Chapter 103 Invitation to Broaden Horizons

"Guo Peng, Guo Peng, open the door!" Li Hui opened the door.

The person who opened the door was Guo's sister-in-law's younger brother, He Bin. He Bin was quite large and tall. He Bin had already heard from his sister that Guo Peng's ex-wife might come over.

"What do you want with my brother-in-law?" He Bin stood at the front door. "You eloped with someone, and you still have the nerve to come back?"

"I am..." Li Hui saw Guo Dasao, who was heavily pregnant, behind He Bin through He Bin's eyes. How could that be? That woman was pregnant. "I am... I just came to check on things..."

Firstly, Li Hui was somewhat afraid of He Bin, such a big man, which reminded her of the beatings she used to suffer. Secondly, she saw Guo Dasao's big belly and knew how obsessed those men were with children. She had a hard life after being trafficked, and everyone wanted her to have a child. She hadn't gotten pregnant, and her life was very difficult.

“You scared my sister,” He Bin said.

"Li Hui!" Guo Peng returned with roast chicken; it was for his wife.

Guo Peng looked coldly at Li Hui, then handed the food to He Bin, saying, "Take this to your sister. I'll talk to her."

“Brother-in-law, my sister is carrying your child,” He Bin said. “Don’t let unrelated people affect the child in my sister’s belly. The child in my sister’s belly is your own child.”

He Bin said that on purpose; he was saying it for Li Hui to hear.

He Bin closed the door, and Guo Peng stood in the doorway looking at Li Hui. Guo Peng's eyes were cold, long since devoid of their former warmth.

When Li Hui met Guo Peng's cold gaze, she knew that she and Guo Peng could never go back to the way things were.

“I want to go back to my parents’ home, but I don’t have money for the bus fare.” Li Hui didn’t mention that she had been trafficked; she knew Guo Peng wouldn’t understand her situation. Also, Li Hui didn’t want these people to know she had been trafficked. She had dressed up before coming, and even though she didn’t look as glamorous as before, she didn’t want anyone to know about her ordeal in this remote village.

Guo Peng felt this wasn't Li Hui at all. "Don't cause trouble!"

"I didn't cause any trouble, I just need some money for a bus ride home," Li Hui said.

"That would be best," Guo Peng said. "I'll take you to the train station."

Guo Peng was unwilling to let Li Hui stay any longer, so Li Hui had no choice but to follow in Guo Peng's footsteps.

Li Hui, once so proud and a pillar of the performing arts troupe, is now reduced to this. She regrets her past actions, but it's too late. Guo Peng already has a new wife and a child. If Guo Peng's wife weren't pregnant, Li Hui could still try to persuade him to marry her, but that's impossible now.

If Sister-in-law Guo hadn't given birth... Li Hui knew that Guo Peng would also resent her, and the feelings between the two of them would have faded.

Before they even left the residential compound, Guo Peng asked, "Are you going to take your niece back with you?"

“No, she’s your daughter now,” Li Hui said. “I can’t take her away! Don’t try to shirk your responsibility. She’s calling you Dad now, you have to support her.”

Li Hui felt that Guo Furong was just a burden, and she didn't need such a burden. Her mother had already said that Guo Furong couldn't go back. If she took Guo Furong back, her mother would definitely not let her into the house, given how badly she was already in her condition…

"Li Hui, were you abducted?" Some people who watched the news saw Li Hui on the news and said this in private.

“No…nothing like that. How could I have been abducted? That’s not true,” Li Hui emphasized.

“Someone saw it on TV,” the man said.

“No, it’s not true. It could just be someone who looks very similar,” Li Hui said, glancing sideways at Guo Peng. “Guo Peng, what if I’ve been abducted…”

"That's your own fault." Guo Peng had already figured it out. Li Hui was too much of a troublemaker, so whatever kind of ending she got was normal.

"..." Li Hui did not expect Guo Peng to be so indifferent.

That's true. Li Hui thought that she had been abducted for over a year, and none of these people had come looking for her. It was the families of other abducted women who were searching for her, which led them to that place, and only then did a joint operation by multiple departments occur, allowing her to be found.

After arriving at the train station, Guo Peng bought Li Hui a train ticket and some food for her so that she would have something to eat on the train.

