Chapter 240 | Chapter 241 | Chapter 242
Chapter 240: Coincidence
By the time they got out of the car, Yu Yuan’s eyes were swollen from crying. She tugged lightly at Yu Wenxiu’s clothes, hiding a little to the side in embarrassment.
Gu Qinghuan didn’t tease her. Instead, she spoke seriously to Yu Wenxiu:
“Aunt Yu, if you just take Yu Yuan away like this, the Yu family will definitely come after you.”
Yu Wenxiu glanced at Yu Yuan beside her, her tone firm. “It’s alright. I won’t back down.”
Jiang Chuchu handed over a business card. “This is a lawyer I found who specializes in cases like this. The fees are reasonable. Get in touch with her and just say the Jiang family referred you.”
Although time was tight, her assistant Jin Jubao had quickly found a lawyer suitable for Yu Wenxiu’s situation.
Yu Wenxiu thanked her and carefully put the card away.
Gu Qinghuan then turned to Yu Yuan. “It’s Friday today. The next two days are the weekend—you can stay with Aunt Yu and sort things out. The Yu family might still be plotting something. If anything happens, contact us.”
Yu Yuan nodded vigorously. Her voice was hoarse from crying, sounding rough, but her mood was light.
“I understand. Thank you.”
After saying goodbye, Gu Qinghuan and Jiang Chuchu left. Yu Wenxiu watched the car drive away, and only when it was just the two of them left did she take Yu Yuan’s hand and lead her home.
“Home,” in truth, was the small rented place Yu Wenxiu had once mentioned to Gu Qinghuan—a place she rarely stayed in.
As they went upstairs, Yu Wenxiu grew nervous, rambling for once:
“I usually live at my employer’s place, not here. This house is rented… I haven’t really taken care of it, mostly just used it for storage. It’s quite small…”
Yu Yuan had already prepared herself mentally. Though she had been pampered growing up in the Yu family, she wasn’t ignorant of reality.
She had chosen her mother and given up the Yu family’s wealth and status. No matter what kind of life awaited her, she wouldn’t regret it.
But when the door opened, the scene before her wasn’t bad at all.
The apartment was indeed small—a one-bedroom unit. From the doorway, she could take in the entire space at a glance.
Yet it was clean, tidy, and well-organized—not cluttered at all.
Inside the large storage cabinet, items were neatly arranged. Hooks were stuck onto the wardrobe surface, with small odds and ends hanging from them, seemingly sorted by color—adding a touch of brightness to the otherwise simple room.
On the side of the wardrobe hung a crocheted persimmon-shaped sachet. Though it looked a little dusty from sitting there for a while, it was still adorable.
Yu Wenxiu didn’t dare look at Yu Yuan’s expression. She hurriedly opened the windows to air the place out, then boiled some water, preparing to clean up.
“Um… Yuan Yuan, there’s dust everywhere. Let me clean first—you sit for a bit…”
“Mom, I’ll help too,” Yu Yuan interrupted. “Let’s clean together, and then have dinner. I saw instant noodles in the cabinet—I want to eat those.”
Yu Wenxiu’s nose stung. She forced back her tears and smiled at her.
“Alright. We’ll do it together.”
That night, while the Yu household was in chaos, the Yu (Wenxiu) home was warm and peaceful.
Meanwhile, as Yu Wenxiu posted on her social media, quite a few wealthy families across the city became lively that night.
Luo Fengnian suddenly sat up in bed, smacking her husband Song Wanjun—who had been scrolling short videos—while shouting:
“Old Song! Old Song!”
Song Wanjun got hit so hard his phone smacked into his face, but he didn’t even get angry. He scrambled up instead.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Sister Yu found her!” Luo Fengnian slapped the bed excitedly. “She found her child!”
Song Wanjun immediately understood and broke into a grin.
“That’s great—that’s really great!”
As Luo Fengnian spoke, tears started streaming down her face again.
“She’s had such a hard time all these years…”
“But this is a happy occasion—why are you crying?” Song Wanjun handed her a tissue, wiping her tears.
At that moment, a head popped in from the doorway.
“Mom, Dad—what’s going on?”
