Yang Chunmei didn’t believe for a second that Lian Hai would be kind enough to hand over the household registration booklet without a fuss.
And that stepmother of his was no good either.
Lian Qiao had caught her in the act, humiliating the old woman, and then sold off everything in the marital home. Who knew what might happen if Lian Qiao went back now?
“We live in a society governed by law now. I’ll go back and ask for it first. If they don’t give it to me, I’ll go to the factory, or even involve the police. There are always ways.”
Lian Qiao took a breath and quickly pulled clothes out of her luggage bag, then picked two sets to put back in. She’d only be gone for a few days—no need for too many clothes, just a couple of changes would do.
Yang Chunmei was still uneasy. “It’s such a long journey back and forth. How can I rest easy with you going alone? Maybe I should take Baozhu and go back with you. It’s been a while since I’ve been home too.”
“Don’t even think about it. Baozhu is so little, and train rides are tough. You shouldn’t.”
Mostly, she was afraid they’d attract the attention of traffickers. No matter how you looked at it, two women traveling with a child were like walking targets.
Lian Qiao reassured her, “I’ll call you as soon as I arrive—no, I’ll call you every day. Don’t worry. I’m a grown woman who managed to find my way from our hometown to you. Going back home will be a breeze.”
Yang Chunmei still wasn’t convinced, but there was nothing else she could do.
This was the annual live-fire military exercise, and Li Guozheng was swamped from morning till night. If even a lowly company commander like him was this busy, then Chen Lang, as a battalion commander, was undoubtedly even more tied up. Yang Chunmei couldn’t exactly blame her brother-in-law for not accompanying her cousin home.
After packing her things, Lian Qiao took the child from her cousin’s arms. “Baozhu, wait for Auntie to come back. I’ll bring you a toy. Be good at home, okay?”
Li Baozhu blinked her watery eyes, babbling as she reached out to touch Lian Qiao’s face.
“Let me buy you some snacks for the road.”
“No need to bring anything. I bought a sleeper ticket this time. I’ll just sleep on the train.”
When she’d come here, she’d only been willing to buy a hard seat—not because tickets were scarce, but to save money.
Seeing the long lines at the train station earlier, she had no idea how Chen Lang had managed to get a sleeper ticket.
“A sleeper is much more comfortable. At least Chen Lang was thoughtful. If he hadn’t helped you buy it, you’d never have gotten one.”
Chen Lang had used his introduction letter and military ID to secure the ticket for Lian Qiao.
She didn’t know how he always managed to quietly take care of everything.
Lian Qiao held Baozhu close, showering her with affection before gently placing her back on the bed.
“So, you really don’t need to worry.”
Yang Chunmei checked the time—it was almost mealtime. “We’ll eat at the canteen today. I’ll go get the food.”
They say you should eat dumplings when leaving and noodles when arriving, but there wasn’t time to make them from scratch. Yang Chunmei settled for ordering an extra meat dish so Lian Qiao could have a full stomach before boarding the train.
Just after seven, Lian Qiao picked up her luggage bag and prepared to leave.
“Leaving so early?”
“I’ll feel better getting there early. Don’t worry about me. Let your husband come back and stay at home.”
“Why worry about your brother-in-law? Isn’t Chen Lang seeing you off?”
“He’s got so much on his plate. I’ll take the bus.”
Lian Qiao hurried out the door. Yang Chunmei, holding the child, wanted to walk her to the bus stop, but Lian Qiao stopped her.
“Baozhu is already sleepy. Take her back and put her to bed.”
She’d left early precisely to avoid troubling Chen Lang.
At this hour, the bus wasn’t crowded. She gazed quietly out the window at the passing streets, thinking about how to retrieve her household registration once she got back.
With Lian Hai’s temperament, all it would take was a little prodding from his stepmother, Wang Yuzhen, and he’d explode like a firecracker.
I wonder if Lian Rou and Zhao Hongbin’s marriage has been nothing but chaos since they tied the knot.
The swaying bus carried Lian Qiao to the train station. She found an inconspicuous corner in the waiting room and quietly waited for her train. Following the announcements from the staff’s loudspeakers, she stood up and blended into the queue for ticket inspection.
