Hearing Shen An'an's words, Jiang Yu felt a pang of sadness. Such a young child, doing chores every day and still getting beaten—anyone would be traumatized by such an experience.
“She’s lying to you. You’re our child now, and no one will bully you, not even that old ‘dad’ who used to beat people up after drinking.”
And your older sister Sui Sui and older brother Niannian will protect you. Of course, if you feel scared, you don't have to call me Mom. As long as you're happy, anything is fine. However, I have one request: no matter what happens in the future, don't run away from home.
Not only are there dangerous rivers outside, but there are also child traffickers...
Jiang Yu wanted to continue, but suddenly remembered that he had been abducted after birth, and her heart ached uncontrollably. She choked up for a moment, then stopped speaking.
Perhaps sensing her unhappiness, Shen An'an said in a childish voice:
"An'an will never run around again, pretty mommy, don't be angry."
What did you call me?
Jiang Yu was hallucinating because she had been standing in the water for too long.
“Pretty Mommy, An'an likes you. An'an has liked you since the first moment I saw you. All the things I said at home were lies to my brother Niannian. An'an lied, Mommy, please don't be angry.”
Shen An'an gave a sensible explanation, and then recounted the various ways she had been abused by Cuixia since childhood. Under the moonlight, the two figures, one large and one small, appeared exceptionally tiny in the reflection of the river.
"Mommy, where are you? Daddy's here."
Hearing Shen Niannian's voice again, Jiang Yu suddenly shuddered. She opened her eyes and felt even breathing behind her. She knew without a doubt that Shen An'an was asleep.
She tried her best not to wake the child, responding in a very low voice:
"I'm here."
Seeing the man's anxious face covered in sweat, Jiang Yu felt a sense of security tinged with grievance. She looked at Shen Ying, trying her best not to let her tears fall.
By the moonlight, they saw that Shen Zenglin and the others had arrived. The man took the sleeping Shen An'an and gently placed her in Shen Zenglin's arms.
Then, he waded into the water, grabbed the woman around the waist, and with a pull, lifted her out of the mud. Once ashore, he found some leaves nearby and used them to wipe the mud off her shoes.
Jiang Yu was extremely weak after being discharged from the hospital and spending so much time in the water. Shen Zenglin carried Shen An'an in front, while Wang Cuihua led Shen Suisui and Shen Niannian by the hand, as they walked home.
Shen Ying carried the pale-faced Jiang Yu and followed behind.
When they got home, he carried the woman to the bed in the bedroom, found a towel dampened with hot water, and gently wiped her face and legs.
After finishing all that, I went to the kitchen and made a cup of brown sugar ginger water, which I then placed on the bedside table.
After finishing all that, he finally spoke to thank his childhood friend and sister-in-law. After everyone left, he glanced at Shen An'an, who was half-asleep, and gently closed the door.
After finding out what the children wanted to eat, I started preparing the food in the kitchen. I must say, my cooking skills have improved a lot during the time I've spent with Jiang Yu.
I made braised pork, stir-fried shrimp with celery, and stewed a crucian carp soup. I heated up some steamed buns and called the children to eat.
Then, he scooped up a bowl of crucian carp soup and brought it into the bedroom.
"Are you hungry? Have some soup, and I'll bring you some staple food later."
Shen Ying looked at Jiang Yu with a doting expression.
"No need for that. I can get out of bed and eat by myself."
Jiang Yu thought it was making a mountain out of a molehill, and threw off the covers to get up and put on her shoes, but was stopped by the man.
"You weren't fully recovered, and then you soaked in cold water and almost fainted. Why are you being so stubborn?"
After saying that, he scooped up a spoonful of fish soup, blew on it, and gave it to her to drink. At first, Jiang Yu was not used to it, but after a few spoonfuls, she accepted it calmly.
A warm atmosphere filled the air as the siblings, in the living room, ate delicious food, expressing their appreciation for their father's culinary skills.
"An'an said he didn't like his mother, and his mother risked her life to save him. He must be very sad now, right?"
Thinking about what Shen An'an said, even though it came from Shen Niannian's mouth, I still had some thoughts. After all, her mother is so good now, and she would be unhappy if she was sad.
"After we finish eating, we'll go talk to him and apologize to Mom."
Shen Niannian stuffed the braised pork into her mouth and replied with her mouth bulging as she heard what her sister said. The two chatted casually, and a small head peeked out from the top of the stairs.
Just as the two were wondering about it, Shen An'an timidly walked out of the darkness, looking at her older brother and sister with some fear.
He wanted to go up to them and ease the tension, but he was afraid they would dislike him.
"An'an, are you hungry? Wash your hands and eat. I'll make you some milk powder in a bit."
Shen Sui Sui put down her chopsticks, waved to him, and gestured for him to come to the table to eat. Because he was young, Shen Ying specially made shrimp and scrambled eggs.
Hearing that her sister didn't seem to be scolding her, Shen An'an mustered her courage and walked towards the dining table. Although Shen Niannian didn't say anything, she moved her special food in front of her, looking quite smug.
Although Mom said in the afternoon that she would forgive him, I didn't want to talk to her because I thought about my family who had been worried about him all afternoon and Jiang Yu's injured body.
Sensing something was amiss, Shen An'an cautiously sat down next to her brother and tugged at his sleeve:
"Brother, it was An'an's fault, please don't be angry."
"Don't tell me that. If you really know you're wrong, you should apologize to Mom."
Shen Niannian didn't want to be angry with this little brat; he just wanted to make his mother happy.
"After we finish eating, brother, can we go together?"
Shen An'an looked sincere and invited Shen Niannian to be a witness.
"Of course, pinky promise, a hundred years from now."
The two children reached an agreement, and Shen Suisui smiled helplessly while urging them to eat.
After dinner, the three children gently knocked on their parents' bedroom door. After some hesitation, Shen An'an finally said "I'm sorry."
Jiang Yu smiled, not taking his words seriously at all. After making up, Shen An'an no longer had her former timidity and fear.
"I have some big news to announce. The day after tomorrow is Uncle Bai Chen and Aunt Liu Cui's wedding, and they have invited our family to attend."
As soon as the man finished speaking, Jiang Yu was the first to be shocked:
"When did this happen? How come I didn't know?"
She only stayed in the hospital for a few days, but it felt like an eternity.
"I told you a couple of days ago that I didn't dare tell you after I found out you were hospitalized. Liu Cui knew that if you knew, she would definitely design her wedding dress and such. So I kept it from you and told you to tell me after you were discharged from the hospital."
Shen Ying is right, because Jiang Yu had already decided that she would make wedding dresses for both Liu Cui and Shen Wan, regardless of whether they got married.
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