Chapter 490: Destructive Urge
Qin Shanshan and Su Li had once been best friends, as close as sisters. After everything that happened, she was so familiar with Su Li’s voice that she could never forget it.
Like a statue, Qin Shanshan finally stirred after hearing Su Li’s voice.
She lifted her head and looked toward the source of the sound.
With just one glance, her pupils contracted sharply.
She hadn’t misheard. It was Su Li. Wearing a red outfit and a black hat, Su Li came into view, her bright eyes and pearly teeth flashing a radiant smile.
Su Li was holding Little Tang Mo’s hand. Little Tang Mo was dressed just like Su Li in a red outfit and a matching black hat, and he was looking up at her, laughing nonstop.
Su Li and Little Tang Mo were in matching mother-son outfits, complete with identical hats of the same color that Su Li had personally knitted. With their good looks and charming auras, the two of them stood out wherever they went.
Watching Su Li and Little Tang Mo smile at each other, and hearing Little Tang Mo call out "Mama," Qin Shanshan’s face twitched violently.
The monstrous hatred in her eyes seemed to have finally found an outlet, erupting in an instant.
A short distance away, Su Li and Little Tang Mo didn’t notice the intense stare.
"Mama, bend down," Little Tang Mo said, looking at Su Li.
"What is it?" Su Li obediently bent down.
Little Tang Mo took off his gloves and, with a wide grin, pinched Su Li’s cheek.
Su Li’s eyes widened. "Little Mo!"
Little Tang Mo giggled, let go, and then turned and ran.
"Mama, this is what you call tit for tat! You pinched me earlier, so I had to pinch you back!"
"Little Mo!" Su Li shouted, chasing after him. "You’ve become quite the little troublemaker!"
Su Li hadn’t expected Little Tang Mo to trick her into bending down just so he could pinch her cheek. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but she was annoyed enough to give chase.
"Just you wait, Little Mo! I’ll get my revenge!"
Su Li and Little Tang Mo chased each other, playing and roughhousing nonstop. After a great deal of effort, Su Li finally caught Little Tang Mo, successfully pinning him down and starting to pinch his face.
"Pinch, pinch, pinch."
"Mama, ow, let me go," Little Tang Mo whined.
"Hmph, don’t try to trick me. I’m not even using much force. How dare you cry wolf!" Su Li wasn’t falling for it.
Seeing that he couldn’t fool Su Li, Little Tang Mo could only resign himself to begging for mercy.
"Mama, I was wrong! I won’t trick you again. Please let me go, it tickles!"
Su Li didn’t let go. She couldn’t bear to.
"Don’t move, let Mama pinch it a little more. It’s so smooth, it feels so nice."
Su Li pinched Little Tang Mo’s little face, having the time of her life.
Lately, Little Tang Mo had been fancying himself a grown-up. He didn’t kiss Su Li anymore and was too embarrassed to let her kiss him. He barely even let anyone touch his face.
Now that she finally had a chance to pinch his cheeks, she had to make it last a little longer.
On this topic, Su Li and Wu Qihua were definitely on the same page.
’Oh, the kids are growing up so fast. Every time you pinch their cheeks, there’s one less time left to do it!’
Little Tang Mo, of course, had no idea what Su Li was thinking. He couldn’t help but laugh as she pinched him.
"Mama, it really tickles."
Only then did Su Li reluctantly let Little Tang Mo go. "See? I told you to put on your lotion every day. Look how smooth and soft your face is now, and it’s not getting chapped."
Lines of exasperation seemed to form on Little Tang Mo’s face. "Mom, please stop."
’Putting on "lotion"? A boy putting on scented stuff every day isn’t manly at all. But he had to listen to what Su Li said, and having chapped skin really was uncomfortable.’
’But then he’d think about how Su Li and Wu Qihua were always itching to pinch his face, how Wu Sheng had pinched it twice too, and how that Little Tongtong was always trying to touch him and find any way to kiss him. That made him not want to put it on again.’
