Chapter 10: The Thief in the House

The thought of him possibly getting into trouble snapped her wide awake, filling her with an unexpected sense of panic.

She instinctively attributed this to her dislike of trouble. After all, she was his wife in name—if anything happened to him, she would be the one who had to deal with the aftermath.

Her mind began conjuring up wild scenarios of him losing a limb, having a head injury, or even suffering from amnesia and turning into a fool. Since she had already transmigrated into a novel, wasn’t any absurd plot twist possible?

She quickly sat up, shivering as she wrapped herself in a military coat, then tiptoed outside. Sure enough, there were flashlights shining outside—it really was people.

Yuan Lingling turned on her own flashlight and slowly made her way to the courtyard gate. Just as she was about to listen closely, she heard Aunt Yang’s loud voice.

“What’s going on this early in the morning? Are we talking about a murder or what?”

Her booming voice was unmistakable but also oddly reassuring.

Yuan Lingling hurriedly opened the door and saw Yang Ying standing with a group of people, tucking her hands into her sleeves as she spoke.

As soon as Yang Ying spotted her, she naturally walked over.

“Did we wake you up?” Yang Ying’s right cheek still had a red mark from sleeping, showing she had also just been woken up.

Yuan Lingling smiled helplessly. “What’s going on?”

It didn’t seem like anything too serious, and judging from Yang Ying’s demeanor, it definitely had nothing to do with Shen Caisheng. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so relaxed.

Sure enough, Yang Ying said, “Apparently, the Xie family got robbed.”

Someone nearby chimed in, “I don’t think it was just a regular thief. Why would they only target the Xie family and not anyone else? Maybe it was a personal grudge.”

“Shh, keep your voice down,” Yang Ying, for once, told someone else to lower their voice. But from her expression, she clearly agreed with the sentiment.

No matter what, whoever got caught up in this mess was out of luck. If it really was a thief with bad intentions, it was just a matter of time before someone else got targeted.

Just then, Ma Jie, who had gone to gather information, rushed back. Before even greeting anyone, he blurted out, “It was Xie Guanglian. I heard he took all the family’s money and ran.”

“Huh? That can’t be, right?” Everyone found it hard to believe.

Xie Guanglian didn’t usually seem like that kind of person. In fact, he treated people fairly well, especially his own family. He had always listened to his mother, which was one of the reasons why the original owner had been bullied by her own family.

“Yeah, I heard he took everything. If it were a thief, they wouldn’t have stolen only from his room, right?” As Ma Jie spoke, he glanced at Yuan Lingling, clearly aware of the gossip. There was even a hint of gloating in his tone.

“What’s going on? Why did he run?” Yang Ying was completely puzzled.

The Xie family was doing fairly well these days. Xie Guanglian lounged around at home all day, with food and drink readily available. He would have to be out of his mind to just up and leave.

Could it be that he owed someone money?

Given the kind of troublemakers they were, she wouldn’t be surprised if something like that happened.

Yang Ying didn’t know, but Yuan Lingling had already guessed—Xie Guanglian had likely taken the money and run off to Yangcheng.

She wasn’t the only one who thought so. Ma Jie added, “Probably went to Yangcheng. Didn’t he always want to go, but his mom wouldn’t let him?”

Yang Ying curled her lips in disdain. “The guy just wanted to go out and try his luck, but Jiang Liping refused. Now look—he ran off with all the family’s money. Serves her right!”

“Him leaving might not be such a bad thing.” Yuan Lingling was sincere in saying this. That household was a complete mess. If he had even a bit of sense, he could do much better for himself outside. It all depended on him now.

Yang Ying sneered, “Exactly. Alright, that’s that. Since it was an inside job, it has nothing to do with us. Let’s go back and catch some more sleep. What a day.” Though she grumbled, her tone was lighthearted as she urged Yuan Lingling to go rest.

Yuan Lingling agreed without hesitation—she was exhausted.

