Chapter 35: Chapter 35 Xingxing is Really Good Chapter 35: Chapter 35 Xingxing is Really Good Ye Xiu saw Bai Zhi wearing new clothes and was very happy, but they were still a bit too large; she frowned, Xingxing was really too skinny.
She held nectarines in her hand, it was the season for eating peaches and watermelons, but watermelons were cold in nature, and she couldn’t let her eat them at this time.
“Is Grandpa hungry yet?”
Today was market day, and Ye Xiu worried that her father-in-law wouldn’t have time to take care of Bai Zhi, so she quickly took leave and rushed over, walking so fast that she was still a bit out of breath. She sat down next to Bai Zhi, straightened her blanket, and thought that she still needed to buy some calcium tablets for Xingxing to eat.
“Grandpa went to set up his stall, I can manage by myself. The nurse comes to check on me every few minutes.” It made her unable to do any small movements, which was really frustrating.
Watching Ye Xiu constantly looking at her gently, Bai Zhi felt a bit uncomfortable and quickly shifted her gaze, looking down at the blanket.
“Why are you here? Isn’t it Wednesday today?”
Ye Xiu smiled but didn’t directly answer the question. Xingxing felt somewhat distant toward her, which was normal. If it were her, she might have even complained, but Xingxing didn’t; she was very well-behaved.
“Xingxing, do you like your new clothes? Why aren’t you wearing a dress?”
Ye Xiu thought that Xingxing would prefer dresses. Every time Xixi got a new dress, she was especially happy, running around like a little butterfly, never mentioning how happy she was.
“I’m not used to it; I’ve never worn one.”
A very ordinary sentence made Ye Xiu’s eyes redden. Xingxing’s eyes were especially bright, without any hint of sarcasm, but she just felt embarrassed. She had never realized Xingxing’s situation. She really wasn’t a good mother.
Xingxing was like an invisible person at home, taking care of everything so well that she unwittingly overlooked her. Why?
Ye Xiu didn’t know. She only knew that it wouldn’t happen again.
“It’s okay; everything has a first time. Later on, we’ll wear them often, and Mom will buy you lots and lots of dresses, okay?”
Her voice was very soft, afraid to scare Xingxing.
“No need; after I get better, I have to help Grandpa with his work. Wearing a dress is not convenient.”
Bai Zhi refused without hesitation, and Ye Xiu’s face turned pale, her eyes welling with tears.
Bai Zhi knew at a glance that she must have misunderstood. She probably thought she said it on purpose, but that wasn’t really the case.
“How about you buy me pants instead?”
Bai Zhi tentatively spoke, as she had always wanted to get closer to this mother. But she didn’t know how to approach her. Later, seeing her care more for children who didn’t matter to her than for her own child, her heart had died. But now, it obviously wasn’t like that.
Bai Zhi always felt that the world in the book was strange, as if everyone had to follow the author’s intent, but when she came, she was like a little butterfly; after flapping her wings, no one knew what would happen next.
At least, the original owner’s mother had started to notice her. So, she looked forward to what the coming days would bring, curious about what they would turn into.
Bai Zhi lowered her eyes; the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. If Ye Xiu had seen it, she would have thought that her smile was sneaky, as if hiding some interesting plan that no one knew what would happen next.
“Okay, Mom will buy them for you!”
Ye Xiu nodded vigorously, and Xingxing hadn’t completely lost hope in her mother.
“Do you want to eat nectarines? Shall Mom wash them for you? Are the White Rabbit creamy candies tasty? Have you drunk the milk Mom bought for you?”
Ye Xiu’s words clearly confused Bai Zhi, who just looked at Ye Xiu and shook her head.
“I didn’t see any milk, there’s White Rabbit Creamy Candy and peanut brittle,” she said, not mentioning whether she ate them.
She lowered her gaze, not daring to look at Ye Xiu, seemingly afraid that Ye Xiu might get angry.
It went without saying, the milk must have been kept by Bai Da and the others, and she didn’t care for milk, nor did she like to drink it.
Because, she always felt that milk had a strange taste that she disliked, though yogurt was somewhat more bearable.
Ye Xiu’s face stiffened. In the past, she would have thought Xingxing was lying. But now, not anymore. She knew that Xingxing was a good child. But what about the milk? Did Bai Da really forget it, or was it something else?
“I’ll buy some for you later, remember to drink a box every day to get nutrients, okay?”
She glanced at Xingxing again, the thin body and small hands, not even half the size of hers.
“Okay.”
Bai Zhi nodded obediently. She didn’t like to drink milk, but it could be made into something else.
Right, Bai Zhi’s eyes brightened. Milk pudding! What she loved most in summer was milk pudding with shaved ice. Shaved ice was out of the question because they didn’t have a refrigerator, but milk pudding was possible.
Eating it every day could help add some nutrients. Otherwise, wouldn’t her health keep deteriorating?
“Xingxing is really good.”
Ye Xiu patted Bai Zhi on the head and then fell into silence. She didn’t know what Xingxing liked or what to talk about, and Xingxing, head lowered, didn’t look at her, leaving Ye Xiu feeling somewhat empty.
Fortunately, this silent time wasn’t very long, and it was time to remove the IV. A nurse came to remove Bai Zhi’s IV, and Bai Dan also arrived, pausing when he saw Ye Xiu.
“Dad, did you finish selling so early?”
Although she didn’t know how many things her father-in-law had brought, it seemed too early to pack up.
“No, I was worried. Let’s go, Grandpa will take you for a meal, Ye Xiu, would you like to join?”
Bai Dan’s attitude was fairly good. In fact, he was quite surprised, not expecting Ye Xiu to appear here since it wasn’t a weekend.
“Sure, Dad. Let’s go have some grilled intestines, I remember it’s your favorite.”
Ye Xiu remembered, in the past, her father-in-law always liked to order a serving of intestines and drink a few glasses of liquor.
“Okay, let’s go. Xingxing still needs to get medicine today.”
Together, they went to the doctor, got Bai Zhi’s medication changed, and her wound was healing well. A couple more changes and it would be about done. The doctor gave some precautions and also prescribed some calcium tablets for Bai Zhi.
Ye Xiu naturally paid the bill, took them out for a meal, and bought Bai Zhi some pants before saying goodbye.
When parting, Ye Xiu still thought about giving money to Bai Dan, having a solid reason to pay for Bai Zhi and the others’ school fees.
“Dad, you know how stubborn Bai Da is, always refusing to use my money. But I’m the children’s mother; I should contribute too. It’s 80 per child, so 320 for four kids. Dad, please help me register them.”
Bai Dan frowned upon hearing this but eventually didn’t take the money.
“I’ll take care of Xingxing’s; you give it to him personally. I don’t want to see that scoundrel again. Let’s leave it at that.”
After saying this, he pulled Xingxing away, and Ye Xiu sighed at the town’s crossroads, thinking about how she must clarify this issue with Bai Da when she returned.
