Chapter 3 Returning Home

Song Xinran carried her things back to the dormitory. Chen Jingfang was quite happy to see that she had so many bags and said that she only felt comfortable leaving her things behind when she went home. Seeing that she had a lot of things in her hands, she insisted on helping her to the boarding point.

“Xinran, you really need to think this through. The glass factory pays well and offers good benefits. You won’t find a better job.” Chen Jingfang was still trying to persuade her while they were waiting for the bus.

Song Xinran said, "Sister Fang, I have my own plans, don't worry."

"Then tell me, what are you planning to do?"

Song Xinran didn't really like telling others about her plans before she had actually done anything. She always believed in keeping things secret. However, seeing that Chen Jingfang was really concerned, she made up a few words: "I see that there are quite a few people setting up stalls in town. I'm planning to set one up myself too."

Chen Jingfang kept shaking her head: "How can this street stall compare to the glass factory? We get paid on time every month, while they work hard from dawn till dusk to earn a little money. Look at the street stalls in our town, they are all elderly people who can't work. There are no young people doing this."

Song Xinran couldn't force others to change their minds; it was simply a limitation of the times and the region. Their place was too remote, and they had no idea how much money they could make setting up a stall in a big city at this time.

She could only smile sheepishly and say, "I just wanted to give it a try."

Chen Jingfang shook her head: "You also need to think about your child. How will he live if you can't earn money?"

Song Xinran really didn't know how to explain, so she could only respond with a silly smile.

Chen Jingfang tried to persuade her a few times, but seeing that she was unmoved, she shut up. It was just a pity for the child; Song Xinran was still too young and too naive.

Looking up, she saw the car approaching in the distance. Chen Jingfang said, "You have a lot of stuff, let me help you carry it up."

Without saying a word, he picked up Song Xinran's luggage and prepared to get on the bus.

Song Xinran tried to stop Chen Jingfang, but Chen brushed her hand away. After thinking for a moment, before the car door opened, she said in a low but quick voice, "Sister Fang, the glass factory has been two months behind on wages, and we don't know how long they'll be behind. Why don't you go talk to the factory manager?"

Just as Chen Jingfang was about to say that the factory had promised to pay next month, she heard Song Xinran say the second half of her sentence: "Just say that you really have no money at home, ask the factory manager to lend you some, and deduct it from your salary. Just say nice things to him and beg him."

"The car is here, I'm leaving now!" Before Chen Jingfang could reply, Song Xinran quickly got into the car, found a seat, and waved to Chen Jingfang from the window.

Chen Jingfang was still a little dazed and subconsciously waved her hand until the car drove away before she came to her senses.

She initially thought the factory would definitely make up the wages; the glass factory had been in the town for over ten years and had always paid wages on time, so the workers were very reassured. But then she thought, they'd never been late before, and besides, it'd been two months already.

Song Xinran's words kept replaying in her mind, not to mention that she had given an idea. She had never thought that she could borrow money from the factory manager.

After all, their factory is privately owned, and the factory manager is the head of the factory. Paying wages is entirely up to the factory manager. The factory manager said that the wages will definitely be paid next month, so there is no need to worry about her not paying back the money she borrowed.

If the factory manager absolutely refuses to comply, then something fishy is going on. He might not get paid next month, or the factory might simply not have the money to pay wages...

The thought of such a possibility made Chen Jingfang shudder. She quickly reassured herself that it was impossible, given the large number of people in the factory.

However, what exactly did Song Ran come up with in asking the factory manager for money? A person who could say something like that doesn't seem like a fool at all. Why would she give up her job at the glass factory to set up a stall?

*

Song Ran sat in the back of the bus. It was late afternoon, and there weren't many people on the bus. The old-fashioned diesel bus was driving on the road, and there was a strong smell of chickens, ducks, and livestock on the bus.

Song Ran pushed open the iron-framed glass window, and the fresh air from outside rushed in.

