After calming Chu Jinyu down, Xie Yushu noticed that he was cold, so she asked Nanxing to boil some water and make him a bowl of brown sugar ginger water. She then put him in the hot water to soak.
Although Chu Jinyu and Xiao Haitang were not Xie Yushu's children, the two children were good-looking and well-behaved. The Lu family had always doted on them as their own grandchildren. Now that they saw Chu Jinyu was thin and pale, they immediately went to prepare delicious food for their adopted grandchildren!
Xie Yushu told Nanxing to take all of Chu Jinyu's clothes, inside and out, to wash, since there were no clothes for a child that big at home. She also instructed Nanxing to light a brazier and dry Chu Jinyu's clothes overnight.
As Xie Yushu bathed him, she listened to him chattering on and on about his troubles.
"My new aunt is a bad person. She wakes me up every day in the dark and makes me drink some really bitter medicine."
She wouldn't let me doze off, and wouldn't let me sleep even when I was sleepy. If I didn't listen to her, she would hit me.
She has such a long ruler, and when she's in a bad mood, she hits my palm and pinches me.
My father is bad too. He's just like my bad aunt. He wants me to study hard and listen to my bad aunt!
He doesn't want me anymore; he won't let me call him "Dad."
Mother, will you abandon me too? Mother, please don't abandon me, I'll listen to you!
The little guy pointed here and there in his soft, sweet voice, pointing to the bruises left by Chu Mingzhu, that mentally ill woman, after she beat him. He looked at Xie Yushu with a cautious, tentative gaze.
Xie Yushu felt a dull ache in her heart, as if it had been twisted by a large hand!
He wanted to slap Chu Mingzhu eight hundred times in his heart, and couldn't help but curse her inwardly.
She's insane! She wants to bring glory to her ancestors and restore the family's honor. If you're so capable, why don't you drag yourself into this? Trying to drag a four-year-old child into this is truly pathetic!
Under such harsh conditions, the chubby little face that I painstakingly nurtured has all disappeared in just a few days!
But despite cursing inwardly, she still earnestly assured Chu Jinyu.
"Your mother will never abandon you! You can stay with your mother as long as you want! If you don't like your aunt, we'll ignore her!"
Mom has bought a new house, and your sister Haitang lives there too. I'll take you there later, and you can play with her. You can study literature and martial arts together, and I'll cook delicious food for you, okay?
"Yes, Mom bought that place to build a house a bit late, so we can only live in a small house for now, and the conditions are a bit tough. But next spring, Mom will build a big house, and things will be much better then. It's only tough this winter. Are you scared?"
Chu Jinyu was visibly happy to receive Xie Yushu's promise; her eyes sparkled.
"Mother, I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid of the cold, and I'm not afraid of the small house. As long as I'm with you, I'm not afraid of anything!"
I slept in a box for over ten days! It was small and cold inside, and I was terrified at first, but the thought of seeing my mother made me stop being afraid!
"You still haven't told your mother how you got back from such a long journey? And why you slept in the trunk again?"
Xie Yushu felt a pang of pain and heartache, but Chu Jinyu was only four years old and his logical thinking was limited. He only spoke about what he felt most deeply. Even though Xie Yushu wished she could understand what had happened to the little guy all at once, she couldn't rush it and could only try to understand him little by little.
“My wicked aunt forbids me from mentioning you. She even insults you and threatens to kill you. I hate her, so I secretly sneaked into the box containing the cloth!”
"Mom, I'm amazing! Green Willow and the others didn't even notice me!"
"Who is Green Willow? How do you know that following her will lead you to your mother?"
"Green Willow is the head maid of Bad Aunt. Bad Aunt said that Father will be my uncle in the future. She was going to deliver something to Grandma, so I knew they were coming here."
Then I pretended to be asleep, secretly took some steamed buns and pears, and hid in the box. They didn't know, so I followed them!
"What a clever boy!"
Xie Yushu could easily imagine how desperately Chu Jinyu, a four-year-old child, must have wanted to return to her side to make such a move. In the dead of winter, one could only imagine how he managed to endure it!
Only with a pure and innocent heart can one be fearless!
Xie Yushu was truly overwhelmed; she could no longer hold back her tears and hugged Chu Jinyu tightly, letting her tears flow freely.
To Xie Yushu, Chu Jinyu had always been just an "adopted son." Her feelings for Chu Jinyu were similar to those for her own nephew—she liked and doted on him.
But subconsciously, she felt that Xiao Yi was the one primarily responsible for Chu Jinyu, and she didn't realize that she was his mother.
But at this moment, she knew clearly that no matter how the world changed, whether it was Xiao Yi or Chu Mingzhu, no matter what happened in the future, Chu Jinyu would always be her son, Xie Yushu's son. She would protect him as he grew up until the day he no longer needed her!
"Mother, why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?"
Chu Jinyu sensed Xie Yushu's emotions and asked cautiously.
"Mother cried because she missed you so much. Mother is so happy that you're back!"
Alright, your grandma's almost done cooking. Mom can smell the delicious aroma. Let's go eat!
"Okay, I love Grandma's cooking the most!"
"You little bootlicker! Then let's eat more later!"
As Xie Yushu spoke, she wrapped him in a blanket and carried him into the house.
Madam Lü had already laid out the warmest bed with quilts. When Xie Yushu came in carrying Chu Jinyu, she lifted the quilts, and Chu Jinyu rolled right in.
"Grandma's quilt is so warm, Grandma is the best!"
Chu Jinyu's succinct flattery nearly made Lady Lü lose her bearings.
"Our Jinyu is so good! Great-Grandma loves her so much!"
Lu Shi rubbed and kneaded it, showing it great interest. Xie Yumin also brought over some bone seeds (gala) to play with him. Although Chu Jinyu had never played with this before, it didn't stop his curiosity. Before long, he was having a great time playing with Xie Yumin!
Seeing that he was having fun, Xie Yushu quietly went out and called Qu Xiaodie, Nanxing, Xie Tianqi, and Xie Tianming to the side room.
"What's wrong, sis? Are you going to settle scores for Jinyu? You don't need Nanxing and Master Qu, Tianming and I can go!"
"That's not it. There's no rush to settle scores with Xiao Damei. Let Jinyu catch up slowly. What I want to say is that I suspect Chu Mingzhu has sent people again! People to kill me!"
Xie Tianqi was both angry and furious.
"What?! This crazy woman! This is never going to end!"
Where is he? We'll make sure he doesn't leave alive this time!
"Yes, if we don't teach her a lesson, she'll really think we're afraid of her!"
Qu Xiaodie and Nan Xing also said angrily.
"I'm just guessing. Jin Yu said that Chu Mingzhu sent someone to deliver things to Old Madam Xiao. He came secretly by following the carriage that delivered the things. Chu Mingzhu is determined to have Xiao Yi and sees me as a thorn in her side."
You said the first person she sent never returned. Given her character, if she sends someone to deliver something this time, wouldn't she do something?
"If this crazy woman still wants to kill you, then she must be lying in ambush nearby. Shall we search the area?"
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