Chapter 1248: I Want to Make You Stay (126)
Listening to her words with an open heart, Shi Bao’er teared up and said, “Auntie, I constantly feel that I’ll become redundant once Daddy and Mommy each have a family of their own.”
An Xiaoning could not help but smile upon hearing that Shi Bao’er had finally opened up and bared her heart and soul to her. She caressed Shi Bao’er’s head and said, “That won’t happen. Even if your daddy married another woman who treats you badly, you must understand that your mommy holds the rights to your custody now. You don’t have to be bothered by your stepmother at all. On the bright side, you’ll have two daddies and one mommy who’ll dote on you, without a doubt. Besides, how are you so sure that your stepmother will ill-treat you? You haven’t spent enough time with her yet to know her well enough. You were simply jumping to conclusions and letting your imagination run wild.”
Shi Bao’er cocked her head sideways to look at An Xiaoning, feeling as if she had just been enlightened.
“Auntie…”
“Yes?”
“I realize my mistake now. I was wrong to have set my stepmother on fire.”
“Good that you’ve realized your mistakes. You’ll be a good child so long as you’re willing to repent.” An Xiaoning took out two packets of tidbits from her bag and handed them to her. “You must have had lots of cravings when you were staying on the mountains these past few days. There you go.”
Shi Bao’er took it from her hands gleefully and began munching on the snacks.
When No. 5 returned with the bag of offerings, An Xiaoning took it from him and walked to the grave behind the house.
She got on her knees and took the items out from the black plastic bag before arranging them neatly on the ground. Despite being fully aware that her mentor had already gone to reincarnate and was no longer around, An Xiaoning could still feel her presence. She felt as if Nun Jingxin was just standing in front of her.
It was simply human folly. One would often feel like their deceased kin was beside them, just because they believed so.
“Master, I’ve come home to see you. How are you and Grandpa doing? I miss you so much. I miss the days we used to spend together when I was a child. Although they were simple and tough, they were very fulfilling because you were beside me. I’ll be staying here for a few days. Master, don’t blame me for disturbing you…”
——
Days had passed.
Having drunk a daily dose of medicinal soup for several consecutive days, Mo Li began to feel nauseated at the sight of the medicine. However, she dared not stop taking them, and the effects of the medicine were starting to show.
After going through a checkup at the hospital, she was told that her condition had improved. Without delay, she immediately told No. 8 to ask An Xiaoning for an amulet that would bless her with a child. No. 8 did as instructed and delivered the amulet to her before daybreak. He then burned the amulet and dissolved the ashes in water before feeding it to Mo Li. After breakfast, No. 8, Mo Li, and her parents headed to the temple together to offer their prayers to the deities.
The four of them knelt down on the praying mats and began kowtowing earnestly while offering their prayers.
Mo Li sincerely prayed that Heaven would bless her with a child, be it a boy or a girl.
After offering some joss sticks and saying their prayers, Mo Li decided to stand up. A nun hurriedly stopped her and said, “Miss, please don’t get up just yet.”
Mo Li got back on her knees. The nun then asked, “Are you here to pray for a child?”
“Yes.”
Smiling, the nun answered, “You’re really lucky today, then. The Goddess of Mercy is here today, and she’s decided to grant you a child on account of how sincere you are, and also because she has taken pity on you for having a tough life. What are you waiting for? Kowtow 66 times to show your gratitude.”
Beaming with joy, the family of four hurriedly began kowtowing incessantly, and they only stopped after the 66th kowtow.
They felt a little giddy after kowtowing. Extremely agitated, Mo Li asked, “Reverend, is what you said true?”
“I only ever speak the truth. From now on, don’t take any more medicine. Just wait patiently for a child to appear in your life. Once your wishes come true, don’t forget to come back here to pay your respects.”
“Yes, yes, yes, I definitely will if I get blessed with a child. Thank you, thank you, Goddess of Mercy!” Mo Li exclaimed agitatedly with tears in her eyes.
After leaving the temple, No. 8 bought some bottled mineral water for the three of them. Mrs. Mo said apprehensively, “Was that nun telling the truth? Why does it seem so iffy to me…”
“Mother… how could you say such things?” Mo Li chided.
“No, I’m not being superstitious, but I just find it a little too absurd. Besides, we had to pay some joss money. Did she deliberately say those things just to make us pay?”
“Mother, cut it out. We came to make our prayers, and since we had decided to come, we ought to be sincere and earnest.”
Mrs. Mo decided to keep mum.
They returned back to Sanqiao Estate. As soon as they closed the door, Mo Li grabbed No. 8’s hand and started skipping merrily. Noticing how elated she was, No. 8 chuckled and asked, “Are you really that happy?”
“Of course. I believe everything that that nun said. From today onwards, I’ll stop taking the medicine and see if what she said is true,” said Mo Li, who sat down beside him.
“I’m looking forward to it too.”
“By the way, when are you going to leave again?”
“Later.” No. 8 placed his hand on her shoulder and continued, “When I’m not home, don’t go out at night.”
“Yes.”
No. 8 stood up and headed to the kitchen to check the refrigerator. He then said to her, “I’m going to the supermarket to buy some groceries.”
“I’ll accompany you.” Mo Li frantically ran to the bedroom and returned with her wallet. “Let’s go.”
The two of them made their way to the supermarket in the estate. Mo Li sat inside the shopping cart while No. 8 pushed her around the supermarket. After grabbing their daily necessities, they proceeded to buy some food and beverages to replenish the stock at home. No. 8 then left home and returned to Mount Heyuan.
When he arrived, An Xiaoning happened to be cooking some vegetables No. 5 had plucked while Shi Bao’er was fanning the flames.
“Sis, why haven’t you guys had breakfast yet?”
“We woke up late.” Noticing how energetic he seemed, An Xiaoning asked, “Did you visit the temple?”
“Yes, we received some good news too. Right after we offered our prayers, a nun told us that the Goddess of Mercy had granted our wishes. She told us to wait patiently for a child to appear.”
“In that case, I’ll give you a break after we leave this place. Spend more time with Mo Li.”
“Thank you, Sis,” said No. 8, who was on cloud nine.
“Don’t mention it. It’s hard on Mo Li too. You guys just got married recently. Don’t neglect her because of work.”
“I don’t dare to neglect her. She’s very understanding toward me.”
“No matter how understanding she may be, which woman wouldn’t want her man to accompany her more often? I’m not telling you to stay by her side all the time. I’ll only be giving you a short break,” said An Xiaoning. She removed the lid of the pot, after which the thick fumes of steam wafted up into the air. She began scooping some rice out.
An Xiaoning left after breakfast and returned to Wei Ni Estate to see that Zong Jingyi had already penned everything down like she had told him to. An Xiaoning perused the information on the paper to discover that he had recorded everything down in extreme detail, including the relevant locations and persons involved.
An Xiaoning placed the document aside and said to him, “I reckon you must have already devised a plan in your head that will give you an advantage and pondered over it repeatedly. Why don’t you just tell me what it is?”
“How did you know?” he asked in bafflement.
“I could sense it. Just tell me what your thoughts are.”