Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

’This mother-in-law is always making a big deal about how amazing her son is. Doesn’t she know there’s always a bigger fish in the sea? Plenty of people are more capable than her son!’

”Heh, I wouldn’t dare,” Xia Yingyu said with a cold laugh. ”If your son wants a new woman, tell him to divorce me. I’ll leave right now. Say what you will, even if I, Xia Yingyu, am past my prime, I can still find someone else to marry. It’s just that your grandson will have to call another man ’Dad’ and take his last name.”

Zhao Jinghai watched helplessly as his wife and mother argued. He deeply missed the old Xia Yingyu, the one who never talked back no matter what his mother said. When exactly did Xia Yingyu become so sharp-tongued?

’Was it about six months ago?’

’Sigh. It was that wretched girl, Zhao Nuanyue, whose words provoked Xia Yingyu and made her so difficult to handle. As for his unreasonable mother, she was just a village shrew. She’d been like that her whole life and would never change, so he never thought about trying to change her.’

At that moment, Zhao Jinghai detested Zhao Nuanyue, believing she was the main culprit behind the disruption of their family’s harmony. However, the thought that Zhao Nuanyue would soon bring him immense benefits made it easy for him to let go of his anger.

”Stop fighting, both of you! Can’t we just have a quiet meal for once?” Zhao Huilan shouted. ”Xia Yingyu, is that any way to talk to your elders? How disrespectful!”

”Heh, there are plenty of people more impressive than me. In any case, I can’t compare to you, shouting and screaming at your own stepmother. Isn’t that even more ill-mannered?” Xia Yingyu scoffed. She then picked up her rice bowl and started eating, ignoring Zhao Huilan’s livid face.

Zhao Jinghai slammed his hand on the table and barked, ”That’s enough! No more talking! Eat!”

Zhao Huilan wanted to say more, but Wang Lianhua pulled her back.

Xia Yingyu paid them no mind. Once she finished eating, she put down her bowl and chopsticks and went back to her room to rest.

Seeing this, Wang Lianhua was so furious she could spit fire. Her daughter-in-law was like a completely different person now. Not only did she refuse to do any work, but all she did all day was argue.

”Mom, I’ll go talk to Yingyu in a bit. Don’t be angry,” Zhao Jinghai said. He saw his mother was so enraged she could hardly breathe and was afraid she’d make herself sick.

”If it weren’t for my grandson, I would have slapped her across the face a long time ago,” Wang Lianhua cursed. ”Just wait until she gives birth. See if I don’t teach her a lesson then!”

Zhao Huilan chimed in from the side, ”Grandma, you should put her in her place. Otherwise, some people get so full of themselves they don’t know up from down.”

”That’s enough. Eat,” Zhao Jinghai said, glaring irritably at Zhao Huilan. ”Yingyu is my wife. Anyone who gives her a hard time is giving me a hard time.”

Zhao Huilan grew angry and pouted. ”Grandma, look at my dad. He only has eyes for that woman. If she really gives birth to a son, there won’t be any place for me in this family.”

”Alright, that’s enough out of you. Your father is getting on in years, and it hasn’t been easy for him to finally be having a son. Don’t make such discouraging remarks. After all, your dad will only have two children: you and the son in that woman’s belly. Who would he dote on if not you two? Once your dad gets his promotion, I’ll start looking for a husband for you. I’ll find you a fine young man from a first-class family.” Wang Lianhua comforted her granddaughter, and in doing so, comforted herself, which made her feel a little better.

”Grandma, what are you talking about? I want to stay and take care of you!” Zhao Huilan glanced toward Xia Yingyu’s room and sneered. ”In this family, my dad is completely henpecked. If I get married off too early, what will you do when that woman bullies you and there’s no one to help?”

Hearing her granddaughter’s words, Wang Lianhua felt she was even more considerate. ”I didn’t raise my granddaughter for nothing,” she said. ”You know to stand by your grandma’s side.”

”Of course. After my parents divorced, if it weren’t for you, Grandma, that duplicitous woman would have bullied me to death by now,” Zhao Huilan said with a pout. ”So, Grandma, from now on, we have to team up against her. Otherwise, sooner or later, she’ll be walking all over you.”

”Yes, I see that now,” Wang Lianhua said angrily. ”Once she has that baby, just watch how I’ll handle her!”

While the grandmother and granddaughter whispered about how to deal with Xia Yingyu, Zhao Jinghai finished clearing the table and started smoking off to the side.

’Such family strife. It’s heart-wrenching!’

It was eight o’clock, and Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang still hadn’t returned.

Xia Yingyu started to worry. She came out of her room and asked, ”Jinghai, can you go outside and check on them? Why aren’t Nuanyang and Nuanyue back yet? Do you think they’re lost, or did they run into trouble?”

”Oh, please. They have hands and feet, and at least one of them isn’t an idiot. How could they get lost?” Zhao Huilan sneered. ”Besides, who would dare cause trouble here in the employee family compound? You’re worrying for nothing. When they get back, you’d better give them a good scolding. A grown girl, out after dark and not knowing to come home. So improper!”

”Exactly. Our Huilan is so sensible; she’s never been a cause for concern, even as a child,” Wang Lianhua chimed in. ”I’m telling you, those two kids of yours are just a pair of ungrateful whelps. They’re disobedient, too. You really need to have a serious talk with them.”

Xia Yingyu, worried for Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang’s safety, ignored the taunts from Wang Lianhua and Zhao Huilan. She looked at Zhao Jinghai and said, ”Are you going or not? Fine, if you won’t go, I will!”

With that, Xia Yingyu started for the door, tears streaming down her face.

’No wonder Nuanyue has always harbored such resentment for this family. With people like this, who could possibly accept them?’

Zhao Jinghai had only intended to give Xia Yingyu the cold shoulder for a bit, but he hadn’t expected her to get so worked up. And she was heavily pregnant! That old National Doctor had said it was most likely a boy. He was already forty; it had been so difficult to finally have a son. There couldn’t be any accidents!

”Alright, alright, I’ll go look. I’ll go out and look right now,” Zhao Jinghai said quickly. ”It’s dark out, and you’re pregnant. You shouldn’t go out.”

Seeing that Zhao Jinghai was willing to go look for them, Xia Yingyu stopped insisting.

After Zhao Jinghai went out, Wang Lianhua followed him.

Xia Yingyu frowned and started to follow, but Zhao Huilan blocked the doorway, preventing her from leaving.

”Since you’re pregnant, you should act like it and not run around everywhere. My dad and my grandma have both gone out to look. Are you still not satisfied? You still want to go out?” Zhao Huilan asked with a sneer. ”If it weren’t for the fact that you’re pregnant—and that my grandma and my dad both want a son—I wouldn’t be stopping you. I’d be hoping something happened to you!”

Hearing Zhao Huilan’s venomous words, Xia Yingyu didn’t dare go out. If something really did happen to her, she would be seen as the one to blame. Zhao Jinghai wouldn’t be able to protect her, and she would never be able to hold her head high in this family again.

Seeing Xia Yingyu sit down meekly on the sofa, Zhao Huilan let out a few sneers. Her heart filled with even more contempt for her stepmother as she turned and went to wash up.