Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The next day, I heard that Song Qiao had gone out drinking the night before and gotten cornered by someone.

Not only did he agree to the divorce, he packed up overnight and fled back to the village to hide from his debts.

I was even happier than Qiu Yun. Once the divorce was finalized, she could get an abortion. Qiu Yun had real skill-her pastries were even more delicate than the ones sold in shops. She could absolutely make her dream of becoming a pastry chef come true.

Without that scumbag husband and son, she wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes in this life. She would be happy.

But I never expected that Qiu Yun would go for another checkup behind my back, and after learning there were no obvious problems, decide to keep the baby.

She said, “Xiao Fang, I felt his heartbeat. Last night, I had a dream, and I suddenly dreamed of his name-Qiyun.”

Not asking for great wealth or status, only for smooth sailing and good fortune.

Qiu Yun gently stroked her belly.

“He’ll take my surname. Qiu Qiyun.”

My head snapped up.

It had changed…

His name had changed.

Did that mean the fate of my scumbag father would be completely different too?

Qiu Yun placed boundless hope in the child in her belly. She even said that after he was born, I would be his godmother.

My feelings were… complicated. But I didn’t know what to say.

A few months later, the child was born. It was a boy.

Looking at that soft, milky little face, all I could see in my mind was Song Qiyun reeking of alcohol, punching and kicking my mother.

And the scene of him picking up a bottle and smashing it down at me.

Qiu Yun had fallen asleep and hadn’t woken yet. I glanced at her, my heart locked in a violent struggle.

Finally… my hand covered the baby’s mouth.

As long as I pressed a little harder, I would never have to worry again.

But at that exact moment, a tiny warm hand gripped my finger. As if I’d been shocked, I jerked my hand away. The little baby was looking at me, grinning with his toothless mouth…

Through his eyes, I saw the ugliness of what I was in that moment.

Harboring murderous thoughts toward a newborn child-how was that any different from Song Qiyun in my previous life?

After a long while, I pinched his cheek and tugged at the corner of my mouth.

“In our last life, you were my father. In this life, I’m your godmother. That’s fair.”

“In your last life, you couldn’t be a qualified father. Then in this life, I’ll teach you how to be a decent human being.”

“If you still grow up crooked, then just wait for death.”

Qiu Yun wasn’t in good health after giving birth, so I fed Qiu Qiyun formula and changed his diapers bit by bit.

With only Qiu Yun and me, we still managed to raise him until he was old enough to go to school.

Even so, people still gossiped.

On my way home from work, I had planned to buy some fruit, but before I even reached the shop, I heard them chattering.

“Two women raising a child? Never heard of such a thing.”

“How can a family manage without a man? When their Yun got pinned down and beaten by Erhu and the others, he didn’t even have anyone to back him up.”

“That Li Fang is almost thirty and still not married. Isn’t she afraid people will laugh at her?”

Carrying the latest handbag from the county, I smoothed my freshly permed curls and said with a smile, “Laugh? Who’s laughing at me? I work at the hospital, respectable and polished. Qiu Yun runs her own pastry shop and is her own boss. Aside from raising the child, we spend all of our monthly income on ourselves.”

Compared to me, the two women in front of me even looked a little sloppy.

But around here, most people were just like them.

They spent every day revolving around their husbands and children, then gathered by their doorsteps in their free time, relying on gossip about others to find a little value in their mediocre lives.

I sighed sincerely. “You’d be better off worrying about yourselves. It can’t be easy asking your husbands for living expenses every month.”

“You-”

“Oh, right. These lychees just came on the market, didn’t they? They’re not cheap either. Give me two pounds.”

The woman who had been about to curse me instantly lost her temper and put on an ingratiating smile as she went to pack my lychees.

After I got home, I saw that Qiu Qiyun wasn’t there and remembered what they had said about him being bullied by other children.

So I set down the fruit and went looking for the place where the kids in this area liked to play the most.

Sure enough, tiny little Qiu Qiyun was being pinned to the ground and beaten by several seven- or eight-year-old children.

He wanted to fight back, but he was held down so firmly he couldn’t move.

When he saw me from afar, he immediately burst into loud wails.

I picked up a tree branch, walked over, and smacked Wang Erhu on the backside with it.

“Who said you could bully people?”

Wang Erhu clutched his butt fiercely and said, “You dare hit me? I’ll make my dad teach you a lesson.”

“Oh. I’ll be waiting.”

After the children left, Qiu Qiyun silently wiped his tears. When he saw me looking at him, he turned his face away. “I wasn’t crying.”

I was speechless. “I saw it.”

“Erhu and the others said boys can’t cry. Only cowards cry.”

“Bullshit. Do boys not have tear ducts? Who says they can’t cry? If you want to cry, hurry up and cry. Once you’re done, we’re going home.”

After saying that, I ignored him, turned around, and left.

Qiu Qiyun sat on the ground in a daze for a while, then silently climbed to his feet and followed me.

During dinner that night, he kept looking outside, terrified that Wang Erhu would really bring his dad over to settle the score.

I asked, “So what if they come? Why are you afraid of them?”

Qiu Qiyun lowered his head.

“His dad is really mean. I don’t have a dad, so you definitely can’t beat him.”

Before I could say anything, Wang Erhu really did come with his father.

Their aggressive manner scared Qiu Qiyun so much that he hid by the doorway.

But he didn’t expect that they hadn’t come to settle the score.

“Doctor Li, I’m truly sorry. The child doesn’t know any better. You little brat, hurry up and apologize to Yun!”

Wang Erhu, who had been so cocky that afternoon, now stood with his head lowered, forced to apologize to Qiu Qiyun. One glance was enough to tell he’d been disciplined at home.

I didn’t accept the fruit they brought as an apology. After they left, Qiu Qiyun came out from where he’d been hiding by the door, his eyes bright as he looked at me.

“Aunt Fang, why is Wang Erhu’s dad afraid of you?”

Qiu Yun smacked him lightly on the head.

“That’s not fear. That’s respect. Last month, Wang Erhu’s mother had a sudden serious illness, and your Aunt Fang was the one who saved her.”

I crossed my arms and looked at him.

“Is having a dad important?”

Qiu Qiyun shook his head.

“No. Aunt Fang is more amazing than any dad!”

His eyes were filled with worship.