished since childhood, was in good health and rarely got sick. When she wanted to play outside, Jiang Rou and Li Xiao didn’t stop her and let her go.

While Lin Meiru was hiding at the gate of the yard and watching discreetly, An An soon noticed her. Though timid outside, An An became bolder at home with her parents around. She ran to the door and peeked out, trying to catch a glimpse of Lin Meiru.

As soon as Lin Meiru peeked her head out, she was startled to see a little face and exclaimed, “Oh my goodness!”

An An, equally startled, immediately turned her head and shouted into the house, “Mommy—!”

Hearing the commotion, Jiang Rou and Li Xiao rushed out and saw Lin Meiru covering her chest and slapping her head in shock. She pointed at An An and exclaimed, “Why are you so naughty? You scared me to death!”

An An, startled by the sudden outburst, turned around and ran to the back, hiding behind Jiang Rou.

Jiang Rou wrapped An An’s cold little hands and looked at Lin Meiru at the door.

After several years apart, Lin Meiru looked much older than Jiang Rou remembered. Her hair had turned almost entirely gray, and her face was lined with wrinkles. She appeared thinner, with a sunken face that gave her a somewhat stern and fierce look. Standing next to her was a little boy, about three or four years old, who looked quite unkempt. His cotton jacket had several holes, with the stuffing coming out, and its original color was obscured by dirt. His face and hands were covered in dried snot, which he was attempting to wipe off with his arm, leaving yellow smears on the back of his hand.

From her hiding spot behind Jiang Rou, An An noticed the boy’s disheveled appearance and whispered, tugging at her mother’s pants, “Mom, he doesn’t care about hygiene.”

Jiang Rou, who is usually meticulous about An An’s hygiene—ensuring she bathes regularly, washes her hair, and cleans her hands before eating—understood why her daughter might notice the difference.

Jiang Rou pinched An An’s hand gently and remained silent. Not only was the child poorly dressed, but Lin Meiru also appeared much less cared for than before. Her clothes were old-fashioned and visibly dirty, with stains on the cuffs and chest. It was evident that she hadn’t been keeping up with her own cleanliness as she once did.

Lin Meiru saw Li Xiao and Jiang Rou coming out, and for a moment, she seemed hesitant to recognize them. She looked at them blankly before reacting and whispering: “Li Xiao? Jiang Rou?”

When she met Li Xiao’s cold gaze, her eyes shriveled up slightly, but she didn’t back down. Instead, she held onto her clothes with both hands and tried to win him over: “I heard you were back, so I came to see you.”

Li Xiao’s face remained stern as he addressed his biological mother. “Now that we’ve seen you, let’s go.”

He turned to head back inside the house.

Lin Meiru, seeing this, grew anxious and called out, “Hey, kid, I’m your mother—what’s with your attitude?”

As Li Xiao was about to walk away, she hurriedly added, “I know I made mistakes in the past, but we’re still mother and son. Blood is thicker than water. You’ve been away down south, so I understand if you haven’t been able to help me. But now that you’re back, you haven’t even come to see me. Don’t you have any conscience? I’m not asking for much. Just help me get a divorce and buy me a house in the city. I heard you’ve made a lot of money down south and live in a building. Isn’t that a reasonable request?”

Li Xiao turned around, looking at her in surprise.

Lin Meiru, meeting his gaze, felt a pang of guilt and unease. Though only a few years had passed, she felt her son had changed entirely. Where he once seemed fierce, he now exuded a quiet intensity that was even more intimidating. Just standing there made her feel uneasy.

Despite this, she steeled herself and remained, unwilling to leave until she got what she wanted. Compared to her son, the He family seemed even more daunting now. Since Li Xiao and his wife had moved south, Lin Meiru’s own situation had become increasingly dire.

He Wenhua is not at home. After graduating, he went to the next city. His daughter-in-law and wife, unable to do anything about him, take their frustration out on her. Lin Meiru, unable to defend herself, endures daily bullying. Old He has been paralyzed by the beatings from his daughter-in-law and husband’s family, leaving her to manage everything, including his eating, drinking, and personal needs. If she fails to meet these demands, she faces their anger. Additionally, He Wenying frequently demands money, and the whole family continues to mistreat her.

Lin Meiru, who was now desperate to escape her oppressive situation, hurried over when she heard that Li Xiao had returned. In her memory, her son was very capable and always able to resolve problems.

Li Xiao observed Lin Meiru’s gray hair and weary appearance and chuckled, but his tone was resolute. “There is no money. You should go to He Wenhua for this matter.”

Lin Meiru was reluctant to approach He Wenhua. Every time she encountered him, his gaze was intimidating, as if she were his enemy. He would often question her about Li Xiao, and whenever she had no answers, he would talk extensively about Li Xiao’s current life, mentioning that he had become a major boss, earning hundreds of millions annually and living in a large house.

