Xiao Yunying leaned against the door and scratched her head. She wasn't sure if Luo Li knew that she wasn't the original Xiao Yunying anymore, and there were things she couldn't say outright.
Luo Li is different from Luo Chen. He is younger and doesn't think things through as thoroughly as Luo Chen, so he might shout things out.
She had told Luo Chen before that she didn't care if he told her, mainly to dissuade him from using the matter to threaten her.
In reality, for her, it's best to keep secrets that can be kept hidden from others.
After thinking it over, Xiao Yunying said, "I have already signed the divorce papers. In short, I have nothing to do with your Luo family anymore. But don't worry, I will still support you until your father comes back."
Luo Li burst into tears, hugging Xiao Yunying and burying her face in her lap: "What is a divorce agreement? Why does our stepmother think she has nothing to do with us after signing the divorce agreement? Please don't sign it, stepmother, please don't abandon us."
Xiao Yunying felt a warm sensation on her thighs. She was wearing two layers of pants, but they were soaked with tears. Was Luo Li made of water? She cried even more than Luo Xin.
She pushed him twice but he wouldn't budge: "I've told Luo Chen everything I needed to say. If you have any questions, ask your older brother."
“I don’t want to ask my brother. He’s been looking gloomy these past few days, and I don’t even dare to talk to him. Stepmother, it was Ali’s fault. Ali shouldn’t have kept the news of falling into the river a secret from you. Please don’t abandon us.”
Xiao Yunying admitted that she was initially very angry, furious, and disappointed, but these emotions had faded over time during her days of recuperating in the house. Now, seeing Luo Li crying like this, she felt a little sorry for her.
Being soft-hearted is a disease, and it needs to be cured.
Xiao Yunying let him hug her legs and cry, saying, "Didn't you hate me? Why won't you let me leave now?"
Luo Li raised her head: "I..."
"No lying, tell the truth."
Luo Li wiped away her tears with her sleeve: "My stepmother used to beat us all the time and always said she would sell me and my sister, that's why I hated her. But lately she's been very good to us, so I don't hate her anymore."
"Then why did you hide the news of me falling into the water? Weren't you deliberately trying to make me drown?"
After several days of mental preparation, Luo Li decided to tell the truth, and said haltingly:
"No, I was too scared at the time. I was afraid that if I came out, that woman would push me down too. I only dared to come out after she left, but my stepmother had already been swept away by the river, so I dared not tell anyone. I was afraid that my older brothers would scold me, that my younger sister would hate me, and that my stepmother's mother would beat me to death."
"What are you afraid of them saying about you?"
"Because I was scared, I didn't come out to call for help in time, which caused my stepmother to be swept away by the river. I'm the one who killed my stepmother."
Luo Li's voice was filled with guilt, reminding Xiao Yunying of something that happened when she was young in her previous life.
When she was six or seven years old, she was naughty and ran into her father's study to play. She accidentally broke one of her father's favorite antique vases.
She didn't dare tell her father, so she let the family's hairless cat in and closed the door.
Her father naturally assumed that the cat had run in and broken the vase while jumping around. He grumbled about it for two days and then stopped. But the incident had taken root in her mind; her father had forgotten about it, but she still remembered it.
When she turned fifteen and was able to manage her own New Year's money, she used it along with several years' worth of pocket money to have her mother buy a similar vase to compensate her father, thus admitting her mistake.
She still remembers the way her father held the vase with such affection, and said with a smile:
"I knew it! I always keep the door closed when I go in and out of my study. How did the cat get in? Our cat is lazy and fat, it can't jump that high. You silly girl, you've held a grudge over such a small thing for so many years. Aren't you upset?"
There wasn't a single word of reproach or instruction.
She was young then and didn't understand why her father didn't take this opportunity to teach her a lesson. She only began to understand when she grew up.
Some people don't make mistakes intentionally, or deliberately evade responsibility after doing something wrong; they simply lack the courage to admit their mistakes.
Guilt and self-blame will not disappear with the passage of time; they will only torment them day after day.
Xiao Yunying pulled her thoughts away from her memories and put herself in Luo Li's shoes. Luo Li was just a five-year-old child; how could he not be afraid when he saw a murder scene?
Even many adults cannot guarantee that they can remain calm and think of a way to save someone.
The river was swift, and she was swept away while Luo Li hesitated. He thought it was his fault that she had drowned, so it was understandable that he dared not tell anyone.
Thinking about it this way, did Luo Chen and Luo Yang hide the fact that she fell into the water in order to protect their younger brother?
But they didn't consider that they might be holding on, waiting for someone to come and rescue them. In the end, in their hearts, my life was insignificant.
Xiao Yunying pushed Luo Li away with all her might: "Stop crying."
Luo Li tilted his head back, tears streaming down his cheeks. He blinked repeatedly, trying to stop himself from crying, but he couldn't.
He took a deep breath and then blew out a snot bubble.
"Huh~"
Xiao Yunying frowned in disgust, picked up her pants that were soaked with tears, and looked at them. Fortunately, there was no clear liquid stuck to her pants; it must have been just tears.
With my back to him, I grabbed a large piece of toilet paper from the supermarket, wiped his face and snot, and then threw it into the supermarket trash can with my hands behind my back.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
