A Bolt from the Blue for Shiling's Mother

When Shiling's Mother got home from her night shift, it was almost 1 a. m.

After changing her shoes and entering the house, she naturally went to check on her daughter's room first, and then saw Liu Shiling fast asleep, lying on her open textbook.

Walking to the table, seeing her daughter's first-grade Chinese textbook pressed under her chubby little face, Shiling's Mother couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and joy.

She had previously wondered if her daughter's enthusiasm for learning would just be a passing fad, since specific bits of knowledge and stories are obviously less interesting than systematic textbooks.

However, judging from the situation during this period, Liu Shiling actually has a great interest in learning. She has already studied half of the first-grade Chinese textbook, recognizes many characters, and can even write them from memory. She has truly learned them.

They've even learned addition and subtraction to tens of digits, and have memorized the multiplication table up to six times six is thirty-six.

Before, when she was rushing to change shifts, she would pick up Liu Shiling from school and go straight to the convenience store. This girl loved to stare at the product labels on the shelves and practice arithmetic. Of course, she would usually make mistakes when there were more than three items, and if there were decimal points, she would also add two items incorrectly, but her dedication to learning still made her very satisfied and proud.

Shiling's Mother had just turned off the lamp and was about to bend down to pick up her daughter when a cat's head suddenly peeked out from the edge of the curtains next to her, startling her.

Egg Pie glanced at Shiling's Mother, blinked, then shrank back behind the curtains to continue dozing off.

Shiling's Mother quickly went over and shooed the Egg Pie off the windowsill so it could go back to its own territory to sleep. Then she came back, picked up her daughter again, and put her down on the bed.

As soon as her mother picked her up, Liu Shiling instinctively hugged her mother's neck. After being put on the bed, she cooperated by letting go. When her mother took off her clothes, she also cooperated by raising her hands. If it weren't for her eyes being closed, one would probably think she was already awake. It's obvious that she often has her mother carry her to bed, and she has an automatic reaction in a half-asleep state.

After tucking her daughter in, Shiling's Mother couldn't help but stretch her aching back, slightly out of breath.

It's perfectly normal for her to carry her Little Chubby Girl to bed. In the past, whenever the Little Chubby Girl went out with her, she would always want her to carry or paddle her whenever she had the chance, and she didn't want to walk by herself. Every time she got tired of carrying her, she would have to use food or watch cartoons for a certain amount of time to coax her daughter to walk by herself. So it should be very easy for her to carry her from the desk to the bed.

Could it be that he worked too late on the night shift and was too tired?

Gently touching her daughter's chubby little face, Shiling's Mother couldn't help but feel a little melancholy. Perhaps in a few years, she wouldn't be able to carry her daughter anymore.

For a moment, she couldn't help but reminisce about when her daughter was just a tiny little thing, unable to speak or crawl, only able to shuffle around on the floor with her bottom. Back then, her daughter would start crying as soon as she opened her eyes and couldn't see her. She was incredibly clingy, yet also incredibly cute and lovable. She was truly someone you were afraid to drop if you held her in your hands, or melt if you kept her in your mouth.

Time flies!

Shiling's Mother gently closed the bedroom door, and after entering the living room, she glanced at the dining table and was taken aback because she didn't notice the plate that Liu Shiling had left behind after finishing her dinner.

Walking into the kitchen, she saw the plates on the drainer, the marks in the sink, and a stool that had been moved into the kitchen. She immediately realized that her daughter had washed the plates after dinner.

And you know what? The plate was indeed washed perfectly clean, without a single problem.

Shiling's Mother felt even more tender, her pride in her daughter growing even stronger, but at the same time, she felt a pang of sadness and heartache. The more sensible her daughter became, the more it highlighted her own inadequacy as a mother—who makes a kindergarten-aged daughter wash dishes?

At the same time, she also had some concerns about the future of her and her daughter. She had sold her house in Shenhai and had a considerable sum of money. Even if she bought a new house in Star City, the remaining money would be enough for her and her daughter to live on for several years, allowing her to focus on raising her daughter.

However, at Shiling's insistence, in order to sever ties with the other side as soon as possible, her father gave almost all the money he had earned over the years to that side.

During this period, Shiling's father's company encountered some difficulties. In order to regroup, he needed some working capital, so he took all the money that Shiling's Mother had from selling the house.

