Chapter 7: Contemplation

Chapter 7: Contemplation

Shen Caisheng's large palm left Yuan Lingling's entire lower back feeling warm.

When their eyes met, Yuan Lingling felt even more awkward and quickly lowered her gaze to avoid looking at him.

It made her seem like she was deliberately trying to make a scene.

Fortunately, Shen Caisheng didn't tease her this time. With a gentle push of his hand, he steadied her and said, "Be careful. You rest, I'll go cook."

His tone was serious, as if Yuan Lingling had imagined the earlier moment.

When he turned to comfort the child, however, he was gentle. "Yuan Yuan, play with your auntie. Brother Caisheng will make you some delicious steamed egg custard."

"Yay!" Hou Yuan's eyes sparkled as he clapped his little hands, watching Shen Caisheng head into the kitchen.

The courtyard was now just Yuan Lingling and the child.

Yuan Lingling had a feeling that the child would be a handful, but since he was brought back by Shen Caisheng, she couldn't just ignore him. Besides, she was already pregnant herself, and there was no way to avoid such situations in the future. She might as well treat this as practice.

"Yuan Yuan, how's your brother?" Yuan Lingling struck up a conversation, planning to get him some food later. After all, what child could resist the temptation of a tasty treat?

"My brother's in the hospital," Hou Yuan said, his expression still innocent, though he didn't try to act cute or please her as he had with Shen Caisheng. Still, he answered her question honestly.

Yuan Lingling paused, realizing she had asked a sensitive question. She didn't want to upset the child, so she quickly comforted him, "It's okay, your brother will get better soon. Don't worry too much." As she spoke, she reached out to pat the child's head, believing that physical contact could help build a closer bond.

But this time, Hou Yuan pulled away again.

"I'm not worried. My brother got hurt because he was teaching our cousin a lesson. He cut himself with a knife."

Yuan Lingling couldn't hide her surprise. "What did you say?"

The boy stepped closer, startling Yuan Lingling into stillness.

He took Yuan Lingling's hand and pressed it to his stomach. "Like this, and then his stomach started bleeding. He fell and was taken to the hospital."

"Is that really true?"

Yuan Lingling had no right to comment on what had happened to Hou Yuan's brother, but how could such a thing be witnessed by such a young child?

No wonder the child seemed wise beyond his years. And this little boy, who looked so innocent, turned out to be just as shrewd as the others. It seemed he had learned such things from his surroundings.

"Of course it's true! I saw it from behind the door, hehe." The child grinned, but Yuan Lingling couldn't muster a smile.

At least Hou Yuan's brother hadn't intentionally let the child see it, or else Yuan Lingling would have been even more disturbed.

The incident still bothered her, leaving her in a sour mood at dinner.

Since Shen Caisheng had decided to bring some food to Hou Yuan's brother, he kept the meal simple, serving only steamed eggs and winter melon soup with sliced pork.

Noticing Yuan Lingling's lack of appetite, Shen Caisheng tasted his tender pork slices and started doubting himself.

Was it really that unappetizing?

He glanced at Hou Yuan, who was eating heartily but kept glancing at Yuan Lingling.

Was the kid picking on her?

Lost in thought about the child's story, Yuan Lingling didn't notice Shen Caisheng's gaze.

Just as she was distracted, Shen Caisheng's voice suddenly reached her ears.

"Not your taste?"

His sudden question startled Yuan Lingling, causing her to drop her chopsticks onto the floor.

Yuan Lingling stood up to pick them up, but Shen Caisheng had already beaten her to it.

Seeing her expression, Shen Caisheng could tell something was on her mind.

He grabbed another pair of chopsticks from the holder nearby and handed them to her. "If there's something on your mind, you can just tell me directly." When he was thinking, he would unconsciously tighten his expression to prevent others from easily discerning his emotions, making him seem even more distant.

Coming back to her senses, Yuan Lingling quickly took the chopsticks, picked up a piece of meat, and stuffed it into her mouth, denying, "No, it's delicious. I was just lost in thought."

She didn't seem eager to say more, so Shen Caisheng simply said "Oh," and the two fell into silence again.

After a while, he remembered the matter from earlier and frowned slightly, asking softly, "Do you still want to get the money back from Xie Guanglian? If so, I'll go to his brother tomorrow to get it."

His sudden mention of Xie Guanglian made Yuan Lingling's heart skip a beat.

