Chapter Twenty-Seven: Without a Trace

Everyone had a relatively easy New Year, but the announcement of another supply reduction at the start of the year made things even more difficult.

In his first year back after his rebirth, Sun Yaozu ate the worst dumplings he had ever eaten and experienced the most desolate New Year. His mother was sick and unable to clean, the bed sheets and blankets hadn't been washed, and the house was filthy everywhere. It seemed like the father and son were competing to see who could cook the worst food. If it weren't for the food shortage, they would have loved to feed this inedible food to a dog.

"Father, call Meng Xi back."

"No way." The old man went to buy grain today and learned that the supply had decreased. "The supply has decreased and it's difficult to buy grain. Just you wait and see, she won't be able to hold out for long."

Sun Yaozu said with a mournful face, "I can't hold on much longer either."

The old man sighed, "Who isn't? I've lived most of my life, and this is the first time I've suffered like this. When Shuyao was at home, I didn't have to worry about any of this. It's all your fault for not being able to win Shuyao's heart. What kind of woman is this Mengxi you married? She doesn't know how to be filial at all, and she's far inferior to Shuyao."

"Why are we talking about this now?" Sun Yaozu irritably rubbed his hair. "Shu Yao has already married someone else, and my wife is now Meng Xi. If you want to drive her away, think about that dowry of over three hundred."

"Laozi,"

Old Man Sun slammed his fist on the table in anger, but he was still at a loss. This was no longer the time for him to be the boss; this was a new society.

"The old tricks that worked on Shu Yao are no longer effective. Shu Yao is no longer buying into them and has run away. You're still going to use the same tricks on Meng Xi, but it won't work."

“Who says it won’t work? Just you wait and see. When she comes back from her parents’ home, she’ll definitely not dare to do it again.”

Sun Yaozu rubbed his hands and scratched his head in frustration. Why had everything changed since he was reborn? Although life was difficult in his previous life, he felt he could still get by.

He had a wife who did all the housework and biased parents. Later, he even had a confidante. At home, his wife doted on him, and outside, his confidante fawned over him. But now, his childhood sweetheart has run away, and his confidante is like this after he married her.

"If it's still like this next week, I'll go pick her up." He couldn't take it anymore. His mother's clothes weren't clean, and her cooking was like pig slop.

Meng Xi was in a similar predicament, stretched to the limit. Her brother and sister-in-law resented her for staying at home, even though there was no food ration, and constantly made veiled accusations against her. Sleeping on the same kang (heated brick bed) with her father, the strong smell of urine made her nauseous. Even as an adult, sleeping with her parents was becoming increasingly difficult for her to bear.

When she got off work, she deliberately waited for Sun Yaozu on his usual route. He rode up and stopped in front of her. "Wife," he said.

"Sun Yaozu, you want a divorce, right? Let's go, let's go now."

"What divorce? Do you think this is child's play, that you can just get a divorce like that?"

"So what does this mean now?"

"You chose to leave, what could I do? You blame me?"

"I don't care, I just want a divorce."

“My dad said, divorce is fine, but you have to return the betrothal gifts, otherwise he’ll sue you for marriage fraud.”

"What?" Meng Xi never expected that Old Man Sun would be so ruthless.

"Think it over yourself, and come back when you've figured it out. He didn't say you can't come back."

Sun Yaozu blamed all of this on his father, while he himself played the good cop. I was helpless. "Xiao Xi, don't be so stubborn. It's very difficult for me to be caught in the middle when you're arguing with my parents. When you got married, your family asked for such a high dowry. You said that your parents raised you and you wanted to leave them some security. But I was also born of parents, and I also hope that my parents can enjoy their old age in peace."

To be honest, Sun Yaozu was quite eloquent, and his words swayed Meng Xi. "But your parents are too much of a bully. Your mother always calls me a barren hen, and your father usually doesn't say anything, but when he does, it's enough to make someone choke to death."

“I’m sorry, I know you’re upset. But those are my parents, they’re from the old society, they’re old-fashioned. I’ll talk to them and tell them not to do that again.”

