Chapter 269: Chapter 266 [Ou Xiuhua’s Magical Day]
Chapter 266: Ou Xiuhua’s Miraculous Day
Ou Xiuhua felt as if the world had suddenly become a bit unreal.
The son she thought was living a lonely and hard life turned out to have a fortune of millions.
She thought her son might hold deep-seated resentment towards her, yet he had casually brought her to his home.
The thick stack of bills in front of her, including the tax payment certificate, looked authentic. As a professional accountant by training, she looked over the documents and felt they didn’t seem fake.
Moreover, how could an eighteen-year-old high school student create such faultless forgeries with professional skill to deceive his parent?
These figures, whether the five million or the passbook in front of her showing a balance of 867,000, were already enormous to Ou Xiuhua—far beyond anything she could have imagined reaching in her lifetime.
The public funds she embezzled before going to prison were never anywhere near this amount!
Her first instinct... was actually a faint sense of fear!
With two failed marriages and a stint in prison behind her, Ou Xiuhua bitterly understood one truth: Money is an extremely terrifying force, a devil that can alter human nature.
She looked subconsciously at this familiar yet strange son of hers. Ou Xiuhua had a vague feeling that the face of the little boy who used to cling to her skirts, looking pitiful, was gradually blurring in her memory.
The youth in front of her still had similar features, but his eyes, expression, and demeanor all carried an indescribable sense of unfamiliarity.
...In fact, Chen Nuo also felt awkward.
The middle-aged woman before him was the original body’s mother, but to Chen Yanluo, she was a complete stranger. He had never called her "Mom," nor had he ever lived with her for a single day.
After pondering for a moment, Chen Nuo said slowly, "You can live here from now on."
"...Really?" Ou Xiuhua moved her lips, whispering softly, "Don’t you hate me?"
"..." Chen Nuo thought it over. If they delved into this issue, it could become an endless discussion, so he simply said, "Ye Zi needs a mother too."
It was undoubtedly the most compelling reason.
Ou Xiuhua fell silent.
"All the money is here, 867,000. I’m leaving it in your care," Chen Nuo’s words made Ou Xiuhua stand up involuntarily.
"Don’t be hasty." Chen Nuo smiled and continued, "I need to attend school regularly, and in my spare time, I have to look after the business I’m running with a partner. I really don’t have much energy to manage things at home.
Dealing with groceries, living expenses, clothes, and taking care of Xiao Yezi—there’s a lot to handle. You can take over these things from now on.
This passbook is for household expenses. Um... I’ll hand it over to you now.
Whatever needs to be added or purchased for the home, you can take care of it. Anyway... you should be better at managing everyday life than an eighteen-year-old high schooler like me, right?"
"But... that much isn’t necessary," Ou Xiuhua said, biting her lip, her eyes already reddening.
"I’m only eighteen," Chen Nuo said with a smile. "An eighteen-year-old with over 800,000—aren’t you afraid I’ll go astray? Or squander it all?"
This comment made Ou Xiuhua raise her eyebrows.
Her ex-husband, Gu Kang, was a cautionary tale.
"Alright, let’s settle it at that," Chen Nuo concluded, yawning. "I didn’t sleep well last night. I’ll go to my room to catch up on some sleep.
By the way, should we go out and have a meal at a restaurant today? After all, you’ve just come home, and there should be some sense of ceremony..."
"No, no need. It’s not necessary to go to such trouble, and there’s no need to spend that money." Ou Xiuhua was somewhat uneasy. "Can I... can I see Ye Zi today?"
"Yes, Brother Lei will pick her up from kindergarten in the afternoon..." Chen Nuo glanced at Ou Xiuhua. "If you’d like, you can have Brother Lei come pick you up then, and you can go pick up the child together."
"Good!"
"We’ll still need to eat dinner though." Chen Nuo thought for a moment. "I’ll have Brother Lei book a table at a hotel."
"No need! Really, there’s no need!" Ou Xiuhua’s voice was choked with sobs. "Let’s just eat at home. I... I’ll cook."
"But there are no groceries at home."
"I, I’ll go buy some." Ou Xiuhua rubbed her hands and said in a low voice, "I remember there’s a market nearby. It hasn’t moved, has it?"
