Chapter 55: Sweet-Tongued and Kind-Hearted
Cao Jiajia was so angry, tears welled up in her eyes.
"You! You..."
She reached out and lunged, trying to snatch it back.
But after chasing for half a minute, she was breaking out in a sweat without even managing to touch the corner of Shanshan’s clothes.
Finally, Shanshan continued to provoke her with a smile, swaying back and forth.
Cao Jiajia completely broke down, letting out a "WAAAH" as she ran home crying.
"Waaah, Mommy! Mommy, help me!"
She threw herself into Liu Yingzi’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"She... she took my doll, my clothes, and all my snacks! And she said... she said Dad gave them to her! Can you help me get them back?!"
"Jiajia, slow down. Tell me what happened."
Liu Yingzi’s heart melted seeing her daughter cry.
She gently patted Cao Jiajia’s back, coaxing her in a soft voice.
Cao Jiajia hadn’t even finished her story when Cao Daqiang pushed the door open and returned.
The couple immediately started arguing.
Cao Daqiang slammed his hand on the table.
"When did I ever give her anything? Your daughter is falsely accusing people!"
Liu Yingzi didn’t back down.
"You didn’t? Then how did she get those things? Jiajia saw it with her own eyes!"
When the neighbors heard the commotion, they quickly peeked over the wall to watch the drama unfold.
Less than an hour later, everyone in the family residential area knew about the incident.
Zhang Yunhua, of course, had heard about it too.
While she was eating dinner, she ran into the father and daughter returning from a walk.
She immediately went over with her rice bowl in hand.
"Oh my, I heard everything. The shouting was loud enough to blow the roof off!"
Shanshan, leaning against Ling Anxun, immediately raised her hand when she heard Zhang Yunhua mention the clothes and toys.
"Auntie, I know about that!"
"The bad daddy gave those things to me, and I didn’t want to take them at first. But I thought they might be Sister Jiajia’s things, so I secretly brought them back."
She repeated, word for word, what she had told Cao Jiajia.
The four adults in the room were all stunned.
They looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock.
Ling Anxun was the first to snap out of it.
He gave a light cough, a gratified smile appearing on his face.
"Shanshan, you’re so clever. That move is called ’feinting to the east to attack the west,’ or ’striking the cow from across the mountain.’"
"What’s ’feinting to the east to attack the west’?"
Shanshan tilted her head and asked, looking completely clueless.
She just felt it was the right thing to do; she had no idea there was so much strategy behind it.
Ling Anxun patiently explained it to her, one sentence at a time.
"See, the bad daddy thought you were after the gifts he was giving you, but your real goal was to help Sister Jiajia get her things back, right?"
"Mhm!"
Shanshan nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling.
"That’s called ’feinting to the east to attack the west.’ On the surface, it looks like you’re heading east, but the real target is in the west. Just like how you took the things from the bad daddy, but you were actually trying to secretly get back what belongs to Sister Jiajia."
The more Shanshan listened, the brighter her eyes grew.
She had never thought that a small, casual decision of hers could actually be called a "stratagem."
"Wow! Now that you put it that way, Dad, I feel so awesome!"
She put her hands on her hips, puffed out her little chest, her voice full of pride.
She turned to look at Zhang Yunhua and Yang Dapeng, her eyes curving into crescents.
"Did you hear that? I’m a master of ’feinting to the east to attack the west’!"
"Our Shanshan is already the most amazing person in the world."
Zhang Yunhua chimed in, smiling so widely that the corners of her eyes crinkled.
’This child is sweet-tongued, kind-hearted, and incredibly clever. Who wouldn’t dote on her?’
Yang Dapeng also started clapping, his applause thunderous.
"Our Shanshan is incredible! She’s definitely going to be a leader one day!"
The atmosphere in the room instantly warmed up, filled with a chorus of laughter.
After a bit more chatter, Zhang Yunhua pulled Yang Dapeng home to finish their dinner.
