Perhaps her earlier actions had frightened the children—the two little ones stared at her with terror written all over their small faces.
He Xiaoman softened her tone and smiled. "Don't be afraid. Mommy was just joking around. I'm going to untie the rope now, and together we'll tie up the human traffickers and hand them over to the police, okay?"
The two children continued to watch her warily, not making a sound.
"Silence means consent." He Xiaoman swiftly untied the rope.
The moment the rope loosened, Jiang Xingheng jumped up. "Xingci, run! Go find the police!"
He Xiaoman grabbed the back of his collar with lightning speed. "Run where?"
"Bad woman, let me go!" Jiang Xingheng struggled desperately. "You're not my mom!"
Jiang Xingci also lunged over, slapping at her legs and wailing, "Bad woman, let my brother go!"
He Xiaoman had never been a mother in real life, and now she had a splitting headache. She could only put on a stern face and bark, "Stop crying! If you keep making a fuss, I really will sell you both!"
The words struck like a thunderbolt. The two children instantly fell silent. Jiang Xingheng gritted his teeth and glared at her, while Jiang Xingci sniffled with red-rimmed eyes.
"I promise I won't sell you." He Xiaoman took a deep breath. "But if we don't tie them up, none of us will get away. Understand?"
The brothers glanced at the two unconscious people on the ground, then finally nodded.
The moment He Xiaoman released her grip, Jiang Xingheng grabbed the hemp rope from the ground and handed it to her. Together, the three of them bound the two groggy traffickers up like dumplings.
"Come on, let's go report this to the police." He Xiaoman dusted off her hands.
Jiang Xingheng secretly studied this "mother" who had suddenly changed her tune.
Just moments ago she was going to sell them, and now she wanted to report the traffickers to the police? Could this be a trick?
But seeing He Xiaoman already walking ahead, he still pulled his brother along and followed.
Five minutes later, the three found a small general store.
He Xiaoman asked the shopkeeper for the police station's number and called. Since she was also complicit in the child-selling scheme, she simply gave the address in a few brief words and hung up.
No sooner had she finished than her stomach growled. She asked the shopkeeper for directions to the state-run restaurant.
When she turned around, she found the two children standing three meters away, eyeing her warily like two little rabbits ready to bolt at any moment.
"Let's go." She walked ahead without looking back.
Jiang Xingheng clutched his brother's hand, his eyes fixed on the figure ahead, growing more frightened with every step.
After walking for about ten-odd minutes, a large building finally appeared up ahead, and the person in front stopped.
Jiang Xingheng couldn't help asking, "Where is this?"
He Xiaoman looked at the two of them and said directly, "The state-run restaurant. I'm hungry and need to eat. Do you two want anything?"
Jiang Xingheng was stunned. The state-run restaurant?
Food at the restaurant was expensive. This woman usually wouldn't even let them eat their fill at home—would she really be this generous now? She must be planning to drug them!
"No!" He craned his neck and shouted, "I'm not hungry!" The moment the words left his mouth, his stomach let out a loud "grrr."
Jiang Xingci leaned in and reminded him, "Brother, your stomach is growling."
He Xiaoman couldn't help but laugh. "If you want to eat, come on in."
Jiang Xingheng's little face flushed bright red in an instant, like a ripe cherry tomato.
Damn it, that bad woman was laughing at him!
The next second, he clenched his little fists, face still red, and huffed, "Fine, I'll eat!"
Afraid He Xiaoman might change her mind, he scurried into the state-run restaurant on his short little legs, his footsteps going "thump thump thump."
He stood on his tiptoes, gripping the windowsill, and shouted, "I want braised pork! And big meat buns! My mom's paying!"
After shouting, he quickly pointed at He Xiaoman behind him, terrified she might deny it.
Jiang Xingci also stood on his tiptoes and piped up in his babyish voice, "I want braised pork too! Mom's paying!"
He Xiaoman watched the two little rascals in their frantic rush, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl upward.
These two brothers had "revenge" written all over their faces.
She didn't call them out on it. Instead, she said to the server, "One serving of braised pork, one serving of braised spare ribs, one stir-fried chicken with mushrooms, tomato and egg soup, six big meat buns, and three bowls of rice."
