Chapter 5

Liu Chunhua was so frightened that she shot up from the sofa, too nervous to know what to do with her hands and feet. She did not forget to drag her stepdaughter, who was still lost in her dream of marrying into a wealthy family, to her feet as well. It was as if Xiaohong had two completely different faces. She was harsh and intimidating toward the mother and daughter, yet turned to the doctor with a pleading expression. The doctor solemnly replied, “I’ll do everything I can,” before carrying his medical bag upstairs. Xiaohong turned her icy gaze back to Liu Chunhua, her resentment toward the woman growing even stronger. She was determined to make sure no one who had wronged Fifth Miss got away with it. “Kneel.” Liu Chunhua was stunned. “Huh?” Xiaohong raised her voice. “Get down on your knees!” The moment the words left her mouth, several soldiers carrying rifles hurried into the hall. One of them slammed the butt of his rifle into the stepdaughter’s lower leg. She cried out in agony and collapsed to the floor, her shin already turning purple. Liu Chunhua instinctively bent down to help her stepdaughter up, then looked up, ready to demand an explanation. But the moment her eyes met Xiaohong’s cold, piercing gaze, her heart seemed to stop for a beat. She could no longer utter a word. The dark muzzle of a rifle was right in front of her. For some inexplicable reason, she suddenly had a feeling that the distinguished family they had offended… had not come here with good intentions. ** DouDou was awakened by the tinkling melody of a music box. Beneath her was a soft bed, with a cloudlike quilt trimmed with delicate lace. Stars hung from the ceiling as decorations, while rabbit plushies filled the corners of the carpet. Everything before her looked like something straight out of a dream. DouDou did not even dare to move. She was afraid that if she blinked again, she would find herself back in that damp, gloomy woodshed filled with nothing but scolding. “You’re awake?!” The woman sitting beside the bed immediately straightened up. She instinctively reached out a hand, but seemed afraid of startling the little girl and quickly withdrew it, her words tumbling over one another. “How are you feeling? Does anything still hurt?” “Are you thirsty?” “Are you hungry?” DouDou met the woman’s concerned and tender gaze, feeling somewhat dazed. Ever since her daddy had passed away, no one had ever cared about her like this again. The system spoke at that moment. 【Little Sister, don’t be afraid. This is your new Ma.】 The aunties were still here! That reassurance settled firmly in DouDou’s heart like a heavy stone, dispelling most of her fear and unease. The viewers were delighted. “The aunties are all still here! We’ll always stay with you!” “Isn’t your room beautiful? Your Ma decorated it herself. Just like your aunties, she’s going to love you with all her heart.” “Quick, tell your Ma where you’re hurting. She’s so worried about you.” With the viewers guiding her, DouDou finally spoke in a timid little voice. “I-I want some water…” Her voice grew even softer. “Can I?” Hearing the little kitten-like voice, half of Xue Lingshan’s heart practically melted. She hurriedly picked up the cup from the table and gently skimmed the foam from the surface with a small spoon. “The water is too hot. I’ll blow on it until it cools down.” Once the water had cooled, Xue Lingshan brought the spoon to DouDou’s lips. But DouDou did not open her mouth for a long time. She only looked at Xue Lingshan uneasily. Xue Lingshan grew anxious. “What’s wrong?” DouDou lowered her head and fidgeted with the hem of her clothes. “I’m really dirty…” She glanced at Xue Lingshan. “You smell so nice, Auntie. I’m afraid I’ll get you dirty.” The moment Xue Lingshan heard this, her nose suddenly stung. Her precious baby must have suffered so much. She had been treated so badly that even drinking a sip of water required her to watch other people’s expressions. Just thinking about it broke Xue Lingshan’s heart. And what hurt even more was hearing DouDou call her “Auntie.” Heaven knew how badly she wanted to hear her daughter call her “Ma.” But she could not rush her. Afraid of frightening the child, Xue Lingshan summoned a patience she had probably never shown in her entire life. She carefully helped DouDou sit up and gently reassured her. “DouDou isn’t dirty. DouDou is the cleanest and purest little princess I’ve ever seen. Come, drink some water.” The comments in the livestream were even more frantic than the two people involved. “It’s all because of that biased Liu Chunhua and her scheming stepdaughter! They made our Little Sister afraid to trust people!” “They just met, so she’s still testing the waters. Once she calls her ‘Ma,’ that’s when our Little Sister will truly open her heart. 