Before getting off the bus, Fang Zeyu gave Shu Yan a piece of paper with his phone number and pager number on it.
"I have to go back and take care of something. I'll take you to the shop tomorrow." With that, he told the driver to drive off without waiting for Shu Yan to refuse.
He was quite domineering, but his words reassured Shu Yan a lot.
The two younger children in the family were taking a nap. There were leftover cookies and milk on the table. Feeling a little sorry for them, I kissed them on the forehead.
This was a bit impulsive. She's not alone anymore; she has two children to support. Next time, she should be more mindful of her capabilities when doing good deeds. Like this time, she should have reported it; she can't just ignore a problem. However, she should have left the aftermath to the police; she shouldn't have intervened at that moment. Her two children are so young; they have no ability to protect themselves. What if they get involved?
Everyone says it's hard to be a good person, and Shuyan has experienced that firsthand now.
I haven't been home for two days. Jingjing is very sensible. The house is still clean, but Shuyan still cleaned it again. She put the dirty clothes on with soap and left them to sit for a while so they would be easier to wash later.
She wouldn't let the two children go out by themselves. They hadn't had a hot meal for breakfast or lunch. Shu Yan cooked a white fungus and red date soup, simmering it over low heat so they could eat it when they woke up.
I just got off the bus and went to the market. I bought half a pig's trotter. Shuyan used tweezers to pluck the hairs one by one, blanched it, then stir-fried it with salt, soy sauce, wine, scallions, ginger, and garlic over high heat, and then put it in a pressure cooker. It will be ready to eat in half an hour.
After finishing in the kitchen, Shu Yan carefully opened the door and glanced at the two children, who were still sleeping. She smiled slightly and went to wash a few clothes. By the time she finished hanging the clothes, it was already past three o'clock. There was still no movement in the house, so Shu Yan decided to wake the two children up. If they slept too much, they wouldn't be able to sleep at night. When she went in, she saw the two children doing their homework.
"When did you wake up? Why were you so quiet?" Shu Yan put down the bucket. "Are you hungry? I made some white fungus and red date soup. Have some to tide you over."
"Mom." Ye Jingjing's eyes lit up with joy when she saw Shu Yan.
"Mom." Tianbao threw down his pen and jumped in front of Shuyan, hugging her leg. "Mom, I missed you so much."
Shu Yan couldn't help but smile and patted his head. "Mom used to go shopping for goods all the time, why didn't you say you missed me?"
That's different. Before, it was only one night apart, but this time it was only one day longer, but it felt like I hadn't seen my mother in a long time.
Shu Yan served the two children some snacks, and she also had some herself. She then asked, "Mom cooked pig's feet. What else would you like to eat for dinner?"
"Either is fine." That's Jingjing.
"I want to eat shrimp." This is Tianbao.
"Jingjing loves bean sprouts, right? I'll stir-fry some chives and bean sprouts. Tianbao wants shrimp, right? Then come with me to buy shrimp." The two children had been staying at home all day, so Shuyan took them out for a walk.
Xicheng is close to the inland and has very little seafood. After Tianbao arrived in Nancheng, he fell in love with shrimp after eating it at Wu Xiuyue's house, and he also developed a liking for eating other seafood.
Besides shrimp, Shuyan also bought a squid. Stir-fried squid with sauerkraut is also delicious.
"Mom, the pig's feet are delicious!" Tianbao praised after taking a bite of the soft and tender boiled pig's feet.
"Don't just eat this, you have to eat rice too." Shu Yan peeled a shrimp and put it in his bowl, then peeled one for Jingjing as well. "Eat more shrimp to get calcium, Tianbao... Don't just eat vegetables, hurry up and have a bite of rice."
The two children initially didn't like the food in the south of the city, but now they can accept the home-style dishes here. Perhaps in a year or two, they won't be used to the food in the west of the city.
After dinner, Shu Yan brought out the cut fruit and, while eating, told them, "If any strangers approach you recently, don't pay them any attention, and don't accept any food from them." Thinking for a moment, Shu Yan was still worried, "Don't accept food from anyone except Mom, understand?"
