That day, after finishing work, Xia Qingqing was walking back when Liang Shuang called out to her: "Qingqing, wait for me."
"Shuangshuang, what's wrong?" Xia Qingqing turned around and asked Liang Shuang, who was running towards her.
"I'm going to the county town tomorrow, do you want to come with me?" Liang Shuang calmed herself down; she had almost lost her breath from running too fast.
Xia Qingqing thought about it and realized that she should indeed go to the county town. Zhang Hongyan had finished all the fabric she brought back a couple of days ago and was going to send it to Qin Chuan. She could also go and collect the payment for the last shipment.
"Sure, let's go together tomorrow morning. Are you going to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy something?"
Liang Shuang shook her head: "No, I'm going to the post office to send some mountain produce home, and I'll also pick up the package my family sent me."
Liang Shuang has been working in the countryside for over a year. Every month without fail, her family sends her 10 yuan and a package containing food, daily necessities, and clothing. In short, Liang's mother prepares everything she can think of for her daughter.
Liang's parents were very reluctant to let their daughter go to the countryside, feeling guilty for letting her down.
But Liang Shuang herself didn't think it was a big deal. She had an older brother who was serving in the army and a younger brother who was only 12 years old. She couldn't very well let her younger brother go to the countryside if she didn't.
The next day, when Xia Qingqing arrived at the village entrance, she saw Liang Shuang already waiting on the oxcart, who had even saved her a seat: "Qingqing, come here quickly."
After Xia Qingqing climbed onto the oxcart, she smiled at Liang Shuang and asked, "Have you had breakfast?"
"Eat up. I boiled two eggs myself, and I even saved one for you," Liang Shuang said, taking the still-warm egg out of her pocket and handing it to Xia Qingqing.
Xia Qingqing didn't stand on ceremony and readily accepted the eggs: "Thanks, I'll treat you to meat buns at the state-run restaurant later."
"That's great, I still made a profit trading eggs for meat buns."
Suddenly, Liang Shuang remembered seeing Song Ze's dark face that morning, nudged Xia Qingqing's arm, and said with a smile:
"Qingqing, you have no idea, Song Zhiqing's face was all black when he saw me this morning. I've really offended him now."
Hearing her say that, Xia Qingqing also thought of Song Ze's aggrieved look yesterday, and couldn't help but smile: "It's okay, I'll coax him when I get back."
Liang Shuang had just made an appointment with Xia Qingqing to come to the county town today, and not long after, Song Ze also made an appointment with Xia Qingqing.
Unfortunately, it was a matter of first come, first served, so Xia Qingqing had no choice but to refuse Song Ze, which led to Song Ze having a lot of complaints about Liang Shuang being a third wheel.
The two chatted quietly on the oxcart. Girls always have endless topics to talk about, and they were still talking even when they arrived in the county town.
"Let's go to the post office first, I'll mail these things," Liang Shuang said, pointing to the package in her hand.
Inside were mushrooms and wild vegetables that she picked in her spare time on the mountain, dried them, and stored them, waiting to send them home for her family to try.
Liang Shuang knew that the family didn't lack these things, but these things were her way of showing her love as a daughter, and they were different from what she bought.
Xia Qingqing had no objections and accompanied Liang Shuang to the post office first.
When Liang Shuang came out of the post office, she was carrying a new package. Inside was a set of summer clothes that her mother had sent her, as well as some candies, snacks and other treats.
"I just can't do anything with my mom. I told her that she could buy it at the supply and marketing cooperative here, but she still insisted on sending it all the way here. Isn't that a waste of postage?" Liang Shuang looked at the package in her hand, pouted, and complained to Xia Qingqing about her mother's actions.
Xia Qingqing took her hand and laughed, "Parents always have such a heart. Aren't you the same? Can't you buy those dried mushrooms and wild vegetables where you live? You still eagerly send them back."
Liang Shuang, annoyed by her teasing, snorted, "Those were all picked by my own hands; they can't be compared to what you buy."
Not long after they left, they saw a middle-aged couple forcibly dragging a girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old at the entrance of an alley, with several people standing around watching.
Liu Dinglan was walking along the road when she was suddenly stopped by a middle-aged couple who claimed to be their daughter and wanted her to go home with them.
She immediately panicked, struggling to break free from the two men's control, and tearfully begged for help from those around her:
"Uncle and Auntie, please help me! I don't know these two people at all. They are human traffickers."
The people around immediately changed their expressions when they heard the words "human traffickers".
A kind-hearted auntie saw the injustice and shouted, "Human trafficker? My God, let go of this girl right now! What are you all standing there for? Go call the police!"
Before anyone could react, the middle-aged woman who was tightly holding onto Liu Dinglan began to cry:
“Daughter, how did you become like this? For a man, you not only ran away from home, but also accused your father and me of being human traffickers. How cruel you are.”
Seeing the woman crying with tears in her eyes and speaking with such sincerity, the kind-hearted auntie suddenly hesitated: "Young lady, is this really your daughter?"
The middle-aged man standing next to her quickly chimed in, "Ma'am, this is indeed my daughter. Otherwise, how could we dare to snatch someone on the street? Wouldn't we be waiting to be arrested by the police?"
“It hurts us parents to see our daughter disobedient. She’s even disowning her parents for a man,” the middle-aged man said, bowing his chest in grief and indignation.
"Oh, I see. Then you really need to discipline your daughter. How can she disown her parents for a man?" The kind-hearted aunt quickly believed the middle-aged man's words and even joined in advising Liu Dinglan.
"Little girl, hurry back with your parents. There's no way a father and daughter can hold a grudge overnight."
The people around them started chattering, already believing what the middle-aged couple had said. After all, in everyone's mind, human traffickers couldn't be so brazen.
Seeing that no one was willing to help her, Liu Dinglan began to despair and kicked the middle-aged man who came up to pull her away.
“I’m really not their daughter. I have parents. They are both textile factory workers. Please, auntie, help me report this to the police.”
"That's enough, why are you so disobedient? Come back with Dad now," the middle-aged man winked at the woman accompanying him, and the two of them, one restraining Liu Dinglan and the other covering her mouth.
The middle-aged man even forced a smile and apologized to everyone: "I'm sorry for delaying everyone's business. My daughter has been fooled by this pretty boy, and she won't listen to any advice."
The kind-hearted aunt hadn't left yet. Seeing Liu Dinglan's large tears falling from her eyes, she felt a little sorry for her: "Go home and talk to your daughter properly. She can't hit people."
The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly: "Hey, hey, no problem, how could we bear to hit her? We old folks don't even eat or dress well, it's all for her sake."
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