Hours later, Yin Xin stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked up. Miss Xu had been in there with the twins for so long without stepping out and it was already so late at night. Should she go up and check on them?
In the bedroom, Xu Lifen stirred before finally opening her eyes. "Ugh!" She held her head in pain as she slowly sat up. Her body was dripping with sweat and she felt very uncomfortable.
Just a while ago, she'd been in the contract space so it took sometime for her to get her bearings right. When she did, she froze and stared at the space in front of her with wide eyes.
Seated close to the edge of the bed, Xu Xiaoli and Xu Cai blinked their large eyes at their mother. Their expression was curious and slightly confused.
Xu Lifen lifted her hands to her lips. The last time she saw her babies, they were only one month old. She did not live long enough to see them grow this much.
She whimpered and extended a hand to them. "Xu Xiaoli? Xu Cai?" Seeing that they had no visible reaction, her hand froze. Weren't those their names? Did she call wrong? Or perhaps had they been named differently?
As she thought this, her memories finally merged with the memories of the past two years and she broke down in tears. "Those really are your names!"
Seeing her cry, Xu Cai tilted his head innocently and began gesturing with his hands the same way his brother usually did whenever he saw him cry. "No cry... No cry.."
Xu Lifen only cried harder at that.
Xu Cai looked to his mother in confusion and wobbled over to Xu Lifen in the bed. "Sorry... mama..."
Xu Lifen froze and looked at Xu Cai with red eyes. Unable to control herself anymore, she dashed forward and hugged him with all her might. "Don't worry, mama won't cry anymore.." Next, she looked to Xu Xiaoli and slowly moved forward with Xu Cai in her arm.
The first born only stared at her with confused eyes so she extended a hand and asked politely, "Can I touch you?" And then she froze. The boys weren't even 2 yet. Did he understand what she meant?
Xu Xiaoli looked down at the hand he was offered before looking up at Xu Lifen and slowly moving over to her. The minute she hugged him tightly, he felt warm and relaxed immediately.
Five seconds later, he looked around the room before turning back to his mother. "Where Ba Ba?"
Xu Lifen sniffed. "What did you say?"
This time, both Xu Xiaoli and Xu Cai said. "Ba Ba!"
Xu Lifen looked around the room. She really had no idea what they meant so she only hugged them.
After getting her fill of her precious babies, Xu Lifen took out time to properly comprehend the memories in her head and when she was done, she cried some more. She'd only told him she wanted her babies bit not only had he given her the babies, he'd almost gotten a house, a shop and a stable source of passive income.
She was overwhelmed.
At that moment, an idea suddenly popped into her head.
.
.
.
The next morning, Xu Lifen walked down the stairs with her babies. After a wonderful breakfast, she handed Yin Xin a piece of paper. "Ahem, Yin... Xin... Can you help me buy these items?"
Yin Xin looked at the items on the paper in confusion before slowly nodding. "Alright Miss Xu, I'll go get them now."
Once she was done, Xu Lifen looked at her boys with a smile. "Come, come! Let's go set up a little altar for our benefactor!"
Yesterday she'd realized that she had no idea what the man who had helped her was called and seeing all he'd done for her, she felt very guilty. Then a brilliant idea came to her.
Her benefactor was a soul in that contract space and all souls liked incense and paper money right? This was perfect!
Xu Xiaoli and Xu Cai had no idea what their mother was on about but when she took them to the garden outside and began turning the tool shed to an altar room, they became happy because... They got to play in the sand!
When Yin Xin returned, what she met was her Miss Xu and the twins playing in the sand.
'...'
"Miss Xu?"
Xu Lifen looked up with wide eyes and then her face burned. She knew she was a grown woman but when she saw her boys playing so happily, she couldn't afford to stop them.
She had just finished cleaning the tool shed when Xu Xiaoli wobbled to her and asked for her help in a building a house in the sand. How could she refuse?
She slowly stood up with a cough and dusted her dress. "Did you get the items?"
Yin Xin nodded and then they both got to work.
By afternoon, the small altar was set up. Since she didn't know the name and birth details of her benefactor, she settled for carving an appreciation letter on a slab of stone and placing it a top the altar.
Afterwards, she lit three incense sticks and burnt some paper money with her boys before leaving the tool shed. This later became an everyday habit for the Xu family.
-----------------
Over in the Han home, things weren't so rosy.
CRASH!
CLATTER!
BANG!
Han Rong smashed whatever she could find in the living room to pieces whilst Han Yi and Han Jiao watched on in trepidation.
Looking at the mess, Han Rong's chest heaved. She'd spent a lot of time tracking down that useless man she'd married and when she almost succeeded, she realized three days ago that he'd been taken away by a mafia gang.
Apparently, the idiot had been so desperate for money that he'd borrowed some from a shady loan shark only to lose everything at the casino! The worse part was... It was no small sum!
CRASH!
Han Rong crashed another thing. The fool! She was yet to vent on him and yet the fool had gotten himself in such a mess!
At that moment, Han Tao walked into the living room and Han Rong rushed to him. "A'Tao, tell me, is there really nothing you can do to save Longwei?"
Han Tao's face turned cold. Was this woman serious?! "Even if there's something I can do, why would I do it?!"
Han Rong's eyes widened. "A'Tao, don't be like that. You have to remember that no matter what, he is still your uncle. If not for that slut Chen Meili seducing him, you know this wouldn't have happened!"
Han Tao saw red. Han Rong was trying to absolve Gu Longwei from all blame?! His head ached from how angry he was. With a vicious glare, he stepped forward. "Even if my own life depended on it, I would not help that idiot you call your husband!
-And let me warn you now, if I ever set eyes on him, I will kill him myself!" And then he walked out.
Han Rong placed a hand on her chest and shouted after him, "Han Tao! How could you be like that?! How could you say such words?! In fact if you weren't useless would Longwei have had to step in and get your own wife pregnant for you?!"
The eyes of Han Yi and Han Jiao widened in shock and they slowly turned to Han Tao with trembling figures.
Fireworks went off in Han Tao's head and he turned around. He was going to beat that stupid aunt of his to death today!
When he got halfway through the living room, Han Rong's eyes widened in realization and she tried to run away but Han Tao chased after her.
Han Yuanjun walked in at that moment. "What's going on here?"
Han Rong looked to Han Yuanjun liked she'd seen her saviour and ran to him. "Help! Elder brother help! Han Tao is trying to kill me! That vicious boy you raised is trying to kill me, his aunt!"
Han Yuanjun turned to Han Tao who was shaking from so much anger and then sighed. He wasn't even surprised. Afterall, Han Tao had fought him when he pointed out how foolish the young man had been for sending Xu Lifen and the twins away.
He snapped his finger at a servant. "Clean this mess." And then he turned to his family members. "Mother is awake and wants to speak to all of us."
Han Tao fumed for a while more before tugging his clothes tstraight and walking out of the mansion. Han Yi and Han Jiao followed behind.
When Han Yuanjun turned to leave, Han Rong stopped him. "Elder brother... You see, I know things have been really bad but in the end, we can't let one of our own suffer outside rather than that, it's best if things were judged internally."
Han Yuanjun frowned. "What do you mean?"
Han Rong gulped. "You see, I found out that Longwei was taken away by-"
"Hold it." Han Yuanjun cut in with a cold glare. He might have stopped the fight earlier but he was in no way on her side. The mere mention of Gu Longwei gave him heartburn.
Did Han Rong think his Han family hadn't been disgraced enough? Han Yuanjun sneered at his sister. "One more word about this and I will kick you out of the Han home!" And then he walked out.
Han Rong choked but she didn't dare go against Han Yuanjun so she also walked out.