"Not even Wang Yitong's mother and Zhang Chenghan's mother?" Jingjing was startled by Shu Yan's serious expression.
“It’s okay if Mom is here, but it’s not okay if Mom isn’t here.” Shu Yan felt that they still had to be very careful. “Also, if—and I mean if—someone grabs you and there are many people around, you should shout for help. If there’s no one around, then don’t struggle, just obediently go with him. When you encounter a suitable situation, such as seeing an acquaintance or seeing uncles or aunts in uniform, you should immediately shake off his hand, run to those uncles or aunts, hug their legs tightly, and tell them that they are not your father or mother, and that you don’t know them at all.”
Shu Yan wrote down the phone numbers of the convenience store and shops downstairs and had them memorize them.
"This is the phone number for the shopkeeper, and this is the phone number for Mom's shop. You must remember them." Shu Yan pinched Tianbao's ear, seeing that he didn't understand anything yet. "Especially you, did you remember?"
"I remember, Mom," Tianbao said, covering his little ears.
After giving Tianbao a bath, Shuyan quickly washed up, changed into her pajamas, and lay down on the bed, feeling completely unwilling to move.
"Mommy, I want to sleep with you." Jingjing came over, holding her little pillow.
"Come on up, go to sleep quickly. Tomorrow is Monday, and you have to get up for class." It was a bit chilly at night, and Shu Yan was afraid she would steal the blankets, so each of the three of them had their own blanket.
"Mom, I want to hear a story," Tianbao suddenly said.
"How about we talk about it tomorrow? Mom is a little tired after just returning from out of town. How about we play a game? Do you know '123, freeze'?" Seeing the two children nod, Shu Yan smiled and said, "Then let's begin, 123, freeze."
Shu Yan found a comfortable position and fell asleep immediately. Jing Jing carefully turned her head and met Tian Bao's big, dark eyes. She really wanted to tell him that her mother wasn't playing games and that she was already asleep.
Kids are always restless before bedtime, but once they actually fall asleep, they fall asleep incredibly quickly. In no time, he was holding Shuyan's arm and fell asleep. Seeing her younger brother asleep, Ye Jingjing also closed her eyes and went to sleep.
The next morning, Shu Yan went out to buy breakfast and specifically looked downstairs, but Fang Zeyu was nowhere to be seen. Could it be that he hadn't come yet? With these questions in mind, she went back to eat breakfast with her two children, sent them to school, and then waited for the bus, but still didn't see Fang Zeyu. It wasn't until she got on the bus and sat down that she saw Fang Zeyu leisurely getting on.
Was he following her the whole time? Shu Yan was about to go to his side when Fang Zeyu shook his head, signaling her not to go over.
She glanced at Fang Zeyu every now and then, and seeing that he completely ignored her, as if she were a stranger, she suddenly understood something and stopped staring at him.
After getting off the bus, Fang Zeyu followed, keeping a respectful distance. He only turned and left when Shu Yan reached the shop entrance.
Shu Yan wanted to call him, but several other female shop owners were watching her, so she had to give up. Her shop was quite well-known on Chengnan West Road, and she naturally received some attention. Everyone knew that she always went to and from get off work alone, and she brought her child here alone on weekends. Many people were speculating about her husband. Calling Fang Zeyu at this time would definitely cause misunderstandings.
"Boss lady, you're back!" Yingying greeted Shuyan with a big smile.
"Yes, how's business at the store these past few days?" Shu Yan took out the ledger and looked at it. The sales were pretty good, especially the thermal underwear. She suddenly thought about opening her store as an underwear shop, which should also be very profitable.
"Nothing's wrong at the shop. Oh, by the way, a lady surnamed Hu called looking for you and asked you to call her when you get back," Yingying said, suddenly remembering the call.
"Okay, I understand." Shu Yan called back, but Hu Ruixue wasn't home. "She's not home. I'll go to the train station to pick up the goods first. When she calls later, just tell her I'll be back this afternoon."
Shu Yan paid special attention to her back but didn't see anything. However, when she got on the bus, she saw Fang Zeyu again.
After getting out of the car to pick up the goods, Shu Yan ran to Fang Zeyu's side and asked, "Were you outside the store the whole time?"
