The village elder eventually stepped forward and chased the rats away. Fu Jingshu got down from the table, but his face was extremely unsightly after such an embarrassing scene was witnessed.
The village elder didn't laugh at him and left silently, suppressing his amusement.
On the other hand, Lin Minglan was leaning against the doorway, her legs weak. "Someone must have done this deliberately. Why else would the rats only come into our house?"
Fu Jingshu completely ignored her, his gaze fixed on Shen Qingqing. His thin lips moved.
The next second, Shen Qingqing, pulling the sleepy Shen Jinxi, turned and left, giving him no chance to speak. His face alternated between green and white.
Finally, he looked at Lin Minglan and said, "Get out."
The door was slammed shut.
Lin Minglan gritted her teeth in anger. Shen Qingqing's attitude towards her was indifferent, yet he found her bothersome when she spoke. What was so special about this woman?
Amidst her resentment, a malicious plan formed in her mind.
Shen Qingqing brought Shen Jinxi back to the room and sat on the kang, staring directly at him. Shen Jinxi felt guilty and spoke first, "Mommy, let's go to sleep. I'm so sleepy."
Shen Qingqing remained motionless. In the darkness, her eyes were terrifyingly bright and sharp, causing Shen Jinxi to scratch his head. Then, he scrambled into the quilt. "Sleep, sleep!"
However, Shen Qingqing dug him out of the quilt. "Tell me the truth. Did you arrange for the rats?"
Shen Jinxi blinked. "No."
"You're lying." How could she not understand her own son? "Tonight, you insisted that I sleep with you. You never used to be afraid of the dark."
"Did I?"
Shen Jinxi's eyes darted around, looking at the ceiling, the floor, anywhere but at her.
Shen Qingqing pulled him into her arms, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "What were you doing outside earlier? Does it take that long to go to the restroom?" She had felt something was amiss from the start. The child said he was going to the restroom, but there was a chamber pot in the room, and he refused to use it, claiming he couldn't go. Yet, he went outside and didn't return for a long time. Just as she was about to go look for him, he came back. Less than a minute after he lay down, Lin Minglan's scream was heard from outside. She wouldn't believe it had nothing to do with him.
Seeing that Mommy had analyzed it so clearly, Shen Jinxi knew denying it was useless. "Okay, I did it. Those rats were hard to catch. I put in a lot of effort." He made himself sound pitiful and acted cute, afraid of being scolded by Mommy.
Shen Qingqing looked at him expressionlessly for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "Well done, my son. That's how you should be, capable."
Shen Jinxi's eyes widened, and then he beamed. "Mommy, I took revenge for you!"
Shen Qingqing recalled seeing Lin Minglan bitten and terrified, and the other person hiding on the table, looking disheveled. "She deserved it," she chuckled softly.
"Mommy, are you still angry?" Shen Jinxi asked, hugging her neck.
"Not anymore. With you here, Mommy's anger disappears, no matter how big it is."
Shen Jinxi was finally satisfied and slept soundly in his mommy's arms. The next morning, when he woke up, he saw a strawberry cake next to his pillow. He didn't need to think to know it was from Mommy. He quickly got up, washed his face and brushed his teeth, then happily enjoyed it. He also knew how to share and gave a piece of the strawberry cake to his elder brother. The two brothers ate with relish, a scene that pleased Shen Qingqing.
Footsteps sounded behind her. She knew who it was without turning around. Only he had a steady, unhurried gait that was different from others, especially when the familiar scent of coldness wafted from behind. She lowered her gaze slightly, sidestepped, and then left.
Fu Jingshu froze in place. He had wanted to say something, but not a single word came out. His face stiffened as he watched her retreating back for a long time.
The workers began construction on the school. As the charitable heads of this project, Shen Qingqing and Fang Hui were naturally assigned to supervise. Once they were busy with this, they had no time for anything else. Matters of the heart seemed insignificant compared to these tasks.
Time passed quickly when one was busy. As dusk approached, she and Fang Hui decided to return to the village to have dinner with the villagers. To their surprise, as they reached the entrance of the village elder's house, they saw Lin Minglan and Fu Jingshu standing together.
"If you want to know news about Lu Wanying, I'll be waiting for you by the river at eight o'clock tonight." Lin Minglan turned and left without waiting for his reply. She was certain Fu Jingshu would go and wasn't worried at all. Fu Jingshu stood there for a moment before turning and entering the house.
Fang Hui cautiously looked at Shen Qingqing, trying to smooth things over for Master Fu. "They must have had something to discuss... and she mentioned Lu's news, so it's clearly a transaction, a transaction."
However, mentioning Lu Wanying only made Shen Qingqing smile, though it was a cold smile. Fang Hui's scalp tingled from her smile, and he sighed that romantic entanglements were truly complicated, let alone a love triangle. No, it seemed like a quadrangle now. Lu Wanying, the name clearly belonged to a woman.
During dinner, the village elder and his son sensed the unusual atmosphere. Although they didn't understand the reason, they dared not say or ask anything. Thus, everyone ate in silence and returned to their respective rooms.
Shen Qingqing waited in her room for over an hour. Checking the time, it was exactly eight o'clock. Her hearing was excellent, and she heard the door of the adjacent room being pushed open, followed by steady footsteps receding into the distance. She looked expressionlessly at the crescent moon hanging in the sky outside the window.
Less than a minute later, she slowly stood up. Shen Jinxi and Chenchen, who were about to sleep, saw her get up and asked curiously, "Mommy, where are you going?"
Shen Qingqing said gently, "Mommy is going out for a bit and will be back soon. You two sleep first." The two children had no doubts and lay in their beds whispering. Shen Qingqing, however, went out and headed straight for the river at the edge of the village.
The moonlight illuminated the ground, casting light on the darkness ahead and shimmering on the river's surface. The sound of cicadas chirping filled the air. It was quite a place for a rendezvous, Shen Qingqing thought sarcastically. She stopped at a moderate distance. The spot she chose was excellent; they couldn't see her, but she could see them clearly. In the moonlight, a slender and petite woman said something, and the tall man lowered his head slightly, seemingly looking at her attentively. A loving couple, perfectly matched. The scene was truly beautiful.
Shen Qingqing watched the two figures with a placid gaze. Suddenly, Lin Minglan said something, took a step forward, and wrapped her arms around the man's waist. The man did not push her away immediately. Seeing this, Shen Qingqing coldly curled her lips. She lost all interest in watching further and no longer wanted to know what they were discussing. She quietly left, as if she had never been there.