"Guo Peng, if I really have been abducted..."

"Did she run away with someone and get abducted?" Guo Peng hadn't read the news; he didn't know the details and assumed Li Hui was saying this on purpose.

Trying to gain his sympathy, she said, "Then you deserve it!"

“You…” Li Hui stared at Guo Peng.

“Go back and live a good life,” Guo Peng said. “You can marry someone else.”

"Where is my household registration?" Li Hui asked.

“It’s been moved to your hometown,” Guo Peng replied. “You eloped with someone, and we got divorced. The relevant departments decided to move your household registration back. We can’t keep your household registration here forever. Li Hui, I’m married now, and I’m about to become a father to my own child.”

"You..." Perhaps because she had suffered a lot in the countryside, Li Hui already knew how good Guo Peng had been to her. She wanted to go back to Guo Peng's side, but it was impossible.

Li Hui couldn't possibly tell Guo Peng she could be raised outside; Guo Peng would never do such a thing. Li Hui had no choice but to leave. She knew Guo Peng didn't yet believe she'd been abducted, but perhaps he would find out once she left. After all, someone had seen the news, and Li Hui didn't want to appear too pathetic in front of Guo Peng.

The Guo family originally thought Li Hui would cause a huge scene, but they never expected her to leave so easily.

Li Hui didn't cause trouble at the Guo family's house; she caused trouble at her own. Li's mother didn't want Li Hui to come home, so Li Hui made a scene.

“I was abducted and trafficked, and none of you came looking for me.”

"Guo Peng thought I eloped with someone, so he didn't come looking for me, fine. But I didn't contact you, so why didn't you come looking for me?"

Do you know how much I suffered over there?

...

Li Hui figured that since she was already on TV, these people would find out sooner or later, so she had to speak out. Since her mother wouldn't let her go home, her mother would find her a place to stay and make sure she had food and drink.

The Guo family never expected that Li Hui would cause trouble at the Li family's house. But thinking about it, it makes sense. If Li Hui needed a place to go, the only option would be the Li family's house.

Li's mother wanted Li Hui to go somewhere else, but where could Li Hui go? Should she go to Shi Guilan's place? Shi Guilan would never allow Li Hui to go there; she would definitely not accept Li Hui going.

Shi Guilan herself hadn't had a good life in the Northwest. After the special era ended, she was afraid of people bringing up old grievances, so she became much more cautious in her words and actions. Li Hui couldn't have children, so being a stepmother would be fine, but Li Hui had a bad temper, and Shi Guilan couldn't act as a matchmaker.

Originally, Shi Guilan had hoped that Li Hui would be able to have children and marry into a good family, so that the cousins ​​could help each other. Now, Shi Guilan naturally wanted to stay away from Li Hui, and that they could communicate only by phone.

Fatty called Song Fenglan and told her about Li Hui being abducted.

"Was she really abducted?" Song Fenglan sat in the living room. Qin Yizhou offered her a banana, which she refused.

"It's her," said the plump woman. "Everyone in the family compound is talking about it. When Li Hui came over that day, she didn't make a scene. Instead, she asked Guo Peng to buy her a train ticket so she could go back. She was abducted and had no money, which is why she asked Guo Peng to buy her a train ticket. Well, after going through something so big, how could she possibly make a scene with Guo Peng? Guo Peng already has a wife, and she's almost due. If Li Hui comes back now, there's no place for her in Guo Peng's heart anymore. She can't very well say that Guo Peng shouldn't have divorced her and that she eloped with someone else."

The woman, nicknamed "Fat Sister," truly couldn't understand how Li Hui had managed to ruin her life like this. Li Hui was a fairly successful person; she knew how to dance and danced with many people in the residential compound. Many enjoyed dancing and chatting with her. If Li Hui hadn't spoken ill of Song Fenglan and hadn't acted like Shi Guilan, she wouldn't have been living a bad life, especially with Guo Peng giving her so much money.

"She was abducted and trafficked for over a year, and no one noticed?" Song Fenglan asked.

“No, everyone assumed she eloped with someone and was too embarrassed to contact her family or anyone she knew in the residential compound,” said the plump woman. “Guo Peng didn’t go looking for her because the letters she left behind were handwritten by her, not someone else’s handwriting. And her family, she hasn’t contacted them for so long, yet they haven’t suspected anything.”

