novellhall Chapter 133 Aunt Zhao's Daughter
Chapter 133 Aunt Zhao's Daughter
"What should we do? The two children's foreheads are getting hotter and hotter. Will something bad happen to them?" Wenrou was very anxious the whole way.
Huo Yanchuan, driving a military vehicle, comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, the baby will be fine."
He was actually anxious, but the closer it got to this point, the less he could afford to be anxious.
"What happened? He was fine at noon, how could he suddenly have a fever?" Wenrou felt very guilty looking at her child like this.
It was because she didn't take good care of her two children that they got fevers.
Huo Yanchuan slammed on the gas pedal. The nearest medical station to the army was closed late at night, so he had to come to the town.
Fortunately, there were staff on duty at the town hospital. After getting off the bus, Wenrou and Huo Yanchuan each carried a child and ran inside.
"Doctor, please take a look at my children. They have a high fever that won't go down."
It wasn't until she became a mother that Wenrou truly understood the feeling of helplessness—watching her child curl up in her arms in distress, while she could do nothing about it—that was more painful than a knife wound to her own body.
Upon hearing this, the doctor on duty asked them to put the child on the bed and began to examine them.
"They must have caught a cold. I'll have someone give them fever-reducing medication. They'll be fine once the fever goes down," the doctor said after examining them.
Hearing the doctor's words, Wenrou felt relieved for the time being.
She and Huo Yanchuan each held a child, sitting on the hospital bed while they administered IV drips.
By the middle of the night, the two children's fevers had finally subsided.
However, no matter how much she called out, the two children did not wake up.
"Huo Yanchuan, why can't we wake the child?" Wenrou only then realized that something was wrong.
Huo Yanchuan's expression changed slightly after noticing the child's unusual behavior.
"They didn't eat anything last night, did they?" Huo Yanchuan asked Wenrou.
Wenrou shook her head gently. "No, she fell asleep after drinking her milk."
After she finished speaking, she suddenly remembered that she had asked Aunt Zhao to make formula for the two children that evening.
After finishing her feeding, the baby fell asleep peacefully, just like usual.
So she didn't notice anything wrong and slept with them for a while.
However, when she woke up at night, worried that the children had wet themselves, she was about to change their diapers when she discovered that both of them had fevers.
If they really caught a cold, how could it be such a coincidence that both of them caught a cold?
"Could it be that Aunt Zhao added something to the milk powder?" Wenrou asked suspiciously.
Although she said that, she didn't believe it in her heart. During the time Aunt Zhao had been with their family, she had been very responsible and had taken good care of the two children.
He also did all the housework, which saved her a lot of trouble.
If she really did it, then why?
Could it be that she targeted the two children simply because she refused to lend them money?
If that's the case, then it's terrifying.
Thinking of this, she quickly called the doctor over. After examining them, the doctor said, "Don't worry, it's nothing serious. They couldn't sleep because of their fever in the first half of the night, but now that the fever has subsided, they're sleeping soundly. It's normal that you can't wake them up."
"They really didn't take any medicine?" Wenrou asked, still feeling uneasy.
The doctor, being experienced in such situations, shook his head and said, "If they had really taken some kind of medicine, such young children would have gone into shock by now. Their breathing is calm and steady right now, so they're fine. Don't worry too much."
With the doctor's words, Wenrou was finally relieved.
"Looks like I was overthinking it," she said gently, letting out a sigh of relief.
Huo Yanchuan reached out and gently patted her shoulder. She felt sorry for the child, and he felt sorry for her too.
"The doctor said their fevers have gone down, so you should go and get some rest. You've been up all night and haven't had a chance to rest yet."
Gentle shook her head. "I can't sleep."
Although the child is alright now, she is still shaken by what happened and dares not be so careless again.
Meanwhile, while Wenrou and Huo Yanchuan were taking the child to the hospital, Aunt Zhao quietly slipped out of the house.
"Mom, why are you so late? Where's the money? Give it to me now." As soon as she arrived, a figure walked out from the side and spoke impatiently to Aunt Zhao.
Aunt Zhao shook her head, a troubled look on her face.
"I have no money. I sent all my money back home. Where would I get any money left?"
The woman's expression changed immediately upon hearing Aunt Zhao's words.
