Chapter 22 Chapter 22 A look of shock appeared on her face...

Xia Pingzhi was sitting on the mahogany sofa in the living room waiting. She turned on the TV and air conditioner, so the room was not hot.

When she was alone in the room, she would always turn on the TV for a while at night. But today she was worried that the volume of the TV was too loud and she would not be able to hear the knock on the door, so she turned down the volume.

But I was always restless. After sitting on the sofa for a while, I had to stand up and look around, walk to the door, and look outside the yard towards the gate.

She wondered why she hadn't seen him at this hour. Did he fail to take the child away, or did something happen along the way? If he had changed his mind and couldn't take the child, then Xia Li would have at least called to let her know.

That might be because something happened on the way. She was worried about Xia Li going back alone. She wanted to go back with Xia Li, but her health had not been very good recently, and the two days on the road were quite tiring. Besides, she had nothing to worry about there, and her only sister-in-law still had the same temper.

She knew that Xia Li was not a heartless person, so she had nothing to worry about. However, this time she was bringing a child with her, a four-year-old boy. If he was particularly naughty, Xia Li didn't know how to take care of him on the road.

Oh! I really don't know whether the decision she asked Charlie to make was right or wrong.

Xia Pingzhi looked very worried.

Looking at the clock on the wall, the hands turned round and round, and she stood up again, this time preparing to go to the door to take a look.

But this time, when she opened the door and before she stepped down the stairs, she heard the sound of a key turning from the direction of the door, and then a familiar figure came into view.

But finally came back.

When Charlie opened the door, she saw her aunt standing on the front steps of the house and shouted excitedly, "Aunt, we're back."

She turned sideways, revealing the ginger baby behind her.

The little person, holding her little bag, stood timidly at the door, not daring to step in.

Aunt Xia Pingzhi fell in love with the child at first sight, a love that came from the bottom of her heart.

With a smile on her face, she immediately ran to the door. Her son ignored Xia Li and only had the shadow of this little person in his eyes.

"This must be our Jiang Cub, right? Look how pretty he is, Xia Li. He looks just like you." Xia Pingzhi said this without even glancing at Xia Li. "Come on, you must be tired from the journey. Let's go inside and cool down so I can take a good look at him."

Seeing her aunt completely ignoring her, Xia Li felt helpless. She hadn't expected to fall out of favor so quickly. She watched her aunt walk into the house with Jiang Zi by her hand. She could only resign herself to her fate and bring the luggage in first, then lock the door, pick up the things and go back into the house.

When I entered the house, I found that my aunt and Jiangzi were sitting on the sofa. My aunt was holding Jiangzi's hand tightly, with a smile on her face, looking at the young man with loving eyes.

As for Jiang Zai, he sat obediently on the sofa, and his eyes lit up when he saw Xia Li come in.

He stood up and broke free from Xia Pingzhi's hand, and immediately ran to Xia Li's side. In this unfamiliar environment, a child will always be afraid, even though the people around him only give him love and kindness.

Xia Pingzhi didn't care about Jiang Zai's reaction and continued to watch with a smile. Those who were originally very kind would become even kinder and more tolerant as they grew older. They were very empathetic and tolerant.

Xia Li didn't stop. She said hello to Xia Pingzhi and took her luggage to her room, preparing to wash up before cleaning up. She didn't have time to pay attention to Jiang Zi, the little follower, so she let her follow behind her.

Xia Pingzhi also prepared dinner, including soup, vegetables and rice.

"Xia Li, come over and have something to eat after you finish cleaning up with the kids." Xia Pingzhi said to the two of them, then went into the kitchen.

"Hey! Auntie, I understand. Please stop working and take a rest. We'll go eat later."

Xia Li thought that it was getting late, but there were still things she hadn't done. At least the two of them had come back exhausted after a long journey, so they had to take care of themselves. Otherwise, they would feel uncomfortable all over and would be too tired to go to bed at night.

She picked out a few pieces of clothes, turned around and said to her son who was still following her, "Come on, Jiangzai, Mommy will take you to take a bath." The clothes she took out were Jiangzai's. She planned to wash the boy first and then focus on herself.

My aunt's house is an all-in-one structure, with the bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom all in one two-story building. This makes cooking and housework very convenient. Guangzhou is especially prone to typhoons, and when there's heavy rain, thunder, and strong winds, it's really difficult to do anything, and I don't even dare to go out.

There were no other buildings in the yard, only a stone table and stone benches for people to rest.

My aunt, born in the countryside, was accustomed to farm work; not doing it felt like something was missing. Even now, living in the city, this habit stayed with her. The yard already had two fruit trees that she and her uncle had planted, and my aunt had cleared some space and planted some vegetables for the occasional meal. This neat arrangement now defined the yard's east and west sides, with a flagstone path running from the entrance to the main gate in the middle, flanked by fruit trees and vegetable patches.