It's late October now, and the roadsides are lined with fields, where lush green sweet potato vines are growing. Some farmers are cutting the vines and putting them into baskets to take home to feed their pigs, while others are digging up sweet potatoes with hoes.

The peanut seedlings are also lush and green. When you pull out the peanuts, you can almost smell the sweet aroma of peanuts and the moist scent of the soil.

Song Ran immediately thought of many ways to cook peanuts and sweet potatoes. Freshly pulled peanuts, boiled in water and with a little salt, would be delicious, with a perfect balance of salty, savory, and sweet flavors, making them ideal for eating while watching TV.

"Where to?" Just as she was thinking, the ticket seller walked up to her with her bag and asked.

Song Ran said, "Shiyan Village."

He handed over a dollar as he spoke.

The ticket seller took it, put it in her bag, and left.

Song Ran's place is too remote. The buses from the town to the village are all privately owned. There are only buses on market days on the 3rd, 6th and 9th of the lunar calendar. You just need to pay the ticket seller after you get on the bus.

The bus traveled on the asphalt road for about ten minutes when it suddenly lurched and drove onto a dirt road. It swayed and bumped along for another ten minutes before finally coming to a stop.

The ticket seller said, "We've arrived at Shiyan Village."

The few remaining passengers got off the bus; this was the final stop.

From the original owner's diary, Song Xinran knew that it would take about ten minutes to walk to the house of the original owner's sister, Song Xinwen, after getting off the bus. She was originally worried that she would not be able to find her way since she did not have the original owner's memories, but when she saw the surrounding scenery, she felt that it was somewhat familiar and subconsciously followed the road.

When she looked up and could see a two-story red brick house, Song Xinran knew that it was the home of the original owner's older sister, Song Xinwen.

A smile appeared on Song Xinran's face; they had finally arrived.

She was finally able to see Song Yu, which was not only the original owner's wish but also hers. She had really liked the adult male supporting character when she was reading the book.

"Catch him! He stole my candy!"

"Thief! Come with me to catch the thief!"

A group of teenagers came running over noisily, some of them waving sticks in their hands, shouting and running, looking very proud of themselves.

The boy they were chasing was a small, thin boy. His clothes and pants were a bit short, revealing his thin limbs. He pursed his lips but ran very fast, darting past Song Xinran in an instant.

The moment Song Xinran saw the child, her heart felt as if it had been stabbed, a mix of soreness and throbbing. She understood in an instant.

He stepped to the side, blocking the children chasing after him.

Before she could speak, the child holding the stick looked up and recognized her, calling out in a clear voice, "Auntie!"

Then, noticing the bags and packages in her hands, her eyes lit up, and she reached out with her little dirty hands to pull at the bags: "Auntie, what did you buy? Do you still have the candy from last time?"

Song Xinran knew from the address that the boy was Song Yu's cousin, Cai Yang. In the novel, Cai Yang went out to work after graduating from vocational high school. He bought a car and a house with the help of his parents and Song Yu. Later, he wanted to work at Song Yu's company, but he couldn't even get his resume submitted because of his educational background.

When they were young, Cai Yang often bullied Song Yu. As they grew up, he became jealous, taking Song Yu's money while still disliking her.

Later, Song Yu severed ties with his aunt's family and never offered Cai Yang any help again. Cai Yang, who was already an incompetent ruler, ended up with his wife and children leaving him.

but……

Looking at the chubby little boy in front of her, Song Xinran couldn't believe that her cousin, who was a month younger than Song Yu, was actually taller than Song Yu and had a particularly strong and muscular build: "Cai Yang?"

Cai Yang strained with both hands, trying to take the largest bag from Song Xinran's hands. It made a rustling sound when touched, so it must be delicious.

Every time his aunt comes home, she buys him lots of snacks, but today no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the bag away. He rolled his eyes and said, "Auntie, I'm a little thirsty. Let's buy a Sprite to take home."

He glanced at the small shop next door, the only shop in the village. It didn't have many kinds of snacks, and a large bottle of Sprite cost five yuan. The family only bought it when guests came. Cai Yang was already craving it.