"All you ever think about is sending money to your two sons. I'm your own daughter! Do you want to watch me get beaten to death? And your two grandsons, they haven't had a proper meal in ages! Didn't I tell you to drug those two brats? Now that they're all alone, why don't you take this opportunity to steal the money?"
Zhao Xiu'e grabbed Aunt Zhao's arm, somewhat exasperated.
"I saw it all this afternoon. That woman had several hundred yuan in her hand. Her family is so rich, they definitely wouldn't notice if she lost a hundred or two."
As Zhao Xiue spoke, she rolled up both of her sleeves to show her the bruises on her arms.
By the light of the flashlight, Aunt Zhao saw that both of her daughter's arms were covered in injuries, and she immediately felt heartbroken.
"You beast, how could he treat you like this? If I had known you would suffer after marrying him, I should never have agreed to this marriage in the first place."
Seeing her daughter suffer so much, she felt terrible as a mother.
She had already done as Zhao Xiue had said, but seeing how young the two children were, she couldn't bear to do it again.
After all, she had been taking care of the children for so long and had developed a bond with them.
In addition, the gentle couple treated her very well, not only allowing her to eat at the table but also giving her their old clothes to wear.
No matter what, she can't do something against her conscience.
"Xiu'e, Mom will think of another way to solve the money problem. Huo Tuan and his wife have been very good to me, and I can't hurt their child," Aunt Zhao said.
But Zhao Xiu'e was no longer listening to anything at this point. When she heard Aunt Zhao's words, she was furious. "How could you be so confused? You're so good to them, what am I supposed to do? I might as well just die."
Hearing Zhao Xiue's words, Aunt Zhao certainly couldn't just stand by and watch her daughter die in front of her.
"Xiu'e, please don't do anything rash. Once I borrow the money, I'll send it to you."
"Then when am I supposed to wait? Here's what we'll do: I'll just get beaten to death if I go back now anyway. Just let me stay here with the child. This is the military base; even if he comes looking for us, he won't dare to do anything reckless."
Zhao Xiue knew her mother was soft-hearted, and this was the only solution she could think of.
"This..." Aunt Zhao looked troubled.
"Mom, do you really want me to go back and get beaten to death? Besides, I'll stay here and I definitely won't cause you any trouble. If it really doesn't work, the two children can stay here first." Zhao Xiu'e grabbed Aunt Zhao's arm and cried again.
When Aunt Zhao heard her crying, she immediately softened.
"Then how about this, bring the child over tomorrow, and I'll talk to Xiaorou properly. She should agree."
"It's almost dawn, why don't you take the two children and move in first? They won't kick the children out when they come back, will they?" Zhao Xiu'e pushed her two children in front of Aunt Zhao.
"Grandma, we're hungry." The two children cried even harder than the other after receiving a cold shoulder from Zhao Xiu'e.
Aunt Zhao had no choice but to agree to take the two children inside first.
After arriving home, she cooked a bowl of noodles for each of her two children.
But to everyone's surprise, the two children, instigated by Zhao Xiu'e, started rummaging through the kitchen.
"Grandma, there's meat here, we want to eat meat."
Aunt Zhao looked at the leftover braised pork and fish from tonight, thinking that since it was all leftovers, Wenrou probably wouldn't eat it, so she brought it over to them.
"TV, there's a TV here." After the two children finished eating, while Aunt Zhao was busy washing dishes in the kitchen, they ran straight into Wenrou's room and eagerly turned on the TV.
Not only that, they also dug out all the canned chicken cakes and other snacks that Wenrou had left in the house, and started eating them while watching TV.
When Aunt Zhao finished her chores and came out, she saw that they had already run into Wenrou's room.
She was startled and wanted to pull the two of them out.
But at this moment, they started crying in front of her, tears streaming down their faces.
"Waaah, Grandma, we haven't watched TV yet, let us watch it here for a little while."
"Yes, Grandma, please say yes."
Aunt Zhao's heart softened when she saw the two children crying like this.
Thinking that since Wenrou wasn't around right now, watching for a while shouldn't be a problem.
As for what they eat, she'll buy some more and put it in the house later.
"Then you absolutely mustn't touch anything else," Aunt Zhao instructed.
Although the two readily agreed, as soon as Aunt Zhao left, they started searching the house again.
