Zhao Qinghuai said, "I am a soldier, and when it's time to return to my unit, I must naturally return!"

Without even thinking, Guo Qiaoling said, "That would allow your wife to stay a little longer. Your father isn't well yet, and you have two children. I really..."

“We’ll take the two children with us tomorrow. Also, forget about having my wife take care of you. My household registration isn’t in this house, so even if she’s my wife, I have no obligation to support you in your old age. Giving you ten yuan a month is more than enough. Don’t think about things you shouldn’t be thinking about.”

Guo Qiaoling's face turned pale and then red.

He opened his mouth but then closed it again, unsure what to say.

It was Zhao Daming who spoke up: "Keep the child here. I'm about to recover, and my grandson won't starve."

Zhao Qinghuai said, "I'm not taking the children away for your sake, but for my brother's sake. It's not for anything else, but for the fact that he secretly slipped me steamed buns when I was little, and for the fact that he got sick himself while trying to save me from a fever, and secretly hid the medicine for me when you went to see a doctor for him. I will remember this kindness for the rest of my life, and I will not abandon these two children."

"I'm taking the children with me; it'll lighten your burden. If anything happens, contact my two sisters. No matter what, you raised them; they should repay your kindness more than I do."

Zhao Daming fell silent, and the room became quiet.

After a while, Zhao Qinghuai took out a stack of ten-yuan bills from his pocket: "Here is five hundred yuan. I was the one who decided not to let Li Baocai and his wife pay for the child's medical expenses. Since you paid for it, it's my responsibility to pay you back."

Don't talk nonsense about this five hundred yuan anymore.

Uncle Village Chief didn't know that the child wasn't Er Ya. Besides, if Uncle Village Chief hadn't asked you to save the child, my wife wouldn't have had the chance to see that the child wasn't ours. Er Ya wouldn't be alive today.

"Compared to starting at five hundred dollars, not only is Er Ya gone, but my brother also has the child of our enemy buried next to him. Which would be better for you?"

Zhao Qinghuai knew how to manipulate Zhao Daming and his wife. After hearing this, they thought that if the child really died, he would definitely be buried with his eldest son and his wife. Now they thought it was better this way.

Having said everything they needed to say, the two asked Guo Qiaoling to pack the children's things, as they would be leaving early the next morning.

Guo Qiaoling glanced at Zhao Daming, and seeing that Zhao Daming nodded, she went to pack up.

Lin Ying followed Guo Qiaoling to Zhao Da's house.

By the light of the kerosene lamp in Guo Qiaoling's hand, Lin Ying saw Shuanzi curled up asleep there. It was a bit chilly, so Lin Ying went over to cover Shuanzi with a blanket, only to discover that he was holding two memorial tablets in his arms.

At that moment, Lin Ying couldn't hold back her tears.

Shuanzi knows his parents are gone, right?

Because when she was three years old, she knew that her mother and Lin Rong were not the same person, and she also knew that her mother and father divorced and abandoned her.

After covering Shuanzi with a blanket, Lin Ying started tidying up with Guo Qiaoling, only then noticing several White Rabbit candies in the cupboard. In these unusual times, many families hide their ancestral tablets.

I suppose the memorial tablet was placed here before?

The two children didn't have much stuff; one bundle was enough to pack it all.

Lin Ying went over and picked up Er Ya, while Zhao Qinghuai came over and picked up Shuanzi.

When they came out, Lin Ying didn't see the memorial tablet in Shuanzi's arms. Thinking about it, it made sense; their luggage would be checked when they went back, and it would be very inconvenient to have that.

The two men each carried one child, and Zhao Qinghuai also had a small bundle in his hand as they left Old Zhao's house.

The kang (heated brick bed) in Zhao Qinghuai's house was a bit small, and with two children, it wasn't enough. So Zhao Qinghuai had to use some wheat straw to sleep on the floor.

Early the next morning, Lin Ying was carving something with a small knife.

He sat on the oxcart, still carving while holding Er Ya in his arms.

Lin Ying finished carving by the time Shuanzi woke up halfway through.

Shuanzi woke up to find himself constantly being shaken and was startled. But when he saw his aunt sitting next to him, he was fine and even gave Lin Ying a big smile: "Auntie!"

Lin Ying smiled and said, "Shuanzi, do you remember what your aunt told you before about taking you to her house?"

Shuanzi nodded: "Mm!"

Lin Ying then asked, "We're on our way to your aunt's house right now. Are you scared?"

Shuanzi shook his head: "I'm not afraid! I'll protect you if you're scared!"

Lin Ying smiled even more happily: "Okay, then I'll wait for Shuanzi to protect me. We don't know how long we'll be back this time, so here you go! If you miss your parents in the future, just look at this."

Shuanzi took a closer look, and his eyes immediately lit up: "Auntie shrunk my parents? Auntie is amazing!"

As Zhao Qinghuai walked along the road, he noticed Lin Ying had been busy all morning, carving two very small memorial tablets for Shuanzi. Each tablet had a hole, just big enough to thread a rope through and hang around his neck.

That way, Shuanzi can see his parents whenever he misses them in the future.

The village chief drove the four of them to the county train station in an oxcart. Zhao Qinghuai then took the three of them to the state-run restaurant, ordered their meals, and left.

While feeding the newly awakened Er Ya eggs and porridge, Lin Ying also had to watch Shuanzi eat.

Fortunately, Er Ya is now over five months old and in good health, eating very well.

After a while, Zhao Qinghuai returned with the train ticket. Lin Ying told him to eat something and hold the baby first, and then she could eat.

After dinner, the four of them went to the nearby supply and marketing cooperative and bought a can of formula and a baby bottle for Er Ya. Lin Ying had asked Zhao Qinghuai to exchange the formula coupons a few days ago. Although Er Ya could eat solid food, it would still be better to supplement with formula.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!