chapter 11
"Sister-in-law? What's going on?" Mei Zhao frowned.
Pang Jiao's expression froze.
Uncle Liu said, "She was the one who said she was your relative."
Song Yao nodded. Afraid that Mei Zhao wouldn't believe her, she added, "...When the bombs fell, you were the one who saved Yu Yong."
Originally, only Mei Zhao and Yu Yong knew about this. When Song Yao said this, Mei Zhao believed most of it.
He looked at Pang Jiao solemnly.
"How do we know if you heard it from an unverified source?" Pang Jiao felt guilty.
"That child is a boy with a black birthmark on the left side of his back. Also, Captain Mei, don't you think that the child looks 90% like Yu Yong?" Song Yao said anxiously.
Mei Zhao was silent. Pang Jiao still wanted to explain, but Mei Zhao glared at her.
Just like that, Song Yao followed Mei Zhao to their residence. When she reached the door, Song Yao heard the ear-piercing cries of a baby. Her heart instantly felt like it was being twisted by a knife.
After entering, Song Yao carried the child in front of the nursery bed.
It had been a long time since he felt his mother's aura. The child really stopped fussing.
He hugged Song Yao's neck tightly, as if he was afraid of being abandoned by his mother.
"You left the child alone in the house?" Mei Zhao pulled Pang Jiao out of the hall.
Pang Jiao said aggrievedly, "I thought the part-timers would be here soon, so I went to look for you."
"Then what's wrong with this child?" Mei Zhao restrained his anger. "Didn't you say that he was adopted from a welfare institute?"
Pang Jiao was speechless. She pursed her lips and said impatiently, "Yes, it's my fault, alright? Yu Yong wants to use his child to repay your kindness. Let me be frank. Would you be willing to adopt this child? Moreover, he's your friend's child after all. He has a clear foundation. Doesdn't it save us a lot of trouble?"
"You!" Mei Zhao was shocked. He couldn't believe that his wife would say such a thing.
But in the end, he couldn't bear to scold his wife. He returned to the house and personally apologized to Song Yao. "I'm sorry. If I had known in advance that this was Yu Yong's child, I definitely wouldn't have dared to take the child away without asking Sister-in-law. I was too dense to make you and your child separate for so long. I'm really sorry."
Song Yao hugged the child in silence. This farce had almost caused the separation of mother and son. She couldn't tell him that it was fine.
"I want my son back. Captain Mei won't stop me, right?" Song Yao tightened her grip on the child.
"Of course," Mei Zhao said.
Pang Jiao could no longer maintain her expression. If Mei Zhao did this, then what was the point of her coming all the way here to bring back a son for him?
However, she did not want to cause a scene with Mei Zhao in front of outsiders.
Especially when she was arguing with Mei Zhao in front of a country bumpkin like Song Yao. This made her seem very uneducated.
"I'm sorry, Sister-in-law. When Yu Yong brought the child to me, he said that his family approved of it. That's why I dared to bring the child back. I didn't know that he didn't ask for your opinion." Pang Jiao tucked her hair behind her ear. "If you don't mind, bring these along so that Mei Luo can have something to eat on the way home."
Hearing the name Mei Luo, Song Yao couldn't help but frown.
Her Baby Xuan had a new name after being separated from her for a few days. Moreover, Pang Jiao's words were so polite, but they were like thorns.
What did she mean by Yu Yong agreeing to take Xuanbao's entire family away? No one had asked for her opinion on this matter at all.
Song Yao held the child and felt bitter.
Then, he looked at Pang Jiao.
At this moment, she was smiling as she brought the prepared milk powder and baby toys to Song Yao in a plastic bag.
She looked at the colorful cotton-padded jacket she was wearing as asked for a child like a jealous woman.
Song Yao finally understood why Yu Yong had betrayed her in her dream.
Faced with the things Pang Jiao handed over, Song Yao refused bluntly. "I brought all these things. Can I take my child away now?"
She did not want to stay here any longer.
However, Mei Zhao said, "Sister-in-law, don't worry about the child. We won't pester you too much. It's just that Sister-in-law came all the way to the county city. Aren't you going to rest for a day before going back?"
Song Yao refused, and Mei Zhao continued, "There's still an empty room in our team. There's a heater and a place to wash up."
Song Yao still wanted to refuse, but when she looked at Mei Zhao's sincere gaze, her attitude was clearly worlds apart from Pang Jiao's.
