Chapter 25 Fat Girl's Mother Goes to the Army to Find Xie Zhongming
How could Fatty have given birth to his child?
Under the blood-red sunset, Xie Zhongming's face was filled with disbelief.
In the backlight of the setting sun, his expression was obscured, but his tone carried a heavy, somber quality. "Five years ago... just that one time. Fatty got pregnant?"
What a coincidence!
“It’s such a coincidence.” Jiang Beiyang patted his shoulder. “Zhongming, if the missing Fatty is still alive, and if nothing unexpected happened, this baby should have been born by now. Judging by the time, the baby should be a little over four years old this year.”
The orange-red glow of the sunset fell on Xie Zhongming's shoulders, and he seemed to be frozen in place.
He stood there stunned for a full half minute before raising his hand to press his temples. "Fatty has been missing for five years without a trace. And now a kid has suddenly appeared?"
"Zhongming, should we continue looking?" Jiang Beiyang also found it absurd; he and Pangya had only been together once, yet Pangya was pregnant.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, Xie Zhongming responded to Jiang Beiyang with silence.
He sorted through the jumbled thoughts in his mind, and after a long while, he responded heavily, "A person without feelings, only once, and five years later... and now they say there's a child? Bei Yang, I don't think my comrades in Kuncheng investigated correctly. Is the information reliable?"
Jiang Beiyang didn't answer, but asked in return, "Zhongming, do you hope the news is reliable or unreliable? Do you hope Fatty gave birth to your child or not?"
Xie Zhongming, his mind in turmoil, couldn't answer the question. His face darkened, and he said heavily, "No matter what, let's find Fatty first."
“Okay.” Jiang Beiyang nodded. “Then let the people in Kuncheng continue the search. Uncle Luo from the Public Security Bureau will also continue to help with the investigation. They will send a telegram or make a phone call as soon as they have any news.”
...
Two days later, at the 19th Regiment of the 3rd Brigade of the 6th Division of the Jincheng Military Region, the regimental headquarters was a bungalow.
Xie Zhongming, Jiang Beiyang, and Jiang Beisong were practicing their battle plan in front of the sand table. Xie Zhongming, hunched over, pointed to a thin wooden stick and traced it along the contour line. His powerful voice, full of decisiveness, said, "The left flank of the Third Battalion must block this trench."
At this moment, the guard came to report, "Commander Xie, there is a phone call for you. It's from the Kuncheng Public Security Bureau."
"Bei Yang, Bei Song, you two continue." He straightened his back abruptly and strode away in his military boots.
Upon receiving the call, the sharp glint in his eyes from the sand table simulation instantly transformed into politeness and gentlemanly manners. "Uncle Luo!"
"Zhongming, there's news about the matter you asked me to investigate." Uncle Luo's deep, resonant voice, like an old bronze bell, came from the other end of the line.
Upon hearing this, Xie Zhongming's back tensed, his fingers gripping the phone clenched tightly, and his breathing became heavy—could it be that there was news about Fatty and the child?
"Uncle Luo, is there any news about Fatty and the baby?"
"No, that's not it. It's about Jiang Chunyan's nephew, Jiang Yongqiang. We didn't know until we investigated, and what we found was shocking. This lecherous Jiang Yongqiang had already committed crimes in their village. He assaulted a mentally unstable mother and daughter in the village. The girl was only eleven years old when he assaulted her, but the mentally unstable mother and daughter had no other relatives in the village, were all alone, and no one cared about them, so no one reported it to the police."
There are actually people in this world as inhuman as Jiang Yongqiang!
Xie Zhongming's usually composed expression tightened instantly. He gripped the phone tightly, gritted his teeth, and said, "Jiang Yongqiang deserved to be shot. How could he do that to an eleven-year-old child?"
Even more despicable, he assaulted both the mentally unstable mother and daughter.
Director Luo on the other end of the phone was also filled with indignation, "Zhongming, I have already sent people to Jincheng. They will work with the comrades in Jincheng to handle this case. This kind of black sheep must be severely punished."
...
As evening fell, the sky above the courtyard was filled with the glow of the setting sun.
The clouds on the horizon were tinged with orange-red.
Riding his old bicycle, Xie Zhongming passed through the shadows of the trees and returned to the Xie family's two-story courtyard. His father, Xie Jiang, had already returned a little earlier.
He entered the main room, picked up an enamel mug and poured himself a glass of water. He heard Huang Guilan and Qiao Xingyue's voices coming from the kitchen, but Jiang Chunyan and Deng Yingying were nowhere to be seen.
After taking a sip of water, Xie Zhongming saw Xie Jiang squatting by the kitchen door, helping to peel potatoes. He went over and asked, "Dad, aren't Aunt Jiang and Deng Yingying here?"
"I heard from your mom that you went on a blind date."
Who's going on a blind date?
"Who else could it be but your Aunt Jiang?"
This Jiang Chunyan remarried in Kuncheng less than half a year after Uncle Deng died. Now she's afraid of being sent to the countryside for reform and has divorced her second husband. And she went on a blind date less than a month after the divorce? Is she really that unable to stand being alone?
"Dad, Jiang Yongqiang really did commit a crime back in our hometown."
He told Xie Jiang about the crimes Jiang Yongqiang committed in his hometown. Xie Jiang stopped peeling potatoes. "What? Jiang Yongqiang could do that to a mentally unstable mother and daughter? That child is only eleven years old?"
"Fortunately, Comrade Qiao is brave and knows how to give injections."
Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Dad, don't worry, this time Jiang Yongqiang will definitely get shot."
