Hearing this, Wen Jiaojiao’s body stiffened. No one knew better than she did just how greedy and insatiable Li Chunhua and her husband were. No amount of money could ever satisfy them.
But how did Auntie Lan know?
Unable to hold back, she cautiously asked, “Auntie, why would you say that? Do you know something?”
A flicker of evasiveness appeared in Liu Lan’s eyes.
“Ah, Li Chunhua has such a mean and selfish face. Even if it isn’t you, any future daughter-in-law of hers will have to suffer under her.”
“Auntie has been through it herself. There are some things I can see more clearly than you can. Listen to me—if you can avoid coming back, then don’t.”
After saying this, Liu Lan suddenly remembered something. She went to the wardrobe and took out a cloth bundle.
It had been tucked away at the very back of the wardrobe. Liu Lan carefully brought it out and took a small stack of paper bills from inside.
Among the five-yuan and one-yuan notes, she pulled out a ten-yuan bill and pressed it into Jiaojiao’s hand.
“Jiaojiao, since you’re leaving today, Auntie won’t go with you. Take this ten yuan. Use some of it to buy your ticket, and keep the rest for spending money once you get to the military.”
“No, Auntie. I have money with me. I can’t take this.” Wen Jiaojiao hurriedly tried to refuse.
Ten yuan was enough to cover a rural family’s expenses for an entire month. There was only one ten-yuan bill in that cloth bundle, which showed just how little money Liu Lan had herself. How could Jiaojiao possibly take it?
“Auntie, I’m already grateful that you gave me the letter of introduction. I really can’t take your money. Your two boys are still young, and they’ll have to pay their tuition for the second half of the year soon. If you give this to me, how will your family manage? I really can’t take it.”
Liu Lan firmly stuffed the money into her pocket.
“Don’t say that to your aunt. This money is for you. Just think of it as a loan. Once you join the military and start earning a salary, you can pay me back.”
“How can I do that?”
Wen Jiaojiao tried to pull the money out, but Liu Lan pressed down on her wrist and wouldn’t let her.
Liu Lan was accustomed to doing farm work, so holding down a young girl like Jiaojiao was effortless.
After struggling for a while, Wen Jiaojiao finally gave up. Her heart was filled with gratitude.
“Auntie, I’ll remember this kindness. Once I earn money in the future, I’ll definitely pay you back twice as much.”
Only after seeing that she had accepted the money did Liu Lan smile.
“As long as you have that determination. Auntie believes you’ll make something of yourself someday!”
In the countryside, people rarely used the words “make something of yourself” when talking about a girl.
Most ordinary girls grew up and got married. After marriage, their lives revolved around firewood, rice, cooking oil, salt, and the kitchen stove. They would simply muddle through life until their days were over.
But joining the military was different. As long as you didn’t make any serious mistakes or get discharged, the state would arrange a job for you. The assigned jobs were respectable and paid fairly well.
And if you were lucky enough to marry an officer, you could completely change your circumstances.
This showed just how precious an opportunity to join the military was for a girl from the countryside.
Wen Jiaojiao knew that Liu Lan had given her a bright future.
The corners of her eyes grew damp despite her efforts to hold back her tears.
“Auntie, why have you always treated me so well?”
Liu Lan gently stroked her braided hair and said affectionately, “Because I’ve always treated you like my own niece. If only you were my daughter…”
At the end of her sentence, a trace of regret appeared in her expression.
Wen Jiaojiao noticed everything, including the evasiveness Liu Lan had shown when she asked her question earlier.
A huge doubt arose in her heart.
If their ages hadn’t made it impossible, she might have suspected that Liu Lan was actually her biological mother.
When Jiaojiao was five years old, Liu Lan had only been eighteen. She had gotten married that same year, so there was no way she could have given birth to Jiaojiao.
Pushing those doubts aside, Wen Jiaojiao knew that Auntie Liu was indeed a very kind person.
Unable to help herself, she wrapped her arms around Liu Lan.
“Auntie, I promise I won’t disappoint you.”
……
At Liu Lan’s warm insistence, Jiaojiao stayed for lunch.
Not only had she received money, but Liu Lan had also packed some food for her.
Besides the steamed buns in her cloth bag, there was now a jar of pickled vegetables and a water bottle, enough to keep her fed and hydrated on the journey.
“Auntie, I’m leaving now. I’ll come back to visit you.”
Wen Jiaojiao stood at the doorway, saying goodbye to Liu Lan.
Liu Lan smiled and reminded her, “Do you remember everything I told you? Don’t trust strangers too easily, and keep a close eye on your belongings.”
Jiaojiao nodded.
“I remember.”
She had just turned around when she saw Liu Lan’s husband, Zhang Zhuang, riding back on an old, worn-out bicycle. Some tools were strapped to the back.
From a distance, Zhang Zhuang noticed someone familiar standing outside his house. As he approached, he looked surprised.
“Jiaojiao? What are you doing here?”
“Your family has been looking everywhere for you. They’ve nearly turned the whole village upside down.”
After calling him Uncle Zhang, Wen Jiaojiao asked, “They’re looking for me?”
Zhang Zhuang nodded.
“Yes. You’d better go back quickly. They’ve already searched as far as the entrance to the village. They look really worried.”
Liu Lan’s heart tightened when she heard this.
“You can’t go back!”
“Huh?”
Zhang Zhuang looked at his wife in confusion.
Liu Lan glanced around before calling the two of them inside. Then she said to Wen Jiaojiao, “Jiaojiao, you can’t leave right now. They’re already at the village entrance. If you leave now, you’ll definitely run into them. Wait until they’ve gone back before you leave.”
Wen Jiaojiao frowned and was about to say something when Zhang Zhuang asked in confusion, “What’s gotten into you? Jiaojiao’s family is looking for her. Why won’t you let her go home?”
Liu Lan rolled her eyes at him.
“What do you know?”
She then explained Wen Jiaojiao’s situation to him.
Only then did Zhang Zhuang understand. He couldn’t help shaking his head.
“What is the Wen family thinking? Their favoritism is so obvious that even people from other villages can see it. Every family has children who get into fights, but no one treats their own child the way they do.”
“Jiaojiao, don’t go back yet. Stay here at your Auntie’s tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll take you back myself. With me there, can they really beat you?”
Zhang Zhuang was a simple, honest rural man. He was straightforward and kind-hearted.
Perhaps the saying was true: people really did end up with the right partners.
Liu Lan gave Jiaojiao a meaningful look.
Understanding what her aunt wanted, Wen Jiaojiao nodded.
“I’m sorry to trouble you both.”
“It’s nothing.”
Zhang Zhuang waved it off before sitting down to eat lunch.
By the time dusk approached, Liu Lan urged her husband to go to the village entrance and check on the situation.
When he returned, they learned that members of the Wen family had gone to town to report the matter to the police.
Wen Jiaojiao immediately thought that she absolutely could not let the police find her.
She pulled Liu Lan aside and said, “Auntie, let me leave while it’s still light. I’m very familiar with the road to the county town. If the police come looking for me, not only will I be forced to go back, but I might lose the letter of introduction too.”
Liu Lan thought about it and realized that Jiaojiao was right.
“All right. I’ll go with you.”
Wen Jiaojiao firmly shook her head.
“No. I can go by myself. I can run fast. I can reach the town before it gets dark, and I’ll still have time to find a place to stay for the night.”
Liu Lan looked worried.
“Are you sure you can manage on your own? You’re just a young girl.”
Wen Jiaojiao nodded.
“Trust me. I’m an adult now. The road ahead is something I’ll have to walk on my own eventually.”
Liu Lan was momentarily stunned by those words.
Then her face filled with relief and pride.
“All right. Auntie believes in you.”