“I happen to have some free time these few days, so I’ll take a stroll around your shop.” Fang Zeyu frowned. “Don’t get too close to me right now.”
"There's no need to be so paranoid. I think the chances of them finding me are slim. You can... accompany me a few times when I go to Hangzhou to buy goods."
"It's nothing. By the way, Dou Dou woke up and, knowing that you saved him, asked me to thank you on his behalf." Fang Zeyu changed the subject.
Shu Yan hesitated for a moment, then asked helplessly, "Is there any news from the human traffickers?"
"I don't know either. I believe they'll let me know when they have the results." This is inside information; even if it's a comrade-in-arms, Fang Zeyu isn't in this system, so they can't tell him.
"I was too hasty." Those two were only caught yesterday afternoon, how could they have found accomplices so quickly?
"It's normal, don't worry. I've arranged for people to keep an eye on things at the school, nothing will happen."
"You've also arranged for people to be near the schools for your two children?" Shu Yan looked at him in surprise.
“Yes, they are all retired veterans, so you can rest assured.” Fang Zeyu looked at Shu Yan. “You go pick up the goods, don’t worry about me not being able to keep up with you.”
Shu Yan hesitated for a moment, "Why don't we go together? It's too tiring for you to follow behind like this."
Fang Zeyu shook his head. "Not good."
Not good? Before Shu Yan could say anything more, Fang Zeyu had already walked away, and soon Shu Yan could no longer find him.
For the next few days, Shu Yan wouldn't even notice Fang Zeyu's presence unless she saw him on the bus.
I'm going to the hospital for a follow-up check-up today. I've finished three courses of traditional Chinese medicine, so I'm going to ask if I need to continue taking it.
The effect was very good. Shu Yan felt that her cold sweat problem had been greatly reduced. She used to shiver frequently, but now she didn't. The only downside was that it tasted terrible. It was really smelly and bitter. Just thinking about the taste made Shu Yan feel nauseous and wanted to vomit.
"Much better, you don't need to take the medicine anymore, but you still need to pay attention to your diet. You should eat less cold and spicy food," the old doctor said after taking your pulse.
She could do it with her icy demeanor, but Shu Yan, with her spicy side, felt it would be very difficult for her.
"It's okay to eat a little bit occasionally, just don't eat too much." The old doctor glanced at her and asked her to stick out her tongue to look at it. "I'll prescribe some Chinese medicine for you to take home and soak your feet in."
"Okay." After drinking the Chinese medicine, Shu Yan's period stopped, her cold symptoms lessened, and her complexion became rosy. However, her spots hadn't faded much, so she asked, "Are there any Chinese medicines to fade spots?"
"It's difficult to remove freckles," the old doctor shook his head.
Sure enough, the idea that you can become beautiful just by encountering a divine doctor and taking a beauty pill, like in martial arts novels, is simply unrealistic.
I suddenly remembered that a client once suggested that she go to the hospital for laser freckle removal. I'll go to the hospital to ask about it when I have time.
Now that she was at the hospital, Shu Yan weighed herself: 120 pounds. She had lost eight pounds in the past month, no wonder Wu Xiuyue and the others had been saying she looked thinner. She pinched her stomach; it was still quite large. She needed to keep trying.
As Shu Yan left the hospital carrying her medicine, she saw Fang Zeyu standing under a tree not far away, and she jogged over to him.
"I didn't go to the store today, you don't need to come with me." Shu Yan felt embarrassed. At first, she thought he would just pick her up and drop her off at get off work, but he had actually been waiting for her all day these past few days. Although she felt very safe, she was also very embarrassed.
"It's nothing." Fang Zeyu glanced at the Chinese medicine in Shu Yan's hand. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, it's for conditioning my body." It's not good to talk about a woman's illness in too much detail with Fang Zeyu, so Shu Yan changed the subject. "You know we've known each other for so long, but we haven't introduced ourselves yet. Let's get to know each other formally. My name is Shu Yan. Shu is the Shu of 'comfortable' and Yan is the Yan of 'color'."
"Fang Zeyu, Fang as in upright, Ze as in benefiting the world, and Yu as in the universe."
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