Could it be? Could it be? It can’t be what I’m thinking, right? Yang Shiluo’s mind was in knots, desperately hoping it was an illusion. Thinking back to the days spent with Lai Zuo Yi, who often bathed Lai Yunyue, the image of her stepping out of the bathroom with a smile would always leave her with mixed emotions.
She couldn’t believe that Lai Zuo Yi would harm her own daughter, but she couldn’t just stand idly by.
“Yue Yue, how did you get these injuries?” Gently embracing Lai Yunyue and placing her in the bathtub, Yang Shiluo asked nervously, “Don’t say you did it to yourself! When I was a child, I used to climb trees and play around, even if I fell and got scraped, it wouldn’t be like this… Yue Yue, tell me, who did this? I want to protect you.”
Lai Yunyue tightly pressed her lips together, and Yang Shiluo’s anxiety grew. Realizing that Lai Yunyue was still naked, she quickly adjusted the water temperature and began washing her body.
“If someone is bullying you, hurting you, silence is not the answer! You don’t have to endure things that you shouldn’t bear on your own! Quickly tell your sister… tell your mom who did this to you! Mom will use the spatula from making potstickers to settle the score with them!”
“It’s okay…”
“No, it’s not okay!” Yang Shiluo struggled to calm herself down. Seeing the various injuries on Lai Yunyue’s body, her heartache intensified. She had initially thought that Lai Yunyue’s avoidance of others was due to her introverted personality, but it turned out to be a fear of contact. She should have known; from the first time she saw her, Lai Yunyue’s eyes betrayed a sense of fear.
Yang Shiluo shuddered. How long had this been going on?
At least three months, but they only returned to the country three months ago… Yang Shiluo’s heart weighed heavily.
“You need to tell your sister who caused these injuries.”
Yang Shiluo spoke earnestly, fervently hoping not to hear the answer she feared. If Lai Yunyue admitted to it, she would immediately help her wash up and take her back to her own place for protection, figuring out the reason behind this incident.
No matter what, long-term abuse of a child is already a psychological aberration.
Yang Shiluo felt extremely uncomfortable, and a repeated name echoed in her mind.
“It’s really okay,” Lai Yunyue shivered, shaking her body, tears streaming down her small face. She pushed Yang Shiluo away with her hands, saying, “Don’t mind me… I can bathe by myself… I can handle it…”
“Lai Yunyue.” Yang Shiluo called her full name again, and her voice choked. She forced herself not to cry. At least, she wanted to remain calm in front of Lai Yunyue. However, the image of the elementary school students passing by the potsticker shop every day surfaced in her mind, and her eyes couldn’t help but become hot.
She had seen Mrs. Guo care for many children in the shop, those who suffered from domestic violence or had run away from home. Each time, it filled her heart with sorrow. Those little children, who hadn’t even grown up yet, already bore numerous scars on their bodies.
Yang Shiluo didn’t have parents. Since she could remember, she only had her grandparents. They passed away when she was in college. Even though she was part of a skip-generation family, warmth was never lacking, and the relationship with her relatives was good. After her grandparents passed away, her aunts and uncles took care of her, offering help when needed.
She couldn’t help but cry while hugging Lai Yunyue, as if those wounds were scars etched into her heart, burning with pain.
Half of her sorrow was for Yunyue’s experiences, and the other half was the incomprehension of why someone would do such a thing.
Even though Lai Yunyue hadn’t disclosed who harmed her to this day, Yang Shiluo wasn’t stupid, and she figured it out.
Sniffling, she helped Lai Yunyue finish her bath. Both of them remained silent. Yang Shiluo didn’t have the mood to answer the phone. She just wanted to take Lai Yunyue away. However, Lai Yunyue refused, keeping her head low and hugging the original Harry Potter book. Yang Shiluo understood she was afraid. Seeing a message from Lai Zuo Yi saying she was almost home, Yang Shiluo quickly ushered Lai Yunyue back to her room and asked her to lock the door.
“I’m back!” Lai Zuo Yi returned home with a bright smile, holding takeout. “I bought takeout on the way because you didn’t answer my calls. So, I got two portions.”
“What about Yunyue’s?” Yang Shiluo felt her voice was difficult to squeeze out. “She won’t eat?”
“She can eat with me; kids don’t eat much.” Lai Zuo Yi said, noticing Yang Shiluo’s expression didn’t seem right. She put the takeout aside and walked slowly towards her, opening her arms. “What’s wrong?”
