novellhall Chapter 148 This child is not simple
Chapter 148 This child is not simple
She looked at the child tenderly, especially his eyes, which seemed increasingly familiar.
At this point, she was certain that she had met him in her past life, or at least someone related to him.
However, she can't remember anything about it now, and has no recollection of it.
Xiao Bao looked at Wenrou and knew that if he didn't speak up today, she definitely wouldn't give up.
Then, with a quick glance at Li Xiuying, he burst into tears.
"Oh dear, my sweet grandson, why are you crying?"
The child's crying broke Li Xiuying's heart.
She looked at Wenrou, her face darkening, and couldn't help but scold, "Really, why did you have to ask this? Now you've made the child cry."
After speaking gently, Li Xiuying then coaxed the child in her arms, "If we don't want to talk about it, then we won't. Be good, Grandma's precious grandson, don't cry. My dear, your crying breaks Grandma's heart."
Wenrou frowned as she looked at Li Xiuying's indulgence and pampering of the child.
The child was clearly doing it on purpose; the more he tried to avoid talking, the more suspicious Wenrou became.
Thinking back to her past life, after her second brother had an accident, this child was taken away, no wonder Li Xiuying went crazy.
She cherishes this child so much now, treating him like her own grandson, indulging him in everything, and wishing she could spoil him rotten.
After he was taken away, he must have been unable to accept the fact, and after being hit hard, he lost his mind.
Li Xiuying carried the baby into the house and looked gently at Wen Jianshe and Wen Jiguang. After seeing the expressions on their faces, she understood that they were probably used to this situation.
After the meal, Wenrou was surprised that Li Qiuying would bring her child over to ask her for a red envelope.
"You're Xiaobao's aunt, you can't go back on your word. Here's the red envelope, give it to the child quickly."
Wenrou did indeed prepare red envelopes; she prepared two, one for her eldest brother's child and the other for this child.
She wasn't sure if the child was actually her second brother's biological child, so she prepared accordingly.
She thought that if he was the son of her second brother, then as his aunt, she should indeed prepare a gift for their first meeting.
But now, seeing the child's appearance, she was certain in her heart that he was definitely not her second brother's child, so of course she wouldn't bring out the gift.
"We weren't prepared," Wenrou said to Li Xiuying.
Upon hearing this, the expectant look on the child's face vanished instantly.
He looked at Li Xiuying and reached out to shake her arm.
As expected, upon seeing this, Li Xiuying coldly shouted angrily, "What do you mean by this? Your second brother treated you so well when you were little, have you forgotten all that, you heartless wretch? Xiaobao is your own nephew, he's your second brother's own son, and you didn't even prepare a gift for him. What will your second brother think if he finds out?"
Wenrou's expression changed drastically upon hearing her words.
She reached out and pushed the child in front of Liu Xiuying, saying coldly, "Li Xiuying, take a good look at him. What does he have in common with your second brother? Only you would treat him as your second brother's child."
After Wenrou said this, Li Xiuying was stunned.
She looked at Xiao Bao, who realized that his identity might be exposed, so he reached out and grabbed Li Xiuying's arm and started crying loudly again.
His crying startled Li Xiuying.
"What are you saying? How can Xiaobao not be your second brother's child? Don't say that again, or don't blame me for disowning you as my daughter."
After Li Xiuying finished speaking, she took Xiaobao's hand and left.
Wenrou looked after the child carefully; she had only been back for half a day, and he had already turned the house upside down like this.
I still don't know how my older brother and sister-in-law have been coping during this time.
This little rascal is so cunning; he's nothing like an ordinary child.
With Li Xiuying protecting him at home, no one else could do anything about him.
The main problem is that the second brother is nowhere to be found, and they can't find him to ask about the child.
That evening, Huo Yanchuan looked after the two children and gently went to find Liu Xiaoyu, taking the red envelopes meant for the children with him.
"Sister-in-law, this is a gift for the two children. Please accept it." When Wenrou approached, Liu Xiaoyu was breastfeeding her child. She handed over the red envelopes meant for the children.
Liu Xiaoyu looked at the red envelope that Wenrou handed her and hurriedly pushed it back.
