Chapter 96: Are You Capable or Not?

Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Are You Capable or Not?

If Shen Songyao hadn’t seemed like a whole new person lately, a furious Song Pengfei would never have let it slip. The secret would have been safe.

But Liu Yumin and Song Pengfei had repeatedly warned Zheng Cuiyun not to breathe a word of it in front of Shen Songyao!

Otherwise, not only would Liu Yumin end up in jail, but she’d also have to pay back all the money she had taken.

So even though Zheng Cuiyun was shaking with anger, she forced herself to swallow her words.

She squatted down, grabbing her son’s hand.

"Don’t be scared, Li Wen. Mom’s going to take you home right now."

"No matter how much she demands, Mom will sell everything we own to get you back!"

With that, she immediately stood and headed for the door.

Li Hanchen’s brow tightened.

"Sister-in-law, if that mouth of yours can’t change its tune, I suggest you settle the last two years of rent and interest before you visit again."

Zheng Cuiyun froze, her head snapping around to stare at him.

Li Hanchen didn’t even raise his eyes, his face as cold as iron.

Mrs. Cao spat in disgust as well.

"That’s right! Such a shortsighted fool. Ungrateful for a wonderful sister-in-law like her, always scheming to get ahead. It serves her right to be down on her luck!"

With that, she turned and went inside, the door slamming shut with a loud SLAM.

"Cursing people the moment she opens her mouth. Is she not afraid she’ll trip over that tongue of hers in her dreams?"

Shen Songyao’s eyes sparkled as she gazed up at Li Hanchen beside her.

She had worried he was too much of a stickler for rules, that he would find her methods ungracious.

But as it turned out?

He hadn’t objected at all. In fact, he had tacitly approved!

A warmth flooded her heart, and her hand shot out, landing a crisp slap on Li Hanchen’s backside.

"Honey, you get me completely!"

Li Hanchen went completely stiff, clenching his jaw so tightly he didn’t make a sound.

He seized her wrist before she could cause more trouble and hissed in a low voice.

"We’re outside! Behave yourself!"

Shen Songyao immediately retracted her claws, nodding eagerly.

"Okay, okay! I got it, I got it!"

In truth, her pat had been so quick and discreet that no one else could have possibly seen where it landed.

Yet the tips of Li Hanchen’s ears instantly turned beet-red.

Mrs. Cao didn’t see the slap, but hearing Shen Songyao’s sweet "Honey," she chimed in cheerfully.

"My, you two are so sweet together!"

"So in love and so young, how could you not want children?"

"It’s so good that you’ve finally come around! You can only truly count on your own kids. To be frank, an adopted child isn’t your own flesh and blood. Who can guarantee how things will turn out?"

Shen Songyao immediately chimed in, her voice a mixture of sweetness and regret.

"Isn’t that the truth! I was so naive a few years ago. I’d believe anything anyone told me. Looking back, I was an absolute fool!"

As soon as she finished berating herself, Mrs. Cao patted the back of her hand.

"Don’t say that. Better to wise up sooner than later!"

"I was just like that back in the day—thin-skinned as paper. I could never bring myself to put my foot down."

"Oh, those were tough times! You try to be polite, and people treat you like a pushover. You give an inch, and they take a mile, walking all over you like a doormat!"

"Then I just stopped caring! If someone messes with me, I flip out right then and there. If someone tries to humiliate me, I humiliate their entire family! A good name? Who needs it! Once I ditched all that useless baggage, I could stand tall. Life got smoother, and now everyone gives me a wide berth, terrified of provoking me!"

Shen Songyao listened, her eyes shining with admiration.

The moment Mrs. Cao finished speaking, Shen Songyao blurted out.

"Mrs. Cao, I have to learn from you!"

Listening from the side, Zheng Cuiyun’s blood was boiling. Her face went pale with rage, but she didn’t dare make a sound.

Why?

She was afraid Li Hanchen would dredge up old debts and demand the rent money—with compound interest!

She could only crouch down and whisper to her son.

