Xu Zixi took the two kids home by taxi and immediately rushed into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for them. She didn't know that while she was busy in the kitchen, Yuan Xiaoxuan took Yuan Xiaoxu's hand, led him into the room, opened the wardrobe, and hid inside.
Yuan Xiaoxu bit his finger and tilted his head, looking at his elder brother. "Brother, are we playing hide-and-seek with Mommy?" he asked.
"Shh," Yuan Xiaoxuan put his short finger on his lips. "Be quiet, little brother."
Yuan Xiaoxu silently mouthed an "okay" and then hugged his knees, excitedly waiting to be found by Mommy.
"Little brother, we're not playing hide-and-seek with Mommy. I have something to tell you," Yuan Xiaoxuan said.
Yuan Xiaoxu was confused. Why did his brother have to hide in the wardrobe to talk to him?
"Little brother, from now on, we should always listen to Mommy, okay?" Yuan Xiaoxuan held Yuan Xiaoxu's little hand seriously.
"But I've always listened to Mommy," Yuan Xiaoxu replied.
Yuan Xiaoxuan shook his head. "It's different. Before, we listened to Mommy so she wouldn't pinch our ears or spank our butts, because it really hurt. Later, we listened to her because we didn't want Mommy to die. Now, we should listen to her because Mommy is too tired. My heart aches here."
Yuan Xiaoxuan pressed his hand on his chest.
There was a certain telepathy between the twins. After hearing this, Yuan Xiaoxu also felt his heart ache, and his mood became low.
"Mommy used to beat and scold us because she was deceived and had us. Little brother, if someone tells you he's your daddy in the future, don't go with him. He bullied Mommy. He's a really, really bad guy!"
Yuan Xiaoxu thought for a while and asked, "How bad is he?"
Yuan Xiaoxuan wracked his brains to answer his brother, but with his limited vocabulary, he couldn't do it. Finally, he could only say, "Anyway, he's really, really bad."
But after saying that, tears welled up in Yuan Xiaoxuan's eyes. "But we're the children of that bad guy. I don't want such a daddy at all."
Yuan Xiaoxu also started to cry. What he was thinking was, what is a daddy? Why would someone say he's his daddy? Would he have to leave Mommy if he had a daddy? He didn't want that. Mommy had been so gentle to him recently and even called him baby. He didn't want to leave Mommy.
While crying, somehow, Yuan Xiaoxuan suddenly remembered the uncle who sent them to the hospital yesterday. He remembered that the uncle's embrace was so warm, his hand that rubbed his tummy was so warm, and his tone when talking to him was so gentle.
It would be great if he were their daddy.
"Xuanxuan? Xiaoxu? Where are you guys? It's time to eat!"
The two kids were startled. They quickly wiped the tears off their faces, opened the wardrobe, and ran out. They went to Xu Zixi's side and hugged her from left and right.
Xu Zixi was so scared that she quickly held the two bowls in her hands high, afraid that the food inside would spill on the kids.
Maybe it was just her illusion, but she found that the two kids had become much more obedient after this. This was especially obvious when it was time to take medicine. Even though Yuan Xiaoxu wrinkled his whole face because of the bitter taste, he still obediently swallowed the medicine.
After taking the medicine, he stuck out his little tongue to show off to Xu Zixi. "Mommy, I've taken the medicine. Am I a good boy?"
Xu Zixi pinched his little cheek and said with a smile, "Yes, you are. Why are you so good today?"
Yuan Xiaoxu rubbed against her and said in a muffled voice, "If I'm good, Mommy will be happy. Mommy, don't be sad. Baby loves you the most. Baby will never leave you."
Yuan Xiaoxuan also came over and buried his face in Xu Zixi's body. "Baby wants to be with Mommy forever."
Xu Zixi was shocked by this intense and undisguised love. Her heart started to beat happily uncontrollably. She had never been the kind of person who would hide her feelings. So she opened her arms, hugged the two kids tightly, and said generously, "Mommy loves you too. We'll always be together!"
She would definitely protect them well. No matter who came, they couldn't take them away from her!
After lulling the two kids to sleep, Xu Zixi sat on the sofa in the living room and started to seriously think about her next plan.
First of all, there was no doubt that she needed money, a lot of money. At the same time, she needed to get a decent identity for herself in the shortest possible time. This identity would be of some help when she returned to Fengcheng in the future.
Secondly, she needed to cultivate her own power and expand her own network of contacts. With the two kids, there would definitely be many things that would be inconvenient for her to do in the future. If she had her own people, the safety of her and the kids could be guaranteed.
She also had to send the two kids to kindergarten so that they could start receiving education and learn to interact with the world. Their identities were already very sensitive. If they had never been to school, they would face more rumors and malice when they returned to Fengcheng in the future, which would be very bad for their growth.
Her first sum of money should be available in the next few days.
She also had to choose a good kindergarten for the kids. It couldn't be too far from home so that it would be convenient for her to pick them up and drop them off. The environment, teaching staff, and other aspects should be good. There couldn't be any cases of child abuse, so that the two kids wouldn't be bullied.
As for status and network of contacts, she needed to plan carefully.
Xu Zixi tapped her fingers lightly on the glass tabletop. A plan gradually took shape in her mind. Remembering that she still owed her neighbor a medical bill and a debt of gratitude, she felt uncomfortable. She counted the medical bills for the two kids yesterday. Just as she was about to go and pay the money back, she suddenly remembered something. She took out another five hundred yuan and then went to knock on the door.
It took a long time for the door to be opened from the inside. It was still the man with his eyes closed and a blind stick in his hand. But this time, he seemed to be on guard against something. He only opened the door a tiny crack, and his expression was cold, as if Xu Zixi owed him money.
Well... she really did owe him, although the amount wasn't much.
"You're at home. I knocked for a long time and there was no response. I thought no one was here," Xu Zixi said, touching her nose.
He frowned and asked, "What do you want?" His voice seemed much hoarser and deeper than yesterday.
"Nothing. I'm just here to pay back the medical fees you helped me pay yesterday," Xu Zixi said, handing over the money. But the man didn't seem to want to take it. Xu Zixi thought for a while, squatted down, and placed the money at his feet. "I've put the money at the two o'clock direction at your feet, about ten centimeters away. You can touch it if you squat down. I've added another five hundred yuan, which is for the gasoline consumption. I also want to thank you for being so kind to send my kids to the hospital last night... Hey?!"
Before Xu Zixi could finish her sentence, she watched in horror as Yan Yincheng fell straight forward. Seeing that he was about to hit the door, Xu Zixi quickly opened the door. Then, she was hit by a great force and was knocked to the ground by the falling Yan Yincheng.
It hurt! It hurt! It hurt!
Xu Zixi gasped. The intense pain in her elbow made tears well up in her eyes. Moreover, she was being pressed down hard, and she almost couldn't breathe.
"Get up quickly! I'm about to die!"
But she called for a long time and didn't get a response. Feeling strange, she pushed Yan Yincheng.
"Sir?! You're so hot!"