Anyone who sees this will feel that this family loves life.

Xia Li held the clothes in one hand and pulled Jiang Zi with the other, leading him into the bathroom. Seeing Jiang Zi still tightly holding his small bag with both hands, she could only squat down to coax him: "Why are you holding this bag so tightly? Mommy will put it aside for you first, okay? Our Jiang Zi will wash it clean before coming out and continuing to hold it."

After she said this, she reached out to take it, but the child was very quick-witted. When he saw Charlie reaching out, he turned his body and stepped back, and Charlie missed it.

Ancestor, it’s so late, why are we being so stubborn?

She only had a few days of leave, and actually she calculated the time just right. She had to go to work tomorrow, so she didn't have the time to bother with him right now.

Xia Li didn't know whether he was worried about his little bag and didn't want her to touch it along the way, or he didn't want to take a shower.

She thought, forget it, at worst I could just put another sheet on for him to sleep on at night and not wash it.

Perhaps seeing Xia Li's impatience, Jiang Zai took out the small bag in his arms and placed it on the washing machine in the bathroom. Then he turned around and said to Xia Li, "Mom, I'm a boy and you're a girl. I want to take a bath by myself."

Xia Li was a little impatient at first, but now she smiled, laughing at how particular he was. However, she still asked, "Jiang Zai, are you sure you don't need your mother's help? Do you want to take a bath by yourself?"

Jiangzai was very sure because before, when his father was not at home, his grandmother would help him get water and let him wash in the bathroom.

The weather is hot, so he takes a bath by himself every day.

"So, can you use this thing?"

Xia Li pointed at the showerhead on the wall and looked at Jiang Zai. She knew the Jiang family didn't have the money to install a water heater, so in the winter, the whole family would have to go to the bathhouse to shower. But in the summer, it was easy: boil some water or install a large black bucket on the roof, let it dry in the sun all day, and then wash with the plastic showerhead in the evening.

Jiang Zai was a little confused when he saw what Xia Li was pointing at. He saw the shower head that looked very similar to the one at home but also not quite the same, and looked at Xia Li beside him in confusion.

The shower head in my aunt's bathroom is made of stainless steel and seems to have been treated to prevent scalding.

It’s different from the one at home, and he really doesn’t seem to know how to use it.

How could Xia Li not notice Jiang Zai's confusion? He might think that the one at home could produce water by just turning it, but their structures are different.

"Come, it's very simple. Mom will teach you how to use it. Jiangzai is so smart, he will know it in no time."

Charlie took down the shower head so that he could use it to take a shower. She taught him how to turn it on and off, and told him not to touch anything else before leaving.

But she didn't dare go far, and the bathroom door was ajar. Although Xia Li had never raised a child, she knew it wasn't safe to let a child of that age take a bath alone. So she kept an eye on the door, calling out every once in a while. Only when she heard someone answer did she feel relieved.

Xia Pingzhi came out of the kitchen and brought the hot food to the table. She saw Xia Li standing at the bathroom door, and saw the light inside and the sound of running water. Something was still unclear in her mind.

He walked over and couldn't help but pat Charlie on the back.

"You really want to make me mad to death. How can you be a mother like this? You left the child in there alone. I don't even dare to imagine how you took care of the child along the way." Xia Pingzhi was so angry that she pushed away Xia Li, the door god, and prepared to go in and wash the child herself.

There were so many things in the bathroom, and the floor was paved with bricks, so smooth and slippery. He was just a child and didn't know the seriousness of the situation. What if he got hurt?

Xia Li stopped her, "Aunt, I noticed it. He didn't want me to help him wash. And I got a plastic stool for Jiangzai to sit on. The water heater has been unplugged for a long time, and the clothes are right next to it. Don't worry."

Xia Pingzhi looked at Xia Li and shook her head helplessly. "The child is young and naive, but you are also naive, aren't you?" She paused, as if remembering something, and stared into Xia Li's eyes and asked her, "Are you being shy as a mother?"

Charlie was stunned by the question, then she smiled shyly.

"Well, actually, no, not really." He seemed to be speechless and became hesitant.

In fact, she just felt that it had been too long since she had taken care of a child. When the child was young, his grandmother had mostly taken care of him. Now, she was asked to bathe a boy this big, even though he was her own son, and Xia Li still felt a little strange.

She originally wanted to bite the bullet and quickly clean the guy up and be done with it, but she didn't expect that this villain was so thoughtful and even felt embarrassed.

She put it down to the fact that they were still relatively unfamiliar with the child, and the child with her.

Both people need a long time to get along, adapt and adjust.

But after all, they are my biological children, and blood is thicker than water. Things will get better and better no matter what.

Xia Pingzhi knew what was going on when she saw the expression on her niece's face. A look of shock appeared on her face: "Xia Li, just do it."