Chapter 95

“What? Scared? You didn’t do anything, so why are you so flustered?” Yáo Hóngméi sneered at He Shanshan.

He Shanshan finally showed some intelligence. She didn’t try to provoke Yáo Hóngméi anymore, afraid that she would get excited and reveal the truth about that year. She quickly said:

“I’m not talking to you anymore.” Then, she warned Yáo Hóngméi in a threatening tone:

“If you dare to talk nonsense, my mother and brother won’t let you live a good life.”

After saying this, she saw Lu Jingzhe walking into the living room. He Shanshan looked at Yáo Hóngméi with a flustered and worried expression, then turned and went back to her room.

Yáo Hóngméi had been provoked by He Shanshan and had said those words impulsively. Now that she had calmed down, she realized that she had spoken out of turn. She felt both embarrassed and guilty, and she didn’t dare to look at Xia Qingning, who was sitting beside her.

Xia Qingning naturally knew what the “dirty things” she was talking about were. Seeing that she wanted to avoid the topic, her voice turned cold as she asked:

“Sister-in-law, I know you don’t want to clear my name in front of everyone, but can you tell Lu Jingzhe about the dirty things you just mentioned, and help us, husband and wife, clear up the misunderstanding?”

Xia Qingning still had a glimmer of hope for Yáo Hóngméi. If she could tell Lu Jingzhe the truth, it would be considered helping her.

“Qingning, please, don’t force your sister-in-law. Give her a way out.” Yáo Hóngméi was a little anxious. She was about to bend down and kowtow to Xia Qingning.

Knowing that she wouldn’t say anything, Xia Qingning didn’t press her anymore. She helped her up and handed her the bowl:

“Eat your noodles quickly. They’re getting soggy.”

Then she hugged Yingying and let her sit on her lap. She was about to start feeding her the noodles in the bowl when she heard the little girl say:

“Yingying stand, no hug…”

Looking at the sensible little girl, Xia Qingning lovingly stroked her head:

“Okay, Yingying stand and eat. Xiaoshen will feed you.”

The soft noodles were hot. Xia Qingning blew on them to cool them down before feeding her. The little girl ate mouthful after mouthful. Xia Qingning couldn’t keep up with her eating speed. She must have been really hungry.

Yáo Hóngméi silently held the bowl. The soft noodles, the bright yellow scrambled eggs, and the enticing aroma were a fatal temptation for someone who hadn’t eaten for a whole day. She felt guilty and picked up her chopsticks and started to eat.

Soon, the noodles in the bowl were gone. Xia Qingning had also finished feeding Yingying. She cleaned up the bowls and was about to go to the kitchen when she heard Yáo Hóngméi looking at her with a mixture of guilt and gratitude. She said softly:

“Thank you, Qingning.”

Xia Qingning didn’t respond. She took the bowls and went out.

She was about to go to the kitchen when she saw Lu Jingzhe sitting in the living room.

Seeing her come out, Lu Jingzhe raised his hand and motioned for her to come over. When Xia Qingning got closer, he pointed at the things on the table and said in a deep voice to Xia Qingning:

“Take these to your sister-in-law.”

Xia Qingning walked over and saw that the net bag on the table was filled with food: malted milk, milk powder, biscuits, and brown sugar…

They were all for replenishing her body. It seemed that he had gone out just to buy these things.

“Okay, I’ll wash the dishes and then take them over.” Xia Qingning replied, then took the bowls and went to the kitchen.

He Shanshan, who had heard Yáo Hóngméi’s words, was restless in her room. She was afraid that she would really tell Lu Jingzhe about Wang Mingfang and Lu Lìdōng’s scheme against Xia Qingning and Lu Jingzhe.

If that happened, Lu Jingzhe would definitely not let them, mother and son, live a good life. Thinking about how Lu Jingzhe had almost twisted her arm a few days ago, He Shanshan was sweating cold.

She didn’t have Wang Mingfang’s composure. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. She couldn’t sit still anymore and opened the door and went out.

She went to Yáo Hóngméi’s room and found that Xia Qingning had already gone out. She didn’t care about whether it was auspicious or not and went straight in, then closed the door.

