Chapter 1157: Showing Off One's Talents vs. A Thankless Effort

Animal World.

Jian Yixin still wanted to leave.

So the channel was changed again, this time to a suspense thriller.

Shi Ran hugged her arm tightly, saying she was scared!

While saying she was scared, she was also spoiling the plot!

Watching a suspense drama with a high-IQ person is very boring, because she can guess all the follow-ups and explain them step by step as if solving a mathematical equation.

Jian Yixin didn't see fear in Shi Ran's eyes, and discovered she was actually enjoying the process.

"Snap!"

The TV remote was grabbed by Jian Yixin, and the TV was turned off.

"Go back to sleep, or if you want to watch, go back to your room and watch on your computer or phone. Didn't your mother tell you that spoiling the plot is very unethical?"

Shi Ran and Jian Yixin have a very good relationship, so it doesn't matter how deep or shallow their talk is.

Shi Ran was calm: "You're overthinking it. My mom wouldn't think it's unethical; I learned to spoil plots from her."

Jian Yixin:...

What are this mother and daughter made of?

But fortunately, Shi Ran still went back to her room.

With this delay, more than an hour had passed, and it was already late at night.

Should she still go to her son's room?

At this time, Moli must be asleep.

If she goes, she's afraid of waking the child.

If she doesn't go, she's worried.

In the end, she still walked toward her son's room; she couldn't control her own feet!

The door wasn't locked, and it opened with a gentle push.

The room was quiet, and the child was indeed fast asleep.

Why are there two people?

A dim, yellowish lamp was on against the wall; the light was dim, but the general outline of the room could be seen.

She saw clearly: besides Moli, Sheng Zihan was also on the bed. The two of them must have fallen asleep while playing.

Zihan's right hand was still clutching an unfinished Lego toy, and his left hand was clutching some parts.

The bed was also full of parts.

Small children are restless when they sleep, and it's easy to get poked by them.

She picked them up one by one and placed them neatly on the table.

Then she gently took the toy from Zichen's hand as well and put it together with the others!

Zichen kicked the quilt off.

The little guy is restless when sleeping; not only did he kick off his own quilt, but he also put his leg on Moli.

She hurriedly took Zichen's leg down and helped him cover himself with the quilt again.

Moli turned over again, and the quilt on his body was also wrapped under him.

She hurriedly helped her son cover himself with the quilt again.

Then it was Zichen again...

The two children were like they had discussed it; you kick the quilt, he kicks it, over and over, endlessly.

Before long, she was so tired that fine beads of sweat oozed from her forehead, and she was incredibly hot.

She was so sleepy her eyelids wouldn't open, but she didn't dare to sleep, fearing that if the children kicked the quilt off, it wouldn't be covered in time and they would catch a cold.

At this moment, the door silently opened a crack, and Shi Youxuan beckoned to her.

She helped the two children cover themselves with the quilt one more time, tucked in the corners, and then went out.

"What for?" she asked crossly.

"Here, I guessed you were thirsty." Shi Youxuan handed over a glass of plain water. She was indeed thirsty, so she took it and drank it dry.

After drinking the water, her throat was moistened and her energy was much better. Jian Yixin began to lecture her: "Shi Youxuan, it's not that I want to criticize you, but you are too careless with the children! I can understand that you can't sleep with every child since you have so many, but at least hire a nanny to be on duty at night?"

"Small children kick the quilt constantly when they sleep; if there's no adult to cover them, they'll get sick if they catch a cold..."

She started complaining endlessly, and Shi Youxuan didn't even defend herself.

But just as she prepared to go back and check if they had kicked the quilt again, she was pulled back: "No need to cover them. The indoor temperature is guaranteed to be 26 or 27 degrees at night. They won't catch a cold without a quilt, and they might even get overheated if covered."

Jian Yixin:...

That's right, that's how it is.

But she wouldn't admit defeat easily; Jian Yixin never admits defeat.

"Fine, even if your sophistry worked this time, you don't check on them after they fall asleep? Small toy parts are left all over the bed. What if they get poked and hurt? Children's skin is still very delicate. You, as a birth mother, are not qualified at all..."

This time, Shi Youxuan didn't indulge her bad habits.

She interrupted Jian Yixin: "If they get poked and hurt this time, they'll naturally learn their lesson next time. If I have to do everything for them, what are the children supposed to do? Are they only left with being naughty?"

Jian Yixin:...

She was unconvinced: "Why do you always have a point? You have a whole set of grand principles. I can't out-talk you, but I'm taking Moli home tomorrow morning. Xuanxuan, I'm warning you, don't try to stop me, or I'll get angry with you."

Shi Youxuan didn't directly object, but asked: "I reckon you aren't sleepy at all right now. Why don't we chat?"

She was indeed not sleepy anymore.

Chatting is fine, what of it.

The two women went to the living room; Shi Ran had already returned to her room.

On the coffee table were red wine, fruit juice, as well as snacks, nuts, and other treats.

These things clearly hadn't been there just a moment ago; they had obviously been newly prepared.

In other words, this was a "premeditated" chat!

Under normal circumstances, Jian Yixin would certainly have noticed, but right now her heart and eyes were entirely on her son, entirely focused on how to get Shi Youxuan to agree to let Moli go home, so she didn't pay attention.

"Yixin, is Lady Jian doing quite well these days?" She deliberately brought up Lady Jian.

In fact, they had met on the second day of the Lunar New Year, and she was doing quite well, but Shi Youxuan wasn't just making small talk; she had a point to make.

"Mm, my mother is doing quite well; now I basically don't have to worry about her..."

Jian Yixin said a few words, then realized she had gone off track; she was here to take her child home, so how did the topic shift to her own mother?

She wanted to steer the conversation back, but before she could open her mouth, Shi Youxuan continued speaking, diverting her attention.

Shi Youxuan: "Yixin, you remember the years when Lady Jian was going through menopause, right? She wore you and A Ning out, but actually, she was exhausted herself—exhausted to the point of collapse, yet there were no winners."

Jian Yixin was very clever; she could hear the implication in Shi Youxuan's words.

She couldn't refute it, but she didn't want to admit that she was currently the same as her mother had been during menopause.

After all, to admit it would be equivalent to admitting she was wrong.

Shi Youxuan didn't rush her, opening the red wine and pouring it into a decanter.

After letting it breathe for a few minutes, she poured it into a wine glass, added two ice cubes, and then handed it to Jian Yixin.

"Thank you."

She took a light sip; it was soft, sweet, and had a long aftertaste—the flavor was excellent.

Shi Youxuan couldn't hold her liquor, so she held a glass of fruit juice herself, sipping it in small mouthfuls.

"Xuanxuan, why do you think so many people in the world do bad things? Some even end up in Prison for serious offenses."

"Is it because those people can't distinguish right from wrong or good from bad?"

"Actually, that's not it. They understand everything, but they can't control themselves, just like what you are about to say to me. I understand all the logic, but I just can't do it."

Shi Youxuan: "The reason why there is a Prison in this world, and why there are all kinds of punitive systems, is that they are prepared for these people who 'can't do it.' The reason humans are different from animals isn't because humans are better at controlling themselves than animals, but because humans are better at finding excuses and are more cunning."

Jian Yixin thought about it—that was exactly how it was!