"Yes, it’s still there on Tonghuai Street, same old place, nothing’s changed."
Ou Xiuhua seemed to relax a little suddenly.
Buying vegetables, cooking—these tasks might be small, but having something to do seemed to relieve some of the uneasiness in Ou Xiuhua’s heart.
Being able to do something for her son and daughter seemed to ease her anxiousness and guilt a little.
Chen Nuo was well aware of this. At this moment, Ou Xiuhua felt immense guilt and remorse for her children. If he acted too polite, it would only make this poor woman even more flustered.
It was better to dispense with the formalities, let her work, do some tasks, and get busy. That would actually make her feel a little better.
After finishing speaking, Chen Nuo went back to his room to rest.
Ou Xiuhua didn’t even drink a glass of water at home before she went out to buy groceries.
Before leaving, she didn’t forget to boil a pot of water and leave a pot of tea cooling for Chen Nuo.
Ou Xiuhua remembered the location of the market, about half a street’s walk around a corner.
The farmers’ market in front of her looked slightly different from her memory; the intersection had been widened, and the signs were a bit larger.
There were more shops lining the street.
Ou Xiuhua walked into the market. Feeling the bustling humanity around her, her originally uneasy mood seemed to settle down a bit.
She picked a handful of chives and bought a dozen eggs—she remembered Chen Nuo liked scrambled eggs with chives when he was a child.
She got two pounds of lean meat and another bunch of edamame—she remembered Xiao Yezi liked sautéed edamame with shredded pork.
She cut a slice of winter melon and bought some kelp—the children liked kelp and winter melon soup. Right, she also went to the pickle shop and bought two pickled vegetables, planning to cut them into slices and throw them into the soup for flavor.
Thinking it over, she also remembered her son used to like duck liver, so she went to the delicatessen and bought half a pound.
On impulse, seeing that the salted duck looked decent, she also bought a hindquarter (one quarter of the duck, the leg section).
At the window of the delicatessen, Ou Xiuhua paid, picked up the cut duck, and stepped back without thinking.
Suddenly, she felt her foot step on something.
Looking back, Ou Xiuhua froze.
A foreigner?
Blonde hair, pretty facial features—okay, Ou Xiuhua was a beauty in her youth, and by her own standards, this foreign girl was merely "quite pretty."
Realizing she had stepped on someone’s foot, she reacted.
Ou Xiuhua was startled and hesitated...
It wasn’t that she lacked manners; she simply didn’t know what to say.
If she spoke in Huaxia, the other person might not understand.
But speaking a foreign language... Ou Xiuhua didn’t know how.
She was in a daze for a second.
Suddenly...
The foreign beauty looked somewhat nervous, staring intently at Ou Xiuhua. "I’m sorry..."
Ou Xiuhua: "...Huh?"
"I’m sorry, I put my foot in the wrong place."
Ou Xiuhua: "???"
Niveer swallowed hard. "Auntie, my foot wasn’t in your way, was it?"
Ou Xiuhua suddenly felt... I... I’ve been locked up for a few years. Has our country already become this powerful???
As Niveer’s face turned red looking at the woman before her, her heart pounded wildly.
At the same time, she quickly turned to glare fiercely behind her.
Behind a fruit stand, Li Yingwan was hiding, looking endearingly clueless, holding a watermelon in front of her head.
Crazy! You’re so tall! You look like a giraffe! Do you think others can’t see you just because you cover your face?! And! Why did you push me just now?!
In fact, ever since Ou Xiuhua left Chen Nuo’s house, these two little allies had been following her.
The two girls had known for a while that today Ou Xiuhua was getting out of prison and Chen Nuo was going to pick her up. The news came from Brother Lei.
Ordinarily, Brother Lei would never easily disclose Chen Nuo’s private matters.
But... these two girls weren’t strangers!
They were "little sisters-in-law," after all...
They’re practically family! Brother Lei had thought.
He hesitated for a moment before he simply told them.
Otherwise, wouldn’t I be ruining the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship?
Seeing Ou Xiuhua’s bewildered expression, Niveer finally realized her own actions had been somewhat ridiculous.
