Chapter 45: Four Walls
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Shen Xi sighed heavily and opened her eyes.
When Lu Shan saw that Shen Xi had woken up, she was so happy that she hugged Shen Xi and sobbed. “Xixi, you’re finally awake. You scared me to death.”
Her chest tightened as she saw Lu Shan crying, and it caused hot tears to roll down her pale face.
It was good that her father was still here and her mother was healthy. This second chance at life was already blessed in her eyes.
Shen Yan watched his wife and daughter in tears and grew emotional. He went forward and hugged them both, sobbing quietly.
It was so surreal that Shen Xi did not know how to respond. How could an adult cry without regard for their image?
The Jiang family patriarch, Jiang Jun, always had a serious air about him. He was either cold-faced or frowning.
Xia Chun was gentler, but she still had the noble airs of a lady. She would never cry so openly and without regard for her image.
Shen Xi realised her parents were very different. They did not seem to care that people were watching, which warmed her heart.
A long while later, Shen Yan dried his tears and tried coaxing his wife, “Alright, alright. Our daughter has just woken up. If you cry, she will cry too. It’s not good for her health.”
“You’re right. I should make Xixi cry,” Lu Shan sniffled, dabbing her tears with a handkerchief. “Xixi, are you hungry? Your father made some millet porridge for you. You should eat some. We’ll talk after you’ve had your fill.”
After eating, Shen Xi learned what had transpired.
Shen Xi did not expect that after she was knocked unconscious by Jiang Xue, they would be driven to the hospital by a good Samaritan. She had a big bump on her head due to Jiang Xue’s violent assault, rendering her unconscious for two days.
Shen Yan retrieved an ID card from his pocket and handed it to Shen Xi. Shen Xi had not thought the Jiang family would be so efficient. To think they were able to register and prepare an ID card for her in just two days…
Staring at her new ID card, Shen Xi beamed. She had finally rid herself of that dastardly family and reunited with her biological parents. Even the household registry had been amended!
“That’s right! The Jiang family also gave us 300,000 yuan. They called it a severance gift,” Shen Yan casually said as he peeled the skin off an apple for his daughter.
Lu Shan chimed in, “Yes, or at least they tried. Don’t worry, Xixi. Your parents aren’t spineless scoundrels. We threw that stack of bills back in the secretary’s face. We don’t need their money. As your parents, we definitely won’t let you lose face.”
Shen Xi smiled bitterly, offering her parents a tentative nod, “Mom and Dad are the best! I’m so glad you’re my real parents.”
Still, Shen Xi’s heart bled when she heard the sum her parents had spurned. 300,000 yuan was not a lot, but it was a huge sum for the Shen family, whose financial situation was quite dire.
Moreover, Shen Xi felt that the 300,000 yuan ought to be considered her medical fees at the very least. After all, Jiang Xue was the reason she was hospitalised. She could not understand her parents. Why did they not accept the money? Weren’t they simply benefiting the Jiang family through their false pride?
What was done was done.
Shen Xi could only accept her parents’ decision with a smile.
Nonetheless, Shen Xi found herself heaving an inward sigh. How were her parents so cute and innocent? It seemed like she would have a lot to consider for the future.
Shen Xi followed her parents, her heart filled with anxiety. She was returning to the home she had once lived in. She had spent eighteen years away, and now she was finally back.
Soon, a stone cottage rose in the distant countryside.
The cottage’s interior comprised a living room and a kitchen, with the most expensive electrical appliance being a standing fan in the corner of the room Shen Xi was to stay in.
Not even a gas stove was present in the kitchen. The Shen family still used a kind of earthen stove fueled using firewood.
Shen Xi frowned. It was a home with none of the comforts of modern living. She could not, for her life, understand why the family’s situation would be so poor.
Yet, the truth was before her eyes. Her furrowed brow relaxed. Whether they were rich or poor did not matter; what mattered most was that they were one family again. As long as they were together, things would work out.
Now that it was summer vacation, she could look for a part-time job. Perhaps she could paint and sell her works or go to an art school and teach a few classes.
Summer nights were hot, and there was not much she could do to alleviate her situation. Even the fan did little since it blew warm air at her. The sweltering heat made it impossible to sleep, and the thought that occupied her mind throughout the night was that she needed to earn money to install an air-conditioner in her room.