The fat woman thought that Li Hui's relationship with her family wasn't very good. If their relationship were good, her family would have noticed that there was a problem with Li Hui.

“Look at me, I’m calling you from a public phone booth too. It’s not like you can’t call just because you don’t have a phone at home,” said the plump woman. “We’re friends, we still call each other to chat.”

It's impossible for family members not to call each other or write letters.

More than a year, not a week, not a month...

It's clear that Li Hui's family doesn't care about her at all, so it's understandable that her sister-in-law wants her to go back and cause trouble.

"I heard Li Hui is causing a scene at her parents' home," the plump woman said. "She has nowhere else to go but to stay at her parents' home. Since she can't have children, she can only become a stepmother. But how could she possibly be a stepmother with her personality? We're just seeing if her temper has changed since she was abducted. Maybe she's been suppressed for too long and now she needs to vent."

"Yes." Song Fenglan nodded. "That's probably how it is with her."

“That’s right,” said the plump woman. “She originally had a good husband, but she didn’t want him and insisted on finding another man. Li Hui tried to commit suicide here, but she still eloped with someone. Who would believe what she said? She was trafficked and lived a very bad life, but she never thought of suicide, which shows that she couldn’t possibly commit suicide.”

Li Hui herself understood this, so she stopped threatening Guo Peng with suicide. She knew it was useless, and she didn't want to lose face like that. She decided to go back to her hometown first, at least to have a place to stay.

“She cherishes her life.” Song Fenglan recalled Li Hui’s appearance; Li Hui had once been quite flamboyant.

There's nothing wrong with a woman wanting to marry someone better. Li Hui's mistake was trying to break up a couple; she got married and then went to find another man. It's not that women can't make the same mistakes men make, but Guo Peng didn't wrong Li Hui. He was genuinely very good to her—even better to her than to his own mother.

"Everyone's talking about Li Hui, the news's spread everywhere," said the plump woman. "Li Hui said that day it wasn't her, that she wasn't trafficked. But if she hadn't been trafficked, would she be like this now? Everyone knows the truth. When she went back to her parents' house to argue, she said she was trafficked."

Song Fenglan didn't know how the people in the family compound knew about what had happened to Li Hui at the Li family's house. She could only say that these people were quite capable; they had learned the news...

There are so many channels.

“She was trafficked back home, and her parents despise her, saying why she didn’t just stay there for the rest of her life,” the plump woman said. “It’s heartbreaking to think about.”

“She’s staying in her hometown now, she…” Song Fenglan paused, ““Her experience has nothing to do with us.”

Whatever happened to Li Hui in the end, it was fine. It wasn't them who harmed Li Hui.

"I guess she'll just become a stepmother," the plump woman said. "That's how it is; there's basically no other way. Li Hui can't stay single forever. Can she really stay single forever? If she doesn't get married, can she endure a life without a man?"

"..." Song Fenglan thought Li Hui really couldn't be.

"This is all retribution, the cycle of cause and effect, retribution is inevitable," said the plump woman. "She wanted to steal someone else's man, and she was stolen away by him."

“Being able to go back and continue living a more stable life is considered lucky,” Song Fenglan said. “So many people who are trafficked by human traffickers can’t escape and can’t go back home.”

“That makes sense,” said the plump woman. “She’ll just treat it like she was bitten by a dog. Anyway, it’s not like she hasn’t been with other men before. She can tolerate it.”

It wasn't just Sister Pang who thought so; many people in the family compound thought so too, and they all felt that Li Hui was able to tolerate it.

After hanging up the phone, Song Fenglan looked at Qin Yizhou, who then peeled a banana for her.

“Li Hui was indeed abducted,” Song Fenglan said. “That person in the TV news is her!”

"Was she really abducted?" Qin Yizhou asked in surprise.

“Yes, it was the man who eloped with her who sold her,” Song Fenglan said. “After this incident, she doesn’t dare to elope with other men so easily anymore.”

Song Fenglan didn't know what to say. She had very little contact with Li Hui, and even though they lived in the same residential compound, they rarely greeted each other. They were neither rivals nor had any conflicts; at most, they were strangers who had met once.

