Chapter 23
One week later, Fengshun Community!
After leaving the Qin family, Yang Huijuan and Qin Xiaomeng brought Yaoyao back from the room at the Lanshan Hotel, and temporarily settled in the house where Qin Xiaorou used to live.
“Xiaomeng, the Qin family never said they'd take away our house... So why did we move here?”
“Mom, it’s not about fighting for bread, it’s about dignity. Are we going to wait for the Qin family to throw us out?” Qin Xiaomeng was stubborn by nature and refused to stay another day in the Qin family’s house. So she brought her mother and Yaoyao to live in her late sister’s home.
“But... the environment here is terrible. It’s fine for us adults, but I can’t bear to let Yaoyao suffer.”
Yang Huijuan’s expression was despondent. Fengshun Community was remote, run-down after years of neglect, and dilapidated. Garbage was scattered everywhere, exuding a stench that made one sick.
How could a child thrive in such surroundings?
What hurt Yang Huijuan most was the thought that, after being driven from the Qin family, Qin Xiaorou had lived in this place, and as her mother, she had been unable to help at all.
“Mom, we’re just staying here temporarily. Didn’t my brother-in-law already decide to retire and stay with Yaoyao?”
“Tomorrow, I’ll go out to look for work with my brother-in-law. Both of us will earn money, and soon we’ll be able to move out. We’ll rent a place first, and then save up to buy a good home!”
A smile lit up Qin Xiaomeng’s face. After severing ties with the Qin family, she brimmed with hope for her future!
Most importantly, Chu Tianhe stayed!
Living with Chu Tianhe filled Qin Xiaomeng with joy.
“Ah, poor Yaoyao,” Yang Huijuan sighed, her gaze lingering on Yaoyao, whose small body betrayed signs of malnutrition. Her eyes reddened slightly. It’s said that grandparents dote on their grandchildren, and Yaoyao was her granddaughter—how could she not feel heartache?
“Yaoyao wants a lollipop, doesn’t she? Grandma will take you to buy one.”
“Really?” Yaoyao was squatting on the ground, leafing through a yellowed comic book. Her eyes instantly brightened. “Thank you, Grandma. You’re so good to me!”
A lollipop might be nothing to other children, but to Yaoyao, it was a luxury.
She and her mother depended on each other; sometimes there wasn’t enough to eat, let alone treats like lollipops. Only on her birthday would Qin Xiaorou buy her one, which she would savor for a long time. Even after finishing it, she couldn’t bear to throw away the stick and would carefully keep it as a treasure.
“Come on, Grandma will buy you one!” Yang Huijuan scooped Yaoyao into her arms, and together they went out. Qin Xiaomeng stayed home to prepare dishes, figuring that Chu Tianhe would be back soon.
“Well, well, isn’t this the little bastard from the Qin family?” As they left the community and turned onto the second street corner where the nearest convenience store stood, the shopkeeper spotted Yang Huijuan carrying Yaoyao and looked at them with undisguised contempt.
People here looked down on Fengshun Community’s residents. Their reputation was poor, and in the eyes of this shopkeeper, everyone from Fengshun was a thief; if you turned your back, they’d swipe something.
Such incidents weren’t rare, so he had nothing but disdain for anyone from Fengshun.
“Who are you calling a bastard?”
Yang Huijuan’s anger flared at once. She’d only come to buy a lollipop, yet was met with such slander—who could tolerate that?
“Who else? That little girl you’re carrying.”
“Her mother was so pretty, must have flirted with too many men. Who knows which random guy fathered this bastard!”
“I bet it was some guy who had his fun and then didn’t want to take responsibility.”
“A bastard with a mother but no father to raise her!”
The shopkeeper curled his lip and impatiently glanced at them. Previously, it was always Qin Xiaorou who came shopping with Yaoyao. Her beauty attracted countless men, and the shopkeeper was no exception. He would sometimes give her leftover vegetables, using the opportunity to sneak a few glances at her.
Once, while Qin Xiaorou wasn’t paying attention, he even lifted her skirt. To this day, he couldn’t forget the scenery beneath that skirt—her jade-like slender legs and the pink underwear—a memory he could savor for a lifetime.