“That’s true. If that side hears the news, they’ll come and cause trouble too. If we don’t handle it properly, Taotao will never have peace.”
Ah, that side.
The brothers immediately fell silent.
Back when Guo Hongying divorced, Xu Yongqing had been straightforward about it, and the Xu family hadn’t made things difficult. However, Guo Hongying’s family hadn’t agreed—more accurately, they hadn’t even known about it. Old Mrs. Guo had been waiting for her daughter to bring Xu Yongqing’s subsidies home to help her son get married.
But no one had expected Guo Hongying to be such a ruthless person. Without a word, as soon as she finalized the divorce, she took advantage of Old Mrs. Guo being at work, sneaked back home, and took all the money. By the time Old Mrs. Guo discovered it and wailed in despair, Guo Hongying had already fled hundreds of miles away.
Because of this, the old lady would occasionally go to the Xu family to cause trouble, and every year, Old Mrs. Xu would fall ill from anger.
It was true that the Xu family had many men, but they couldn’t handle the fact that the Guo family didn’t play by the rules.
The Guo family didn’t resort to violence. They would carry the paralyzed Old Mr. Guo and place him at the Xu family’s doorstep, then line up their daughters and children outside, sitting quietly without crying or making a fuss, as if guarding the door. No reasoning worked with them. If you spoke harshly, Old Mrs. Guo would just silently shed tears.
If you really ignored them, while the Xu family ate inside, they would have the children outside crying “Wuwuwu” about being hungry. The two families didn’t have any deep-seated hatred, but knowing full well that the Guo family was trying to disgust them, knowing it was all an act, and knowing that many villagers were watching outside, the Xu family could only swallow their anger.
The Xu family were straightforward people, and Old Mrs. Xu was especially fiery-tempered. This kind of scene would infuriate her every time.
Dealing with people like this left the Xu family feeling stifled. They couldn’t hit them, and scolding them was like talking to a wall. Over the years, they had given away a lot of food just to get rid of them. Whenever they heard the Guo family was coming, Old Mrs. Xu wished she could go deaf and blind just to avoid seeing their faces.
Thinking about this, Xu Yongze also felt troubled. He glanced back at the sleeping little girl.
“I’ll ask for her opinion later. If nothing else works, we’ll use a sack. Every time that old lady comes, I’ll sack her son, break his legs directly. After two or three times, she won’t dare anymore.”
Changlin opened his mouth but sighed in the end. They had thought of this before, but hadn’t the old lady forbidden it? If they really hurt someone, wouldn’t that give the Guo family leverage to blame them?
However, ever since Taotao left, his uncle hadn’t been as cheerful or talkative as before. He didn’t pay much attention to family matters and spent his days running off to the mountains.
Now, it seemed as though with Taotao’s return, his spirit had returned too.
“Uncle, try not to be so violent. After all, it involves Taotao, and if word gets out, it won’t be good for her reputation.”
Changlin considered things more carefully, but he couldn’t stop the other two, who were still fuming and egging him on.
“Brother, what are you saying? It’s their coming to our door that’s bad for Taotao’s reputation!
What kind of family is the Guo family? All they know is taking things for themselves. In all those years Taotao lived with them, she never even got a piece of candy from them!”
“Don’t I know they treated Taotao poorly?
But after all, blood ties were undeniable. No matter how you argued, that was indeed Fourth Aunt’s maternal family, Taotao and Chang’an’s maternal grandmother. Fourth Aunt had left without a word since her departure, and Taotao had just returned from Fourth Aunt’s place. The Old Lady was concerned about her daughter and came to ask for news—who could say there was anything wrong with that?
“Taotao is, after all, a junior…”
“Well then,”
Changshan fell silent.
“That’s right, isn’t it? But if they know Taotao is back, they’ll definitely cling even tighter. And Taotao’s temperament is so soft…”
The more he spoke, the more stifled he felt. Changlin smoothly changed the subject.