555.” DouDou took tiny sips of water while blinking her grape-like eyes, secretly observing Xue Lingshan. Who was Xue Lingshan? She was far too perceptive not to notice DouDou’s little movements. Her heart was pounding. She was afraid of feeding her too quickly, yet worried about feeding her too slowly. Despite having given birth several times before, she now looked like a completely inexperienced new mother, clumsy and nervous. In short, she was terrified that her daughter might not like her. By the time she finished feeding DouDou water, she was sweating all over. If anyone who knew the famously ruthless Governor’s wife saw her like this, they would probably be so shocked their jaws would drop. Xue Lingshan set the cup down. “How about Auntie takes you for a bath?” “Okay~” Having only just arrived, DouDou did not want to trouble anyone. She lifted the quilt and tried to climb out of bed herself. Before her feet even touched the floor, however, Xue Lingshan opened her arms and scooped her up, gently carrying her away. DouDou was so surprised that she felt as though she were dreaming. She was carried all the way to the bathroom without even having to walk. What a huge bathroom! It was spacious and bright, with dozens of little yellow duckies floating in the bathtub. A fresh ocean scent filled the entire room. DouDou suddenly felt like an unwanted ugly duckling who had somehow wandered into a princess’s enchanted castle. Xue Lingshan’s voice brought her back to reality. “Your wounds have scabbed over, and the blood has dried onto your clothes. Taking them off may pull at the wounds and hurt. If it hurts, tell Auntie, okay?” DouDou obediently nodded. Xue Lingshan was even more nervous than DouDou. She could almost hear the skin-tearing sound as the blood-stiffened clothing was peeled away from the wounds. She kept waiting for DouDou to cry out in pain. But after a long while, DouDou’s little face had gone deathly pale from the pain. Her entire body was trembling, yet she stubbornly held it all in without making a sound. The longer Xue Lingshan watched, the more unbearable it became. She turned her head and quietly wiped away her tears. A tiny, chubby hand brushed against her cheek. Xue Lingshan turned to look and saw DouDou, who was still covered in wounds herself, gazing at her with concern. “Auntie, don’t cry. DouDou doesn’t hurt at all.” The pain in Xue Lingshan’s heart deepened. Those were such severe whip wounds that even an adult would have felt as though an entire layer of skin had been torn away. How could they possibly not hurt? Thinking of the mother and daughter kneeling in the hall, Xue Lingshan’s anger flared again. “DouDou, in this household, if something hurts, you’re allowed to say so. As long as I, Xue Lingshan, am here, no one will ever hurt you again.” DouDou met Xue Lingshan’s unwavering gaze. For the first time in a long time, she felt the wounds in her heart being filled with warmth. She asked hopefully, “Will Auntie protect me?” Xue Lingshan smiled, unable to contain herself. “Of course! You’re my precious daughter whom I finally found again. DouDou, would you like to stay here and become Auntie’s daughter?” DouDou happily nodded. “I want to!” She opened her mouth several times, wanting to call her “Ma,” but no matter how hard she tried, she simply could not get the word out. She became so anxious that her little face scrunched up. Xue Lingshan knew that her daughter had not accepted her completely yet. Though her heart ached, she forced herself to smile. “Not only will I protect you. My husband will protect you too. From now on, he’ll be your real Daddy. And there are four older brothers in this household. They’ll all love you!” DouDou nodded in innocent confusion. She could tell that her new Ma was sad. Why? Was it because DouDou had not been able to call her “Ma”? While Xue Lingshan was bathing DouDou, the system naturally switched the livestream camera back to the Governor’s Mansion’s main hall. Liu Chunhua and her stepdaughter had already been kneeling for more than an hour. The marble floor was hard and unforgiving. Their knees and shins had gone numb with pain, prickling as though countless ants were crawling over them. A servant approached Xiaohong and whispered a few words into her ear. Xiaohong immediately understood and frowned at the stepdaughter. “You. Come with me.” The stepdaughter rubbed her knees and eagerly got to her feet. “Big Sister, where are we going?” Xiaohong replied coldly, “To change your clothes.” The stepdaughter immediately beamed. Change clothes? She was still wearing the dress that DouDou’s biological father had tailored for her while he was alive. Could it be that the distinguished family wanted to adopt her as their daughter, but thought her current clothes were too shabby for their first meeting? With such hopeful thoughts filling her mind, the stepdaughter completely failed to notice the fear on Liu Chunhua’s face and happily followed Xiaohong into a guest room. The door slammed shut. The stepdaughter