Chapter 90: Wei Shu

Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Wei Shu

The middle-aged woman’s gaze shifted instantly. "Were you abandoned by a husband who only cared about money?"

Deng Yuyuan was speechless.

She figured that in just those few short seconds, hundreds of tragic soap opera plots must have flashed through the woman’s mind—all featuring different terrible men, but sharing the exact same theme of abandoning their wives and daughters.

Deng Yuyuan let out an awkward laugh. "It hasn’t come to that. We just need a place to stay for a few days. Once I get in touch with an acquaintance, we’ll be fine."

The woman didn’t pry any further. If an ordinary person had asked about renting without proper registration, she definitely would have suspected them of being undocumented. However, seeing a beautiful woman with a chubby baby and obvious spare cash on hand... well, human nature always leaned toward gossip and wild imagination.

"Daily rentals aren’t safe. If you’re looking, it’s best to find a long-term rental," the woman said, furrowing her brows. "I’ve never lived in one, and I don’t know exactly who you should contact. When you go, put on a mask—but don’t dress up like a child snatcher—and take a look around that area. Ask the tenants there."

Leaning close to Deng Yuyuan’s ear, she whispered the exact location.

Deng Yuyuan thanked her repeatedly before finally heading out to buy food.

Considering she would be eating lunch right next to Tuantuan, Deng Yuyuan ordered two large bowls of mini pork wontons. Getting them to go required an extra fee for the bowls.

Outside the hospital was a department store. As she passed by its glass display windows, Deng Yuyuan decided to go inside and buy a rag doll and a nesting roly-poly toy.

It was Tuantuan’s first time seeing a roly-poly toy. Even the rag doll looked completely different from the ones sold at their town’s supply cooperative; it wore a fluffy little yellow dress that could actually be taken off.

Deng Yuyuan placed the roly-poly toy and the rag doll on the chair to Tuantuan’s right, allowing the little girl to reach out and give the roly-poly toy a push every now and then.

However, as Tuantuan smelled the savory aroma wafting through the air, her mouth traitorously began to water. She asked her mother in a tiny voice, "Can Tuantuan have a little bit? Just a tiny, tiny bit. Tuantuan is so hungry, Mommy."

Paired with a set of big, teary eyes and a little hand pitifully stretched out in front of her chest, it was an adorable assault that not even her own biological mother could withstand.

Deng Yuyuan carefully pinched off a piece of wonton wrapper and fed it to Tuantuan. But that was it—no more. She still needed to observe whether the child’s stomach could handle it without throwing up.

Not far away, a nanny had just finished taking the young master of the Wei Family for his IV drip and was preparing to leave.

Wei Shu was five years old and stood half a head taller than other children his age. His face was round and fair, and his hair had clearly been meticulously trimmed with clippers, featuring neat sideburns and exposing a full, broad forehead.

He wore a brand-new, military-green corduroy jacket that looked exceptionally striking against the still-desolate backdrop of early spring. The jacket was styled after an adult’s military casual wear, complete with small lapels and two flap pockets on the chest. On his lower half, he wore navy blue suspender trousers made of thick khaki fabric, and on his feet were a pair of brilliantly white sneakers.

The nanny followed Wei Shu’s gaze and happened to see Tuantuan finishing her wonton wrapper and playing with her roly-poly toy, an undisguised smile beaming across her face.

Such an expression was something she had never seen on the face of the young master she cared for. Ever since a kidnapping incident in his early childhood, the young master had become volatile and highly sensitive. He often felt that the adults favored his older brother, who was more sensible and obedient. Even though the nanny now used a ruler to measure out perfectly equal portions of fruit, he stubbornly insisted that she was biased toward his brother.

In reality, while the older master’s nanny would naturally favor the older master, she was the young master’s nanny, so she would absolutely favor the young master.

A thought stirred in the nanny’s mind.

Was the young master envious of the roly-poly toy the other child was playing with? It was the most common style found in department stores. Because of that, the Wei Family actually didn’t own one—they only had high-end models.

Since the young master liked it, she could just go buy one.

"Do you want it? How about I go buy it for you?" the nanny asked him gently, leaning down slightly.

Wei Shu stopped in his tracks. From his angle, he could perfectly see the round, chubby curves of Tuantuan’s cheeks as she smiled. Her dark, grape-like eyes looked as though they held a sky full of stars, and her slightly pale complexion did nothing to dampen her lively chatter with her mother.

For the first time since Wei Shu turned three, the nanny saw a clear emotional fluctuation on his face. He glanced in the little girl’s direction several times before finally withdrawing his gaze, his expression fraught with conflict and a profound reluctance to look away.

"It’s alright, we can afford it. Mr. Wei and Ms. Lin will both agree to it," she reassured him.

At that moment, Wei Shu felt his morals and his desires warring within him.

Ultimately, he turned his head and walked away, acting as though he had made a firm resolution. He also took the opportunity to lecture his nanny. "The teacher said that buying and selling human beings is wrong."

The nanny’s mind went completely blank for a second, followed by a surge of wild joy. This was the very first time Wei Shu had ever shown an interest in making a friend! "I’m sorry, I misunderstood. I thought you liked the roly-poly toy."

"Who would like such a childish thing?" Wei Shu puffed his cheeks and marched several steps forward, which, to the nanny, was merely the distance of one large stride.

"We can ask her if she’s willing to be your friend," the nanny suggested. As soon as the words left her mouth, a wave of regret washed over her. Given the young master’s current communication skills, it was highly likely that he wouldn’t get along well with this little girl at all.

Wei Shu was already charging forward like a stubborn little calf. The nanny quickly caught up in a few steps. Seeing that he had no intention of actually going over to strike up a conversation, she followed him back home, secretly resolving to report this incident to Mr. Wei and Ms. Lin.

She hoped the little girl would be here again tomorrow... Oh, wait. No, that sounded like a curse.

Meanwhile, Tuantuan, who was completely engrossed in playing with her roly-poly toy, remained totally oblivious to this little interlude. She presented a new demand to her mother, asking for another little woven basket to carry her new toys in.

Deng Yuyuan naturally agreed, promising to take her to pick one out personally as soon as she recovered.

After finishing her IV drip, Tuantuan was a perfectly healthy little cub once again. Her red rash hadn’t fully subsided, but her temperature had dropped completely back to normal.

She thanked the woman in her milky, childish voice, then nestled obediently in her mother’s arms.

As they walked past a large lawn where many children were running around, Tuantuan’s sleepiness was somewhat chased away.

Passing by a small garden, Tuantuan’s previously drowsy eyes widened a fraction.

By the time they walked past the children’s playground, Tuantuan couldn’t help but crane her neck, looking just like a silly little gosling. "Mommy, what is that?"

A slide, a seesaw, swings, funhouse mirrors... Compared to the homemade ones back in the countryside, the craftsmanship was far more magnificent, and they were even painted with playful, childlike designs.

Just a single glance was enough to leave Tuantuan utterly mesmerized.

As expected of the City Children’s Hospital—they even had things like this!

Tuantuan wiggled her little short legs impatiently, trying to squirm out of her mother’s embrace like a slippery little loach.

Deng Yuyuan quickly scooped her back up. "Tuantuan is recovering from an illness right now, so you can’t play yet. Let’s come back and play tomorrow, alright?"

Tuantuan pouted her little lips. "No, I don’t want to! Tuantuan is going to die of boredom!"

"Don’t be so pouty and bossy." Deng Yuyuan pressed her index finger gently against the little girl’s pouty lips.

"Then Tuantuan wants to get down and roll on the ground!" Tuantuan proposed her second demand.

"Sure. And then you can get another shot tomorrow."