Lin Xiuyu had lunch with Cheng Jianye, which delayed her return home.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she arrived home, she saw her parents and Dazhu all lying on the floor as if they were asleep, while Lin Qiao’er was sneaking into her parents’ room.
Just as Lin Xiuyu was about to shout “thief,” Lin Qiao’er covered her mouth.
Lin Xiuyu had never done farm work, so she was no match for Lin Qiao’er in strength.
In no time, Lin Qiao’er tied Lin Xiuyu up with a hemp rope and stuffed one of Lin Dazhu’s smelly socks into her mouth.
Lin Xiuyu nearly fainted from the stench. She glared at Lin Qiao’er, her eyes filled with murderous intent.
Lin Qiao’er rummaged through the room like a headless fly, careful not to make too much noise.
[Mom, the old hag’s money is hidden under the brick beneath the bed.]
The voice in her belly spoke again, soft and gentle.
She didn’t know where her son had learned the term “old hag,” but it suddenly made her want to laugh.
Lin Qiao’er lay on the floor and reached under the bed.
Sure enough, she felt a loose brick. She dug her fingers into the crack, pried it open with force, and lifted the brick. Beneath it was a small hole, stuffed with an oilpaper package.
She opened the package to find a stack of money.
Scattered bills, along with grain and meat coupons, made up a thick pile.
She counted it—about three hundred yuan.
Beneath the oilpaper package was another cloth bundle.
Lin Qiao’er opened the cloth bundle and was dazzled by the golden gleam of small gold bars.
Her hands trembled with excitement, and her heart raced wildly.
At the same time, doubt arose in her mind: her uncle’s family only earned work points by laboring in the village.
Where did these ten small gold bars come from?
She had no time to dwell on it.
She wrapped the money and gold bars back up as they were, tucked them into her inner pocket, and replaced the brick.
The snoring continued.
She quietly retreated, closed the door behind her, picked up her bundle, and pushed the door open to leave. She took one last look at the home she had lived in for twenty years.
This was the house her parents had left behind.
Her uncle’s family had occupied it for so many years, while she could only sleep in the living room.
One day, she would return.
And reclaim her parents’ house.
She hurried toward the village chief’s house.
To go to Shanghai, she needed an introduction letter.
But such letters were hard to obtain.
Lin Qiao’er slung her bundle over her shoulder and stood under the old locust tree at the village entrance. Her heart felt like a nest of rabbits, thumping wildly.
She had to leave before they woke up.
If her uncle’s family discovered she was gone, she wouldn’t be able to leave.
As she was thinking this, the voice in her head spoke again.
Dabao: [Mommy, walk faster! Otherwise, the village chief’s grandson will fall into the water, and the village chief will have to take him to the hospital. Then he won’t have time to write the introduction letter!]
Lin Qiao’er immediately quickened her pace.
She now firmly believed every word her unborn baby said.
This little one, who hadn’t even been born yet, had saved her more than once.
If not for the baby’s warning, she would have already been sold into the remote mountains by her aunt.
This child was a gift from heaven, sent to help her.
Lin Qiao’er touched her belly, and a warm feeling suddenly surged in her heart.
She wasn’t alone—she had a pair of children in her womb accompanying her.
Lin Qiao’er half-walked, half-ran, panting heavily, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
Just as she reached the riverbank, she heard a voice.
“Help—help me—”
It was a child’s voice, high-pitched and trembling with tears.
Lin Qiao’er’s heart tightened as she followed the sound and looked over.
A small figure was thrashing in the river, splashing water everywhere, clearly about to sink beneath the surface.
She recognized that voice.
It was the village chief’s grandson, Chen Xiaobao.
Lin Qiao’er threw her bundle to the ground and, without a second thought, dove headfirst into the river.
She was a strong swimmer and reached Xiaobao in just a few strokes.
Xiaobao had already swallowed several mouthfuls of water and was sinking.