“Li Hui went back to the family compound, probably thinking that Guo Peng wasn’t married yet and they could still be together,” Song Fenglan said. “Not everyone will stay in the same place and wait for her.”

"Yes." Qin Yizhou nodded.

"Leaving aside her situation, even couples who are separated and never see each other might have other thoughts," Song Fenglan said.

"I didn't. Back then, we were separated by distance. I was in the military, doing missions, I..."

"I didn't say anything about you, why are you so flustered?" Song Fenglan said. "Could it be that you did something to betray me?"

"No, no, really no." Qin Yizhou grasped Song Fenglan's hand. "I just want to tell you that I could never do those things."

Without Li Hui, Guo Peng's life was actually quite good. Neither Guo Peng nor anyone else cared about Li Hui's ultimate fate, and Song Fenglan wasn't upset either.

Most people know that Li Hui's life is pretty much set in stone. The best path she could take, as Fatty Sister suggested, is to become a stepmother, be a good stepmother, and live a good life. Whether she can make it work or not is up to Li Hui herself.

Li Hui was no longer a young girl. Having experienced so much, she knew love wasn't something she could possess, and she no longer believed in men's sweet talk. The first time Li Hui sought out another man, Guo Peng discovered it, and the man ran away. The second time she eloped with another man, he sold her.

Neither attempt yielded good results, and Li Hui didn't want to go through the trouble of trying again. She thought perhaps she was being too romantic.

It is said that Tang Qiming did not go to a good school, and he was ridiculed by his classmates, which made him quite irritable. Tang Qiming was also bad-tempered in front of his parents.

One day, Tang Qiming took a stone to smash the window of Aunt Song's house, and was caught red-handed by Aunt Song.

Aunt Song didn't call the police; it would be useless, after all, Tang Qiming was her own grandson. Aunt Song had Tang Qiming taken to the Tang family home, where she coldly observed them.

"He really is your good grandson, throwing stones at my house." Aunt Song sneered.

“That’s my home, and all those things will be mine,” Tang Qiming said. His parents had already told him that all his grandmother’s things belonged to him.

“It’s not yours,” Aunt Song said. “I made a will that I won’t leave you a single penny. You haven’t taken care of me in my old age, and you’ve never contributed any money to me. I have the right to donate all my money to the country.”

"Donate it to the country?" Mr. Tang frowned.

“Yes, even if it were given to my niece and nephew, you would still go and make a fuss, wanting them to give it to you. If it were given to the country, you wouldn’t have to make a fuss anymore,” Aunt Song said. “You guys still have the nerve to ask the country for things? I’ve told you so many times, but you still don’t listen. Do you think I really wouldn’t do it? Let me tell you, I’ve already written my will, and there’s a notary.”

"Are you really that heartless?" Mr. Tang asked.

"You two should be ruthless towards me first. Keep a close eye on your grandson and don't let him come to my place again. If I find him smashing my windows with stones again, it won't be as simple as just sending him over. I'll have someone give him a good beating before sending him over to you." Aunt Song glanced at Tang Qiming.

Aunt Song didn't mean she didn't want to hit Tang Qiming; rather, she wanted him to become even more arrogant, implying that the Tang family didn't deserve a good heir.

Aunt Song had someone throw Tang Qiming away so she could go back. Tang Qiming tried to run up to Aunt Song, but she kicked him away.

Neither the Tang family nor Tang Qiming expected this outcome.

"Luckily, it's your Tang family's land, so our Song family's land wasn't dirtied." Aunt Song glanced back at Tang Qiming before leaving with her entourage.

Tang Qiming was completely stunned when his mother helped him up.

Not only was Tang Qiming stunned, but the entire Tang family was also dumbfounded. They never expected that Aunt Song would send someone to do something like this. They all thought that Aunt Song would never actually fight Tang Qiming, and that she would definitely tolerate him.

This incident made them realize that Aunt Song San couldn't always be so gentle; she was also capable of being ruthless towards them.

The Song family all knew about Aunt Song's will.

The Song family did not want Song San's property; they did not lack those things, and what they had was enough.

Cao Fang now works in an office. She no longer protects Song Fenglan, but she feels that working in an office is less beneficial than protecting Song Fenglan. However, after giving birth, her physical strength is indeed much weaker than before; her movements and strength have diminished considerably.