Because Qiao Xingyue had suffered some minor injuries in the cornfield, Huang Guilan felt sorry for her and insisted that she not cook, only allowing her to light a fire in front of the stove. The two of them overheard Xie Zhongming and Xie Jiang's conversation. Qiao Xingyue was not surprised, but Huang Guilan was both regretful and angry. "Old Xie, we shouldn't have helped Jiang Chunyan in the first place, and we shouldn't have introduced Jiang Yongqiang to the logistics department as a logistics soldier."
She quickly asked, "Zhongming, is it confirmed that Jiang Yongqiang was shot?"
Xie Zhongming responded, "Most likely."
Upon hearing this, Huang Guilan stopped stir-frying tomatoes on the stove. "Sigh, if this news of Jiang Yongqiang being shot reaches your Aunt Jiang's ears, I don't know how much trouble she'll cause. She'll accuse our Xie family of being ungrateful again."
...
The next day, just as dawn broke.
Zeng Xiuzhu and her son Liu Dazhu from Chadian Village carried a basket of sweet potatoes on their backs as they walked along the gravel road leading to the military compound.
The mother and son traveled overnight by train from Kunming to Jincheng Military Region.
The mother and son were extremely excited as they were getting closer to their destination.
"Dazhu, is the sweet potato heavy? Can Mom help you carry it for a while?" Zeng Xiuzhu wanted to carry her son Liu Dazhu's sweet potato for a while.
"It's okay, Mom, I can carry it." Liu Dazhu, full of strength, wiped his sweat and said, "Mom, do you think Fatty's husband will still lend us money after all this time?
“He wouldn’t dare refuse to lend it.” Zeng Xiuzhu said confidently, “I’m a perfectly good young woman marrying him, and he won’t even lend me this little bit of money? Then I’ll lie on the ground and cry in front of him. When the people in the family compound gather around and start talking, the Xie family cares about their reputation, so they’ll definitely lend the money.”
Liu Dazhu gripped the two basket ropes on his shoulders and walked forward. "Then I'll borrow more. After I get married, I'll save some money to live on."
As they spoke, the mother and son arrived at the gate of the military compound. The security guard from the logistics department stopped them. "Gentlemen, what brings you here? You can't just enter the military compound without permission."
“I’m here to see my son-in-law.” Zeng Xiuzhu straightened her back, thinking of her son-in-law being a platoon leader in the army, and spoke with an air of arrogance, “My son-in-law is a platoon leader here, so hurry up and open the door for me.”
The gatekeeper still did not open the gate for Zeng Xiuzhu and Liu Dazhu.
He politely stepped forward and asked, "Ma'am, what is your son-in-law's name? Also, please register your names. I'll open the door for you once I've confirmed everything is correct."
Zeng Xiuzhu was from the countryside and was unaware of these strict regulations in the family compound.
She thought that since her son-in-law was a platoon leader in the army, these gatekeepers would fawn over her like villagers fawn over the village chief, treating her with utmost courtesy.
She put her hands on her hips and said irritably, "Why are there so many stupid rules? I already told you my son-in-law is a platoon leader here, so open the door for me right now."
"Auntie, I'm sorry, this is our rule. If you don't want to give your son-in-law's name, that's fine too, or you can have your son-in-law come out to meet you."
Everyone says she has a relationship with a certain platoon leader or a certain regimental commander, and they all want to get in, but their identities are not confirmed. What has become of the military family compound?
"What kind of ridiculous rule is this?"
If Xie Zhongming could have picked her up, would she have made it this far despite all the hardships?
She was afraid that Xie Zhongming would find an excuse to refuse her if he knew she was coming to borrow money, so she didn't tell him she was coming and planned to catch him off guard by personally visiting his home.
In order to get the money, Zeng Xiuzhu didn't want to argue with anyone, so she just gave her name.
"My son-in-law's name is Xie Zhongming. Can you open the door now?"
After checking his identity, the security guard opened the door methodically. "Auntie, come on in, I'll take you inside."
"That's more like it." Zeng Xiuzhu and Liu Dazhu walked into the military region gate together.
Walk to the outside of the service center in the family compound.
Zeng Xiuzhu saw a stall selling steamed buns and fried dough sticks. Feeling hungry, she stopped and said, "Let's have breakfast. We're starving."
"Okay, ma'am, you can have your breakfast here. I'll go and announce your arrival." The security guard said, and was about to go and announce his arrival.
After Liu Dazhu and Zeng Xiuzhu sat down and ordered four large meat buns, two bowls of porridge, and two fried dough sticks, Liu Dazhu said, "Mom, let's not go to Fatty's husband's house for breakfast. We've come all this way, they'll definitely treat us."
Zeng Xiuzhu then realized what was happening.
Why didn't she think of that earlier? It cost her 1.5 yuan. "Why didn't you say so sooner?"
"Oh well, it's alright. Anyway, I can borrow a lot of money from Fatty's man when I see him later." Liu Dazhu picked up a large meat bun and ate more than half of it in one bite.
Fat Girl's Man? Fat Girl?
Qiao Xingyue, holding An'an and Ningning's hands and carrying meat ration coupons, was about to go and buy some pork fat to render lard.
Why do I hear someone talking about Fatty's man?
She led Ningning and An'an back and saw Zeng Xiuzhu and Liu Dazhu sitting in front of the steamed bun stall. They looked very familiar.
Isn't this Fatty's mother, and Fatty's unreasonable brother Liu Dazhu?
They're looking for Fatty's man? Wasn't Fatty's man dead?
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