Chapter 156 Chapter 156 Father's Favoritism 5
The county town was far more prosperous and bustling than the countryside, and the bustling station was a magnet for new things. But Zhuozhuo's eyes were too full to take in anything else except a pile of candied haws. His mouth instinctively watered, glistening at the corners.
"Young man, is this your girl?"
A fat lady next to them looked at the two of them with a kind smile, but her eyes seemed to be estimating the value of the goods.
Zhao Hongwei was exhausted both physically and mentally. He said "hmm" with a cold face, moved Zhuozhuo to his other arm, and at the same time turned sideways to block the fat lady's sight.
The fat lady seemed oblivious to Zhao Hongwei's defensiveness. She smiled and said, "The little girl was crying so hard just now, and you didn't look like you knew how to take care of a child. I almost thought you were a kidnapper. But the little girl looks just like you, so I knew she was your biological child."
"Um."
The fat lady's smile grew wider, and she moved closer to Zhao Hongwei. "Why are you, a man, raising a child? Where's the mother?"
Zhao Hongwei covered his burning ears and glanced coldly at the fat lady.
The fat lady, whose expression was subtle yet resolute, spoke mysteriously in a low voice, "Men can't raise children well, and it's hard to find a wife with a burden. Who wants to be a stepmother? I see you're having a hard time right now, and you certainly wouldn't want to let a girl suffer with you. I just happen to have a friend who wants a daughter, and this girl is pretty and could give me that amount..."
The fat lady stretched out five fingers with an expression as if Zhao Hongwei had made a fortune, but the next second her shoulder felt a sharp pain and she was pushed away by him.
"roll!"
Zhao Hongwei stared at the fat lady fiercely, "Get out now!"
The fat lady stepped back a few steps in her high heels and was supported by a fat old man. She cried out that she had twisted her ankle and pointed at Zhao Hongwei angrily and shouted, "Damn human traffickers stole my child! Help me get it back!"
Before he finished speaking, several ferocious-looking men suddenly pushed everyone away from the crowd and surrounded Zhao Hongwei.
Zhao Hongwei's face darkened, knowing he'd encountered a gang of human traffickers. He instinctively glanced around. Those caught in his sight retreated, fearing trouble, leaving space for the traffickers. Zhao Hongwei aimed his gaze, grabbed his blanket and threw it at the two traffickers, seizing the opportunity to dash out through the gap.
There were too many people at the station, and the crowding seriously affected Zhao Hongwei's speed. In addition, several people behind him were shouting, "Catch the human traffickers, the human traffickers are snatching children!" Among those who did not know the truth, there were some with an overflowing sense of justice, or they might be human traffickers taking advantage of the situation, and they all tried to stop Zhao Hongwei, either openly or secretly.
Zhao Hongwei also shouted: "This is my daughter, the ones behind are human traffickers who are trying to steal the child!"
But in the chaos, few people can discern the truth and simply react by following the actions of the majority.
Zhao Hongwei felt instantly as countless hands grabbed and pulled at him, countless legs kicked and stomped him. He felt like he was stuck in a quagmire, unable to move forward, and countless evil spirits were dragging him into hell. Not wasting energy on pointless arguments, Zhao Hongwei held Zhuozhuo tightly in his arms and charged forward with all his might.
Can't move forward.
A huge group of people surrounded Zhao Hongwei, the fat lady and others. Someone suggested going to find the police on duty at the station, and someone immediately volunteered to go.
Zhao Hongwei took a look and found that it was one of the people chasing him. He said with a dark face: "That person is a human trafficker. He won't really go to the police. Let alone someone else."
There was a moment of chaos in the crowd, and then another person stepped out. It was a young woman whom I had never seen before.
But Zhao Hongwei was still uneasy and wanted to find a chance to run away. The fat lady was supported by someone and cried loudly, "Zhuozhuo, you were snatched away while grandma was buying you a candied haws. Luckily, this bastard was stopped by a kind-hearted person, otherwise how would I explain to your parents!"
Zhao Hongwei protested at the top of his lungs, but the traffickers were outnumbered, hiding in the crowd and pretending to be fair-minded. He was no match for the crowd, and he fretted like a trapped beast, threatening them with a ferocious front, though his defeat was already apparent. Meanwhile, the fat lady, though weeping and unable to stand, was calm and at ease, expertly waiting for her prey to reveal its weakness.