"I still think about the past," Cao Fang said. "When I was by your side, I felt very fulfilled."

Cao Fang brought fruit and pastries to visit Song Fenglan, but she didn't bring her child; the child was with Song's mother. Cao Fang felt like she was going to rot away in her office.

“Second sister-in-law, if you’re by my side, you need to be very vigilant. You have to be alert to the slightest disturbance and be on high alert,” Song Fenglan said. “Is that fulfilling? Even if nothing seems important when you’re with me, you have to be observant of your surroundings, just in case someone suddenly rushes out. I still remember the time when Gao Xiuxiu rushed in front of me during her labor, and you got a scolding.”

“I deserve criticism; I really didn’t do a good job,” Cao Fang said. “Luckily, I was a pregnant woman about to give birth. If it had been someone with a knife who had stabbed me, I would have been finished. It wouldn’t just be a matter of being criticized. There’s no danger usually, so it’s easy to become complacent. Things seem simple and easy to do, but I’m afraid of an accident.”

Looking back on the past, Cao Fang realized that Song Fenglan was truly a wonderful person.

At that time, Cao Fang was not yet Song Fenglan's second sister-in-law, but Song Fenglan already treated Cao Fang very well.

“I’ve been thinking about coming here to take a look around a lot lately,” Cao Fang said. “After dinner, I take a walk around the area.”

“Someone forwarded it,” Song Fenglan said.

The people protecting Song Fenglan are not just those who follow her around; there are other people secretly protecting her as well.

Everyone knew how important Song Fenglan was, and they were all very careful.

“Really, sitting in the office doesn’t feel as good as being outside,” Cao Fang said.

"Sitting in the office is a bit more relaxing," Song Fenglan said. "Second sister-in-law, you should also take good care of your health."

“I don’t have a high level of education. I work in an office and do some simple tasks,” Cao Fang said.

“That’s good,” Song Fenglan said. “It’s not necessary to focus on cultural level. If you do well in other aspects, that’s good too.”

"You're good at saying nice things," Cao Fang said with a smile. "It's so easy talking to you."

Cao Fang thought it was because Song Fenglan was being protected that she didn't need to be on high alert, and it was easier for her to speak. Before, when Cao Fang was protecting Song Fenglan, she didn't dare to say anything unnecessary, and only thought about spending more energy paying attention to the surrounding situation.

The Tang family was somewhat frightened by Song Sangu's actions.

Tang Shaotao and his group felt they were getting little benefit from Aunt Song's treatment, so they visited her less frequently. They used to go almost every weekend, but now they only went once or twice a month, and even then, they didn't stay long at the door, as if they just wanted others to know they'd been there.

Time flew by and the New Year arrived. After another Spring Festival, Sister-in-law Guo gave birth to a daughter.

Although Sister-in-law Guo gave birth to a daughter, everyone was very happy. Guo's mother even personally took care of Sister-in-law Guo during her postpartum period, arranging everything perfectly so that Sister-in-law Guo wouldn't have to suffer.

Guo's sister-in-law was initially worried that the Guo family would be unhappy, but thankfully, no one was upset. Guo Peng looked at his daughter, and his heart melted.

Sure enough, a biological daughter is a biological daughter. Guo Peng felt like he was a real father. This feeling was very subtle and different from when he was Guo Furong's adoptive father.

Fearing that Guo Furong would be unhappy, Fan Yani offered her a few words of comfort.

“Your father isn’t your biological father. You grew up here with us. Although he didn’t love you as much, you see, Grandma and Auntie, we all love you very much,” Fan Yani said. She knew that some people outside were telling Guo Furong that Guo Peng wasn’t her father.

Those people also said that if Guo Peng had a biological child, he would dislike Guo Furong even more.

“Auntie.” Guo Furong felt a pang of sadness, but she also knew that her father was not her father; she was just calling her father.

"Eat cake, eat cake." Fan Yani gave Guo Furong some cake.

Fan Yani took Guo Furong to visit Guo's sister-in-law once. Guo's sister-in-law visited once during her postpartum period, and afterwards, Guo Furong was asked to stay at home. The reason Fan Yani took Guo Furong was to let her make a good impression, not to bring her along too often, to avoid upsetting Guo's sister-in-law.

