Chapter 302: Maintaining the Status Quo
Grandma Gangzi called Su Tong and said, "Miss Su, you're back. This is Chengzi's mother. She wants to ask you for something!"
Su Tong looked at the woman.
The woman stood up quickly and asked, "Miss, where are you from? Where are you going?"
Su Tong was a little confused when she heard this question, and asked directly: "Auntie, can I help you with anything?"
"I...I..." The woman gestured with her hands. She was so anxious that she didn't know how to start.
"Hey! Let me speak for her!" said Gangzi's grandmother.
"Her second son is called Shoucheng, Zhang Shoucheng. About two years ago, he suddenly left a note at home, saying that he was leaving home to make a living. After that, there was no news. Until the second half of last year, the boy suddenly sent 50 yuan to his family and asked his parents to take care of their health. Chengzi's mother asked someone to write a reply letter to him according to the address, but she never received a reply."
"Chengzi's father fell and has been lying in bed for several months. Chengzi's mother heard that a girl from the city came to our village, so she wanted to try her luck. She asked if you were from Beijing. If you were, could you help them send a message to Chengzi?"
Su Tong understood and asked Cheng Zi's mother:
"Auntie, you have Zhang Shoucheng's address, right?"
“Yes, yes!”
Zi's mother fumbled in her pocket and took out a plastic bag, opened several layers, and took out an envelope from it.
Su Tong took it and looked at it. The address on the envelope was the guesthouse of a certain machine repair factory in Chaodong District, Beijing.
Su Tong said to Cheng Zi's mother, "Aunt, this address is a guesthouse, which means that Zhang Shoucheng might have remitted money to you while he was staying at this guesthouse, and he might have left afterwards. Therefore, he might not have received your reply."
Cheng Zi's mother was very disappointed. "You mean, we can't find him at this address?"
Su Tong nodded and said, "It's very likely. Of course, it's also possible that he lives near this guesthouse and it's inconvenient to write his own address, so he used the guesthouse's address.
Cheng Zi's mother's eyes lit up with hope, and she said, "So maybe we can find it?"
Su Tong said, "Well, I will go to Beijing later. I promise you, I will go to this address and try my best to find out for you. If I can find him, I will tell him what you said. If I can't find him, I will call your commune and leave a message for you."
"Hey hey——" Cheng Zi's mother nodded happily.
Then, she grabbed Su Tong's hand and said:
"Miss Su, there's nothing else to say. Just tell him that his father broke his spine and has been lying in bed for half a year. His condition is getting worse day by day. Tell him to come back to take a look. His father keeps complaining about him because he's afraid that he won't be able to see the second boy for the last time..."
As Cheng Zi's mother was talking, tears started to fall from her eyes. She wiped her tears and said:
"He used to be a very well-behaved and filial child, but how come he suddenly became possessed and ran away for such a long time! If he had never come back, I would have given up hope! But he sent back 50 yuan, asking us not to worry about him..."
Grandma Gangzi sighed and said, "Look, look! We can't lift this. If we do, it will flood!"
Su Tong thought for a moment and said, "Aunt, does Zhang Shoucheng have any facial features? Please tell me so that I can find out when I go there."
"Characteristics? How, how do you say this?" Chengzi's mother looked at Gangzi's grandmother.
Gangzi's grandmother said, "His second son is tall, dark and strong."
Chengzi's mother realized what he meant and quickly added, "Oh! My son Chengzi has a birthmark in front of his left ear. It's not very obvious, but you can see it if you get closer."
As she spoke, she pointed to the position of her temples and compared it with her hands. It was about the size of a copper coin.
There is a birthmark the size of a copper coin on the temple, which is quite conspicuous.
Su Tong nodded, "Okay, I'll remember that! I'll help you find out."
Cheng Zi's mother thanked him again and again, looking back every few steps as she walked away.
After Chengzi's mother left, Gangzi's grandmother sighed for a long time and talked to Su Tong about a lot of things in Zhang Shoucheng's family.
There was no entertainment in the countryside at night, so Grandma Gangzi went to bed early.
Su Tong lay on the kang with his eyes open. When the surroundings gradually became quiet, he stood up and slipped out the door.
I remember the route clearly during the day.
She went straight to the large blue brick courtyard facing Zhang Debiao.
The wall was not high, so she easily climbed over it and quietly sneaked to the back of the house.
Zhang Debiao's daughters have already married, and now Zhang Debiao and his wife live in this yard. His youngest son has been sent to high school in the county, and he is one of the few "cultured people" in the village.
Only one window was lighted.
Su Tong quietly sneaked under the window.
Just then he heard his wife talking: "What if the baby we found today is really the lost one?"
A male voice was heard nearby, it should be Zhang Debiao.
"So what? You just came here now! The opportunity has already gone! Our daughter has lived in that family for so many years, how can she just go back like that! Besides, that girl is so soft-hearted that she has already treated our daughter as her own daughter."
"I'm just worried. No matter how close you are to me, you're still an adopted child. How can it compare to your own children?"
"You are such a worrybaby. After all these years, how can we find that girl? We can't find her, let alone others! She didn't leave any information, so what can we use to look for her?"
"It's all your fault! If I had asked a few more questions, I wouldn't be unable to find it now! If I could have found it, maybe I could have enjoyed the happiness with my little girl!"
"You're such a coward, you don't believe me when I tell you you're stupid! What did they mean by giving you 500 yuan? They meant that they didn't want to have any further contact with you. The child is already quite old, and I'm afraid I won't be able to support him if I take him home. How could they let you find out more about him..."
When Su Tong heard this, he knew that Zhang Debiao's family really didn't know the news.
She quietly climbed out of the yard again.
When I came back, Gangzi's grandmother was still sleeping soundly and hadn't woken up yet.
The next morning, Su Tong said goodbye to Grandma Gangzi and his family.
She left all the snacks and candies to Gangzi and his siblings, and also put fifty yuan under Gangzi's grandmother's pillow.
This is a family that has shown kindness to her and her mother.
After some twists and turns, two days later, she boarded the green train to Beijing.
There is no direct train to Beijing, so she needs to take a train for nearly 30 hours to reach Zhengzhou City, Henan Province.
After transferring in Zhengzhou, it took more than 20 hours by train to reach Beijing.
We staggered along the way and walked across almost half of China.
On the morning of February 16, 1977 in the lunar calendar, Su Tong set foot on the land of Beijing.
She stood at the entrance of Beijing Railway Station, looking at the traffic and people coming and going, and couldn't help feeling a little emotional.
She was not unfamiliar with this city. She had lived here in her previous life, studied and worked here, and only left here to go to the battlefield.
Now, she is back again and sees the youthful side of this city. Although it is not prosperous and fashionable yet, it is still full of vitality.
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