When she opened the door, Rainy was cowering in a corner with her dolly. She dared not talk to her mother. Her mother had been so upset and fierce earlier, and she was afraid of getting hit. Even though her mother had never raised a hand against her, she was still scary when she got angry.
Walking over, Xia Ruoxin reached out towards Rainy.
Rainy climbed down the bed with Dolly and ran over barefoot. She clung to her mother's legs.
"Mommy, Rainy was wrong." She knew that admitting her mistakes was the most important thing.
Xia Ruoxin picked her daughter up, set her on the sofa, and wiped her tiny feet.
"And where were you wrong?" She asked as she picked up the socks from the side and put them on her daughter. They had to go get some crockery, or else they would not be able to eat dinner. That d*mned man!
"Wrong?" Rainy bit her fingers as she wrapped her hands around her mother coyly. "Mommy, Rainy should not have done the dishes together with dumb Uncle. Uncle was dumb. He couldn't even hold the plates properly and broke all of them."
Xia Ruoxin patted her daughter's head. This was a good opportunity to teach the girl a lesson. She had been getting more brazen and daring recently.
"Remember, don't enter the kitchen in the future. There's a lot of dangerous things in there. If you do go there, it's together with Mommy, okay?"
"En, okay," Rainy promised as she patted herself on her chest. She dared not go near that dumb Uncle again. She was getting lectured by her mother because of him.
"Come, put on your shoes." Xia Ruoxin picked up the girl's shoes and put them on.
Rainy reached out her feet and place them above her mother's. Even though it was not the most comfortable, she had better control of them now that she was older.
Xia Ruoxin put the shoes on for her daughter and arranged the child's clothes. When she looked at the clock, it was getting a little late.
"Let's go." She picked up her bag and held her daughter's hand to go to the supermarket nearby. She needed to replace the missing crockery.
However, by the time she left the house, the man's car was still there; and so was he.
Chu Lui stepped out of the car, smelling very lemony. It was from the detergent from earlier.
It was a lot to ask of him.
"Ruoxin, where are you going? I'll send you there."
"No thanks." Xia Ruoxin walked away with her daughter. Instead of leaving, the man followed behind them.
He moved when they moved and stopped when they did, too.
Rainy held her dolly in one hand and took her mother's in her other as she stumbled along. She looked around curiously, with a beaming smile. At least, until she realized that Chu Lui was following them.
She then reached out and waved at the man.
The man waved back confusedly.
At the entrance of the supermarket, Xia Ruoxin picked her daughter up and placed her in the cart. Rainy seemed to like sitting in the carts. Whenever she was here, her mother would buy her lots of delicious things.
However, she was obedient. She knew that life was tough for Mommy, and she never asked for anything.
"Let's go." Xia Ruoxin pinched her daughter's face. "Shall we buy you some nice things today?"
"Yes," Rainy replied with a smile as her grip on her dolly tightened.
Chu Lui followed along. His aura and attire made him stand out in the supermarket.
People like him belonged to shopping malls and hotels. He should be eating expensive steak, paired with imported wines. He stuck out in the supermarket.
Chu Lui felt out of place here. Due to his busy work schedule, he usually had people who did his shopping for him. He could not remember the last time he went to a supermarket. It was probably when he was studying abroad. Even so, that was a rather rare occurrence. He felt his mind go blank the moment he stepped in. He could only keep his eye on the mother and daughter, or else he would not have known where to go.
Xia Ruoxin pushed her daughter to the crockery section. She picked out two bowls and a couple of plates. She was about to leave but decided to pick out two more bowls. She had a feeling that they would have a shortage of crockery at home.
Rainy sat in the trolley obediently, swinging her feet. She looked up and around curiously, her delicate features catching a number of people's attention.
They all admired the beauty and obedience of the child. She did not whine or make a ruckus like the other kids did.
However, when they tried to take a closer look, they would receive a cold glare. They would see a tall man in a suit narrowing his cold eyes when they turned. He looked like he was ready to attack at any moment.
After a while, the people around Xia Ruoxin decreased. No matter how daring, they kept their distance from the mother and daughter. The man's eyes were too menacing.
Xia Ruoxin picked out a few more bowls and placed them in the cart. She did not notice anything. When she was done and ready to leave, a hand reached out from behind her.
"Let me help. It's heavy."
She had been aware of the man's presence the whole time. She glanced plainly at him. He looked sincere and open, which made it hard for one to turn him down. However, she knew it was all a farce.
Then again, the trolley was rather heavy, and she could use the help.
"Hi, Uncle." Rainy greeted Chu Lui politely.
"Hi, Rainy." Chu Lui patted his daughter on her head. Her greeting made his heart ache. She was his daughter, his only daughter; but he could only watch as she addressed him as Uncle and called another man her father.