Fortunately, Wenrou had placed the money very high up, so neither of them could reach it.
At the hospital, Wenrou and Huo Yanchuan stayed up all night without sleeping.
The two children finally woke up in the morning, and after their fevers subsided, they were more energetic.
Seeing that they were alright, Wenrou and Huo Yanchuan brought them back.
As Wenrou carried her child to the entrance of the family compound, she saw a woman wearing a green headscarf and patched coarse cloth clothes standing there.
Upon seeing Wenrou, she hurriedly stepped forward and asked with a smile, "You must be Huo Tuan's lover?"
Wenrou had never seen this woman before. Just as she was about to ask who she was, she heard the woman say, "I am Aunt Zhao's daughter, Zhao Xiu'e. My mother works as a nanny in your family."
"Aunt Zhao's daughter? Is there something you need?" Wenrou looked at the woman in surprise, then asked.
"I came to see her from my hometown in the countryside. She is in poor health and wrote to me asking me to come and take her place."
Zhao Xiue changed her mind again. Although this place was located in the Gobi Desert, the conditions in this family compound were much better than their home. If she and her child could stay here, that would be wonderful.
So she took it upon herself to decide to replace Aunt Zhao as a nanny in Wenrou's home.
"Don't worry, what my mom can do, I can do too. Besides, I'm younger and stronger than her, so I guarantee you'll be satisfied," Zhao Xiu'e hurriedly assured Wenrou.
At this moment, Huo Yanchuan also came over.
"What's wrong?" he asked, seeing a strange woman standing at the entrance of the family compound.
Zhao Xiue looked at Huo Yanchuan and was taken aback. She hadn't expected this woman's husband to be so handsome.
She looked at him gently and explained, "She's Aunt Zhao's daughter. She said she's here to replace her as our nanny."
Huo Yanchuan looked at Zhao Xiue, his cold eyes scrutinizing her. When Zhao Xiue met his gaze, she couldn't help but feel a chill.
Although this man is handsome, his eyes are too cold, and his gaze is so sharp, as if he can see through everything I'm thinking.
"How come I've never heard Aunt Zhao's daughter mention this?" Huo Yanchuan asked, looking puzzled.
"It's true. If you don't believe me, let me in and ask her." Zhao Xiue hurriedly explained.
"Then come in with us." Wenrou had the guards at the gate register her and led Zhao Xiue into the family compound.
She was even more confused now. Just a few days ago, Aunt Zhao asked her to borrow money, which she refused. A few days later, her child developed a fever.
Now even her daughter has come knocking on her door. She still needs to go back and ask Aunt Zhao what's going on.
Zhao Xiue followed behind Wenrou and Huo Yanchuan, looking around the military family compound with excitement.
Looking at the rows of brick and tile houses here, their conditions are much better than those in their village.
If she could live here in the future, she and her child wouldn't have to worry about their livelihood.
At this moment, Wenrou glanced back at Zhao Xiue and saw that her eyes revealed some calculation and cleverness, and she was not as steady as Aunt Zhao.
Although he agreed to bring her in, he did not agree to use her.
If it weren't for what happened last night, she would still think Aunt Zhao was nice, but now she needs to seriously consider whether she should keep her here.
Huo Yanchuan has already had someone investigate and found out that Aunt Zhao has sent all the money she had received during this period back home, including the old clothes he had given her.
Seeing Zhao Xiue like this, she could guess the situation of Zhao's other two sons.
Her two sons and this daughter don't want to support her in her old age, but they still want to sponge off her.
She sent all her money back home to help the bottomless pit of her family, while she herself was frugal with food and clothing. No matter how much I wanted to help her, it was no use.
And now, trouble has arisen.
As Wenrou carried the child into the house, she saw two children run out of the house and run towards Zhao Xiu'e.
"Mom, you've finally arrived! This place is wonderful! There's a TV, a washing machine, and lots of delicious food. We even ate meat."
The two children were at an age where they couldn't keep secrets, and upon seeing Zhao Xiue, they excitedly told her everything.
"you……"
At this moment, Aunt Zhao chased after them. When she saw Wenrou and Huo Yanchuan returning with the child, she was stunned for a moment, and her tone was unnatural, "Wenrou, Huo, you're back?"