Then she thought of something: ever since he saw Xie Guanglian leaving the courtyard last time, he had brought up Xie Guanglian every time he returned. So, he had long suspected something was going on between her and Xie Guanglian and had been probing relentlessly.

Was he looking for a chance to strike?

She thought for a moment before replying, "Of course we should get it back. It's our money. Should we just let him keep it? Or are you two so close that it's awkward to ask for it back?"

Yuan Lingling took the initiative, pursing her lips as she looked at him. Her eyes were as clear as autumn waters, and even though Shen Caisheng had seen much of the world over the years, he couldn't help but look away slightly when their eyes met.

"No, I'll go get it back tomorrow," Shen Caisheng went back to eating, momentarily forgetting what he had intended to say.

Yuan Lingling also looked away from him. She wanted to talk to him, but she was afraid that saying too much might lead to trouble, so she silently lowered her head.

At that moment, Hou Yuan, who had been eating quietly, suddenly picked up a piece of meat and placed it in Yuan Lingling's bowl.

"Sister Lingling, eat. Don't dislike me."

Yuan Lingling looked up in surprise. "Who told you I don't like you?"

Had someone been saying something inappropriate in front of the child?

Anger rose in her heart. She despised people who used children without shame. How could this child keep encountering such situations? Thinking of this, she softened her tone. "Sister is just not used to being around such a well-behaved child."

This was both to comfort the child and to let Shen Caisheng know that he shouldn't doubt her just because of the child's words.

"So, does Sister like me?"

Yuan Lingling suppressed her confusion, her eyes curving into a smile. "Of course, Sister likes obedient children."

"I'm very obedient," Hou Yuan sat up straight.

Whether it was her own preconceived notions or not, seeing how attentive Yuan Yuan was, Yuan Lingling felt even more compassion for the child.

The sight of Hou Yuan getting injured would probably scare even an adult, let alone such a young child.

If he didn't feel fear, that was even more terrifying, as it suggested that such events had become normalized in the child's mind.

Yuan Lingling glanced at the child a few more times. She knew she couldn't just ignore the child.

"Can we talk alone?" She put down her chopsticks and turned to Shen Caisheng.

-

After the meal, Yuan Lingling and the other person took the child to the neighboring Ma family.

"We're going to the store to buy some things. Could you watch the child for us?"

Yang Ying's eyes swept over the two of them, and she gave a knowing look.

"Don't worry, I've known this child since he was a baby. You two go ahead."

Though she didn't say a word, her eyes were full of teasing.

Yuan Lingling's ears turned a bit red, but she kept her cool. They were already married, and if she acted too shy, she would surely be laughed at. As they say, if you're not embarrassed, then it's the other person who should be.

Sure enough, Shen Caisheng cleared his throat awkwardly and gently patted Yuan Lingling's arm. "Let's go."

Outwardly, he still seemed aloof, but the faint redness at the tips of his ears made Yuan Lingling's lips curl up. She chuckled, no longer feeling awkward, and followed him out of the Ma family's courtyard.

Afraid he might lose patience with her, Yuan Lingling wanted to get straight to the point after leaving the house, but when it came time to speak, she hesitated.

Was this something she, as an outsider, should know?

Would knowing too much get her locked up?

The thought of a dark, cramped room flashed through her mind, and her throat tightened, making her feel uneasy.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Over the years, Shen Caisheng had become good at reading people. He had just seen Yuan Lingling in good spirits, but now she seemed hesitant to speak, which was indeed strange.

Was Yuan Yuan's issue really that hard to talk about? Or was it about the Xie family?

"If you've got something to say, just spit it out. I'll definitely help if I can..." Shen Caisheng's gaze fell on Yuan Lingling's eyes, noticing her eyelashes flutter slightly.

Seeing this, he felt a sudden pang of panic, though he didn't show it on the surface. He coughed lightly again and didn't say anything more, waiting for Yuan Lingling's response.

Yuan Lingling wrestled with herself, but after some thought, she still couldn't bring herself to say it directly. Instead, she asked, "Um... what exactly happened to Houzi? Can you tell me about it?"

"I heard he was stabbed. What was so serious that it came to knives?"

Shen Caisheng was puzzled as to why she was asking this. She had never inquired about Houzi's affairs before, but when he turned to meet Yuan Lingling's gaze, he pursed his lips.

Her eyes were clear; she genuinely wanted to know.

After hesitating for so long, was it just to ask about this?

"It's nothing serious. He was just accidentally injured during an argument," he said casually.

Hearing this, Yuan Lingling lowered her eyes, and her heart sank.