"Who is irrelevant?" Chen Lishu said, pulling Rui Rui to her. "Sister-in-law, look clearly. His name is Gu Rui, and he's on my and Xing Dong's household registration. Who is it bothering if I knit a hat for my own son? When you made new clothes for your son, I never saw you make any for Rui Rui, did I?"
Liu Yuemin became anxious. "He's not my son, why should I make clothes for him?"
Chen Lishu looked at her with a half-smile and said, "So, why should I knit a hat for your son?"
Liu Yuemin was momentarily stunned, feeling a bit embarrassed. She turned and snatched the hat from Gu Ming's head, throwing it into Chen Lishu's arms. "It's just a damn hat, do you really think anyone cares about it?"
"I want it, it's mine, I want that hat..."
Seeing Gu Ming crying incessantly, Liu Yuemin lost her patience. She pushed him and said sternly, "What's yours? You short-sighted brat, it belongs to others. Do you have a rich mom like them? You're always showing off. If you cry again, I'll choke you to death."
Chen Lishu, having received the hat, had no intention of pursuing the matter further. She was pulling Rui Rui to go back inside when she heard Liu Yuemin's words, paused, and turned back.
Liu Yuemin felt a bit apprehensive as she approached, unable to help but swallow. "You, what are you doing? I'm warning you, don't do anything foolish. I'm pregnant, and if anything happens, the family won't forgive you."
Chen Lishu's gaze lingered on her bulging belly for a moment, then she looked up at her and said, "If you dare to speak nonsense in front of the child again, believe it or not, I'll sew your mouth shut with a needle."
Liu Yuemin instinctively touched her lips as she looked at Chen Lishu's serious expression. She wanted to retort but ultimately feared Chen Lishu might act rashly. She stood frozen on the spot, not daring to move.
Chen Lishu's gaze fell on Gu Ming, who was still sobbing. She half-crouched down and wiped his tears. "Stop crying, we're having meat for dinner tonight. Whoever disobeys, I won't give them even a bite."
Upon hearing there would be meat for dinner, Gu Ming immediately covered his mouth. Although tears still lingered on his face, he truly stopped crying.
"Your Cousin Rui's health isn't good. If you snatched his hat and made him sick, he'd need injections and medicine. Do you want to get injections and medicine?"
Gu Ming immediately shook his head like a rattle drum. "The medicine is bitter, and injections hurt."
Chen Lishu continued patiently, "So, did you do something wrong?"
Gu Ming nodded reluctantly.
"Then go and apologize to him."
Gu Ming stood stubbornly, refusing to apologize.
Chen Lishu didn't force him and instead sighed with feigned helplessness. "If you don't apologize, then so be it. The candy in my pocket was originally meant for good children who care for their brothers and are polite. Since someone made a mistake and won't apologize, I'll have to share it with others."
"Third Aunt, I didn't snatch my brother's hat. Can I have some candy?" Gu Lin asked expectantly.
"You are a good child. Third Aunt will give you one," Chen Lishu said, taking a piece of candy from her pocket and placing it in his palm.
Seeing this, Gu Ming immediately panicked. He ran to Rui Rui's side and apologized.
Rui Rui subconsciously looked up. Chen Lishu smiled and nodded at him, and Rui Rui then gave Gu Ming a smile.
"A wolf travels a thousand miles to eat meat; a dog travels a thousand miles to eat excrement," Chen Lishu said to Liu Yuemin with a sigh, shaking her head helplessly. "You're not even as good as your son. It's pathetic."
Liu Yuemin was almost angrier than she could bear, pointing at Chen Lishu's retreating figure and unable to speak for a long time.
Children are quick to fight and quick to make up. Before long, the brothers were playing together again.
Chen Lishu kept her promise and made braised meat strips for dinner.
"Mom and Dad, I've been home for quite some time now, and the matters I needed to attend to are almost finished. Xing Dong is home alone, and it will be harder to get train tickets the later it gets. I plan to take Rui Rui back tomorrow," Chen Lishu told Li Xiulan and Gu Shoufu after dinner.
The elderly couple, though somewhat reluctant, knew she was speaking the truth, so they nodded.
Li Xiulan went to the cabinet on the kang and took out two pairs of children's cotton shoes, handing them to Chen Lishu. "I saw Rui Rui is still wearing store-bought shoes, and they don't keep out the cold; they get through easily when it's cold. I had some free time, so I made two pairs. One pair is a bit larger, and I added two insoles so they can be worn next winter too."
"Thank you, Mom," Chen Lishu said with a smile, taking the shoes. She then took out the money and coupons she had prepared earlier and placed them in front of them.
"Here is twenty yuan and some coupons. Xing Dong can't come back, so I'll give you both an early New Year's greeting on his behalf."
"You child, your father and I don't lack anything. Keep the money for yourselves." Li Xiulan tried to refuse, but Gu Shoufu stopped her. "Accept the child's gesture of goodwill."
After finishing their conversation with the elderly couple, Chen Lishu returned to the room to pack her belongings.
The next morning, Li Xiulan packed the things she was giving Chen Lishu into a cloth bag. She then also made flatbread and boiled eggs for the mother and son to eat on the train.
As the New Year approached, the train was very crowded. The carriage was filled with people and luggage, and even finding a place to stand was difficult.
After finally enduring until they disembarked, the mother and son, carrying their belongings, went to take the bus.
Fortunately, Rui Rui was very well-behaved and stayed close to Chen Lishu, which made things much easier for her.
...
Zou Liang heard that the provincial newspaper was going to do an exclusive interview with Chen Lishu and volunteered to take on the task.
He initially thought that interviewing acquaintances would be easier and that he might even get exclusive, first-hand information. However, after much effort to find Chen Lishu's residence, he was stopped by the sentry soldier at the gate.
No matter how much he pleaded, the soldier remained unmoved. Not only did he refuse entry, but he also warned him to stay away from restricted areas.
Zou Liang had no choice and didn't know Chen Lishu's exact address, so he could only come every day to try his luck.
One day, as usual, he came to stake out a spot. To avoid getting too cold, he kept pacing back and forth not far from the bus stop.
He didn't pay much attention when he saw a bus approaching from afar. Just as he was about to turn away, he noticed a familiar figure getting off the bus. He looked closely and realized it was Chen Lishu. He was overjoyed and quickly ran a few steps forward. "Classmate Chen!"
Chen Lishu looked up, saw him, and was surprised. "Reporter Zou, what are you doing here?"
Zou Liang waved his hand. "Don't even mention it. I've been waiting here for three days, and I've finally found you."
Chen Lishu was confused. "Waiting for me? Is something wrong?"
"Yes, it's an urgent matter. Do you know how famous you've become? So many people are scrambling to interview you. Unfortunately, the school is on break, and I couldn't get any information. I had to put in a tremendous amount of effort to find you here."
As Zou Liang explained, Chen Lishu learned that the fame he was referring to was the song "Kiss Goodbye" she sang at the school's New Year's Eve party, which had caused quite a stir.
"It's a shame I wasn't there. I heard everyone who heard it was still wanting more, and they praised you highly for writing such a beautiful song."
Chen Lishu quickly clarified, "You've misunderstood. I didn't write this song; I was just covering it."
Zou Liang was taken aback. "Then who wrote it? I've met many people and checked my sources, but I couldn't find this song anywhere."
"That's..." Chen Lishu hesitated. This song wouldn't appear for a long time, and it would be useless to say anything now.