"Um... Auntie." The sporty beauty nervously wiped the sweat from the tip of her nose, speaking softly, "I am... a friend of Chen Nuo."
Her Huaxia was a bit stiff, but at least it was comprehensible.
Ou Xiuhua was taken aback and subconsciously nodded her head.
But she was still puzzled. You’re Chen Nuo’s classmate... but how do you know me?
Niveer felt as if her toes were about to dig a three-bedroom apartment out of the ground. She turned her head and shouted at the clueless, long-legged South Korean girl hiding behind the fruit stand playing "you can’t see me" with a watermelon, "You, come here quick!"
"Ah!"
Startled, Li Yingwan nearly dropped the watermelon, then walked over hesitantly.
"Um... hello, Auntie! I, I am Brother Chen Nuo’s classmate! My, my name is Li Yingwan. I’m seventeen years old, from Seoul, South Korea..."
After finishing, she bowed at a ninety-degree angle.
SPLAT!
The watermelon hit the ground!
With its green rind and red flesh, it instantly shattered all over the place!
Looking like a pitiful firefly, she was about to cry!
Ou Xiuhua focused on the two girls before her.
Each had their own beauty, each had their own merits.
In an instant, being a middle-aged woman, Ou Xiuhua had an inkling.
These two girls... they must be after my son, right?!
With that thought, looking back at the two girls, Ou Xiuhua’s mood completely changed.
Hmm... this foreign girl is pretty, and her figure... good! She looks like she’d be good at childbearing! That chest, those hips... And this Asian girl... her Huaxia sounds so odd. Is she Japanese or South Korean? She couldn’t be Vietnamese, could she? But she’s so tall. Oh, those long legs are really pretty. In the future, if she has children with Chen Nuo, they’ll definitely be tall...
The trio of women—one older, two younger—stood there, staring at each other agape.
Someone was not happy, though!
"Hey! You have to pay for the watermelon! Sixty cents a pound!"
After leaving the vegetable market, Ou Xiuhua walked out empty-handed, flanked by the others.
On each side, one buxom and one tall, two beautiful young girls surrounded her, carrying large and small bags of groceries.
Outside the market, near the road, two cars were parked. One belonged to the school director’s assistant, and the other to the daughter of a South Korean investor.
"Auntie, shall we get in the car and go home?" both girls spoke at the same time.
Ou Xiuhua was a bit troubled and hesitated. "There’s no need, really. It’s just a short walk. Don’t bother, really, don’t bother."
Niveer thought for a moment and then gestured to someone by the car.
The first secretary to the school director’s assistant, the class president of Senior Year Three, Class Six, immediately ran over, nodding and bowing.
"Take good care of these."
"Ah? Okay, okay!"
The class president glanced at Niveer and asked in a low voice, "This auntie is?"
"Chen Nuo’s mom."
Class president: "..."
Li Yingwan looked at the class president and, after a moment’s thought, also handed her groceries to him, then turned and followed the others.
The two girls, one on the left and one on the right, linked arms with Ou Xiuhua and walked forward.
The class president followed behind...
We’re all students at the same school! How can there be such a big gap between people?
The whole class knew about the situation between Li Yingwan and Chen Nuo.
Only the class president knew about the school director’s assistant’s involvement!
After all, he had personally seen the school director’s assistant kiss Chen Nuo in the hotel lobby!!
Three women walked in front, and the class president followed behind them, carrying large and small bags.
The two cars slowly followed them at low speed by the roadside.
It seemed like both foreign girls were putting in all their effort, trying hard to please her. Although their Huaxia was awkward, their eyes shone brightly.
Ou Xiuhua felt it was the most miraculous day of her forty-plus years of life!
Without much ado, they walked back to the entrance of the residential complex and arrived at the building where Chen Nuo lived.
Niveer took the grocery bags from the class president.
"What did you see today?"
"I didn’t see anything."
"If someone asks when you get back, do you know what to say?"
"I went to the city library with you today to inspect and plan the library’s construction. I was busy all day..."
Niveer nodded. "Very well. Then remember to write a report."
"..." The class president sighed. "Okay, I will give it to you tomorrow morning."