After a conversation, Meng Xi returned to her husband's family home that evening. She simply couldn't stay at her parents' house any longer. She angrily threatened divorce, but she knew she couldn't actually get one. She wasn't Shu Yao, nor was she a child bride. Just wanting to get a letter of introduction from the factory would be met with a barrage of persuasion from the older women. And she'd demanded such a large dowry; how could the Sun family let her leave so easily?

Sun Yaozu had spoken with his parents beforehand, telling them to tone it down, otherwise he would stay at his workplace and not go home if Meng Xi drove him away again. So when she returned, her in-laws didn't say anything, and the family continued living together as before.

"Should we take a look at your wife and get some medicine for her?"

“Mother,” Sun Yaozu said helplessly, “Don’t you know how much the supply has dropped? Even if you get pregnant now, we don’t know if you can raise the baby. What’s the rush? You have a long life ahead of you.”

Meng Xi gave birth to his daughter three years later, just after the natural disasters had passed and food was plentiful, which would make it easier to have and raise children, right? In his previous life, Shu Yao had extra income, but he didn't now.

Speaking of extra income, Shu Yao seized control of it as soon as she returned. Looking back, Shu Yao was truly cunning; she secretly hid things when she was sold to the Sun family, and didn't tell anyone, not even him, the man she'd spent her life with. She used the money for her family, but she always kept it secretly in her own hands.

"What do you mean by a long life? How much longer can we live... Sigh, Yaozu..."

Sun Yaozu boldly ran away, unable to bear his mother's nagging any longer. If it weren't for the new regulations of the new era, she might have made him consummate his marriage with Shu Yao when he was fifteen. He really didn't understand why she was in such a hurry.

As supplies decreased, the amount of food in the canteen also decreased. Some people were so hungry that their bodies were swollen, leaving dents when pressed. During work breaks, several female colleagues sat together, too hungry to get up.

"Shu Yao, what did your husband say? Will this situation last a long time?"

Sister Xu waved her hand: "Do we even need to ask Shu Yao? It's all in the newspapers. The drought and lack of rain have led to reduced grain production. We all need to get through this together."

Shu Yao nodded: "That's right."

The woman looked at Shu Yao: "Is your family also starving?"

"Of course. Our family is just like everyone else's, we get all the same supplies."

"You have someone in your family helping to take care of the children, so there must be even less food to eat."

“My third aunt is provided with food supplies. She has a local household registration, and her grain rations have long been with my family.”

"Oh, I see."

“Absolutely, otherwise how could our supply possibly support one more person? We’ve been using up our previous savings, and luckily my husband earns a bit more than me. Even so, I don’t dare buy pearl cream anymore; I’ve switched to Yu Meijing cream, which I use with the kids.”

"Me too. I used to buy pearl cream, but now I don't dare to buy it at all."

"That's still better than me." Sister Xu sighed. "I have four children, and none of them have ever dared to use pearl cream."

"It doesn't really matter whether we use it or not, I just hope there can be more food, even if it means spending all my salary on it."

There was no moisture in the soil when the seeds were sown in early spring, and the newspapers said the germination rate was extremely low. Rural people were digging for wild vegetables and peeling tree bark everywhere; they were trying to bring home anything edible. City dwellers were also starving, and Sister Xu invited her to join them.

"Let's go dig for wild vegetables outside the city this weekend. I even found a squirrel's nest last time, with several chestnuts inside."

"Okay, let's go together tomorrow. Shuyao, are you coming?"

"Go. We'll dig up whatever we can; we have to find a way to eat."

Over the weekend, Shuyao went to the outskirts of the city with some coworkers. She carried her daughter on her back and a basket in her hand. It was the weekend, and her aunt was washing clothes and sheets at home. She couldn't work with the two children. Yiyi was lighter than her brother, so Shuyao brought her along.

Su Xiangdong is away on a business trip and won't be back until next Wednesday. She carried her daughter on her back and went with a group of people to dig for wild vegetables. It hasn't rained much since the beginning of spring, so the fields are quite barren.

The shepherd's purse they dug that morning was barely enough for one meal, and many people felt dizzy when they got up. Shu Yao still looked slender, but her complexion was actually quite good; she didn't seem to be suffering from hunger. The small yellow croakers had brought in so much money, so of course it had to be used wisely.