Hearing her order so much meat, both brothers froze, their eyes bulging like black grapes.
Just moments ago she was going to sell them, and now she was letting them eat this well?
Had she actually scrambled her brains from that hit?
The two exchanged glances, neither daring to make a sound, afraid that if they asked, she'd return the meat.
It was already past mealtime, so the restaurant was nearly empty. Before long, the server came out with the food.
The braised pork steamed with fragrant heat, amber sauce glazing the meat, so aromatic it made you swallow hard.
Then came the braised spare ribs, the stir-fried chicken with mushrooms, and the tomato and egg soup, with white porcelain bowls piled high with rice like little mountains.
Jiang Xingheng's and Jiang Xingci's eyes lit up instantly, their little hands reflexively reaching for the meat.
"Use chopsticks." He Xiaoman gently tapped their hands away. "There's plenty for everyone today. No one's fighting you for it."
Jiang Xingheng's little hand froze mid-air, a hint of grievance on his face.
Grandma didn't like their mother, and she didn't like them either, so good food had never been meant for them.
But looking at He Xiaoman's earnest gaze, he slowly withdrew his hand and picked up his chopsticks.
Jiang Xingci, unable to wait any longer, grabbed a piece of meat with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth in a flash.
In an instant, his eyes flew wide open, and he mumbled indistinctly to his brother, "Bro, it's so good! Eat up, quick!"
Jiang Xingheng stole a glance at He Xiaoman. Seeing that she wasn't angry, he finally picked up the biggest piece and stuffed it into his mouth.
The soft, glutinous pork skin melted on his tongue along with the sauce. He wolfed it down, but his eyes quietly reddened. This was the first time they could eat their fill without having to fight for it.
Even as they wolfed down their food, their faces remained strikingly beautiful.
He Xiaoman couldn't help but think of their father—Jiang Yanchuan.
The original owner's relationship with him had been frozen solid. Over the years, she hadn't let him come home, and Jiang Yanchuan was busy too—aside from sending money every month, he barely appeared in the lives of the mother and her two sons. So now, He Xiaoman had little impression of him in her mind.
But the book had portrayed him brilliantly—
Brows like stars, eyes clear and bright, a face carved like a sculpture, a nose bridge standing tall as a small mountain. At 185 centimeters with a standard eight-pack and that tantalizing V-line waist, he was a walking embodiment of raw magnetism.
The book had also vaguely hinted that he was exceptionally gifted—where the average man measured eighteen, he measured nineteen—and he was especially vigorous in bed, each session lasting over an hour.
It was precisely because of this that the original owner found him crude and ungentle, and refused even more firmly to accompany him to the military, feeling he wasn't worthy of the "cultured man" she envisioned.
But she was different.
It wasn't that she was coveting male beauty—it was simply that life in the Jiang family was unbearable.
Because Jiang Yanchuan had been forced into marriage with the original owner, Jiang's mother had never liked her, believing that without her, Jiang Yanchuan could have married a woman with better prospects.
So in the years Jiang Yanchuan was away, the Jiang family worked the original owner like an ox or a horse—all the heavy farm labor and dirty household chores fell to her, and they always skimped on her and the children's rations.
By comparison, accompanying him to the military was clearly better—her man would be there, and the food and lodging were far superior to the Jiang household.
He Xiaoman picked up a piece of chicken, calculating in her mind: once she dealt with Gu Shuyan and got back the jade pendant, she'd take the kids and go find her eight-pack lover!
After eating her fill, she had the server wrap up the leftovers in oil paper, then stopped by the neighboring supply store to buy some candy before taking the two children to the bus station.
When they arrived, they just caught the last bus to the commune.
The cabin was thick with the smell of diesel and sweat. The two little ones squeezed in beside her, their small heads swaying gently with the bumps of the ride, yet never daring to lean against her.
After two hours on the bus to the commune, then another half hour along the dirt path, they spotted the rammed-earth houses of the Red Flag Brigade.
It wasn't fully dark yet. At the threshing ground at the village entrance, commune members who had just finished their shift were gathered, with a group of educated youths mixed in among them. As luck would have it, Gu Shuyan was right there in the crowd.
He Xiaoman's fists clenched instantly!
Perfect—they'd run into him right away.
You dog of a scumbag, prepare to die!