Although the little girl looked very young, she possessed a serene and calming aura that brought peace to people's hearts. At that moment, the little girl was also looking at him.
Tears welled in the little girl's eyes, reflecting excitement, joy, pity, and many other emotions that Han Yixian couldn't decipher. Those tearful eyes seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words.
Han Yixian was also taken aback. He didn't understand why this little girl, who was meeting him for the first time, had so many emotions, as if they were reunited after a long separation.
Before he could think any further, his aunt Han Xiuqin interrupted his thoughts, "Yixian, this is the caregiver your aunt found for you. She will take care of you from now on. Her name is Du Yuhan, she is fifteen years old, she is quick and efficient, and she is also a very good cook."
Han Yixian knew that his aunt was worried about him, and said helplessly, "Aunt, I've told you so many times, I don't need caregivers. Liu Gang is here to take care of me."
Han Xiuqin interrupted her nephew and turned to Liu Gang, saying, "Xiao Liu, why don't you take Yuhan around and let her get acquainted with the surroundings?"
Liu Gang and Du Yuhan knew that Han Xiuqin had something to say to Han Yixian, so they left the house.
Looking through the window, Han Xiuqin watched Liu Gang lead Du Yuhan out of the courtyard, then turned to Han Yixian and said, "Yixian, your aunt knows you don't want to trouble others, but we're all worried about your well-being, so I found you a caregiver. This child is someone I carefully selected. She's also a descendant of revolutionary soldiers..."
Han Xiuqin then recounted Du Yuhan's background and her situation in the Du family, and said, "Look at this child, she's fifteen years old but still so thin and small, like a teenager. If you don't keep her, I'll have to send her back, and then she'll have to marry a bachelor in his forties."
In order to separate her adoptive parents from their second wife, she had agreed to her grandmother's condition: if things didn't work out here, she would have to marry an old bachelor.
This child is very kind and righteous. You should keep her even if it's just for the sake of her revolutionary soldier parents who can't be found.
"In a few years, once you've settled down and no longer need her, I'll find her a job and introduce her to a good family. That way, we won't treat her unfairly."
Han Xiuqin tried her best to make Du Yuhan's background and situation sound as tragic as possible, hoping to evoke her nephew's sympathy and thus persuade him to keep Du Yuhan. If Du Yuhan could be kept, everything would be much easier.
After hearing his aunt's words, Han Yixian never expected that the little girl's fate would be so difficult.
At least someone with a disability would have family and the government to care for them, but she has no one to rely on. Her biological parents are nowhere to be found, and her only support, her adoptive parents, depend on her sacrifice to separate from the family and find a way out. This young girl has truly suffered enough.
Thinking of those big, teary eyes and the girl's serene demeanor, Han Yixian nodded for the first time ever.
He didn't want his family to worry about him, and having a caring person by his side would put their minds at ease.
Han Xiuqin was overjoyed when she saw her nephew agree. "Yixian, I'm relieved that you agreed to let her stay and take care of your aunt. Otherwise, the family would have been worried about you. We were afraid you wouldn't eat or sleep well and would be suffering."
As she spoke, Han Xiuqin choked up and couldn't continue.
Hearing his aunt's words, Han Yixian thought of his own mother. Because of his injury and subsequent disability, he could no longer bring his mother glory, but instead became a burden. His mother no longer showed the same warmth and care, replacing it with indifference. She transferred all the concern she once had for him to his younger brother.
Although Han Yixian had long known what kind of person his mother was, he was truly heartbroken when he faced her indifference.
Having become a useless person, his mother naturally no longer had any feelings for him and discarded him like trash.
Although his younger brothers did not have his previous achievements and abilities, they could still grow, unlike him who was destined to be a cripple and stagnant for life, and might even become a burden to the family.
Seeing that he was no longer of any value, his mother would no longer waste her time on him. He had always known that what his mother valued most was wealth and power.
He had overheard some of his uncles saying behind his back that his mother had married his father because of his father's power and influence. Otherwise, his mother wouldn't have gone from being a daughter of a humble family to being the object of flattery by many people in Kyoto.
The mother enjoyed being pampered; it seemed that nothing was more important than these superficial vanities.
Although Han Yixian was saddened by his mother's indifference, he knew that besides his mother, many other people in his family cared about him: his aunt, his father, and his uncles. They were all proud of him and wouldn't despise him for being disabled.
That's why he followed his father and aunt's arrangements and came to D Province, leaving behind the painful place of Kyoto, to heal his wounds alone. He needed to properly recuperate from both physical and emotional trauma.
Han Yixian knew that his aunt had worried a lot about him, and his father had also been very concerned about him. He shouldn't stay depressed any longer; he should pull himself together so that those who cared about him wouldn't worry.
Even though he lost his legs, he still had his hands and his brain. His brain was his greatest asset.
Han Yixian comforted her, "Auntie, don't worry, I will live a good life. Although my legs are disabled, my brain is not. I am still the wise man known as the Jade-Faced Zhuge Liang."
I also want to take this time to rest and learn something. The military training class of the D Province Military Region wants me to be a teacher. I want to recuperate and then teach the soldiers. Although I can't go to the battlefield anymore, I can still teach in the classroom.
Upon hearing this, Han Xiuqin happily exclaimed, "Yes, yes, you are a senior intellectual in the military who has attended university. You would be perfect to be a teacher."
I'm relieved that you've come to terms with it. There's no hurdle you can't overcome. Once you get through it, nothing will be difficult anymore.
Okay, I'll go find Yuhan and arrange a place for her to stay. Let her stay in the west room.
Han Yi nodded and said, "Aunt, you can arrange it as you see fit. There are quilts in the west room, we need to take them out and air them, otherwise they might get a bit damp. But the west room might be a bit cold without a heated kang, so let's install a coal stove."
Han Xiuqin said, "You don't need to worry about it, I'll take care of the arrangements." With that, she hurriedly left the east room and went to the west room.
Both bedrooms in this place are quite spacious. In the northeast corner of the east room, there is a large fire pit connected to the stove in the adjacent kitchen, where people usually cook in the kitchen and also heat the kang (a traditional heated bed).
In the summer, a separate stove, known as a "cold stove," is used to heat the fire, ensuring the house remains warm in winter and cool in summer. Alternatively, a stove platform can be built in the yard.
The west room didn't have a kang (heated brick bed) but a double bed, which wasn't as comfortable as sleeping on a kang in winter.
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