Initially, she did not take these claims seriously. However, after hearing them repeatedly, she began to believe them, especially when she learned that Ma Aihua, who lived next door to the Li family, frequently received valuable gifts from Li Xiao and his wife. This made her regretful, as she felt these things should have been hers.

Lin Meiru secretly tried to reach Ma Aihua multiple times, hoping to get in touch with Li Xiao through her. However, Ma Aihua, being untrustworthy, always deceived her. Eventually, Lin Meiru managed to contact Li Xiao, but he ignored her calls.

Frustrated, Lin Meiru said, “When He Wenhua is not at home, I can’t reach him. You’re my son; you can’t just ignore me.”

Li Xiao’s expression suddenly hardened, and he responded coldly, “Didn’t I stop you from getting married in the beginning?”

Lin Meiru was at a loss for words. Indeed, he had tried to prevent the marriage, but at that time, his advice had gone unheeded. She had also told him that he would have a new father and brother, and they would all live together harmoniously. Eventually, for reasons unknown to her, Li Xiao moved out of the He family and never returned.

At the time, she thought her son had a difficult temperament, inheriting traits from his biological father, which made it hard for him to get along with others.

Hesitantly, she replied, “Well… I didn’t know. If I had known what kind of people they were, I wouldn’t have married into their family.”

Li Xiao sneered. Did she really not know? No, she was well aware but didn’t care as long as the consequences didn’t affect her directly.

During the years Li Xiao lived with the He family, she frequently made disparaging remarks and showed favoritism towards He Wenhua. Seeing that He Wenhua wanted to drive Li Xiao away, she only worsened the situation.

Lin Meiru never treated him like a son, so how could she expect him to regard her as a mother?

Li Xiao didn’t harbor hatred towards her. In the past few years, with Jiang Rou and An An by his side, he had found contentment in his life. As Jiang Rou had told him, no one’s life is without its struggles. Perfection is elusive, so there is no need to force things too much.

But this does not mean that Li Xiao is indifferent. He can forgive Zhu Qiang because Zhu Qiang did not cause him significant harm. They grew up together and had a good relationship, but what has Lin Meiru done? The kindness of giving birth to him had long been repaid.

When he left the He family, he resolved that he would have no relatives in the future.

“Go away. I’ve made it clear long ago that your affairs have nothing to do with me. If you really want a divorce, you can go to He Wenhua. He will definitely help you. After all, you’ve been his mother for so many years.”

For the first time, Lin Meiru felt bitter. She wanted to tell Li Xiao that He Wenhua wasn’t very kind to her now, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it, considering how she used to be closer to He Wenhua than to Li Xiao.

“I…”

She looked at Li Xiao with hope.

Li Xiao shrugged helplessly, then bent down to pick up An An from behind Jiang Rou and went into the house.

An An rested her chin on her father’s shoulder, observing the unfamiliar old lady and the little boy in the yard. When she met the little boy’s curious gaze, she smiled gently.

Unexpectedly, the little boy glared at her fiercely.

An An was taken aback and buried her face in her father’s neck, frightened.

Lin Meiru wanted to speak to Jiang Rou, but Jiang Rou simply took out two hundred yuan from her pocket and handed it to her. “I can’t make decisions about his affairs. Take this.”

Lin Meiru glanced at the money with a hint of disgust but reluctantly accepted it. Feeling uncomfortable, she said, “Please help me persuade him. My life is truly unbearable. After all, I am his biological mother.”

Jiang Rou noticed the flash of disgust on Lin Meiru’s face and felt a pang of frustration. “If you don’t want it, give it back to me.”

She stretched out her hand as if to take it back. Lin Meiru hurriedly stuffed the money into her pocket, turned around, and fled with the little boy. Once outside the yard, she remained concerned and reminded, “Make sure to speak to Li Xiao for me.”

Jiang Rou watched her leave and then returned to the house.

Inside, Li Xiao was removing An An’s wet coat and shoes and then carried her to the fire barrel to warm up.

When An An saw her mother enter, she raised her face, smiling, and called out, “Mommy——”

Jiang Rou pinched her little face and asked Li Xiao, “Aren’t you going to do anything? She doesn’t seem to be doing well right now.”

Of course, she hadn’t been in great shape before, but Lin Meiru had been cheerful and in high spirits back then. Now, however, she looked quite distressed.

Li Xiao was silent for a moment before responding, “I don’t want to get involved.”

He knew Lin Meiru’s temperament well. If he showed concern, she would rely on him and take advantage of him. An outsider’s word would be more effective than a hundred from him. He Wenhua could simply soothe her, and she would work tirelessly for others.

There was no need to complicate matters for himself.

Jiang Rou nodded, “Alright, I’ll do as you say.”

Li Xiao gave her a sidelong glance and murmured in agreement.

—o—o—o—