Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Thinking of that woman, she had been...

Xia Li spoke candidly about her work situation and hours, emphasizing that she worked five, sometimes six, days a week. She told Jiangzai not to be afraid if he woke up in the morning and couldn't see his mother, saying his aunt was home with him and that his mother would be home every afternoon, so Jiangzai could see her then.

She also claimed that she needed to earn money to support herself and Jiang Zai, so that she could send Jiang Zai to school and buy him toys and goodies. To prove her credibility, she even cited Jiang Dong as an example, saying that his father had gone out to work to support the family.

This again prompted Jiangzai to ask when his father would come.

After all this explanation, Charlie was sweating profusely. She felt that children were truly difficult to deal with. At this age, it was hard to fool them, but it was also impossible to fool them at all. It was truly exhausting.

Perhaps because he'd been feeling down and tired all day, Jiangzai yawned early, feeling sleepy. Then, Xia Li helped him wash up, and then she took him to bed, where they closed their eyes until they fell asleep.

After waiting for a while, and making sure that Jiang Zai was asleep, Xia Li carefully got out of bed, and carefully pulled the mosquito net, leaving no gaps for mosquitoes to sneak into, before slowing down her pace and going out.

When she quietly closed the door and turned around, she noticed that her aunt was sitting on the sofa drinking water in her pajamas.

"Aunt, you're done washing up. Go to bed early. I'm going to go wash up too. I never thought I'd be so exhausted just taking care of a child." Xia Li felt herself getting tired too. She used to come home from work, help her aunt with the chores, eat dinner, and even go for a walk together. Life was so comfortable for the two of them. Now, those comfortable days are gone forever, and they really miss it.

Xia Pingzhi glanced at Xia Li and asked her, "Why, do you regret it now?"

Charlie shook her head and denied it flatly.

Seeing this, Xia Pingzhi didn't say anything, "Come and sit down." She patted the seat next to her, motioning her niece to come over, as she had something to say.

It turns out that my aunt was sitting in the living room at this time not just to drink water, but to wait for me!

The aunt and niece sat together. The two women, both with the surname Xia, actually looked quite similar.

Charlie still remembered that when she went out with her aunt for a walk or to buy groceries, people would always mistake them for mother and daughter. In her heart, her aunt's status far surpassed her mother's.

Thinking of that woman, she had not received much favor from her biological mother since she was a child, so she didn't have much feelings for her biological mother from childhood to adulthood.

Maybe it's true that like mother, like daughter. Now she is almost the same. She is not a competent mother and doesn't take good care of her children.

Haha, Charlie felt a surge of sarcasm in her heart.

"Xia Li, you've suffered a lot these past few years. I know you're not feeling well, either. Which woman would work as hard as you do? You haven't even taken a single day off. I remember being shocked when I first saw you. You looked nothing like you did when you were little. Of course, I'm not saying you didn't look alike. Our Xia Li has been a beauty since she was little, and she still is. It's just that you didn't seem very energetic back then. I thought you looked like you were smiling, but it didn't seem like you were truly happy. For a long time, I didn't dare ask you what was wrong, why you came here alone, and why you didn't contact me."

Xia Li was a little surprised when she heard this. Was her condition so bad before?

Xia Pingzhi held Xia Li's hand, looked at her niece with distressed eyes, and sighed deeply: "I'm really happy that you can finally come to see me. I feel like I have family again. But your condition really worries me. I don't have any other advantages, but my eyes are very bright. I know you are not as calm as you usually appear. Later, when you calmly mentioned the news of your marriage and childbirth during our casual chat, I was shocked. I was wondering what my niece had been through all these years, going to a foreign country alone and not saying a word about the past."

When she heard this, Xia Li had already leaned lightly on Xia Pingzhi's shoulder. Unable to control herself, she quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her fingertips, trying not to make any sound.

"It was probably later, I don't know when, but I felt that you had become the you in my memory again, like that brave little girl, not afraid of anything, interested in everything, and eager to try everything. I saw our Charlie buy herself a lot of beautiful clothes, and when she put them on, she looked like the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She would also tell me some interesting things about her work, and we would chat and laugh together."

As Charlie listened to her aunt recount the past, memories gradually surfaced before her eyes. She had almost forgotten the pain, despair, and helplessness she had felt. Time, the best doctor, had healed all her wounds, and she was now living a happy life.

"Thank you, Auntie."

Thank you for being so considerate, caring and taking care of me like a mother.

Xia Pingzhi shook her head and smiled with relief: "What's there for us to say thank you or not?"

"Aunt actually wanted to apologize to you tonight for being so tough before."

Upon hearing this, Charlie wiped her eyes with her fingers, sat up straight, and shook her head a little embarrassedly. This matter actually didn't benefit her aunt at all. It was just because her aunt, as an elder, felt sorry for her and was thinking about her future. Besides, Charlie herself had her own selfish motives, and Charlie knew it in her heart.

