The atmosphere throughout the journey was pleasant. Gu Xingdong was busy bonding with the children, completely ignoring Zhang Wan'er beside him.
Seeing this, Chen Lishu's mood brightened considerably, a smile irrepressibly tugging at the corners of her lips. Just then, a solitary figure caught her attention.
She noticed Tiantian walking meekly beside Li Xiulan, her head bowed. Occasionally, Tiantian would glance towards Gu Xingdong, and Chen Lishu inadvertently caught a flicker of envy in her eyes.
Since Chen Lishu had brought the child over from Xu Teng, Tiantian's personality had become much more subdued. Lately, Chen Lishu had been preoccupied with company matters, so she had entrusted the child to Li Xiulan's care.
Chen Lishu knew Li Xiulan was not a bad person who would transfer her hatred to a child. Tiantian's living conditions should have improved these past few days, but material comfort alone wasn't enough; emotional needs were just as important.
With this thought, Chen Lishu handed a bag in her hand to Su Nian. "Hold this for me."
Su Nian nodded, effortlessly slinging the bag over her shoulder. She then looked at Chen Lishu with curiosity as she walked towards Tiantian.
Chen Lishu picked up Tiantian, asking softly, "Why do you look so unhappy? Is something bothering you? You can tell Auntie."
Tiantian seemed taken aback by Chen Lishu's action. She instinctively looked up at Chen Lishu with a startled expression. Perhaps realizing her behavior was impolite, she said with a hint of apprehension, "Auntie, I... I can walk by myself. I'm quite heavy, you should put me down so you don't get tired."
Chen Lishu pursed her lips, weighing Tiantian up and down in her arms. She then put on a troubled expression. "Heavy? You look so small and thin, it's not difficult to hold you at all.
Auntie has been busy with company matters lately, so I've been a bit neglectful of you. Have you been eating and resting well these days? Is there anything that makes you uncomfortable? You can tell Auntie."
Upon hearing Chen Lishu's explanation, Tiantian's body trembled. She had never expected anyone to care about her.
She had initially thought Chen Lishu brought her back to get revenge on Xu Teng for how he had tormented her in Guijia Village. But seeing Chen Lishu's gentle and kind demeanor towards her, she suddenly felt her own thoughts were rather vile.
Just as Tiantian was berating herself, Chen Lishu unexpectedly kissed her cheek. "When we were in Guijia Village, you were the only one who helped me. At that time, I wondered where such a little child came from, like an angel.
I really want to invite you to be my family. What do you think, Tiantian? When I say family, I mean people who support each other and are good to one another. Would you like to live with me?"
Family?
The word made Tiantian feel a sense of elation. The thought that Chen Lishu might have adopted her for revenge against her father was completely cast aside.
She truly enjoyed spending time with Chen Lishu. Back in Guijia Village, her thoughts and feelings were never valued because she was just a girl. Only Chen Lishu would chat with her, making her feel that her existence had meaning.
She desperately wanted to be family with Chen Lishu, but she didn't know how to express it. So, she nervously fiddled with her clothes, her head turned away awkwardly.
Just as the atmosphere between them became a bit peculiar, a sweet voice suddenly interrupted their thoughts.
"Lishu, if my investigation is correct, the person in your arms is Xu Teng's daughter. And Xu Teng is the one who kidnapped you. You're showing such care to his daughter. If this gets out, it could easily cause misunderstandings!"
Upon hearing this, everyone instinctively turned their gaze to Zhang Wan'er.
Li Xiulan immediately stepped forward to defend her daughter-in-law. "What misunderstandings? This child helped Lishu a great deal back in Guijia Village. Now that she's in a difficult situation, it's only natural for us to take good care of our benefactor!"
Zhang Wan'er feigned a troubled expression, lowering her head. When she looked up again, she put on a seemingly earnest,劝导 look. "Of course, we as a family don't need to dwell on these things, but what will outsiders think?
To put it bluntly, many people will probably speculate whether Xingdong has been cuckolded. He's a leader in the army, and if his subordinates find out, how will he maintain his authority and manage them in the future?"
Li Xiulan sighed helplessly, seeing that Zhang Wan'er's words were always considering Gu Xingdong. She opened up to discuss the matter with her. "I feel the same way. If Tiantian is having a hard time, we can give her some money.
Our family's life is difficult enough. The company has been facing problems lately. If this matter of adopting Tiantian gets out to outsiders, our company might lose customers again!"
Zhang Wan'er seemed surprised that Li Xiulan was agreeing with her. Her eyes lit up, and she became even more animated. "As the saying goes, like father, like daughter!
That Xu Teng hasn't done anything decent since coming to the capital. I worry his daughter might have inherited his nature, which could be very dangerous.
Besides, when the family goes out, Xingdong is the one looking after two children. Is it appropriate for you, Lishu, to be so kind to an outsider?
You're even neglecting your own children. We're a family, so we won't think too much about it. But if outsiders hear about this, they might even think Tiantian is your child with Xu Teng!"
As Zhang Wan'er's words became increasingly pointed, Chen Lishu's expression darkened completely. She opened her mouth to retort when Gu Xingdong suddenly stepped between them.
"This child is about three years old. Three years ago, we were still in J Province. How could she have come to a remote place like Guijia Village and had a child with him?
What do you mean by 'family'? Your thinking shows you're considering this from an outsider's perspective. Besides, why should we care what outsiders think?
If we worry about what everyone else thinks all the time, wouldn't our lives be even more exhausting?" Gu Xingdong stared intently at Zhang Wan'er, a look of impatience finally surfacing on his face.
Zhang Wan'er seemed taken aback that Gu Xingdong didn't care about his male dignity. She had said all this for his own good, but he didn't appreciate it. With that thought, a feeling of grievance welled up inside her.