Chapter 230

Her mother-in-law Wang Yuzhen stuffed the child into a red plastic bucket, set it on the counter, the child opened its mouth and wailed anguished, nearly unable to breathe, face flushed from holding it in. Wang Yuzhen, while preparing formula, hurled insults at the child.

"Like your jinx of a mother, you're worthless, all you do is cry all day." Wang Yuzhen yelled with vigor, she twisted the child's face, the already red skin flushing even worse, "You're constantly ill, just spoiled—today fever, tomorrow cough, if it gets worse I'll toss you out to feed the dogs."

Before Wang Yuzhen screwed on the bottle cap, she spat into it, didn't test the temperature, and shoved it straight into the child's mouth, irritably saying: "Stop crying! If you keep crying, your mom will wake up and argue with me again. You're useless, all day long, just giving me trouble."

Xia Yue trembled all over, rushed over, snatched the bottle from the child's mouth, and smashed it hard into Wang Yuzhen's face, loudly cursing her as inhuman.

This was something she stumbled upon unintentionally; when she wasn't looking, she had no idea how much stuff Wang Yuzhen had mixed into the formula.

Xia Yue only realized upon approaching that the plastic bucket actually held half a bucket of water; her not-yet-one-year-old daughter was soaked in it, the water reaching up to her armpits. Her fingers trembled as she reached in and felt the water—it was cold.

She opened her mouth wide, sobbing desperately, but couldn't produce a sound, as if her throat were being sliced by a blade.

Xia Yue, trembling, lifted the child out, peeled off the water-soaked, heavy clothes, and wrapped her in a blanket against her icy body. Feeling her mother's embrace, the child gradually stopped crying.

Xia Yue stared at Wang Yuzhen with venomous hatred, hurling everything within reach at her.

She wanted Wang Yuzhen to die!

Wang Yuzhen wasn't a pushover; at first she didn't react, took a few hits, then once she came to, she lunged forward to slap Xia Yue, knowing she was in the wrong but stubbornly refusing to admit it: "The child has a fever! It's because you infected her—I'm just trying to save her, you don't know shit. Who gave you the guts to lay hands on me? Tomorrow I'll tell my son to kick you out, and you and your daughter can get lost!"

Xia Yue was dazed from the blow, unable to fight back, she grabbed a utensil from the countertop intending to smash Wang Yuzhen as before, but what she actually held was a sharp knife, and Wang Yuzhen lunged at her just then.

The knife plunged into Wang Yuzhen's body.

Zhou Hongsheng was playing a game in the room, even with headphones on he could hear the quarrel from the kitchen; he thought it was just another petty squabble like before, something he'd grown used to. He was sick of the frequent mother‑in‑law/daughter‑in‑law battles and couldn't be bothered to intervene.

After finishing a game, his bladder ached from being full, so Zhou Hongsheng finally rose from his chair and went to the toilet. The commotion outside had just ceased, leaving things quiet, and he sauntered over pretending to be casual, intending to say a few soothing words.

What met his eyes: Xia Yue gripped a knife, its blade smeared with bright red blood that dripped onto the back of her foot; Wang Yuzhen lay on the floor, clutching her abdomen, blood seeping through her fingers, her whole hand stained red, a pool spreading across the white tiles.

Shocking to behold.

Aside from the infant who couldn't speak, Zhou Hongsheng was the sole witness, and the outcome was predictable.

Zhou Hongsheng's relatives introduced him to a prominent lawyer, who sought a harsh sentence for Xia Yue on intentional homicide charges. Zhou Hongsheng knew that before going abroad, Xia Yue's sister Xia Xi had given her a sum of money.

She went in, and the money became his.

Xia Xi saw Xia Yue, who was alarmingly thin, her face full of remorse.

She regretted marrying Zhou Hongsheng; the love from campus to wedding gown brought nothing but chaos—it was clashing swords, a fight to the death. She regretted failing to control her temper, a moment's impulse that led to Wang Yuzhen's accidental killing. She regretted not being more attentive, not spotting Wang Yuzhen's wickedness sooner; in places she couldn't see, her daughter had suffered unknown torment, so young and unable to speak, her cries were pleas for help to her mother.

