Chapter 45

The alleyway wasn’t very long, and most of the buildings inside were four or five stories high, with clothes hanging from many windows and balconies.

Yang Tianlin’s home was in the middle of the alley. The three-story building had a simple appearance, with only a layer of gray paint covering its exterior walls.

His home was on the second floor. Upon entering through the main door, they could see two suites on the ground floor. Yang Tianlin explained that both were rented out to tenants. One of the doors was open, and a few people sat inside cracking sunflower seeds. Two men leered at Shen Lihuan and You Changqing, their gazes indecently sizing them up.

Shen Lihuan frowned immediately, and You Changqing muttered in disgust, “Disgusting creeps.”

Shen Lihuan shot them an icy glare and made a gesture as if gouging out an eye. She was someone who had walked out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood—her aura alone seemed to carry the scent of slaughter. The two men, cowards at heart, were so frightened that they didn’t dare look at them again.

Seeing them turn into quivering quails, You Changqing wrapped her arm around Shen Lihuan’s, feeling an overwhelming sense of security.

“Let’s keep going. They’re just a couple of little rats” Shen Lihuan said as she ruffled You Changqing’s hair.

You Changqing responded sweetly, “Mm.”

The staircase was narrow, so the three of them couldn’t walk side by side. Yang Tianlin took the lead. The moment he reached the second floor, he noticed that his front door was open—an ominous feeling surged in his chest.

Without a second thought, he rushed inside, ignoring the two sisters behind him. Seeing his reaction, Shen Lihuan and You Changqing quickly followed.

As soon as Yang Tianlin stepped into the house, he heard his mother’s pained groans and the landlady’s harsh curses.

His face turned pale with fear as he sprinted straight into his mother’s room.

Inside, a large, obese woman was dragging a frail, deathly pale woman across the floor, her massive palm landing harshly on the sickly woman’s body.

“Mama!” Yang Tianlin cried out sharply, rushing to grab the obese woman’s hand to stop her from hitting his mother.

Annoyed, the obese woman shoved him aside. “Get lost, you little bastard!”

Yang Tianlin stumbled backward, heading straight for the sharp corner of a table.

“Son!” Qiu Rongxin shrieked in agony.

Just then, Shen Lihuan strode forward and caught Yang Tianlin firmly in her arms.

Yang Tianlin had thought he was about to crash into the table and shut his eyes in terror. But instead of pain, he felt the warmth of a strong embrace.

In disbelief, he opened his eyes to see Shen Lihuan’s caring face. The realization hit him, and he clung to her, sobbing uncontrollably.

“There, there. It’s okay,” Shen Lihuan comforted him, gently patting his back.

They say a mother’s love makes her strong. Seeing her son almost get hurt, Qiu Rongxin, despite days of illness that had left her weak, suddenly found the strength to grab the landlady’s hand and bite down hard.

The obese woman screamed in pain and retaliated with a slap across Qiu Rongxin’s face.

“That’s enough! If you hit her one more time, I’ll call the police!” You Changqing snapped, veins faintly visible on her forehead as she glared at the landlady’s violent behavior.

“Who the hell are you? This is none of your business! Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong!” The obese woman’s shrill voice rang out, her triangular eyes glaring fiercely.

“You think you can discipline people? Who do you think you are? If you dare lay a hand on anyone again, you might as well say goodbye to your hand,” Shen Lihuan sneered.

Without another word, she stepped on a wooden chair beside her, shattering it into pieces with ease.

The obese woman swallowed nervously at the sight of the broken chair. She finally let go of Qiu Rongxin’s hand.

Yang Tianlin immediately wiped his tears and ran to support his mother. “Mama, are you okay? Does it hurt?”

His small hands trembled as they touched the red slap mark on his mother’s face. His heart burned with resentment—not only toward the vicious landlady but also toward himself for being too weak to protect his mother.

He clenched his fists, swearing to himself, I have to grow up fast. One day, I’ll become rich, and I won’t let Mama suffer for money anymore. I’ll make everyone who bullied us regret it!

Qiu Rongxin shook her head, fear lingering in her eyes as she held his hand weakly. “As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”

“Mama, you’ll live a long and healthy life,” Yang Tianlin whispered, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Hah! Live a long life? You don’t even have money for rent, and you’re dreaming of longevity? Do you even have the fate for that?” The obese woman sneered, arms crossed.

Shen Lihuan shot her a cold glance, making the landlady flinch as if burned. She instinctively averted her gaze but, unwilling to back down, glared at Yang Tianlin instead.

“Yang Tianlin, when are you paying the rent? If you don’t pay up soon, I’m throwing you out!” she spat viciously.

