Chapter 15

Li Hehua was stunned. Her first thought was that her eyes were playing tricks on her. She blinked and opened them again, but the boy was still there, moving in slow motion: scooping rice with a spoon, slowly bringing it to his mouth, chewing meticulously, and then swallowing deliberately—eating with unwavering focus.

Shulin was truly moving on his own, and he was eating the food she had prepared.

A sudden surge of joy welled up within Li Hehua, though she couldn’t quite explain why. She simply felt deeply moved. After all, Shulin was different from other children. Despite countless attempts, she had seen no progress whatsoever. Now, finally, there was a response—however small—and it was enough to thrill her.

In truth, what truly excited her wasn’t just that the child was willing to eat her food, but that he was willing to eat on his own. Though she didn’t share meals with the Zhang family, she had often observed their mealtimes.

She’d noticed that the the child seemed reluctant to eat, refusing to open his mouth unless Zhang Tieshan coaxed or even forced him. Several times, she had seen the boy look distressed, even vomit, which worried the others and twisted her heart with concern.

She didn’t know exactly what was wrong with the Shulin, but she was certain he wasn’t just a picky eater like many modern-day children. Based on her observations, she suspected he had a physiological issue—most likely anorexia—as his symptoms closely resembled the disorder.

The thought of such a young child suffering from anorexia broke her heart. Even in modern times, the condition was notoriously difficult to treat. In this backward ancient era, especially in a poor farming family, a child with anorexia would almost certainly perish. No one would recognize the illness, and even if they did, they couldn’t afford proper care. Even if they had the money, there was no guarantee a qualified doctor could treat it. The fate awaiting such a child was grim.

Li Hehua wasn’t a doctor, she couldn’t cure diseases. But she could do her best to prepare delicious meals and hope to win the little one’s favor. To her delight, he had eaten the braised pork and pastries she had made in the past without vomiting. And today marked further progress: he didn’t even need Zhang Tieshan to feed him. He actively picked up the food and ate on his own. It was truly wonderful.

It seemed Shulin’s illness wasn’t as severe as she’d feared. He could still eat—so long as the food appealed to him.

Li Hehua couldn’t contain her joy. Nothing was more gratifying than seeing a child who refused to eat willingly devour her cooking. Perhaps her efforts could save this fragile child from an untimely end.

She resolved to cook more for Shulin, determined to fatten up this beanpole of a child and hopefully cure his aversion to food.

Shulin ate slowly, taking small bites. Li Hehua didn’t want to disturb him, so she simply sat beside him, holding her own half-bowl of rice, and began eating with him.

“Sweetheart, it’s delicious, isn’t it?” Li Hehua said after swallowing a mouthful, glancing at the boy. “If you like it, I’ll make it for you again. But I can cook lots of other things too. We can try different dishes every day. Once you’ve tasted them all, you’ll know which ones you like best. Then you can ask me to make them for you.”

Watching the little boy eat so earnestly, Li Hehua longed to touch his chubby cheeks. But she resisted, letting out a tender sigh instead. “Ah, I won’t be able to cook for you much longer. I’ll be leaving soon, and then I won’t see you anymore. So you need to get better quickly and eat properly every day. If you eat plenty, you won’t be so weak anymore, understand?”

Li Hehua spoke between bites. When she finished her meal, the Little One was still diligently eating. She leaned her head against her hand and quietly watched him.

Though he ate slowly and clumsily, spilling a good amount of food, the little stool was scattered with rice and vegetables.

Li Hehua reached over to pick up the fallen grains, but her hand brushed against the Shulin’s as he scooped up more food. Startled, he dropped his spoon and instinctively flinched backward.

“What are you doing?!” A loud shout rang out—Zhang Linshi had returned.

Li Hehua’s hand trembled at the sudden shout, and the rice grains she had just picked up fell again. Turning to face Zhang Linshi, she saw the woman’s eyes blazing with fury as she stormed into the room.

Zhang Linshi shoved her roughly, intending to push her aside, but Li Hehua’s bulk prevented her from falling. Instead, Zhang Linshi stumbled backward two steps, staggering into the stove behind her. Enraged, she pointed a trembling finger at Li Hehua. “You… you wretched woman!”

Li Hehua was stunned. She had done nothing wrong, yet she was being wrongly accused and called names. Overwhelmed with injustice, she immediately protested, “You’re mistaken! I didn’t do anything. I was just trying to pick up the spilled rice.”

But Zhang Linshi refused to believe her. She was certain this woman had harbored murderous intentions toward Shulin countless times. Now, taking advantage of the empty house, she was trying to harm him again. If she hadn’t returned in time, who knew what would have happened?

“Stop your excuses, you viper! I saw everything. If I hadn’t come back, you would have struck him. You venomous woman with a heart of stone! How could you even consider harming your own flesh and blood? Haven’t you tormented him enough?” Zhang Linshi wiped her face fiercely. “I told Tieshan we couldn’t keep you here, but he insisted out of kindness. What a waste! You don’t deserve any of it!”

