Rebirth to Save Myself

Chen Wenwei then spoke with Chen Yuan for a while, neither of them noticing that Chen's mother had been standing outside the door for quite some time.

Chen's mother was preparing lunch downstairs when she saw Su Xia come down and offered to invite her to stay for lunch. Su Xia declined and went home. Chen's mother then went upstairs to call Chen Yuan, but overheard Chen Wenwei and Chen Yuan's conversation. To avoid disturbing them, she quietly went back downstairs.

As mentioned earlier, Chen's mother had inquired about Su Xia, but being an adult, she certainly wouldn't know about the rumors spread by Su Xia's cousin. Furthermore, Su Xia's grandmother wasn't particularly harsh on her, and helping with housework was something no one could easily judge as right or wrong. After all, she herself often helped her elders with chores when she was young, and nothing was said about it, right? Plus, Chen's mother belonged to the group that became wealthy first, and the two families lived far apart with little interaction, so she didn't get any useful information. Asking the school teachers would likely only elicit praise for Su Xia's good grades. Hearing Chen Wenwei's words today, Chen's mother was filled with emotion.

Everyone praised Chen's mother for finding a good husband who could earn money. While everyone else was still working in the fields, Chen's father had already started a business. Naturally, Chen's mother never did any farm work and stayed home taking care of the children. Chen's mother's family wasn't poor before. Although she had several siblings, her parents never mistreated her. So, Chen's mother was raised to be quite fair-skinned, which caught Chen's father's eye at first sight. He pursued her for a year before winning her over. Chen's father kept his promise and provided Chen's mother with a good life.

Chen's mother had already given birth to Chen Yuan, and her health was not suitable for having another child. Everyone around them advised the couple to have another child, a boy, otherwise there would be no one to carry on the family line. Chen's father was unhappy to hear this and said, "Yuanyuan is my child. How am I cut off from the family line? When I die, if anyone tries to stop my daughter from breaking a bowl, I'll crawl out of my coffin."

This left everyone speechless, and they stopped trying to persuade her. But it would be a lie to say they weren't jealous. Chen's mother had married a good husband who was both a good earner and a loving husband. Compared to their own rough and uncultured husband, they were truly envious.

Ever since hearing Chen Wenwei's words, Chen's mother felt sorry for Su Xia. She was the same age as her daughter, yet Su Xia suffered so much. She hadn't noticed before, but now she saw how surprisingly thin the child was, unlike what one would expect for her age. Moreover, Chen Yuan had privately told her that Su Xia's stomach was often growling with hunger, and her face was pale. This was anemia caused by malnutrition. However, if she rashly offered Su Xia care and food, given the child's pride, she feared the child would never come to her house again, which would be counterproductive.

That evening, Chen's mother called Chen's father and expressed her concerns, hoping that Chen's father could help her solve the problem.

After thinking for a moment, Mr. Chen said, "You haven't come to see me in a long time. Why don't you come over during Yuanyuan's summer vacation?"

"Didn't I tell you? Yuanyuan is studying at home. How can I take her over?" Chen's mother was exasperated with her husband's brain; he had just finished speaking and he had already forgotten.

Mr. Chen was not in a hurry and said slowly, "I asked you to come, not Yuanyuan."

"What about Yuanyuan?"

"You could invite Su Xia to come over and keep Yuanyuan company. You could give Chen Meili some money to help take care of the two kids, and then leave some money for Yuanyuan."

After thinking it over, Chen's mother realized that she hadn't seen her husband in a long time. In the past, she would take Chen Yuan to visit him during winter and summer vacations. However, this year, Chen Yuan was unusually focused on her studies, so they couldn't go. Her husband's suggestion wasn't a bad idea either. With Chen Meili (Chen Wenwei's mother) taking care of him, and Su Xia being so sensible, she felt at ease. Plus, she could see her husband, so she made the decision.

The next day, Chen's mother told Chen Yuan about her plan. Chen Yuan was initially unhappy that her mother had left her to go find her father, but when she heard that her mother was going to invite Su Xia to live with her, she thought that this would be another opportunity to strengthen their relationship.

"But would Xiaxia's family agree?" Chen Yuan asked, puzzled. No normal person would let their child stay at someone else's house for a summer vacation, especially since they're not relatives.

But she forgot that Su Xia's family wasn't normal. When Chen's mother went to Su Xia's grandmother and explained their purpose, the grandmother immediately beamed with joy and agreed, even asking if they could go today. She then told Su Xia to pack her things and hurry over. Chen's mother said they hadn't arrived yet and would go tomorrow.

Su Xia saw Chen's mother off at the door. Chen's mother asked her to walk with her for a while, saying that she had something to say to her.

"Chen Yuan has been mischievous since she was little. Don't let her school behavior fool you; she's a completely different person at home. I haven't seen Chen Yuan's father in a long time, so I'd like to ask you to stay with us for a while and keep Chen Yuan company, okay?"

“My grandma has already agreed,” Su Xia said.

"Grandma agreed, but it's you who's going to accompany Chen Yuan. Don't worry, Auntie won't force you if you don't want to," Chen's mother asked cautiously.

Su Xia felt a lump in her throat. Having lived in this world for so long, and knowing that no one had ever asked for her opinion in her previous life, she felt that her opinion was also important. Often, adults think children are too young and make all sorts of decisions for them, but they don't seriously consider whether the child wants those decisions.

“I do, Aunt Chen,” Su Xia’s slightly nasal voice rang out.

"That's wonderful! Don't worry, I've asked Chen Wenwei's mother to help take care of you. If you don't want to eat at his house, you can cook for yourselves or go out to eat." Chen's mother happily took Su Xia's hand, squatted down, and spoke to her at eye level.

"Okay, I understand." Su Xia really envied Chen Yuan for having such a good mother who always considered her needs and prepared everything for her. Unlike her own family, her grandmother was always worried that she would eat too much meat, and her mother and father were often away from home. They could take Su Yue around, but they wouldn't take her with them. They knew what it would be like to leave her at home, but they still did it, saying things they didn't mean to comfort her.

She had already experienced the coldness of family in her previous life, but in this life she can see that in this small mountain village in a not-so-developed era, there are such parents. Chen Yuan will definitely be very happy in the future.

After receiving Su Xia's agreement, Chen's mother stopped letting her continue delivering packages. Back home, Chen Yuan was overjoyed to hear the news from her mother. Being able to stay home freely and without constraints was incredibly enjoyable. Plus, her mother had given her some money to buy snacks and eat out; she couldn't wait for her mother to come back after summer vacation.