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"You, co here." Xie Jinghong originally wanted to mock her husband a bit, but thinking of her family’s repeated reminders, she had to keep a straight face without revealing her inner emotions, silently taking her husband to the kitchen.
Fortunately, since Uncle Zhang ca over today, there were plenty of dishes prepared at ho, with quite a few leftovers, which saved her effort. She only needed to start the fire, then she could put the dishes and rice into the big pot to steam them, casually pouring him a pot of warm water—
"Xiao Hong!" Fan Jiefang, seeing his wife’s habitual action, had red rims around his eyes, his large hand enveloping hers, softly calling out.
"You, let go, go drink your water!" Xie Jinghong felt like slapping herself, why do you degrade yourself!
Fan Jiefang would not have been so emotionally unstable due to his wife’s ordinary habitual action if his wife and children hadn’t left for a few days.
In the past, having a mouthful of warm water when he ca ho and soone nagging him with the day’s details, talking about how their three sons were obedient or naughty... all of those things, turned out to be so precious!
Seeing that his wife was displeased, Fan Jiefang obediently let go of her hand and obediently drank the water.
Then, there was a mont of silence between the couple until the ’hissing’ boiling sound woke Xie Jinghong up, but before she could react, Fan Jiefang had already taken the hot dishes and rice out of the pot first.
Seeing this, Xie Jinghong simply took the empty water cup beside her hand, feeling the physicality of it in her hands, she then realized, no matter how much she showed hatred towards Fan Jiefang on the surface, her heart still regarded herself as Fan Jiefang’s wife.
Fan Jiefang, was still her husband.
She was still accustod to taking thorough care of him, seeing that his cup was empty, and without much thought, she acted imdiately.
Filling the cup with water, she slowly walked back to the dining table.
"Thank you." Fan Jiefang steadily took the water cup from his wife’s hand, knowing that his wife had a knot in her heart, he didn’t dare to do more, and pleasingly asked, "Xiao Hong, do you want to eat so more?"
"No need, I’m full, you go ahead and eat." Xie Jinghong shook her head, poured herself a cup of hot water, and sat opposite him, her eyes however, avoided making eye contact.
Her rough hands gripping the hot water cup, unconsciously exerted force.
"Then I’ll start eating." Confird that his wife wouldn’t leave him, coupled with extre hunger, Fan Jiefang sat down and started eating earnestly with his mouth chewing fast and a lot.
Obviously, he was really starving.
Xie Jinghong glanced from the corner of her eye, her husband seed darker and thinner.
By the ti Xie Jinghong realized what she was thinking, her face was burning with embarrassnt.
She really didn’t think that she had just been staring at her husband for ten minutes!
Fan Jiefang was almost full, and she, like a fool, how long had it been? Xie Jinghong awkwardly lowered her head, judging herself.
Compared to the disdain Xie Jinghong felt inside, Fan Jiefang appeared much more joyous on his face. Seeing his wife shyly lowering her head, he didn’t want to increase her embarrassnt and annoyance.
He stood up, first washed the bowls, dishes, and utensils, and put them away properly. This action gave Xie Jinghong a little ti to adjust her emotions.
Feeling that this little ti had helped his wife calm down, he then ca beside her, crouched in front of her, not wanting them to only face each other in silence in the future, he pleaded with her:
"Xiao Hong, can we talk, okay?"
"You say." Xie Jinghong had returned to normal, hearing her husband’s words, she nodded.
"Xiao Hong, I know I was wrong before, making you worried and scared, and causing the children to suffer... But, I never thought about giving the children away for adoption! They are our children, no matter how ruthless I am, I wouldn’t be ruthless towards our own children."
After hearing this, Xie Jinghong’s eyes gradually reddened, and she sniffed, "I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have doubted you."
"It’s not your fault, you did nothing wrong, it’s who hasn’t fulfilled my duties as a husband and father. Uh, Xiao Hong, do you forgive ?"
Fan Jiefang was surprised to hear his wife apologize so straightforwardly, and for a mont he was stunned, then he realized, did his wife really forgive him?!
"Jiefang, I know I was being petty, but I was truly scared at that ti. Woo woo, your mother always tries to take Xiao Xian away when you’re not around, I... I was really scared and didn’t know what to do, woo..."
By the end, Xie Jinghong covered her mouth and sobbed quietly, careful not to disturb her parents’ rest.
"...Why didn’t you tell ?" Fan Jiefang was startled when he heard this, and his heart tightened when he saw his wife turn her head away in tears.
His wife’s reaction made him realize that he must have handled the situation just as Yan Jinsu said, only soothing his mother and forgetting that his wife is a mother too. Which mother wouldn’t be emotionally stirred when soone tries to take her children away?
"What could I have done if I told you, you..."
"I’m sorry, I’m the one who should apologize! It’s my fault for not protecting you and the children, making you all worried and scared! It’s my fault for being useless!" Fan Jiefang hugged his wife tightly into his arms, scolding himself deeply.
"Woo..." Xie Jinghong tried to say sothing, but her sadness and distress were quickly drawn out by her husband.
She can’t hit or scold her mother-in-law, and besides taking the children and fleeing back to her parents’ ho, she really didn’t know what else to do!
As for her hesitation to physically confront her mother-in-law, besides her upbringing, the main reason was that she still cared about Fan Jiefang. If she were to recklessly fight back, even if they achieved their goal, there would definitely be emotional scars left.
The man in front of her, her husband, the father of her children, how could she not care about him?
"It’s my fault, Xiao Hong, my mistake. Don’t be scared, mom, she won’t bring up adoption again. She... she has gone back to the old house, she won’t interfere with Fan Fengshou’s family matters anymore."
"Ah?" Although Xie Jinghong was upset, she heard her husband’s words clearly and wanted to push him away to ask for more details.
However, Fan Jiefang held her even tighter, because tears were in his eyes too, and his voice choked up:
"Xiao Hong, mother, she has gone back to the old house. She was hurt by Fan Fengshou, and she returned last night. She has promised personally that she won’t ntion adopting the children anymore."
"What, what happened?" Xie Jinghong could hardly imagine, how her mother-in-law, who was always formidable, could so easily back down and give up on adoption?
When Fan Jiefang thought about last night, how he took his mother back to the old house, and she pleaded with him not to let the brothers beco estranged, that everything was her fault as a mother, to bla her, and from now on she would stop troubling his wife.
She said she would spend her remaining years in the old house, to atone for her sins to her Fengshou, to repent to her elder aunt...
If Fan Fengshou only plotted against his siblings, Li Xiaochun’s reaction might not have been so intense, but Fan Fengshou actually implicated Li Xiaochun’s greatly valued elder aunt!
For Li Xiaochun, elder brother-in-law, and late husband mattered less compared to the help from her elder aunt! During the ten-plus years she joined the Fan Family, she always supported and was mostly supported by her elder aunt.
When her husband died, it was the elder aunt who helped her through the hard tis, so Li Xiaochun depended on and valued her elder aunt even more than her own family.
Now, Fan Fengshou had touched the most sacred part of her heart, effectively clearing the ’resentnt’ Li Xiaochun had always held towards an assud enemy, thus making her and her children the wrong ones!
This realization caused imnse pain in Li Xiaochun’s heart!
Soone she thought had betrayed her, had actually never betrayed her; instead, her child had first betrayed her as the mother, she had first betrayed her elder aunt!
Upon realizing this, Li Xiaochun wanted to stay alone in the old house, fasting and praying to atone for her ignorance and to repent to her elder aunt.
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