"Aunt, please don't say that. I know you're doing this for me. Otherwise, why would you bother doing this? Besides, my feelings for this child aren't entirely sincere. Sometimes, when I see this child's face, I can't even bear to look at him."

After Xia Li learned about Jiang Dong's situation, she told her aunt. In fact, she was also tossing and turning in her heart, not knowing what to do.

Her first reaction was that it was impossible. How could anything happen to Jiang Dong? Anything could happen to anyone else, but not Jiang Dong. She guessed something must have gone wrong. If something happened to Jiang Dong, what would happen to the child?

At that time, she didn't dare to think too much and was very worried, so she told her aunt.

The aunt was very shocked after hearing this. She seemed to think about it all night. Then the next morning she told her very seriously that the house would be her inheritance, but the prerequisite was that she had to bring the child back.

As for the issue of taking care of the child in the future, Xia Pingzhi said that she would help her take care of the child.

Her aunt's attitude towards this matter seemed unquestionable. Charlie still didn't quite understand why her aunt would make such a request to her, even offering the house as an inducement. Although Charlie knew that her aunt had long intended to entrust everything to her, this was the first time she had said it so directly.

However, she was indeed moved.

And, out of mother guilt and the problem of her child now having no parents to take care of her, she decided to go back to that place again.

However, this time her mood was completely different.

After this trip, she actually discovered that sometimes many things are not difficult, and many problems can be solved as long as you really take that step.

As for the question of whether my aunt would regret it later, she does not regret it now. After all, the child is her own child, and she should take responsibility in this situation.

Jiang Zai wasn't a rambunctious child. Xia Li had known him for a few days and felt that although he was still young, he was quite sensible. He was just starting to feel uncomfortable today, but he would be fine after a few days and wouldn't cause her too much worry.

So, she has no regrets now. As for whether she will regret it in the future, Xia Li cannot think that far ahead for the time being.

Anyway, she had told her aunt before that she had no plans to find another man, let alone whether she would have another child in the future. The latter would definitely not happen again.

Jiang Zai was his son, and having him was enough. Although there was a risk of Jiang Dong coming after him, this issue would probably have to wait a few years. Perhaps, if possible, he would ask about Jiang Dong's whereabouts and find time to visit him, after all, they were once husband and wife. It seemed that no one in the Jiang family was visiting him now.

The aunt and niece had a heart-to-heart talk that night, discussing Xia Li's future plans, the child, and, of course, the child's father, Jiang Dong. Xia Pingzhi was completely relieved. Despite her resoluteness at the time, she had been feeling uncertain ever since Xia Li's return, worried that her decision would ultimately harm her niece.

She had experienced love before; even though her husband had left her, they had lived a happy marriage. She knew that only when two people were together and cared about each other could they make it through life; otherwise, life would be unsatisfactory. So, given her niece's current situation, she worried that Charlie would return to her previous, worrying state.

Choosing a path to take is always better than having no path to take.

In any case, she is her niece's security.

Over the next two days, Xia Li made some inquiries at the factory, and they were indeed hiring again. Furthermore, they were rumored to be hiring more people than before, considering the potential for more orders. This gave Xia Li a sense of security.

Because she was not sure whether everyone would be able to stay at that time, and the hope would be greater if more workers were recruited.

As for Jiangzi, perhaps he had taken to heart what Xia Li had said to him that day. So whenever Xia Li was away at work, Jiangzi would follow his aunt obediently. Every day when his aunt went grocery shopping or went for a walk, she would take this little guy with her. Everyone who knew Jiangzi knew about his origins, but no one said anything to his face, and they would even tease him.

What Xia Li found amazing was that children's language ability was really amazing. In the past few days, Jiangzai could already speak a little of the local dialect.

Charlie is really clueless about this.

On Saturday afternoon, Charlie returned home. She opened the door with her own key and saw that no one was home, but she didn't find it strange at all. After all, her aunt seemed to have found the joy of raising children. Now, Charlie, her niece, was ranked third in her heart.

Look, he must have taken Jiangzai out to play and forgot the time. I don’t know what the two of them were doing outside these two days.

She put her bag in her room and went out to the living room. She first turned on the fan and fixed it in one direction, then sat down on the sofa, leaned back, and let out a long, comfortable sigh.

It's really tiring. I also lamented that when I was a female worker, I had to work for such long hours. My current job is actually relatively easier, but why do I still feel tired? What kind of job can be easier?

Charlie was thinking while feeling the breeze, her fingers tapping lightly beside her, and as she tapped, she touched a small card.

She didn't even turn her head to look, but just groped with her fingers, picked it up and looked at it in front of her eyes.

Um, Sunshine Kindergarten?

Xia Li frowned slightly. Can Jiangzai go to kindergarten now?