removed her outer skirt and could barely contain her excitement. “Big Sister, which new dress should I wear?” Xiaohong stared at her as if she were looking at a ghost. “What new dress? Get back outside and keep kneeling! You can only get up when Madam gives the order.” “Why do I still have to kneel?!” The stepdaughter’s expression changed dramatically. “Wasn’t Madam planning to adopt me?” Xiaohong burst out laughing. “Adopt you? You?” She opened the door. A blast of cold wind rushed inside, chilling the stepdaughter to the bone. Only then did she belatedly realize that something was wrong. Xiaohong covered her mouth and snickered mockingly. “I’ll tell you the truth. Madam never intended to adopt a daughter. The only person she has ever wanted to find is her biological daughter! Now that Fifth Miss has been found, and you once offended her, you’d better believe you’re going to suffer for it from now on!” The stepdaughter was practically driven back into the hall to continue kneeling. Her mind was in complete chaos. She repeated Xiaohong’s words to Liu Chunhua almost word for word. The two stared at each other, each more bewildered than the other. The fear born of ignorance made their ordeal even more unbearable. “What do you mean I offended Fifth Miss?” The stepdaughter could not help protesting. “I don’t even know her!” Liu Chunhua felt a heavy knot in her chest. “If you didn’t offend anyone, why would they summon us here in the middle of the night and make us kneel? Think harder!” The stepdaughter was terrified. She racked her brain but still could not remember anything. “I really didn’t!” Just who on earth was this Fifth Miss? If she had ever crossed paths with her, how could she possibly have no memory of it? ** DouDou walked out of the bathroom wearing a little nightdress. The bedsheets in the bedroom had already been changed, and the bed was once again soft and fluffy. A familiar-looking dress had been placed beside the bed. DouDou stood frozen in place. Only after a long while did she slowly walk closer. Xue Lingshan’s gentle voice came from behind her. “I heard this was the dress your biological father made for you. Ma got it back for you.” The viewers erupted in cheers almost simultaneously, even more excited than when a goal was scored in the World Cup. “Holy crap! Ma is awesome!” “I almost forgot about this dress, but Ma remembered! She really cares so much about our Little Sister.” “Of course she cares! She spent five whole years praying before Buddha for her daughter. Now that she’s finally found her again, she’s definitely going to give Little Sister everything good in the world.” It was already late at night. Xue Lingshan had been awake for nearly an entire day and night, yet she felt not the slightest bit tired. Her heart was overflowing with excitement. She could stay awake, but DouDou could not. The doctor had said that DouDou had only just recovered from her fever and was covered in injuries. What she needed most now was plenty of rest. Xue Lingshan crouched down and affectionately stroked DouDou’s head. “The dress got stained, so the servants will wash it clean. You can wear it tomorrow. It belongs to you. You can wear it for as long as you want.” DouDou could not say a word. She clutched the hem of the dress and slowly pulled it into her arms, her eyes turning red. Xue Lingshan was unsure how to interpret her reaction and nervously asked, “Do you want to sleep while holding it tonight?” DouDou nodded and answered in her soft, sweet voice. “I do.” Xue Lingshan smiled. “Okay. Ma will do whatever you want. Get a good rest, DouDou. Ma will come see you first thing tomorrow morning.” After saying that, Xue Lingshan remained crouched there silently for several seconds. She neither said anything else nor immediately stood up. DouDou was too young to understand. But the viewers immediately caught on. “Little Sister, Ma can’t bear to leave you.” “She wants to sleep with you.” DouDou clutched the dress even tighter. If she had still felt like she had wandered into a completely unfamiliar place before, constantly aware that she was sleeping in a room that did not belong to her, then this dress had suddenly given her an endless sense of strength. And all at once, she realized… Maybe she, too, could be like every other imperfect child in the world. Maybe she could be loved unconditionally by her “Ma.” Xue Lingshan crouched there for more than ten seconds. She was simply too embarrassed to say that she wanted to stay. In the end, she could only move reluctantly toward the door. Her hand had already reached the doorknob. But the very next second, a tiny voice came from beside the bed. “Ma… Ma?” That soft, trembling call instantly froze Xue Lingshan in place. Her heart surged with overwhelming emotion, and her mind seemed to grow hot all at once. She turned around, trembling with excitement and pure joy. “What… what did you just call me?!”