“Xiao Yi, do you still remember your Aunt Yu?” Luo Fengnian beckoned to her son.
Chapter 241: Stalemate
Yu Yuan slept better than she ever had in her life.
She and Yu Wenxiu had squeezed onto a small bed; though cramped, it was warm and comfortable.
The next day, she woke up naturally. Yu Wenxiu had bought breakfast from a nearby stall, and it tasted delicious.
Then, there were visitors.
Yu Yuan and Song Yi stared at each other, wide-eyed.
After walking through the door, Luo Fengnian first shoved a large red envelope into Yu Yuan’s hand. Before Yu Wenxiu could stop her, she was already holding the woman and crying and laughing at the same time.
Song Wanjun stood to the side, occasionally interjecting to ask about Yu Wenxiu’s future plans, nodding as he listened while firing off messages on his phone.
Less than half an hour later, a moving company arrived. They packed up the items needed from the room, and Yu Yuan, still in a daze, followed Yu Wenxiu to a villa area in the city.
Luo Fengnian pointed at the villa and said to Yu Wenxiu, “Sister Yu, you absolutely cannot refuse me this time. Take this villa as my congratulatory gift. You must accept it!”
Yu Wenxiu waved her hands repeatedly. “I really can’t. This is too precious…”
“Sister Yu, just take it. Otherwise, there’s no telling how much Fengnian will nag me. She’s been talking about this for I don’t know how many years,” Song Wanjun urged.
“You know our situation. We don’t have much cash, but we have plenty of houses; we usually just live off the rent. The young people these days don’t like renting villas—they think it’s too much work to maintain. This one has been empty for two years. Giving it to you is just putting it to good use.”
Yu Yuan secretly poked Song Yi. “Does your family really have that many houses?”
Song Yi scratched his head. “Going back a few generations, my family ran a martial arts school. They say we used to own a few mountains, but the government reclaimed them for development and paid a lot in compensation.”
“By my grandfather’s generation, he didn’t really do anything but enjoy life. He traveled all over the country with my grandmother and bought a house to stay in wherever they went.”
“As for now… how should I put it? We get demolition notices every few days. Between demolition compensation and relocation housing, I don’t even know exactly how many properties we own.”
“My family doesn’t have any real business; we just survive on rent. If we’re short on cash, we sell a house.”
“My dad lives that way too, but my mom is smart. She’s a home decor blogger. She uses one house for each social media account. Since they’re all our own houses, she does whatever she wants with them.”
The Song family didn’t truly have much capital, and they couldn’t be called wealthy. After all, real estate is illiquid—converting it to cash is troublesome, let alone the fact that the Songs weren’t cut out for business.
Yu Yuan’s expression became subtle. “Your family’s situation… well, it’s actually quite nice.”
Song Yi was proud. “Right? I think a simple life is best.”
On the other side, Yu Wenxiu was finally persuaded by Luo Fengnian and Song Wanjun, though she insisted on paying for it. It could be a smaller amount, but she couldn’t take it for free.
Luo Fengnian waved a hand. “Then give us 200,000! Don’t pay a cent more, or I won’t accept it!”
Having worked in wealthy households for so many years, and with very little to spend money on, it wasn’t difficult for Yu Wenxiu to scrape together 200,000. Besides, buying a house for her and Yu Yuan would have cost far more than that.
Song Wanjun quickly signaled the lawyer accompanying them to bring the prepared house transfer contract. Yu Wenxiu scanned it briefly and, confirming it was correct, signed her name.
“We’ll handle the paperwork on Monday. You two just stay here for today!” Luo Fengnian beamed once she saw the signature.
She beckoned to the moving crew. “Quick, get the items off the truck!”
Yu Wenxiu had initially thought they were just helping her move her things, but when she saw brand-new, unfamiliar furniture being carried down, she realized something was wrong. “Wait, this isn’t my…”
“It’s all yours!” Luo Fengnian held Yu Wenxiu down. “The contract just stated that as the first party, we will ensure decent living conditions. Surely it’s not too much to add a few pieces of furniture?”
Yu Wenxiu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Was there such a thing as setting someone up this way?
Having no words left, she was dragged into the courtyard by Luo Fengnian to chat.