When they arrived home, Chen Nuo also came out from the inner room. Seeing Ou Xiuhua return with the two girls, Chen Nuo just glanced and didn’t say much. He wheeled himself into the living room, picked up a book from the coffee table, and flipped through it casually.
Ou Xiuhua was busy offering the girls water to drink, but as soon as she handed over a cup, Niveer smilingly took it and passed it to Chen Nuo.
Li Yingwan blinked. Bichi!
She quickly grabbed a green tangerine from a plastic bag, peeled it in a flash, and handed it to Chen Nuo. "Eat this; you need to replenish some vitamins."
Chen Nuo glanced at it. I’m not selling seafood.
Ou Xiuhua watched from the side, her heart filled with indescribable emotions.
Relief? Happiness? Strangeness? Anxiety? It must be all of them.
After a moment, she decided to take the groceries into the kitchen. After washing her hands, she began to cook.
In fact, having not held a kitchen knife for years in prison, her hands had grown stiff.
In the beginning, she sliced the pork unevenly, with every possible variation in size and thickness.
But as Ou Xiuhua continued working, she gradually got the feel of it. She heard the young people talking in the living room. Standing in front of the kitchen stove, this kind of life, she thought, was something I wouldn’t have dared to dream about just a few days ago in prison. So peaceful, so joyful!
Both girls also entered the kitchen, wanting to help.
But, well... neither of them knew how!
Li Yingwan was the daughter of a capitalist, and Niveer was of noble origin.
Even peeling edamame was a pitiful sight for them; they almost split their nails in the process.
Chen Nuo appeared nonchalant, seemingly oblivious to the bustling in the kitchen, as he sat in his wheelchair in the living room, flipping through a book.
Ou Xiuhua grew increasingly puzzled about her son’s relationship with the two foreign girls, but with them right there, it was not really appropriate to ask.
But... she was determined! After the guests left, she would definitely ask!
Although I, as a mother, have terribly wronged my children, there are still questions that need to be asked!
Chen Nuo’s father, Chen Jianshe, was a philanderer! I hope my son doesn’t turn out to be a young playboy too!
A good family shouldn’t learn those deviant ways!
Those girls both seem nice; he better not mistreat them!
One key for one lock; that’s how it should be. What’s this business with two locks here?
By three o’clock in the afternoon, the food preparation was almost done.
Everything was cut and washed, just waiting to be cooked.
There was no rush for that; picking up her daughter was the top priority.
Besides, the cooking had to wait until the child was brought back.
If she cooked now, it would all be cold by evening.
As the time drew nearer, Ou Xiuhua became more nervous, nearly cutting her own finger while chopping vegetables.
Lost in thought, Ou Xiuhua was somewhat unresponsive even when the two girls next to her tried to strike up a conversation.
At three o’clock, Brother Lei arrived punctually.
Upon entering and seeing the two "little sisters-in-law" chatting with Elder Sister Ou, and noticing the harmonious atmosphere, Brother Lei breathed a sigh of relief.
It looks like sharing the news was the right decision.
Ou Xiuhua had been waiting for Brother Lei and quickly got up, wiping her hands as she went to greet him. "Uh, Brother Lei..."
"Oh no!!" Brother Lei was startled. "Please don’t call me that, Elder Sister Ou... Just call me..."
After his eyes darted around for a moment, Brother Lei said with a smile, "Just call me Xiao Lei. I’m only thirty this year; I just look a bit older than my age. Please, just ’Xiao Lei’ will do."
Ou Xiuhua couldn’t really address him like that but found it hard to say anything else, muttering quietly, "Uh, I..."
At her side, Chen Nuo spoke up gently, "My mom will go with you to pick up Ye Zi."
The words "my mom" almost made Ou Xiuhua burst into tears on the spot!
Brother Lei quickly nodded. "Great! The car is parked by the curb downstairs. So, Elder Sister Ou, shall we go now?"
"...Okay!" Ou Xiuhua glanced at Chen Nuo, said nothing more, nodded, changed her shoes, and followed Brother Lei out.
Once his mother had left, Chen Nuo sighed, put down the book in his hands, and turned to look at the two young women in the room.
"Chen Nuo..." Li Yingwan walked over, bracing herself as she called out softly.