Yang Tianlin bit his lip, unable to respond. Qiu Rongxin gritted her teeth, about to plead for a few more days.

“How much is their rent? I’ll cover it,” You Changqing interjected coldly. She couldn’t stand seeing a child being bullied.

To outsiders, she was still the same aloof and distant figure, her long-standing aura of authority making the obese woman’s heart tremble.

Where had Yang Tianlin met these two? They were clearly from wealthy, powerful families. She might own a rental building, but in a vast metropolis like the imperial capital, she was nothing. A true rich person could crush her with just a flick of a finger…

The obese woman wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Their rent is a thousand per month, but they haven’t paid last month’s rent. With this month’s rent, it’s a total of two thousand.”

You Changqing took out her wallet, counted out two thousand yuan, and tossed it at the landlady.

The woman quickly squatted down to pick up the money.

Shen Lihuan glanced at her meaningfully and said, “Everyone has their lows. Don’t look down on a struggling youth.”

The obese woman froze mid-action, her back drenched in cold sweat.

Shen Lihuan ignored the woman and helped Qiu Rongxin up, sending her back to bed. Yang Tianlin followed closely behind, while the plump woman quickly picked up the money and ran away, fearing Shen Lihuan might beat her up.

Qiu Rongxin lay on the bed, completely exhausted, and looked gratefully at Shen Lihuan and You Changqing. “Thank you for saving me and my son. I will definitely repay you in the future.”

Although she didn’t know why these two kind-hearted young women had returned with her son, she firmly believed in repaying kindness. They had saved her son, paid her rent, and ensured she and her child wouldn’t be homeless. She would remember this kindness forever.

“Big Sis, I’ll work hard to pay you back too!”

Yang Tianlin clenched his fists and made a solemn promise to You Changqing.

You Changqing smiled and patted his head. “Good, Tianlin has ambition! I’m really happy to hear that. I’ll be waiting for you to make big money in the future.”

She didn’t actually care about the 2,000 yuan, but helping someone who knew how to be grateful made her even happier.

“Mm!” The little boy nodded firmly.

“Oh, Mom! I sold all the hats! I have money to buy you medicine now!”

Yang Tianlin suddenly remembered the good news and excitedly reported it to his mother.

Qiu Rongxin was momentarily taken aback. “Did you two buy them? Thank you so much.”

Tears welled up in her eyes. Ever since her husband disappeared, she had endured all the hardships of life with her son. She had seen the warmth and coldness of the world. Many people looked at her strangely upon learning she was a single mother. Some coworkers even tried introducing her to men in their forties or fifties who had never married. When she refused, saying she didn’t want to remarry while raising her child, they accused her of being too proud.

It had been a long time since she had felt warmth and kindness. Even though she knew it was embarrassing to cry in front of two young girls, she couldn’t stop her tears from falling.

“Auntie, don’t cry. Your hats are truly beautiful, or I wouldn’t have bought them.”

You Changqing wasn’t someone overflowing with sympathy. She genuinely liked the hats, and besides, Tianlin was so adorable that she had decided to buy them all.

“Auntie, let me check your pulse and see what’s wrong with you. That way, we can find the right treatment.”

When Shen Lihuan had helped her up earlier, she noticed that Qiu Rongxin’s limbs were weak and limp, completely devoid of strength. Her pallor had faded somewhat, but her complexion remained dull and sallow, lacking any vitality.

“You know how to diagnose illnesses? I really don’t know how to thank you.”

Qiu Rongxin didn’t doubt her at all and immediately extended her hand.

After checking her pulse, Shen Lihuan asked carefully, “Have you been feeling dizzy and weak lately? So exhausted that you can barely get out of bed?”

Qiu Rongxin nodded. “Yes. My arms and legs are not only weak but also ice-cold.”

“Do you have loose stools?” Shen Lihuan asked again.

Qiu Rongxin hesitated for a moment, glanced at her son, then shyly replied, “Yes.”

“Do you also experience bloating and indigestion?”

“Yes, even if I eat just a little, I feel overly full, and the food seems to stay in my stomach without digesting.”

“That makes sense.” Shen Lihuan concluded, “You have a weak spleen and need proper nourishment.”

“Big Sis, will my mom be okay?” Yang Tianlin looked anxiously at Shen Lihuan, afraid of hearing bad news.

“Don’t worry. With me here, your mom will be fine.” Shen Lihuan reassured him with a smile, then turned to Qiu Rongxin. “A weak spleen requires traditional Chinese medicine for treatment. If you trust me, I can write you a prescription, and you can take the medicine accordingly.”

“I trust you. You diagnosed my symptoms just from my pulse. How could I doubt you?”

Qiu Rongxin smiled.

