Chapter 7: Close at Hand

Chapter 7: Close at Hand

People are naturally drawn to beauty.

When a person is pleasing to the eye, it brings joy not only to themselves but also to others. It’s wonderful.

Su Taotao poked at Chenchen’s pudgy cheeks, feeling satisfied with everything. Such a well-behaved and good-looking child was hers, and it made her heart swell with joy.

After washing, although Chenchen’s face was a bit sun-tanned and thin, his features were fine. He looked obedient and soft, truly endearing.

Su Taotao couldn’t resist and leaned down to kiss him on the cheek.

Chenchen was puzzled and uncomfortable with her sudden affection, puffing out his cheeks and rubbing the spot she had kissed. He looked at Su Taotao innocently, as if asking, "What are you doing?"

Su Taotao wished she could kiss him more but didn’t want to scare him.

She gently took his small hand and placed it in the basin, murmuring, "Mommy kisses you because she loves you so much. Now let's wash our hands. Rub both the palms and backs of our hands. Viruses and bacteria will stay away from us. Chenchen, remember to brush your teeth and wash your face right after you wake up every day. Also, remember to wash your hands before every meal."

Children in the countryside were raised more simply, and while Zhou Linglan had taken relatively good care of Chenchen, she was too busy. In those days, children were left to their own devices, and hygiene wasn’t as emphasized as Su Taotao now made it seem.

Ever since Su Taotao had forcibly carried Chenchen into the bathroom, his little brows had been furrowed. This new behavior from his mother felt very strange to him. He didn’t dislike it, just felt very uncomfortable.

Fu Yuanhang’s eyes had never left Chenchen. The more he thought about it, the more panicked he became. His elder brother’s wife had never cared about Chenchen’s daily needs, so why was she personally grooming him today? Something was wrong! She must be cleaning Chenchen to sell him for a good price!

That must be it! And she had been rambling on and on to Chenchen—definitely saying goodbye!

It had to be like this!

Before Su Taotao came out, Fu Yuanhang quickly threw down the small shovel and ran into the kitchen.

"Mom, I think Big Sister-in-law is planning to sell Chenchen!"

Zhou Linglan was startled by his abrupt words and quickly looked outside. Seeing that Su Taotao was still in the bathroom, she patted her younger son’s arm lightly and whispered, "What nonsense are you spouting early in the morning? How could your elder sister-in-law possibly sell her own son?"

Fu Yuanhang stomped his feet anxiously. "Mom, didn’t you see how good she was to Chenchen today? She was smiling at him the whole time and even washed him thoroughly. She told him so many things, more than she’s ever said to him since he was born. It’s very abnormal. Didn’t you know she’s spent all the money Big Brother left for her? Two days ago, she even scolded us for eating pig food. How could she possibly be eating coarse grains and wild vegetables with us? Her sudden change must be to lower our guard, and then she’ll take Chenchen to exchange for money and return to the city. We have to keep an eye on him!"

Zhou Linglan’s anxiety grew. Thinking about the mess her daughter-in-law had caused in the past, she had to admit that such a thing wasn’t impossible.

At that moment, Su Taotao entered with Chenchen, who was washed clean. "Mom, Yuanhang, what shall we have for breakfast?"

Zhou Linglan looked at her grandson, who was washed clean, his hair neatly combed, looking much more spirited than usual. Recalling her younger son’s words, her eyelid twitched.

She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart before saying, "Sweet potato porridge and pickles."

After checking the chicken coop, Su Taotao asked, "Can our chickens lay two eggs a day?"

Zhou Linglan nodded. "Yes, Yuanhang digs earthworms for them every day, and they lay quite large eggs. The supply and marketing cooperative offers eight cents per egg."

Back then, eggs were a valuable commodity. The supply and marketing cooperative would accept them, with a regular-sized egg fetching about five to six cents, while larger ones could get seven to eight cents.

Su Taotao had never cared about these things before.

Su Taotao said, "From now on, we’ll keep the eggs for ourselves to eat. Don’t worry about money; I’ll figure something out. Oh, by the way, I’m taking Chenchen to town later to handle some business."

"Bang!" The aluminum tray in Fu Yuanhang's hand fell to the ground. Without saying a word, he stormed over with a dark expression, snatched Chenchen into his arms, and shouted at Su Taotao, "If you want to go to the county, go on your own. Even if you want to return to the city, we can't stop you. But you can't take Chenchen away! And you can't sell him off..."

"Yuanhang!" Zhou Linglan intervened just in time to stop him.

Fu Yuanhang's eyes turned red as he clamped his mouth shut, stubbornly staring at Su Taotao.

There’s no way I’m letting her take Chenchen unless she steps over my dead body! Chenchen was his elder brother's son, his own nephew, and someone he had helped raise bit by bit.

Zhou Linglan pieced things together, her face going pale. It seemed her younger son's suspicions might actually be true. Filled with shock and fear, she pleaded with Su Taotao, "Taotao, we can agree to anything else, but Chenchen is the only flesh and blood you and Zhengtu have. Can you..."

"Mom, Yuanhang, what are you two thinking?" Su Taotao was both amused and exasperated. Just hearing the word "sell" and seeing Yuanhang's defensive reaction was enough to tell her they had completely misunderstood.

How could she, who cherished this little one so much, do something so heinous? Though, if it were the original owner of this body, it might be a different story.

Su Taotao dusted off the promissory note and handed it to them. "Look, this is something my father gave me before I went to the countryside. I'm planning to go to the county to ask the person on this note for money. What are you two thinking? Were you not listening to what I said last night? Even if I were utterly ruthless, I wouldn’t do something like that. I've been clear; we're family. You need to trust me. We need to trust each other and move forward as a family."

Both Zhou Linglan and Fu Yuanhang could read, and they leaned in to examine the promissory note from start to finish. They exchanged glances, both feeling a little lost.

Su Taotao then passed the photo to them, pointing at Su Donghan. "This is my father," and then showing Chenchen, "Chenchen, look, this is your grandfather. I do plan to take you to the city to visit him, but not now."

Su Taotao then pointed at another person in the photo. "This is Cao Guohua, who borrowed money from our family. I'm planning to take Chenchen to the county to ask him for the money. Raising a kid is tough, and having Chenchen with me will make it harder for him to deny the debt. It’ll also give him a chance to see more of the world."

Realizing his mistake, Fu Yuanhang blushed and mumbled under his breath, "I'm sorry."

Chenchen tilted his head and stared at the photo for a long time before suddenly pointing at it and then gesturing toward the kitchen window.

Zhou Linglan was so deep in thought that she didn’t even notice how strange it looked. She too stared at the person in the photo for a long while before asking Fu Yuanhang, "Yuanhang, doesn't this person look a bit familiar to you?"

Fu Yuanhang hadn't been paying close attention and was still looking out the window. When he finally focused, he paused and pointed out the kitchen window, just like Chenchen. "That person? Teacher Cao?"