The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 160: Chapter 160: Unfortunate, Yet Fortunate

Wu Cuicui looked exhausted as she brought Han Xiaorui a basket of fruit and nutritional supplements like malted milk.

”My aunt has been discharged from the hospital, and my uncle is at home. We have so much fruit and so many nutritional supplements at home we can’t possibly finish them, so he asked me to bring some to you.”

”Thank you so much for helping me look after Minmin these past few days. I really couldn’t have managed otherwise; I just can’t be in two places at once.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”We’re all friends here. All this thanking back and forth feels too distant.”

Han Xiaorui was too embarrassed to ask more, but Granny Cai had no such reservations. ”Cuicui, your aunt’s been discharged. What about Lili and the baby?”

Wu Cuicui sighed, her eyes turning red. She gestured with her hands to show the size. ”The baby is still in an incubator at the hospital! Jianguo is watching over her there, while my uncle and I are at home taking care of my aunt. The poor thing was premature, much smaller than a full-term baby.”

”As for Zhang Lili, she’s been discharged too. She went back to her parents’ home, and they’re processing the divorce paperwork.”

Liang Xiaoyu quickly asked, ”How much did all this cost?”

Wu Cuicui was so frustrated she couldn’t keep it in anymore. She didn’t care about the old saying about not airing one’s dirty laundry in public; she just had to let it all out.

’After all, Yang Jianming was the shameless one, not her. Why shouldn’t she be able to talk about it?’

”Jianming’s foreign woman paid five hundred thousand yuan. The Zhang family agreed to a settlement and Yang Jianming was released.”

”Yang Jianming left with that foreign woman, Anna, the very same day. He barely glanced at the baby, said she was small, and left her for Zhang Lili, claiming that the five hundred thousand included child support.”

”What a piece of trash. A person like that doesn’t deserve to have children,” Han Xiaorui cursed, feeling a surge of empathy. ”Didn’t Uncle Yang beat him up?”

”Of course he did!” Wu Cuicui said hatefully. ”They were in the hospital. If the doctors hadn’t pulled them apart, he probably would have beaten Yang Jianming badly enough to get him admitted. He scrambled away and ran off with that foreign woman!”

Granny Cai asked anxiously, ”What about the baby? If she’s really given to the Zhang family, the child will have a bitter life, even if she survives.”

Wu Cuicui spoke in a rush. ”Of course we can’t let them have her! My uncle is the kindest person. Zhang Lili and her parents knew this and took advantage of it. They demanded a flat five hundred thousand yuan and wouldn’t give up custody for a single penny less.”

”Five hundred thousand?” Granny Cai exclaimed. ”Did Zhigang pay it?”

Wu Cuicui shook her head. ”My uncle felt so bad for the baby that he was ready to borrow the money. But then Lawyer Chen showed up. Having him handle it was much better than us trying to argue, since we aren’t good with words. He used the opportunity to record the Zhang family and Zhang Lili saying all sorts of irresponsible things, proving they only cared about the money.”

”What’s more, Lawyer Chen even persuaded a doctor to act as a witness, to testify that Zhang Lili and her family truly had no intention of raising the child and had been completely neglecting her.”

”And then what?” Liang Xiaoyu asked eagerly. The whole story was so intense. ”Here, drink some water to wet your throat.”

Wu Cuicui didn’t refuse. She took the water Liang Xiaoyu poured for her and finished it in a few gulps.

”Lawyer Chen told them straight up that with this evidence alone, they had enough to win in court and ensure custody would be awarded to the father’s family anyway.”

”In the end, my uncle decided a lawsuit would be too much hassle and would take too long. He was also worried something might go wrong, and he felt responsible for not raising Yang Jianming better. He ended up giving Zhang Lili ten thousand yuan, calling it compensation for her nutritional expenses during childbirth.”

”They’ll probably get the divorce papers finalized in the next day or two. Once Zhang Lili and her parents got the money, they just left. Ugh, they didn’t even spare a single glance for the baby before they went. That irresponsible pair... they don’t deserve to be parents.”

After hearing the story, Granny Cai sighed. ”Zhigang is such a kind-hearted man. It’s unfortunate that this child was born to the Yang Family, but in a way, it’s also a blessing.”

”I reckon your uncle will hire someone in the village to look after Zhang Xiufang, and once the baby is out of the hospital, he’ll ask you to help take care of her.”