Although Shiling's father said that it would take anywhere from one or two months to half a year to get the principal back, Shiling's Mother was a little worried, feeling that it might not be that smooth. She had worked at Shiling's father's company for several years before and knew that although the industry was profitable, the speed of payment was relatively slow, and all sorts of unexpected situations often occurred, further lengthening the payment cycle.

So even though she still has tens of thousands of yuan on hand, she needs to make more preparations and can't just sit around and do nothing, since rent, her daughter's tuition, and other related expenses will keep coming.

Previously, Ms. Tang and Ms. Yang had asked her to help their game company with game testing and provide feedback. After each trial, they would fill out a form and send it over, and in return, they would give her a substantial red envelope as a testing fee.

Although Ms. Tang said that this was a fee for all tests, and that the internal testers they hired were also paid, she still felt a little embarrassed to accept the money, since she herself didn't have much education, she had a lot of fun playing the sound game, but the content she filled in on the form wasn't of any value.

So when she saw that the convenience store next to her neighborhood was hiring, she hesitated for a long time, but still decided to apply. To her surprise, she got the job. Fortunately, her night shift meant that, apart from not being able to cook for her daughter, it didn't affect her ability to pick her up from kindergarten.

For now, we can only take it one step at a time. Hopefully, Shiling's father will get back on track soon, and the three of them can live happily together.

After tidying up the kitchen, Shiling's Mother, exhausted, went to take a shower and go to bed, thinking about getting up early the next morning to cook something delicious for her daughter and reward her for doing chores like washing dishes.

However, Shiling's Mother didn't expect was that the next morning, as she was about to cook, she received a call from the police and received a shocking piece of news.

"What, murder? How could that be? This is impossible, impossible! How could he possibly kill someone..."

Even after hanging up the phone, she was still somewhat dazed, wondering if she was still dreaming or not.

The police called to inform her that Shiling's father had been swindled out of money, and then went to find the person who had cheated him out of the money with a knife, trying to get it back. In the ensuing fight, he stabbed the person to death. Shiling's father has now been criminally detained by the local police.

She stood there in the kitchen for a while, stunned, until her daughter came over, rubbing her eyes, and asked, "What is Mommy doing?" before she came to her senses.

Shiling's Mother composed herself, first sending her daughter to wash up, then making a few phone calls to confirm the situation. She made a decision: since it had already happened, she still had to go.

But my daughter definitely can't go with me; I need to make some arrangements.

Shiling's Mother's first instinct was whether to ask Mr. Xiang for a while. After all, given her daughter's level of trust in Mr. Xiang and her good relationship with the beautiful women around Mr. Xiang, there shouldn't be any problems with her staying with them.

However, considering that Mr. Xiang currently in Citong City, which is quite far from Star City, and not on the same route as where Shiling's father was arrested, going there by detour would take a long time. Moreover, strictly speaking, she and her daughter haven't known Mr. Xiang, Ms. Xia, Ms. Tang, and Ms. Yang for very long. Apart from when they were neighbors with Mr. Xiang, they had only met once recently. There was no reason for her to suddenly ask them to help look after the child. On the other hand, she was also somewhat reluctant to talk about her current predicament, so she crossed this option off.

After much deliberation, Shiling's Mother decided to take her daughter back to her parents' home.

She was originally from Xiangchu, and her hometown was not far from Star City. Although she had lost contact with her family due to various reasons, they were still blood relatives, and her mother couldn't possibly refuse to take care of her own granddaughter for even a few days.

After Liu Shiling finished washing up, her Shiling's Mother helped her put on her clothes, then called the kindergarten to ask for leave and prepared to take her to catch a ride.

"Shiling, Mom has to go on a long trip. I'll take you to see Grandma in a little while. You'll stay with Grandma for the next two or three days. Be good and listen to her. Mom will come pick you up soon." Shiling's Mother said as she packed Shiling's change of clothes into a bag.

"Grandma? Do I have a grandma?" Liu Shiling asked blankly, her eyes wide.

"Silly girl, of course you have a grandma, but she's always lived in our hometown and doesn't live with us. But she did see you when you were little, and she loved you very much. Hmm, you probably don't remember," Shiling's Mother said softly.

"Then... do I have a maternal grandfather, and paternal and paternal grandmothers?" Liu Shiling asked again.

