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Chen Xuan held a Red Umbrella, under which was a soul. She obediently stayed in Chen Xuan's arms, curiously looking around, her pure gaze receiving the various looks from people on the street who were sizing up her father.
Wanwan did not understand what those gazes represented; she only knew that, just like before, she could be held by her father, and perhaps soon she would see Mother.
Just as Wanwan was thinking this, her Mother appeared. Among the scattered pedestrians on the street, Li Wan'er suddenly showed up, rushing over like the wind, nearly knocking into Chen Xuan and almost causing him to drop the Red Umbrella he was holding.
"Master, what are you doing? Why aren't you at the private school? I heard from Mr. You that Lord Chang from the Yamen called you out. Did something happen?"
"Nothing! Nothing! It's just—" Chen Xuan glanced at Xing Ruyi, "It's just that Lord Chang informed me that I could come to see Wanwan. I got a bit anxious and didn't tell you."
"Oh, I see." Li Wan'er breathed a sigh of relief. When she looked up and saw Xing Ruyi, she paused slightly. "Ruyi, why are you here too?"
"Madam Chen!" Fox Demon smiled, "I just don't know whether I should call you Madam Yuzan or Wanwan."
"Yuzan?" Chen Xuan looked at his wife in confusion. "Is that your original name? So you and Ruyi are actually old acquaintances."
"Master misunderstood; I am not an old acquaintance of Ruyi," Li Wan'er replied.
"Indeed, we only just met this morning. It's just that Fox Demon doesn't understand why a name would need to be concealed," Xing Ruyi added.
"The young lady is mistaken and is deliberately hiding something from her. Yuzan was indeed my old name; after some events before meeting Master, I changed it. When the young lady asked this morning, I accidentally mentioned my old name. Master knows that since marrying him, I've been staying at home all day. My new name has hardly been mentioned by anyone except for Master occasionally calling it out, so—" Li Wan'er lowered her eyes. "Please don't blame Ruyi; I did not intend to deceive."
"It's just a name; there's no need for you to mind it," Xing Ruyi said as she watched Wanwan climb onto Li Wan'er's lap without saying anything further.
Li Wan'er pursed her lips and shifted her attention back to Chen Xuan. Seeing him staring at her while holding the strange Red Umbrella, she asked, "Master, what are you looking at? And why are you holding such a bright Red Umbrella in the middle of the street? It doesn't look like it's going to rain."
"Madam misunderstands; this Red Umbrella is not for blocking rain but to shield Wanwan from the sun." Xing Ruyi cast a glance at Li Wan'er; this woman who had seemed quite pleasant earlier that morning now inexplicably annoyed her.
"Wanwan—" Li Wan'er seemed somewhat uncomfortable.
"This morning, I heard Madam mention that Wanwan just turned half a year old yesterday."
"Madam, you must be mistaken. Wanwan just turned six months old today." Before Li Wan'er could speak, Chen Xuan interjected, causing Li Wan'er's expression to darken further.
"So today is indeed Wanwan's six-month milestone. No wonder Madam went to my shop this morning to buy Rouge and Face Powder. I suppose it was for Wanwan, right? Madam deliberately concealed her name because she feared that the Fox Demon would learn about her family's situation and feel sympathy. Madam's words were evasive, and her demeanor unnatural; she must have been reminded of Wanwan, feeling sorrowful and unwilling to reveal her feelings."
"It seems that all of this was noticed by Ruyi." Li Wan'er said, a hint of sadness appearing on her face as she leaned closer to Chen Xuan. "It was not my intention to hide anything from you, my lord. It's just that I have been grieving over Wanwan for days, and my appearance has suffered. Today is a good day for Wanwan, and I thought I should at least make an effort to look presentable so that when you see me, you wouldn't be reminded of Wanwan and feel even more guilty. I also don't want Wanwan to leave this world with worries. As for the name, you know well that I truly do not wish to recall the past; it’s just that the name has been called for so long that it slipped out."
"I understand, I understand. Madam need not worry or feel sad. Wanwan would want us to be well." Chen Xuan wanted to tell Li Wan'er that Wanwan was right there with her, but he hesitated under Xing Ruyi's warning gaze, fearing that if he spoke out of turn, Xing Ruyi might become angry and he would never see Wanwan again.
"Since today is Wanwan's six-month celebration, why don't we invite Madam to visit Wanwan together?"
"Yes, that sounds wonderful. It has been many days since Wanwan left; I truly miss her." Li Wan'er said, leaning softly against Chen Xuan. "However, my health has not yet improved, and after being startled by your matter earlier, I am feeling a bit dizzy and unsteady on my feet."