Wu Cuicui nodded and smiled with relief. ”Back when I had Minmin, I hemorrhaged badly and can’t have any more children. Since this baby’s parents don’t want her, I’ll raise her.”

”My uncle said he’ll cover her living expenses so she won’t be a burden on our family, and Jianguo and I agreed. When I was at the hospital, I went to see her several times a day, just like she was my own.”

Granny Cai patted Wu Cuicui’s back. ”My dear, you’ve been through a lot. You have such a kind heart. It might be difficult now, but when she’s grown, you’ll have two daughters.”

Wu Cuicui nodded and smiled. ”My uncle said the same thing. From now on, she’ll be my and Jianguo’s child. Yang Jianming and Lili don’t deserve to be parents.”

’Wu Cuicui really is a good, kind-hearted person,’ Han Xiaorui thought, moved.

’The emergency treatments for her premature birth were given without a second thought to the cost—they’d spend anything as long as she survived. And now, she had someone who would truly love and raise her.’

’This unfortunate premature baby was, in the end, actually quite lucky.’

After sitting for a little longer, Wu Cuicui checked the watch on her wrist. ”I’ve been out for a while now, and I still have to make dinner. I’ll come back when I have more time.”

Han Xiaorui grabbed a basket and filled it with over a dozen large honey peaches. ”Sister Cuicui, take these with you. And if you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Wu Cuicui smiled and nodded. ”Alright! Just a moment ago, Uncle Qi mentioned that when he went out to sea with you this time, not only did you get a massive haul, but you sold it for over a hundred thousand yuan. My uncle said he wants to thank you properly too!”

Han Xiaorui waved her hand dismissively. ”It was nothing! Don’t give it a second thought. We’ll all go visit once the baby is out of the hospital.”

”Okay!” Having vented all her frustrations, Wu Cuicui felt much more at ease, and a genuine smile returned to her face.

After Wu Cuicui left, Granny Cai sighed, full of emotion. ”You know, people really have to live by their conscience. Jianming was always smart, ever since he was a boy. Of all the kids in the village, he had it the best, and he was the cleverest.”

”But while that boy was better than others at everything, his heart was never in the right place. He just does whatever he wants. Just you wait. If he keeps on like this, he’ll have a miserable old age.”

’As for her ex-husband, Han Xiaorui couldn’t be bothered to comment on him now. It had nothing to do with her anymore, anyway.’

Seeing Han Xiaorui remain silent, Liang Xiaoyu shot her mother-in-law a look, signaling her to stop talking about Yang Jianming. ”But at least they managed to get the baby back. It’s a pretty good outcome, all things considered.”

Han Xiaorui was exasperatedly amused when she saw the mother- and daughter-in-law exchanging glances. ”It’s fine, you can talk about Yang Jianming. Really. The only reason I don’t is to maintain a bit of decorum for both our sakes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t.”

”I used to want to preserve a good impression of him for the kids, but he’s so despicable, shameless, and irresponsible. Now I’d rather people talk about him, so Pingping and An’an can see his true colors and not be fooled in the future. I can’t have them growing up, getting tricked by his sweet talk, and thinking he was a good father. I’d cry my eyes out!”

Hearing Han Xiaorui say this, both Granny Cai and Liang Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief. ”Right, the kids have to know. Ever since my son was little, I told him not to be like his father and fool around, and it worked out pretty well.”

Liang Xiaoyu quickly flattered her mother-in-law. ”Mom, that’s because you did such a great job raising him. I’m the one who reaped the benefits.”

”Of course!” Granny Cai said proudly. ”But you’re a good daughter-in-law, too—kind and filial. If you’re ever unhappy with Wenjun, you just tell me, and I’ll give him a talking-to.”

”Thanks, Mom,” Liang Xiaoyu said with a laugh. Just then, the weather forecast came over the radio. ”Ugh, so annoying. The weather won’t be good for another three days. Ever since I started fishing, I wish I could go out to sea every single day.”

Han Xiaorui was disappointed as well. ”I feel the same way now that I have a big boat. I want to go out every day. But summer brings a lot of typhoons and rain, so we’d better be careful.”

Liang Xiaoyu saw that Taozi had finished cleaning up, so she picked up a bucket. ”The rain has stopped now. I’m going to the beach to forage a bit and see what I can find.”

Han Xiaorui was feeling extremely bored too. Her eyes lit up; she had a premonition that this foraging trip would bring a delightful surprise. ”Sister-in-law Xiao Yu, wait for me! I want to go foraging too!”