Chapter 217: Dengdeng’s Little Temper
In the end, Doctor Fu nodded his head. In his opinion, it wasn’t a violation of his conscience to agree with Bai’s proposal. Therefore, a compromise was made.
Bai Ruozhu held Xiaosi’s hand, expressing her gratitude to Doctor Fu once more before bidding him farewell and leaving the Fu family’s residence.
While on their way home, Bai Ruozhu held Xiaosi’s hand, asking him softly, "Do you still feel upset?"
Xiaosi shook his head, "They’re not my real family after all."
"Did you know this from the start?" Bai Ruozhu was surprised by Xiaosi’s calm demeanor. He seemed unaffected by the discovery that he was an adopted child, having only asked her once before, "If I wasn’t your real brother, would you still be kind to me?"
Remaining expressionless, Xiaosi answered, "I sensed it. I used to think that they weren’t my biological parents."
Bai Ruozhu squatted down and hugged him tightly. Perhaps this was the reason why he had closed off his emotions. Children are sensitive creatures. They know who genuinely cares for them, which is probably why he had grown close to Bai Ruozhu. Similarly, he could sense his adoptive parents’ distant attitude.
"Don’t dwell on this anymore. From now on, you have your sister, your parents, and your brothers to love and care for you. You’re my real brother now," Bai Ruozhu said, feeling a pang in her heart.
"Yes, I know. You’re all kind to me," Xiaosi replied, offering a slight, somewhat stiff smile.
Bai Ruozhu felt a burst of happiness. Xiaosi was beginning to open up his heart; he just needed some time to adjust.
By the time they returned home, the family had closed their stall and returned. They were all eagerly awaiting their return.
"How did it go? Did Doctor Fu change his mind?" Lin Ping’er could barely contain her curiosity as she rushed to the door when she heard them arrive.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but chuckle, "Mother, Doctor Fu is a kind person. Knowing that we’re acting in Xiaosi’s best interest, he agreed."
"Wonderful, just wonderful. Come on in, let’s celebrate!" Lin Ping’er announced jubilantly.
Just then, Little Dengdeng broke out in loud wails inside the house. Bai Ruozhu was startled — Dengdeng was typically a quiet child, rarely crying loudly. What could have upset him? Had she neglected him in the recent busy days? Was he uncomfortable?
Bai Ruozhu rushed into the house, taking Dengdeng into her arms from Bai Yihong, who seemed quite clueless. She examined the child, then breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t running a fever or sick in any way — probably just hungry.
"Are you hungry? Mommy will take you back to the room," Bai Ruozhu cooed. However, Dengdeng, in what seemed to be a fit of temper, cried even louder, pushing away Bai Ruozhu’s face with his tiny arm. His feeble strength wasn’t enough to move her, but his actions made his intentions clear to all.
Lin Ping’er chuckled, "Dengdeng is mad at you for not spending time with him."
"This little rascal is still so young, but he’s already pretty cunning," Bai Ruozhu grumbled in a mix of frustration and amusement. Little Dengdeng looked even more aggrieved, sobbing as if he were going to choke himself with his cries.
Bai Ruozhu had no choice but to take Dengdeng back to their room, telling the others, "You all go ahead and eat, I’ll come out after he’s settled."
This brought a smile to everyone’s faces. How clever this little child was!
Back in the room, Bai Ruozhu fed Dengdeng, but he was far from pleased. He refused to eat and continued to cry loudly.
"Dengdeng, you’ve always been a sensible and well-behaved child. Mommy was off helping Xiaosi today. You like him too, right? You’d feel sorry for him if he continued to suffer, wouldn’t you?" Bai Ruozhu softened her voice, speaking earnestly.
Whether Little Dengdeng understood her or was simply worn out from crying, his sobs began to diminish, though he still sniffed in lingering distress.
"Baby, I mean, Dengdeng, mommy knows that she shouldn’t have neglected you. I shouldn’t have laughed at you either. I apologize. Will you stop crying now?" Bai Ruozhu suddenly remembered an article she had read in her previous life. It suggested that while adults may think they’re just teasing or joking with a child, the child may feel ridiculously mocked and deeply hurt. She realized she shouldn’t have spoken about Dengdeng as she had in front of everyone.
Dengdeng made a humming sound and blew a bubble, seemingly expressing his displeasure, but he indeed stopped crying. Bai Ruozhu realized that she might have underestimated Dengdeng. He couldn’t express himself verbally due to his young age, but he did understand a lot. She needed to pay more attention to his feelings in the future.
When Bai Ruozhu emerged with Dengdeng after feeding him, the little guy was all smiles again, waving his small arms and interacting with everyone. Though Xiaosi didn’t usually mingle with others, he liked playing with Dengdeng. Bai Ruozhu let him take care of Dengdeng while she had her dinner.
After dinner, she took Dengdeng to visit Yu Hongxiu. She had promised to cook meals for Yu Hongxiu, but her recent busy days had prevented her from doing so, and she felt quite embarrassed.
Upon seeing her, Yu Hongxiu swiftly took Dengdeng into her arms. She had a fondness for this child.
"I heard your family is fighting a legal battle these days. Do you need any help?" After playing with Dengdeng for a while, Yu Hongxiu suddenly looked up and asked her.
"Because of this issue, I haven’t been able to cook for you these past few days. I’m really sorry about that," Bai Ruozhu apologized with a smile.
Yu Hongxiu gave her a reproachful glance. "What are you being polite for? I asked you to move in in the hopes of getting some company, not a cook. Otherwise, our friendship would seem shallow."
"I appreciate your kind intention, but you must understand my own feelings. Once this matter is resolved, I’ll prepare a feast for you. I guarantee I’ll make your mouth water," said Bai Ruozhu, starting to giggle.
"Oh dear, I’m already drooling now. You’re doing this deliberately, aren’t you?" Yu Hongxiu attempted to give Bai Ruozhu a playful smack, but was mindful of Dengdeng in her arms. So instead, she glared playfully at Bai Ruozhu. Despite her pseudo-angry glance, she was still smiling, making her glare far from intimidating.
Bai Ruozhu laughed heartily. She then remembered that Xiaosi would be living with them and would be meeting the Xie couple, so she briefly explained Xiaosi’s circumstances to Yu Hongxiu, including how they were trying to free him from his situation.
If not for Dengdeng in her arms, Yu Hongxiu would have jumped up in anger. She began to give vent to her anger, but stopped mid-sentence out of fear of scaring Dengdeng. Her voice significantly lowered.
"I knew from the start that your uncle was a bad man. I didn’t expect his wife to be just as heartless, treating a six-year-old child so cruelly. How could such people ever become scholars? They deserve divine retribution!"
"From my guess, Wang probably didn’t pay any attention to Xiaosi initially. She’s such a selfish person. I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t even care much for her own daughter, let alone a child without any blood relation. Later, when my grandmother hit the child on the head, they regarded him as an idiot and despised him even more. They took out all their frustration on him," sighed Bai Ruozhu, "Whenever I treated Xiaosi’s bruises and swelling, I felt a sense of relief that at least they weren’t bleeding wounds."