Chen Nuo remained silent.
Niveer stepped forward too, boldly meeting Chen Nuo’s gaze. "It was my idea. If you’re angry, take it out on me."
Chen Nuo: "..."
He gave a gentle smile and shook his head. "Brother Lei told you, huh?"
"Yeah."
Chen Nuo thought for a moment. "Stay for dinner tonight. Otherwise, I really would feel a bit awkward facing her alone."
After a pause, he added, "In the future, don’t do this again. Your enthusiasm is too much; it might scare her."
Having said that, Chen Nuo put aside his book.
Niveer caught a glimpse of it. It was an English textbook titled ’Neurobiology: From Neuron to Brain.’
"You’re reading this?" Niveer picked up the book and flipped through a few pages, finding it completely incomprehensible. "Does this stuff... help with your recovery?"
"I won’t know unless I read it. Besides, it’s better than doing nothing," Chen Nuo shook his head.
Li Yingwan bit her lip, squatting down in front of Chen Nuo, clasping one of his hands in hers. "Chen Nuo..."
"Alright, it’s just a temporary setback. I’m not going to die," Chen Nuo frowned. "Stop crying."
As he said this, Chen Nuo picked up a cup from the table and had a sip of water. "Actually, you two... really, I urge you to give up."
The two girls glanced at each other: "..."
"For the time being, I want to focus on my studies, so I’m not considering romance," Chen Nuo declared earnestly.
Li Yingwan was taken aback.
But Niveer snorted coldly. "Studying, huh? Well, I’ll make sure you can’t graduate!"
Chen Nuo chuckled, then looked seriously at the two girls in front of him and continued, "All jokes aside... really, I mean it. I’ve been serious with you both about this for the past few days.
I have people I love in my heart. Even if they have left me, I won’t have feelings for anyone else."
Niveer snorted. "Hmph... ’they’? Do you even hear yourself talking?"
"Exactly!! Why can’t ’they’ include me too?" Li Yingwan argued with conviction.
Chen Nuo furrowed his brow. "Now that truly doesn’t make any sense..."
Chen Nuo did not witness Ou Xiuhua picking up Chen Xiaoye from school in person.
Normally, since today wasn’t a weekend, Ye Zi was supposed to stay at the kindergarten overnight.
But with Ou Xiuhua having just been released from prison and returned home, Ye Zi was picked up on short notice.
When the mother and daughter entered the house, Xiao Yezi clung to Ou Xiuhua like a koala, hugging her mother’s neck tightly.
Ou Xiuhua held her daughter, seemingly unwilling to let go even for a moment.
Both of their eyes were red; they had clearly just been crying...
Brother Lei secretly told Chen Nuo that they indeed had cried.
They started crying the moment they saw each other at the kindergarten gate. They cried while hugging each other, and they continued crying in the car.
They cried the entire journey!
"Brother!"
Upon seeing Chen Nuo at home, Chen Xiaoye finally let go of Ou Xiuhua’s embrace. She walked over to Chen Nuo, tilted her little face up with a bit of apprehension, and asked, "Can I ask you for something?"
"Sure, tell me."
"Mom... Mom... can she live with us? Can Mom please not leave again?"
Chen Nuo smiled, looking into his sister’s bright eyes. He reached out to stroke her head.
"So... would you share half your bed with Mom from now on? Is that okay?"
"Of course!!!" Ye Zi screamed with joy, suddenly leaping up and jumping into Chen Nuo’s arms to give him a big kiss. "Will Mom sleep with me from now on?"
"Yeah, you don’t need to board at school anymore. You’ll go home after school every day... Mom will pick you up from school every day from now on, and then you two can come home to live, okay?"
Chen Xiaoye let out a cry of delight and immediately broke into laughter.
But as she laughed, tears began to stream down her face again...
Ou Xiuhua came over and hugged her daughter tightly, looking at Chen Nuo with gratitude.
Chen Nuo sighed inwardly.
His gaze, however, turned to the potted asparagus fern on the balcony in the living room...
(So, I’m taking care of your family for you... They are going to have a very good life, a very, very good one...)
[I didn’t watch the European Championships... I didn’t watch a single match of the Euro this year, really devoted all my time to work.]