After the divorce, my ex-husband and son lined up to pursue me.

Chapter 35 What a clever way to avoid trouble!

Ruan Yuanchao, holding his injured arm and Xin Rou's hand, skipped into the mansion.

"Oh dear, young master, what's wrong with you?"

Uncle De caught a glimpse of it from afar and hurriedly rushed over, asking, "What happened to that arm? Is it injured?"

Ruan Yuanchao sniffed, her big, dark eyes welling up with tears, and she pouted pitifully, "Don't even mention it!"

Then, ignoring Uncle De's reaction, she covered her face as if she had suffered a great injustice and ran away.

Xin Rou gave an awkward smile, not bothering to explain anything to Uncle De, and hurriedly followed him into the living room. But the moment she stepped inside, she froze in shock—

A sandalwood carved screen divides the living room into two areas, one bright and one dark. In the center hangs a gold-lacquered screen with a Tai Chi Bagua design, and the character "Ruan" on the screen is carved in pure gold.

The cloud-shaped decorations on the back of the armchair and the armrests are also inlaid with pure gold, exuding a sense of order and grandeur that has been passed down through generations.

The plum blossoms, with their branches wrapped in ox horn, are inserted diagonally into a Ge ware vase with tubular handles on the antique shelf, subtly echoing the crackle-glazed vase in the corner that imitates the style of official kilns.

The floor was covered with Song brocade carpets, the patterns of clouds, dragons, seas, and cliffs, the gold threads gleaming with an ochre light in the dark.

A row of Chinese-style sofas, arranged in a circular pattern, evokes the feeling of the Great Hall of the People, subtly giving one the urge to kneel and submit, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"Aunt Xinrou? Come quick!"

Ruan Yuanchao had already run into the main sofa and sat on the old man's lap, not forgetting to hold up his injured arm for everyone to see.

Xin Rou was still stunned and couldn't come to her senses...

This was her first time visiting the Ruan family's old mansion, and she had expected it to be very luxurious, but she never imagined... that it would completely overturn her expectations!

The Ruan family is the head of the four major families in Haicheng, and the weight of that statement was still rising in her mind.

"Aunt Xinrou..."

Ruan Yuanchao called out again, still so urgently.

Xin Rou barely managed to calm herself down. Feeling embarrassed and awkward, she hesitated before daring to take a few steps forward. "Um, Grandpa Ruan, hello. Mu Huai brought Chaochao to stay with me for a few days recently. I'm so sorry, I... I wasn't paying attention and the child almost got into a car accident..."

Before she could finish speaking, she heard a "whoosh".

The sound of the Ge kiln teacup hitting the wooden tray was not loud, but it startled Xin Rou and made her heart tighten.

"Come over here a bit." The great-aunt said, and Xin Rou forced a smile and walked over. She looked Xin Rou up and down with a complicated look in her eyes, but then turned her head and looked at Ruan Yuanchao.

"Little Bao, how's your arm hurt? Does it hurt? Come here, let your great-aunt take a look..."

Ruan Yuanchao pouted and mumbled something, then immediately raised her little arm.

His arm was wrapped in layers of white gauze, looking like a bitten popsicle.

His eyes were red-rimmed, and his nose was so red it looked like it could bleed. He choked back tears and mumbled, "It hurts so much! A big chunk of flesh came off! Great-grandfather... and Dad doesn't care about me anymore..."

After complaining to the old man, Ruan Yuanchao reached out to his great-aunt: "Great-aunt, I've suffered so much... Mom ran away! She doesn't want me anymore! And she told Dad to leave me alone too!"

"Do you know what? Dad locked me in the basement, he won't give me food, he won't let me play with my toys, and he won't let me see you... Luckily, Aunt Xinrou is here, otherwise I would be doomed... Waaah!" She complained and whined at the same time, and tears fell like beads from a broken string, "plop plop" as if they were free.

This instantly broke the hearts of the old man and his great-aunt!

The great-aunt hurriedly got up and hugged Ruan Yuanchao tightly, "My little treasure, how could so many things have happened? You've almost killed your great-aunt..."

My great-aunt only had one son in her life, and she only had one child, a granddaughter. She is still unmarried, let alone having a great-grandchild.

Therefore, Ruan Yuanchao was the apple of the family's eye and their lifeline.

The second grandfather had just finished worshiping in the Buddhist hall when he heard the child crying. He hurriedly quickened his pace and came to the living room, where he saw the little guy crying his eyes out in his great-aunt's arms.

Second Grandfather didn't say anything, but rushed over and picked up Ruan Yuanchao in one go.

"Ah... I'm so pitiful!" Ruan Yuanchao was being coaxed by so many people, all of whom were elders. Her heart swelled up instantly, and she cried out in an exaggerated way!
Xin Rou was left out in the cold, but a slight smile quietly appeared on her lips.

"Damn it! They're all bastards!" The old man was already furious, slamming his fist on the table and looking at Uncle De: "Where are those two scoundrels? Bring them to me now!"

Uncle De immediately knew who he was referring to, and at that moment he didn't care about saying anything nice. He hurriedly nodded and went to call for help.

Ruan Muhuai was on the phone in the front courtyard corridor, dealing with company matters. He vaguely heard the child crying and frowned slightly. Then he saw Uncle De rushing over.

Without letting Uncle De say anything, he gave a signal with his eyes, and after the phone call was over, he followed Uncle De back to the living room.

Xin Rou had already been told to sit down by her aunt, but as soon as she saw Ruan Muhuai enter, she immediately stood up and walked towards him: "Chao Chao has been crying and complaining of pain. His little arm is swollen several times its normal size. The doctor didn't dare to prescribe any painkillers and just told me to take better care of him. But I couldn't bear to see him cry like that; it broke my heart, so..."

She explained, still a little embarrassed, "So he kept asking to see you, so I... brought him here."

Ruan Muhuai gave a soft "hmm," and offered some comfort to Xin Rou with understanding: "It's alright, why don't you sit down and have a cup of tea?"

Then, he walked straight to Ruan Yuanchao, who was being hugged and coaxed by his great-aunt and second grandfather, and said, "Shut up."

His voice was soft and deep, neither too loud nor too soft.

But it exudes a subtle yet powerful aura of intimidation.

Ruan Yuanchao was so frightened that he immediately held his breath and gripped his second grandfather's cassock tightly with his little hands.

"Who are you telling to shut up!" The old man was the first to express his displeasure, and he strode over.

The great-aunt glared at Ruan Muhuai, as if afraid he would frighten the child again, and shielded Ruan Yuanchao behind her. "What are you doing? Is this how a father should act? How old is Xiaobao? Why are you yelling at him?"

"When you were little, was this how your dad treated you? Huh?" The old man shoved Ruan Muhuai away. "Parents should set an example. It's fine to educate children, but you can't be so heartless when your children are sick or injured!"

The old man didn't think the car accident was that serious. It was just a little boy, and it was nothing serious. It was just a minor injury that could be treated and healed. But how could parents ignore their child at a time like this?!
Ruan Muhuai had nothing to say. He slightly raised his eyes, his brows furrowed, and glanced up at the direction of the building.

Uncle De must have sent someone to look for Jiang Xia, but she hasn't shown up yet...

That would make things much more leisurely.

(End of this chapter)