Lin Qiao’er wrapped her arm around his waist and lifted him above the surface.
Xiaobao was so frightened he burst into tears, his little hands flailing wildly, nearly dragging her under as well.
“Don’t be scared, don’t be scared, I’ll get you to shore,” Lin Qiao’er reassured him while paddling with one arm, straining to swim toward the bank.
Though Xiaobao was small, waterlogged, he felt heavy as lead.
Finally reaching the shallows, she stepped on the riverbed stones and half-dragged, half-carried Xiaobao onto the shore.
Xiaobao lay on the bank, coughing a few times, spitting out water, then burst into loud sobs.
“There, there, it’s all right now,” Lin Qiao’er patted his back, her own hands trembling.
She was soaked through, her hair plastered to her face, water droplets trickling down her chin.
“Xiaobao, I’ll take you home.”
Lin Qiao’er picked up her bundle, took Xiaobao’s hand with one hand, and wrung the water from her hair with the other, trudging step by step toward the village chief’s house.
As soon as they entered, Xiaobao broke free from Lin Qiao’er’s grip and threw himself into the village chief’s arms, crying so hard he could barely catch his breath. “Grandpa, grandpa, I almost never saw you again. It was Sister Qiao’er who saved me, waaah.”
The village chief’s face turned pale, his hands trembling as he held his grandson.
“Xiaobao, you mustn’t go to the river alone again.”
“I know,” Xiaobao sobbed.
The village chief’s daughter-in-law rushed out from inside the house. Seeing Lin Qiao’er drenched from head to toe, her eyes instantly reddened.
After hearing what had happened, she quickly pulled Lin Qiao’er inside. “Come in, come in, don’t catch a cold. I’ll find you some dry clothes to change into.”
“Auntie, I have my own clothes,” Lin Qiao’er quickly waved her hand, pulling out the two old garments from her bundle. “I brought them, no need to trouble you.”
The village chief’s daughter-in-law glanced at the two patched-up clothes in her bundle, her lips twitching slightly, but she said nothing and turned to go to the kitchen.
Lin Qiao’er changed in the side room of the village chief’s house, wrung out her soaked clothes, wrapped them in brown paper, and stuffed them back into her bundle.
When she came out, the village chief’s daughter-in-law was already waiting in the main room with a steaming bowl of ginger soup.
She handed the bowl over, her voice full of sympathy. “Qiao’er, quick, drink this ginger soup first, don’t catch a cold.”
Lin Qiao’er took the bowl and gulped down several mouthfuls. The ginger soup was spicy, burning a path from her throat all the way to her stomach, warming her up considerably.
The village chief sat at the head of the main room, holding Xiaobao, his expression shifting from shock to gratitude.
He looked up at Lin Qiao’er, his tone unusually sincere. “Qiao’er, we owe you a great debt this time. Xiaobao is the only heir of our Chen family, treasured like the apple of our eye.
You saved him today, and I’ll remember it. If you ever need anything in the future, just say the word. I’ll definitely help you.”
Lin Qiao’er’s heart stirred.
She knew the opportunity had come.
Setting down the ginger soup bowl, she bit her lip, mustered her courage, and said, “Uncle Chen, I… I have a favor to ask.”
The village chief took a puff of his pipe. “Go on.”
“Could you write me a letter of introduction to go to Shanghai?”
The village chief was taken aback.
“To Shanghai? What are you going to Shanghai for?”
Lin Qiao’er had already prepared her excuse.
She clutched her stomach, forcing a pained expression onto her face. “Uncle Chen, I often get stomachaches, and when they hit, it’s unbearable. The barefoot doctor said… said it might be stomach cancer and told me to go to a big hospital for a check-up.”
“The countryside can’t handle it. I want to go to a big hospital in Shanghai for an examination.”
The village chief pondered for a moment, sizing up Lin Qiao’er.
She was indeed thin, her complexion sallow, looking rather unhealthy.
