The westernmost household in the village is a couple.
He was of the same generation as Song Erzhuang and was two or three years older than Song Erzhuang.
The couple had never had children.
When I was young, I tried all sorts of folk remedies, but I still couldn't have a son or daughter.
Seeing that their peers in the village had many children and grandchildren, and that they were already over forty, their desire for children had not diminished with age, but rather grew stronger.
I heard the village broadcast about finding the child's parents seven or eight days ago.
They lingered outside the village chief's house for a long time, but no one came to claim the child. So they discussed taking the child for themselves, feeling that it was a gift from God.
The couple prayed their whole lives, tried every folk remedy imaginable, and worshipped every god and Buddha they could find, and finally they had a son.
After taking the child home, the couple doted on him, treating him like a precious gem.
The homeowner, Song Wulian, felt more confident going out.
She has a son now.
This infuriated his brothers, who were all waiting to devour the couple's childless offspring, only to have a child suddenly appear and ruin their plans.
Wang Naiyun panicked as soon as she discovered that her eldest grandson was not at Song Erzhuang's house.
But even when she was flustered, it didn't stop her from playing cards.
Enraged, Han Zhiyuan went to the convenience store, overturned the card table, and got into a conflict with the other card players.
When the other card players learned that her eldest grandson was missing, they stopped playing cards with Wang Naiyun and told her to find her grandson before they could play again.
Wang Naiyun, seething with anger, wandered around Songzhuang Village every day, asking around about the whereabouts of her eldest grandson.
The Song family in the west of the village recently had a son, who they said was adopted from outside.
Wang Naiyun inquired in the village every day, and some villagers guessed that the child was Wang Naiyun's eldest grandson, but no one wanted to cause trouble, so they all said they didn't know and hadn't seen him.
A village woman asked Wang Naiyun how her three-year-old grandson ended up in Songzhuang Village. Wang Naiyun then brought up Song Yinhua, saying that Song Yinhua was in love with her son and took her grandson home to cultivate their relationship. After losing her grandson, she abandoned him.
After Wang Naiyun finished speaking, she repeatedly told the village woman not to tell anyone about it, saying that she was afraid Song Yinhua would make things difficult for her as her mother-in-law after she married into the family.
The village woman did not expose Wang Naiyun's lie.
Ever since the matchmaker Wang brought the mother and son to the village to arrange a marriage for Song Yinhua, the news spread throughout the village. Everyone knew about the situation of the Han family in the next village. No parent was willing to let their daughter marry into their family and suffer. So, the Han family set their sights on Song Yinhua, who was tall and strong and had inherited her father's physique.
Wang Naiyun wandered around the village for several days but couldn't find out where her eldest grandson was.
When she got home, she had several arguments with her son, Han Zhiyuan, demanding that he return her grandson.
Just when Wang Naiyun thought she might never find her grandson, someone from Songzhuang Village came to her house late at night and told her that her eldest grandson was in the house at the westernmost end of Songzhuang Village.
When Wang Naiyun caused trouble at Song Wu's house, Song Wu and his wife guessed that it was their own brother, who was waiting to eat their childless offspring, who had informed on them.
Song Wu Sao took the child and hid in the cellar.
The couple doted on the child like the apple of their eye, buying him fabric to make new clothes, all kinds of delicious food, and many toys.
In just a few days, the dirty, skinny child who looked like he was malnourished was fattened up considerably.
The couple named their child Song Jiabao.
The three-year-old child quickly accepted Song Wu and his wife, calling them Dad and Mom.
The three of them have a relationship as close as that of parents and sons.
Now that Wang Naiyun has come to cause trouble, Song Wu told his wife to take the child and hide in the cellar. The couple told the child not to speak, or the child would be taken away.
As if understanding, the three-year-old child clung tightly to Song Wu's clothes and huddled in her arms, as if afraid of being taken away.
He has forgotten that he has a grandmother and a biological father.
He remembers those who are good to him and stays with them.
Wang Naiyun was making a scene outside, crying, shouting, and threatening to hang herself, attracting many villagers who came to watch the spectacle.
Only one or two households in the village have televisions. Apart from the occasional village-organized movie screening, the villagers don't have many entertainment options. They just like to gossip and watch the drama unfold.
Song Wu insisted that his child had been adopted from outside a few days ago, and that the child's biological parents had an accident and the elderly could not afford to raise the child, so they gave the child to them to raise.
Wang Naiyun wanted to see the child, but Song Wu wouldn't allow it, saying that she looked like a thief and might scare the child.
The two sides are deadlocked.
Song Wu's brothers and nephews pretended to be peacemakers, saying that they would bring the child out so that the other family could see him from a distance. They argued that if the child wasn't the other family's eldest grandson, and the other family had two other children, they wouldn't have snatched the other family's child.
Song Wu refused no matter what she said.
Wang Naiyun was convinced from Song Wu's attitude that he was her eldest grandson.
She didn't care whether Song Wu agreed or not, and ran straight into the house.
He ran while calling out his eldest grandson's nickname.
When Song Wu tried to stop her, he was held back by his brothers and nephews.
"Fifth brother, just let them take a look. If it's not their own grandson, they won't fight you for it. They have another grandson and granddaughter. They won't take someone else's child."
Wang Naiyun searched the entire house but couldn't find the child.
"Dabao, Grandma's here to pick you up, come out quickly!"
No matter how much Wang Naiyun called, she couldn't see any trace of the child.
"Where's Fifth Aunt? Did she take the child and hide in the cellar?" asked one of Song Wu's nephews, the most cunning and shrewd of them all.
Wang Naiyun immediately searched for a cellar.
The shrewd and cunning nephew volunteered, "I'll take you. My son is almost three years old this year, and I can't stand seeing anyone's child being kidnapped."
Upon hearing this, some of the villagers in the crowd nodded in agreement and advised Song Wu to bring the child out. If he really was the family's grandson, he should return him to them.
Song Wu was so angry that he wanted to fight his nephew, but his brothers and other nephews held him back.
The cellar is right next to the house.
Just as Wang Naiyun was about to go in, Sister-in-law Song Wu came up from inside carrying a jar of pickled vegetables, which startled Wang Naiyun.
"We've run out of pickled vegetables at home, so I'm coming to the cellar to get another jar." Sister-in-law Song Wu stood at the cellar exit, holding a jar of pickled vegetables.
"Fifth Aunt, stop pretending. The child is definitely hidden inside. Quickly take the child out and return him to the family," said the shrewd and cunning nephew.
"Jiabao was adopted by your uncle and me from outside." Sister-in-law Song had already given the same answer as her husband.
Wang Naiyun stood at the exit and called her eldest grandson's name several times, but there was no response from inside.
She wanted to go down into the cellar to find it herself, but Sister-in-law Song blocked her way.
The two almost got into a fight.
The nephew grabbed Song Wu's sister-in-law and urged Wang Naiyun to hurry down to the cellar to find the child.
The cellar was small, and the three-year-old child hiding in the corner covered his mouth tightly in fear, tears welling up in his eyes, afraid that he would be taken away by bad people.
Wang Naiyun kept calling out her grandson's name and rummaging through everything.
The cellar was filled with jars and bottles for pickling vegetables. Besides farming, Sister-in-law Song made a living by selling pickled vegetables.
She doesn't set up a stall; if villagers want pickled vegetables, they go to her house to buy them.
When Wang Naiyun was looking for her grandson, she overturned several jars of pickled vegetables and even broke one. The sound of shattering porcelain startled the child in the corner.
She burst into tears immediately.
"Wow...Mom, I'm scared...Ahhh...Mom..."
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