3
Nian Jinsi took some clothes for the child to change, still with a sullen look on her face. Zhuang Xiaodie didn't bother to read her expression and just walked out. This unknown village was next to a river. Standing by the small restaurant, one could look back and see a white river. She walked over, holding her phone and a cigarette, and walked along the path. A few dogs ran by, seeing her as an outsider, and followed her warily for a while. Zhuang Xiaodie picked up a brick and turned back to confront them until they stopped moving and just stared at her quietly, then she turned and walked away.
It was a bit sunburned, but thankfully there was plenty of shade. Zhuang Xiaodie smoked one cigarette after another, then stopped by the river. The beach was dotted with rocks of varying sizes, all perfectly round. A gentle push of the toes would create a small dent, revealing the muddy ground, making it easy to trip. Zhuang Xiaodie stared at the water for a moment. It was all very quiet. A few dogs barked in the distance. She looked back, only to see the quiet trees and a man carrying a hoe passing by without noticing her.
It was almost evening, the sun was shining through, the breeze was gentle, and the surface of the water was like crumpled gold paper. Zhuang Xiaodie unlocked her phone, but the page was still on the number. She slowly exhaled the cigarette, her fingertips hovering over the dial button for a long time, and finally pressed it.
The first call rang for 60 seconds but no one answered. She waited five minutes and called the second one. This time it rang for nearly 30 seconds. Just as she was about to switch to adding WeChat, the call was connected.
The man called the child twice, but Zhuang Xiaodie didn't say anything. The man was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly called the child's mother's name and said, "Is it you?"
Zhuang Xiaodie let out a long breath and threw the cigarette in her hand under her feet and crushed it.
-
When Zhuang Xiaodie received Nian Jinsi's call, she was walking back and happened to run into one of the three dogs she had seen on the way here. The dog was alone and on its way home. Seeing Zhuang Xiaodie, a stranger, it stopped again. Zhuang Xiaodie had thrown the brick by the river a long time ago. There was nothing handy on the roadside at the moment. As she was confronting the dog, her phone vibrated. Zhuang Xiaodie answered the call. Nian Jinsi urged her to go back, so she instinctively continued forward. After a few steps, she looked back. The dog was still standing there, its yellow fur and white face golden in the sun.
When they returned to the restaurant, Nian Jinsi was already standing by the car, and the child was squatting beside it, drawing with stones. Nian Jinsi's face darkened, and she questioned silently. Zhuang Xiaodie pulled her aside and told her what had just happened.
"——It just happens to be City A, the next city we're going to visit." Zhuang Xiaodie said, "Isn't this the exact place and person you want?"
Nian Jinsi's eyes fell on the child who was unaware of the situation and said, "Are you sure that man won't sell this child?"
Zhuang Xiaodie said, "If he was someone who needed to be kept away from, why would his mother put so many photos in the child's photo album?"
Nian Jinsi's face was filled with distrust: "Although this child is as thin as a monkey at the neighbor's house, at least he's alive. What's the point of handing him over to a man I've never met? What if he dies?"
"You'll be able to see him tomorrow. We'll drive over at night," Zhuang Xiaodie said. "We'll see what happens then."
"Depends on the situation?"
"Why, have you suddenly developed maternal feelings for this child?" Zhuang Xiaodie lowered her voice. "It was you who was anxious for me to get rid of him, and now it's you who's hesitating. I'm telling you, Nian Jinsi, this opportunity is gone. It's up to you if you want to take him back home, but don't forget where we are now!"
Nian Jinsi was silent for a moment, then his gaze returned to the child and he said, "If—"
"Having a stable, good job sounds like raising a child is stress-free," Zhuang Xiaodie said. "She's also emotionally stable, but that's just over the phone. I can't guarantee anything about that in reality."
Nian Jinsi nodded slightly and said, "What if he wants to look for his father?"
Zhuang Xiaodie's eyes flickered slightly, and she said, "At least we don't have to be next to him then."