As a result, Yang Shiluo couldn’t even hug her, and Lai Zuo Yi raised an eyebrow, looking at Yang Shiluo, who pushed her away.
“Lai Zuo Yi,” Yang Shiluo’s tone was heavy.
“Hmm?” Lai Zuo Yi squinted slightly.
“What’s going on with the wounds on Yunyue? Don’t say you don’t know! You’ve almost bathed her every day for the past few months. It’s impossible not to know! How come you haven’t said anything— and even pretended not to care!” Yang Shiluo vented her anger in one breath. She knew she had to clarify things first to have a chance of being contradicted. She hoped that Lai Zuo Yi would roll her eyes at her or take off the indifferent mask on her face, crying and explaining the reasons. She hoped—no matter what—that Lai Zuo Yi was not the kind of mother who would harm her own biological daughter.
But Lai Zuo Yi just looked at her calmly.
“Let’s eat first.”
“You explain first!” Yang Shiluo tried not to let her emotions be swayed by anger. It wouldn’t help Yunyue in any way. “Is it really you? Did you really hurt Yunyue yourself? Why! She’s your daughter, she…”
“Yeah.”
Very softly, Yang Shiluo turned from anger to astonishment along with her expression. Lai Zuo Yi, following her actions, went from calm to a forced smile.
“You think I want that child?” Lai Zuo Yi said.
“What do you mean?”
Suddenly, Yang Shiluo heard the sound of the room door opening. Turning her head, she saw Yunyue poking her little head out, looking anxious. Lai Zuo Yi also turned her head slowly. Before Yang Shiluo could react, she walked over quickly, directly grabbed Yunyue’s hair, ignored the child’s whimper, and dragged her out of the room, forcefully throwing her to the ground.
Yang Shiluo’s face turned pale, and she was almost scared to the point of having weak legs by this scene.
The Lai Zuo Yi in her memory shattered.
“I’m sorry, Mom… I’m sorry…” Lai Yunyue cried, curled up on the ground. Yang Shiluo quickly crouched down, holding her tightly in her arms, her face filled with disbelief as she listened to Yunyue’s broken apology, staring at Lai Zuo Yi’s distorted smile.
“You think I want her?”
Lai Zuo Yi kicked Yunyue on the ground, and Yang Shiluo was also affected.
“You! Don’t hurt the child! Lai Zuo Yi!”
She began to grab Lai Zuo Yi’s hands, pushing her backward to maintain a safe distance between her and Yunyue. In the living room, the child’s crying mixed with the woman’s sinister laughter. Yang Shiluo felt that if she couldn’t stop Lai Zuo Yi, she would rush over and beat Yunyue half to death.
“Lai Zuo Yi! Don’t do this!”
Yang Shiluo cried out. She wished this were a nightmare, or that Aunt Guo, who knew how to resolve conflicts, was here. She didn’t know how to persuade Lai Zuo Yi. Even though the reality was right in front of her, even though Yunyue’s crying pierced her heart, her mind foolishly refused to accept the truth.
“Do you think I just want to give birth to her! Do you think I want to! Do you think I want to!”
Lai Zuoyi lost control and screamed, pulling at Yang Shiluo: “You only care about that bastard but not me! Do you think I just want to give birth to that bastard!”
“I don’t care whether it’s you or her!” Yang Shiluo’s shoulder was in pain, and several wounds had been pulled out by Lai Zuoyi’s nails: “Lai Zuoyi! Stop making trouble! She is your child, not a bastard! You’re hurting her!”
“Who is making trouble! Who is making trouble!” Lai Zuoyi roared out of control: “Did my mother deserve to be raped to give birth to that bastard? Do you think I wanted to! Who protected me when I was raped? I wanted to abort her. But she refuses to leave! If she insists on staying, I should be a good person and provide food and accommodation! Who does my mother owe her! My life has been completely disrupted because of this bastard! Who does my mother owe her!”
Yang Shiluo stiffened when she heard that. Even if Lai Zuoyi bit her hand hard, the pain was cut off when she heard those words.
All she heard was Lai Yunyue’s weak voice from behind, apologizing over and over again.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry, mom… I shouldn’t have been born… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry for you…”
In front, there are broken adults; behind, there are broken children.
Yang Shiluo felt that she was severely beaten by them.
