Chapter 474 - 464: Inquiring

On the way back, Gu’er briefly explained the situation to Sun Jiaming.

Sun Jiaming had heard some of it from inside the house, but not the whole story. He’d guessed most of it, but he hadn’t expected Liu Fang to be this kind of person.

"Dad probably didn’t expect this either. What did he have to say?"

Sun Jiaming sighed. Back then, Lin Shan had helped her out of pity. He was a local official, after all, and couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Who would have thought his help would lead to so much trouble?

"Dad doesn’t know about this yet. It wasn’t convenient to call him from there. When I get back, I’ll try calling him and see if I can reach him. I also need to call the village and ask about this Liu Fang."

Gu’er was also quite afraid of people like Liu Fang. She looked so gentle and weak, but in reality, she was incredibly difficult to deal with.

"Okay, I’ll have someone ask around. If that doesn’t work, I’ll go there myself. We can’t let her actually stay here. Who knows what might happen down the line."

Sun Jiaming nodded. He understood that if Liu Fang really stayed with the Lin Family, there would be endless trouble in the future.

"Don’t mention this when we get back. My mom is very concerned with saving face and won’t want others to know. Besides, our mom has a big mouth. I’m afraid she’ll let it slip, and that would be bad."

Gu’er reminded Sun Jiaming.

"I know what to do. I won’t say anything."

Sun Jiaming nodded. His mother, Cao Qiu, really did have a loose tongue. It would indeed be bad if word got out.

When the two arrived home, Cao Qiu was trying to soothe the baby. As soon as she saw them, she immediately started complaining, "I don’t know what’s wrong with Jiji today. I fed him his milk, but he only drank half before he stopped. He just keeps crying, and I haven’t been able to calm him down. I think he misses his mommy. Here, you should hold him."

Cao Qiu said, handing the baby to Gu’er.

"Wait a minute. I’m cold from being outside. Let me warm up first so I don’t give him a chill."

Seeing the baby’s little face red from crying, Gu’er’s heart ached. But she had just come in from the cold, and if she chilled the baby, he could easily catch a cold.

"You’re right. You two should go warm up, then. This baby has worn me out and made me break a sweat. Jiaming and Jiasheng were never like this when they were little."

Once Gu’er had warmed up, she took the baby. He was still sniffling, but perhaps because he smelled his mother’s scent, he stopped crying out loud. When Gu’er began to nurse him, the only sounds were his soft sucks and swallows.

Watching the baby eat so eagerly, Gu’er felt her heart ache with tenderness. She had thought that because of her past life’s experiences, she would have a complex about having children. But now she knew that the bond between a mother and child is instinctual. No matter what, a mother loves her child and can’t bear to see them suffer.

Looking at her baby’s satisfied face as he slept after eating his fill, Gu’er gently kissed his forehead twice. Even though her arms were already sore, she couldn’t bear to put him down.

"Be gentle, you might wake him up."

Gu’er said hurriedly as Sun Jiaming took the baby from her.

Sun Jiaming carefully placed the baby on the bed, patted him gently a couple of times, and covered him with a blanket. Only then did he turn and whisper to Gu’er, "I called the village and asked around. What Liu Fang said is true—her house really was destroyed by the heavy snow. Normally, since there’s no one else in her family, she could have asked her own family or the village chief for help, but she didn’t. I heard she just sat at home by herself for a whole day, then packed her things, took her child, and left. No one knew she was coming to the city."

Sun Jiaming paused after speaking, then added, "I also asked about her reputation. The women in the village don’t like her. They say she has the face of a home-wrecker, that she looks like trouble and loves to seduce men. Also, there are a few delinquents in the village who are always hanging around her house. One night, a man even tried to assault her, but she fought him off."

"She fought him off?"

Gu’er asked doubtfully. Liu Fang seemed so delicate.

"Yes. She keeps a club and a pair of scissors in her house. I heard the man wasn’t paying attention and tried to take advantage of her, but she injured his arm, hit him over the head, and he ran off."

Sun Jiaming nodded. ’From that perspective, Liu Fang is both pitiful and fiercely chaste. It’s a shame her thinking has gone so astray.’

"What about her family?"

Gu’er asked again.

"Her sister-in-law doesn’t get along with her and treats her poorly. Her parents are indifferent to her, so she rarely interacts with them. It seems like her family thinks she’s a disgrace."

Sun Jiaming had gotten all the details.

Gu’er nodded and asked a few more questions.

"I called Dad’s office, but I couldn’t reach him. They said he was in a meeting. I left a message with the person who answered, asking Dad to call us back when he has time,"

Sun Jiaming added.

"I see. Let’s just wait and see if Dad calls after his meeting."

Gu’er had figured as much. It wasn’t always convenient to take calls when you were out.

"What do you plan to do?"

Sun Jiaming asked, taking Gu’er’s hand.

"I need to talk to Dad first before I can decide."

Gu’er had an idea in mind, but she still needed to get on the same page with Lin Shan.

"So, are you going to stay there tonight?"

Sun Jiaming looked at the baby, then at Gu’er. He didn’t want her to go through the trouble.

"I don’t want to stay there either. If I don’t bring Jiji, I’ll worry, but if I do, I’m afraid it’ll be too much for him. I’m not worried about what Liu Fang might do, but my mom... sigh. You know how she is. She’s petty and obsessed with saving face, but she’s not actually malicious. I’m mainly afraid that Liu Fang will say something to provoke her and she’ll do something drastic. I have to be there to keep an eye on things. Why don’t you come over with me later? You can bring Lin Zheng back here, and then you can take him to school tomorrow. I’ll stay there. It’s just for one night. I’ll just have to manage."

"Let’s just take the baby with us. I’m worried he won’t sleep well without you. I’ll bundle him up tightly, and we’ll have Li Zhi drive us over so he won’t be exposed to the wind."

After some thought, Sun Jiaming decided they should take the baby with them.

"Alright. Then we’ll have to wrap him up well."

Gu’er nodded.

The two of them talked for a long time, but the call from Lin Shan never came. Instead, Chen Fengjiao called, telling Gu’er to hurry over. She said Lin Sui’er had thrown a tantrum and was cursing out Liu Fang, trying to kick her out, and she needed Gu’er to come mediate.

Gu’er felt a headache coming on. She and Sun Jiaming bundled up the baby, called for Li Zhi, gave a quick word to Grandma and Aunt Zhao, and then headed for the Lin Family’s house.

"Get out! Both of you, get the hell out! I’ve never seen such a shameless woman! You want to go after my dad? Dream on! Trying to steal my mom’s place? Who the hell do you think you are? If you don’t leave, I’ll find someone to kill you."

Just as she reached the Lin Family’s front door, Gu’er heard Sui’er’s voice coming from inside. It sounded sharp and shrill.

Gu’er opened the door and walked in, nearly colliding with Liu Fang and her daughter, who were being shoved out by Lin Sui’er.

Liu Fang was holding Chun Ya’s hand. Her face was full of sorrow, yet she shed no tears. This hint of stubborn strength she projected only made her seem more pitiable.

"Alright, that’s enough! Are you trying to make sure the whole neighborhood knows our business? I could hear you from outside."

Seeing that Lin Sui’er was about to continue shouting, Gu’er quickly cut in. On her way up, she had already seen people poking their heads out, probably because they’d heard something. If the argument continued, they’d likely have people listening at the door.