She had no choice; she really couldn’t let go completely. Even if both of them were suffering, she just couldn’t let go...
Seeing her , Rong Shaoze’s mother became angry and said, "What now, you don’t love Shaoze, yet you expect him to continue loving you? Lin Xinlan, I really didn’t see it before, but you are so despicable and shameless!"
Lin Xinlan nodded in her heart.
She was despicable and shameless, she "didn’t love" Rong Shaoze anymore, but she insisted he keep loving her.
She was greedy; she wanted all his love, not allowing even a bit of it to slip away.
Seeing the defiance in her eyes, Rong Shaoze’s mother grew furious and slapped her hard.
"Grandma, don’t hit Mommy!" Xiaocong, hiding in the corner, suddenly rushed over, spreading his arms in front of Lin Xinlan to protect her, his large eyes filled with grievance and sadness as he looked at Rong Shaoze’s mother.
"Grandma, don’t hit Mommy, hit Xiaocong instead!"
"Xiaocong!" Lin Xinlan’s face changed drastically. Had this child been here all along?
What part of her conversation with Rong Shaoze had he heard?
When adults fight, it’s the children who suffer and feel the most heartbroken. Lin Xinlan knew this all too well, so she didn’t want to leave any indelible scars in her child’s tender heart.
Lin Xinlan quickly crouched down, hugged him, and said with a smile to comfort him, "Xiaocong is mistaken, Grandma didn’t hit Mommy. Just now, Grandma was playing with Mommy, don’t you believe me? Ask Grandma."
Rong Shaoze’s mother forced a strained smile and coaxed him along, "Xiaocong, your mom is right; Grandma was just playing with her. How could Grandma hit your mommy? You really misunderstood."
Xiaocong glanced at Lin Xinlan’s red face, looked down doubtfully, and asked, "Really?"
"Of course, it’s true." Rong Shaoze’s mother quickly affirmed, "Dear grandson, let’s go to the street with Grandma. Shall I take you to buy some tasty treats?"
Xiaocong shook his head; he clung to Lin Xinlan’s neck, buried his face in her neck, and said muffledly, "Xiaocong wants Mommy to put me to sleep."
Rong Shaoze’s mother laughed lightly, "You are such a clingy child, already so big but still wanting mommy to put you to sleep. How about letting Grandma do it? I’ll sing you a lullaby."
"I don’t want it, I just want Mommy to put me to sleep!"
Lin Xinlan looked at Rong Shaoze’s mother with a smile and said, "Madam, I will take him to rest."
She picked up Xiaocong and returned to her bedroom.
Once the door was closed, Xiaocong lifted his head, his little hand gently touching her slapped cheek, and with a frown of empathy, he asked, "Mommy, does it hurt?"
Lin Xinlan was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "It doesn’t hurt."
"Liar! Your face is all red. Mommy, it must hurt a lot, Xiaocong will blow on it for you." Having said that, he earnestly blew on her swollen face, gently blowing air over it.
Lin Xinlan hugged him tight, with tears swirling in her eyes.
"Mommy, does it still hurt?"
"If you give it a kiss, it will stop hurting."
The soft little mouth tenderly kissed her on the face; so soft, so adorable, Lin Xinlan’s heart felt much better instantly.
In this lifetime, having such a cute and sensible son, she was already very content.
Lin Xinlan looked at him with relief and smiled, asking, "Tell Mommy, what did you hear? You mustn’t lie to Mommy."
She had long discovered that Xiaocong was very smart, much more so than other children his age.
Just now, she and Rong Shaoze’s mother had tried to deceive him together, but he wasn’t fooled at all and even pretended that he wanted to sleep, outwitting both her and Rong Shaoze’s mother.
She believed he had heard everything and also believed he could understand why she and Rong Shaoze were unhappy with each other.