Chapter 468 - 458: Liu Fang Pays a Visit

The moment Chen Fengjiao spoke, Gu’er understood. ’She wants to keep Sun Jiaming away from this.’

As the thought crossed her mind, her eyes fell upon the living room, and she froze.

Two people were sitting on the living room sofa: a woman and a child. The woman’s head was bowed, her face obscured. The child, who looked to be about three or four, was staring at Gu’er with wide, curious eyes.

Gu’er’s mind went blank with a buzz. For some reason, she recalled what Lin Shan had told her last time. She felt this woman was Liu Fang. There was no reason for it; Gu’er just knew.

"Alright, I’ll go do some reading."

Sun Jiaming had also seen the woman in the living room and knew Chen Fengjiao didn’t want him involved. As he turned to leave, he shot a look at Gu’er, signaling for her to call him if she needed anything, then went into the room where Gu’er used to live.

Chen Fengjiao pulled Gu’er over to the sofa.

"This is...?"

Gu’er asked Chen Fengjiao, having calmed herself down.

"She says her name is Liu Fang. She... she’s here to see your father."

As Chen Fengjiao spoke, her voice trembled and the rims of her eyes were red.

Gu’er’s heart skipped a beat. ’So it really is Liu Fang. She actually came all the way here. But why?’

Just then, Liu Fang raised her head, and Gu’er got a clear look at her.

Liu Fang wasn’t old, twenty-six or twenty-seven at most. Her features were delicate and refined, and her eyes were misty, giving her a touchingly pitiable look.

Upon closer inspection, Gu’er felt that this Liu Fang looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t quite place who she resembled.

Gu’er looked back at Chen Fengjiao. That was it. This Liu Fang bore a slight resemblance to her mother, Chen Fengjiao—or rather, a slight resemblance to a younger Chen Fengjiao. But Liu Fang’s features leaned more toward the delicate and pitiable, while Chen Fengjiao, by comparison, seemed more vibrant and cheerful.

’I never would have thought Liu Fang would be such a striking woman. A man would probably look at her and be moved to pity.’

’No wonder that You Erbaihua wanted to take her for himself. She really is quite beautiful.’

’Her mother-in-law must have cursed her out and blamed her for her son’s death because of these looks, too, huh? A face like this isn’t well-received in the countryside or the villages. Most families would see it as a sign of trouble.’

Gu’er tugged at Chen Fengjiao, but she didn’t budge.

"Mom, sit down. Let’s talk about this sitting down."

Gu’er’s voice was calm. No matter what the woman’s intentions were, they couldn’t afford to panic.

"Gu’er, you... you don’t know. She..."

Chen Fengjiao couldn’t continue. She had never imagined that one day a woman would show up at their door looking for Lin Shan. She felt like her world was collapsing. She was furious, heartbroken, agitated, and simmering with frustration. She had no idea what to do. Lin Shan wasn’t home, and she couldn’t talk to Sui’er, so she could only turn to Gu’er. Ever since Gu’er had helped resolve Sui’er’s problem, Chen Fengjiao had come to see her as the family’s backbone. She felt that only Gu’er could help her, which was why she had called her daughter the moment trouble started.

"I know, Mom. I know. Come on, sit down and let’s talk."

Gu’er tugged at Chen Fengjiao’s clothes again. Chen Fengjiao glanced at her and sat down in a huff.

"Sister-in-law, would you like some water?"

Once Chen Fengjiao was seated, Gu’er turned and asked Liu Fang.

"Water? What water? Even if we had any, I’d pour it out before I let her have a drop."

Chen Fengjiao was livid. ’I’d rather beat her up and throw her out. Give her water? No way!’

Liu Fang clutched her child, looked at Gu’er without a word, and gently shook her head.

"Then I won’t stand on ceremony, Sister-in-law. Is there something you need from my father? As you can see, he’s not home, and it must not have been easy for you to make the trip. If there’s anything, you can just as well tell me. If we can help, we certainly will."

Gu’er tried her best to keep her voice gentle.

Chen Fengjiao started to open her mouth, but Gu’er shot her a look and shook her head, signaling for her to stay quiet.

Chen Fengjiao remained silent, but her ragged breathing betrayed her agitation.

Liu Fang still said nothing.

"Is your family in some kind of trouble, Sister-in-law? My father said back then that you could come to him if you ever ran into difficulties. Even though he doesn’t work over there anymore, he’s a man of his word. His job is to solve problems for the people. It doesn’t matter what position he’s in; he can’t just ignore someone in need. But since he’s not here right now, if there’s anything we can do, please just ask."

Seeing that Liu Fang still wasn’t responding, Gu’er continued, "The New Year is almost here. You probably haven’t prepared any holiday goods yet, have you? As it happens, our car is about to deliver some goods to the village. I can have them drop some off at your house. And when the time comes, they can give you and your child a ride back. It’s not easy traveling with a child with all this ice and snow. I also have some money here. I don’t mean anything by it, Sister-in-law, please don’t misunderstand. I was just thinking, with the New Year coming, you could take this to buy the little one a new set of clothes and have a proper celebration. If there’s anything else, wait until after the New Year, and I’ll come find you to see what can be done."

Gu’er spoke softly, pretending she didn’t know Liu Fang’s true intentions.

Hearing Gu’er’s words, Chen Fengjiao looked at Liu Fang. ’If they could really send her away just like Gu’er said, then spending a little money and buying a few things would be worth it.’ She desperately hoped Liu Fang would agree.

"I... I don’t want things, and I don’t want money."

Liu Fang finally spoke. Her voice was quiet and sounded very delicate, carrying a certain moving quality.

’She doesn’t want anything? Then she’s here for Dad.’ Gu’er understood perfectly. Her previous words had just been a test; now that the woman had said this, it was all clear.

"Then what do you want? Let me tell you, if you want my husband, no way! You can just forget about it! Don’t think my husband will want you just because you’re young! I’m not dead yet! You want to enter our family? In your dreams!"

Chen Fengjiao was so furious her voice trembled as she pointed at Liu Fang.

"Mom, what are you talking about? Sister-in-law Liu doesn’t mean that. Please, don’t be like this."

Gu’er hastily tried to placate Chen Fengjiao.

"What do you mean she doesn’t mean that? You didn’t hear what she said earlier."

Chen Fengjiao’s anger wouldn’t subside. She had never imagined a day would come when another woman would come looking for her husband. This was something she could not tolerate.

Before Gu’er could say anything, Liu Fang spoke up again in that same weak voice. "I... I’m not asking for much. I just... I can’t survive at home anymore. I want to come to Brother Lin’s house. I’m not after anything else. I don’t need a title or anything. Just give me a bowl of rice to eat. I can work. From now on, I’ll do all the chores. I’ll serve you and Brother Lin."

’Holy hell!’ Hearing Liu Fang’s words, Gu’er wanted to throw those two words right back at her. It was no wonder Chen Fengjiao was angry—she was angry too! ’What is this? Live in our house, do the chores, serve my mom and dad, and not ask for a title? Does Liu Fang think this is ancient times? The old society? Is she planning to be the concubine in this house, serving the master and the first wife? Forget the fact that Dad has no such intentions—even if he did, he couldn’t. Lin Shan is a government official. If he dared to do something like this, he’d be asking to be thrown out of office.’