Chapter 298 - 299 He Will Return
Xia Xiao exhaled, "That was close. If he had peed the bed, it could have dried, but if he’d peed on the quilt, there would’ve been no blanket to cover with tonight."
Thinking of this, Xia Xiao praised Ge Liang, "Xiao Liang is so clever, he can pee by himself now."
Gao Jiaxing and Hong Xing also started smiling nearby, both praising Ge Liang for being sensible. Ge Liang, embarrassed, buried his head in Xia Xiao’s arms, which made Xia Xiao’s heart melt with tenderness.
Such a good child, such a sensible child, why couldn’t Liu Haihua cherish him?
Apart from sighing, Xia Xiao had no other solution. The medicine had been prepared earlier by Zheng Xianghong and had now cooled down, so Xia Xiao handed it to Ge Liang to drink.
Hong Xing didn’t want to stay any longer and also felt he had troubled the Gao family for too long, so after Xia Xiao fed Ge Liang medicine and porridge, Hong Xing wrapped Ge Liang in his coat and left.
Gao Jiaxing and Xia Xiao couldn’t possibly keep Hong Xing any longer; they could only watch them leave. But only after Hong Xing was gone did Xia Xiao remember that she had washed Ge Liang’s clothes, but they were still hanging out to dry.
Gao Jiaxing said, "It’s okay; Hong Xing will come to get them."
"How I wish Liu Jiefang had never arranged this marriage in his will; that way, this tragic relationship would not have come to pass," Xia Xiao and Gao Jiaxing reflected.
Gao Jiaxing said, "This must have been on his mind all along. Liu Jiefang used to treat Ge Lai quite well, and besides, he knew what his own son was like; that’s why he wanted Ge Lai to marry Liu Haihua. With him no longer around, Ge Lai could look after his children. But he forgot that his own children are worthless."
"I wonder how Ge Lai is doing?" Xia Xiao said.
Gao Jiaxing shook his head, "No news is good news. As long as he’s alive, they will meet again one day, and I’m sure Ge Lai will come back."
He wouldn’t resign himself to such a disgraceful escape from his hometown, fleeing like a stray dog. One day, he would return, and then all scores would be settled.
Over at the Red Star Production Team, Liu Haiguo and Liu Haihua were not indifferent to Ge Lai’s disappearance, but there was nothing they could do given they couldn’t find him.
Moreover, Liu Haihua caused public discontent when she beat her son in front of the team members that same day. Liu Haiguo vented his anger on her, and Mrs. Liu also blamed Liu Haihua for tarnishing the family’s reputation.
Mrs. Liu valued the family’s reputation highly. Back when Liu Jiefang was around, she was respected wherever she went. Now Mrs. Liu didn’t care to go out much. People would not mistreat her, but they weren’t as close as before; they had distanced themselves from Mrs. Liu.
This left Mrs. Liu feeling quite lonely and isolated. Even though she took care of her grandson every day, she still felt bitter inside.
That day, Liu Haihua’s brutal beating of her son riled everyone up, which also set Mrs. Liu off. When they went back home, Liu Haiguo lashed out at Liu Haihua, while Mrs. Liu chased her with a stick, beating her.
Liu Haihua, absolutely frustrated, cried out under the beating by Mrs. Liu but dared not fight back, and could only run out and hide.
Feng Ying, thinking of Liu Haihua’s cruelty and how she even wanted her own son dead, worried about her own son—what if Liu Haihua took a dislike to him and wanted him dead, too?
So, taking advantage of Liu Haihua’s absence, Feng Ying admonished her, "Haihua is too vicious. Even if she dislikes Ge Liang, how can she beat such a small child so cruelly? She’s been married and had a child, but she can’t blame the child. If she kills the child, will Wang Xueyong want her back? Then people would be even less likely to accept her, as a woman who could cold-heartedly kill her son—who would want her?"
Mrs. Liu and Liu Haiguo nodded in agreement, yes, no family would want such a vicious daughter-in-law.
Feng Ying continued, "I’m really worried. Haihua can lay her hands on her own son, beating him so viciously. Who knows what she might do to our Xiaoqing if she gets on her bad side one day?"
"She wouldn’t dare," said Mrs. Liu.
"When we’re here, certainly she wouldn’t dare. But what about when I’m not around? I’m not being paranoid. Xiaoqing is a piece of flesh from my body; he’s Liu family’s grandson. Haihua is so cruel; I can’t help but worry."
As soon as Feng Ying finished speaking, Liu Haiguo declared, "Let’s not allow Haihua near Xiaoqing again."
Now that he had only one son, Liu Haiguo valued him greatly, and no matter how many sons he had in the future, he wouldn’t want any accidents for them, especially not at the hands of Liu Haihua.
After today’s incident, Liu Haiguo also felt that Liu Haihua was both stupid and malicious, and now the village was speaking ill of their family. How could Liu Haiguo not be furious?
So when Hong Xing returned with Ge Liang, Mrs. Liu and Liu Haiguo swiftly took Ge Liang in. The Lius could afford to raise another child, so now Liu Haiguo was willing to be generous.
Although Feng Ying was not pleased, she said nothing. Currently, their family’s reputation was terrible, and driving out Ge Liang was out of the question, so she tolerated him for the time being.
That night, when it was time to sleep, Liu Haiguo suddenly woke up startled.
Feng Ying said, "What are you doing? You scared me!"
Liu Haiguo, soaked in cold sweat, exclaimed, "I dreamt that Ge Lai had escaped; he has fled to the mainland."
"That’s just a dream. Dreams are often the opposite of reality. Maybe he’s dead," Feng Ying said. "Go back to sleep. It’s the middle of the night. You’re disturbing people’s dreams."
Suddenly, Liu Haiguo slapped himself, "Why did I go soft back then? If Ge Lai has escaped, he will surely come back for revenge. I’m telling you, he can’t be dead. He has always had a big life; he’s survived many near-death experiences."
That night, Liu Haiguo couldn’t sleep anymore.
As for Liu Haihua, she also had a nightmare, but it was not about Ge Lai; instead, it was about Ge Liang, lying on the other side of the bed.