After gently cleaning the wound with gauze, Xu Yinchen carefully sprinkled red antiseptic powder over it and said, "It'll sting a little."
He then wrapped a white bandage around her hand to keep it from getting wet or injured again.
Qin Lian noticed how gentle and careful he was, the bandage secured with neat precision, nothing like the loose, awkward one on her head. She couldn't help but realize she now had bandages on two parts of her body.
Once he was done, he closed the first aid box, set it aside, and turned to Xu Shen. "Take your brothers upstairs and study. I need to talk to—"
He paused mid-sentence. The words "your mother" hovered on his tongue, but he changed his mind. Glancing at Qin Lian with a complicated look, he said, "Go upstairs and study."
Xu Shen frowned, clearly unwilling to leave. But seeing Xu Yinchen's serious expression, he swallowed his protest.
Without saying anything, he took Xu Wei and Xu Hao upstairs. Before leaving, he made sure to take the first-aid box with him as well.
As he walked off, he gave Qin Lian a shy glance, then reluctantly followed his brothers upstairs.
Qin Lian watched them leave, her expression calm and reassuring. After they were gone, she turned to Xu Yinchen and asked, "What is it? Did something happen?"
Xu Yinchen didn't respond right away. The words of Huang Zedong and Wen Zian echoed in his mind, one after another.
But the girl in front of him… she didn't match those rumors. Her calmness, her quiet demeanor, the feeling she gave off—it was completely different.
Who should he believe?
He hesitated for a moment, but Qin Lian didn't rush him. She just sat there, waiting quietly.
Finally, he asked, "While I wasn't home… Did something happen?"
He had noticed it the moment he came in. Xu Wei's shirt was wrinkled, his neck had faint red marks, his wrist looked bruised, and there was the smell of medicinal oil.
Even Xu Hao's eyes looked swollen, like he had cried. Something had definitely happened while he was away.
Qin Lian raised her brows. She didn't need to ask to know what this was about. So that woman had already run crying to him?
She didn't bother hiding it. Her voice carried a sharp edge of sarcasm. "Why? Did that woman go running to you, saying I slapped her? That I tortured her?"
Xu Yinchen didn't react to her tone. He just nodded, his expression unreadable. "Yes. That's why I came. I wanted to hear your side of the story."
Qin Lian felt something shift inside her chest, surprise, perhaps? So… he didn't blindly believe Huang Zedong's words? He actually came to ask her?
Well. That was unexpected.
"Yes," she said bluntly, meeting his gaze without flinching. "I did slap her."
Xu Yinchen's brows drew together slightly. Her directness caught him off guard, but he said nothing, waiting.
"After breakfast, while I was taking a bath, that woman came." Qin Lian's voice grew colder with each word. "She saw the groceries you bought this morning and flew into a rage. Started screaming at the children, calling them little beggars for daring to eat meat buns."
Her hands clenched at her sides. "She grabbed Xu Wei by the collar and yanked him so hard he fell from his chair. Then she tried to snatch the food from their hands."
She paused, her throat tightening. Heat rushed to her face as she glanced at him, then away.
"And she said… unforgivable things about their mother. Vile things. Things no child should ever have to hear." Her voice dropped lower, trembling slightly. "Xu Shen pushed her in anger, trying to protect his brothers. But she went crazy and tried to slap him."
Qin Lian looked at Xu Yinchen cautiously, wanting to see his reaction. She was worried she might see anger at Xu Shen's actions, but all she saw was his cold, indifferent expression, no judgment, just quiet listening.
She lifted her chin. "That's when I stopped her. And yes, I slapped her back. She deserved it."
"I also didn't give her the wages you told me to pay." Her voice turned sharper. "After what she did, not reporting her to the Public Security Bureau was mercy enough. She doesn't deserve a single penny."
Xu Yinchen remained silent, his jaw tightening, but he didn't interrupt.
Qin Lian exhaled slowly. "Comrade Xu, did you know there wasn't a single grain of rice in that kitchen yesterday? Just rotten vegetables and spoiled food. The whole place was filthy, covered in dust, spiderwebs, and insects."
She shook her head bitterly. "You've been paying her sixty yuan a month, plus money for groceries. Yet the children are malnourished, the house is neglected, and the kitchen looks like it hasn't been properly used in months."
Her gaze locked onto his. "She did nothing for those children. Nothing. And she dared to abuse them under your roof."
"So I sent her away empty-handed. That's the truth." She paused, then added quietly, "Now it's up to you. If you want to believe her or me, it's your call."
She didn't know whether he would trust her or not. But she was certain of one thing: if he chose to believe that woman in this situation, she would leave this house for good.
She might be helpless at this moment, might have accepted this marriage exchange out of necessity, but she wasn't so desperate that she'd stay with a man who couldn't see the truth when it was right in front of him.
She'd already made that mistake once with Chen Zhihao. She wouldn't let herself be treated badly again.
For a long time, Xu Yinchen said nothing. The silence made her uneasy, and her thoughts began to race; how she would survive alone in this new world, what plans she would need to make.
Her resolve to leave grew stronger with each passing second. The silence between them stretched on, heavy with unspoken thoughts.
Meanwhile, Xu Yinchen's face darkened. His jaw clenched as he suppressed the surge of anger rising in his chest.
All the odd incidents that had seemed strange before suddenly became crystal clear.
The children were losing weight despite the money he'd been giving to that woman for groceries. The empty kitchen every time he checked. The way the children flinched whenever that woman's name was mentioned. The way they'd grown distant from him, their eyes always guarded, always afraid.
He had thought they were angry at him. That they blamed him for taking them away from their old life. Their house. And they still miss their parents.
But it wasn't the case at all.
They'd been suffering under his own roof, and he hadn't seen it.
"I..." His voice came out rough, almost hoarse. "I didn't know. The children never said anything. They never complained, even when I asked directly."
His hands curled into fists. "I should have noticed. I should have known."
Seeing the guilt and darkness etched across his face, Qin Lian's expression softened. She could tell how ashamed he felt. Letting out a long breath, she reached out and placed a hand on his arm, her touch gentle but grounding.
"Don't feel bad about it," she said quietly. "It's not your fault. You hired her in good faith. She was the one who failed, not you."
Xu Yinchen looked at her, something vulnerable flickering in his usually stoic eyes.
"The children are sensitive and mature for their age," Qin Lian continued, her voice growing gentler. "They were terrified that you would abandon them. That woman used that fear against them, threatened them into silence."
"That's why they couldn't say a word to you, not because they didn't trust you, but because they didn't want to become a burden. Those children were quietly looking out for you," she explained, hoping he would understand how they felt about him.
She paused, choosing her words carefully. "What's done is done. What matters now is healing those wounds. This is a crucial time for them. The pain children experience at this age… it stays with them forever."
Her voice grew quieter, distant, as if speaking from a place of deep understanding. "If they're hurt too deeply now, it will be difficult for them to overcome it later."
Xu Yinchen studied her face, noticing the shadow that passed over her features. There was something in her tone, something personal, something that spoke of old scars she carried herself.
"You should spend more time with them," She added softly. "I know you're busy earning money, providing for them. But they need more than that. They need to know you won't leave them. That they're safe."
She met his gaze, her eyes clear and sincere. "This responsibility is new to you. You're doing your best. But those children… they need to feel like they belong here. Like this is truly their home."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Xu Yinchen nodded slowly, the tension in his shoulders easing just slightly. "You're right," he said quietly. "I'll do better."
Qin Lian smiled faintly. "I know you will."
And for the first time since he had walked through that door, Xu Yinchen felt the tight knot of guilt in his chest begin to loosen.