Becoming a Scum A in an Old-School Melodramatic Novel - Chapter 16

Lin Qinghan worked at a private hospital and had always had a tough time of it. With Shen Xian around now, she no longer had to make breakfast or take the child to school, which saved her quite a bit of trouble. Still, she kept reminding herself that Shen Xian’s presence at her home was only temporary. Once she sorted out her family issues, Shen Xian naturally wouldn’t stay. Getting used to Shen Xian being there was dangerous for her.

She pushed all these messy thoughts out of her mind, got on her little electric scooter, and rode off.

Shen Xian, meanwhile, took their child to kindergarten.
“Tian Tian, Mommy will come pick you up after school.”

“Okay! Tian Tian will wait for Mommy like a good girl. Bye-bye, Mommy!”
Only after saying goodbye did Shen Tian walk into the kindergarten.

Shen Xian thought it was time to get herself a car. She spent 3,000 yuan to enroll at a local driving school. In her previous life, she had already known how to drive, so this wasn’t difficult for her. As long as she performed normally, she’d pass. That afternoon, she went to the driving school to register, scheduled her exams, and then went back to Fang Jinglan’s place.

It was Fang Jinglan who opened the door. Seeing that Shen Xian was back, she asked, “How is it? Are things okay over there?”

Shen Xian nodded. Wasn’t the point of her staying there to prevent Lin Zhixin from coming to demand more money? But why did it seem like her mom was kind of happy about it?

“It’s okay. I also found a job these past few days, but it’s not too busy, so I’ve been helping take Tian Tian to and from school,” Shen Xian explained.

Fang Jinglan asked, “Do you still have money? If not, I can give you some more. Don’t let the kid want something and you have nothing on you to pay.”
She was still worried about her daughter. In the past, she used to worry about Shen Xian constantly asking her for money. Now that she wasn’t asking, she was worried again — maybe she was cooking up something big?

“Mom, really, I’m fine. I do have money.”
As soon as she got home, Shen Xian thoroughly cleaned every corner — not to earn money, but simply to help her mom as much as she could. After that, she went to wipe down the kitchen. Seeing that they were running low on rice and flour, she simply ordered some along with cooking oil and fruits using a supermarket app. The original Shen Xian owed her parents too much; now, all she could do was try to make up for it in small ways.

When the delivery guy knocked and brought the groceries, Fang Jinglan thought he had the wrong door.
“That’s strange, I didn’t order anything. Did you get the address wrong?”
Fang Jinglan didn’t really know how to use these fancy new apps — she still preferred going to the supermarket herself, even if it meant hauling everything back on her little electric scooter.

Hearing the commotion, Shen Xian came out of her room and told the delivery guy, “I ordered it. Just leave it here. Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

“No problem, happy to help. Auntie, your daughter’s really filial — she bought all this for you,” the delivery guy said with a smile before hurrying off.

“Filial?” Shen Xian thought to herself. The original Shen Xian nearly caused her parents’ deaths. Hearing that word made her feel incredibly guilty.

“Mom, I noticed we were low on these things, so I bought more. I also got fruit — make sure you both eat some. I’ll go put the rice, flour, and oil away now.”
As she spoke, Shen Xian started organizing the groceries, leaving Fang Jinglan stunned in place.

The old Shen Xian would ask for | 100 yuan | just to buy a steamed bun. Now she was buying things for the house? And she’d been behaving herself for a while now. Fang Jinglan couldn’t hide her joy. After closing her door, she immediately started a video call with her younger sister, Fang Jingping. It connected after a few moments.

“Jingping, I have to tell you — Shen Xian has really changed. She hasn’t asked me for any money, she’s been doing all the housework, and she even bought a bunch of things for the house. I think she’s genuinely changed.”
Fang Jinglan was smiling so much she couldn’t stop.

“Second Sis, if Shen Xian really has changed, that’s great news. But don’t be too happy just yet — there might be something else coming. Just remember, if she asks you for money, don’t give her any. Just keep an eye on things.”

Fang Jinglan knew her sister meant well. Shen Xian had lied so much before that no one believed her anymore. The relatives had all been burned lending her money. She even had the nerve to ask her younger siblings for money. It was understandable that no one trusted her. But in the end, she was still Fang Jinglan’s daughter. She had never thought of giving up on her. If no one else believed in her, she would believe in her one last time. If Shen Xian still acted like before, then she would finally give up for good.

Shen Xian had no idea what Fang Jinglan was thinking. After she finished organizing the groceries, she washed the fruit and arranged it into a fruit platter for her father. Shen Wenkang’s hand had been trembling for a while now — he was no longer the sharp, capable man he used to be. Shen Xian placed the fruit in front of him and said,
“Dad, have some fruit. It’s good for your health.”

Shen Wenkang mumbled a few sounds. Due to his acute stroke, he couldn’t even speak clearly anymore. Looking at the number above his head that had risen to [60] during this time, Shen Xian felt even worse. Her father had never once held a grudge against her for what the original Shen Xian had done.

She sat with him for a while, then knocked on Fang Jinglan’s door and opened it.
“Mom, I’m heading out. Tian Tian’s almost done with school. If anything comes up, call me.”

Fang Jinglan smiled and said, “Go pick her up. What could happen to us? Go take care of your things.”