She was carrying her child and a basket on her back, heading home. When she reached the main road, she unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance, Sun Yaozu, who was coming down from the other side.

Sister Xu and the others were still behind; they had agreed to meet here. She was alone now, and Sun Yaozu stood a short distance in front of her, holding a hoe. His gaze fell on her daughter on her back; the little one wasn't asleep, but was obediently playing with two wildflowers.

Shu Yao shifted her position, hiding the child from his sight. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing much," he said casually. "Qingqing is still as well-behaved as ever."

When Shu Yao heard him mention the child's name from a past life, she was immediately annoyed and annoyed. "I don't know what you're talking about?"

She didn't wait for Sister Xu and the others, and started walking away first. That annoying Sun Yaozu, he's doing it on purpose, isn't he? That familiar tone, as if she were still his child. He's doing it on purpose, deliberately trying to annoy her.

“Shu Yao,” he hurried a few steps to catch up. “You don’t need to avoid it like this. No matter how much you avoid it, it won’t change the fact that these two children are of the Sun family bloodline.”

Shu Yao stopped and turned around, looking at him as if he were an idiot. "If you're sick, go see a doctor. Don't act crazy with me. Only children born to your wife are your children. What do other people's children have to do with you? I've seen people find gold and silver, but I've never seen anyone find a child they picked up. And a child born into a happy and stable life, do you even deserve it?"

“You—” Sun Yaozu was easily provoked by her, but he quickly rallied. “It’s no use denying it. In their past lives, they were both surnamed Sun, Sun Shuqing and Sun Shuhua. They both got into good universities and brought honor to their family.”

"What a beautiful dream! It surpasses even Lu Sheng's. Did you dream of a successful career, healthy parents, and filial children?"

Her face was full of sarcasm as she spoke of things he had and didn't have in his past life, but overall, it was much better than now. Perhaps that's why he always longed for the things he had in his past life. He had initially said he didn't care about these two, but now he would frequently glance at the child.

"Shu Yao, you're really being mean now."

"Why would I be harsh to someone like you who has such wild imaginations? It's you who, even in ancient times, understood the principle of parting ways amicably and each going their own way, yet you keep spouting nonsense and making yourself a laughingstock."

“I…” His gaze fell again on the baby on her back. The little one was over a year old, healthier and more alert than in his previous life, with chubby little hands and face. Hearing him and his mother talking, his eyes darted between them, his big eyes full of inquiry and confusion.

"You can't fool me. The children's birthdays are only a few days apart from those in my previous life. Who else could they be if not me, Sun Yaozu? If you weren't reborn, how could you have dug that thing out beforehand? Isn't your comfortable life now thanks to that thing?"

He went up the mountain again to search, but still found nothing. Seeing how well she and the child looked, he felt resentful. In his previous life, all the money from selling that thing had been spent on the Sun family, and he had spent quite a bit of it himself. Now he couldn't get a single penny, how could he not be angry?

"I heard that Director Liu is a highly skilled doctor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Second Hospital. You should hurry up and make an appointment with him. This nonsense you're spouting is incomprehensible."

She was immediately annoyed when he mentioned the yellow croaker. She was about to snap at him, but then she realized she shouldn't say that.

Those are my things, my mom gave them to me to carry with me. Why are you talking like I came back early and stole your things? My little yellow croaker, that belongs to the Shu family, what does it have to do with you?

Shu Yao left as soon as she finished speaking, leaving Sun Yaozu both angry and anxious. He was never as composed as Shu Yao to begin with, and in his previous life, Shu Yao was always the more decisive one. Having gone through those trials, she was even more calm. She completely disregarded what he said and refused to acknowledge that she had been reborn.

Shu Yao didn't want to talk to him, but he was still angry and urged Su Xiangdong's third uncle to intervene again. The third uncle frowned; he hadn't had a proper meal in days. He thought last year was the worst, but who would have thought that the supply would be reduced again this year? Even at his daughter's place, he only got half a bowl of thin porridge per meal.

"We reported it before, but it didn't work."

“The higher-ups don’t take anonymous reports seriously, thinking they’re just making trouble and talking nonsense. This time we’re making a real report, and I don’t believe we can’t bring him down.”

Seeing that his third uncle was still hesitating, he continued to add fuel to the fire. "You're starving while Su Xiangdong is all slick and healthy. Are you willing to accept that? He's the head of the grain station; he controls the entire city's grain and oil supply. How could he not have grain? He just doesn't care about family ties and wants you to starve to death."

"Let's go," Uncle San said, his voice weak with hunger, yet the word still carried a force. "You said you'd go with others; I'm all alone, it's not enough."

"Don't worry, someone is with you."

Su Xiangdong had just returned from a business trip when the investigation team arrived. Facing the investigation, he remained calm and fully cooperated, not uttering a single unnecessary word, simply telling them to investigate however they pleased.

The inspection team members were very serious and told him that someone had filed a formal complaint against him, accusing him of embezzlement. They claimed that in those times, his family had plenty of food and he even supported outsiders to help take care of his children.

"Can I find out who reported me?"

"Not now."

"Alright. Welcome to the inspection team's on-site investigation; I will fully cooperate."

The inspection team checked the accounts and inventory, but if they didn't find anything wrong in one day, they'd continue the next. Su Xiangdong didn't tell Shu Yao about it when he got home that night, afraid she'd worry. But his silence didn't mean others wouldn't talk. Some people just love a good show.

Late at night, Sun Yaozu waited for Shu Yao again. Seeing her turn to leave, he quickly stopped her. "Shu Yao, don't hide. No matter how much you hide, you can't hide the fact that your man is about to collapse."

Shu Yao turned around upon hearing this, "What do you mean?"

Seeing the worry on her face, Sun Yaozu felt a mixture of jealousy and delight. "Hmph, you're so close to him, huh? Let's see what you do when he falls from grace."

"Su Xiangdong has been reported for embezzlement and is currently under investigation by the investigation team."

"Who reported you? It wasn't you, was it?" Shu Yao glared at him, scoffing at him. "You're a despicable person, all you do is scheme behind people's backs. My husband is upright and has nothing to fear. Let them investigate."

"You...you have that much faith in him?" Sun Yaozu gritted his teeth in anger. His wife, with whom he had lived his entire previous life, was now constantly siding with another man. How could he not be furious?

"Of course. My man is upright and honest. Do you think it's you who would resort to underhanded tactics?"

"I……"

Shu Yao ignored him and walked past him to the restroom. There were often people in the restroom at this hour, so she wasn't worried about him doing anything. When she came out, she was surprised to find him still there.

"Shu Yao, wait until Su Xiangdong is arrested, then let's see how you cry."

"Let's see who cries first."

Hmph, even if you lose the argument, you can't lose face; you have to say something tough. Although she was actually a little panicked—this period was too unregulated; many things couldn't be done just because you didn't do them. Who knew if some people would take this opportunity to deliberately mess with him?

"Su Xiangdong, you were reported, why didn't you tell me?"

Su Xiangdong put the child on the bed and walked towards her: "How did you know?"

“That bastard Sun Yaozu said it. I guess this matter might be related to him.”

"It was done by my third uncle, and perhaps he encouraged him to do it."

"I'm so angry! That bastard! He's always up to no good behind people's backs."

The man reached out and hugged her: "Don't be angry, your man isn't incapable of handling this. Don't worry, it'll be alright."

"Are you really alright?"

"I promise everything will be fine."

In his past life, he had suffered during those ten years. But now he was safe and sound. He had helped her buy grain many times, and it was all refined grain. With his help, the three of them were able to buy things like noodles that they could sneakily eat.

He said it was nothing, so she had to suppress her anxiety. The next day, the investigation continued, and Su Xiangdong remained calm and composed, as if he wasn't the one being investigated.

"If I have nothing to hide, I have nothing to be afraid of."

The accounts were fine, and the grain, oil, and non-staple foods in the warehouse were also fine. The inspection team couldn't help but get angry. "Isn't this a waste of time? Su Sanmao is just talking nonsense."

Thinking about it, it's obvious that someone in that position, with only three adults and two children in his family, would have no reason to risk embezzling money.

Who is your relative who helps take care of the child?

"My third aunt."

"Who is Su Sanmao to you?"

"Third Uncle." He handed out several cigarettes and lit one for someone. "I was misdiagnosed before, you know, I thought I had liver cancer. My third uncle was waiting to eat my blood. It turned out it was a misdiagnosis, and now I've gotten married and had twins. He's furious. I can understand."

"Nonsense. To obstruct justice for a personal grudge is utterly absurd."

“My third aunt had gallstones and the hospital bill was 200 yuan. No one in the family was willing to pay, so I helped pay the bill. My third aunt felt bad about it, so she stayed at my house to help me take care of my child. We are all relatives, and I never thought that my third uncle could do such a thing.”

"This is outrageous!"

"Turns out he's just a shameless old man."

The female comrade slammed her fist on the table in anger upon hearing that women who were ill were not allowed to receive treatment. The investigation over the past few days has yielded a deep appreciation for Su Xiangdong's work abilities. His accounts are clear, grain storage is impeccable, and resource allocation is efficient. His subordinates all praise him highly.

"It would be great if there were appropriate punishments for these people who make false accusations; it's such a waste of time."

The inspection team returned empty-handed, cursing in frustration. Su Xiangdong didn't utter a single unnecessary word in front of them, but his eyes were brimming with tension.

Sun Yaozu was getting off work late at night, and it was already quite dark. There were no streetlights at this time of year, so he wasn't riding very fast. But even so, a car suddenly darted out from the side, and they collided with each other with a bang.

"Ah!" Sun Yaozu was completely unprepared, and he and his bike tumbled into the ditch beside him. He yelled loudly, "Who? Who hit me?"

He could tell the other person was also riding a bicycle, and that he himself was in pain from the fall. His left leg, especially his calf, was throbbing with pain. It was the other person's fault; they had to compensate him.

His shout only made things worse; the man picked up his bicycle and immediately pushed it away. The sound of the bicycle moving was clearly audible, and he anxiously tried to get up to stop him.

"Ah!" He had barely moved when the pain in his calf made him fall back to the spot. "You bastard, you dare to do it but not admit it. You hit me and ran away, that's hit-and-run."

No matter what he said, the other person disappeared in a flash. He was rescued by passersby and taken to the hospital, where an examination revealed a fractured shinbone.

"It needs to rest in bed for about a month. During this time, don't let it exert itself, otherwise it will become lame, which would be a real problem."

The family was furious and called the police that same day. But the road had a lot of pedestrian and vehicle traffic, it was dark at that time of day, there were no streetlights or surveillance cameras, and they had no idea what it was. Where were they supposed to find someone?

An investigation was launched, but he knew perfectly well that it would come to nothing. After returning home, Meng Xi arranged for him to take sick leave from work, and he lay in bed, tossing and turning, pondering the matter.

This was probably no accident. The man suddenly rushed out from the other side and rammed into him hard. He himself was thrown into the ditch, but the other person was unharmed. Hearing him yell, the man quickly rode away from the scene.

“Su Xiangdong next door has a grudge against me. It must be him. He’s the one who hit me. If you don’t believe me, go check his car. There will definitely be traces.”

He made this accusation, and the police went to the Su family's house as a routine matter. Su Xiangdong cooperated fully and pushed his car out.

"Some people like to judge others by their own standards. They are not good people themselves, and they are only thinking about doing bad things, so they assume that others are the same as them."

The police were aware of the situation in both families, and Sun Yaozu swore that Su Xiangdong was the one who did it. They had no choice but to come and investigate.

“Su Xiangdong’s car has no signs of collision, and his wife’s car is also brand new and without any marks. Sun Yaozu, don’t try to frame people. We will investigate this matter. You should focus on recovering from your injuries.”

They found nothing, and Sun Yaozu even got a scolding from the police. Completely bewildered, could it really be unrelated to Su Xiangdong?

No, he didn't believe it. But how did the other party do it so secretly? They cleaned up the mess completely, while he suffered a fractured shinbone and had to recuperate, making his already difficult days even worse. Wasn't this a double loss?