Song Xinran: ?

Want Sprite? Go starve!

She yanked the bag hard toward her side. Although the original owner's body was of average strength, she was not so weak as to be bullied by a three-year-old child.

She looked down at the chubby boy, her face devoid of a smile: "You just said that Xiao Yu took your things. What did he take? Do you have any evidence?"

"I...I didn't take it." A weak, soft voice sounded behind Song Xinran.

Song Xinran turned her head and saw the little boy who had just run past her standing not far away.

He gripped his clothes tightly with both hands, standing stiffly, his face flushed, and his eyes looking at her helplessly and panicked.

Once he quieted down, Song Xinran noticed that his hair was a bit long, with sections that looked like it had been chewed by a dog, some long and some short. It was clear that a farmer had casually cut it with scissors.

He was wearing an ill-fitting shirt, his exposed wrists were so thin they looked like they could be broken with the slightest force, his pants were a bit dirty, probably from when he tripped and fell while being chased, and he was wearing a pair of sandals that were about to break. Compared to the other children, he looked like he had run out of a garbage dump.

Song Xinran felt even more bitter. She beckoned to the child and smiled, "Xiao Yu, come here."

Song Yu stood there timidly, not daring to walk towards her.

Song Xinran took the initiative to walk closer to him, stood beside him, put down the bag in her hand, bent down and took his small hand that was held by her side.

He seemed to be stunned for a moment, then twisted his kitten-like hand, but Song Xinran held it tightly and didn't let him break free. He stopped moving, lowered his head slightly, his eyes showing a hint of flustered shyness, and then secretly glanced at Song Xinran's hand out of the corner of his eye before standing quietly beside her.

Song Xinran looked up at Cai Yang and said, "Come here."

She was expressionless and serious, looking a bit scary. Although Cai Yang was a tyrant at home, he was still just a three-year-old child and was a little frightened. He hesitated and slowly walked over.

The other children also noticed this and looked at each other, then wanted to go home, but Song Xinran stopped them: "None of you are allowed to leave either."

Song Xinran first targeted Cai Yang: "Explain yourself, why are you chasing Xiao Yu!"

Cai Yang was a little scared, so he could only shout loudly to intimidate others: "He took my candy! He stole my things! He's a bad guy!"

As if his hand had been held, Song Yu felt even more courageous and said in a slightly louder voice, "No, it was candy my mom gave me..."

As he said this, he quietly raised his head to look at Song Xinran. When he met her encouraging expression and her slightly smiling eyes, he felt more confident: "I just took the candy box back. I didn't steal anything."

"Shut up!" Song Xinran snapped, interrupting Cai Yang. "Is that candy yours? You stole the candy I bought for Xiao Yu and then bullied her. Who's the real thief here?"

After saying that, she swept her sharp gaze over the other children. Every child she looked at fell silent and even lowered their breathing. Song Xinran said, "And you too, you followed Song Yu, that's wrong too!"

One child deflected the blame, saying, "It's Cai Yang's fault, it's all Cai Yang's fault."

"That's right, that's right, he's the one who said Song Yu stole something!"

A group of children started talking all at once, and one of the girls walked up to Song Yu and whispered, "I'm sorry, Song Yu."

With this beginning, the other children also apologized to Song Yu one after another.

Song Yu kept a straight face and said very seriously, "It's okay."

He looks very composed, but actually his heart is pounding like a rabbit's, about to jump out of his chest.

When Song Yu was bullied, he never received an apology from other children. But when Cai Yang was watching TV, he carefully followed along and learned that when others apologized, he should say it was okay, because that's what a polite child does.

Now that he's being polite, will Mom still leave...?

He didn't dare to look up at Song Xinran.

All the children who had apologized left, leaving only Cai Yang. Cai Yang, who had previously been the leader of the children in the village, experienced this kind of disparity for the first time.

Song Xinran stared at Cai Yang: "Aren't you going to apologize?"

Cai Yang looked up, glanced at her, then at Song Yu, and then burst into tears and ran away.

A note from the author: