“How come there are still so many children?”
“They have military dependent cards—it’s a military family. I said they didn’t look like bad people!”
“Exactly! I thought the same, and sure enough, it’s true!”
“Isn’t that the little boy from the Chen family in our courtyard? I heard he’s really smart and will definitely achieve great things one day!”
“I’ve heard that too. No matter what math problem you ask him, he can answer immediately. When he went missing, the Chen family was frantic. The elders in the family were so worried they got sick—and one of them passed away!”
“How is Chen’s boy here?”
Everyone looked at the two adults tied on the ground, then at the two little children rushing out of the house and into the woman’s arms.
The other children also came out, standing behind the woman.
“Could these two be kidnappers?”
“Our alley actually has kidnappers living here!”
The police put away their weapons. They first checked the military dependent card in Song Qinghuan’s hand and then saluted her. “Comrade, we need you to cooperate with our investigation.”
He handed the military card back to Song Qinghuan.
She breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. “My child and these children are hungry. Could you please help buy some biscuits from the supply and marketing cooperative?”
She handed over a one-pound food ration ticket and fifty cents. Last time, ordinary animal biscuits or calcium milk biscuits were 0.13 yuan per pound, while slightly fancier ones like peach pastries or soda biscuits were 0.20 yuan per pound. She wasn’t sure if the cooperative still had them, so she had to rely on the police for help.
The ration ticket had been sent by Gu Qingyan. Thinking of him, Song Qinghuan paused briefly, then handed the ticket and money to the police. “Thank you for your trouble.”
“No trouble at all, it’s nothing,” the officer replied.
Seeing that the officer had accepted the ticket, Song Qinghuan reached to hold Nian Nian and Sui Sui. But the two children squirmed away. Sui Sui, little but bossy, held out her hands to block Song Qinghuan. “Mom, I’m tired.”
Then she grabbed her older brother Nian Nian’s hand. “We’ll walk ourselves.”
Nian Nian nodded. “Walk ourselves.”
“But Mom finally found you today. I really want to hold you. Can I hug you?” Song Qinghuan opened her arms, and the two children immediately jumped into her embrace.
In that moment, all of Song Qinghuan’s anxiety vanished.
She held the two children under police protection as they walked toward the station. Her bicycle, left outside, was pushed along by a helpful onlooker. “Don’t worry, miss! I’ll keep your bicycle safe right at the station!”
Before they even reached the station, the Chen family, having received the news, rushed over in disbelief. “It’s really our Niu Niu! It’s really my Niu Niu!”
“Glad you’re back, glad you’re back!”
The Chen family calmed down under the crowd’s comforting words. Then a few of them knelt before Song Qinghuan. “Comrade, we owe you. If it weren’t for you, our child wouldn’t have returned!”
Song Qinghuan, holding the children, couldn’t help them up. She said quickly, “I’m also a mother. I understand how you feel. Stop kneeling. This is a new society—we don’t do that old way anymore!”
“Yes, yes! We don’t do that!” The Chen family quickly got up.
Then the large group of people marched vigorously toward the police station, spreading the story as they went along, as if everyone had witnessed the entire scene.
From time to time, some people spat at the two adults being escorted, much to the frustration of the police. “Hey, aunties and uncles, keep an eye on them!”
..
Don’t spit on them! Luckily, with so many people following, the remaining police could better inspect the house for clues.
Nian Nian and Sui Sui would sometimes bury their heads in Song Qinghuan’s arms, then peek out to look around. Their heads would nuzzle together, whisper, then burst into smiles.
Song Qinghuan couldn’t help smiling, rubbing her face against their soft, fuzzy heads.
Because she was involved in the case, she couldn’t return home quickly. She asked the police to send a telegram, notifying her parents-in-law that the children had been found and that she wouldn’t be back immediately.
Accompanied by the police, she checked into a guesthouse. Thankfully, everything went smoothly from there.
Thanks to the guesthouse aunt’s hospitality, Song Qinghuan and the children settled in.
“Comrade, you’re very brave,” said the aunt, bringing a kettle of hot water. “I heard what happened today. You’re a military dependent, right?”
Song Qinghuan nodded. She laid the sleeping children on the bed, removed their outer clothes, checked their bodies quickly, and then covered them with a blanket.
“Taking care of these two children must be hard,” the aunt remarked. After explaining where everything in the room was, she left.
“Thank you, auntie,” Song Qinghuan said.
“No need. It’s all service to the people.”
The guesthouse charged 1.2 yuan per day for a single room, with meals costing 0.6 yuan per day, payable with a ration ticket.
It was already late. After a quick wash, the aunt returned with a meal, including a warm steamed bun.
“This is a privilege for military families,” the aunt said, placing the tray on the table. “I saw you had children, so I brought everything up for you.”
“Really, thank you,” Song Qinghuan said shyly.
“No need, miss. You’re famous in our neighborhood now. Everyone is talking about what you did today. You’re amazing!” The aunt smiled, her eyes sparkling. “If you really want to thank me, tell me how you took down those two kidnappers.”
The aunt waved her hand, pretending she had beaten them herself.
Song Qinghuan replied dryly, “When I knocked on the door, he opened it. I struck the door frame with my hand—probably because I’m used to hard work, I hit him hard enough to knock him out.”
She said it plainly, but the aunt listened intently, as if she had experienced it herself.
After the aunt left, Song Qinghuan woke the two children to eat.
The children yawned, likely still affected by the medicine, a bit sleepy. After rescuing them, the hospital had closed except for emergencies.
After a small meal, the children went back to sleep.
Song Qinghuan brushed her teeth and lay down. Then the gentle female voice appeared again:“No need to thank me. I think I should properly introduce myself.”
“I am a spirit born from the Food Cultivation Prayers of the Immortal Cultivation World. You can call me the System, as some people from another world do—I find it amusing.”
“System?”
“Yes, the Chef God System.”
[Author’s note: Some readers may not understand why the heroine sent a telegram. Let me explain: in 1965, cities and villages had two separate management systems. People from the production team could go to the county town to buy meat without an introduction letter as long as they didn’t stay overnight.
But people from the county town needed an introduction letter to visit a production team or commune. Without it, they would be considered vagrants if caught!
So in this case, sending a telegram was the best option.
Given the conditions: unfamiliar place, borrowed bicycles, and untrustworthy strangers, sending someone to deliver the message was unreliable. Even if someone agreed, they would need an introduction letter and follow the process. The telegram could go straight to the commune, where the assigned cyclist postman would deliver it—by far the most efficient method.]