Back in her room, she saw that the child had kicked off his blanket again. After all that commotion, he hadn’t woken up at all. He slept soundly.

She tucked him back in and listened to his steady breathing. Soon, her own eyelids grew heavy, and she drifted off to sleep.

She woke up naturally, feeling well-rested, and suddenly remembered that a huge problem had been resolved.

Or rather, the problem had resolved itself.

Xie Guanglian had run away. She hadn’t followed him to Yangcheng, which meant her storyline with him had already changed.

Yawning, Yuan Lingling’s gaze fell on the little boy beside her. He was staring at her with big, round eyes. She didn’t want to think about troublesome matters anymore. Smiling, she reached out to poke his chubby cheek. “When did you wake up?”

Yuanyuan shook his head—he didn’t know.

She had only been teasing him and hadn’t expected a real answer. But as she lifted him out of the blankets to dress him, she noticed his body felt hot. His little face was flushed red. Yuan Lingling’s heart sank.

She immediately leaned down to touch his forehead with hers. He did feel a little warm, but she wasn’t sure. She had heard that children’s body temperatures were naturally higher than adults’.

“Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?” she asked, a little worried.

The child obediently shook his head but still didn’t say anything.

Yuan Lingling decided she couldn’t take chances when it came to a child’s health. She coaxed, “How about I take you out to play? We’ll go to a restaurant and have something delicious later.”

Yuanyuan hesitated, looking torn, but in the end, the temptation of good food won out, and he nodded.

Seeing him looking dazed and sluggish, Yuan Lingling knew that even if he had refused, she would have taken him to the hospital anyway.

She wasn’t experienced with things like this.

In the past, she had never raised a child, not even a pet. She had no idea what to do when a child got sick. She could only rely on the doctor.

Shen Caisheng had just come home after staying up all night, only to find the house cold and quiet despite the sun being high in the sky.

He frowned, realizing he had forgotten that Yuan Lingling didn’t know how to cook. Just as he was about to head into the kitchen, Yuan Lingling came out with Hou Yuan in tow. The little boy looked listless.

“What’s wrong?”

He walked over, looking concerned. “Is he feeling unwell?”

“I think he has a slight fever.” Seeing him back, Yuan Lingling felt a little relieved. It was good to have someone around.

Shen Caisheng’s expression tensed. He reached out to feel the child’s forehead, then immediately picked him up. “He’s burning up. I’ll take him to the doctor.”

With that, he turned and left without even stepping inside the house.

His strides were so long that Yuan Lingling had to jog to keep up.

Judging by Shen Caisheng’s reaction, the fever might be serious. Yuan Lingling, who had just relaxed, grew anxious again.

It was probably because of last night’s steamed egg custard. The boy had been so happy that he ate too much. She should have been more careful. Guilt weighed heavily on her, making her too nervous to say much along the way.

The snow had left the roads wet and slippery. Yuan Lingling, mindful of her belly, had to trail behind cautiously as she followed Shen Caisheng.

By the time she reached the clinic, Shen Caisheng had already handed the child over to the doctor. It was then that she noticed his eyes were red. Her heart skipped a beat.

“I-Is it serious?”

Before Shen Caisheng could answer, the doctor shot her a glance and said, rather impatiently, “Give him some fever medicine first. A child’s fever isn’t something to take lightly. The weather is cold. Parents need to be more careful at home.”

As he spoke, he reached out to feel Yuanyuan’s back. His brows furrowed. “If you don’t want trouble, at least put a towel on his back. Kids play and get sweaty. If the sweat soaks into their clothes, they’ll get sick. He’s not a newborn anymore—you should know better. Hurry back and change his clothes.”

The doctor’s words made Yuan Lingling feel even more ashamed. She had never thought of this. Flustered, she didn’t even have time to explain that the child wasn’t hers and Shen Caisheng’s. She simply took the medicine and quickly fetched water to give Yuanyuan.

