Chapter 156: Profound Gratitude
Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Profound Gratitude
"This is the written statement from Li Si, and these are the household registration booklets for the two kids. I brought them all over for you." Fu Xiaoxiao took out the kids’ household registrations from inside her jacket. With these, Chen Xiu could have them registered under her name.
"I...I don’t even know how to thank you." Seeing the papers Fu Xiaoxiao handed over, Chen Xiu looked through them one by one, confirmed they were all real, then hugged her two children tightly, choking up as she spoke.
"Sister Chen Xiu, from now on Li Si will take thirty yuan out of his monthly allowance and remit it to you to support the kids." The last bit of news had already made Chen Xiu overjoyed; this one left her completely stunned.
"Li Si, that Li Si, would really be willing to hand over thirty yuan to me?" It wasn’t that Chen Xiu didn’t believe Fu Xiaoxiao; she just didn’t believe Li Si would ever agree to it.
Back when they weren’t divorced, Li Si still wouldn’t give her money. Now they’re divorced, and he’d actually take out this money?
"Mom, this is money Mr. Lu and Mrs. Fu helped us get!" That day, Li Lei saw Lu Feng drag Li Si outside, and after they came back Li Si agreed to give money. He was sure it had to be Fu Xiaoxiao and Lu Feng who made it happen.
"Sis, I...I..." Chen Xiu looked at Fu Xiaoxiao, too emotional to speak clearly. In the end she pulled Li Lei and Li Sen with her and dropped to her knees right in front of Fu Xiaoxiao.
"Thank you, I really—really...thank you." Chen Xiu had already resigned herself to going back. She missed her two kids so much she couldn’t sleep at night.
"Little girl, you’re our family’s benefactor." Li Yanan hadn’t expected Fu Xiaoxiao to do so much for Chen Xiu, and even bring the two kids back to her. Faced with such a huge kindness, they truly didn’t know how they could ever repay her.
"Kids without a mother are like weeds; kids with a mother are treasures." Fu Xiaoxiao quickly helped Chen Xiu and the two little ones up, rubbed the children’s heads, and said seriously, "Li Si wants to rack up military merits and climb higher, he can’t manage the two kids. I just used a bit of public opinion pressure to force him to let them come back to you."
"He kept the kids just to spite you. He’s simply not fit to be a father; he can’t take care of them. In just a few short days he was already impatient, hiding out in the barracks and leaving the two kids at home, completely ignoring them." Fu Xiaoxiao told her all about Li Si’s neglect over these days, so Chen Xiu would know exactly what kind of life the children had without her.
Sure enough, when Chen Xiu heard the two children had been left all alone at home, her heart ached terribly.
"Little girl, you did the right thing. But to go this far for Xiu’er—you’re one of a kind." Li Yanan gripped Fu Xiaoxiao’s hand and patted it. Her deep sense of loyalty and kindness, her courage—it all left Li Yanan deeply shaken. In this era, there really weren’t many people who would do so much.
"Auntie, please don’t say that." Fu Xiaoxiao replied, embarrassed.
Li Yanan smiled, patted her again, and didn’t say more.
No amount of thanks could really express how she felt right now.
"Mom, why aren’t you cooking?" Chen Hao and the others came back from work and found dinner wasn’t made yet, so he shouted in the yard.
Li Yanan rolled her eyes and turned to walk out. "What are you yelling for? We’ve got an honored guest at home. You all treat them well, I’ll go cook right now!"
"Honored guest? Who? Don’t tell me it’s that punk Li Si?" Chen Hao’s face darkened. His little sister had been crying secretly these days; the whole family could hear it, but there was nothing they could do. All he’d been wanting was to give Li Si a good beating.
Thinking Li Si had come to pick up Chen Xiu, Chen Hao grabbed a hoe and was about to rush in.
"What are you doing, you brat? Use your brain, will you? If it were Li Si, I wouldn’t even let him through this door, so why would I need you with a hoe?" Li Yanan glared at her son, afraid he’d offend Fu Xiaoxiao, and stepped up to give him a good thrashing.
