Rebirth to Save Myself

After school in the evening, Su Xia and Chen Yuan went to the Chen family home. Chen's parents were already waiting for them at the door, ready to take their schoolbags as soon as possible.

"Hello, you are Su Xia, right?" Mr. Chen looked into Su Xia's eyes earnestly and asked kindly.

"Yes, hello, Uncle Chen." Su Xia bowed politely.

"Let's go, Auntie has already prepared the dishes." Mr. Chen politely refrained from touching Su Xia's body and gestured for Su Xia and Chen Yuan to come in.

"Wow, there's so much delicious food today!" Chen Yuan exclaimed as soon as she entered the kitchen and saw the table full of food. She happily sat down in her seat.

"Yuanyuan, the guests haven't even sat down yet and you've already taken your seat. Come down and wash your hands." Mr. Chen said softly to Chen Yuanyuan.

"Who else is there? Xiaxia isn't a guest." Chen Yuan obediently went downstairs to wash her hands.

"Today, your mother and I are formally inviting Su Xia to dinner, so Su Xia's current status is that of a guest," Mr. Chen patiently explained.

A short while later, Chen Wenwei, who had gone home to put down his schoolbag, also arrived, and his father asked him to sit at the table.

Chen Yuan was surprised to learn that Chen Wenwei was coming and asked, "Why is Chen Wenwei here too?"

"Of course, Dad invited him too. Now that everyone's here, we can eat." Mr. Chen invited everyone to sit down at the table and even pulled out a chair for Mrs. Chen to sit down.

Su Xia silently observed all of this. Looking at Chen Yuan's expression, it seemed like these were all perfectly ordinary things. She couldn't help but feel a little envious. Living in such a family, it was no wonder that Chen Yuan was so lively and cheerful.

“Su Xia, I work away from home most of the year, and your Aunt Chen takes care of everything at home. I was so grateful to you for looking after Yuanyuan during the summer vacation, which allowed us to have a short reunion. I want to express my sincere gratitude to you!” Mr. Chen said to Su Xia, picking up his drink.

"I wouldn't dare say that, Uncle Chen. Rather than saying we're taking care of Yuanyuan, it's more accurate to say we're taking care of each other." Su Xia also picked up her drink, stood up, and held her glass lower than Chen's father, gently clinking them together.

"Wenwei, your uncle also thanks you. You and Yuanyuan grew up together since you were little. Even though you're only a year apart, you've always been very tolerant of Yuanyuan. Thank you!" Mr. Chen said, turning to Chen Wenwei.

"No, Uncle, please don't say that." Chen Wenwei quickly stood up and clinked glasses with his father.

"Finally, I would also like to thank my wife, Ms. Chen Chunqi. Thank you for taking care of the family, allowing me to work hard outside with peace of mind. Wife, I love you." Mr. Chen looked at Mrs. Chen with eyes full of affection.

"Oh dear, I knew Dad was going to pull this again," Chen Yuan said, covering her eyes with her hands.

Chen Wenwei was used to it; it wasn't the first time his father had said this in front of the children. Even when surrounded by elders, his father would openly express his love for his wife.

"Thank you too, husband." At first, Chen's mother wasn't used to Chen's father's high-profile declaration of love, but later she was able to accept and respond generously.

"Xiaxia, let's ignore their lovey-dovey behavior. Let's eat our food, or it'll get cold." Chen Yuan tugged at Su Xia and put a duck leg on her plate.

"Ah."

The five of them enjoyed a pleasant dinner. Throughout the meal, Mr. Chen frequently brought up topics that sparked lively conversation among everyone present. He respected them and didn't treat them like children. He didn't say things like, "I don't want to talk about anything in front of children," or "Children don't understand." The cheerful atmosphere lasted until the end of dinner.

"Do you need us to take you home?" Mr. Chen asked, looking at Su Xia.

"No need, thank you Uncle Chen. I enjoyed dinner very much tonight, thank you for your hospitality." After saying that, Su Xia turned around and prepared to leave with her schoolbag on her back.

"Xiaxia, you forgot about the Fuwa mascots," Chen Yuan suddenly called out.

"Keep it at your place for now." If she took it back now, she would probably have to give it all away. But this was a gift from the Chen family, and Su Xia was a little reluctant to share it.

"Then let's leave it here with Yuanyuan for now. Come visit us more often when you have time," Chen's mother said with a smile, pressing Chen Yuan down.

"Okay, thank you, Uncle and Aunt." Su Xia said and went home.

"This child is worth befriending." Mr. Chen said suddenly, watching Su Xia's retreating figure. Then he looked down at Chen Yuan and said, "I don't object to you being friends with Su Xia. But you must remember what I'm about to tell you, understand?"

"I understand, Dad."

By the time Su Xia got home, it was already past seven o'clock. Her grandmother hadn't even left her any food; the table was empty. Su Xia went back to her room, put her schoolbag down, and then went to her mother's room.

"So you know how to come back, huh? It took you so long to grade a test paper. Didn't your teacher give you any compensation?" Su's mother said without any pleasantries.

"No, I came here to ask if there's anything I can help you with."

"Take those diapers to wash, empty the toilet and clean it, and cook me a quick supper." Su's mother ordered them around naturally. Earlier that night, because Su Xia hadn't come back, Su's mother had waited a long time before her grandmother brought up the food, but there wasn't much. Now she was hungry again. Feeding a baby makes it easy to get hungry, but her grandmother refused to take care of her, so Su's mother could only wait for Su Xia to come back.

"Okay." Su Xia tidied up, then washed the toilet, cooked a late-night snack and served it to her mother first, before returning to the kitchen to wash diapers.

After finishing her chores, Su Xia went upstairs to clean up the dishes and wash them before returning to her room. She quickly finished the homework assigned by the teacher, and next was studying junior high school material. Since Chen Xin hadn't returned to her room yet, Su Xia used the time to read a little more.

After Su's mother finished her postpartum confinement and was able to move around, Su Xia felt a little more relaxed. Sometimes she could help take care of her younger brother and let her mother cook.

Grandma was unhappy that Su Xia was eating at her house while Su's mother was home, so she told Su's mother to cook for herself in her own kitchen, separated by a wooden partition. Although Su's mother was unwilling, she couldn't resist Grandma's unreasonable demands. Since telling Su's mother to cook for herself, Grandma stopped cooking for Su's mother, Su Xia, and Su Yue. She even hid the rice to prevent Su Xia from cooking for herself when she returned. When Su's father heard about this, he simply told Su's mother to cook for herself and didn't say anything else.

Su's mother was truly aggrieved. Unable to contain her anger, she could only vent to Aunt Wang. Aunt Wang had no other choice but to comfort Su's mother, saying that her suffering had finally come to an end and she had a son. She should just cook for herself. They had always eaten separately after getting married, so it wasn't a big deal. In addition, Su's father had stockpiled a lot of firewood, so Su's mother hadn't even had to go up the mountain to chop firewood.