Chapter 151: Completely Under Their Thumb

Chapter 151: Chapter 151: Completely Under Their Thumb

"I came back with the medicine, but she won’t even touch it. It’s good you’re here. Go and check on her."

Ruan Yongxing’s mind was still on the money, so he immediately agreed. "Alright, I’ll go right now!"

He gently pushed open Yao Yuzhen’s bedroom door.

She was lying in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, her breathing shallow and rapid.

Ruan Yongxing hesitated for a second before sitting on the edge of the bed and tucking her in. "Yu Zhen, Shuangshuang said you’re not feeling well?"

"Weren’t you fine yesterday? What happened overnight?"

Yao Yuzhen’s lips moved, but no sound came out.

He paused, then asked tentatively, "...Did the Shen family upset you?"

The moment he finished speaking, two streams of tears slid from the corners of her eyes.

Ruan Yongxing immediately put on a heartbroken expression and sighed deeply.

"It’s because I’m useless! You’ve done so much for me, yet I can’t even protect you."

"Sigh... Shen Zhenwu is too formidable. We’re just common folk; we’re no match for him."

Yao Yuzhen suddenly grabbed his wrist. "Can we... can we really get away?"

Ruan Yongxing puffed out his chest and promised, "We have to. I’ve asked several contacts, and tons of people are leaving the country now. As long as we have the courage to go, there are ways!"

"But... I can’t even speak English fluently..."

Her voice was low and hoarse.

"Don’t worry, I know the basics. Enough to order food and ask for directions. We can learn more slowly once we’re there. We have to keep on living, right?"

After he spoke, Yao Yuzhen turned over to reach for the nightstand.

The money she had taken out last time, what hadn’t been spent, was all locked in the drawer.

"Take what’s here for now. If it’s not enough, I’ll withdraw more immediately."

Ruan Yongxing nodded. "Okay!"

She pulled open the drawer and pushed a stack of cash into his hands. "It’s three thousand six hundred. You take it for now."

He took it, verbally agreeing while casually counting it. His expression suddenly stiffened. "Yu Zhen... could you have misremembered?"

Yao Yuzhen looked baffled and didn’t speak.

Ruan Yongxing held the stack of bills in front of her. "This is all there is. Twenty-eight hundred."

"Twenty-seven hundred? No, that’s not right!"

She reached out, took the money, and counted it bill by bill. It really was twenty-eight hundred.

Her hands froze, and she subconsciously glanced toward the doorway.

But Ruan Yongxing was still sitting right there. The words on the tip of her tongue changed, and she didn’t say them out loud.

"Why don’t you... take this for emergencies for now?"

Looking at her pale face and listless state, and guessing she couldn’t even get out of bed, Ruan Yongxing took the money without hesitation.

"Alright, I’ll hold on to it. If it’s not enough later..."

"Just tell me anytime if it’s not enough."

Yao Yuzhen managed a smile.

He felt a sense of relief. He found an old newspaper to wrap the money in tightly, and only then did he remember the important matter.

"Shuangshuang told me you’re just lying in bed, not taking your medicine or touching your food. That won’t do."

His face filled with displeasure. "You’re already weak. If you keep pushing yourself like this, it’d be a miracle if you didn’t collapse!"

"What do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you."

"How about some porridge? I’ll go cook a bowl right now, nice and thin and soft. You’ll definitely be able to eat that."

The moment he finished speaking, he headed for the kitchen.

Yao Yuzhen opened her mouth, wanting to call Shen Shuangshuang in, but she swallowed her words.

’I’m afraid of wrongly accusing her.’

’What if Shuangshuang didn’t take it? How embarrassing would it be for her if I asked?’

’But this money...’

She had locked it in the drawer right after withdrawing it. She only took money out once to pay the rent and hadn’t touched it a second time.

While she was still lost in thought, Ruan Yongxing returned with a bowl of steaming hot porridge.

"Try it while it’s hot! This is my first time ever making porridge. No one else gets this kind of treatment!"

His words warmed her heart, and she immediately sat up.

Ruan Yongxing sat on the edge of the bed, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it to cool it down, and grinned at her. "Here, open your mouth. I’ll feed you."

A faint blush crept across Yao Yuzhen’s pale, bloodless face.