Sister-in-law Guo wasn't too upset. When Guo Peng saw Li Hui off, she knew that it was truly impossible for Guo Peng and Li Hui to be together.

The Guo family brought a lot of things over—eggs, chickens, noodles, donkey-hide gelatin, and so on—all so that Guo's wife could nourish her body. When Guo's wife's family came and saw all those things, they couldn't say that the Guo family had done anything wrong.

Aunt Pang occasionally wrote letters to Song Fenglan, but her handwriting wasn't very good, and she felt that letters took too long to arrive, so she rarely wrote letters. She mostly called Song Fenglan directly. Aunt Pang would save up some money for these calls; the calls were short anyway, just a few words before hanging up.

Fat Sister's letters were all sent to Song Fenglan's home, not to the research institute. When Song Fenglan saw Fat Sister's letters, she learned that Guo Peng's wife had given birth to a daughter, and that Guo Peng doted on his daughter very much. She also learned that Guo Peng had even bought a small stroller for the child to sit in and push her around in the sun.

In short, Guo Peng dotes on his daughter very much, preparing clothes, socks, and even milk powder for her.

Everyone says Guo Peng treated Guo Furong poorly, but before his divorce from Li Hui, Guo Peng did provide financial support to Guo's mother to raise the child. How could a child who isn't his biological child receive the same treatment as a biological child?

When Sister Pang wrote the letter, she wrote quite a lot. She felt that if she didn't write more, she would be wasting the money on the stamps. Anyway, the letter paper was just her son's homework paper; she could just use a few blank sheets of paper and didn't need to buy special letter paper.

Song Fenglan would look at it and sometimes even laugh.

When Qin Zihang started his summer vacation after finishing junior high school, Song Fenglan and her husband planned to buy Zhang Xiaohu a train ticket so he could visit the capital. They hoped that seeing the prosperity of the capital would motivate him to work even harder in the future.

The fat woman and her husband were a little embarrassed, but it was indeed a good thing. They said they would buy the train tickets themselves.

“We’ll buy our own train tickets, you don’t need to,” said the plump woman.

“So, you bought these, and we’ll buy them back,” Song Fenglan said. “Train tickets from Nancheng to the capital aren’t cheap, and Zihang hasn’t seen Xiaohu in a long time, so he wants to see him too.”

"If Xiaohu goes to your place, we'll have to trouble you to take care of him," said Sister Pang. "Thanks to you, Xiaohu is able to go to the capital at this time."

"Does your Xiaowen want to come over?" Song Fenglan asked again. She used to think of Zhang Wen when she lived next door to Fatty Sister.

“He’s not going. He’s waiting to receive his acceptance letter,” said the plump woman. “He’s waiting for his acceptance letter from the teachers’ college.”

“That’s fine. If he comes, I’ll pay for his train ticket. He can eat and stay at our house, so there’s no need to spend any extra money,” Song Fenglan said. “It won’t cost the child much to go out and have some fun.”

"Xiao Hu can go," said the plump woman. "I'll tell the train staff to keep an eye on him and make sure he's not too reckless and doesn't run off with anyone."

"The capital is the final stop, thankfully, we won't miss our stop," Song Fenglan said.

“That’s true, this is the starting station,” said the plump woman. “The distance between the two sides is really far.”

After the two reached an agreement, they hung up the phone. The woman felt that Song Fenglan was right; letting the child see more of the world would motivate him to work harder. The woman thought to herself that she hadn't helped Song Fenglan much, only occasionally lending a hand, yet Song Fenglan thought of them so much. The woman was extremely grateful to Song Fenglan.

When the fat woman returned home, she called her two sons to her side. "Xiaowen, don't blame your mother. Your Aunt Fenglan did say she would pay for your train ticket. But we can't trouble her too much. I told her you to wait at home for your teacher's college acceptance letter."

“It’s okay, I’m not going. I’ll stay home.” Zhang Wen was very sensible. He didn’t think he had to go with Zhang Xiaohu. “I’m waiting for my acceptance letter.”

"Zhang Xiaohu, don't wander around on the train, okay?" the plump woman said. "When you go to your Aunt Fenglan's house, wash your hands frequently, be clean, and don't cause any trouble, understand?"

