Back To The 80s-Chapter 297 - 307: Heart Demon (Third Update)_1
Upon hearing this, Gu Xiaobei realized that Bai Xiaolan got into fights often, always finding the perfect excuse for it.
Once Bai Xiaolan finished speaking, she cautioned again, "Sis, if you see my mom later, don’t mention what happened today."
Fang Jing and Gu Xiaobei conceded readily, nodding their heads in agreement.
Seeing Lu Zhanguo standing beside him, Gu Xiaobei suddenly realized, as he was there, what about the children? Worried, he decided to skip the clinic and said hurriedly to Bai Xiaolan before hurrying home with Fang Jing.
Wen Xiuqing watched Xiaopang and Mo Wang who were sitting on the sofa; she dared not leave them alone for fear that they might fall over.
Xiaopang, being naughty, kept leaning forward after sitting for a bit, trying to grab the little fluffy balls on his wool shoes.
Seeing this, Wen Xiuqing became frightened that the child might fall and quickly squatted in front of the two children to prevent them from falling over.
Seeing the children so close was a first for Wen Xiuqing, and her heart couldn’t help but well up with emotion at the sight of Mo Wang’s little face. She wanted to reach out and touch him, yet she felt some fear.
Noting that grandma was continually looking at him, Mo Wang assumed she was trying to play with him, so he started to babble nonstop with a grin on his face.
His tender, fair face with big watery eyes, at this moment, showing his cute little gums as he grinned, made Wen Xiuqing unable to resist any longer and she reached out tremblingly, touching Mo Wang’s little face.
Touched by his grandma, Mo Wang started laughing even more joyously, his giggles filling the room.
Wen Xiuqing was stunned by the soft feel of the skin she had touched and, holding back tears, for an instant, she imagined that the child before her was her long lost eldest son.
Xiaopang on the side had finally managed to reach the fluffy balls on his shoes; he went closer and started nibbling on them.
The stench of it dragged Wen Xiuqing back to reality, and she saw Xiaopang chewing on his shoelaces with his nappy underneath him wet and yellowish. This sudden realization frightened her, making her feel overwhelmed.
She wanted to call out for help but then she remembered that Aunt Li said that the house was out of coarse salt and she would go and buy some; she would be back right away.
Now she was the only one left in the house, Wen Xiuqing suppressed her fear and went over to carry Xiaopang, but the moment she got close to him, she couldn’t help but tremble.
Realizing he had soiled his nappy and was uncomfortable, Xiaopang tilted his body and started to wail on the sofa.
Mo Wang, who had just been laughing happily, suddenly started to cry too, upon hearing his sister cry.
Seeing both children crying, Wen Xiuqing toughened up and picked up Xiaopang despite her fear, her facial muscles all tightened up, ready to change Xiaopang’s nappy.
As she opened Xiaopang’s nappy, Wen Xiuqing tried hard to suppress her inner fear. She quickly pulled out the wet nappy and then her mind went blank, unsure of what to do next.
Aunt Li came back from buying the coarse salt and saw Wen Xiuqing holding Xiaopang stumped, Xiaopang’s feces smeared on one of Wen Xiuqing’s legs. Mo Wang leaning on the sofa was crying incessantly.
Aunt Li quickly put down the things in her hand and ran over but, because of the cold air she brought in, she didn’t dare to hold the children. She reminded aloud, "Sister Wen, Sister Wen, you quickly take Xiaopang to the bathroom to wash."
Only then did Wen Xiuqing come to her senses. She clumsily took off Xiaopang’s outer pants, carried him, and rushed to the bathroom to wash his bottom.
The bathroom had a poorly insulated thermos that was filled with warm water every day for washing the children’s bottoms.
One hand holding Xiaopang and the other pouring the warm water from the thermos into the special basin for children, Wen Xiuqing bent down to wash Xiaopang.
At this point, she couldn’t care less about her fear, anxious about the child catching a cold, she quickly finished washing him, lifted him up and let Aunt Li help to dry him and change him into clean clothes.
