Chapter 7: Consideration

Shen Caisheng’s palm was exceptionally large, making Yuan Lingling’s entire lower back feel hot.

When their eyes met, Yuan Lingling became even more embarrassed and quickly lowered her gaze, avoiding his.

It almost seemed like she had bumped into him on purpose.

Fortunately, Shen Caisheng didn’t tease her this time. Instead, he gently steadied her with his palm and said, “Be careful.” His tone was devoid of any amusement, as if everything from moments ago had been nothing more than Yuan Lingling’s imagination.

When he turned to comfort the child, however, his voice softened again. “Yuanyuan, play with your sister-in-law. Brother Caisheng will make you some delicious steamed egg custard.”

“Okay!” Hou Yuan’s eyes lit up as he clapped his little hands, watching Shen Caisheng disappear into the kitchen.

In an instant, only Yuan Lingling and the child were left in the courtyard.

Yuan Lingling instinctively felt that the child wouldn’t be easy to deal with. However, since he was brought home by Shen Caisheng, she couldn’t ignore him. Besides, she was already pregnant, and no matter what, she wouldn’t be able to avoid dealing with children in the future. She might as well take this as practice.

“Yuanyuan, is your brother doing okay?” Yuan Lingling struck up a conversation, planning to give him some snacks later. After all, what child could resist the temptation of good food?

“My brother is in the hospital,” Hou Yuan replied, his expression as innocent as before. Unlike the way he had acted around Shen Caisheng, he neither played cute nor tried to please her, but he still answered honestly.

Yuan Lingling hesitated. What kind of question was that? If she made him cry, she would have to deal with the aftermath. Quickly, she comforted him, “It’s okay, your brother will get better soon. There’s no need to worry.”

As she spoke, she reached out to pat his head. She had heard that physical contact could help build a closer bond between two people.

But once again, Hou Yuan dodged her touch.

“I’m not worried. My brother got hurt because he was teaching our cousin a lesson. He stabbed himself with a knife on purpose.”

Yuan Lingling couldn’t hide her shock. “What did you just say?”

The little boy took a step closer, startling Yuan Lingling so much that she barely dared to move.

He grabbed her hand and poked his own stomach with it. “Just like this. Then my brother started bleeding, and he collapsed. That’s why he had to stay in the hospital.”

“You’re saying this is real?”

Whatever had happened to Houzi was none of Yuan Lingling’s business. But how could an incident like this be witnessed by such a young child?

No wonder she had felt that Hou Yuan seemed unusually mature for his age. He was just a little boy, yet he already had a mind as deep as a black sesame dumpling. Now, she understood why—he had been exposed to things no child should have to see.

“Of course it’s real! I was hiding behind the door and saw everything, hehe.” The boy grinned, revealing a row of tiny white teeth, looking completely adorable. But Yuan Lingling found no amusement in his words.

At least Houzi hadn’t deliberately let him witness it. Otherwise, she would have been even more disturbed.

She was still fuming over the situation, and the feeling lingered even through dinner.

Since Shen Caisheng planned to bring food to Houzi later, he had only made a simple meal—steamed egg custard and winter melon soup with sliced pork.

Seeing Yuan Lingling looking so unenthusiastic, he tasted a piece of the meat himself and began to doubt his cooking.

Was it really that bad?

He glanced at Hou Yuan. That little brat was eating happily. But why did his eyes keep sneaking toward Yuan Lingling?

Could he have bullied her?

Yuan Lingling was so preoccupied with her thoughts about the child that she didn’t even notice the way Shen Caisheng was looking at her.

As she was lost in thought, his voice suddenly rang out beside her.

“Does it not suit your taste?”

His abrupt question startled her so much that she lost her grip on her chopsticks, letting them fall to the ground.

She immediately moved to pick them up, but Shen Caisheng was faster.

One look at her expression, and he knew something was on her mind.

Shen Caisheng retrieved a new pair of chopsticks from the holder and handed them to her. “If something’s bothering you, just tell me.”

Whenever he was deep in thought, his expression would subconsciously tighten, making it hard for people to read his emotions. This made him appear even colder.

Snapping back to reality, Yuan Lingling quickly took the chopsticks and denied, “No, the food is delicious. I was just thinking about something else.”

She had no intention of elaborating.

Shen Caisheng responded with a simple “Oh” and didn’t press further. The two fell into silence again.

After a long pause, he seemed to recall something from earlier and furrowed his brows slightly before asking in a low voice, “About the money from Xie Guanglian—do you still want to get it back? If you do, I’ll go find his brother tomorrow.”

Hearing him suddenly mention Xie Guanglian, Yuan Lingling’s heart skipped a beat.

Then, a realization struck her.

Ever since the day he saw Xie Guanglian leaving this courtyard, Shen Caisheng had brought up his name every time he returned.

So, he had already decided that something was going on between them. And now, he was testing her over and over again, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Was he looking for a chance to deal a fatal blow?

