“Aunty, where is Changsheng? Why didn’t he come home to eat?” Yan Huan picked at a grain of rice with her chopsticks, losing her appetite. Did she waste her breath talking to a wall? Did Changsheng still go out to work with Jin Gen?
Changsheng’s mother put her bowl down and stopped eating as well. “My Changsheng has gone out to earn money.”
The chopsticks in Yan Huan’s hand fell onto the table, making Changsheng’s mother unhappy with Yan Huan’s reaction. “What is it? My Changsheng wants to earn money, why do you have this expression on your face? He’s going so that he can give you a better life anyway.”
Give her a better life? Yan Huan felt a little conflicted with these words. This had nothing to do with her. In the end, she still had to go home. Besides, she did not need Changsheng to feed her. She had the ability to work and did not need to depend on him to live. The only thing she did not understand was why Changsheng’s mother had totally changed her attitude toward her. In the past, she was famous in the village for being an extremely kind person. She would help anyone in need and she did not have a bad temper. Otherwise, she would not have given her shelter to prevent her from starving or freezing to death.
However, why would Changsheng’s mother end up like this now?
She did not know, nor did she understand.
After Changsheng’s mother finished eating, she threw her bowl down and walked out. Yan Huan rolled her sleeves up wordlessly, putting the bowls into the water and started washing them.
It was already very dark by the time she had finished washing the bowls. The lights in the room of Changsheng’s mother were off. The time was probably around seven o’clock. Here, the days were dark and cold by seven o’clock.
Normally at this time, Changsheng’s mother would be in her room, sewing and mending clothes or she would be lying down and resting. She was not around these few days, which was unusual.
Yan Huan did not know where she had gone. Even if she had asked, Changsheng’s mother would not tell her anyway.
Ever since she advised Changsheng’s mother not to allow Changsheng to go out and work, Changsheng’s mother had started to dislike her.
A dragon has its forbidden lamella, and perhaps it is the same for humans. The forbidden lamella of Changsheng’s mother was probably Changsheng.
Yan Huan walked into her room and opened a drawer. She took out a slip of paper and shredded it, throwing the pieces onto the ground. That slip of paper was useless now. She never thought that Changsheng would leave without saying a word, even though he had promised her. He did not even bring along the things that she had prepared for him.
She had thought that ultimately, if Changsheng still wanted to go, she would give him the contact numbers of the people that she knew, in case if anything happened to him, he would have someone to turn to. She had sold off her ring as well, obtaining 8000 yuan, and she would have given him a few thousand yuan too.
The world outside was far more complex than they could ever imagine. The hearts of humans were getting colder, they were neither relatives nor friends. The people who could help were far too few, and without any money, there was nothing a person could do. She did not know how much money Changsheng’s mother gave him, but based on her understanding of Changsheng’s character, she felt that he would not take any money from home. After all, his mother was still at home. He would not feel comfortable leaving if there was no money left at home.
That night, she kept tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Changsheng’s mother had come back long ago but she just returned to her room without greeting her.
Meanwhile, she was slowly getting used to the cold and sarcastic comments from Changsheng’s mother. To Changsheng’s mother, she was just a person who took advantage of them but never repaid their deeds regardless of how well she did, how diligent she was, or how attentively she served. Nevertheless, she did not complain about any hardship she went through or fought back when she was reprimanded.
Yan Huan finished cutting the hair of a little girl. The hair was shoulder-length with some bangs, revealing a youthful look. It was every girl’s favorite hairstyle lately.
“Sister Xiao Yan, this hairstyle is really nice.” The little girl was very satisfied with her hairstyle, looking left and right in the mirror for quite some time. The more she looked, the more satisfied she was.
She gave five eggs to Yan Huan. “This is the fee for my haircut. The eggs were laid just a few days ago. I have saved them for five days.”
“Thank you.” Yan Huan kept the five eggs properly and picked up a broom to sweep away the hair on the ground. Her face was covered by a cloth so that only her eyes were visible and she had never shown her face to anyone. Although everyone knew that her face was disfigured, they had been seeing her like this for so long that they had already forgotten about the half of her face that was disfigured.
“Oh, by the way, Sister Xiao Yan, I have something to ask you.” The little girl pulled Yan Huan to a corner. She then ran to the doorway to check if anyone was there. When she was sure there was no one around, she walked toward Yan Huan and whispered in her ear
“Sister Xiao Yan, has your mother-in-law been treating you badly recently?”
“My mother-in-law?” Yan Huan furrowed her brow, unable to process that question. Wasn’t her mother-in-law, Ye Shuyun? Ye Shuyun had always been in Sea City, and ever since the day she entered the Ye family, Ye Shuyun had always treated her like a biological daughter, never treating her badly.
“Your mother-in-law.” The little girl pointed inside. “Changsheng’s mother, your mother-in-law?”
“Changsheng’s mother?” Yan Huan felt quite awkward. “Don’t talk nonsense. There’s nothing between Changsheng and I.” Although Changsheng and Yan Huan stayed in the same house, they seldom talked to each other at all. She and Changsheng only minded their own business.
Changsheng was not her husband and she was not Changsheng’s wife.
Of course, Changsheng’s mother was definitely not her mother-in-law.
“But everyone is saying the same thing.” The little girl did not believe Yan Huan’s words. After all, in this world, there was no smoke without fire. If there really was nothing, would everyone say the same thing? Moreover, Xiao Yan stayed in Changsheng’s house, was it not just a matter of time before she addressed Changsheng’s mother as her mother-in-law?
Forget it. Let them carry on what they wish to say. Yan Huan did not want to explain further. No matter how much she explained, they would probably still think that she felt guilty. It did not matter as long as she herself understood that it was impossible for anything to happen between Changsheng and her.
She was married, having a husband and children already.
“Sister Xiao Yan, you haven’t answered my question.” The little girl tugged on Yan Huan’s sleeve. “Has your mother-in-law been treating you badly recently?”
Yan Huan still wanted to explain that she was not her mother-in-law, but she gave up after mulling over it. Let them imagine and say whatever they want. I don’t see the point of explaining myself too much.
“She must have been treating you badly, right?” The little girl looked certain. Where did she hear about this rumor?