“Great. I’ll have someone pick up the medicine. Tianlin is still too young, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to go to the pharmacy.”

Shen Lihuan gestured for Yang Tianlin to fetch her a pen and paper.

“Wouldn’t this be too much trouble for you? I can go get the medicine myself.”

Qiu Rongxin hurriedly tried to get up. She had already troubled these two young women enough and felt bad about asking them to get her medicine too.

“It’s fine. Just rest for now. Your body is too weak to go out.”

After writing the prescription, Shen Lihuan made a call, summoning a bodyguard to run the errand.

Once the bodyguard left, Shen Lihuan took a moment to observe the room. It was a small one-bedroom apartment with a partitioned-off section in the living area, creating an additional tiny room. Though the apartment was just over forty square meters, it was impeccably clean. The floors and tables were spotless, and the space had a cozy, well-kept atmosphere. The walls were decorated with numerous certificates of merit that Yang Tianlin had earned at school.

Shen Lihuan noticed a cabinet against the wall filled with handwoven bamboo crafts, as well as several porcelain vases.

“Did you make all these porcelain vases yourself? They’re really impressive.”

Shen Lihuan pointed at the cabinet as she asked.

“Yes. My grandpa loved making porcelain, so I learned from him. But honestly, his craftsmanship was ten times better than mine.”

Qiu Rongxin’s eyes softened with nostalgia as she recalled her childhood.

“Would you be interested in working for me?”

Shen Lihuan figured that since Changqing wanted to help, she might as well offer Qiu Rongxin a job. After all, teaching someone to fish was better than simply giving them fish.

She could just give Qiu Rongxin money, but the best way to improve her situation was to help her earn a living herself. That way, her family’s circumstances would truly change for the better.

“Really?” Qiu Rongxin’s face flushed with excitement. “I’ll work hard at any job! I’m not afraid of hardship or exhaustion.”

She desperately needed a job to support her son.

“I’d like to hire you as a designer—to design bottles for my skincare products.”

Shen Lihuan’s skincare products were already in production, but she wasn’t satisfied with the packaging. Now, after seeing Qiu Rongxin’s handmade porcelain bottles, she had an idea.

“A designer? Am I really capable of that?”

Qiu Rongxin was worried she wasn’t skilled enough and might end up being a burden to Shen Lihuan.

“You absolutely can. Just look at the exquisite porcelain you’ve made! I believe you can handle it.”

You Changqing encouraged her.

Qiu Rongxin hesitated for a moment before making up her mind. “I’ll do my best! If I can’t meet your standards, I won’t take a single penny from you.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” Shen Lihuan said with a smile.

Shen Lihuan took out two thousand yuan from her wallet. “You’re not in good health right now and shouldn’t be getting out of bed. Once you’ve recovered a bit, give me a call, and I’ll arrange work for you. Consider this money as an advance on your salary—just take it.”

“I… I’m really so grateful to you both.” Qiu Rongxin initially wanted to refuse the money, but when she glanced at her son beside her, she hesitated. She needed money to recover, but she barely had any left. If she spent their last few hundred yuan on medicine, what would her son eat?

For his sake, she could only swallow her pride and accept the stack of bills.

“If you really want to thank me, then get better soon and design some beautiful bottles for me.”

Shen Lihuan handed her a slip of paper. “This has my name and number. Keep it safe, and reach out when you’re ready.”

After Qiu Rongxin carefully placed the note in her bedside drawer, Shen Lihuan wrote out a dietary supplement plan. “Medicine helps, but food is just as important. Follow this meal plan, eat well, and exercise, and you’ll recover in no time.”

Qiu Rongxin accepted the paper with tears in her eyes. She was determined to get well as soon as possible and work hard for Miss Shen. Shen Lihuan had given her medicine, an advance salary, and even a nutritional guide—she couldn’t let her down.

Not long after, the bodyguard returned with the medicine. Shen Lihuan led Yang Tianlin into the kitchen and taught him how to prepare the decoction. His big eyes stayed fixed on her every movement, afraid of missing a single step.

Once the medicine had cooled slightly, Yang Tianlin carefully fed it to his mother. As the warmth spread through her body, drowsiness quickly set in, and her eyelids grew heavy.

Seeing this, Shen Lihuan gave Yang Tianlin a few final instructions before leaving with You Changqing.

Yang Tianlin walked them out, reluctant to part ways. You Changqing chuckled and ruffled his hair. “Tianlin, go back inside. We’ll visit you when we have time.”

He nodded but then turned expectantly to Shen Lihuan. She smiled, pinched his cheek lightly, and said, “Go back inside. I’ll come see you when I can.”

Only then did Yang Tianlin break into a smile. After waving goodbye to them, he hopped and skipped his way back home.