Jin Ye saw his mother acting like a porcupine and felt a bit annoyed. "Mom, let Xiao Xi rest."
When Mrs. Jin heard this, she felt her son had been completely brainwashed by this woman.
She immediately protested, "What does that mean? She comes, and I have to leave?"
This afternoon, Lin Lin had told her that Su Ding was her sister, a kind and easy-going person. Now it seemed, she was probably worried that her sister would cause more trouble, wasn't she?
Kind and easy-going? Someone who would steal her daughter's fiancé?
Lin Lin, such a kind person, still knew to come and see her, even though she had no relationship with the Jin family now. And Su Ding?
The nominal daughter-in-law was less considerate than the former one!
All day long, she only knew how to sow discord in front of Xiao Ye. First, she snatched Xiao Ye away, then she tricked Xiao Xi into her camp, isolating her, and finally, she took over the Jin family.
Truly insidious!
Jin Ye couldn't stand his mother's prejudice anymore and said with a cold face, "Xiao Xi wants to see Su Ding now. Are you going to argue in front of the child?"
Little Jin Xi heard the voices of his father and grandmother. A distressed expression appeared on his little face. Su Ding saw it accurately and quickly turned her head. "Could you please go out first? Let me lull Xiao Xi to sleep."
When Mrs. Jin saw Su Ding's hypocritical act of playing the doting mother, she felt disgusted.
What an act.
But she didn't want to delay her grandson's recovery, so she reluctantly went out.
Jin Ye went to the bedside and gently stroked his son's head. "Good boy, Xiao Xi."
Little Jin Xi said weakly, "Daddy, I want Mommy to sleep with me, can I?"
This had been his long-standing wish, but it had never been fulfilled.
Jin Ye nodded. "Of course, you can. Mommy will stay with you tonight. You rest well and get better, okay?"
Little Jin Xi replied, "Mm, I know."
With that, he obediently closed his eyes, his small arms still tightly clutching Su Ding's arm, as if holding onto his most cherished possession.
"You go back to your room to rest. I'll stay here with the child," Su Ding said softly.
There was only one bed in Little Jin Xi's room, barely fitting Su Ding and him. Jin Ye had to return to his own room.
After the lights were turned off, Su Ding took off her outer clothes and got into bed.
Little Jin Xi, very consciously, rolled into her arms, holding her waist. He murmured a few words and slept soundly.
Su Ding held the small body, feeling a thousand emotions.
No matter how many grievances and entanglements she had with Shao Lin, the child was innocent. She would definitely treat this child, who trusted her wholeheartedly, well.
Just as she was falling asleep, she suddenly heard a soft call, "Mommy, I love you."
Her heart instantly melted into a puddle.
Su Ding leaned down and kissed Xiao Xi's forehead. "Good boy, Mommy will always love you."
...
Shao Lin saw the message from Mrs. Ding, the Jin family's nanny, and smiled with satisfaction.
Her gaze fell on the wriggling worms in the glass bottle on the table. A cold light flashed in her eyes.
Su Ding, even if you marry into the Jin family, I won't let you off easy.
I will torment your most beloved son slowly...
Let's see who lasts longer on this path.
...
The next day, Su Ding opened her eyes and saw an enlarged face in front of her. Little Jin Xi had woken up long ago. He didn't want to wake her, so he quietly watched her sleep.
"Xiao Xi."
Su Ding reached out and pulled Xiao Xi into her arms, her voice a little lazy and gentle. "Are you feeling better?"
Little Jin Xi nodded obediently. "Mommy, I'm so happy."
Su Ding chuckled softly and gently stroked the child's hair. "You're happy with just this? I'll move nearby in the future, and it will be convenient for you to come and find me."
"Wow! Really!" Little Jin Xi was so happy that he rolled around in Su Ding's arms. His complexion had improved greatly, and he had regained his usual vitality.
Only in front of Su Ding could he indulge in being a child.
Su Ding nodded. "Yes, so my darling will be even happier in the future! Mommy will always love you."
