Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Ye Fangfei thought for a moment and decided to wait until Gu Jin got married and had children before returning the favor in due time.
She and Tang Zhicheng were exchanging sweet words, preparing to go to bed, when they heard some commotion at the door.
Tang Zhicheng stopped Ye Fangfei from getting out of bed and said, "Feifei, you should rest. Don't get up. I'll go see what's going on."
With that, he got out of bed to open the door, expecting it to be a stray cat or something similar. To his surprise, it was someone unexpected.
"Sister Zhou, what brings you here?" he asked.
It was no wonder Tang Zhicheng asked this; ever since Zhou Xiaoying had been taking care of Ma Yinhua in the hospital after he had been injured, she had hardly been seen around the neighborhood. The gossip-loving aunties hadn’t caught sight of her for quite some time.
"It's Little Tang! I came to find Little Ye. The last time she lent us her car was a huge help. Now that Yinhua is feeling better, I remembered I hadn't properly thanked her yet."
Tang Zhicheng looked down and saw that Zhou Xiaoying was carrying a can of malted milk, a can of peaches, and a bag of snacks—quite a hefty gift.
He thought this to himself while moving quickly. "Sister Zhou, you really didn't need to come all this way for such a small matter. Feifei is inside; please come in and talk."
Hearing the commotion outside, Ye Fangfei quickly got out of bed and walked into the living room. She didn’t want unfamiliar people wandering into her private space and busily called out, "Sister Zhou is here! Zhicheng, quickly get Sister Zhou a chair and pour her a glass of water!"
Tang Zhicheng wasted no time and immediately sprang into action.
Zhou Xiaoying felt calm inside as she watched this unfold. If it were the old her, she might have felt a twinge of jealousy. Ma Lianfa at home wouldn’t even lift a finger to help and often barked orders at the girls.
But now that Ma Lianfa was gone, and she was living with the girls, she had come to terms with things. As long as she raised her daughter well, she would turn out better than that irresponsible boy.
Zhou Xiaoying's thoughts shifted several times, but her expression remained composed. She placed the items she was holding on the table and awkwardly rubbed her hands on her pants.
"Little Ye," she began, "you know what kind of person I am. I know you usually look down on me, but your lending me your car truly saved my son Yinhua's life. The doctor said if we had waited any longer, he would have ended up brain damaged."
As she spoke, tears began to flow.
Ye Fangfei hadn’t realized how serious Yinhua’s condition was. However, she couldn’t admit to looking down on Zhou Xiaoying in the past and replied, "Sister Zhou, you’re mistaken there. It’s normal for neighbors to have minor disagreements. But let’s not dwell on that now; how is Yinhua doing? Is he feeling better?"
Zhou Xiaoying's face brightened when she mentioned her daughter.
"Much better! But the doctor still wants him to stay in bed for a few more days. Otherwise, I would have brought him here to thank you sooner. You must accept these things; they are nothing compared to saving Yinhua's life."
Ye Fangfei was resolute in refusing the offer; after all, it wasn't a significant matter. Moreover, Zhou Xiaoying had yet to be officially hired, and most of the money from home had already been sent back by Ma Lianfa to support three children, which was no easy task.
In terms of both feelings and reason, Ye Fangfei would not accept this.
"Sister-in-law, I won't say much more. Jinhua and the others are still waiting at home. Yin Hua has been injured again; hurry and take these back to the children for some nourishment."
After a bit of tugging back and forth, Zhou Xiaoying ultimately could not persuade Ye Fangfei. With red-rimmed eyes, she left, still holding the milk powder and snacks she had intended for Ye Fangfei, leaving only a can of peach slices behind.
When Zhou Xiaoying returned home, she found her three daughters wide awake, eagerly watching her. She also noticed her youngest daughter on the floor; her face had filled out a bit compared to before, but she still couldn't compare to Ye Fangfei's little Yue Liang.
Ye Fangfei's little Yue Liang was chubby, and even her quilt was made of good materials. Looking at her own daughter, who was thin and small with hardly any flesh on her bones, Zhou Xiaoying thought about how she hadn’t given her daughter a good life. Even her name reflected her hopes for a son—she was named Wan Di (the third child).
Zhou Xiaoying contemplated changing the name of her third daughter and picked her up: "How about I change your name to Bao Hua? From now on, you three will be Mama's treasures."
The next day, Ye Fangfei learned from Aunt Zhao that Zhou Xiaoying not only changed the name of her third daughter but also altered the surnames of all three daughters to Zhou.
Although Zhou Xiaoying publicly claimed it was to distance herself from Ma Lianfa due to his criminal record affecting the children, everyone knew that she was truly afraid he might come back to haunt them.
Aunt Zhao whispered this nearly public secret to Ye Fangfei. Before she could finish speaking, she continued: "The street knows that Ma Lianfa has been acting unscrupulously. In recent days, Zhou Xiaoying has indeed made changes for the better. The three children are living better day by day. Aunt Gui also didn’t say much; she just helped get it done."
Ye Fangfei hadn't expected Zhou Xiaoying to take such drastic measures. After all, Zhou Xiaoying had previously treated Ma Lianfa like he was everything; now that she had cut ties so decisively, there would surely be trouble when Ma Lianfa got out and wanted his daughters to support him.
After chatting with Aunt Zhao for a while, Ye Fangfei returned home. The weather outside was still chilly, and without any significant news, she felt no need to linger outside.
During this winter season, Ye Fangfei received several brightly colored fabrics from her mother and planned to make some suitable spring outfits for little Yue Liang.
She looked gently at her daughter sprawled out on the bed, sound asleep with a round little belly and rosy cheeks. Occasionally, Yue Liang would make smacking sounds with her lips in her sleep. Ye Fangfei softly measured her daughter's size and estimated how much she would grow over the next two months before starting on the clothes.
Tang Zhicheng watched this peaceful scene unfold and felt invigorated even for work ahead.
Comment 0 Comment Count