Then, Yu Yuan saw another truck sneaking around the corner.
She looked at Song Yi, wordless. He coughed twice. “This doesn’t count for much. A lot of these were sent by brands. They’re second-hand, not expensive.”
Yu Yuan pointed at the piano the workers were currently moving. “Is that ‘second-hand’ too?”
“Yeah, my mom bought it for appearances before. It’s a waste just sitting at our place,” Song Yi replied.
Buying a Steinway Model O for “appearances”? Yu Yuan didn’t call his bluff, but she silently noted this kindness.
Her love for the piano was genuine, but she knew very well that in her and her mother’s current life, a piano was not a necessity—it could even be a burden.
Until their situation stabilized, she wouldn’t make too many demands of her mother. She would be careful not to be influenced by the “common sense” of the Yu family and say things that would make her mother feel cornered.
Regardless, Yu Yuan was happy to still be able to play the piano as she had before. She also wanted to offer her mother the thing she was best at.
The workers toiled until nearly noon, finally getting the villa set up. Yu Wenxiu only needed to do a light cleaning.
Both families had lunch at a nearby restaurant and then went to a local supermarket to buy a mountain of supplies.
Song Wanjun took the wheel, and the father-son duo acted as laborers, sweating through two trips to get all the supplies into the villa.
As Yu Yuan helped tidy up, she said to Song Yi, “I’m really sorry for all the trouble this caused your family today.”
“No trouble at all,” Song Yi shook his head, placing some daily sundries onto a high cabinet with ease.
“After I found out about what happened at your place last night, I asked the class monitor. She told me everything—how you stood up to your dad, or rather, your former dad,” Song Yi said.
“Former dad?” Yu Yuan almost laughed.
“I’m glad the moves I taught you came in handy, but things are probably going to be a real headache from here on out, aren’t they?” Song Yi’s expression turned serious. “For the sake of dealing with those people from the Yu family later, let us handle these little things for now!”
Yu Yuan froze for a moment, then smiled at him. “Mhm, thank you all.”
After the Song family left, Yu Yuan and Yu Wenxiu continued organizing. Around 3:00 PM, Yu Xin arrived with some belongings, having asked for their new address. She also took the opportunity to explain the situation at the Yu household.
“They really did send over quite a lot,” Yu Yuan said, surprised at how much stuff she apparently had.
“More than half are trophies, medals, and certificates you won in the past.” Yu Xin wasn’t surprised at the fact that they had moved into a villa—mostly because Song Yi had already mentioned it.
“Mother was furious, so she had Uncle Zhao ‘process’ the luxury goods she once gave you. Which is to say, he sold them? She said she wouldn’t spend another cent on you.”
Although she had known it would come to this, Yu Yuan still felt a sting of sadness.
She shook her head, forcing herself to perk up. “Aside from the trophies and such, what else did you bring?”
“I brought some of your undergarments, along with unused daily necessities, small items like stationery, and your school bag,” Yu Xin recalled. “Also the books on your shelf, your music scores… oh, and your Mingde uniform.”
At the mention of Mingde, Yu Xin seemed to recall something. “With your current situation, will you still be able to attend Mingde next semester?”
Yu Yuan was quite calm. “I’ve already prepared myself to transfer to a public school.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Yu Wenxiu, who had heard their conversation, walked over and said quickly. “I can afford the tuition for the next two years.”
“But Mom, my grades aren’t that great. It makes no difference whether I’m at Mingde or a public school. We’d be better off saving the money…” Yu Yuan hadn’t even finished her sentence when Yu Wenxiu interrupted her.
“I’m not forcing myself. When I found you, I had already considered these things. More than saving money, I hope you can continue your studies in a familiar environment where you feel secure,” Yu Wenxiu said.
She tapped on her phone a few times, pulled up the page showing her bank account balance and savings, and handed it to Yu Yuan.
“While I can’t provide you with the same level of food, clothing, and housing as the Yu family, there is absolutely no problem with keeping you in Mingde to finish your high school life,” Yu Wenxiu looked at Yu Yuan calmly.
Yu Yuan was speechless. As she looked at the numbers on the screen, she felt Yu Wenxiu was right.