"Okay!" Zhang Xiaohu said happily. "Mom, can I really go?"

“You can go, your Aunt Fenglan said so herself,” said the plump woman. “You still need to bring some money with you. Since you’re going alone, don’t bring much else, just some clothes.”

Song Fenglan told the plump woman that she had everything else at home and asked her not to think about giving them anything. She added that it was hot outside and things wouldn't keep well, so she shouldn't send anything. The plump woman didn't stand on ceremony with Song Fenglan and said she wouldn't send anything else.

"Remember our home phone number, and also your Aunt Fenglan's phone number and address. Don't go with strangers. When you get to the station, your Aunt Fenglan will arrange for someone to pick you up. Remember, don't be foolish and go with anyone; you might get kidnapped," the plump woman said. "I won't be able to find you."

“I’m so old, how could I possibly be abducted?” Zhang Xiaohu said.

"That's not necessarily true," said the plump woman. "It's always good to be more careful."

When Zhang Chenghai returned, he was very surprised to learn that Song Fenglan and her husband had invited Zhang Xiaohu over to play.

“The fare must be so expensive, should we let him go?” Zhang Chenghai was a little reluctant to spend the money.

“We’ll pay half, and Fenglan and the others will pay the other half,” said the plump woman. “They said it’s to let the child see the universities in the capital, have some fun, and hopefully it will motivate the child to work harder in the future. It’s a good opportunity to broaden their horizons. Fenglan is really thoughtful; she’s still thinking of us.”

"Isn't this a bit much?" Zhang Chenghai said, "So much money..."

"Fenglan said we shouldn't worry about these things," said the plump woman. "Just think of it as them inviting Xiaohu over to play with Zihang."

“They still spent too much money,” Zhang Chenghai said.

“I didn’t say no.” The fat woman glared at Zhang Chenghai. “Do you think I don’t know that? But what Fenglan said makes sense. It’s good to let the child go and see. It’s for the child’s future, and I really can’t find a reason to refuse. Fenglan also made this arrangement because she considered that our family’s financial situation is not that good.”

“Their family is really nice,” Zhang Chenghai said with emotion. “Our family can afford train tickets too, so we’re doing alright.”

"I didn't refuse Fenglan's kindness," said the plump woman. "It's good to let Xiaohu go and broaden his horizons."

“You’ve all made your decisions, what can I say?” Zhang Chenghai said.

“Fenglan said to let Xiaowen go with us, but I didn’t let her,” said the plump woman. “How could I let them spend so much money?”

"You and Xiao

"What did Wen say?" Zhang Chenghai said, "If it doesn't work, we'll pay for Xiao Wen's train ticket, they don't need to pay."

“No, we’ll let Xiaowen go. They’ll still pay for the train ticket later. They won’t let us pay for it,” said the plump woman. “Xiaowen is studying at a teacher’s college. He’ll be able to start working soon. After he starts working, he can earn his own money to travel to the capital.”

It wasn't that Sister Pang valued Zhang Xiaohu more; rather, they had to consider their own financial situation as well as the expenses of others. They couldn't always take advantage of others while claiming to treat both children equally. That wasn't treating them equally; it was making their own children a laughingstock.

Song Fenglan would never say anything bad about Zhang Xiaohu and his brother, but others in the family compound would.

Fatty Sister-in-law shouldn't be too shameless. Zhang Wen doesn't necessarily have to go now; he can go later. Zhang Wen's future is basically set. Zhang Xiaohu's grades are okay now, but not particularly good. Fatty Sister-in-law hopes Zhang Xiaohu's grades will improve.

"You need to know your limits," said the plump woman.

“Just do as you say,” Zhang Chenghai said. “Even Commander Qin doesn’t say his wife is a spendthrift; it’s all because of you.”

“Fenglan can earn money, and her family is wealthy too. It’s not Qin Tuan’s place to criticize her,” the plump woman said. “But then again, they are husband and wife after all. Do you think Qin Tuan will be unhappy?”

"It's not that bad," Zhang Chenghai said. "The Qin Regiment is very generous."

"That's good," said Sister Pang. "We haven't actually been neighbors with Fenglan and the others for many years, yet they still care so much about Xiaohu."