“Alright, this isn’t unsolvable. The hardest part is still Taotao, right? Who knows how much she suffered. Fourth Aunt too—she’s only thirteen, yet she let her take the train alone.
Little Uncle, what are you thinking?”
Changlin was the eldest among the juniors, and his temperament was indeed steadier. Xu Yongze, as the little uncle, only held seniority in name. He was restless, mischievous, climbing mountains and wading rivers—these were minor matters. In Changlin’s eyes, he was no different from those troublesome younger brothers, perhaps even more worrisome, since he couldn’t be scolded, let alone disciplined.
Just like now, with Xu Yongze quiet, Changlin’s heart was on edge.
“Are you worried about Taotao?”
Xu Yongze shifted the luggage bag above him, turned slightly to shield the little girl from the increasingly harsh sun, making sure she wouldn’t be exposed, then leaned against the luggage and looked at his nephews.
“Her movements are stiff, she hardly dares lift her arms, and she doesn’t even dare breathe heavily when speaking. Did you notice?”
“Wasn’t it because her legs went numb from sitting?”
Changsheng was attentive. After a brief recollection, his expression darkened.
“That’s right, that’s right. From getting off the train to boarding the oxcart, she seemed afraid to exert herself. She spoke softly too. I thought she was just being distant with us.”
He punched himself in frustration.
“My fault for not noticing. Even if her legs were numb, it wouldn’t last that long. It must be that she’s uncomfortable. Earlier, when Little Uncle offered to carry her, she refused. She must have injuries, afraid of straining or pressing on them.”
Instantly, their faces darkened. After a long silence, Changshan slammed his fist onto the luggage bag, hitting something hard with a loud “thud.” He seemed unfazed by the pain.
“I told you, that woman insisted on taking Taotao away with ill intentions. She must have abused her. Otherwise, Taotao, being so obedient, wouldn’t have run back alone from thousands of miles away. How scared she must have been!
Thinking about it now, I’m terrified. There are all kinds of people on trains, and I’ve heard there are even traffickers…”
At these words, Xu Yongze’s face turned even darker. The brothers broke out in a cold sweat. Changsheng and Changshan couldn’t sit still and simply got off the cart to walk alongside.
After three hours of swaying on the oxcart, they finally reached the familiar village entrance. Everyone let out a deep sigh of relief.
The Xu family was large, with a spacious courtyard. Though located at the innermost part of the village, most villagers were working at this hour, so they didn’t run into anyone else.
Well, except for a few children who came running after the oxcart, the youngest trailing behind, sucking on his fingers.
Changlin slowed the oxcart, somewhat helpless.
“What are you running out here for in this scorching sun?”
“Brother Changlin, did you buy any candy?”
Five-year-old Chang’an was still young, his attention only on food. Eight-year-old Changbai, who had started school, patted his younger brother’s head like a little adult.
“Don’t fuss, the grown-ups have important matters to attend to.
Brother Changlin, Grandma said you’d be back soon, so we came out. Did… did you pick up Sister Taotao?”
None of the children had ever left the village. The older ones like Changsheng and Changshan were attending middle school in the county town. They saved the money their families gave them and always brought back a little something for their younger brothers when they returned—maybe broken peach shortbread cookies that didn’t require ration coupons, or ten pieces of fruit candy for a dime. These small treats could keep the children happy for days.
The younger ones at home also knew that when someone returned from outside, there might be something tasty. As they spoke, the children kept glancing at the cart.
Their eyes clearly asked: Why is there so much stuff on the cart?
Xu Zhitao was soundly blocked in the middle of the luggage and had slept quite peacefully. She only woke upon hearing voices, but as soon as she moved, she knocked over the luggage bags beside her. Struggling with both arms for a long time, she couldn’t manage to get up, eventually letting them drop weakly, looking somewhat resigned to her fate.
Changsheng found it amusing and simply lifted all the children onto the cart, handing the luggage bags to Changshan.
“Come and see, do you all still recognize them?”