The boiling water was steaming hot, and as she held it in her hands, Yuan Lingling’s forehead broke out in a light sweat. She had just chased after them, and her back was also slightly damp with sweat.

“Let me do it. You take a break.”

Just as Yuan Lingling was thinking about it, her hands were suddenly empty. “…Be careful, it’s hot.” She wanted to ask if they should find a pair of chopsticks or something to cool it down, but seeing that Shen Caisheng seemed to know what he was doing, she felt unsure and didn’t say anything.

Sure enough, she watched as Shen Caisheng swiftly grabbed another cup and poured the hot water back and forth between the two cups, quickly bringing down the temperature.

After preparing the medicine, he handed it to Yuanyuan.

Yuan Lingling thought she would have to coax the child into taking the medicine, but to her surprise, Yuanyuan simply glanced at Shen Caisheng before gulping down the pill. Immediately, his entire face scrunched up like a bitter melon, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

Yuan Lingling found it funny, this could even stop a baby from crying at night.

Shen Caisheng, however, didn’t care whether the child found it bitter or not. Once Yuanyuan had taken the medicine, he bid farewell to the doctor and walked out of the consultation room. “Wait for me here for a bit. I need to go upstairs.”

Guessing that he was probably going to check on Houzi, Yuan Lingling glanced at Hou Yuan. Seeing that the little one was standing obediently without any reaction, she didn’t say much and simply nodded before pulling Yuanyuan to sit down on a nearby bench.

“Is it bitter?” The strong smell of disinfectant in the hospital made Yuan Lingling feel slightly suffocated. After a while, she saw that Yuanyuan still had a miserable expression and decided to talk to him.

She shouldn’t have asked—the moment she did, the child’s tears immediately started falling.

Yuan Lingling was exasperated. She really had no idea how to take care of children.

Remembering that there was a small shop outside, she quickly said, “Don’t cry. How about I take you to buy some sweet candy?”

Hearing the word “candy,” the child eagerly nodded, almost ready to stop crying on the spot. But the moment she added that they had to wait for Shen Caisheng to come back first, the child’s mouth immediately turned downward in a pout—his mood changed so fast.

“Alright, alright, don’t cry. I’ll take you now.”

After all, she hadn’t taken good care of him.

This whole ordeal left Yuan Lingling feeling a bit defeated. She used to think she was pretty good with kids—she had believed that raising children was just about treating them sincerely and not dismissing their feelings. But in just a single day, she realized that understanding a child’s thoughts wasn’t enough. Even if she understood, what could she do? She was still powerless.

After informing the doctor, so Shen Caisheng wouldn’t come downstairs looking for them in vain, Yuan Lingling took the child out of the hospital.

Just as they left, Shen Caisheng came down from upstairs.

“Are you looking for that mother and child from earlier?” A nurse approached him, seeing him glance around.

Shen Caisheng gave her a slight smile and asked, “Excuse me, do you know where the child with the fever went?”

Although Shen Caisheng had a stern face, his aura stood out in any crowd. The nurse was momentarily stunned.

“They went outside to buy candy. Your wife really dotes on the child. When you get back, don’t keep a cold face at her.” The couple was so good-looking—they truly seemed like a perfect match. It would be a shame if he scared his wife away.

Shen Caisheng paused. He had been keeping a cold face?

He nodded slightly in acknowledgment. As he walked toward the entrance, he tugged at the corners of his stiff lips.

—

“You can’t have this. Soda is too cold. You can only have candy.” Yuan Lingling wasn’t being stingy—she knew that too many snacks weren’t good, especially since the child was still sick.

But Hou Yuan kept staring at her with those big, innocent eyes, making it really hard to refuse him.

Gritting her teeth, Yuan Lingling stood firm.

“I’ll make you a puppy-shaped egg custard when we get back, okay?”

“What’s a puppy-shaped egg custard?”

A sudden male voice interrupted them. Both Yuan Lingling and Yuanyuan turned their heads in unison.

Yuanyuan’s face lit up with excitement. “Big Brother Xie!”