The burden on the original owner had lessened, but because Fourth Bao and Fifth Bao were closest to Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Bao, they were the first to notice that the three of them had disappeared. Afraid that the truth would be exposed, the original owner decided to go all the way. She lied again, saying that Eleventh and Twelfth Bao had been sent to stay for a few days at Liu Shengnan’s house in town, and asked if they wanted to go to Aunt Liu’s place. Worried about Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Bao, Fourth and Fifth Bao followed her to town—and in the end, they too were sold to human traffickers.
Fourth and Fifth Bao were quite clever, so during the transport they managed to escape with Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Bao. However, because the younger ones were too small to run fast, they were quickly caught. In the end, Fourth Bao fell off a cliff and died; Fifth Bao was captured and beaten to death; Eleventh Bao had his leg broken and was forced to beg; and Tenth and Twelfth Bao died from fever brought on by fright.
When Father Song and Mother Song asked about the four children, the original owner claimed she didn’t know. Since she had been very careful when taking them to town, no one had noticed, so even reporting it to the authorities was useless.
Because she had made a large sum of money from selling the children, she got a taste for it. Later, after the college entrance examination was reinstated, she met an educated youth who had been admitted to university and planned to elope with him. So she tricked the remaining Ninth Bao into going to town and sold them as well, then ran away with the money.
Perhaps thinking she should leave herself a long-term fallback, she kept Ninth Bao and Thirteenth and Fourteenth Bao behind, letting Tenth Bao take care of the younger two and leaving some dry rations. After the family split, she had insisted that the Song family build their house in a remote area with few neighbors. She didn’t like interacting with villagers, so after she left, no one noticed for three days.
Ninth Bao was only six or seven years old. When hungry, he tried to cook for himself but accidentally fell from the stove and died. Thirteenth and Fourteenth Bao were only a little over two years old. When they got hungry, they cried, but no one responded, so they searched everywhere for food. When they saw Ninth Bao lying on the ground with blood on his head, they shook him and called “big brother,” but he didn’t respond. They didn’t understand that he was dead, only that something was very wrong, so they cried together for a long time.
People passing by outside felt something was off. Everyone knew the Song family had many children—it was impossible for there to be only crying and such silence otherwise. Moreover, no one had seen the children playing outside recently, and the front gate had been locked.
Someone called out, but there was no response—only crying. So they called Father Song and Mother Song. When they entered, they found only Thirteenth and Fourteenth Bao, and Ninth Bao lying dead on the ground.
Later, when the original owner’s husband returned and handled the situation, he discovered her crimes. By then, she herself had also been trafficked and could not be found. The villagers were horrified whenever they spoke of her. Even tigers do not eat their own cubs, yet she had sold eight of her own children.
In the end, feeling he had wronged his children, the husband took Thirteenth and Fourteenth Bao to his side and spoiled them unconditionally. They grew up to be reckless and degenerate, even committing rape together. Only then did the husband realize they had turned out badly, and he was deeply disappointed. Although he loved them, he did not use his status to cover up their crimes.
Thus, Lin Ruxia felt that boys shouldn’t be spoiled too much. They should be taught to contribute through actions and develop a sense of safety—especially in an era where a single piece of candy could be enough to lure a child away.
Lin Ruxia walked out the door with Song Dabao and the others, noticing that it was still quite dark and the village was very quiet. Since transmigrating into this book yesterday, this was her first time leaving the house. In her memory, the original owner rarely went out either, only going to the city occasionally. She wondered how someone could stay cooped up at home all day without feeling stifled.
After walking for half an hour, Lin Ruxia was already out of breath, so the children slowed their pace for her.
She noticed and felt a bit embarrassed, thinking resentfully: How annoying—even kids are stronger than me. No way, I’ll exercise every day from now on. I can’t let children look down on me!
At last, after stopping and starting along the way, they reached the bus stop. It was already 7:05. What should have been a one-hour walk had been dragged into an hour and a half by Lin Ruxia. Luckily, they had set out early, or they would have missed the bus.
When boarding, Lin Ruxia paid eighty cents—twenty cents per person. At that time, twenty cents was quite valuable; it could buy two eggs. So villagers generally didn’t bring children to town by bus, since even children under 0.5 meters had to pay ten cents. Many preferred to walk to save money.