Suddenly, she howled and limped over, holding up a candied haws to attract Zhuozhuo's attention, coaxing him, "Zhuozhuo, let me hug you, and I'll give you the candied haws."
Zhao Hongwei hadn't expected the traffickers to be so despicable as to resort to such a trick. He subconsciously tried to hold down Zhuozhuo's hand, but then he heard the little guy, who had been quiet for a while, say childishly, "I don't know you."
At that moment, Zhao Hongwei almost cried with joy. The inexplicable anger and humiliation, along with the fear that Zhuozhuo would be snatched away, surged into his heart, and for a moment he was at a loss for words.
The fat lady didn't expect Zhuozhuo to dare to speak now, but she reacted very quickly, "Zhuozhuo, grandma has already bought you candied haws, don't be angry with grandma..."
"Bad guy!"
Zhuozhuo suddenly yelled. She'd been meaning to say something earlier, but the sudden change had frightened her. Now that she'd recovered a bit, she pointed at the fat lady and said in a childish voice, "You want Zhao Hongwei to sell Zhuozhuo so he can marry a wife? You're such a jerk! You even tried to trick Zhuozhuo with candied haws! What a jerk! Zhuozhuo won't eat anything from strangers. If Zhuozhu wants to eat, Zhao Hongwei will buy it!"
Zhao Hongwei, who was mentioned several times, nodded hurriedly, "Yes, Dad will buy it for you!"
The onlookers shouted, "Kid, is this really your dad?"
Zhuozhuo wasn't the least bit timid. She pressed her little face against Zhao Hongwei's and said in a crisp voice, "This is Zhao Hongwei. Doesn't he look like me?"
This was a complete reversal of the Heavenly Gang, causing a good-natured laugh. However, everyone also noticed that the two, one large and one small, not only looked alike, but also behaved very closely, like a real family. So everyone looked at the fat lady's group with unfriendly eyes, questioning their relationship with Zhuozhuo.
The fat lady hadn't expected Zhuozhuo to be so eloquent, turning the situation around with just a few words. Just as she was about to spin a confusing story about a divorced man stealing their daughter and trying to sell her, and her family chasing him across thousands of miles, she caught a glimpse of the police approaching. She gritted her teeth and cried out, "Damn you human traffickers! You drugged my granddaughter and turned her into a moron!"
These words seemed to be a signal, and the human traffickers around rushed over at the same time. Some tried to restrain Zhao Hongwei, some tried to snatch Zhuozhuo away directly, some tried to stop the enthusiastic crowd, and some tried to open up an escape route. The division of labor was so clear that it was frightening.
Zhao Hongwei's two fists were no match for four hands, his body and face were covered with wounds, and he was almost caught by Zhuozhuo several times.
Zhuozhuo grabbed Zhao Hongwei's clothes tightly and screamed in fear, "Zhao Hongwei, Daddy! Daddy!"
Her screams were so miserable that the people who were originally afraid of this group of vicious men couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. After someone shouted "The police are here", they mustered up their courage, rushed forward and pinned the human trafficker to the ground.
Zhao Hongwei was breathing heavily, staring at the traffickers with murderous eyes. He hugged Zhuozhuo like a life-saving straw, thus avoiding taking the opportunity to break their necks.
The human traffickers had too many accomplices, and several of them escaped during the chaos. Zhao Hongwei was kept by the police to take a statement. Zhuozhuo sat quietly in his arms, his eyes sometimes staring straight ahead with a slightly empty expression, and he seemed to be still in shock.
The policewoman stopped questioning and said, "How about you comfort the child first?"
She brought some prepared malted milk and a bottle of canned yellow peaches, then considerately left the room, leaving the father and daughter alone.
Zhao Hongwei pursed her lips, unsure of what to do, so she simply hugged Zhuozhuo tighter. Zhuozhuo hugged Zhao Hongwei back, her suppressed fear surfacing, and she sobbed, tears streaming down her face.
Zhao Hongwei felt as if all these tears had flowed into his heart, drowning him and making it hard to breathe. He gently rocked his legs and patted Zhuozhuo's back, saying softly, "It's okay, Zhuozhuo. Daddy's here. Daddy won't let the bad guys take Zhuozhuo away."
"Daddy, woo, woo, woo..."
This was the first time that the father and daughter were so affectionate.
Zhuozhuo's emotions fluctuated greatly, and he cried himself to sleep, but his sleep was very restless, and he was startled every now and then.