"In that case, please allow Chen Gongzi to assist you!" Xing Ruyi said as she helped Li Wan'er. While it appeared she was merely helping her up, she was actually pulling Wanwan into her embrace and also retrieving the red umbrella.
Chen Xuan nodded in thanks, pretending not to notice what had just happened.
The distance from Chen Xuan's private school to the charity house was not far; one place was filled with the sound of learning while the other was silent.
In front of Chen Xuan and Li Wan'er, Xing Ruyi began to cut away the burnt flesh from Wanwan's body with a sharp knife, extracting the embroidery needles one by one. The needles were very fine; some were intact while others were broken, but all had been inserted deeply.
"Chen Xuan, you mentioned that Wanwan was always accompanied by Madam. Could you please ask Madam for an explanation regarding these needles?"
Li Wan'er's face turned pale as she saw Chen Xuan glaring at her with red eyes; she quickly shook her head. "It wasn't me! It wasn't me! I don't know how those terrifying things ended up on Wanwan. It must have been the people from the charity house; they did this for money! My lord, you must seek justice for Wanwan. Our daughter is truly pitiful."
"Madam's words are quite outrageous!" The gatekeeper suddenly appeared from nowhere and coldly stared at Li Wan'er with his remaining eye. "This charity house may not be a good place, but we are clear in our dealings. If there are no embroidery needles here, then they certainly could not have been used on a child who died in a fire. You can go ask around; has this charity house ever charged anyone a single penny?"
"I..." Li Wan'er was frightened by the gatekeeper's words; her already pale face lost even more color. She tightly grasped Chen Xuan's hand and bit her lip in grievance. "You misunderstand; I didn't mean it like that. I just wanted to know who could harbor such malicious intent to stab needles into Wanwan."
"The one with such malicious intent is none other than you, Madam." The gatekeeper continued to glare at Li Wan'er coldly. "What goes around comes around. This child may not have spoken while alive, but now that she has passed on and become a wandering spirit in this world, her words are true. Would you like to hear them?"
Li Wan'er gasped, biting her lip tightly, remaining silent.
Seeing that the moment had come, Xing Ruyi reached out and gently swept her hand in front of Li Wan'er's eyes. The bright sunlight instantly turned gray and dim. Li Wan'er opened her eyes in terror, and her gaze fell upon her adorable daughter.
The tension in her nerves finally snapped.
"Do you want me to reveal the whole truth to you?" Xing Ruyi's voice was cold. "Chen Xuan has always said that Wanwan is very well-behaved. It's not that she doesn't know how to cry or throw a tantrum; it's your neglect that has made her mature too early. In fact, it’s nothing much. The more spoiled a child is, the harder it is for them to grow up well. Just like a newborn baby, if you don’t hold her or comfort her, she will lie there quietly and play by herself. But if you do hold her and comfort her, she will take advantage of it to act cute, becoming harder to soothe and less obedient. Even though your Wanwan is very well-behaved, as her mother, you still dislike her. Even when she cries occasionally, you can't help but want to punish her. Recently, she doesn’t like wearing shoes not because she’s growing fast and they don’t fit, but because you pricked her foot with a needle; it hurts, so she doesn’t want anyone to touch it."
"Yes! You're right! I do hate her, I hate her so much!"
"Wan'er, you—"
"Don't call me Wan'er! I never want to hear that name again." Li Wan'er covered her ears forcefully. "Master, do you know? I used to love that name so much. Because it was chosen by you, and when you called me Wan'er, your voice was so gentle and pleasant. But Yuzan is different; that's the name given to me by my former master as a servant. I carried that name and became that man's concubine; I was ruthlessly humiliated by him and cruelly mistreated by Madam. I once thought Yuzan was the darkest past of my life. But then I met you and got a new name—Wan'er. How beautiful it is! I thought my life would change from then on."
"Your life indeed changed!"
"That was before Wanwan was born!" Li Wan'er screamed with all her might: "Before that girl was born, my life was indeed different. Master, you treated me so well, pampered me, cared for me in ways I had never experienced before. I felt so happy—truly, truly happy. But then she came! When she was born, I felt so much pain; how I wished you could hold me and keep me company! But all you could think about was her. You named her Wanwan; from then on, all your thoughts and calls were only for Wanwan. You called me Wife and Wanwan's mother but never called me Wan'er again. So I hate her; she took away everything I should have had."
"But Wanwan is also your daughter!" Chen Xuan held his head in despair, unable to bear this series of blows.
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