As soon as they boarded, a strong smell of gasoline mixed with various unpleasant odors hit them. Lin Ruxia immediately wanted to get off, but remembering how exhausted she had been walking, she endured it.
Song Dabao and the others were very excited—it was their first time riding a bus. As soon as they sat down, they chattered excitedly.
“Look, those houses are moving backward!” Erbao pointed out the window excitedly.
“The trees too!” Sanbao added.
Dabao, sitting beside them, also leaned forward curiously to look outside.
“That’s because of relative motion,” Lin Ruxia explained, enduring the smell. “It’s not that the trees are moving—we are.”
“But we’re sitting still,” Dabao said.
“The bus is carrying us forward. Relative to the bus, we are at rest,” Lin Ruxia explained. Seeing their confused expressions, she added, “You’ll understand when you study more. After we move, I’ll teach you.”
She felt that their education was far too limited. In her memory, even after finishing primary school, the original owner’s students were still struggling with basic literacy—it was far too backward. Later experts all said that children should start learning early; if they missed the critical period, it would be very hard to catch up. When they got back, she decided to assess their situation and make a proper plan.
Along the way, the three children didn’t get carsick or sleepy. They were excitedly looking around, shouting whenever they saw something new, like country bumpkins.
Although Lin Ruxia felt embarrassed with everyone on the bus looking at them, she didn’t stop them. It was their first time riding a bus—their curiosity shouldn’t be suppressed. She could guide them later.
Finally, amid the children’s amazement, they arrived in town. It was the first time for all three of them. Although Lin Ruxia had the original owner’s memories, it was also her first visit. Since it wasn’t market day, it wasn’t very lively.
“So this is the town? It doesn’t seem that busy,” Dabao said. He had heard the village chief’s eldest son brag about how lively it was.
“It’s not market day. There are two market days each month—the first and the fifteenth. I’ll bring you again next month,” Lin Ruxia said, recalling from memory.
“Let’s go eat at the state-run restaurant first!” The moment they heard “eat,” the children’s attention shifted immediately.
Following her memory, Lin Ruxia led them to the restaurant. The children hurried after her, looking around curiously.
After several turns, they finally reached the entrance. Unlike modern tall buildings, it was just a somewhat shabby concrete structure. Above it was a red five-pointed star, and below it the words “State-Run Restaurant” in bold red characters. On either side of the door were slogans: “Self-reliance” and “Hard Struggle.”
Lin Ruxia brought the children inside. They seemed a bit uneasy, tugging at their clothes. She understood.
“Do you want to go in?” she asked gently. Even four- or five-year-olds cared about their appearance, let alone children of eight or nine. She didn’t want to force them and hurt their confidence. From what she knew, people working in such places at that time could be quite arrogant and judge others based on clothing.
“Mom, can we really go in?” Sanbao asked, uneasy but eager.
“Yes, Mom, we want to go too!” Dabao said firmly.
Seeing their determination, Lin Ruxia nodded approvingly.
“Alright, let’s go in.” She walked in confidently, projecting authority.
“Comrade, what’s left for breakfast?” she asked the cashier behind the counter. It was already around eight or nine, and breakfast started at 6:30.
The cashier glanced at the well-dressed woman in a light blue dress and quickly replied, “There’s still pork noodles and meat buns. Everything else is sold out. The noodles cost one liang of grain coupons plus two yuan per bowl; the buns are one yuan plus half a liang of coupons each.”
No wonder those items were left—they were too expensive for ordinary families.
“Mom, that’s too expensive. Let’s just go home and eat,” Dabao whispered.
Though quiet, the cashier heard him and looked at the children with disdain, but withdrew her gaze when Lin Ruxia shot her a glare.
“Four bowls of pork noodles and three meat buns,” Lin Ruxia said, taking out a refined small pouch from a cloth bag. She handed over grain coupons and a ten-yuan note.
The cashier accepted the money and told them to sit, then went into the kitchen.
At that hour, they were the only customers in the state-run restaurant. After all, it was nearly nine—anyone who wanted breakfast would have already eaten.