Shen Xian’s eyes welled up. The original had such good parents but never knew how to appreciate them. She herself had longed for this kind of parental love in her last life but never had it.
“Okay. I’ll come back whenever I have time — it’s close by anyway.” Shen Xian smiled at her.

When Fang Jinglan went into the living room and saw the fruit platter Shen Xian had prepared, her heart felt warm.

Meanwhile, Shen Xian stood at the kindergarten gate with the other parents, waiting for the children. Many of them were talking about a new zoo that had opened in the suburbs. They said their kids had a great time there. Shen Xian made a mental note — if other kids got to go to fun places, her little one should too.

Soon, the kindergarten gate opened. The children, like cannonballs, shot toward their parents, each one hitting their target with precision. Shen Tian was no different — she locked onto Shen Xian and ran straight at her. Shen Xian caught her in a big hug, making the little one laugh joyfully.

“Mommy! Today, the teacher taught us how to fold little rabbits with handkerchiefs! Tian Tian will make one for you at home!” the little girl said proudly in her sweet, childish voice.

“Alright, Tian Tian, you’re amazing. Mommy loves you the most,” Shen Xian said as she lifted Shen Tian up and gave her a playful bounce. Tian Tian proudly wrapped her arms around Shen Xian’s neck.

After a bit of affectionate cuddling between mother and daughter, Lin Qinghan came over. Just moments ago, she had seen from a distance how Shen Xian was making their little one laugh happily, and the corners of her lips had unconsciously curled into a smile.

“Stop playing already. Let’s go home first,” Lin Qinghan said, taking the little one into her arms. The excited child hugged Lin Qinghan tightly. With both her mom and mommy by her side, she felt incredibly happy.

As usual, Shen Xian sat in the back seat of the scooter, holding onto Lin Qinghan’s waist. Lin Qinghan twisted the throttle, and the scooter dashed off.

That evening, the two of them sat with the little one to watch cartoons together.

“Tian Tian, do you want to go see some animals this weekend?” Shen Xian asked as she gently rubbed the little one’s pigtails.

With a loud “Awoo!” Shen Tian bounced up. Many kids in her kindergarten had already visited the petting zoo and often talked about how cute the animals were. She had always wanted to go too, but her mom was always busy, and she hadn’t seen much of her mommy before either. So, she had never mentioned to anyone that she wanted to go see the animals. But now — Mommy actually said she wanted to take her!

Shen Tian’s eyes lit up. She threw herself into Shen Xian’s arms, blinking her big eyes as she asked, “Really?”

Shen Xian smiled and said, “Of course. I’ve been planning to take you all along.”

Shen Tian then turned to Lin Qinghan and asked, “Is Mom coming too?”

Lin Qinghan worked at a private hospital and only had one day off a week. But since her daughter wanted to go, of course she would join. “Okay, but it’ll have to be Sunday. I still have to work on Saturday.”

Getting a definite answer made Shen Tian happily hug Shen Xian tighter. Though her mom and mommy never said anything, Shen Tian could feel that her family was a little different from other kids’. This was the first time both her mom and mommy were taking her out to play together. For a three-and-a-half-year-old, not being excited was simply impossible.

“Yay! Hooray! Mommy and Mom are taking Tian Tian out to play! Tian Tian is so happy~” Shen Tian stretched out the last words in a playful, cutesy tone.

Seeing how genuinely happy the child was made Lin Qinghan feel a twinge of sadness. She was already exhausted, working and taking care of the child at the same time. As for things like this — she simply hadn’t had the time or energy to even think about them. Now that she did, she realized her daughter was more mature than other kids her age, which also meant she had probably endured more than other kids too. In the end, she had owed her daughter too much. And the woman beside her — she had been almost entirely absent from their daughter’s life.

Shen Xian wasn’t sure what was going on. Lin Qinghan’s expression toward her didn’t look particularly pleasant, which made her feel uneasy. Only when she saw that her favorability rating hadn’t dropped did she breathe a little easier.

Just then, Shen Xian’s phone rang. Seeing that it was Jiang Xi, she answered right away.
“President Jiang, do you need something from me?”

“Mhm, Sister Shen, my sister wants to meet you. When do you have time tomorrow? Let’s arrange a meeting?” came Jiang Xi’s sweet voice from the other end.

“Anytime is fine. Just let me know when and where. I’ll come.”

“Okay! I’ll text you later with the details. Bye, Sister Shen!”

“Bye.”

After hanging up, Shen Xian looked down to see that the little one in her arms had red-rimmed eyes.

In Shen Tian’s memory, there were a few times when her mommy came looking for her mom for money, and every time, she became mean after taking a phone call. She didn’t want her mommy to become like that again. Clinging to Shen Xian’s arm, she softly said, “Mommy, can you not go? Don’t play with bad people, Tian Tian’s scared.”

Thinking about the original host’s past behavior, Shen Xian understood that the little one had misunderstood. She quickly explained, “That’s not a bad person, that’s Mommy’s boss. Don’t worry, Mommy won’t play with bad people.” As she spoke, she picked the child up and gently comforted her.

After hearing Shen Xian’s explanation, the tiny heart Shen Tian had been holding in fear finally relaxed.