Reborn as the Villain's Wife, I Shine in 80s
Chapter 89 - 087 Sleeping Together

Chapter 89: 087 Sleeping Together

Tian Sangsang cleared her throat and reminded him, "Your room is ready, it’s next door. If anything happens at night, you can call out loudly for my help."

Zhao Chun nodded weakly, carefully scooting off the bed.

Seeing his awkward movements, Tian Sangsang immediately understood what was going on. She said, "Wait a moment, I’ll get you a crutch." When she was cleaning out the storage earlier, she had spotted a crutch standing against the wall. She quickly went to the storage room, found the crutch—which appeared to have once belonged to the original owner’s grandmother. The crutch was entirely brown, with a curved handle designed for better grip.

Tian Sangsang tossed the crutch toward him. "Here, give it a try."

Zhao Chun took it, gripping the crutch in his hand—it was just the right size, quite good. Using the crutch as a substitute for his other leg was far better than hopping around on one foot like before. His eyes reddened, overwhelmed with complicated emotions—it truly was a "mix of feelings," impossible to describe in just one word. Thinking back to a few days ago—those were the lowest days of his life, crawling around on the ground. While Biao-ge was the instigator behind all this, Tian Sangsang hadn’t been entirely uninvolved either; yet now, ironically, it was also Tian Sangsang who had saved him, given him a place to stay, treated him, fed him, clothed him. Though... well, damn it, the clothes he was wearing right now were women’s clothes.

In his most desperate moment, the only one who reached out... was this Tian Sangsang, with her pitch-black hands.

What triumph and what defeat—all tied to Tian Sangsang.

"Mom, he’s crying again," Meng Shuyan tugged at the hem of Tian Sangsang’s shirt, saying quietly while looking up at her. This was, without a doubt, the most fragile uncle he had ever seen.

Tian Sangsang was stunned, watching as the tear rolled down Zhao Chun’s cheek. She thought to herself, "This is like a male version of Lin Daiyu." She patted Meng Shuyan’s head and said in a calm and collected tone, "He’s crying tears of gratitude. Because we’re just that kind. Yanyan, remember this: ’To gift someone a rose leaves a lingering fragrance on the hand.’ If everyone offers a little love, the world will become a better place~~~"

Damn it. Zhao Chun weakly pouted. Who’s crying from gratitude? This woman is not only stingy but shamelessly narcissistic.

That evening, the main room was bathed in the dim glow of a kerosene lamp.

Tian Sangsang, after soaking in her rose petal bath in her "space," came out to help Meng Shuyan take his bath. The two of them had their daily ritual of bathing—a stark contrast to most families in the village, where people rarely bathed. The villagers found bathing inconvenient—it required heating water and lighting a fire; and in summer, men often stood in their yards, stripped to a pair of boxers, pouring water over themselves. But in Tian Sangsang’s household, the bathwater was prepared in her "space" and carried out to use, eliminating the need to fetch water or chop wood, saving both time and effort.

Tian Sangsang wrapped her arms loosely around Meng Shuyan’s small body, fanning herself leisurely with a little palm-leaf fan.

Familiar with the scent of roses from her baths, Meng Shuyan nestled his fluffy head into her embrace, rubbing against her before glancing up at her. "Mom, can I go find Chun Zisu?"

It took Tian Sangsang a moment to process who "Chun Zisu" was before she burst out laughing. "Why are you calling him Chun Zisu?"

"Grandma Zhong calls that dog Goushengsheng, so I decided to call him Chun Zisu," Meng Shuyan answered seriously.

Suppressing her laughter, Tian Sangsang ruffled his hair and praised him, "Son, you’re so clever~~!"

Maybe I should start calling him Chun Chunzi... Three syllables. But she quickly dismissed the thought; children spoke innocently, but as an adult, she couldn’t lose her composure too.

Blushing slightly, Meng Shuyan lowered his head, a small smile secretly tugging at the corners of his lips.