If she refused again, this person might even follow her back to apologize...
Song Yao was most afraid that this would affect her future plans, so she could only agree and set off the next day.
It was also because of her that something happened in the village.
Song Yao's aunt went home and told Song Yao's parents about Yu Yong taking the child away.
When they heard that their daughter had been wronged by her in-laws', they ignored the fact that the two families were three mountains apart and went straight to the Yu family to demand an explanation.
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chapter 12
"This is outrageous! This is absolutely outrageous!"
Chen Lian shouted at a woman. The neighbors came out to mediate the fight. The two of them were probably still fighting.
"Pfft! I think you're the one who wants to rebel! I'm the one who brought your youngest son to give him away. Are you willing? What right do you have to take my daughter's child away?!" Song Yao's mother, Gu Li, had messy hair and five red marks on her face. She was still pointing at her in-laws and scolding them angrily.
Chen Lian was not in a good state either. Her lips were pale as she sat on the threshold and panted heavily. "At most, we'll have another child. What's there to be noisy about!"
"Give birth to another child? It's not that easy!" Gu Li was even angrier when she heard this. If not for someone stopping her, she would have fought Chen Lian to death.
Moreover, she only came today to demand an explanation.
As long as the Yu family sincerely brought the child back and apologized to Song Yao, their two families could still surround each other.
However, she had just come to the Yu family to mention this when Chen Lian started to say that her daughter was pretentious.
That was not the case. Gu Li did not know that her daughter had to work in the fields in less than a week after her confinement. The land that was supposed to be given to her daughter in the village was now under Chen Lian's control.
There was also Yu Yong. His wife had gone to look for her son and her whereabouts were unknown. Yu Yong had yet to appear.
He even said that he was going to work in the fields now, so he could rest assured!
In her anger, Gu Li only said a few words on behalf of her daughter before Chen Lian picked up the broom and chased her out.
Before she could get an explanation, Gu Li, who had been met with a broom, directly fought Chen Lian.
The commotion was so loud that it quickly attracted the neighbors.
Gu Li was not afraid of blowing things up, but Chen Lian's face turned pale when she saw the people around her.
Everyone in the village knew that Yu Yong had taken the child away.
Chen Lian felt embarrassed and forced herself to say angrily, "In-law, if you continue to be unreasonable, I think we can forget about being a family!"
With that, she returned to her courtyard and slammed the iron fence shut.
"What do you mean by that?" Gu Li roared behind her.
However, the neighbor stopped her. "Song Yao's mother, Song Yao and Yu Yong still have to live in the future. Now that Song Yao hasn't returned, you're making her mother-in-law so angry that she's forcing the two of them to divorce. Wouldn't that be breaking up the couple?"
"Then my daughter should be wronged for no reason?" Gu Li could not hold back her tears.
She just wanted to find an explanation for her daughter. Now, she had become a mother who did not know the big picture.
Song Yao's father and brother had been waiting for her at the station in town for five days.
At the mention of this, she recalled that when she was delivering food to Father Song previously, she had unintentionally found out that her daughter had encountered human traffickers when she went to town to look for her son. The in-laws had not mentioned this matter at all.
Gu Li patted her chest and wanted to vent her anger. However, for the sake of her daughter, she endured it and could only give up and go home first.
Song Yao, who was far away in Sang Qiu City, did not dare to relax either.
Mei Zhao had just delivered food to the mother and son, but Song Yao did not dare to eat it. She only ate some dry food left from the train.
After washing up with Baby Xuan in her arms, she wiped her body and took a breather.
Yu Xuan, who was lying on the bed, did not see his mother and started to sob uneasily again. Song Yao put down the rag she had just washed and ran over. She hugged the child and patted his butt gently. Only when she fed him milk did Yu Xuan's cries gradually subsided.
Song Yao looked at the sleeping Yu Xuan in her arms and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. She sighed heavily and couldn't help but cry.
"Baby Xuan, it's all my fault. I didn't protect you well..."
The sound of crying could be heard from outside the corridor.
In the darkness, someone came down the stairs with a flashlight. He could not help but be stunned when he heard the cries in the house.
In the dormitory, only Song Yao's room was still lit.
"Captain Zuo?" Mei Zhao, who was still sitting at the staircase, saw someone coming down and quickly put out the cigarette in his hand.
The man called "Captain Zuo" sized him up and frowned. "Smoking is not allowed in the team. Don't do it again."
"There won't be a next time, Captain." Mei Zhao scratched his head. There was a food box beside him.
"You haven't eaten?"
Mei Zhao's expression became uneasy at his former captain's question. He sighed and said, "It's not mine. I want to give it to Sister-in-law."
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chapter 13
Before Mei Zhao joined the army and became the captain, he and Yu Yong's captain was actually Zuo Huo.
Later, when Zuo Huo was promoted, Mei Zhao applied to the army under Zuo Huo's recommendation and was appointed as the captain. Later, he was discharged from the army due to his injuries and stayed in the production team.
Recently, Zuo Huo had come to their production team to do something. The two of them had originally planned to have a small gathering, but they did not expect something to happen to Mei Zhao's family. Helpless, he could only reject Zuo Huo's invitation.
"The sister-in-law you're talking about is Yu Yong's wife?" Zuo Huo frowned and asked as he looked at the lit house.
Mei Zhao pursed his lips and nodded with difficulty.
He knew that family scandals could not be aired in public, but he still trusted Captain Zuo's character, so he told him everything that had happened today.
The two of them sat by the basketball court of the production team. Zuo Huo listened attentively and did not say a word.
After Mei Zhao finished speaking, he remained silent for a while before saying, "She came alone to get the child back?"
Mei Zhao nodded.
"This is indeed Yu Yong's fault." Zuo Huo placed his hands on his knees and placed his palms together.
His expression was especially solemn at this moment. When he fell silent again, it was suddenly like the last calm before the storm.
Knock knock.
At this moment, Song Yao was in a daze with the child in her arms. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
The sky was already completely dark, and it was time for the production team to get off work. Song Yao was afraid that there would be bad people, so she was so vigilant that she did not dare to open the door.
The child in her arms woke up at this moment.
However, this time, Yu Xuan only kicked and grabbed Song Yao's clothes.
He opened his dark eyes and stared at Song Yao. He cried a few times but did not cry or make a fuss.
His small hands pulled out the creases on Song Yao's clothes, as if he was afraid that his mother would abandon him again.
"Baby Xuan, be good. Mommy is here," Song Yao said softly and patted his butt to comfort him.
Seeing that no one answered the door, she asked, "Is Comrade Song Yao inside?"
A hearty female voice came from outside the door—
"I'm Ning Yuan, an employee of the production team. I live in the dormitory next to yours. Captain Mei asked me to send you something."
When Song Yao heard that it was Mei Zhao, she couldn't help but hug Yu Xuan tightly. She thought that Mei Zhao was going back on his word and wanted to exchange something for the child. She said nervously, "Thank you, but please tell him that I don't lack anything. Please send his things back tomorrow."
"Don't be afraid. The captain and I don't have any other intentions. You don't have to open the door. I've stuffed something in for you. Take it," Ning Yuan said from outside the door. Then, she stuffed a small piece of paper into the crack of the door below and left.
Song Yao found the green words on the paper familiar and picked it up. When she looked at it again, it was actually a train ticket with a crease.
And it said that the departure time was tomorrow.
Song Yao held the train ticket and fell silent.
This was 45 yuan! Moreover, it was getting late. Mei Zhao must have spent a lot of effort to get someone to send her a train ticket.
Moreover, Mei Zhao had not mentioned anything about getting the child back until now.
It seemed that she had wronged Mei Zhao.
Song Yao hugged Yu Xuan and took out 45 yuan from her clothes and luggage with some difficulty. She was determined to return the ticket money tomorrow.
The next day, she had just packed her luggage and carried Yu Xuan downstairs when Mei Zhao was waiting for her at the door.
"Sister-in-law, did you rest well yesterday?" There was a production team's minivan parked beside Mei Zhao. When he saw Song Yao come down, he greeted her warmly.
When Song Yao saw this, she quickly took out the 45 yuan, but Mei Zhao rejected her several times.
"I asked someone to buy this ticket. The other party didn't ask for my money. Sister-in-law, you don't have to mind," Mei Zhao said truthfully.
"I see..." Song Yao held the money in her hand.
At this moment, Mei Zhao said, "It's getting late. Let me send you to the train station."
This way, Song Yao wouldn't have the chance to secretly return the money.
Just as she was about to refuse, Mei Zhao said, "It's fine. This is the production team's car. I've also discussed it with Pang Jiao. Just take it that I'm compensating you on her behalf."
Song Yao did not want to be entangled with them in the first place, so she could only thank them and follow Mei Zhao into the car.
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chapter 14
Along the way, she saw many stalls set up in the snow on the streets. It was only eight in the morning, and many people were piling up on the side of the street to buy things, blocking the way out of the truck.
The truck moved very slowly, and Song Yao had a chance to see the scene outside the window.
She realized that almost all the people here used cash to buy things. There were very few tickets.
Song Yao's village was relatively backward. Very few people had cash, and they had to use tickets for their daily expenses.
Buying meat and cloth required tickets. Different tickets could be exchanged for the corresponding supplies and ingredients from the town's purchasing center, but the items that could be exchanged were still very scarce.
Song Yao looked at the dazzling array of goods on the street that was almost nonexistent in the village. She suddenly had a bold idea.
Could she sell the good things in the county to the countryside? That way, while benefiting the people, she could also make a small fortune herself.
Song Yao planned in her heart. They had arrived at the train station unknowingly.
After Mei Zhao parked the truck and got out, Song Yao took the opportunity to place the 45 yuan on the driver's seat.
She turned around and saw that the car door beside her had also been opened.
The driver's seat of the truck was a distance away from the ground. It was not convenient for Song Yao to carry Yu Xuan out of the truck, but with Mei Zhao's help, it was not that difficult.
Moreover, Mei Zhao's actions were very measured. He did not go overboard.
Song Yao's impression of Mei Zhao changed after this incident.
"Captain Mei, you can drop me off here. Thank you for today. Go back and get busy," Song Yao said politely with a smile on her face.
Mei Zhao waved goodbye to her and returned to the car.
At this moment, he saw the cash rolled up in the driver's seat. He was stunned for a moment before he suddenly shook his head with a smile.
After he returned to the production team, he handed the money to Zuo Huo and smiled. "How did you know that Sister-in-law would exchange the money back?"
"I guessed." Zuo Huo put the money back into his pocket.
Mei Zhao saw that he was still staring at the street in a daze and patted his shoulder. "You apologized to me on your ticket back today. What about you?"
Zuo Huo stuffed his hands into the pockets of his military coat and raised his eyebrows as he looked back at Mei Zhao. "Have a drink first."
On the train.
Song Yao took the ticket and searched for a seat for a while. She carried the child and walked through a few carriages, but she could not find the corresponding seat on the ticket. In the end, she was led to the corresponding point by the train attendant.
Only after arriving did Song Yao realize that there was something wrong with this ticket.
The train attendant smiled and led her into a narrow workshop corridor. Then, she pulled open the door of the green box beside the corridor. What greeted Song Yao's eyes was a table with a flower pot and a sleeper.
Moreover, there was a window in the middle of the workshop, and Song Yao could see the scene outside the train.
This ticket was actually for a single room in the train?
Song Yao stood outside the corridor for a long time in disbelief.
"Ma'am, is there anything you're not satisfied with?" the train attendant asked when she didn't move.
Song Yao quickly shook her head when she heard this, but she was not convinced. "This is the seat on the ticket. Isn't it a seat?"
The attendant smiled. "That's right. Our train is divided into passenger sleepers, sleepers, and single rooms. The prices are all different. Madam, didn't you understand before?"
As she spoke, the train attendant seemed to realize that something was wrong, and her smile froze.
She suspected that Song Yao had stolen the tickets, but she sized up Song Yao. Although she was wearing a flowery cotton-padded jacket, she looked very clean from top to bottom and did not look guilty.
"No, my friend bought this ticket for me. I'm not very sure," Song Yao explained.
When the train attendant heard this, she returned to her previous polite tone. "Then your friend is very considerate to you. He knows that you brought your child and specially chose a single room for you."
Song Yao was flattered. Seeing that the train attendant was about to leave, she hurriedly asked for the real price of the ticket.
"The ticket price for a single room is 100 yuan per ticket," the attendant said.
Song Yao was shocked! Then wouldn't she be taking advantage of the fact that she had only returned 45 yuan?
No, she had to return the money!
But now the train had started.
Song Yao looked out the window and felt uneasy. It was too late to go back and apologize and thank him.
Fortunately, she stayed in a single room with the child in her arms. She planned to send the remaining money back to her hometown after she returned.
The single room here was very warm. Even the sleepers were soft.
When it quieted down, Song Yao could only hear the sound of the train wheels rubbing against the tracks outside.