The fat woman became more and more moved, wondering what she had done to deserve becoming Song Fenglan's neighbor.

“You know what? The first time I saw her, I thought she was so beautiful. You know I don’t like the women in the performing arts troupe,” the plump woman said. “I wasn’t very nice to her at the time. Xiao Zihang even said, ‘Who is my father? Step forward!’ My heart skipped a beat. Could it be that someone’s man has found another woman?”

"Fortunately, I got there in time," Zhang Chenghai said.

“Yes, you got there in time. Even if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have rushed up and hit someone. There are so many people in the family compound,” said the plump woman. “Fenglan will explain; she can’t not explain. The guard who brought her to the family compound isn’t clueless; he’ll explain.”

When Fatty Sister thinks about the past, she just wants to laugh.

“After getting to know Fenglan, I realized that not all beautiful people like to be seductive. She’s just naturally beautiful, not a vixen,” the fat woman said. “A vixen is someone who actively seduces others.”

Sister-in-law Pang can tell the difference; not all beautiful women are bad women.

“Fenglan is so smart, she must have realized that my attitude wasn’t very good at first,” said the fat woman. “When I gave her bamboo poles to dry clothes, she didn’t say anything to me, and even said the bamboo poles were nice.”

“They’re educated and intelligent; they’re not going to hold a grudge against you,” Zhang Chenghai said.

"Of course, compared to Fenglan, I really am a brainless person." Fatty wasn't angry; it was simply the truth.

Qin Zihang was overjoyed when he learned that Zhang Xiaohu was coming to visit.

"Mom, when is Brother Xiaohu arriving? Tomorrow? The day after tomorrow?" Qin Zihang asked, counting on his fingers, "When we came back, it took us several days on the train, it was such a long time."

When Qin Zihang was very young, he didn't have much of a concept of time. He only knew that he thought he had arrived, but he hadn't. It took about three days to travel by train from the capital to the southern city, which was a relatively long time, and the train was often delayed.

"It depends on when his train ticket is issued, but he should arrive within five or six days," Song Fenglan said. "There are still empty rooms at home that we can tidy up."

Not only do they need time to prepare, but Zhang Xiaohu also needs to prepare some things.

“I can sleep with Brother Xiaohu too,” Qin Zihang said.

"Forget it, it's fine for you two kids to sleep together for a day or two, but if you sleep together all the time, aren't you afraid of getting hot?" Song Fenglan said. "We'll prepare a room, and you can sleep together if you want, or not if you don't. Your brother Xiaohu won't dare to say anything until the room is ready."

Song Fenglan had to prepare everything in advance, lest they arrive unprepared. It wasn't like they didn't have spare rooms; they didn't want people to think they were stingy.

"I'll help pack too." Qin Zihang said excitedly. He hadn't seen Zhang Xiaohu for a long time and wanted to see him to see how he was doing.

“Okay,” Song Fenglan said.

There are servants at home who will tidy up the house. There are brand new blankets, mats and other things. Song Fenglan doesn't know how big Zhang Xiaohu is. Zhang Xiaohu will bring his own clothes, so Song Fenglan and the others don't need to worry about it.

Inviting Zhang Xiaohu was a decision made after Song Fenglan and Qin Yizhou discussed it. Zhang Xiaohu and Qin Zihang had a good relationship; they talked on the phone and wrote letters to each other. Sister-in-law Pang was also a good person. Song Fenglan thought of her past life, where many parents liked to take their children to visit universities first, to broaden their horizons and help them move towards clearer goals.

Song Fenglan knew how much Fatty Sister-in-law liked Zhang Wen and Zhang Xiaohu's good grades, but Zhang Wen's grades were poor while Zhang Xiaohu's were decent. Song Fenglan thought of letting Zhang Xiaohu visit the universities in the capital, so that he could go back later when summer vacation was almost over.

That evening, in their room, Song Fenglan and her husband asked Qin Yizhou, "Did you tell Fatty Sister-in-law?"

“It’s all settled,” Song Fenglan said. “I suggested that Xiaowen come too, but she said Xiaowen should wait for her college acceptance letter. Actually, she was worried that we would spend more money, which is why she wanted Xiaohu to come instead of Xiaowen. I respect Sister-in-law Pang’s decision and didn’t insist that Xiaowen come as well.”