But he was still hesitant. “There are hospitals in the city. Why go all the way to Shanghai when there are options nearby?”
Lin Qiao’er panicked inwardly but didn’t show it on her face.
She quickly added, “I have a distant relative in Shanghai. I want to visit her while I’m there. Uncle Chen, didn’t you just say you’d help me?”
The last sentence carried a hint of careful probing.
The village chief was left speechless.
He had indeed said those words. She had just saved his grandson, and if he went back on his word right then, he’d lose face as the village chief.
He glanced at the bundle behind Lin Qiao’er. It was bulging, clearly packed long ago.
This girl was determined to leave.
“Are you leaving right now?” he asked.
Lin Qiao’er nodded vigorously.
The village chief said nothing more. He walked to the table, spread out a sheet of letter paper, picked up a brush, and began writing stroke by stroke.
Lin Qiao’er stood to the side, not daring to breathe too loudly, her eyes fixed intently on the brush.
When he finished, the village chief pulled an official seal from a drawer, breathed on it, and stamped it firmly onto the paper.
The bright red seal was like a reassurance pill.
Lin Qiao’er took the letter of introduction, her hands trembling.
“Thank you, Uncle Chen! Thank you, Uncle Chen!” she repeated gratefully, her eyes reddening.
She carefully folded the letter of introduction and tucked it close to her body.
Then she remembered something, picked up the basket of eggs, and placed it in front of the village chief.
“Uncle Chen, please accept these eggs. Give them to Xiao Bao to nourish him.”
The village chief tried to refuse twice but couldn’t, so he accepted them.
These eggs were “stolen goods.” By accepting them, he would have to cover for her in front of the Lin family.
“Da Niu!” the village chief called toward the inner room.
A young man in his early twenties answered and came out.
“Take the ox cart and send Qiao’er to the station.”
Da Niu nodded, hitched the ox cart, and Lin Qiao’er climbed aboard, sitting in the cart with her bundle held tightly in her arms.
The ox cart swayed as it set off.
Shitou Village was over ten miles from the city. Walking would take more than two hours, but the ox cart was much faster, arriving in less than an hour.
Da Niu rubbed his nose and pulled out a slightly rusted dagger from his pocket.
Lin Qiao’er’s eyelids twitched, and she leaned back, afraid Da Niu meant her harm.
Da Niu didn’t mind. “I found this dagger in the mountains. It’s not safe for a young woman like you to travel alone. Keep it for self-defense in case of emergencies. I’ve heard there are many robbers out there. Be careful.”
Lin Qiao’er was taken aback for a moment, then slowly broke into a smile. “Thank you, Brother Da Niu.”
Lin Qiao’er took the dagger and placed it inside her bundle.
Da Niu smiled shyly.
There were good people in Shitou Village too, and Lin Qiao’er felt a warmth in her heart.
The train station was packed with people.
Lin Qiao’er had never traveled far in her life. Standing in the waiting hall, watching the bustling crowds come and go, her heart was filled with anxiety.
People were everywhere—some carrying woven plastic bags, others lugging large bundles, many dragging children along—all jostling and pushing. The station announcements blared, alternating between train schedules and paging calls, making her head spin.
Suisui: “Mom, don’t be scared! Dad is really amazing. Once we find him, he’ll protect you!”
She touched her belly, imagining what the child might look like.
Would the baby resemble her, or that father she had never met?
She had to find the child’s father.
Otherwise, when the baby was born, it would be unregistered.
As she was thinking, that voice came again, this time with a hint of pride:
“Dad is an engineer for Shanghai-brand cars. His name is Zhao Moting.”
Shanghai-brand cars.
Engineer.
Zhao Moting.
Lin Qiao’er silently repeated the name three times in her mind.
The train hadn’t arrived yet.
She found a corner, crouched down, hugged her bundle to her chest, and leaned against the wall.
While waiting, she anxiously scanned her surroundings.