Chapter Three: If You Love Mom, You Must Go on the Show

Ignoring her son’s protests, she grasped his hand, walked to the corner of the room, bent down to scoop her little daughter into her arms, and left.

Inside, Su Wanning carefully examined her daughter's injuries. She had studied medicine at university, and thankfully her expertise had not faded. She could tell that her daughter had fallen unconscious due to prolonged malnutrition and abuse.

“Remember this: ten grams each of codonopsis, white peony root, angelica, and poria. Then add…” Su Wanning fluently listed the ingredients, then instructed the maid with utmost care, “You must simmer them over a gentle flame, then bring the decoction up for Nian Nian to drink.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the maid replied, turning away with the prescription in hand, though she couldn’t help but worry if there might be poison in the mixture…

Her son Qin Sui wasn’t faring much better; his body was covered in bruises, his hands full of calluses, and, most noticeably, he was much shorter than other children his age—severely malnourished.

“From today on, the two of them are to have three hearty meals a day, plus extra snacks. I’ll provide the meal plans,” she instructed, then had someone clean her daughter’s wounds before taking Qin Sui’s hand and leading him downstairs.

The meal passed in silence. Su Wanning relished the food, her gaze catching the guilty look in the boy’s eyes across from her.

Qin Sui’s bright eyes peered at her over the rim of his bowl, stealing glances as he continuously observed her. The woman across from him seemed like a completely different person, treating him with such kindness—there had to be a catch!

Suddenly remembering something, he put down his chopsticks, jumped off his chair, and ran to the kitchen. Soon, he returned with a plate of oddly shaped little cakes.

“For me? Did you make this?” Su Wanning raised her brows as she looked at the misshapen cakes before her.

Qin Sui nodded silently. Su Wanning felt a rush of warmth in her heart and reached out to ruffle his hair.

“Sui Sui, you’re so sweet. Mommy is really touched.”

Had her cheap son grown up already?

Her tone grew even gentler at the thought. “You eat, darling. Mommy’s fine with her meal, but you have to eat plenty to grow strong.”

She praised herself inwardly—she really did have a natural motherly glow. Be a little kinder to the kids, and they’d let bygones be bygones.

Little did she know, Qin Sui was furrowing his brows, locked in an inner battle.

It was true he’d made the cakes, but he’d added something to them...

He glanced up at the old witch’s smiling face. To avoid arousing suspicion, he picked up a cake and, with the air of one bravely facing doom, stuffed it into his mouth.

Live or die, he’d accept his fate! The cake, tainted with medicine, tasted odd. As he chewed, he wondered: Did the old witch know about the drug and deliberately avoid eating it?

Better to keep his distance from her.

“Ahem… I’m full, I’m going to play with my toys.”

Su Wanning was still basking in daydreams of taking her son and daughter onto a reality show and winning over a wave of fans. She waved him off absentmindedly.

How could she bring these two little ancestors onto the show? Based on past experience, if she asked directly, they’d surely refuse. She’d have to think of a strategy, perhaps something more roundabout.

After the meal, the medicine was ready. The maid came to report that her daughter, Qin Nian, had woken up.

Su Wanning brought the medicine to see her. Qin Nian, upon seeing her, was clearly still afraid, her starry eyes filled with panic. But if one looked closely, there was a glimmer of hope in their depths.

At that gaze, Su Wanning’s heart seemed to melt, and her voice softened instinctively.

“Nian Nian, it’s time for your medicine. Once you take it, you’ll get better.”

The gentle address was something the little girl had never heard before. She froze, then broke into a sudden smile. “Okay! Nian Nian will be good and take her medicine. Thank you, Mommy.”

Su Wanning smiled and patiently fed her daughter the bitter decoction, spoonful by spoonful. She herself had drunk many of these herbal remedies while studying, but for her daughter, she made sure not a single spoonful was missed.

Feeling a pang of pity, Su Wanning, once the bowl was empty, took out a candy from her pocket.

“Here, eat this. It’ll take away the bitterness.”

“Mm!” Qin Nian obediently opened her mouth, letting Su Wanning place the candy inside. She beamed, her face lighting up with sweetness.

“So sweet! It’s delicious! If only I could always have candy like this!”

That innocent remark betrayed the hardships she’d endured before. Su Wanning looked at her with a heart full of sorrow.

Su Wanning quietly sighed, then, remembering her purpose, turned to her innocent daughter and began her gentle persuasion.

“Darling Nian Nian, do you love Mommy? Would you like our whole family to travel the world together?”

She held up the jar of candies, continuing, “If you love Mommy, I’ll let you have all the sweetest candies.”

Qin Nian’s eyes immediately sparkled as she nodded enthusiastically. “I love Mommy! I want to go out together!”

Su Wanning smiled, her plan falling into place. “Then, Nian Nian, if Mommy gives you all the candies, what will you give Mommy?”

Seeing the little one’s blank and confused look, Su Wanning prompted, “Sweetheart, would you be willing to go with Mommy to join a show?”

“A show? Mommy, you want to take me to your work? Can we really go?” The little girl’s big eyes shone with curiosity.

“Of course we can. Mommy will take you and your brother together, and when the show is over, I’ll make sure you’re both chubby and healthy, and then we’ll travel the world…”

“Yay, yay!” Just the thought of it filled Qin Nian with longing, and she nodded without hesitation.

Success!

“And remember, Mommy wants to surprise your brother. Until Mommy announces it, this is our secret. No telling, okay?”

Before putting her daughter to bed, Su Wanning didn’t forget to remind her.

Compared to her naïve daughter, her son would be a tougher nut to crack.

From her memories, Su Wanning knew her son was precocious, highly intelligent, fond of reading scientific journals, and even a hacker—he loved anything challenging.

But that was no problem for her. She went straight to the mall, braced herself, and bought a trove of limited-edition science books and rare model kits.

When she returned home laden with shopping bags, Sui Sui came downstairs to greet her. Seeing the toys in her hands, his face lit up with joy.

“Madam, something’s wrong!” a maid rushed over anxiously.

“What’s happened?”

“The young master suddenly started vomiting and having diarrhea, and now he’s severely dehydrated!”