Yu Xuan's face, which had been pale from the cold when he got into the car, turned rosy at this moment.
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chapter 15
Song Yao placed Yu Xuan in the sleeper while she slept outside. She stroked Yu Xuan's back over and over again until he fell asleep.
At this moment, she felt a sense of security.
The scenery outside the train window kept changing. The frosty window gradually became covered by mist, blurring the scenery outside.
After the voice notification of their destination sounded, Song Yao carried Yu Xuan off the train.
She first went to her aunt's house in the county city to report that she was safe, then went to the bus stop to transfer back to town. When she heard that her father and brother were waiting for her at the bus stop in town, Song Yao did not choose to return home directly. Instead, she searched for the shadows of her family at the bus stop.
At this moment, Gu Li was rushing to town to deliver food to the father and son.
As soon as she entered the station, she saw a familiar figure in the crowd.
Gu Li rubbed her eyes, thinking that she had been blinded by anger. She felt that the woman in the cotton-padded jacket looked a little like her daughter.
The woman really called out to her, "Mom!"
"Song Yao? Song Yao is back!" Gu Li came back to her senses and quickened her pace. She touched her daughter's face in disbelief.
"Yao?" Before Gu Li could rejoice, she saw the child in her arms. She wanted to hug her daughter, but her hands trembled in the air. "It's Baby Xuan. You brought Baby Xuan back!"
Gu Li was surprised and delighted. She quickly took Yu Xuan.
After Yu Xuan left his mother's embrace, his hands danced nervously. He whined twice before crying again.
"Oh my, poor child. Baby Xuan, it's Grandma." Gu Li's heart ached when she saw the child crying in her arms. She could only return it to Song Yao.
Yu Xuan returned to his mother's embrace and hugged his mother tightly. Only then did his crying lessen.
"Isn't this child not afraid of strangers?" Gu Li stroked Yu Xuan's head with heartache.
Song Yao's eyes also revealed worry.
Previously, her Baby Xuan was indeed not afraid of strangers. This time, her Baby Xuan had indeed suffered.
Song Yao sniffed and her eyes turned red. She looked up at Gu Li and finally mustered her courage to say, "Mom, I have something to tell my mother-in-law in person. Can you wait for me? Later... later, I want to go home with you."
Gu Li's hand froze slightly.
When did her daughter become so desperate for permission to go home?
"Yao, you can come home anytime you want. Mom will also make your favorite food from the past. We still have your room," Gu Li said stubbornly.
Separated by Yu Xuan, she hugged Song Yao gently and then let go. "Your father and brother are over there. I have some food with me. We'll go back after eating."
Song Yao's eyes were filled with tears as she nodded vigorously. She carried Yu Xuan in one hand and held her mother's hand in the other. The heat from her palm made her hold her mother's hand tightly.
"Mom, you're here. We didn't see Sister today. A week has passed. Do you think something really happened to her?" Song Yao's younger brother, Song Xiao, and his father, Song Ping, looked a little haggard.
When Song Xiao saw his mother, he immediately ran up to help his mother carry the basket. During this time, he couldn't help but ask Gu Li worriedly.
At this moment, he looked up and saw his sister appear behind his mother. He was stunned for a moment. "Is it Sister? Am I hallucinating?"
"Hey, kid, how long has it been since you last saw your sister and you don't recognize her?" Gu Li grabbed her son's ear when she saw his silly look.
Only then did Song Xiao snapped back to reality from the pain he was feeling. He quickly pushed his mother's hand away and walked around Song Yao with a serious expression, afraid that his sister would be bullied outside.
"Song Xiao, I'm fine. Stop spinning." Song Yao saw that Song Xiao was still as lively as before, sniffed, and burst into laughter.
Song Xiao pushed her to a chair and sat down.
Song Ping, who was still looking around, turned around and saw that the entire family was gathered. He raised his head and blinked. Without anyone noticing, he secretly wiped his tears and came to the family with a peaceful expression.
"Dad." Song Yao wanted to stand up when she saw Song Ping, but Song Ping pushed her back to her seat.
"It's good that you're back. You've worked hard too. Sit down quickly. If you encounter any grievances along the way, tell me. I'll avenge you!" Song Ping said indignantly.
"That's right. If you feel wronged, don't bear it alone. It's not good for your health. Tell Mom and Dad." Gu Li put down the basket of food and refilled Song Yao's food.