Chapter 92: If I hadn’t said that

In the afternoon, HuMing led the children to do exercises in the open space.The kids were unusually excited, chasing after him, and Han YunXi was also among them.

Ye QiuXue sat under a tree in the shade, enjoying the warm breeze as she watched the children play, their faces beaming joyfully.

Suddenly, her phone rang in her pocket. When she took it out and looked at the contact, her expression immediately soured.

It appeared to be an unwelcome caller.

She stood up and stepped outside to answer the call. On the other end of the line, a middle-aged man's voice came through,

"QiuXue, aren't you home today? I brought your brother to see you."

"I don't have a brother. Please don't just label anyone as my brother."

Ye QiuXue regretted not blocking his number long ago. This man always managed to crawl into her skin, and she sometimes felt as if she must have owed him in a past life to be tormented this way in this one.

"QiuXue, I know what happened before was our fault, but you should give us a chance to make it up to you, shouldn't you? Family shouldn't hold grudges overnight. We don't need to make our relationship so estranged."

"When I was in the countryside, you didn't show any concern to me. Now you're saying we're family? Fine. If you want to make it up to me, pay back the child support for all these years, and I will not do anything for that son of yours. If you agree to that, I can accept."

Ye QiuXue's voice was icy, showing no intention of giving face.

The caller was stunned by her words and was silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

"Let's meet and discuss this in person, okay?"

"No. The best choice would be for you to stay out of my life!"

Without bothering to argue further, Ye QiuXue hung up the phone and blocked the number.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, but the thought of that person's face made her inner turmoil even worse.

"Seriously, always finding ways to cause trouble for me!"

Ye QiuXue put her phone back into her pocket. As she turned to head back, she was startled by HuMing standing right behind her. She hadn't heard him approach at all.

She patted her chest, shot HuMing a look, and said, 

"You scared me! How come there's no sound when you walk?"

"No. I just came over to get something."

HuMing glanced into the distance, where a vehicle was slowly driving towards them.

"Was that your father calling you again?"

"Yes, he brought his child over to find me and asked why I wasn't at home."

"It's the first time I've seen you so grumpy," HuMing couldn't help but laugh.

"When I tutor you, I'm just as grumpy!" Ye QiuXue said as she pinched HuMing's arm to vent her frustration.

The car stopped outside the yard, and a few burly men in vests got out. When they saw the two people standing at the door, they looked puzzled.

"Hey, are these the things you ordered?"

"Yes, frozen chicken wings and sausages for the barbecue."

"That's right. We'll help you carry them inside."

Ye QiuXue looked at HuMing with a helpless expression. "Tonight's cleanup is going to take a long time. Aren't you worried it will be exhausting?"

"It's fine. You just sit and watch. I already feel bad enough asking you to come over. I can't in good conscience let you do all this work, too."

"Hmph, do you take me for that kind of person?"

Ye QiuXue shot HuMing another look before taking the items and heading inside.

...

The children jumped in joy when they learned that there would be a barbecue tonight. Their excitement seemed to inject into the air, making the air infected with liveness that was palpable.

They worked hard to set up everything needed for the barbecue tonight, and by the time darkness fell, everything was finally ready.

HuMing had set up several grills so that each child could cook their own food, and he and the others helped the kids, ensuring they all got to experience the joy of doing it themselves.

The flames flickered under the dark night sky, and the children gathered around, sharing stories about their day. For them, this was a moment they would never forget.

Ye QiuXue glanced around, and her gaze landed on a particular child. That child sat apart from the group, alone on a sand pile, playing with a tuft of grass.

Ye QiuXue got up and walked over to the child.

"YouCheng, are you still thinking about what HuMing said today?"

YouCheng looked up, a bit dazed, and quickly tossed the tuft of grass aside and said,

"Teacher Ye, I'm not."

"It's okay if you are. It's not a big deal," Ye QiuXue said, patting his head.

YouCheng lowered his head further.

Seeing the slouched figure, Ye QiuXue agreed even more with HuMing's assessment.

'This child is too responsible.'

"Can you tell me about your past?" 

Ye QiuXue looked at YouCheng. It was the first time she had asked a child such a question.

YouCheng was initially stunned, then slowly curled up. His eyelids drooped and his voice sounded somewhat hoarse.

"When I was younger, I once hid in a fitting room in a mall and got discovered by a lady."

"She asked me why I was hiding there and where my parents were."

"I begged her not to tell my dad that I was here because he would beat me and my mom every day, so I wanted to run away."

"The lady was silent. I saw the troubled look on her face, and I didn't say anything more."

"Later, the broadcast announced that my dad was looking for me. I told the lady that I knew I couldn't escape."

"But that lady pulled me and told me to study hard. She said that if my grades were good, there would be a chance to run away!"

"Later, I asked my mom if we could leave if I did well in school."

"My mom looked at me and cried... It was that night that my mom and dad fought, and they both fell in front of me."

YouCheng tightly gripped his arms, struggling to hold back tears.

"I feel, if I hadn't said that, maybe mom wouldn't have died..."

Ye QiuXue silently watched YouCheng and gently patted his back.

At some point, HuMing had quietly stood behind them, listening to YouCheng's words.

...

Meanwhile, Han YunXi was busy, excitedly engaging with the children.

"Hey, there are no chili peppers."

"They're in the kitchen; I'll take you there!"

A little girl grabbed Han YunXi's hand and led her toward the kitchen.

However, as they passed by the front door, Han YunXi noticed that the door, previously shut, was now open. She squinted, her heart filling with unease."

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