Her thoughts raced for only a moment before she spoke. “Of course, I want it back. That’s our money. Why should we let him get away with it? Or do you feel bad about asking for it because you two are close?”

Yuan Lingling took the offensive, pressing her lips together and staring at him. Her beautiful eyes shimmered like autumn waters, and even though Shen Caisheng had seen much of the world over the years, he couldn’t help but avert his gaze for a brief moment.

“No, I’ll get it back tomorrow,” he said, turning away and resuming his meal. For a second, he completely forgot what he had originally intended to say.

Yuan Lingling also withdrew her gaze. She had considered bringing up the topic herself, but she was afraid that saying too much might backfire, leading to an even earlier downfall. So, she chose to remain silent.

At that moment, Hou Yuan, who had been eating quietly, suddenly picked up a piece of meat and placed it in Yuan Lingling’s bowl.

“Sister-in-law Lingling, eat. Don’t dislike me.”

Yuan Lingling was taken aback and looked up. “Who said I dislike you?”

Had someone been saying things in front of the child?

A wave of irritation surged in her heart. She despised people who had no moral boundaries and used children for their own purposes. This child had already been through too much.

Suppressing her anger, she softened her tone. “I’m just not used to being around such a well-behaved child yet.”

She wasn’t just comforting the child—she was also making sure Shen Caisheng heard her. She couldn’t let him start suspecting her because of a few words from a child.

“Then do you like Yuanyuan?”

Yuan Lingling pushed down her confusion, her eyes curving into a smile. “Of course, I like obedient children.”

“I’m very obedient.” Hou Yuan sat up straight, his little back perfectly aligned.

Maybe it was just her own bias, but seeing him being so cautious about reading the room only made Yuan Lingling pity him even more.

An adults witnessing Houzi’s injury would have been terrifying for anyone, let alone someone his age.

And if he wasn’t afraid at all, that would be even scarier. It would mean he had already accepted such things as normal.

Yuan Lingling’s gaze lingered on him for a moment longer.

She realized—she couldn’t just ignore this child.

“I want to talk to you alone,” she said, setting down her chopsticks and turning to Shen Caisheng.

—

After dinner, Yuan Lingling and Shen Caisheng took Hou Yuan to the Ma family next door.

“We’re going to the store to buy something. Auntie, could you help us watch the child for a while?”

Yang Ying’s gaze swept between the two of them, and then she revealed an expression that said she completely understood.

“Don’t worry. I’ve watched this child grow up since he was little. You two go ahead.”

She hadn’t said anything specific, but that look in her eyes carried a teasing meaning that was impossible to miss.

Yuan Lingling’s ears grew slightly hot, but she forced herself to stay calm. They were already husband and wife. If she kept being shy, she would definitely be laughed at. As the saying goes, as long as she wasn’t embarrassed, the awkward one would be someone else.

Sure enough, Shen Caisheng coughed awkwardly and lightly patted Yuan Lingling’s arm. “Let’s go.”

On the surface, he still looked as cold as ever, but the faint redness at the tips of his ears made Yuan Lingling smile. Suddenly, she didn’t feel awkward anymore. Amused, she responded and followed him out of the Ma family’s courtyard.

Worried that Shen Caisheng might not have much patience for her, Yuan Lingling initially wanted to get straight to the point once they stepped outside. But just as she was about to speak, she hesitated.

Was this really something she, an outsider, should know about?

Would knowing too much get her locked up in advance?

A scene of a dark, windowless room flashed through her mind, making her throat tighten with unease. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Shen Caisheng had learned to read people’s expressions over the past few years. Just moments ago, Yuan Lingling had seemed fine, but now she looked hesitant and conflicted. That was strange.

Could it be about Houzi? That shouldn’t be a difficult topic to bring up. Or was it about the Xie family?

“If there’s something on your mind, just say it. If it’s within my ability, I’ll help you…” As he spoke, Shen Caisheng’s gaze dropped to Yuan Lingling’s eyes. He noticed her eyelashes tremble slightly.

His heart suddenly clenched.

He didn’t even know what he was nervous about. But he maintained his usual indifferent expression, cleared his throat lightly, and said nothing more. He simply waited for Yuan Lingling’s response.

Yuan Lingling struggled internally. After thinking for a moment, she decided against being too direct. Instead, she asked, “That… about Houzi, what exactly happened? Can you tell me?”

“I heard he was stabbed. What kind of situation would lead to someone using a knife?”

Shen Caisheng didn’t understand why she was suddenly asking about this. She had never shown interest in Houzi and the others before. But when he turned and met her gaze, he pressed his lips together slightly.

Her eyes were clear. She genuinely wanted to know.

Had she hesitated for so long just to ask this?

“It’s nothing major, just an accident that happened during a dispute.” He spoke lightly, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

Hearing this, Yuan Lingling lowered her eyes, and her heart sank a little.