Xia Yue covered her face and wept: "Xi Xi, things have come to this; don't waste time running around looking for lawyers to appeal—it's pointless. I own my mistake, I accept it; this is the price I must pay. I only ask you one thing…"

She seemed unable to speak, her lips twitching a few times without saying anything further.

Xia Xi's eyes reddened, her index fingernail scraping the corner of her eye: "Tell me, I'll definitely get it done."

Xia Yue understood her situation; precisely because she knew how hard it was, she couldn't bring herself to speak.

Last year the household suffered successive blows; Xuanxuan's heart disease relapsed, requiring another operation. Xia Xi first paid for Xuanxuan's surgery, then settled compensation for several workers and the deceased's families, finally pulling out two sums—one for her grandparents and mother, one for herself—while Xia Xi still kept some cash on hand.

At the time she didn't inquire further, simply assuming Xia Xi had borrowed the money from Xu Yanfeng; later, when Xia Xi prepared to go abroad for studies in such a rush, she realized the funds that helped the family through the crisis were what Xia Xi had given up her relationship with Xu Yanfeng for, taken from the Xu household.

Xia Xi lived alone abroad, with no relatives or friends to help, and she was also caring for a child about the same age as Youyou; as an older sister, she felt she couldn't help her younger sister, and it would be shameful to add to her burden.

Seeing Xia Yue hesitate to speak, Xia Xi thought a moment and guessed, speaking for her: "Are you wanting me to help look after Youyou?"

Xia Yue nodded slowly.

Youyou couldn't be left in Zhou Hongsheng's care; that beastly creature, she had seen his true nature—he wouldn't treat his daughter well. With him, even survival would be doubtful, and even if she were somehow raised, she wouldn't receive a proper upbringing.

She had carried the child for ten months, endured the pain of birth—how could she bear to let her suffer?

Su Jinru had to look after her grandmother above and care for Xuanxuan below, so she certainly couldn't spare energy for another child.

But Xia Xi wasn't having an easy time either…

Xia Xi smiled, easing her mind: "Even if you don't say it, I'll protect Youyou well."

Xia Yue kept wiping her tears, the skin around her eyes reddened from rubbing: "Xi Xi, it's the older sister who's let you down—you've already done so much for the family, and now I'm adding to your burden, but I… I truly have nowhere else to turn."

"Don't say that, we're family." Xia Xi said, "Caring for one child is still caring; two children can keep each other company. Youyou is the older sister; when the kids grow a bit older, she might even be able to help me watch over the brother."

Xia Yue both cried and laughed; the two children were only two months apart—who could look after whom?

"Youyou is still too young to remember things; Xi Xi, I hope you can keep it from her, not tell her who her birth mother is, and let her think you are her mother. After all, I'm a tainted person; she may someday refuse to acknowledge me."

Visiting time was up, Xia Xi had to leave; she promised her sister: "Rest assured, I'll raise Youyou as my own child."

Xia Yue dried her tears, smiled at her, and said: "With Youyou by your side, I feel at ease."

Xia Xi seized the moment to give her final words: "Sis, I might not be able to come visit often; take care of your health in there, don't let worries weigh you down. When you get out, we'll be a family again."

Xia Yue kept smiling at her with a curved lip, nodding vigorously, telling her not to worry, that she would look after herself, and that she still longed to see her daughter grow up with her own eyes.

When Xia Xi prepared to take Youyou away, Zhou Hongsheng had no objection.

After Xia Yue was taken into custody, the child was left in the Xia household's care, but Zhou Hongsheng, being the father, couldn't completely disengage—legally it wouldn't hold—and he was worrying how to sever ties entirely when someone voluntarily offered to resolve his trouble, and he shook it off like a hot potato, without a hint of reluctance.

Xia Xi's leave was short; she couldn't stay long domestically, so after settling matters she boarded a plane with the two children.

Zhou Du escorted her, also taking the chance to inspect her living situation abroad.

At night, the first‑class cabin was utterly quiet; the enclosed seats amounted to a small room, the two children had fallen asleep after finishing their formula, and their diapers had been changed to fresh ones.

With someone helping to watch the children, Xia Xi lay down, fell asleep almost immediately, and seemed to have had a very long dream.