Seeing the gentle Su Ding, Little Jin Xi's eyes suddenly reddened.
Could time just stop here? This was the happiest and most blissful moment since he could remember.
He buried his face in Su Ding's embrace, secretly wiping away his tears.
Su Ding didn't notice his strangeness. She took out her phone to check the time. It was eight in the morning; there was still time.
Jin Ye sent her a message: "I've arrived at the company. You accompany Xiao Xi. If Mother makes things difficult for you, come back. It's okay. Take care of yourself."
Seeing such thoughtful words was far more pleasant than any mushy love talk.
She lifted the covers and was about to get out of bed. "I'll go down to get breakfast."
Little Jin Xi, with a wronged expression, grabbed her hand. "I'm not hungry, let's sleep a little longer."
Then, his stomach rumbled.
Su Ding playfully tapped his forehead. "Little liar, Mommy is just going to get food. Be good. You have to take your medicine after eating."
Little Jin Xi's face turned red, and then he obediently lay back in bed.
Su Ding opened the door and was about to go downstairs when she saw Mrs. Ding carrying breakfast up.
"Miss Su, I was cleaning the corridor just now and heard you and the young master talking, so I took the liberty of bringing up breakfast."
Mrs. Ding was in her fifties and very kind. She rarely made things difficult for Su Ding.
Su Ding thanked her politely. "Thank you for your trouble."
She carried the tray into the room, took care of Xiao Xi, watched him watch cartoons for a while, and then made sure he drank his medicine.
Not long after taking the medicine, Xiao Xi fell asleep again.
Su Ding quietly left the room and heard Mrs. Jin standing at the doorway, looking at her with narrowed eyes.
She really wanted to pretend not to see her, but after all, she was Jin Ye's mother.
"Auntie," Su Ding greeted her proactively.
"Mm, come down. I have something to tell you," Mrs. Jin said coldly and turned to go downstairs first.
Downstairs, Mrs. Jin sat on the sofa, sipping tea, not even looking at Su Ding. "You'll make lunch today. Since you genuinely care about Xiao Xi, cook for him yourself. Don't just be hypocritical..."
"Okay," Su Ding interrupted her words directly.
Mrs. Jin glanced at her dismissively. "Xiao Xi's clothes haven't been washed yet. Sister Ding hurt her hand; wash them for her too."
Su Ding knew this old lady was deliberately making things difficult for her, but those were Xiao Xi's clothes, not someone else's, so she would do it.
She didn't expect to improve her relationship with this old lady, but she hoped that at least in front of Xiao Xi, she wouldn't be treated with disdain.
The child was young but could sense the subtle atmosphere between the adults.
"Okay, I'll wash them. Are there any other instructions?"
Su Ding's tone was neither overly good nor too bad. She wasn't a pushover to be manipulated casually, but she didn't want to confront her directly.
Mrs. Jin nodded with satisfaction. "That's all for now."
Su Ding didn't want to argue with her and turned to Mrs. Ding. "Where are Xiao Xi's clothes?"
Mrs. Ding replied courteously, "Miss Su, please follow me."
When they reached the laundry room, Su Ding realized that what Mrs. Jin meant by washing clothes was pure handwashing, and it was five or six sets of clothes.
Some even looked clean, but they were also brought over.
It seemed she was deliberately making things difficult.
Su Ding asked Mrs. Ding to put down the clothes and started washing them one by one. She had seen Xiao Xi wear some of them, and some she hadn't.
Imagining that they were all worn by Xiao Xi, she didn't feel as unhappy.
Fortunately, the clothes weren't dirty, and they were washed relatively quickly. By around eleven o'clock, she had washed and hung them to dry.
As she stood up, her back ached, making it difficult to straighten.
She ordered groceries online again. After receiving them, she went to the kitchen to clean up on her own. Mrs. Jin did not appear.
After she had prepared a table full of dishes, Mrs. Ding went to find Mrs. Jin.
Just as Su Ding was about to go upstairs to call Xiao Xi, she heard Jin Ye call her: "How was it at home today?"