Chapter 94: You Sure Know How to Flirt

Chapter 94: Chapter 94: You Sure Know How to Flirt

"You don’t have children, so Xiao Wen will be your support in the future. We’ll love him and raise him for you, and when you’re old, he’ll know how to repay your kindness!"

Li Hanchen scoffed.

"Sister-in-law, you really don’t need to worry about that. I don’t have children, but the state will take care of me when I’m old. Yaoyao is my dependent, so the organization will provide for her too. You really don’t need to plan for our rainy day."

"I don’t expect Xiao Wen to support us, but you took the money, so shouldn’t you at least acknowledge the favor?"

"Pushing someone to this point... you tell me, is this something a decent human being would do?"

Zheng Cuiyun’s lips twitched.

"Oh, Li Hanchen, I was just angry and said things I didn’t mean! Yaoyao isn’t really crazy, she..."

Before she could finish, Li Hanchen cut her off.

"Not *really* crazy?"

His brow furrowed sharply, and his shoulders tensed.

"What exactly would she have to go through to be considered ’really crazy’?"

"Would her mind have to be completely broken? Would she have to call every stranger ’mom’ and ’dad’ and not even remember her own name for you to consider her crazy?"

"Have you really not seen what you’ve all slowly tormented her into?"

He finished by tapping his temple.

"She’s in the hospital on medication right now. Have you visited her even once? Have you even asked about her?"

Zheng Cuiyun’s knees felt a little weak.

’How is Li Hanchen like a completely different person today?’

He used to be so quiet. When the Song Family gathered for meals, they always laughed at him, saying the army had made him stupid, that he’d never go west if Shen Songyao told him to go east!

But today...

Her throat tightened, and she swallowed hard.

’Could Shen Songyao really be that sick?’

"Yaoyao... is she unwell?"

Zheng Cuiyun’s voice was hushed.

Li Hanchen grunted in affirmation and nodded.

Zheng Cuiyun immediately set her bag on the ground, pulling out an old cotton jacket and a stack of money.

"With Yaoyao sick, there must be no one to look after Xiao Wen! Here, take this, and let me take the child!"

Before she finished speaking, she tried to shove it all into Li Hanchen’s hands.

But Li Hanchen sidestepped, deftly avoiding her.

"Take Xiao Wen? What do you mean?"

"Didn’t you and Big Brother raise Xiao Wen together?"

Zheng Cuiyun froze.

’So everything I just said went in one ear and out the other?’

"You just got back to the barracks, right?"

Her voice was tight and her eyes were a little red. Without waiting for Li Hanchen to answer, her grievances came pouring out in a torrent.

"You have no idea! She came to the city by herself, brought some strange man with her, and barged right into our courtyard! Not only did she kick me and his father out, but she insisted that she was the one who paid to raise Xiao Wen and absolutely wouldn’t back down!"

When she finished, Li Hanchen simply nodded.

"That part is true. After Xiao Wen was legally transferred to our name, she sent my entire monthly stipend to you, without keeping a single cent for herself."

Zheng Cuiyun: "..."

’What does that have to do with anything?’

’The money isn’t the point!’

’The point is that Shen Songyao brought a man back to our hometown!’

Li Hanchen looked completely serious, so she couldn’t be bothered to argue with him about it. Instead, she just pushed the money forward again.

"Your brother and I were only thinking of your own good back then. We thought that since you two don’t have children, if you took in Xiao Wen, you’d have someone to serve you tea and help you up if you fall when you’re old."

At this, her eyelids drooped, and her tone grew heavy.

"Who knew you’d turn around and change your minds? Fine, we can afford to raise him! We’ll take the child, and then nobody owes anybody anything!"

"Here, this is the money Yaoyao sent for over a year. This is all that’s left. Let’s settle the account today! Now hurry up and tell me where Xiao Wen is. I’m taking him home right now!"

Li Hanchen glanced at the money and smiled.

"Sister-in-law, I don’t know where Xiao Wen is. I was under the impression you two were raising him!"

"This is something you’ll have to ask Yaoyao about when she gets back."

"She’s not home?"

"She’s not. I was just about to go out and pick her up."