Seeing He Shanshan suddenly come in and close the door, Yáo Hóngméi’s anger hadn’t subsided. She was about to ask her to leave when she saw He Shanshan stride to her bedside. She looked at her anxiously and said in a questioning tone:

“You didn’t say anything wrong, did you?”

Yáo Hóngméi looked at her coldly and mocked:

“Aren’t you always fearless? What, are you afraid I’ll talk nonsense now?”

He Shanshan, whose secret was in someone else’s hands, didn’t show any sign of wanting to soften. She continued to say in a threatening tone:

“Yáo Hóngméi, don’t forget, you’re still my brother’s wife. If you ruin him, you and your daughter won’t have a good life!”

Yáo Hóngméi looked at the arrogant He Shanshan and suddenly sneered. She asked back:

“No good life? Heh. It’s as if I’ve been living a good life.”

He Shanshan’s face flashed with a hint of guilt after hearing these words. She quickly regained her usual arrogance. She looked at Yáo Hóngméi with disdain and said:

“Anyway, I’m warning you, don’t tell Lu Jingzhe anything! Otherwise…” At this point, He Shanshan’s eyes became vicious and malicious.

“Otherwise, what?” Yáo Hóngméi looked at her without blinking, and there was no fear on her face.

He Shanshan didn’t say anything. She suddenly reached out to grab Yingying, who was sleeping on the side. Yáo Hóngméi was startled. She immediately stood in front of Yingying and pushed He Shanshan’s hand away.

Actually, He Shanshan didn’t really want to grab the child. She also knew that if the child cried later, she wouldn’t be able to handle it. She did this just to scare Yáo Hóngméi. Seeing that she had achieved her goal, she withdrew her hand and said with a smug smile:

“Otherwise, you’ll just watch your daughter get beaten every day, haha. The injuries from last time haven’t healed yet.”

“You!” Yáo Hóngméi didn’t expect He Shanshan to be so vicious. She was so angry that she couldn’t speak. She looked at her with scarlet eyes, her chest heaving violently. She yelled in a heartbroken and angry voice:

“She’s your niece!”

“So what if she’s my niece.” He Shanshan curled her lips and said nonchalantly: “She’s not my child!”

At this time, Xia Qingning had washed the dishes. She took the things on the table and walked to Yáo Hóngméi’s room. She found that the door was closed. She was about to knock when the door suddenly opened from the inside.

He Shanshan stood in the room. When she saw Xia Qingning standing outside the door, her expression was unnatural for a moment. Her gaze fell on the things she was carrying. She pouted, turned, and walked out.

Xia Qingning walked into the room and placed the pile of food on the cabinet next to it. Seeing the worried and angry expression on Yáo Hóngméi’s face, she guessed what He Shanshan had said. She didn’t ask any more questions. Looking at Yáo Hóngméi, she said calmly:

“This is Jingzhe’s gift for you. You just had surgery. You should replenish your body.”

“Jingzhe bought it?” Yáo Hóngméi came to her senses and asked. Looking at the pile of expensive things, she was very surprised.

She never thought that this brother-in-law, who hadn’t spoken to her much and seemed difficult to get along with, was now one of the only two people who had offered her help.

Over the years, she had been humble and cautious in this house, trying to please her husband, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law, just to make life a little better for herself and her daughter.

But after she found out that she couldn’t have children anymore, the mother and son immediately changed their faces. They left her and her daughter at home to fend for themselves. He Shanshan even barged into the room to threaten her.

Of the people around her, only her sister-in-law, who she wasn’t close to, and her brother-in-law still treated her like a human being. They cooked for her and brought her food.

Yáo Hóngméi’s eyes involuntarily became moist. In her life, she had never done anything wrong. The only person she had wronged was Xia Qingning.

She had taken her fiancé without knowing the truth. Later, when she found out that Lu Lìdōng had schemed against her, she didn’t come forward to tell the truth. She had been carrying the blame for so long.

Shame and guilt filled her heart. After a fierce internal struggle, Yáo Hóngméi looked at Xia Qingning sincerely and said softly:

“Qingning, go ask Jingzhe to come over. I have something to tell him.”