"This won't do. I didn't prepare any gifts for your two children, so how can I accept your red envelope?"
She gently stuffed the red envelope into her hand, saying, "Of course I have one. I received the clothes you sewed by hand for the two children. Your needlework is excellent, even better than the tailors in the city. The children look very good in them. Those two clothes must have taken a lot of effort to sew, right?"
After learning that Wenrou had given birth to two daughters, Liu Xiaoyu hurriedly made two new outfits for the children and had Wen Jiguang send them to the army.
Wenrou was amazed by Liu Xiaoyu's excellent handicrafts after receiving the item.
She not only sewed the clothes, but even the embroidered patterns on them were beautiful.
Those are handmade clothes, much more exquisite and beautiful than store-bought ones.
Wenrou really liked those two outfits, and for a while, she let them wear them every day.
So when she came back this time, she naturally prepared a gift for her elder brother and sister-in-law's children.
"I don't know how to make clothes, let alone anything else. Please take this red envelope; it's just a small token of my appreciation as your sister-in-law."
Wenrou gave Liu Xiaoyu the red envelope willingly, and it was quite generous, containing two hundred yuan.
She also knew that her sister-in-law's health had been poor since she gave birth, and she could no longer go out to do handicrafts to earn money.
Normally, I can only bring back a little handicraft work to supplement my household income.
My older brother doesn't earn much either, and he has to support a child, so he's living a very frugal life.
She wanted to help them, but couldn't find a good opportunity.
Just as the two were making excuses, Wen Jiguang walked in from outside.
He looked at Liu Xiaoyu and said, "Since it was given to you by Xiaorou, then you should accept it."
Wen Jiguang also felt guilty towards his wife and daughter. He didn't have any special skills. He used to be able to earn some money by hunting, but now there are fewer prey in the mountains, so he can only go out to find some odd jobs to earn some money.
Hearing Wen Jiguang's words, Liu Xiaoyu had no choice but to accept them.
However, she still asked, "Have you prepared a gift for Xiaobao as well?"
If only their daughter receives the gift, the mother-in-law will definitely be unhappy.
"I wasn't prepared," Wenrou said directly.
She didn't care whether Li Xiuying was happy or not. When she found out that Xiaobao wasn't her second brother's biological son, she'd see if she could still be happy.
Upon hearing this, Liu Xiaoyu's expression changed slightly. She handed the red envelope back to Wenrou and said with some difficulty, "How about... you give this red envelope to Xiaobao instead?"
Wenrou reached out and pushed the red envelope back, comforting her, "Sister-in-law, don't worry about keeping it. I'll handle things with Mom."
Hearing Wenrou say that, Liu Xiaoyu felt relieved and accepted the item.
After leaving Liu Xiaoyu, Wenrou returned to her room.
Upon seeing her return, Huo Yanchuan asked, "Did you give her the gift?"
Wenrou nodded gently, then, thinking about what had happened upon her return, asked, "What do you think about what happened today?"
She knew Huo Yanchuan must have noticed it too, and sure enough, she heard him say with a serious expression, "There's something wrong with that child."
"The most important thing for us now is to find Second Brother first, so we can determine where this child came from." Wenrou stopped pretending to be strong in front of Huo Yanchuan.
She didn't see her second brother when she came back today, and she had a vague feeling of unease.
Huo Yanchuan could sense that Wenrou had been very worried since she returned today, even though she appeared calm on the surface.
He put his arm around her shoulder, letting her lean on him, and gently comforted her, "I've already had someone investigate, and we should have results soon, so don't worry."
Wenrou nodded gently. "It's good that you're here."
Otherwise, she really wouldn't know where to start if she were alone.
Although Huo Yanchuan was comforting Wenrou, his expression was even more solemn than Wenrou's.
He remembered hearing from Soviet soldiers during a previous mission that there was a spy organization in the border area between the two countries that trained a group of people, mostly women and children.
They trained these women to infiltrate ordinary families, including marrying and having children, so that they could integrate into those families, become one of them, and thereby find opportunities to transmit the intelligence they had obtained.
Some men, once they realize they've been deceived, are already too late to extricate themselves and ultimately become pawns of that spy organization.
