After leaving Peach Blossom Spring, Yu Lian calculated in her heart that everything she had laid eyes on was grain, vegetables, and fruit.
Not only that, there was also cotton, and the small hills in the distance hid many coal mines.
Winters in the mountains of the Northwest were extremely harsh. Yu Lian didn't know if heaven was hinting at her, but since fate had chosen to stand on her side, she couldn't waste this good opportunity for nothing.
In just one day, she had been given so many signs. From now on, she would follow her own heart.
Back at the hospital, she asked her mother, and sure enough, the investigation team had come to the hospital.
Perhaps it was because her sister's head injury was too severe—the gauze wrapped around her head—that they didn't disturb the mother and daughter pair much in the ward.
Wang Meixia only answered two simple questions, and the other party didn't make things difficult for the mother and daughter.
Learning that her son-in-law's family was under investigation, Wang Meixia wasn't too upset. She felt that this way her daughter wouldn't have to go to the He family and read their expressions. A life of hardship was nothing to worry about.
Yu Lian handed her son to her mother and asked her to take the child to the hospital cafeteria for a meal.
Once they were gone, she closed the door and told her sister about her plan to go to the countryside in the Northwest.
"Don't get excited. Listen to your sister first."
She had nothing to hide from her sister. She was going to save the He family's lives and repay her sister's life-saving kindness.
Yu Xin had originally thought her sister didn't like her cold, indifferent brother-in-law.
Now she was clearing herself of all involvement, only to throw herself back in—wouldn't the He family resent her for that?
"Don't worry. Your sister has the ability to support herself."
A single look from Yu Lian, and Yu Xin understood what her sister meant.
With that, she felt at ease.
Taking advantage of her mother's absence, she made an excuse to step out, carrying a cup in her hand. When she returned, the cup was filled with water.
"Drink it quickly. Your sister will watch you drink it. Drinking more water is good for your health."
Yu Xin had always listened to her sister since childhood. Whatever her sister said, she did.
She gulped it down in two mouthfuls.
"Sis, where did you get the sugar? This water is so sweet."
"Sweet is right. Now get some sleep. When you wake up, your head won't hurt anymore."
With her sister's company, Yu Xin gradually drifted off to sleep.
Yu Lian waited outside the door early on, telling her mother about her plan to go to the countryside.
"What? If you leave, what will your sister and I do?"
Wang Meixia was in poor health and couldn't work. Moreover, her younger daughter had only just recovered in the past two years and wasn't fit for a job either. Both of them depended on Yu Lian.
"Don't worry. I'll send you money regularly. Of course, I'll give the money to Little Sister to manage."
"But what about An'an? I'm afraid the child will wake up at night looking for you and start crying."
"He's coming too. I'll take care of the child myself."
Who did such a thing? She'd never heard of anyone bringing a child to the countryside.
Yu Lian had her own considerations.
"You don't need to worry about that. I still have two months before I leave. Just remember to take care of yourself and Little Sister, and don't take the initiative to contact Uncle."
Too many things had happened in a single day, but Yu Lian, having drunk the Spirit Spring Water, didn't feel the slightest bit tired. That night, she held her son in the small room and slept a very comfortable, sound sleep.
A week later, the He family was released. The father and son had clearly suffered varying degrees of torment, while the He mother and daughter, having admitted to things early on under pressure, hadn't suffered much.
The person in charge took the family of four back to pack their belongings.
On the way, they learned that on that very day, Yu Lian had drawn a clear line with the He family, even saying that her marriage into the He family had been forced by He Lin.
Upon learning of this, He's mother nearly fainted, thinking to herself what sin their family had committed to have married such a daughter-in-law.
It was good to draw a clear line now—from here on, whether the family faced bitter or sweet, it had nothing to do with her.
But now they had nowhere to go, only waiting in the stripped-empty house.
Waiting for the decision that would be made about them from above.
A week later, the decision came down: their family was assigned to labor reform at Hongxing Farm in a mountainous area of the great northwest.
The train departed that very night.
During that time, an old friend of He Jianguo's came to visit him.
The man held a high position of power, exchanged a few words, and finally discreetly slipped an envelope into his pocket—the others pretended not to see.
"Take it. That place is uninhabited wilderness. Without this, your family of four won't survive."
After brief pleasantries, the man left.
What they didn't expect was that Yu Lian would actually come to see them near dusk, carrying the child in her arms.
Yu Lian got straight to the point: "Do you still want this grandson or not? His food, drink, and shit don't cost money?"
Such a shameless statement even drew a sigh from the guard outside the door—this female comrade was truly a master at kicking people when they were down.
But He Ning'an was the old couple's precious heart, so how could they possibly let him go without proper food and care?
The last bit of money and ration tickets they had, along with the envelope that hadn't even warmed in their pockets, were all handed over to Yu Lian.
"Yu Lian, this is the last of our money. You must take good care of An'an. In the future—in the future, if we get the chance, we will definitely repay you."
He Jianguo said this so bluntly in front of the people arranged by the investigation team, but Yu Lian seemed not to understand.
"Hmph! Go find your grandfather."
She took the money and tossed the child to her father-in-law.
She turned and left, saying coldly, "It's dark now. You keep a good eye on the child. If he gets lost, I won't be responsible!"
Behind her was her son's heart-wrenching plea for her to stay, but Yu Lian hardened her heart and left quickly.
Only this way could she be reunited with her son.
He Lin watched the woman's disappearing figure, veins bulging on the back of his hand, the ruthlessness in the depths of his eyes sharp enough to pierce through anyone.
An'an knew his mother didn't want him anymore and cried without stopping.
"Mommy is a big liar! She just said she'd give me a big chicken leg tonight and buy me toys!"
The child cried so sorrowfully that he eventually fainted from crying.
Looking at her pitiful grandson, Li Ying began to cry softly along with him.
She hadn't cried once in half a lifetime, yet now, in middle age with the family's fortunes in decline, there was no end in sight to the hard days ahead, and in their most destitute moment, they'd been schemed against by this insatiably greedy daughter-in-law.
"Jianguo, what are we going to do now? An'an is still so young?"
From beginning to end, He Jianguo never showed a trace of worry. From the moment he was arrested, he knew this had to be endured, or else the He family would never see a bright future.
As they say, bitterness comes before sweetness—as long as they pushed through, endless good days awaited the He family.
"Don't be afraid. As long as I'm here, I won't let you or the girl suffer."
Eight o'clock that evening.
The He family was taken away by the relevant personnel and boarded the train with the large group of people like them.
The train stopped and started along the way, with many people getting off at various stops, but they remained seated the whole time, as if embarking on a journey with no destination.
Over the five or six days on the train, He Ning'an cried no fewer than ten times, calling for his mother every day.
Until just now, when He Lin scolded him: "Your mother doesn't want you anymore. Cry again, and I'll throw you off this train right now."
His words made He Ning'an, who already lacked a sense of security, cry even harder.
He Xinglan shot a glare at his older brother. "Brother, you're being way too heartless. The kid was just abandoned by his mother, and now you're saying things like this. Our An'an is just a little child—he hasn't done anything wrong."
Seeing how pitiful his adorable nephew looked, He Xinglan started crying as he spoke.
Throughout the journey, the four adults of the He family remained heavy-hearted, exchanging few words.
Finally, after more than a week on the road, having switched between multiple modes of transportation, they arrived at Hongxing Farm by donkey cart.