"And why do you want to go find him?" Tian Sangsang asked again. In truth, she could sense her son’s excitement; having a man finally in the house had made her son a bit livelier. It wasn’t unreasonable—after all, "like attracts like," as they say.

"I’m afraid Chun Zisu might be secretly crying in his room. If I go talk to him, he might feel a little better," Meng Shuyan replied with a maturity that belied his years.

With Tian Sangsang’s permission, Meng Shuyan’s eyes sparkled as he excitedly made his way to Zhao Chun’s room, calling softly with his sugary voice, "Chun Zisu!"

As Meng Shuyan had guessed, Zhao Chun, sitting alone in the quiet, was almost brought to tears again. Hearing Meng Shuyan’s voice, he quickly dabbed at the corner of his eye and, sounding slightly more animated, asked, "Little Yan, you’re still awake?"

Meng Shuyan shook his head and climbed onto the bed slowly. "Chun Zisu, I’ll tell you a story, okay? Stories will make you stop wanting to cry. I know how to tell stories, so just listen, alright?"

"Alright," Zhao Chun replied, his movements mimicking Tian Sangsang’s as he placed his hand on Meng Shuyan’s head. This feeling... this feeling...

Meng Shuyan’s little heart raced in his chest; the hand resting on his head felt different from his mom’s—it was broad and strong. Squinting his eyes, Meng Shuyan asked, "Chun Zisu, have you been to my house before?"

"Nope," Zhao Chun answered honestly. He really hadn’t been to this place before, a spot so remote it didn’t even have electricity. Yet, oddly, he didn’t mind it now.

Meng Shuyan let out a slow "Oh," his gaze dropping as a trace of disappointment flickered in his eyes.

"What’s wrong, Little Yan?" Zhao Chun, visibly flustered, held him clumsily. With no experience raising kids, he awkwardly shifted his weight to hug the little body, trying to redirect the conversation. "Didn’t you say you’d tell me a story? What story is it?" The child’s body felt so soft—so different from the rough, fiery energy of grown men.

Meng Shuyan said melancholically, "The bedtime stories my mom tells me."

Oh? Tian Sangsang told bedtime stories? Zhao Chun’s eyes glinted with curiosity. That woman knew how to... tell stories?

"Little Yan, you’re amazing, already knowing how to tell stories!" Zhao Chun’s voice softened as he spoke to Meng Shuyan. "Go ahead—I love listening to stories."

Meng Shuyan’s eyes immediately curved into crescent moons. "These stories all have the same name—they’re called ’Deeply Unsettling if You Think About It.’

Zhao Chun’s voice trembled ever so slightly; an ominous feeling crept up his spine.

It must be said, Meng Shuyan had an impeccable memory. Every story Tian Sangsang told him, he could recall perfectly and retell just as vividly.

"Yesterday, eight people were playing hide-and-seek. About five minutes later, I was found. Five minutes after that, three others were found. And in another five minutes, the last four were found. It was so fast! We’ll definitely have to play again next time."

"The birds my family keeps are always noisy, so sometimes my family puts the cage in the dark bathroom. One day, sitting in the unlit living room, I suddenly heard the birds’ cries coming from the bathroom—they sounded like screams.

I thought something must’ve happened to them and rushed over to open the bathroom door. Inside, I found one bird sleeping in its little birdhouse and the other perched on its swing, dazed.

’Ugh...’

I closed the door and went back to the couch to continue watching TV. The news was reporting on a break-in involving a thief who secretly lived in a house for a prolonged period, tying up the tenants."

I thought to myself, ’I’ll take the birdcage out later so they can fly around the house.’"

"These stories..." Zhao Chun muttered under his breath, his eyes suddenly widening as a shiver ran down his spine. "Little Yan, wasn’t it just eight people? So who was the extra person?"

"It was me," Meng Shuyan said, his black, shining eyes blinking innocently as he grinned. "I found all eight of them."