Gu Wan Appears

She instinctively shielded Xiao Han tightly in her arms, while she herself crashed hard against the brick wall beside them.

"Ah..." Du Yue Rao gasped, a sharp pain radiating from her waist, causing her brows to furrow.

The child from just now had also tumbled to the ground from the impact, but he didn't care about the pain and scrambled up immediately.

The boy rushed over, pushed Du Yue Rao away forcefully, and snatched his brother from her arms.

He used his small body to shield his brother, his large eyes filled with vigilance as he gritted his teeth and said, "You bad woman! Don't touch my brother!"

The one who had just spoken was Du Yue Rao's second son, Gu Ying Ming.

Gu Ying Ming and Gu Ying Han were identical twins, sharing a ninety percent facial resemblance, both possessing very delicate features. However, due to long-term malnutrition, they only had large, prominent eyes on their thin faces.

Though they looked identical, their temperaments were polar opposites.

True to their names, Gu Ying Han was as cold as ice, while Gu Ying Ming was like a crackling firecracker—fiery and easily ignited.

Du Yue Rao tried to compose herself. Remembering how Gu Ying Ming had fallen from charging too hard, she quickly stood up and asked with concern, "Xiao Ming, does it hurt anywhere?"

"You wicked woman, don't pretend to be nice! Daddy isn't here right now, stay away from us!"

Gu Ying Ming was like a bristling wolf pup, shielding his brother, his eyes full of wariness as if driving away an enemy.

"Xiao Han..."

Before the medicine could take effect, Xiao Han's pale, tender face still bore traces of pain.

Du Yue Rao gently reached out to check his forehead temperature, but Gu Ying Ming slapped the back of her hand away forcefully.

The boy glared at her in anger.

That defensive, resentful look from the two children made Du Yue Rao's chest tighten. She could only continuously reassure them, trying to make herself clear: "Xiao Ming, Mommy will never treat you like before again."

She knew she couldn't expect the children to believe her right away, but she would definitely prove her words with actions.

Du Yue Rao lowered her voice, gently soothing Gu Ying Ming's emotions: "Xiao Ming, your brother has a high fever. We must bring it down immediately, otherwise it will damage his brain."

Hearing about brain damage, Gu Ying Ming burst into tears out of fear. He tried to bite his lip, tears streaming down his small face, but he still refused to believe her words.

While the standoff remained unresolved, the main gate was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

A worried female voice rang out, "Sister-in-law! If there's anything, let's talk nicely. Don't make things hard for the children!"

Du Yue Rao turned her head toward the voice and saw a thin figure with a noticeably protruding belly running in, looking both frail and hurried.

It was Gu Si's younger sister and the twins' aunt, Gu Wan.

Based on the original host's memories, Du Yue Rao knew Gu Wan was a gentle and kind woman. Because her first child was a girl, her life in her patriarchal in-laws' house was extremely difficult.

Coupled with her weak, easily bullied personality, she had to work just as hard as the men to make ends meet.

Because she was pregnant, she couldn't do heavy labor lately and was oppressed by her in-laws to the point of not having enough to eat. Occasionally, she could only bring her child to the Gu family home to seek temporary refuge.

Over the years, it was thanks to Gu Wan's quiet assistance that the two children had barely managed to grow up.

Gu Wan's clothes were old and stained with dust. She had just finished her shift when she heard people saying her sister-in-law had secretly met with another man, got caught, and tried to commit suicide in a fit of despair. Fearing something had happened to the two children, she had rushed back home.

Sure enough, the moment Gu Ying Ming saw her, he found his support and burst into tears, rushing over to hug her leg.

"Auntie! That wicked woman is trying to kill my brother!"

"What happened?" Seeing Gu Ying Han lying motionless on the ground, Gu Wan's heart instantly clenched, fearing she had arrived a step too late.

She quickly supported her pregnant belly and limped over to her nephew.

Seeing that Gu Ying Han's complexion was off, Gu Wan told Gu Ying Ming to quickly go fetch his father.

Meanwhile, she knelt down, wiping her tears while trembling as she touched the boy's forehead.

Gu Wan was of a gentle disposition and rarely spoke harsh words, but this time, she really couldn't hold back anymore.