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墨書 Inktalez
Liu Ya couldn't get along well with Xiao Ran, and since I was busy with work, after the weekend, I sent her back to Noble Nursery. The nanny stayed at Liu Residence to take care of my and Liu Ya's daily needs.
Three years passed in the blink of an eye, and Xiao Ran was now of school age. During these three years, Xiao Ran mostly stayed at Noble Nursery. Sometimes on weekends, both Liu Ya and I had things to do, so there was no need to bring her home. When I counted it up, our family time together during that period was less than a month.
People say that childhood has a crucial impact on a person, one that can affect a lifetime. I don't know the exact age range for "childhood," but looking back now, Xiao Ran's lively and cheerful personality probably faded gradually during those years.
When it came to choosing a school for Xiao Ran, Liu Ya and I had serious disagreements. I wanted to find a school near the villa area so that Xiao Ran could come home for meals. Although we were both busy with work, she would have more opportunities to see us if she returned home every day. I felt a bit heartbroken over her subtle personality changes.
However, Liu Ya insisted that Xiao Ran should attend a Closed Boarding School and even shamelessly said, "It would be best if she could come home once a month." She believed this would help prepare her for an educational environment.
I understood her thoughts; she preferred not to see our daughter for as long as possible.
Xiao Ran sat cross-legged on the sofa opposite us, her head lowered as she quietly listened to our ongoing argument.
"Xiao Ran, what do you think? What kind of school do you want to go to? Dad respects your wishes." Even with my eloquence, I couldn't win against Liu Ya's nonsensical arguments, so I turned my gaze toward the center of our dispute, hoping she could give me some support.
Xiao Ran slightly lifted her thin eyelids, her gaze only reaching the height of the coffee table. She didn't look at us but coldly said, "Whatever," before lowering her eyelids again and staring blankly at the lace on her knees.
Her attitude sent a shiver down my spine; she was only six years old—how could she be so composed?
Goodness, she should be full of energy and chatter.
Seeing this, I couldn't tolerate her continuing to wilt like this any longer and decisively declared, "She will be a day student; she cannot stay at school!"
Liu Ya held her breath in silence for a while before storming upstairs in frustration.
I thought this matter was settled; however, that night Liu Ya took concrete action against me.
"Our class is about to move up to senior year; the workload is heavy. It’s really inconvenient for me to commute back and forth. After school starts, I will move into the school dormitory," she said seriously at the dining table in front of me, Xiao Ran, and the nanny.
"You..." I glanced at Xiao Ran; she had her head down as if wishing to bury her face in the bowl while the nanny gently stroked her back.
"You take her back to her room," I told the nanny.
"Okay," the nanny quickly stood up and led Xiao Ran, who had barely eaten three bites of food, back to her room.
"What do you mean by this?" I faced Liu Ya. "What do you think Xiao Ran will feel about your actions?"
"What’s wrong with me? Am I wrong for nurturing future talents for our country? Am I wrong for doing my utmost to help students get into good universities?"
"What did Xiao Ran do wrong?" I glared at Liu Ya.
She met my gaze fiercely, breathing heavily, grinding her teeth for a while before finally voicing her thoughts, "She is your child, and that's a mistake! Giving birth to her is just a curse that tortures me into submission to you. You used her to drive my mother away and manipulate me; isn't that wrong? What do you think of the Liu Family? My father supported you so much back then, and what about you? Ungrateful and maliciously toying with our family, you're nothing but a white-eyed wolf!"
I suppressed the urge to strike her with my right hand, but I couldn't stay in the same space with her any longer. I slammed the dishes down and stormed out, "Do whatever you want!"
Once again, we parted on bad terms.
Liu Ya has her mental block, and I have my pride, so when she moved into the teacher's apartment without permission, I didn't stop her.
It's laughable; shortly after we got married, I moved out of Liu Residence to a single apartment. Then, to avoid Xiao Ran, I changed places again before returning to Liu Residence. My mother-in-law was driven away by me, Liu Ya left in anger, and now it was just the two of us—father and daughter—along with the nanny who had been with us for five years.
We were like two homeless migratory birds, resting on branches as leaves fell around us, shivering in the cold.
But I didn't expect the nanny to resign at this time.
"Mr. Xu, I've been working for you for almost five years," she stood in front of me, rubbing the hem of her clothes. "My child has grown up; he's almost taller than me now. In these five years, I've only gone home once during the New Year; my child has become estranged from me."
"Yes, I understand." I was grateful for how dedicated she had been while taking care of Xiao Ran.
"I miss home too. In the first two years, I thought I'd work for a while and then go back, but unexpectedly, I've stayed for five years now. And now that Xiao Ran has grown up... Please don't laugh at me; if it weren't for you and your wife being busy and me worrying about Xiao Ran having no one to care for her, I would have gone back long ago. No matter how good this big city and big house are, they can't compare to my brick house where I feel secure."
"That's true; I understand you." I nodded repeatedly.
"Please don't blame me for talking too much. The other day, I thought city kids have it so good—they eat well and live well; public transport is convenient, and the teachers at school are great. But after living in your house for five years, all I've felt is coldness—deep down coldness. The floor tiles, marble pillars, and even people's hearts are all harder than each other. What pains me most is Xiao Ran; as a mother myself, I can't bear to see a child suffer. But how much has Xiao Ran endured these past few years? Don't be fooled by her silence; she's suffered so much that she can't express it anymore. Unlike other kids who throw tantrums when they feel wronged—she's still so young! In our place, she'd be running around causing mischief every few days; it's the hardest age to manage. But look at Xiao Ran—she's so well-behaved—so well-behaved it makes one afraid..." The nanny wiped her eyes. "Oh dear, look at me rambling on! Alright then, you're busy; I won't disturb you any longer."
I felt heavy-hearted and remained silent for a long time until just as the nanny was about to leave the room, I remembered to call her back. "Wait," I said as I took a card from the drawer, walked around the desk to stand in front of her, and handed it over. "This isn't salary; it's my gratitude for all these years you've taken care of Xiao Ran. Please accept it."
The nanny hesitated briefly before putting the bank card into her pocket and exiting the study.
There were feelings stirred within me—both touched and indebted. But the most pressing question was: what would happen next?
To be honest, at this moment, I regretted not sending Xiao Ran to a closed school.
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