After Zhao Hongwei finished his statement and left the police station, he searched the bus station for the bedding roll. Unsurprisingly, he couldn't find it. He appraised the location, squatted on the ground, and, recalling the village elders' practice, began to call back Zhuozhuo's soul. He followed the route of his escape, paying no attention to anyone's gaze, calling out every few steps until he felt dizzy and his mouth was dry.
I don’t know if calling back the soul really worked, but Zhuozhuo’s sleeping posture became much more relaxed, no longer in a panic.
The bus's departure time was approaching, so Zhao Hongwei simply waited by the bus. In a nearby convenience store, a black-and-white TV broadcast the bustling world outside. Zhao Hongwei stared at the screen, feeling gloomy. Zhuozhuo's misfortune today was entirely his fault. It was because he looked so destitute that he was targeted by human traffickers. It was because he was so poor that he could only go to places where people of all kinds mixed up, which was why he encountered human traffickers.
If Zhuozhuo hadn't been so clever, if he hadn't been able to hold off until the police arrived, Zhuozhuo would have most likely been...
When he thought of that possibility, Zhao Hongwei's heart was filled with regret and resentment of powerlessness. He realized more clearly than ever that he had to become stronger in order to protect the people he wanted to protect.
When Zhuozhuo woke up, the scene before her was shaking. She shrank back nervously, leaning against the hard chest. A rather unfamiliar, gentle voice came from above her head, "Are you awake?"
She looked up with immediate alert and saw the familiar chin.
"Zhao Hongwei."
Zhuozhuo rubbed his eyes and muttered vaguely.
"Not calling me dad anymore?"
Zhao Hongwei raised an eyebrow and said something rudely, but worried that this name would arouse Zhuo Zhuo's fear, he quickly changed the subject, "We are riding in a big car. Look at the trees outside. They are moving backwards."
Their seats were by the window, and Zhuozhuo, resting his feet on Zhao Hongwei's legs, leaned against the window to look out. After a while, the bus turned a corner, and the sun shone on the glass, and within seconds, his eyes were black and his face was burning.
Zhuozhuo said softly, "My face hurts. The sun is hitting my face."
Zhao Hongwei suppressed his laughter, pulled the curtains, and placed the back of his hand against his burning face to cool it down.
Zhuozhuo looked around, then looked up at Zhao Hongwei and said childishly, "Our quilt is gone, our bag is gone, Zhao Hongwei, we're going to starve."
"Where did you learn that? Even if you starve, you little thing won't die."
Zhao Hongwei appeared calm, but he was nervous inside, worried that he would have to sleep on the street with Zhuozhuo after getting off the bus. But when he thought about the TV shows that big cities had shelters for the homeless, he felt a little relieved.
After two days and one night on the bus, we finally arrived at our destination. The passengers filed out and left in the blink of an eye.
The train stations in big cities are several times larger than those in small counties. Zhao Hongwei held Zhuozhuo in his arms and looked around. For a moment, he couldn't even find the exit sign. Fortunately, he followed the flow of people and walked out smoothly. He was instantly excited by the bustling city.
Whether it was the towering buildings, the clean streets, the fashionable pedestrians, or the humid air, all of them opened Zhao Hongwei's eyes. He tried to appear calm and observed this unfamiliar city, hoping to find an opportunity to make money.
Zhuozhuo was simply curious. Her attention was drawn to the colorful syrup. She hugged Zhao Hongwei's head and began to shake it, dragging out her tone, "Zhao Hongwei——"
Zhao Hongwei took one look at the dessert shop and thought it was very expensive. He immediately took Zhuozhuo and walked in another direction, negotiating, "Grandfather, can you let Dad make some money first?"
Zhuozhuo blinked, pointed at the candy shop, and said cutely, "Dad makes money selling this."
“…”
"If Dad sells this, we two will really be left with nothing."
Zhuozhuo sighed softly and said in a condescending manner, "That's because you didn't work hard enough."
"That sweet soup is obviously a local specialty. Every shop has its own secret recipe. How can a foreigner like me succeed just by working hard? Your father doesn't want to delve into it right now. He just wants to make some quick money."
After the bickering, Zhao Hongwei's heavy mood improved a lot. He looked down and saw Zhuozhuo pouting, very dissatisfied. "Zhuozhuo also wants to make money and compete with Zhao Hongwei."
Zhao Hongwei was happy. "Okay, let's compete. Let's see who can make money first."
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