Once on the train, she found her berth, rested her head on her luggage bag, and lay down without changing out of her clothes.
Traveling by sleeper train was truly comfortable. Lian Qiao woke up after a dreamless night, stretching lazily, no longer as exhausted and disheveled as she had been when she went to find her cousin.
They say one feels nervous when returning to their hometown, but she didn’t have such thoughts.
If there was one thing in her hometown that she couldn’t stop thinking about, it was only that small mound of yellow earth, where the most important woman in her life rested eternally.
Once she got her household registration sorted, she planned to visit and let the person in heaven know that she now had a home and didn’t need to worry anymore.
After getting off the train, Lian Qiao didn’t head home first. Instead, she went to the building where Zhao Hongbin lived.
The plump auntie at the small grocery store was overjoyed to see Lian Qiao.
“Qiao’er, why are you back? Come, sit, sit! Want something to eat? Auntie will open a can for you!”
Lian Qiao smiled, pulled up a chair, and sat down. “Auntie, no need to trouble yourself. I just came to see you. I’ll leave in a bit.”
“Where have you been? You have no idea how lively it’s been since you left…”
Finally having a listener, how could she let the opportunity slip?
Lian Qiao cracked sunflower seeds as she listened to the auntie’s vivid storytelling.
That day, after the bridal chamber was emptied, Zhao Hongbin’s parents rushed over in the afternoon.
The two families stared at each other in disbelief, with only Lian Rou feeling happy about the situation.
Zhao Hongbin hung his head, unwilling to make a decision or utter a word.
Lian Hai was seething with anger, while Wang Yuzhen refused to let the matter go.
In the end, Zhao Hongbin’s parents were forced to borrow money to furnish the bridal chamber.
The two families argued from inside the house all the way outside.
The wedding the next day was even more ridiculous.
The guests thought they had misheard at first, but after whispering among themselves, they realized the bride had been switched. Then, the story of the affair spread like wildfire. The attendees seemed less like they were there to bless the newlyweds and more like they had come to give gifts and watch the drama unfold.
Zhao Hongbin, already upset about losing his job, grew even more furious seeing the smirks on people’s faces. After the ceremony, he planted himself at the banquet table and drank himself into a stupor.
Unsurprisingly, he made a drunken scene, and no one could stop him.
In front of everyone, he sat on the ground, sobbing and crying, “Qiao’er, forgive me, I can’t live without you…”
Lian Qiao shuddered with disgust.
She really didn’t want to run into Zhao Hongbin and just wanted to stay as far away as possible.
The plump auntie nudged her with an elbow. “Where on earth have you been hiding? Are you back for good this time?”
Lian Qiao finished the sunflower seeds in her hand and shook her head. “I came back to take care of some business. I’d like to buy some more milk powder to take with me. Do you still have any?”
“Of course I do! How much do you want?”
A customer at the door was always a welcome sight.
Mostly because Lian Qiao was a generous person—she sold the brand-new “Three Rotations and One Sound” for just three hundred, and threw in all the pots, pans, bowls, and new bedding for free.
The plump auntie had genuinely benefited from the deal and now regarded Lian Qiao with newfound respect.
Most people wouldn’t be so willing to part with such things.
“Ten bags.”
The plump auntie beamed with joy, quickly bringing out all the stock from her small storeroom and even generously rounding down the price.
Lian Qiao packed the milk powder into her luggage bag, and the plump auntie enthusiastically stuffed more sunflower seeds into her pockets.
“Stay a bit longer, take some sunflower seeds to eat on the way!”
“Can’t stay, you’re busy.”
Lian Qiao, with a handful of sunflower seeds in her pocket, boarded the bus again.
Now Zhao Hongbin was lying at home all day, Lian Rou was working to support the family, and during the day, both Lian Hai and Wang Yuzhen were at work—it was the perfect time.
She got off the bus, stood at the familiar doorstep, and took the key from her pocket.
Oh no!
The lock had been changed.
A miscalculation.
Auntie Xiao, the neighbor next door, came out to hang laundry and was quite surprised to see her.
“Qiao’er?”
Lian Qiao turned around and smiled, “Auntie, you’re hanging laundry?”
Auntie Xiao stopped hanging the clothes and pulled her inside.
“You dare come back?”