Chapter Ninety-Seven: Provocation

People like that were not well liked by most, but one could not speak so casually. Who knew what kind of child your own family might produce in the future.

Chen Xin only smiled and said nothing.

The wedding festivities lasted three full days, and the banquets ran for three full days as well. After that, Liu Chunyan had to hurry back to spend the New Year at home, and Bai Mengqing also had to return, so the two of them set off together.

Before they left, Chen Xin gathered a great many good things for them, preparing two large bundles, one for Liu family elders and one for Bai Mengqing’s parents.

There was also a large parcel of New Year goods that the Zhang family had prepared for the two of them, but there was no way to carry it all by hand. In the end, Sister Jia helped find a vehicle to haul it away.

This year, with a new bride in the house, the New Year felt especially lively.

On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Second Sister Zhang took her child to her husband’s home, and then on the second day of the first lunar month she came back to her natal home with her husband and child. With a little brother suddenly in the house, Zhang Zhang instantly developed the responsibility of an older brother. From the moment he got up in the morning, he kept talking about his little brother. By lunchtime, he insisted on sitting right beside him, even wanting to feed him himself, until Chen Xin scooped him up and carried him away, telling him not to be a nuisance.

"Auntie, can we take little brother with us too? Let’s go to kindergarten together."

"Go to your head," Chen Xin said with a laugh, tapping his forehead. "He’s still tiny. He needs to drink milk, and his mother is here too. If you take little brother away, what will happen to his aunt? Or do you want to stay here and let me take him instead?"

"No!" Zhang Zhang suddenly looked wronged. His chubby little face seemed on the verge of tears, his lips trembling as if he had been terribly bullied. "Auntie, do you not want me anymore? Are you going to marry Uncle Zhou and have your own child?"

"Who told you that?" Chen Xin had been smiling, but the moment she heard that, her expression changed. "How can you listen to such nonsense? Why would I not want you? I worked so hard to raise you to be this big, this plump and healthy, and it took me so much effort. If I just said I did not want you, would I not be losing out terribly?"

With the Zhang family present, Chen Xin did not say more, but she felt rather uncomfortable inside. She did not know who had said such things to Zhang Zhang, but it was clearly meant to drive a wedge between the child and her.

The Zhang family ought not to do something so vile. Neither did the neighbors seem like the type. But there should not be many people who knew about Zhou Hao. Who, then, could it be?

When Zhang Zhang said this, the Zhang family was all there. Grandma Zhang put down her chopsticks and was about to say something, but her eldest daughter-in-law held her hand to stop her.

Yan Chunhua brought over a warm, damp towel to wipe Zhang Zhang’s tears clean, then held him in her arms and asked gently who had said such things to him, when his aunt was so good to him, how could she possibly not want him anymore.

"It was Siwa’s older brother. He told me that before, our family was poor and could not afford to raise me, so they gave me to Auntie. Now that the family has money, they should raise me themselves. He also said that once Auntie has a boyfriend, she will not want me anymore, and will want her own child."

That person might not have known about Zhou Hao, but Zhang Zhang did not have many people he could interact with. Besides, Zhou Hao was very good to Chen Xin, and Zhang Zhang had seen it with his own eyes. Though young, he was not ignorant. On the contrary, children’s thinking was simple. If a man and a woman were always together, then they must be in love, the kind that led to marriage someday.

After hearing Zhang Zhang’s words, Grandma Zhang was so angry she wanted to go find Siwa’s older brother and make things clear at once.

"That brat is only eleven or twelve years old. What would he know? It must have been something he heard the adults muttering about at home. That wretched little thing, bullying even a child. I am going to beat him to death."

"Mother, slowly, slowly," Second Sister Zhang said, not knowing how to calm her down. She was angry too, but to be honest, she herself was not entirely certain.

In fact, Siwa’s older brother was not entirely wrong. When they had left Zhang Zhang with his aunt before, it had genuinely been because the family was struggling. Being with his aunt had been better than being with them. Now that there was no worry about food at home, supporting Zhang Zhang would not be a problem, though in terms of education they would certainly not be as good as the city.

And Zhang Zhang’s aunt was almost done with university now. Would she not eventually get married and have children? In the countryside, it was already difficult to marry a woman with a child, let alone in the city. Besides, the child still had his own grandparents. It really was not an aunt’s place to raise him forever.

It was only because Chen Xin could not bear to part with the child that she had kept him by her side all this time, never bringing up the matter of sending Zhang Zhang back to the Zhang family.

But just because she did not bring it up, did that mean the others should not think about it? If they were not careful, they might end up ruining the relationship over this, and that would truly be troublesome.

"Do not go. We cannot control what others say or think. If we go over there demanding an explanation, they will only think we are making a mountain out of a molehill."

Chen Xin truly did not care anymore. As long as it was not the Zhang family or someone from her own side saying it, then it was fine.

"Little fatty, your aunt is still waiting for you to grow up and earn money to support me. Then I will rely on you to eat the best food, drink the finest things, and live in a big house. Will you take care of your aunt or not?"

"Yes! Zhang Zhang will buy Auntie a big villa, a really, really big villa!"

Zhang Zhang stretched out his hands with all his strength, puffed out his little belly, and made a very earnest promise to his aunt.

"Good. Then eat properly. Eat more and grow faster, and in the future we will all depend on you to earn money for a big house. And as for your little brother, you have to set a good example for him. You cannot just burst into tears whenever you like, understand? If something is bothering you and you do not understand it, just be brave and tell Auntie. Do not sit there thinking nonsense all by yourself."

Zhang Zhang nodded, only half understanding, but he did not cry anymore. He picked up his small bowl, scooped a big mouthful of rice into his mouth, and chewed hard while looking at his aunt.

"Mm, good boy. Eat properly, and after dinner Auntie will read to you."

Chen Xin felt that before, she had been too indulgent, letting Zhang Zhang grow freely and thinking that he was still such a tiny little thing, so it was enough for him to play as much as he liked. Now it seemed that basic ideas of right and wrong, along with the makeup of this unusual family, also had to be explained carefully to the little fellow. Even if he did not understand now, he would naturally come to understand as he slowly grew up.

Grandma Zhang was so angry she could not eat, and each member of the family had their own thoughts. Compared with them, Chen Xin was more at ease. No matter what, she had her own measure in her heart, and it was impossible for a single outsider’s words to affect her mood.

"All right, all right, stop being angry. In truth, other people’s doubts are only reasonable doubts. As long as we know ourselves that it is not like that, that is enough. I cannot say for certain that I will never marry or never have children in the future, but I promised my sister back then that I would raise Zhang Zhang, and I will never go back on that. If the other party is unwilling, then we simply will not marry. I can earn money, support the child and myself, and live comfortably. Why must I marry just for the sake of marrying? I am even worried that the other person might be after my money. So this sort of thing depends on fate. Thinking too much about it now is useless."

Yan Chunhua had seen more of the world. In the school where she had studied, there had also been teachers who chose to remain single and not marry, so although she did not entirely believe Chen Xin’s words, she did not think there was anything unacceptable about them either. Besides, she liked Zhang Zhang too. If there ever came a time when Chen Xin could not take care of him and he had to be sent back, then so be it. She would certainly treat Zhang Zhang as her own child.