"Then... why don’t you rest here for a bit? I’m going to go get her."

Zheng Cuiyun glanced around.

’Rest?’

’Rest where?’

’This is the communications room!’

’He expects me to just sit here and wait?’

She was rolling her eyes internally. ’This Li Hanchen is no pushover.’

After another moment of thought, she suddenly looked up and stared at Li Hanchen.

"You really don’t know where Xiao Wen is?"

She had a plan. She had to get the boy away while Shen Songyao was gone.

Otherwise, when she got back, she feared five hundred yuan wouldn’t even be enough to buy a single strand of his hair.

Li Hanchen shook his head.

"I really don’t know. If I did, I would have told you already, Sister-in-law."

Seeing that he didn’t seem to be lying, Zheng Cuiyun could only sigh and plop down on the metal stool.

"Then you should hurry up and go!"

No matter what, she had to lay eyes on her own son today.

Li Hanchen agreed and turned to leave.

The moment the door closed, Zheng Cuiyun immediately turned to ask the soldier on duty.

"Comrade, have you seen a little boy with Director Li’s wife recently?"

The soldier on duty shook his head.

"A while back, during all that commotion, I often saw the Director’s wife coming and going with a little boy. But then I heard he was sent away, and I haven’t seen him since."

Hearing this, Zheng Cuiyun shot up from her seat, grabbed the young soldier, and demanded,

"Where was he sent? Do you know?"

The young soldier just shook his head.

"I really don’t know!"

Zheng Cuiyun collapsed back onto the stool, tears streaming down her face.

"You tell me, how can Director Li and his wife be so heartless? They were all sweet talk at first, insisting we let them raise the child. And now? They just decide they don’t want him anymore and he’s vanished without a trace! That’s my own flesh and blood, the one I raised from a baby!"

The young soldier quietly poured her a cup of hot water and said softly,

"Ma’am, if you need, I can go get the political commissar."

As soon as Zheng Cuiyun heard this, she immediately stopped her wailing.

The young soldier glanced at her, and she quickly wiped her face with her sleeve.

Delayed by Zheng Cuiyun, Li Hanchen arrived quite a bit later than planned.

Just as he stepped through the courtyard gate, he saw Shen Songyao standing at the door, her luggage already packed and tied.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in. I was starting to think you weren’t going to show up today!"

Li Hanchen hurried forward and took the luggage from her hands.

"Don’t be mad. Your sister-in-law stopped me on the way, it caused a delay."

"My sister-in-law?"

"Yes, she came to get Li Wen."

Shen Songyao’s eyes immediately lit up.

"Did she bring money?"

Li Hanchen nodded.

"Five hundred yuan."

"Hah!"

Shen Songyao laughed out loud on the spot.

"Five hundred? Does she think I’m some kind of beggar?"

Li Hanchen confessed honestly.

"She said she’d spent most of it, and this is all that’s left."

Shen Songyao crossed her arms and snorted.

"I don’t care how much she spent. However much I sent, she’s going to spit every last cent back out. No money, no boy."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she turned to walk out.

"Let’s go. Time to go meet this wonderful sister-in-law of ours!"

As they reached the car, Li Hanchen suddenly stopped and asked,

"Should we eat first? You’ve been busy all morning, your stomach must be growling."

Shen Songyao stopped and looked him up and down.

Li Hanchen’s eyes were clear and bright, the corners of his mouth turned up in a slight, genuine smile.

She raised a hand and gave him a light punch on the chest.

"You’re getting pretty good at flirting!"

Li Hanchen took the opportunity to grab her wrist, his voice low.

"What nonsense are you talking about."

Shen Songyao struggled but couldn’t pull her hand free. She sighed and wiggled the fingers of her free hand.

"Alright, alright. I’ll listen to my hubby."

Hearing the word "hubby," the look in Li Hanchen’s eyes softened instantly.

Zheng Cuiyun waited for nearly an hour before the two of them finally returned.

When they pushed the door open, she was hunched over the table, shoveling food into her mouth.

It turned out the young soldier was having his own meal and, seeing she was starving, had gotten an extra portion for her.