"Ow, ow, Mom! That hurts..." Chen Hao darted around trying to escape his mother’s blows.
Fu Xiaoxiao walked out leading Lu Lin and Lu Chen, saw Chen Hao, and smiled. "Long time no see, Second Brother Chen."
"Ah, ah, ah! You’re that—that neighbor girl from next door!" Chen Hao pointed at Fu Xiaoxiao excitedly, his finger trembling for ages before he finally remembered her name. "Xiao Xiao!"
"Right." Fu Xiaoxiao smiled and nodded at him. "This is Xiao Lin and Xiao Chen. Call him Second Uncle."
"Second Uncle."
"Hey!" Chen Hao happily scratched his head, then started patting himself all over, but found nothing. He rushed into the kitchen to ask Li Yanan for something.
Li Yanan glanced at him. For the first time she didn’t jab at him, and readily gave him four yuan.
Chen Hao ran back to his room, found two red envelopes, then came out and shoved them into Lu Lin and Lu Chen’s hands. He had one more, which he pressed into Fu Xiaoxiao’s hand. "This is Second Uncle’s meeting gift for you three. Little Sis, this one’s for you."
"Huh?" Fu Xiaoxiao looked down at the red envelope in her hand.
"Take it, it’s your meeting gift. Last time I came in a rush and didn’t bring anything. You agreed to be our little sister, so you have no reason not to accept this red envelope. If you don’t, I’ll get mad and complain to Mom." Chen Hao ’threatened’ her.
"Thank you, Second Brother." Seeing how serious his eyes were, Fu Xiaoxiao accepted it graciously.
"That’s more like it! We’re family, don’t be polite." Seeing that Fu Xiaoxiao didn’t fuss and just took it, Chen Hao was overjoyed.
"Come on, Second Uncle will give you a hug." Looking at Lu Lin and Lu Chen, Chen Hao laughed and lifted them high up into the air.
"Again, Second Uncle!" Lu Chen was thrilled. He loved this kind of game and kept shouting for Chen Hao to toss him again and again.
Chen Hao didn’t get annoyed at all and played along with him.
"By the way, Little Sis, how come you’re here? Did you come especially to see us?" Chen Hao still didn’t know that Fu Xiaoxiao had brought Li Lei and Li Sen back; he thought it was just Lu Lin and Lu Chen.
"Xiao Xiao brought Xiu’er’s ’Stone’ and ’Wood’ back. From now on they can stay at home." Holding a ladle of water in her hand, Li Yanan smacked Chen Hao on the head with it and said to him.
"What?" Chen Hao was so shocked he put Lu Chen down and ran straight into Chen Xiu’s room, where he saw her holding the two kids and pouring out all the longing she’d felt over this period.
"Second Brother." Chen Xiu saw Chen Hao rush in, looking completely dumbfounded, and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, smiling at him.
"Uncle." Li Lei and Li Sen were excited to see Chen Hao too. They loved this second uncle who would go wild with them.
"Oh my! My Stone and my Wood for real." Chen Hao rushed over and hugged them, making sure he wasn’t dreaming. He rubbed one, pinched the other, thrilled beyond words.
"It was Xiao Xiao. She saved my life." Holding the two kids, Chen Xiu choked out to Chen Hao.
Just thinking of how Fu Xiaoxiao had come all this way with four children, traveling thousands of miles to bring Stone and Wood back to her side, made Chen Xiu’s eyes redden with emotion.
"She’s our family’s great benefactor." Chen Hao and Chen Xiu looked at each other and spoke with firm conviction.
Fu Xiaoxiao sat in the yard with Lu Lin and Lu Chen. The Chen Family members came back one after another, and when they saw Fu Xiaoxiao sitting there in the yard, they were all dumbstruck.
"Which family’s relative is this? Did she come to the wrong house?"