Chapter 94: She Can’t Help This Child Much

All the buns were sold, and the sun had just risen not long ago.

Shen Suqiao seemed to be just passing by; he took the buns without saying much and left quickly. Xie Yunshu didn’t pay it much mind.

Xie Mingcheng’s eyes followed Shen Suqiao’s tall figure as he left, then put away the insulated box and asked curiously, “Sis, who is he?”

“He’s a team leader at the construction site, a very upright person.” Over the time Xie Yunshu had interacted with Shen Suqiao, her impression of him was simple: very upright!

So upright that it seemed like he was untouched by worldly emotions. She didn’t dare imagine what kind of partner such an upright man might have. She wondered whimsically, maybe he even recites the Diamond Sutra on his wedding night?

Xie Mingcheng said “oh,” though still young, he could tell Shen Suqiao wasn’t ordinary — there was a pressure that came from someone long accustomed to being in a position of authority. But if his sister was selling boxed meals at the construction site, how did she know a man like that?

“You go to the market and buy five chickens, and also get about ten winter melons. It’s pretty cold today, get some red chili peppers too, I’ll make chili oil when I get back!”

Xie Yunshu had already mounted her old-style eight-speed bike, one foot pushing off the ground: “I’ll go take that kid away first. It’s not right for him to keep staying in our house.”

If Zhou Xinyue and Lu Zhixing had a bit more sense, they would have searched the entire city when the child disappeared for a whole night. When they take the kid to the police station, she’d have to explain the situation clearly. For a kid this small to be beaten so badly is a crime!

But sometimes things are just helpless — parents hitting kids is considered natural, so even the police find it hard to intervene…

Thinking about the poor child’s pitiful state, Xie Yunshu sighed, unable to describe the feelings in her heart. Logically, if everyone knew about Xiao Wei’s abuse, Lu Zhixing and the Lu family would be a bigger joke.

They used their high status to show kindness and pity, just to build a self-righteous image — but what happened? Lu Zhixing and Zhou Xinyue openly got together during the day and got laughed at, yet they used the poor kid as an excuse, and the kid was beaten right under their noses!

This barefaced hypocrisy exposed the Lu family’s true nature, making Lu Zhixing unable to hold his head high even at Haicheng Hospital.

But Xie Yunshu didn’t feel happy either. When she closed her eyes, all she could see was the fragile little body of Xiao Wei covered in scars. Not just kids, even adults with such experiences rarely recover fully.

She couldn’t be a savior and didn’t feel like she could help this kid much…

Back at the tenement building, Ling Fenlan had already made breakfast, frying some stuffed pancakes from leftover meat, filled with scallions and pork fat — the smell was very appetizing.

Xiao Wei timidly sat beside the stove. His damp clothes had dried by the fire. Ling Fenlan had borrowed a cotton jacket from Lin Cui Ping’s house upstairs, which Lin Xiaohu had worn when he was young, and put it on him. The slapped marks on his face had yet to fade.

Seeing Xie Yunshu, he quickly stood up, nervously clutching a half-eaten fried pancake, cautiously watching her like a scared little dog, tucking his tail and wagging gently — a sight that made one’s heart ache.

Xie Yunshu pressed her lips: “Sit down and eat.”

Lu Xiao Wei didn’t say anything but obeyed, sitting back down on the stool and putting the pancake down as if afraid to eat more.

Ling Fenlan looked at him with pity: “You only took two bites, why not eat more?”

In his limited memory, eating too much meant getting beaten — especially with such precious food.

Xiao Wei put his hands on his belly and quietly said, “I’m full.”

He seemed more energetic than yesterday, at least he could say more than just “I listen.”

Pitiful as he was, to be honest, Xie Yunshu found it hard to feel much affection for this child — probably because he was Zhou Xinyue’s kid, still under Lu Zhixing’s name, and Lu Zhixing had used the poor kid as a pretense to cause her many grievances.

“Didn’t your mother teach you not to waste food? Who will eat your leftover pancake?” Xie Yunshu glanced at him lightly, then served a bowl of rice porridge on the table: “Eat the rest of the pancake, then finish this soup.”

Lu Xiao Wei ate the pancake quickly, then drank the soup in one gulp without hesitation, as if afraid a slap would fall if he delayed even a second.

Ling Fenlan’s eyes reddened: “This child…”

To be so cautious and fearful that a five-year-old listens like a trained robot — whatever Zhou Xinyue’s reason for hitting him, how could she bear to do it?

Xie Yunshu drank some soup, ate a large piece of pancake, then said, “Mom, when Mingcheng buys the groceries and comes back, you and Aunt Zhao start the fire and get things ready. I’ll take him to the police station and be back soon.”

Ling Fenlan hesitated: “Yunshu, are you sending the kid away so soon?”

Xie Yunshu knew her mother’s heart was soft. Even though it was Zhou Xinyue’s child, she couldn’t bear to see such a small kid suffer. So she softened her tone: “He has a father and mother, we can’t keep him forever. If we keep him, people will accuse us of trafficking children.”

Ling Fenlan didn’t dare to look at the child again, turning away: “Make sure you tell the police clearly — they can’t just hit the kid again.”

She added quietly, “Is hitting a child even human?”

Xie Yunshu pinched her brow and looked at Lu Xiao Wei: “Let’s go.”

The child’s small face suddenly turned pale, but he didn’t dare say no. The light in his eyes after eating quickly faded. He stood up numb, expression hollow, even thinking maybe this time going back meant he’d be beaten to death?

If he died, it wouldn’t be so bad — he once heard other kids at school say that when you die, you go to heaven. Heaven is so good…

Xie Yunshu didn’t know what he was thinking. She had to return by noon to sell boxed meals, so she couldn’t waste time. Taking Lu Xiao Wei, she rode the bike toward the nearest police station.

But when they got to the door, she stopped.

After thinking for a moment, she continued on until reaching the police station across from Haicheng Hospital, then stopped.

“See this place? It’s right across from where you live. If you get beaten or starved again, come here and find help.” Xie Yunshu parked the bike, pointed to the sign outside the station, speaking clearly to Xiao Wei: “The uncles inside are good people. They’ll help you.”

The nearby police station was a bit far from her home, so if Xiao Wei needed help in the future, this one near Haicheng Hospital would be best.

Xiao Wei stood in front of the bike and quietly asked, “What about you?”

“What?”

Xie Yunshu didn’t hear clearly, frowned, bent down: “What did you just say?”

Xiao Wei hung his head, looking at his own toes: “I’m good. I hardly eat, I can not eat at all.”

He could find leftover food outside sometimes. Once, extremely hungry, he even picked up half a dry steamed bun from a stray dog.

So… can’t I just stay?