As the rice water entered her mouth, Ruan Yongxing immediately leaned in and asked, "How is it? Is it good?"

To be honest, it was incredibly bland, like noodles boiled in plain water.

Normally, back at home, if Shen Zhenwu had served her a bowl like this, Yao Yuzhen would have frowned and scolded him long ago.

But this bowl was made by Ruan Yongxing’s own hands.

She pursed her lips into a smile and nodded. "Mhm, it’s delicious!"

Hearing this, his eyebrows shot up. He set the porridge down.

"Then drink some more later! I’ll have Shuangshuang bring the medicine over. Remember to take it on time."

"I have to head out now, or I’ll get there after they’ve closed."

Yao Yuzhen glanced down at the bowl of porridge on the nightstand, then looked up with a smile. "Okay, you should get going. I’ll be fine."

Ruan Yongxing turned and left, but just before exiting the bedroom, he looked back to remind her, "Remember to take your medicine on time."

Passing through the living room, he put on a stern face and said to Shen Shuangshuang, "Take good care of your mother!"

Shen Shuangshuang gave a lazy reply, her eyes never leaving the television screen.

Yao Yuzhen lay quietly for a while before slowly picking up the bowl of porridge.

She took two sips, then used the spoon to carefully scoop a few undercooked grains of rice into her mouth.

She put the bowl down, silently turned over, pulled the blanket over her shoulders, and faced the wall.

At noon, when Shen Shuangshuang came in with the medicine, she stared at her daughter for a moment before asking softly.

"Shuangshuang, are you doing okay for money lately?"

Shen Shuangshuang nodded. "I have enough. I haven’t been going out much, and you’re the one who gives me the grocery money, Mom. How could I have spent much?"

Her face was perfectly calm, without a trace of guilt.

Yao Yuzhen’s heart wavered. ’Could I really be overthinking things?’

’It makes sense when I think about it. I raised Shuangshuang myself, holding her and coddling her since she was a baby.’

She got whatever she wanted; she never lacked for anything.

’If she really wanted money, she could have just asked. Why would she need to steal from me?’

’But those eight hundred from the drawer...’

’Maybe... from that day at the teahouse? Perhaps some money fell into a corner and Shuangshuang missed it?’

Yao Yuzhen tried to convince herself of this.

But then she immediately realized something was wrong.

Eight hundred yuan in ten-yuan bills would be eighty bills. If they had really fallen into a corner, it would have been impossible not to see them.

But she still forced herself to suppress the suspicion.

"Mom, what do you want for lunch? I’ll bring it back for you!"

Shen Shuangshuang asked with a cheerful smile.

Yao Yuzhen glanced at the bowl of watery, tasteless porridge on the table and said casually, "Buy a bowl of dumplings."

Shen Shuangshuang left immediately and returned with a steaming bowl of dumplings.

But Yao Yuzhen took only one bite before putting her chopsticks down.

The dumpling wrappers were thick, the filling was sparse, and the broth was tasteless. Compared to the ones Zhang Dongxue used to make, they were a million miles off.

She stared at the bowl of dumplings, her gaze slowly drifting upward until it rested on the ceiling.

Shen Shuangshuang was curled up in the living room watching TV, roaring with laughter.

She had downed a bowl of wontons and eaten a crispy flatbread. Now she was sunk into the sofa, one leg crossed over the other, perfectly content.

’As for the eight hundred yuan, she wasn’t the least bit worried.’

’She wouldn’t admit to it, anyway.’

’If she was really pushed into a corner, she’d just throw a tantrum, and Yao Yuzhen would surely feel sorry for her and drop the matter.’

’It had been like this for years, hadn’t it?’

’The one thousand from before, the eight hundred left over from the teahouse, the change she secretly pocketed from grocery shopping, the red envelope money from New Year’s, and the cash she’d asked for at other times...’

’Her little secret stash was already bulging.’

’What if the Shen Family turned on her one day?’

’She wasn’t afraid!’

’With a few thousand yuan in hand, she could still live comfortably.’

Laughter drifted in from the living room. Normally, it would have been irritating, but hearing that it was Shuangshuang’s voice, a lump formed in Yao Yuzhen’s throat, and she fell silent again.