"Let’s go, let’s go. Don’t just stand around here. The father and daughter need some private time to talk!"
Zhang Yunhua laughed as she pushed Yang Dapeng.
Yang Dapeng chuckled, not forgetting to turn back and wave at Shanshan.
Xiao Zhou and the nanny came in and set the table with the dishes.
"Daddy, after dinner, you have to drink your medicine right away. It only works if you drink it hot."
Shanshan sat in her chair, her legs dangling and swinging.
She poked at her rice with a small spoon as she looked up to give Ling Anxun a serious reminder.
"Okay, thank you for the reminder, sweetie."
Ling Anxun looked down at her, his gaze as gentle as water.
"Daddy remembers. I’ll definitely take my medicine on time."
There were four people at the dinner table.
Only Shanshan chattered on endlessly.
Growing up, Ling Anxun’s family had strict rules; no talking was allowed during meals.
He once thought that such a life was what it meant to be "proper."
But watching Shanshan gesture excitedly with her hands and feet, Ling Anxun just smiled and shook his head.
In his heart, his child’s laughter was more precious than any rule.
The moment dinner was over, Shanshan dragged Xiao Zhou to the kitchen and brought over the medicine.
The medicine bowl was still steaming.
The dark brown liquid sloshed slightly, emitting a faint, bitter smell.
Shanshan carried the bowl with both hands, walking with extreme care.
"Daddy, time to drink your medicine!"
She stood before Ling Anxun, her little face tilted up.
Ling Anxun smiled and ruffled her soft little head.
"Okay, Daddy will drink it right now."
Shanshan leaned close to his ear and whispered.
"After you drink this one, you’ll be able to lift your leg."
Ling Anxun froze, a light instantly igniting in his eyes.
"Rea... really?"
His voice trembled slightly.
"Uh-huh!"
Shanshan nodded forcefully, her cheeks flushing slightly with excitement.
He’d been undergoing treatment for so long. Although some feeling had slowly returned to his leg, he still couldn’t stand up.
Ling Anxun’s heart felt as heavy as a stone.
But he never would have imagined that today, hope would suddenly shine in.
Less than two hours after he finished the medicine, his legs began to grow hot.
He tentatively tried to lift his leg.
At first, it was just a slight twitch.
But immediately after, the leg that had long refused to obey his commands actually lifted!
"Hehe, Daddy, I didn’t lie, did I?"
Shanshan’s mouth stretched into a wide grin, revealing a few of her baby teeth.
She bounced over to the bedside and patted the quilt with her little hand.
"Thank... thank you, Shanshan."
Ling Anxun’s throat felt tight.
"You gave me a reason to live."
Without Shanshan, he would have likely sunk into despair long ago.
He pulled Shanshan into his arms, carefully tightening his embrace.
He rested his chin lightly on the top of her soft hair, the milky scent unique to a child filling his nose.
In that moment, he felt that being alive was truly wonderful.
"Daddy, I always keep my promises."
Shanshan patted his back with her small hand, her tone exceptionally serious.
Ling Anxun was so choked up he could barely speak.
He closed his eyes as a sting pricked his nose, and tears slid silently down his face.
After a long moment, he finally nodded.
When he had composed himself, Shanshan looked up at him and said in her soft voice.
"Daddy, let’s stay here a little longer, okay? Being near the mountains is especially good for your leg’s recovery."
She pointed at the faint silhouette of the mountains visible outside the window, her eyes full of anticipation.
"You... how do you know that?"
Ling Anxun’s brow furrowed slightly, and he looked at her with a complicated expression.
A child’s words were spoken with more certainty than a whole team of experts at a major hospital.
This both shocked him and planted a faint seed of doubt in his heart.
"It’s just a feeling."
Shanshan said it matter-of-factly, her little face held high.
"I can’t explain it, but it just feels comfortable here. The mountain air is sweet, the water is clean, and even the soil smells fragrant."
"You don’t want to live here?"
She asked, tilting her head.