Hearing Fang Xiaoxiao's words, Fu Wenwen's face darkened. After washing Fang Xiaoxiao, she first put on clothes belonging to Lu Ze'an for her.
She then informed Lu Chengsen about Fang Xiaoxiao's situation.
"She's been abused, hasn't she?" Fu Wenwen looked at Lu Chengsen, who glanced at Fang Xiaoxiao, who was playing with Lu Ze'an.
"Since such a serious incident has happened to the child, we should pay them a visit."
The two exchanged a look, their thoughts aligning perfectly.
Fu Wenwen asked Fang Xiaoxiao for directions, and they would accompany her home. Fang Xiaoxiao, nestled in Lu Chengsen's arms, pointed the way.
Fang Xiaoxiao's home was indeed next door. Fu Wenwen walked up and knocked on the door.
After a long wait, a woman impatiently opened it.
"Who is it! Knocking in broad daylight! Coming, coming!"
"Hello, we're your next-door neighbors. When your daughter was playing at our house, she accidentally fell into our garden pond. Fortunately, we rescued her in time. I've given her a hot bath, but her clothes are all wet, so I'm bringing her home first. Please change her into clean clothes quickly."
Fu Wenwen sized up the woman. The woman looked at her with disdain. Upon hearing Fu Wenwen's words, she showed no concern for Fang Xiaoxiao's well-being.
"She just fell in the water, she didn't die, what's there to save? She's such a jinx, even drowning can't kill her!"
The woman's words caused Fang Xiaoxiao, cradled in Lu Chengsen's arms, to stiffen. Lu Chengsen looked at the woman, her gaze towards Fang Xiaoxiao suggesting she wished the child were dead. Such a person was unfit to be a mother.
"Even if Xiaoxiao isn't your biological daughter, you don't have to wish for a child's death, do you?" Fu Wenwen asked, frowning.
"If you like her, take her! I don't mind at all, and my husband won't care about this child. If it weren't for her mother, I would have married her father long ago. Would she even have been born?"
The woman cast a cold glance at Fang Xiaoxiao, as if looking through her at her mother.
"No, it's not! My mother married my father first!" Fang Xiaoxiao instantly transformed into a little hedgehog, roaring.
"You're just like your shameless mother, a ungrateful wretch. I liked your father first, but your mother secretly got engaged to him behind my back. She stole my man! She's the one who broke us up!" The woman sneered, pointing at Fang Xiaoxiao.
"I've been kind enough to raise you for so long. If it weren't for the fact that you were young and no one else wanted you, I would have thrown you out long ago."
"I don't know what grievances you adults have, but a child is innocent. You shouldn't be so harsh on a child, should you?" Fu Wenwen said coldly to the woman.
"It's easy for you to say when it's not happening to you. That slut, her mother, stole my husband. Do you expect me to take good care of her child? It's a miracle she's not dead!" the woman said coldly.
"The child is innocent, but her mother isn't. What good did it do her to use all her schemes to marry Fang Ming? In the end, she didn't even give birth to a son! Unlike her, this pregnancy of mine will definitely be a boy!" the woman said proudly.
"If you're so enthusiastic, why don't you adopt this child? You're acting like good samaritans here. If you really want to help her, then take her away! The Fang family will pretend to have no such daughter. If she comes home, I'll eventually kill her."
The woman was arrogant and brazen, directly admitting that Fang Xiaoxiao's injuries were her doing. So what? She was the stepmother and had the right to discipline her. If the child didn't obey, a few slaps and pinches, who could say anything?
Fang Xiaoxiao shrunk into Lu Chengsen's embrace, her face etched with despair and numbness. The woman's gaze occasionally swept over her. She knew that if she went home, only more severe punishment awaited her.
"Heh heh, you were so eager to help, but now you're speechless when it comes to adopting her? You were so talkative just now, but as soon as it's about taking this girl, you're not willing, are you!" The woman seemed to have caught Fu Wenwen and Lu Chengsen in a bind. She knew they would never adopt a useless girl. They were just being charitable out of boredom. It was like seeing a beggar by the roadside; everyone with money was willing to toss a coin, but would they take the beggar home to be cared for? Impossible.
"You dead girl, get down!"
"Auntie, Uncle, please let me down!" Fang Xiaoxiao also knew it was impossible. She understood clearly and gently tugged on Lu Chengsen's clothes, signaling him to let her down.
"Who are you people? Why are you standing at my door?" A man's voice sounded from behind Fu Wenwen.
"Dad." Hearing this voice, Fang Xiaoxiao trembled all over, her face instantly turning pale.
"Xiaoxiao, what are you doing on someone else? Get down now." The man's smile vanished as soon as he saw Fang Xiaoxiao, and his eyes were filled with disgust.
"You're Xiaoxiao's father? I'm your newly moved-in neighbor. Today, Xiaoxiao fell into the river in our garden and almost drowned..." Fu Wenwen began to explain to the man.
However, before she could finish, the man's hand slapped towards Fang Xiaoxiao, who was in Lu Chengsen's arms.
"I told you not to run around anymore, why don't you ever listen? Do I need to break your legs before you'll obey?"
"Mr. Fang, she's just a child!" Lu Chengsen said coldly, blocking Fang Ming's hand. How could he use such force on a child? If that slap had landed on Fang Xiaoxiao, it would have hurt for a week.
Fang Ming's attitude towards Fang Xiaoxiao made Fu Wenwen understand. The large bruises on Fang Xiaoxiao might not have been inflicted by the woman, but by Fang Xiaoxiao's father, Fang Ming. The ferocity with which he moved just now was not the way one treated a child, but an enemy.
"Hmph, so what? She's my child, I'll hit her as I please. Is it any of your business?" Fang Ming glanced at the two dismissively.
Fang Xiaoxiao's face was pale. Her body trembled uncontrollably.
"If you dare touch her again, I'll hit you back just as hard," Lu Chengsen said calmly to Fang Ming.
"You dare!" Seeing the anger in Lu Chengsen's eyes, Fang Ming backed down in fear.
"You can try!" Lu Chengsen bared his teeth and smiled at Fang Ming.
"Get down now, we're going home!" Fang Ming, afraid to test Lu Chengsen, could only roar at Fang Xiaoxiao.
Fang Xiaoxiao clutched Lu Chengsen's clothes tightly. Hearing Fang Ming's words, she quickly let go of Lu Chengsen, though he didn't want to let her down.
"Uncle, Auntie, thank you. I'm okay." Fang Xiaoxiao hugged Lu Chengsen and gave them a strong smile. But to the two of them, that smile was particularly unsettling.
Lu Chengsen finally let go of Fang Xiaoxiao, and she walked towards the Fang residence step by step.