When her elder son encountered an unexpected accident, Liu Yuzhi was devastated, but she managed to compose herself and took care of the funeral affairs. She also sent a telegram to her younger son, hoping he could find time to come back and bid farewell to his elder brother.
However, right after sending the telegram, she received a call from Bai Naihan’s commanding officer, stating that he had been severely injured on a mission and was currently unconscious.
At that moment, Liu Yuzhi felt a piercing headache, thinking she must have misunderstood. It couldn’t be that fate was so cruel, taking away both of her children at once.
Fortunately, her younger son was resilient, perhaps due to a brotherly connection, as he woke up that very night.
According to him, he had been injured for over a month and remained unconscious the entire time. Those above had believed his chances of survival were slim. The plan was to inform the family after his passing to spare them the agony of hope, revealing the news of his death from the beginning.
Unexpectedly, when Liu Yuzhi sent the telegram, the commanding officer saw the news of his brother’s death and, sympathizing with a mother, reluctantly disclosed the information about Bai Naihan’s injury and unconscious state.
Thankfully, Bai Naihan woke up that same night and promptly called Liu Yuzhi to assure her of his safety, preventing her from completely breaking down.
Because Bai Naihan had been lying unconscious for over half a month and his wounds had healed to some extent, the news of his brother’s death prompted swift action from the higher-ups to bring him home.
Until now, Liu Yuzhi hadn’t dared to ask her younger son about his plans for the future. Given the severity of his injuries, it was clear that returning to military service was impossible, especially considering the compensation and retirement benefits he had received.
Liu Yuzhi shared these details and reached for Yun Qinghuan’s hand, saying, “Qinghuan, I know it must be difficult for you to cope with all of this at once. I’ve been through a similar phase, raising a child alone is truly challenging. But I understand you, and I’ll do my best to help you raise An’an.”
“And, as your mom mentioned, you’re indeed still young. Living like this for a lifetime isn’t suitable for someone so young. I’ve experienced this hardship, and I don’t want you to remain single just for Wen Song. If you come across someone suitable, give it a try. You won’t have to worry about An’an; I’ll take good care of him.”
“However, I’m a bit selfish. I hope you can postpone the idea of remarriage for the next two years. An’an is still young. He just lost his father, and if you remarry now, I’m afraid he might find it hard to accept. Also, excuse my bluntness, but I feel you should carefully consider the candidate chosen by my in-laws for your remarriage. It might not be the best fit for you.”
She expressed it tactfully but was already reminding Yun Qinghuan.
Yun Yong and Chen Pandi, Liu Yuzhi’s in-laws, were money-minded, likely selecting a remarriage candidate based on the amount of dowry offered rather than focusing on character.
Speaking bluntly, if someone was willing to pay a high dowry to marry a divorced woman, that man must have some flaws. Otherwise, with so much dowry, they could have married a young and unmarried girl by now.
Yun Qinghuan listened with emotion. She held Liu Yuzhi’s hand in return, saying, “Mom, I know you’re doing this for my own good. Don’t worry; I haven’t considered remarrying. I only started feeling warmth in this family, so how could I bear to leave? I won’t believe my parents; I know they would betray me for money.
“Mom, I plan to rely on you in the future. You won’t find me troublesome, will you?”
Finally, just to lighten the mood, she looked at Liu Yuzhi with a bit of playfulness.
Sure enough, Liu Yuzhi’s expression softened, and the heavy atmosphere faded. She replied with a smile, “How could I? As long as you’re willing to stay in this home, it will always be yours. An’an, Naihan, and I will always stand behind you.”
As they were conversing, Bai Naihan and An’an walked in, with An’an pushing Bai Naihan’s wheelchair.
Seeing that it was pitch dark outside, Yun Qinghuan glanced at Bai Jin’an and suddenly realized a serious problem: she seemed to be sharing a bed with this little guy tonight.
Noticing the dirty clothes on An’an, Yun Qinghuan quickly suggested, “Mom, I’ll boil some more hot water. The weather is not too cold, and I plan to give An’an a bath.”
She intended to freshen up herself and change into clean clothes. Earlier, she had touched her hair and found it greasy and uncomfortable.
Liu Yuzhi, aware that her daughter-in-law was someone who valued cleanliness, readily agreed, “Sure, I’ll heat the water.”
She didn’t let Yun Qinghuan handle the firewood and such.
The stove heated the water rapidly, and in just over ten minutes, they had a large pot of boiling water. Yun Qinghuan took An’an to wash his hair first.
At this time, there were no shampoos; they used soapberry. Liu Yuzhi had crushed the soapberries earlier and added some wood ash to remove oil. All these were natural hair-cleaning methods, even better than some shampoos in the future.
However, Yun Qinghuan found it somewhat unusual.
She started by washing the little guy’s hair and then drying it with a towel. In the living room, she prepared a basin of water to give him a full bath. However, when Yun Qinghuan tried to undress him, An’an covered his clothes, refusing adamantly.
“Mommy, I can wash myself.”
His little face turned all red, and he looked at Yun Qinghuan with a serious expression. “They say I’m a boy,” he raised his head, gazing at Yun Qinghuan earnestly, “Mommy, we are different!”
Seeing his embarrassed expression, Yun Qinghuan couldn’t help but chuckle. “Who taught you to say that? I’m your mom; there’s no need for gender distinctions between us. Besides, which part of you haven’t I seen?”
This statement sounded a bit flirtatious, making the little one’s face even redder. He clutched his clothes tightly and refused to let go. “Mommy!”
His voice became much louder.
Understanding that he was both shy and embarrassed, Yun Qinghuan stopped teasing him. “Your notion of gender distinction is correct; it’s important outside. But, An’an, you’re a bit dirty. What about the parts you can’t reach on your back? How will you get them clean?”
Upon hearing this, An’an relaxed and raised an eyebrow in confusion, “Then what should I do?”
He didn’t want his mom to scrub him.
“I’ll ask your uncle to help you scrub. You need to be squeaky clean today if you want to sleep with mommy, okay?”
She had just changed the bedsheets and covers, planning to air out the quilt tomorrow and wash the dirty beddings.
So, the bed was spotlessly clean now, and she wouldn’t allow this little guy to mess it up again.
“Okay.” An’an nodded obediently.
Yun Qinghuan went outside, and seeing the candle in the western house still lit, Bai Naihan probably hadn’t slept yet. She walked over and knocked on the door.
There was a moment of stillness inside, then a deep male voice with a hint of breathlessness came, “Who’s there?”
The voice sounded a bit labored.
Surprised, Yun Qinghuan wondered what he was doing in the room.
“It’s me.”
“Sister-in-law?” The voice was a bit groggy, followed by the sound of the wheelchair rolling on the floor. As the sound approached, the door “clacked” open from the inside.
∞
Translator Note
Next release
– Dec. 25 (5am)
(There’ll be extra chapters for Christmas, stay tuned!)
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- “Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus: Though he was in the form of God, he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit. But he emptied himself by taking the form of a slave and by becoming like human beings.” — Philippians 2:5-7