Li Hehua resented Zhang Linshi’s misunderstanding and insults, but her mind was consumed by those words: He’s your own flesh and blood. So, Shulin really was the original host’s child—her own child now. Though she had suspected it, hearing it confirmed struck her deeply. Her feelings toward the boy suddenly shifted.

Unable to resist, Li Hehua glanced at the him. He was huddled in the woodpile, head bowed, body slightly curled, motionless as if lost in his silent world again. A pang of distress shot through her.

Was he just terrified? Did the original host often beat him, scaring this little boy so badly?

Li Hehua suddenly felt a surge of anger toward the original host. She had previously taken the blame for so many of that woman’s misdeeds, only offering a few sarcastic remarks. Deep down, she felt that since she had taken over someone else’s body, paying the price was only fair. Besides, the original host was gone. She hadn’t really resented her.

But now, for the first time, she truly loathed the original host. That woman was a monster! How could she treat a child like that—her own child? Was she even human?

Her earlier anger at Zhang Linshi’s insults had subsided. Though she was no longer the original host, she still wore her skin. To the outside world, she was that person, and all those past crimes were attributed to her. That was why Zhang Linshi misunderstood and reacted so strongly.

Forget it, she thought. Why argue? I’m a professional scapegoat anyway.

Li Hehua sighed inwardly and repeated, “I truly didn’t mean to harm Shulin. I just saw he dropped some food while eating and wanted to pick it up.”

But Zhang Linshi remained unconvinced. Glancing at the cowering Shulin, her conviction deepened. Furious, she clutched her aching lower back with one hand and grabbed Li Hehua with the other, dragging her toward the door. “Get out of my house! Tieshan already divorced you. Don’t you dare shamelessly stay here. Just leave!”

In truth, Zhang Linshi probably couldn’t overpower Li Hehua. But fearing she might hurt the older woman if she resisted, Li Hehua allowed herself to be dragged, pleading, “I really didn’t do anything. Please believe me, just this once.”

Zhang Linshi ignored her, still pulling her along. As they burst through the kitchen door, they collided with Zhang Tieshan and Zhang Qingshan, who had just returned from the fields.

“What’s going on?” Zhang Tieshan’s face darkened.

With her sons back, Zhang Linshi felt emboldened. She immediately recounted the incident. “Tieshan, that venomous woman tried to harm Shulin again while I was out. Thank goodness I came back in time. Look how terrified she made him!”

Zhang Tieshan’s expression darkened further. His gaze bore into Li Hehua like twin blades, making the hairs on her neck stand on end.

Li Hehua quickly explained, “I didn’t do anything. I just made him dinner, and he dropped some food on the stool. I tried to pick it up, but my hand accidentally brushed his, and he got scared. Mother misunderstood.”

“Bah! Twisting words again,” Zhang Linshi spat. “You think I’m blind?”

Zhang Tieshan turned to the kitchen and saw Shulin curled in the corner, withdrawn. His eyes fell on the untouched bowl of food. His expression remained unreadable.

“Tieshan, you shouldn’t have been soft-hearted and let her stay. She’s cursed! That viper’s heart is rotten. Drive her out now!”

Zhang Qingshan joined in. “Mother’s right. Our family can’t harbor such a woman. She used to beat Shulin all the time. How could she possibly have changed?”

Before Zhang Tieshan could respond, Li Hehua’s strength gave out. She had explained herself countless times, but they refused to believe her. In all her years, aside from when she had swallowed her pride to beg Zhang Tieshan to let her stay, she had never been treated so harshly. It made her feel like a despised villain.

She pressed her lips tightly, trying to suppress her resentment. She had said all she could. If they still didn’t believe her, she wouldn’t waste another word.

Seeing Zhang Tieshan remain silent, Zhang Linshi grew frantic. She tugged at his sleeve. “Tieshan, what are you waiting for? Have you forgotten how badly she treated us? How she tormented your own child? If you keep her here, I’ll kill myself!”

“Mother, don’t!” Zhang Qingshan quickly pulled her back. “Do you think Brother would do that?”

Zhang Linshi pounded her chest and burst into tears.

Li Hehua looked at the scene before her with a mix of pity and helplessness. She understood—they hated her, and Zhang Tieshan would ultimately side with them. This incident couldn’t be glossed over. There were only two paths: leave or stay. Staying seemed impossible. And she refused to throw away her dignity by begging to remain.

Enough, she thought. If I must go, I will. I won’t starve or freeze.

She cast one last glance at the little boy curled up in the corner, silently saying goodbye. Then she faced the Zhang family and said calmly, “That’s enough. I’ll leave. Thank you for taking me in these past few days.”

With that, she walked out of the kitchen, entered the woodshed, hastily gathered her belongings into a bundle, slung it over her shoulder, and stepped through the Zhang family’s gate.