But on the other hand, she felt she didn’t deserve to spend this money.
Her mother had looked for her for so long and had already sacrificed sixteen years of her life for her; how could she calmly spend the money her mother had saved up?
None of the three people in the room spoke. The atmosphere seemed to fall into a stalemate.
“I’m dropping by—” a cheerful female voice suddenly rang out.
Gu Qinghuan stood outside the courtyard gate, looking spirited. “Is no one going to welcome me?”
Chapter 242: Two Housewarming Gifts
Gu Qinghuan’s arrival shattered the silence in the room. Yu Xin quickly ran outside to welcome her in. “How could we not welcome you?”
It had to be said that Gu Qinghuan’s timing was impeccable. Yu Xin was truly terrible at handling these kinds of situations.
The moment Gu Qinghuan stepped inside, she sensed that something was off.
She looked left and right, confirming that the atmosphere between Yu Wenxiu and Yu Yuan was tense. After a brief thought, she set down the things she brought onto the table first.
“This is from my mom to Auntie Yu.” Gu Qinghuan handed a somewhat worn notebook to Yu Wenxiu.
“And this is my gift to Yu Yuan.” Gu Qinghuan placed a basket covered with a towel in front of Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan looked at the basket hesitantly. “This is…”
Gu Qinghuan whipped the towel off. Sensing the movement, the little creature lying in the middle of the basket lifted its head, then flopped back down and tucked its head between its two front paws, as if trying to block out the light.
“It’s a kitten! Someone was looking for an adopter in the city’s rescue group this morning,” Gu Qinghuan said. “Just like your old Tantand, it’s a black cat.”
“I used my good relationship with them to snatch it up first and bring it over to see if you want to adopt it. After all, right after you left the Yu family, it just happened to up for adoption. Isn’t that a huge coincidence? It must be fate.”
Yu Yuan stared blankly at the little black cat in the basket. It looked exactly like her Tantan, right down to its identical golden eyes.
It felt as though the childhood she had lost was reaching its hands out to her once again.
Gu Qinghuan covered the basket back up with the towel. “Auntie Yu told me before that she studied pet grooming so that once she found her daughter, if her daughter liked small animals, she could keep them clean and adorable.”
She turned to look at Yu Wenxiu. “Auntie Yu, if Yu Yuan wants to raise a cat, would you be willing to accept it?”
“Of course,” Yu Wenxiu said immediately. “As long as Yuanyuan likes it.”
“Then, Yu Yuan, do you want to adopt it?” Gu Qinghuan fixed her gaze on Yu Yuan.
“I…” Yu Yuan stammered a little. “But there are still so many things to take care of right now…”
A wave of clarity washed over Yu Wenxiu. She quickly walked over to Yu Yuan and took her hand.
“Yuanyuan, whether it’s this kitten or you, neither of you is a burden to me.”
“You are my motivation. With you here, I will only become a better person. And I believe that for the sake of this kitten, you will work even harder too.”
“So, let’s do our best together, okay?”
Yu Yuan squeezed Yu Wenxiu’s hand and slowly nodded her head.
So that’s how it is. Her fears couldn’t be wiped away that easily; she hadn’t wanted to become a burden and make her mother dislike her.
But her mother had just said that her presence would make her mother a better person.
Even before they had met, her mother had been thinking about doing more for her and fulfilling her various wishes.
“I will study even harder,” Yu Yuan spoke up. “I want to become a daughter my mom can be proud of, too.”
“So, are you two willing to give this kitten a home?” Gu Qinghuan asked with a smile.
Yu Yuan looked at the basket, then at Yu Wenxiu, plucking up the courage to make her very first request since their reunion. “Mom, I want to raise this cat.”
She placed her hope into her mother’s hands, and this time, her hope did not fall through.
Gu Qinghuan and Yu Xin thoughtfully left the space to the still-unfamiliar mother and daughter and took their leave.
Yu Xin had arrived in a car from the Yu family, so she gave Gu Qinghuan a ride back.
“Yu Yuan’s situation can basically be considered resolved, right? The engagement is off, and she’s left the Yu family. Although cutting ties legally will take some time, looking at Mother and Father’s attitude, it should be set in stone,” Yu Xin said.
