Liu Yuzhi and Yun Qinghuan were both bewildered by this little guy’s question.
Liu Yuzhi couldn’t bear to see her grandson upset, so she quickly patted her son and said, “If he gives it to you, just take it. When you were little, I even chewed eggs and fed them to you. Did you see me minding or spitting them out?”
“Mom!” Bai Naihan was a bit helpless.
He was too young at that time; how could he remember such things?
Bai Jin’an still kept his head down, and it was evident he was deeply saddened. “Uncle, when Mom gives you something she bit, you don’t mind. When I bite something for you, you won’t eat it. Do you dislike only me?”
Suddenly cued in, Yun Qinghuan: “???”
After realizing, there was an awkward moment.
She wanted to cover the child’s mouth. How did he manage to make such a normal thing sound so strange? The atmosphere instantly became awkward.
Even Liu Yuzhi pretended to cough to ease the awkwardness. “Naihan, hurry up and take it.”
She even signaled her son.
Bai Naihan scratched his ear and glanced at Yun Qinghuan. Seeing that she wasn’t looking at him, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took the egg, finishing it in one gulp. “Alright, Uncle has eaten it. Can you eat your meal properly now?”
He immediately scooped several bites of vegetables for An An.
An An’s smile gradually stiffened on his face, and even his little brows furrowed. Seeing that Uncle was about to scoop more vegetables for him, he quickly said, “Uncle, it’s enough. An An can’t eat too much.”
Bai Naihan stopped at that.
Yun Qinghuan, observing An An’s troubled expression, reasonably suspected that Bai Naihan might be retaliating against the child. She glanced at him and saw that he remained expressionless while eating his vegetables.
The baked sweet potato was large; she ate half of it, then had half an egg. Along with a bowl of particularly thick porridge, although not completely full, she felt satisfied.
The meal turned out better than she had imagined, not as unbearable as she thought.
After eating, Yun Qinghuan felt that she couldn’t stay idle every day. She thought about clearing the dishes and utensils, but Liu Yuzhi stopped her. “Qinghuan, no need for you. I’ll clean up and put everything in the kitchen. Let Naihan wash the dishes.”
As she spoke, Bai Naihan had already picked up several bowls and, pushing the wheelchair’s wheels with one hand, headed towards the kitchen.
Even though he was in a wheelchair, he didn’t give the impression of having any disability. His movements were so quick that even a physically able person like her couldn’t react in time.
Yun Qinghuan wanted to go and push the wheelchair, but seeing how adeptly he managed it himself, she dismissed the idea. If she went ahead, it might make Bai Naihan uncomfortable.
Despite Bai Naihan being a future big shot, she hadn’t considered trying to flatter him. They were just ordinary brother and sister-in-law. Moreover, she was now a widow. An An’s unintentional words just now reminded her that she needed to avoid arousing suspicion in everything she did.
Back in her entertainment industry days, she was particularly careful about her image. Even so, there were still many unfounded rumors about her, especially the malicious gossip about her relationships. In this era, she needed to be even more mindful of her interactions.
However, Yun Qinghuan signaled to An An, letting him assist Bai Naihan in carrying things.
An An understood her signal and directly ran to the man, taking a bowl from his hands. Then, he happily carried it to the kitchen.
Yun Qinghuan sat in the living room for a while, planning to return to her room. Liu Yuzhi approached her.
Upon arriving, Liu Yuzhi observed Yun Qinghuan’s complexion. “You seem much better.”
“Yes, I’ve improved a lot. Mom, don’t worry.” She patted Liu Yuzhi’s hand.
“Hmm.” Liu Yuzhi glanced at her expression, hesitated for a moment, as if wanting to say something.
“Mom, if you have something to say, just go ahead.”
“Qinghuan, Mom knows you had a good relationship with Wensong. His sudden departure must have left you sad and upset. But even if you’re sad, you must take care of your health. Not just for yourself, but also for the child.”
These days, Yun Qinghuan, appearing sickly and not getting angry, nearly frightened Liu Yuzhi.
“I feel upset too after Wensong left, but Mom thinks that I can’t collapse. I still need to take care of you, An An, and Naihan. Naihan, that child, is suffering as well. For the sake of lightening the burden on the family, he didn’t go to high school after graduating middle school. He secretly enlisted in the military without telling me.”
“At first, he really struggled. His body never really recovered from the old and new injuries. I was always afraid that one day, I’d hear news of his sacrifice.”
“All these years, he hardly spent the money he earned and sent almost everything home. I feel sorry for him. Now, he’s like this—such a good child with his legs disabled. In the countryside, it’s hard for him to support himself after losing the ability to walk. So, I can’t afford to let anything happen to myself.”
Liu Yuzhi seemed to have opened up a floodgate of words, expressing a lot.
These days, with her eldest son facing troubles followed by her second son, she kept her nerves taut, not daring to relax, fearing that she might collapse at any moment. Now, she finally had a chance to talk about it.
It was through this conversation that Yun Qinghuan gained a deeper understanding of this family.
When Liu Yuzhi was young, she married into the Bai family and quickly gave birth to two sons. People praised her good fortune; her husband doted on her, and her mother-in-law was easy to get along with. Liu Yuzhi felt she had a charmed life.
However, life can’t be too good, or misfortune easily follows. When her younger son, Bai Naihan, was not even two years old, her husband suddenly fell ill and passed away.
It was an acute illness, and before they could reach the hospital, he took his last breath on the way.
Her mother-in-law almost fainted from crying, but when she woke up, she said it was better this way, sparing him from suffering and saving some money for the family.
Suddenly, Liu Yuzhi went from an enviable position to being a widow with two sons.
Widows often face many challenges; this saying is entirely true.
She was young and attractive, and some men thought that with her husband gone, they could harass her. Of course, there were also those sincerely interested in proposing to her.
However, no one was willing to accept her with two sons. Plus, Liu Yuzhi had deep feelings for her late husband, so the idea of remarrying was dismissed. She decided to focus on raising her two children well and establishing a good life for them, considering her duty fulfilled.
Yet, the life of a woman raising two children alone was incredibly challenging.
During the times of poverty, there were days when they only had one meal.
During these hardships, she had to manage household chores and work in the fields for work points, not paying enough attention to her son Bai Wensong, who had a high fever. By the time she realized his condition and took him to the hospital, it was too late.
Bai Wensong had a severe fever that left him deaf.
Due to his deafness, he couldn’t hear others speak, and gradually, he became unwilling to talk. Over time, he stopped speaking altogether.
He became known as the mute and deaf guy.
As a result, Bai Wensong reached his twenties without getting married. Of course, it wasn’t that he couldn’t find a wife. Despite being deaf and mute, he had a handsome appearance. It was just that the women willing to marry him had poor conditions, so poor that even Liu Yuzhi was unwilling to agree to the marriage.
Liu Yuzhi felt guilty towards her elder son and treated him well. After all, it was her mistake that caused his deafness. She wanted to find a girl he liked and make amends.
However, in doing so, she unintentionally neglected her younger son Bai Naihan throughout his childhood.
∞
Translator Note
Next release
– Dec. 25 (4am GMT + 1)
(There’ll be extra chapters for Christmas, stay tuned!)
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- “Whenever you give to the poor, don’t blow your trumpet as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they may get praise from people. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get.” — Matthew 6:2
