He whispered in her ear, making a solemn promise as if he were making a military pledge: "Yes! Take Mom back! From now on... we'll live well together! I, Wang Aiguo, will never let you suffer like this again!"
Outside the inner room, Wang Xiufen, slumped in a rattan chair, listened to her son and daughter-in-law's suppressed sobs and their low promises. The last glimmer of light in her cloudy old eyes went out.
She knew that her days of wielding power and stirring up trouble in this family compound, this military district's residential area, were completely over.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, a military green jeep pulled up in front of courtyard number 16.
Wang Aiguo, carrying Wang Xiufen's small bundle, helped her into the car with a blank expression.
Wang Xiufen was like a soulless puppet, her head bowed, no longer displaying her former arrogance and shrewdness.
Li Xiaocao stood at the gate to see him off, her face expressionless but her eyes calm, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible relief.
The car started and slowly drove away from the residential compound, heading towards the train station.
Only when the jeep's taillights completely disappeared at the alley entrance did Li Xiaocao's tense shoulders finally relax.
She took a deep breath of the cool morning air, free from Wang Xiufen's nagging, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders. A genuine, relaxed smile, like the rising sun, finally blossomed on her long-suffering face.
She turned around, walked briskly back to the courtyard, and began humming a little tune as she cleaned the house that Wang Xiufen had made a mess of.
Life seems to be finally able to return to its proper peace and warmth.
Meanwhile, the neighboring courtyard at No. 17 remained quiet.
The clear and articulate voice of the radio broadcast could be faintly heard.
Howard stood by the window, watching Wang Aiguo's jeep drive away after seeing his mother off, his eyes deep in thought.
He knew that even after Wang Xiufen left, the gossip in the family compound wouldn't stop.
The real eye of the storm lies in the mysteries surrounding Mingzhao and that fleeting glimpse of the "formula".
He turned around and looked at Mingzhao, who was sitting at his desk, diligently following the broadcast and completely oblivious to the farewell commotion outside the window. His brows furrowed slightly.
Jiang Feng took that formula away two days ago.
He said he wanted to find someone to check... how would those people react?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