Wen Xiuqing, a bit agitated, changed her clothes and came out of the bedroom. After washing her hands, she turned to Aunt Li and said, "Xiao Feng, I think I’m not afraid anymore?" There was excitement in her voice.
Aunt Li had been with the Lu family for several years now and knew about Wen Xiuqing’s strange behavior. She smiled and said, "Sister Wen, it’s all in your mind. If you keep thinking about it, it will only make you more scared, but in reality, there’s nothing to fear."
Nodding excitedly, Wen Xiuqing listened as Aunt Li took the opportunity to suggest, "Sister Wen, please hold Mo Wang. I’ll change the cover on the sofa."
Wen Xiuqing hesitated for a moment and then reached out to hold Mo Wang. As the soft bundle lay in her arms, Wen Xiuqing couldn’t help but break down in tears.
Aunt Li didn’t try to console her as she knew Wen Xiuqing was a strong woman. Whenever something happened, she never cried but kept everything bottled up. Over time, it had turned into a psychological problem. So her being able to cry was also a good thing, a way of venting.
While holding Xiaopang in one hand, Aunt Li with the other, pulled off the soiled cover of the sofa, picking up the nappy from the floor and throwing everything into the bathroom.
As Wen Xiuqing’s cries grew louder, Mo Wang in her arms, scared by the sounds, started to cry after puckering his mouth.
As soon as Mo Wang began to cry, Wen Xiuqing quickly wiped away her tears, not daring to cry anymore. Looking at Mo Wang in her arms, she couldn’t help but smile again.
As soon as Lu Zhanguo and Gu Xiaobei got home, they found Wen Xiuqing with red eyes but smiling, holding a sniffling Mo Wang.
Gu Xiaobei was taken aback – what had happened that made Wen Xiuqing, who would never hold a child, hold one now? Apparently, both her grandchildren had been crying heavily.
As Aunt Li came out of the bathroom holding Xiaopang, she laughed and said, "You guys are finally home. If you hadn’t come back soon, we wouldn’t have anything to eat for lunch."
Fang Jing, also puzzled about Wen Xiuqing’s behavior, couldn’t help but ask, "Aunt Li, what’s going on?"
"Xiaopang just pooped. Sister Wen changed his nappy." Aunt Li emphasized the fact that Wen Xiuqing had handled the nappy change.
Seeing his father was home, Xiaopang started to call for his father to hold him. Lu Zhanguo quickly took off his coat, warmed his hands on the heater before going to hold Xiaopang.
Gu Xiaobei and Fang Jing were still standing in the same place, somewhat disbelieving. Wen Xiuqing had actually changed Xiaopang’s nappy.
Looking up and seeing Gu Xiaobei and Fang Jing standing there in a daze, Wen Xiuqing felt a little uncomfortable. She finally managed to say awkwardly, "I didn’t mean to."
Gu Xiaobei and Fang Jing were confused by Wen Xiuqing’s sudden statement. Seeing Wen Xiuqing’s discomfort, Gu Xiaobei cleverly smiled and said, "It’s perfect that you are watching the kids. Aunt Li, you can rest for today too. Fang Jing and I will cook." Then he took Fang Jing by the arm and they rushed into the kitchen.
As soon as they entered the kitchen, Fang Jing couldn’t help her curiosity and asked, "What happened to mom today? She not only changed a nappy but held the baby too."
Gu Xiaobei thought for a moment and said, "Do you think mom is still affected by what happened to big brother back then and couldn’t bring herself to hold a child?"
Fang Jing didn’t quite understand. "It’s been almost thirty years now. She should have been able to get over it."
"Did you see her today? She seemed to have gotten some relief. It seems she has been dwelling on the past events and trapped herself in a dead-end street." Gu Xiaobei sighed.
Fang Jing also sighed, "Mom’s alright, it’s the unpredictable nature of hers that’s really scary. You never know when she’d surprise you."