"After I leave, you ignore that fat woman! If she tells you to move things, sweep, or wipe tables, you just start yelling. The louder, the better. The more people around, the better. If you cause a huge scene, *she’s* the one who’ll be embarrassed, and then she won’t dare boss you around!"

The rims of Li Wen’s eyes turned red, and tears started to fall.

"Then... when will you come back for me?"

"When, exactly?"

"Three days? Four?"

Seeing her son cry, Zheng Cuiyun felt a sting in her own nose. She wiped her own tears as she dabbed at his.

"Five days! Five at the most! The second I get home, I’ll get the money from your grandma and hurry back for you!"

"Really?"

Li Wen’s voice trembled, his eyes full of fear.

"I promise I’m not lying!"

Zheng Cuiyun nodded emphatically, staring intently at her son.

"Have I ever broken a promise to you in my entire life?"

"Remember, if they try to order you to do any work, you absolutely must not obey!"

"Yeah!"

He sniffled and nodded.

"Mom’s leaving now..."

Zheng Cuiyun wiped her face, stood up, and walked away.

Li Wen could only cry, unable to utter a single word, his shoulders hitching with sobs.

Zheng Cuiyun felt a painful twist in her chest. She whipped her head around to glare viciously at Shen Songyao.

Without so much as raising an eyebrow, Shen Songyao turned and gave Mrs. Cao crystal-clear instructions.

"Mrs. Cao, listen carefully. If anyone comes snooping around trying to take the boy—unless it’s Li Hanchen and me picking him up in person—I don’t care who it is. You call the police immediately, no questions asked. Child abduction is a crime that’ll get them several years in prison!"

Mrs. Cao patted her chest.

"Commander’s wife, you can set your mind at ease! I’m on it. I guarantee not a single hair on that boy’s head will be harmed."

"He’s in my care. If he gets so much as a scratch, you can come settle the score with me directly!"

Shen Songyao grinned.

"I believe you, Mrs. Cao!"

Zheng Cuiyun’s face stiffened, her mouth twitching uncontrollably.

She shot Shen Songyao one last glare, then, without another word, picked up her cloth bag and left.

Once she was gone, Shen Songyao bid farewell to Mrs. Cao and also started to head out.

Li Hanchen walked at her side, his gaze fixed on the cowlick at the back of her head.

But they had only taken a few steps when a series of shrieks erupted behind them.

"I won’t do it! Let someone else do it!"

"I’m not your servant! You’re in cahoots with that evil woman! She pays you, and you try to force me to do your work? Have you no shame?!"

The words had barely faded when, with a WAH, the boy burst into breathless sobs.

Mrs. Cao’s booming roar carried on the wind.

"You little brat, feeling tough now, are you? Daring to snarl at me?"

"Go on, ask around! Is there anyone here who doesn’t give me a wide berth?"

"Yell one more time, I dare you! See if I don’t spank your bottom raw!"

Shen Songyao stopped and pricked up her ears. After a moment, there was nothing but silence from behind them.

She turned to Li Hanchen and said.

"Mrs. Cao really is something else. She shut Li Wen down with just a few sentences."

Li Hanchen, however, just stared at her, looking a little worried.

He was worried that now that she was better, she might reflect on it and decide his arrangement was inappropriate.

He hesitated for a long moment before finally forcing out,

"Maybe... I shouldn’t collect the rest of the money?"

Shen Songyao’s eyes immediately flew wide.

"Why not?"

"Does your money grow on trees? Does it? Well, does it?"

Li Hanchen quickly shook his head.

"Then why should we give it to them for free?"

Shen Songyao took another small step forward until she was almost pressed against his chest.

"Besides, if we give them the money, is our own future son supposed to grow up eating dirt?"

Li Hanchen’s face instantly flushed, but his voice remained steady.

"I get a monthly allowance, and I’m not leaving the service anytime soon. It’s more than enough to raise a child."

"Just one?"

Shen Songyao’s gaze locked onto his.

"Tell me the truth. Can you... perform?"

Li Hanchen glanced around, then reached out, took her chin, and gently turned her face away.

"Hm? What was that?"

"Are you... you know... not up to it anymore?"

She twisted her head back to look at him, her eyes twinkling like stars.