“What is your family’s current attitude?” Gu Qinghuan asked, propping up her chin.
Yu Xin shrugged. “They feel like all their years of effort have gone down the drain and that they’ve taken a huge loss, so they want to claw back a bit of it. The problem is, my father also thinks it’s humiliating to demand money from a former nanny.”
“People can’t have their cake and eat it too, can they?” Gu Qinghuan rolled her eyes.
“I’ll mention this to Auntie Yu. She should be able to use it to keep the Yu family in check. For example, she can help maintain a good public image for the Yu family, in exchange for a clean break and less compensation,” Yu Xin said.
Gu Qinghuan nodded repeatedly, thinking it was an excellent idea.
She added, “Then our next move should be targeting Wei Xiao.”
At the mention of Wei Xiao, Yu Xin couldn’t help but frown and let out a sigh. “Cockroaches really are hard to kill.”
Gu Qinghuan wore an inscrutable expression. “Just wait a bit longer. There might be good news very soon.”
Xia He was still monitoring the contact between Xu Zhishu and Xia Xiuzhu. Judging by the frequency, Xu Zhishu should be finalizing things with Xia Xiuzhu soon.
She had previously dropped subtle hints regarding the fact that Wei Xiao and Wei Yan shared no blood relation. With Xia He’s capabilities, she might actually dig something up.
Either way, at least one of these two breakthroughs had to land. As long as one did, the Wei family would plunge into chaos.
Yu Xin placed great trust in Gu Qinghuan’s words. She had been busy with many things from last night until today, and hearing Gu Qinghuan say this allowed her mind to ease up for a moment.
“By the way, what kind of gift did your mom send Auntie Yu?” Yu Xin asked curiously.
“Oh,” Gu Qinghuan blinked. “My mom said it’s a—”
Parenting Bible.
Flipping open the slightly yellowed pages, these two words written on a sticky note were the first thing to catch the eye.
Yu Wenxiu peeled back the sticky note and found a few sentences written on the back.
[Sister Yu, although you became a mother the moment you gave birth to your daughter, being a good mother is no simple task.]
[I’m sharing a bit of my experience with you, hoping it comes in handy.]
Yu Wenxiu opened the notebook and found that it was actually a diary of sorts, written like a collection of essays.
Each entry was very brief, recording various minor incidents that occurred while Gu Haiyan was raising Gu Qinghuan.
However, for every little incident, she had attached her own reflections and then provided a solution.
Some solutions worked, while others were inappropriate; she rejoiced over them, but also reflected on them.
[Huanhuan threw a tantrum in front of a park stall today and refused to leave because she wanted a balloon, even though we clearly have one at home.]
[Jia’an said we should just buy it for her since it doesn’t cost much. I don’t think that’s right; we can’t always satisfy her every demand.]
[I wanted to reason with her, but how could a kid understand? All she kept repeating over and over was ‘it’s different,’ which drove me crazy.]
[In the end, I dragged her back home. Huanhuan cried so hard she refused to eat, and Mom gave me a whole lecture for it. Is it my fault?]
[But Mom is still the one with real skills. She steamed a little pig-shaped bun for her, and Huanhuan stopped crying instantly, completely forgetting about the balloon. I feel like I got scolded for nothing.]
Reading this part, Yu Wenxiu couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She never expected that Gu Haiyan used to be like this.
She read through it page by page, understanding Gu Haiyan’s experience in raising a child, as well as her thoughts.
Gu Haiyan was undoubtedly a good mother. Yet, in this “Parenting Bible,” she would also make mistakes, get headaches, and sometimes complain.
However, she had never once written the word “hate.”
She thought very seriously about building a mother-daughter relationship and about how to foster a wholesome personality in a child.
Just like what Yu Wenxiu hoped to become, Gu Haiyan had shouldered her responsibility as a mother, and this part gave Yu Wenxiu immense inspiration and food for thought.
On the very last page of the notebook, there was another sticky note.
[Your daughter is different from my Huanhuan; they are different children. So, you can’t just copy my methods entirely.]
[However, I believe that since you deeply love your daughter just as much, everything will definitely turn out fine.]
[You two will surely be happy forever.]
