His tongue instinctively sucked for a moment. So this was what candy tasted like?
In this household, only Li Qiang'an got to eat it.
"It's just so-so. I don't like this flavor."
Children's tastes varied; some liked it, some didn't. No big deal.
He must have inherited his father's strange palate.
Eccentric.
Such things were annoying in adults but more acceptable in children.
"You can only know if you like something after tasting it."
Jiang Yuxu looked up at her. This candy must be expensive. Even if Li Qiang'an said it was bad and wasted it, he'd get scolded.
Could she really be this tolerant?
The hard candy in his mouth didn't have much flavor; he crunched it like food, grinding it into bits.
A bit unpleasant.
Jiang Yuxu sat in the car, next to Bo Xin in the back seat. There was a strange sense of safety around her, so even though he didn't know where they were going, he got in.
After all, he had nothing worth scheming over.
"Where are we going now?"
"The County Federation of Trade Unions."
Jiang Yuxu had never left the village and had never heard of this place; he didn't know what they did there.
The Li family had deliberately kept him in the dark.
He was over a year older than Li Qiang'an but had never attended school. Yet from just a few overheard words, he could do arithmetic that even the adults in the Li family couldn't.
He was too young then to understand the difference bloodlines made.
He only thought that being smarter than Li Qiang'an would earn him praise. As it turned out, he was incredibly naive.
Now, remembering it, he recalled a beating that had hurt.
The car stopped, and his thoughts halted with it. He had never ridden in such a comfortable vehicle; he couldn't help taking another look as he got out.
They had arrived, parked right in front of the door. The bold red and black characters were highly recognizable.
Bo Xin asked, "Can you read? Do you know what it says?"
"Don't underestimate me."
Words often painted on walls and printed in newspapers—how could he not recognize them?
There had been someone willing to teach him, once.
Even if it had been for a short time.
Jiang Yuxu read the name out loud from beginning to end, then felt the gesture was a bit childish, so he changed the subject.
"So what are we actually doing here?"
Bo Xin never thought children should be kept in the dark. When something needed to be said, she said it. Besides, she felt that at his age, he already understood a lot and could think independently.
"Your foster parents died in a mudslide while working. According to policy, there should be a survivors' pension."
That money had all been swallowed by the Li family.
Even though it wasn't much, it annoyed her that it had been taken by people she didn't like. So this time, she was here to settle the matter.
Jiang Yuxu's eyelids twitched. He slowly digested the meaning of her words.
"So you never intended to give the money to the Li family."
Bo Xin snorted, mimicking his tone. "Do I look that stupid to you?"
As for her biological son, she had plenty of ways to gain custody.
Whether through a paternity test or otherwise, it might cost more money, but that money could be spent on hospitals or lawsuits—anything but the Li family.
Because that would make her unhappy.
Coincidentally, the person she brought along was a lawyer.
Because of his background, Bo Xiao had been suppressed growing up, losing his ambition and afraid to do anything that could be labeled speculation or profiteering in those days.
He didn't have the ability either.
So she had simply told him to study, to get an education. A proper, stable job was enough to support a family.
The whole family was satisfied with that.
Bo Xin hadn't paid much attention and didn't know how well he had done, but the way he took charge and slapped his chest, promising to handle everything, seemed credible enough.
"Not only the pension for Yuxu's foster parents but also medical expenses and compensation for emotional distress from harming a minor."
Bo Xin wasn't sure if 'emotional distress damages' existed at this time, but that was the gist—she wanted the Li family to cough up more money.
Bo Xiao wrote everything down. He would go gather whatever documents were missing.