Chapter 251: Not a Burden, This is Familial Love

Chapter 251: Chapter 251: Not a Burden, This is Familial Love

Cai Wennan shook her head. "How is this being a burden? This is family!"

"If I don’t even take care of my own brother, if I don’t dote on him, who else besides our family will care for him?"

Liang Xiaoyu choked up. "Your brother used to be immersed in his own world. He didn’t communicate with anyone."

"Back then, your dad and I looked after him. When we’re gone... if you couldn’t take care of your brother, I was going to take him with me."

"After all, Wenjun is our child, but you’re our child, too! If you can’t even live a good life yourself, how could I bear to watch you work so hard, raising a brother who would only ever cause you worry?"

Hearing this, Cai Wennan shook her head repeatedly. "Mom, you can’t think like that! As long as I have a bite to eat, I won’t let my brother go hungry."

"Mom, please believe me! I really can do it! My brother is stepping out of his little world now and interacting with others. That’s already wonderful."

"I’m a freshman in high school now. I’ll study hard for the next three years, get into a normal university, and work to become my brother’s teacher in the future."

"That way, you won’t have to worry about him being bullied at school. When that time comes, I’ll share the responsibility of taking care of my brother with you."

Liang Xiaoyu had an optimistic and cheerful personality. After accepting the reality of their situation, she had begun to find ways to change things.

She never spoke of her inner anguish to others.

Even when she was feeling down, Liang Xiaoyu would, at most, talk about it with her mother-in-law.

The two of them, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, encouraged and supported each other.

Just now, she had been healed by her daughter’s words.

"Nannan, you’ve grown up and become so sensible! On your brother’s behalf, thank you."

Cai Wennan shook her head and smiled. "Mom, I used to see taking care of my brother as a responsibility, as a pressure. It was a mental burden, and I was worried I couldn’t do it well."

"But ever since I started high school and began living in the dorms, my brother has come to the bus station to pick me up every time."

"So many people get off the bus, but he can always spot me in the crowd right away. He’ll stuff all the candy he’s treasured and saved into my pocket."

"To me, it’s just candy, but to my brother, it’s his most beloved possession. He’s willing to give me his favorite thing. That means he loves me even more."

"In that moment, I felt like all the pressure was no longer pressure, and all the responsibility was no longer responsibility. This is love. This is family. This is the most important, most precious thing I have."

Liang Xiaoyu could no longer control her emotions. She broke down, wailing as she hugged her daughter, feeling both happy and proud.

Having grown almost as tall as her mother, Cai Wennan hugged her mother back.

She didn’t say anything more, silently comforting her mother.

At that moment, the bond between mother and daughter grew even more harmonious, their feelings for each other even deeper.

Riding a bicycle, Liang Xiaoyu took her daughter to buy clothes.

A red sweater with a white base, a pair of jeans, and sweatpants—she bought them all for her daughter.

On the way back, Cai Wennan used her allowance to buy her brother some chili candy.

It was made from maltose.

She bought five sticks in total.

After returning home, Liang Xiaoyu did housework while Cai Wennan took the candy to find her brother.

At that moment, Yang Minmin was playing frisbee with Pingping, An’an, and Cai Wenjun.

In the yard were the two large dogs, Dahuang and Heizi, along with over twenty little puppies.

Luckily, the yard was huge; otherwise, there would be no room to even set a foot down.

Several frisbees of various sizes were all being caught and returned by the dogs.

Cai Wennan beamed, smiling at her sweaty brother. "Wenjun, Minmin, Pingping, An’an, look what I bought for you!"

When Cai Wenjun saw his sister, he immediately threw the frisbee aside and ran toward her. "Sister! That’s my sister!"

Looking at her brother, who trusted and adored her completely, Cai Wennan smiled.

She handed out the chili candy to everyone. "Be careful when you eat this. Don’t run around, and don’t poke your throat!"

Yang Minmin took a piece of chili candy as well. "Thank you, Sister Wennan."

"You’re welcome!" Cai Wennan smiled. "I heard you were kidnapped before. You were so calm and brave. That’s amazing!"

Yang Minmin puffed out her chest proudly. "Actually, it was all thanks to Dahuang. If it weren’t for Dahuang, they never would have found me so quickly!"

Cai Wennan nodded. "Dahuang is the best dog!"

After finishing the candy, they started a game of Eagle Catches the Chicks.

Cai Wennan was the mother hen, while Pingping, An’an, and Cai Wenjun were the chicks.

Yang Minmin became the eagle, trying every way she could to catch the chicks at the back, but Cai Wennan blocked her every time.

What made it even more hilarious was that the dogs behind them also formed a line, pretending to be chicks, running around and dodging.

Han Xiaorui and Han Xiaoqing watched the scene outside and smiled softly.

"It’s so lively with so many kids! It would be even better if I could have twins after I marry Ye Feng! Then I’d have four children!"

Hearing this, Han Xiaoqing pursed her lips into a small smile. "You used to say you’d never have children again!"

Han Xiaorui chuckled at her sister’s words. "Heh heh, that was then, this is now. I was blind back then, deceived by Yang Jianming. I wasn’t strong enough inside; I was constantly worried about what I might gain or lose."

"Actually, when I think about it carefully, the root cause was that I cared too much about Yang Jianming and Zhang Xiufang, which drained me emotionally. After I figured things out, I realized they weren’t important to me at all."

"If I could have seen it sooner and not held out hope for Yang Jianming, the money your Uncle Yang gave me each month would have been more than enough for me and the children."

"If I couldn’t handle the kids, I could have hired someone to help! Anyway, I just shut myself off back then, trapped myself, and wallowed in self-pity."

Han Xiaoqing listened intently, then nodded. "Yes. In that state of mind, you value others more and neglect yourself. That’s not right!"

Han Xiaorui nodded and smiled. "Yeah! After you go through hardship and break free, you realize the world is wide open."

"I want to have children, not just for Ye Feng’s sake, and definitely not just to tie him down with a child. I genuinely love kids."

"Even though raising children is tiring, the happiness it brings me is immense! Of course, I can’t deny that the Xu family has expectations for me and also hopes I’ll have children."

Han Xiaoqing nodded. "I can see that! They love you because they love him. Since they value Ye Feng, they value you too, and they’re very kind to Pingping An’an."

"A child you have with Brother Ye would share some of the same blood as Pingping An’an. In their eyes, Pingping An’an are also their family."

"Sis, I’m not worried about you anymore. You see your own self-worth and don’t neglect yourself. I can feel your independent personality and see that you are in complete control of your own life."

"I think your idea is great! I support you. In my heart, you’ll always be an amazing sister and an amazing mother!"

Han Xiaorui shook her head. "It’s not as great as you think! I have my selfish reasons too!"

"Although Pingping An’an’s recovery is going very well now, nothing in life is certain. I have to create another safety net for them."

"If things don’t work out for Pingping and An’an, they might not be able to hold onto the money even if I leave them a lot. At least if I’m gone, they’ll have younger siblings to protect them."

Han Xiaoqing smiled and linked her arm with her sister’s. "Mhm, that’s the bond of blood and family!"