They stared at each other, each seeing themselves from a decade earlier. Zhuang Xiaodie quickly turned around, ordered two plates of fried rice, and a light soup for the child. The three of them quickly finished their meal and, before leaving, Nian Jinsi offered a little extra as room payment. The owner kept refusing, and Zhuang Xiaodie chatted with him. She asked what time the shop usually closed, and he replied 10 p.m. She then asked if her husband would come home to close the shop, and he replied that he usually didn't make it.
Zhuang Xiaodie knew what was going on, so she smiled and patted the boss's arm twice. The boss, with a faint smile on his face, told them to be careful on the road.
The three of them left in the night. The light of the restaurant quickly shrank, and finally disappeared into the night like a firefly in the grass.
Zhuang Xiaodie sat in the driver's seat and handed the photo album to Nian Jinsi who had just gotten in the car, and pointed out the appearance of her uncle to her.
The child lay in the back seat, staring at the photo album between them, looking a little nervous. Zhuang Xiaodie glimpsed him in the rearview mirror, but instead of turning back to look at the child, she tapped the child's uncle's face again. Nian Jinsi hummed, "He's quite white, and looks okay."
"Do they look alike? I can never tell who a child looks like," Zhuang Xiaodie said. "Don't they say nephews look like their uncles?" Nian Jinsi held up the photo album and compared it with the child, tilting her head and saying, "I think so. They do look quite similar."
The child said nothing, rushed over, grabbed the photo album, hugged it in his arms, and continued to curl up. Nian Jinsi teased him: "Are you angry?"
Zhuang Xiaodie glanced in the rearview mirror. The child had buried his face in his head, feigning sleep. The photo album was a relic of his mother's, so his reaction wasn't surprising. Nian Jinsi had no intention of getting serious with the child and hurried to catch up on some sleep—she'd have to drive later that night.
Zhuang Xiaodie lowered the air conditioner temperature to prevent the child from catching a fever again, and told the child to tell her if he felt cold. The child didn't say anything, but nodded with his head buried.
That's enough.
The neighbor who was taking care of the child said, "This kid is like a saw-mouthed gourd. You can beat him with eight sticks and he won't fart." At the time, Zhuang Xiaodie and Nian Jinsi were noncommittal—Nian Jinsi had seen too many troublemakers, and Zhuang Xiaodie had no idea what the child might be like. After a certain age, people tend to forget what they used to be like.
It took less than two days from finding the child to taking him away. He was supposedly in foster care, but in reality, he'd been abandoned. His father sent money to a neighbor, enough for three meals a day. Zhuang Xiaodie didn't know the exact amount, but she only saw that the child was as thin as a monkey, his skin almost sticking to his bones, his eyes appearing incredibly large. At eight years old, he could already use a washing machine. He was quiet, but appeared curious.
The neighbors had their own issues, and they complained about the child's father, complaining about how little money he gave them, how he rarely came home for holidays, and even how he was a thug. As they spoke, the child listened silently. Finally, Zhuang Xiaodie said it was the child's father who wanted them to take him away. Seeing the red car they were driving, the neighbors, presumably aware it belonged to the child's father, didn't question them. They pushed the child out and immediately closed the door, as if tossing a hot potato.
The child turned and looked at them. The three of them exchanged blank stares, just as the car was now, silent. The headlights illuminated the road ahead, the hood trembling slightly. Zhuang Xiaodie stared ahead, watching white lines pass by one after another.
Even if the purpose of taking the child away was to prevent the neighbors from noticing that the child's father had stopped sending money - but when it really happened, it was discovered that the other party might not care about this. However, if the money was stopped, the child would inevitably be in a difficult situation. Although he would not be driven away, he would not have a good life.
Fortunately, this child was lucky. At least there was a relative willing to take him in. Zhuang Xiaodie took a deep breath. In any case, the situation was better than expected.
But Wei Yuling's eyes and tears were still flashing before her eyes.
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