He pleaded guilty in order to protect his wife and children.
As one might imagine, the ultimate fate of a spy would be execution, or at least a light punishment.
He now had a strong premonition that his gentle second brother, Wen Jinian, was very likely being targeted by that organization.
When he first heard about such an organization, he found it unbelievable and didn't quite believe it.
But after seeing that child today, he was certain that the organization must really exist.
He looked at Wenrou in his arms, hesitating whether or not to tell her the news.
She's already worried enough, and he still hasn't figured out a solution. Telling her would only increase her anxiety.
"Huo Yanchuan, where do you think my second brother is right now?" Wenrou asked, lying gently in Huo Yanchuan's arms.
Huo Yanchuan reached out and gently rubbed her head, a sharp glint in his eyes, and said, "Then we might have to look for clues from that child."
"Then I'll try to get him to talk tomorrow?" Wenrou said after thinking for a moment.
"Don't rush. That child isn't as simple as we think. Don't alert him yet. If possible, you should first build a good relationship with him and gain his trust."
This is the only solution Huo Yanchuan can think of right now.
After all, he now suspects that the child was also trained by a spy organization and is not so easy to deal with.
He could sense that this child was different from ordinary children; he was very good at reading people and could adapt to various situations.
He was smart; he knew that his family hadn't accepted his identity yet, and only Li Xiuying would protect him.
So he would completely charm Li Xiuying, making her believe that he was her biological grandson.
Wenrou was very reluctant to acknowledge the child's identity, but she had no other choice now.
Thinking about this, she began to regret her decision.
"If I had known this would happen, I should have given him the red envelope earlier. It would have helped me get closer to him and gain his trust."
She acted too impulsively just now, saying in front of Li Xiuying that he wasn't her second brother's child.
"Don't think about the past anymore. Go to sleep early. Leave the rest to me," Huo Yanchuan comforted her with concern.
Throughout the journey, Wenrou was focused on getting back as soon as possible, and she didn't get much rest at night.
Seeing that her eyes were bloodshot, Huo Yanchuan reached out and picked her up, carrying her to the bedside.
He bent down and placed her next to the two children, pulled the blanket up for her, and gently kissed her forehead.
With Huo Yanchuan by her side, Wenrou fell asleep peacefully.
The next day, Huo Yanchuan made an excuse to go out and sent Wen Jinian's information, as well as information about this spy organization, to the intelligence team, asking them to investigate together.
Yesterday, Wenrou had a falling out with Li Xiuying and the child. After hearing what Huo Yanchuan said yesterday, Wenrou changed her mind.
During the meal, she took a red envelope out of her pocket and handed it to Xiaobao.
"No matter what, he is the child my second brother brought back. Since my second brother said he is his child, then he is a child of the Wen family. This is my gift as his aunt."
Xiao Bao was stunned when he saw the red envelope that Wenrou handed him. Then he looked in Li Xiuying's direction and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.
This woman hadn't accepted him yesterday, so why did she change her mind today?
"Oh, Xiao Bao, aren't you going to thank your aunt?" Li Xiuying smiled broadly when she saw the red envelope that Wenrou handed over, and gestured for Xiao Bao to take it quickly.
After hearing Li Xiuying's words, Xiao Bao reached out and accepted the gentle red envelope, saying, "Thank you, Auntie."
From yesterday until now, Wenrou has finally heard him speak for the first time.
"So you can talk. I thought you were mute?" This child cried all the time yesterday, but he seems much more pleasing to the eye today.
However, Huo Yanchuan said he wasn't that simple, so she couldn't deliberately try to please or get close to him.
"I'm not mute, I have a name, my name is Xiaobao." Xiaobao was clearly agitated when Wenrou mentioned the word "mute".
"Xiao Bao, okay, you're my second brother's child, so your surname is Wen, right? From now on, I'll call you Wen Xiao Bao." Wen Rou also realized that this child was obviously very sensitive about his name, so she went along with his words.
As expected, upon hearing Wenrou's words, he smiled and nodded with great satisfaction, "Yes, my name is Wen Xiaobao."
Wenrou initially thought this child was more cunning than other children, as if he had undergone rigorous training, but now it seems he is not so difficult to deal with.