Chapter 12

The details that had been ignored before now surfaced in front of her eyes, and Fan Chunxiang thought back to the year An’an first arrived at their side.

In previous years, she would also weave things to sell, and the business was okay, but it was nowhere near as good as when An’an was with her.

With An’an by her side, they managed to sell out almost every time, and even had customers who hadn’t bought anything come back to place orders.

The more Fan Chunxiang recalled, the more anxious she became, and before long, her face turned pale, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

She gestured to her husband, telling him that she’d heard others mention this kind of situation before—children with such extraordinary luck generally spent their future luck in their early years.

In other words, they wouldn’t live long or grow up.

That night, neither of them could sleep, while only An’an, lying between them, was blissfully unaware, sleeping soundly.

Usually, An’an’s steady breathing would make Fan Chunxiang feel at ease, but this time, the more she listened, the sadder she felt.

She hadn’t had an education and didn’t know much, not even having traveled beyond their small city, but she spent the whole night recalling what she had heard about this situation.

Finally, she vaguely remembered that the person who had mentioned it said that the way to deal with this was to let the child suffer a little misfortune, so that the luck borrowed from their later years would be returned.

Li Datao’s business was doing well now, and their family no longer had to scrimp and save for every penny.

The couple discussed it and had already made up their minds.

The next morning, after An’an woke up, he dressed himself, moved a stool, took the cups and toothbrushes from the shelf, and carried them to the outdoor faucet.

He filled a cup with water and set it aside, then squeezed toothpaste onto his toothbrush with his small hand.

Fan Chunxiang had only taught An’an once, but he remembered it clearly. Every morning, the first thing he did was brush his small teeth with a cup of water.

When he focused, his little face would tighten, and his chubby cheeks were so soft to the touch.

In the system space, 250 saw the little one carefully brushing his teeth and was so moved that it rolled around several times.

The pot was heating up with breakfast for An’an. Hearing the commotion, Fan Chunxiang stopped what she was doing, washed her hands, and brought the breakfast out.

An’an wasn’t picky; he just needed to fill his stomach. He sat on a small stool, rubbing his hands together in anticipation, waiting for his mother to bring him breakfast.

“Thank you, Mama.”

The little voice rang in her ears, and Fan Chunxiang unconsciously smiled. But as she remembered the conversation she had with her husband the night before, the smile in her eyes faded slightly.

An’an finished his bowl of porridge cleanly, then took his dishes to the kitchen.

He took out the small handkerchief his mother had prepared for him from his pocket, wiped his mouth clean, and waddled over to his mother, wanting a hug.

By then, Fan Chunxiang had already picked up a basket. An’an ran halfway before quickly turning back and rummaging through the cupboard for his jacket.

He threw it on carelessly, then hurried outside while mumbling, “Mama, wait, wait for me!”

They went to the nearest market. Usually, Fan Chunxiang was very careful with her spending, but today, she didn’t even ask the price.

After handing the vendor the money, she took the change from him and casually stuffed it into An’an’s pocket.

An’an looked down at the money in his pocket. It was obviously not properly tucked in, as though it might fall out at any moment.

An’an, who understood that money didn’t come easily for his parents, couldn’t bear to see any waste. He habitually stuffed the money back into his pocket.

After finishing, he noticed his mother watching him and looked up, flashing a proud grin as if waiting for her to praise him for being sensible.

Fan Chunxiang rubbed his soft hair, and the same thing happened while they were shopping.

Unfortunately, An’an was clever for his age. Every time Fan Chunxiang casually placed something, An’an would meticulously push it in again to make sure it wouldn’t fall out.

Even when money fell to the ground, he would quickly notice and rush over to pick it up.

By the end of the shopping trip, Fan Chunxiang was a bit tired, realizing that this method wasn’t working. She felt bad for An’an, whose short legs were getting tired, so she picked him up and prepared to head home.

Just before they reached home, Fan Chunxiang suddenly felt An’an’s hands tighten around her neck. Following his gaze, she saw some money in the middle of the road.

From a distance, it was clear that the money wasn’t small.

Fan Chunxiang silently held An’an tighter, used her free hand to cover his eyes, and quickened her steps.

Once home, she saw An’an still staring outside, seemingly wanting to go out and look for the money. She sighed helplessly.