’Too bad. He didn’t want to, but he had to.’
Little Tang Mo cupped his cheeks and stood up straight, watching Su Li warily. Only when he saw she wasn’t going to make another move did he pick up the hat that had fallen off during their scuffle.
He patted the hat fondly, unable to resist giving the fluffy pom-pom on top a little squeeze.
’Mmm, this was the third hat Su Li had knitted for him. As he grew, he could no longer wear the smaller ones from before.’
’Su Li had knitted a hat for him and one for herself. Then Wu Sheng saw them and got envious, so he insisted on having one too.’
’When Su Li brought them home, Wu Qihua got envious and wanted one as well. In the end... Su Li had knitted four hats.’
’They had basically become family hats.’
"There’s no dust on it, you can just put it on," Su Li couldn’t help but say as she watched Little Tang Mo’s antics.
Little Tang Mo obediently put it on, but Su Li couldn’t help looking around.
’For some reason, she kept feeling like someone was watching her.’
A short distance away, Qin Shanshan nonchalantly lowered her head.
Su Li’s gaze swept past Qin Shanshan, but she didn’t recognize her, huddled inside a gray, padded jacket.
Qin Shanshan had her head down, her face obscured by a scarf, but the main reason Su Li didn’t recognize her was because she was far too thin.
Su Li didn’t know that Qin Shanshan had suffered a miscarriage; she still thought she was back in the Su Family Village, resting during her pregnancy.
Su Li scanned the area, her eyes passing over Qin Shanshan, and noticed nothing out of the ordinary.
"What’s wrong, Mama?" Little Tang Mo immediately asked when he saw her movements. ’Are there bad guys around?’
"It’s nothing." Su Li readjusted Little Tang Mo’s scarf, and then the feeling of being watched returned.
Su Li frowned. Just as she was about to take a closer look, she heard someone call out.
"Su Li! Little Mo!"
It was Wu Qihua’s voice, and Su Li’s attention was immediately diverted.
"Auntie."
"Grandma Wu."
There was a note of closeness in Little Tang Mo’s voice that he himself didn’t realize.
Wu Qihua was panting slightly. "Sorry, I’m late. Let’s go, let’s go."
Wu Qihua was also wearing the same kind of hat as Su Li and her son, though her clothes were different.
"Little Mo, you have to help Grandma win this for me in a bit, okay?"
Wu Qihua and Su Li each took one of Little Tang Mo’s hands as Wu Qihua continued her instructions.
"Okay," Little Tang Mo nodded obediently.
The three of them—Wu Qihua, Su Li, and Little Tang Mo—had arranged to meet at the park today. Besides strolling through the park for some exercise, the main reason was to help Wu Qihua get some satisfaction.
Wu Qihua looked young, but she wasn’t getting any younger. More than half the people her age were already holding their grandchildren—and more than one, at that!
When she got together with these old friends, they used to talk about their sons and husbands, but later the topic shifted to daughters-in-law, sons-in-law, and grandchildren.
This was one topic where Wu Qihua couldn’t keep up, and she was terribly envious every day.
During the New Year, she ran into an old friend, a "Lao Hua," and had to listen to him brag about how amazing his grandson was at chess.
But Wu Qihua had a grandson now, too. Even if he wasn’t officially her grandson just yet, after all this time, she already considered Little Tang Mo her own. So, she let it slip that her future grandson was also very talented.
Lao Hua’s grandson was already ten years old, and he was convinced Little Tang Mo couldn’t possibly be as good as his grandson. One thing led to another, and that resulted in today’s chess match.
Wu Qihua was dead serious about bringing Little Tang Mo to hold her head high and show off her grandson, which was why she couldn’t help but give him a pep talk.
Su Li looked at Wu Qihua’s shining eyes, then at Little Tang Mo’s slightly embarrassed expression, and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
The three of them chatted and laughed as they hurried toward the park’s pavilion, the scene one of joyful and heartwarming harmony.
Watching this scene, Qin Shanshan’s nails dug deep into her palms.