"Hmm... I'll tell you about that later. First, I'll take you to see your grandma. Be a good girl, okay?" Shiling's Mother didn't know how to answer.

Fortunately, the daughter didn't ask any further questions; after listening to what was said, she simply nodded repeatedly.

After packing her clothes, iPad, and a storybook, Shiling's Mother looked at Egg Pie, who was perched in the corner of the living room watching them with its head tilted back. She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Give Egg Pie more cat food... never mind, I'll go see if there's a pet store nearby where I can board it..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shiling quickly ran over, picked up the Egg Pie, and said, "Mom, let the Egg Pie come with me to see Grandma. It will definitely be very well-behaved and won't be naughty."

"No, the cat will poop, and your grandma will be unhappy."

"When Egg Pie needs to poop, I'll take it to the toilet; it'll definitely be very obedient."

Seeing Egg Yolk Pie nestled motionless in her daughter's arms, eyes wide and a "very obedient" expression on her face, her tail drooping to the ground and still Egg Pie, Shiling's Mother frowned, thought for a moment, and finally nodded, saying, "Then bring Egg Pie's cat food and cat litter."

Liu Shiling quickly put down the Egg Pie and deftly packed the cat food, cat litter, and other items from her Little Red Book packaging. Of course, she didn't forget her precious chopsticks, five large Coin, and that A4 sheet of paper.

After a journey of more than an hour, they arrived at a small town in a neighboring city, Shiling's Mother took her daughter to an old-style residential area.

Seeing her mother open the security door, Shiling's Mother, with mixed feelings, called out "Mom," then said to her daughter, who was holding her hand, "Shiling, call her Grandma."

"Grandma..." Liu Shiling called out timidly yet expectantly.

"Oh, Shiling has grown so much. Come here, let Grandma take a good look at her." Grandma sighed to Shiling's Mother, welcomed the two of them in, and affectionately patted Liu Shiling's head.

"Mom, you should know what I told you on the phone before. I have to leave for a few days. Could you please take care of Shiling for me?" Shiling's Mother said, taking out five thousand yuan in cash that she had prepared and handing it to her mother.

Shiling's grandmother didn't refuse and quickly accepted it.

"My eldest sister didn't even come back for the New Year. What brings you here now?" At this moment, a middle-aged woman carrying a child came out of the room and said to Shiling's Mother.

Shiling's Mother knew this was her younger brother's wife, so she forced a smile and greeted her, then said to Liu Shiling, "Call her aunt, that's your cousin."

"Hello, Auntie! Hello, Cousin!" Liu Shiling greeted them obediently.

"Xiao Hui is so handsome. Here, take this money to buy Xiao Hui a toy." Shiling's Mother smiled, rolled up a few bills, and stuffed them into the small pocket of her younger brother's nephew's coat, who was being held by his sister-in-law. She then casually asked, "Isn't your little brother home?"

"He's been working away from home all this time. Oh, right, your older sister hasn't been back for years, she probably doesn't know. Hey! Older sister, since you're already here, don't rush off, let's have a meal together. It's almost lunchtime, you might not be hungry, but the child will be. Look at this chubby little one, he must have quite an appetite."

Hearing her sister-in-law say this in a nonchalant tone, Shiling's Mother realized something was wrong. She looked at Shiling's maternal grandmother, who had already called to ask and said it was fine.

Shiling's grandmother sighed and said to her daughter-in-law, "A Qi, didn't we say before that Shiling would be staying here for a few days?"

"How many days? That depends on the exact number of days you're staying," Aunt Shiling said indifferently.

Shiling's Mother sensed something was amiss. She looked down at her daughter, who was standing to the side, curiously observing her surroundings with a bewildered expression, and hesitated.

Shiling's maternal grandmother said directly to her, "Go and take care of what you need to do. Shiling is my granddaughter, and I'll keep an eye on her. Go ahead and finish your business quickly, then come back to pick up Shiling."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shiling looked up and said, "Don't worry, Mom, I will listen to Grandma and Aunt."

Shiling's Mother sighed, bent down to hug her daughter, whispered a few words of advice, and finally turned and left.

"Mom, she wouldn't just leave the child here and not come back, would she?" Aunt Shiling said after the door closed.

Shiling's grandmother frowned and said, "Watch your mouth, the child is still here. No matter what A Xue has done, she has been very good to you two. Don't forget how much she helped you when you got married and bought the house."