An’an’s hearing was sharp. Upon hearing his mother sigh, he quickly turned and ran up to her, patting her back like she often did to comfort him.

“Mama?”

Fan Chunxiang looked into An’an’s clear, innocent eyes and pulled him into her embrace.

Such a well-behaved child, how could he be in this situation? Just thinking about it made Fan Chunxiang’s heart ache.

That evening, when Li Datao returned, he asked about the incident. Fan Chunxiang gently shook her head and gestured, saying they hadn’t been successful and had even seen money left behind on the street.

The two of them, their faces marked with the hardships of life, now seemed as though every wrinkle was etched with worry.

For now, the only solution was to keep An’an at home and stop him from going out, but children at that age are naturally very curious.

An’an, being so obedient, sat quietly in the yard when asked not to go out, but Fan Chunxiang couldn’t help but feel sorry when she saw him lying in the rocking chair, lost in thought.

Normally, An’an loved to run outside, after all, there were so many interesting things out there. But when he realized his mother didn’t want him to leave, he was fine staying home.

The warm sunlight, the birds perched on the branches, and the leaves fluttering in the wind, even the bugs on the grass, all fascinated An’an, who could stare at them for a long time.

Half a month later, after Li Datao sold the scrap metal he had collected, he took two days off and planned to take Fan Chunxiang and An’an to pay a visit to a temple.

He and Fan Chunxiang both shared the same wish: they would rather An’an not be so clever and obedient, but instead just grow up healthy and safe.

Good health and a long life were more important than anything.

An’an was very excited about traveling with his parents for the first time. His dark eyes rolled around like black grapes the whole way.

No matter how much he tried to act well-behaved, he was still a child. He wiggled in his seat on the bus, excitedly watching the scenery outside the window, his eyes sparkling.

His eyes were full of curiosity, and if he saw a view he had never seen before, he became so excited he almost wanted to jump up.

The first time he tried to stand up and get closer to the window to look, Fan Chunxiang reached out to hold him, gently shaking her head, signaling that there were many people in the bus, and he couldn’t be too noisy.

An’an nodded, half understanding, covering his mouth with his hand and blinking innocently.

Fan Chunxiang ruffled his head as a form of praise and then took out some snacks she had prepared for him.

Of course, when traveling far, you need to be well-prepared. Even though An’an was obedient and sensible, he was still under three years old.

They couldn’t speak or ask for directions once they got there, so before they left, they made sure to remember the location from someone they knew.

They arrived late in the day at a rundown street-side hotel. As they walked in, they saw the landlady watching TV. Li Datao gestured that they needed a room. The landlady briefly registered them and took them upstairs.

The small hotel’s wooden stairs, worn from years of use, creaked underfoot.

The landlady had long been used to such guests—after all, there was a temple in the city that was said to be the most effective in the country.

Even patients who had been declared terminally ill by hospitals came here with a last hope for divine blessings, especially couples like this one.

That night, An’an couldn’t sleep in the unfamiliar environment. Sensing this, Fan Chunxiang held him in her arms, gently patting his back.

In her warm embrace, An’an unknowingly fell asleep.

In this unfamiliar city, the bustling, lively scene was something neither Li Datao nor Fan Chunxiang had ever seen. They walked down the sidewalk with An’an, feeling out of place.

Using their memories, they managed to find the right path and began climbing the mountain. Along the way, they encountered others with similar purposes, and realizing they were on the right track, Fan Chunxiang’s tense heart finally relaxed.

At least this meant they hadn’t gone to the wrong place.

At first, An’an could walk by himself, but by halfway up the mountain, his little legs were shaking with fatigue.

Luckily, Li Datao was used to hard work. When An’an slowed down, he called for him to stop and then squatted down in front of him.

His frail body, however, offered a broad back for An’an, who thought for a moment before climbing on.

An’an wrapped his arms around his father’s neck, gently rubbing his cheek against him before leaning over to kiss Li Datao’s side face.

Li Datao, who hadn’t felt tired before, felt energized by his son’s kiss and practically flew up the mountain. By the time they reached the top, the scent of incense was already in the air.

The temple was halfway up the mountain, ancient and covered in moss, with the sound of bells ringing.

An’an took one glance, then quickly looked away. He took out the handkerchief his mother had prepared from his pocket and lightly wiped the sweat off his father’s forehead.

“Thank you, Papa~”