Chapter 110
It was literally etched into her mind.
When the face in the photo appeared before her eyes, Xixi was stunned.
Xixi wanted to ask Jiang Xuezhu if they knew the Feng family’s grandparents?
I even wanted to fly back to July 15th immediately, find my grandparents, and ask them to come and confirm it in person.
But Xixi didn't dare. If it was really a coincidence, her grandparents would definitely be disappointed.
So, Xixi suppressed the excitement in her heart.
She communicated more seriously with the child who was suspected to be her real brother, and guided him to speak and communicate.
If he was really her brother, she had to teach the child to speak before his grandparents arrived.
Otherwise, the grandparents would be so sad when they see the child.
Around five o'clock, Xixi and Lele have to go home. If they are any later, their family members will be worried.
After saying goodbye to Jiang Xuezhu, Xixi took Lele and trotted home.
She had to tell her mom and dad quickly.
Seeing the two little girls' backs, Jiang Xuezhu looked at her silent son, who was holding a piece of paper in his hand.
"Xiaohao, what is this?"
Shi Lihao didn't say anything, and lowered his head silently again.
Jiang Xuezhu sighed.
My son is not as anxious as when he first came out, which shows that taking him out often is effective.
Rubbing his head, "Okay, let's go home."
He tightened his grip on the drawing paper.
"What did you say? Did you see the people in the pictures on grandpa and grandma's wall?"
Meng Wanqiu suddenly stood up from the sofa and asked in disbelief.
Xixi panted and nodded, "Really? She looks a lot like the person in the photo, even more like me than my mom does."
Pei Xingzhi, who was standing next to him, could no longer concentrate on his book. He threw it onto the coffee table and asked in a deep voice, "What's going on? Xixi, explain everything clearly."
Xixi took a sip of water, and then told Meng Wanqiu and Pei Xingzhi about her encounter with Jiang Xuezhu over the past two days.
"That kid's surname is Shi, not Feng?"
Meng Wanqiu was extremely excited and wanted to find that family immediately to get to the bottom of the matter.
Pei Xingzhi held Meng Wanqiu's hand and said, "Don't worry, Wanwan. Let's take a day off tomorrow and go meet the boss in person to find out more."
The key point is that there is no point in being anxious. Xixi doesn't know the other person's address, and if she really goes to the door late at night, it will only cause trouble.
"Didn't Master Buxuzi say that Uncle Feng's family would be reunited sooner or later?"
These words calmed Meng Wanqiu's anxious heart.
"I understand. Tomorrow we will personally find that elder sister to understand the situation. We must not let Uncle Feng's wish go unfulfilled."
"I want to go too!"
Xixi jumped on the ground.
Meng Wanqiu thought for a moment and turned to look at Pei Xingzhi.
Pei Xingzhi smiled and rubbed the little guy's furry head, "Okay, but you have to be obedient."
Meng Wanqiu thought taking a day off was nothing, "If the other person is really my grandparents' child, Xixi, you've done a great job."
Xixi smiled and said, "Of course, I'm 90% sure."
Meng Wanqiu also smiled and picked up the little guy. "I hope so. Okay, let's go downstairs to eat first."
The next day, the weather was overcast and rainy, and the air was filled with moisture.
Meng Wanqiu, Pei Xingzhi and the children had a quick meal, then packed up and went out.
The family went straight to the gate of Xixi's school. According to what Xixi had said before, the eldest sister who was suspected to be the daughter-in-law of Uncle Feng and Aunt Feng would set up a stall in front of the school every day.
But when Meng Wanqiu and others arrived, the person they were looking for did not show up.
"Hey, why is my aunt not here?" Before Meng Wanqiu could ask, Xixi looked around and muttered.
"What's going on? Are we too early?"
Looking at the vendors who had already set up their stalls around, Meng Wanqiu felt that her words were a bit untenable, but the other party did not come.
Pei Xingzhi: "Maybe they were delayed on the way. Let's wait a while."
But the family waited for more than half an hour, until the bell rang at Xixi School, but Jiang Xuezhu still didn't show up.
"Will that lady sell it at another place?" Meng Wanqiu asked dejectedly.
I came here with great enthusiasm, but didn't find the target, which seriously dampened my mood.
"Not likely." Pei Xingzhi and Xixi said in unison.
"If they're selling something, they probably won't go somewhere else. Xixi School is the place with the most traffic every morning."
From an economic perspective, the possibility of changing the place where things are sold is very small.
Xixi held her father's hand and added in a baby voice, "Yes, Aunt Jiang used to sell sticky rice at the school gate, and only went back to other places at noon and in the afternoon."
Glutinous rice, Meng Wanqiu was stunned for a moment.
The memory of the boss I met on the first day I took Xixi to school came to my mind. He was not only very clean but also had very delicious food.
“It turned out to be her!”
Meng Wanqiu compared the face in her memory with the person Xixi described.
Pei Xingzhi turned around and asked her, "Do you know Wanwan?"
Meng Wanqiu shook her head. "I don't know him, but I've seen him before." Then she sighed. "I didn't expect to have seen him that day, when I brought you sticky rice. It was sold by the auntie Xixi mentioned. I didn't expect they had such a relationship. If I had talked to him more back then, I wouldn't be so unfamiliar with him now that I don't even know his address."
Pei Xingzhi understood, and he also remembered. Seeing Meng Wanqiu's annoyed look, he gently comforted her, "Don't worry, it's okay. If we really can't find him now, I'll ask someone to investigate him. Since he often appears in this area, his home should not be far away."
The family waited at the school gate until all the vendors had closed their stalls, but the person they were looking for still hadn't showed up. Helplessly, they had no choice but to go home and wait until noon before going to the next place Xixi mentioned.
The other party might have had something to do in the morning and didn't set up the stall. He should be back at noon. Although Meng Wanqiu comforted herself with this in her heart, she was actually not sure.
But they had no choice but to try their luck.
If they don't see someone today, they try again tomorrow. If they still don't show up, they find someone to investigate their information.
At noon, Meng Wanqiu and others were disappointed again.
"Could something have happened to my elder sister?" Meng Wanqiu said with some concern.
Logically speaking, the fact that he sets up the stall so regularly and frequently shows that he is very eager to make money, otherwise he would not set up the stall three times a day, and work alone. I can't imagine how hard it is for him.
At the same time, this also shows that the other party's family is probably in financial difficulty and in great need of money.
How could such a person suddenly stop working? He must have run into trouble, and Xixi had even made an appointment with the other party to teach the little boy how to speak.
But the other party said that he didn't even tell Xixi and there was no news at all. Considering the above situation, Meng Wanqiu guessed that the other party must have encountered something.
Pei Xingzhi frowned, picked up Xixi who was resting on his legs, and comforted her, "Don't scare yourself. Let's ask someone nearby. If it doesn't work, I'll go directly to Zong Yan for help this afternoon."
Zong Yan was Zong Xuehai's son. When he got married last time, the couple went to help. He had lived in the capital his entire life, and knew people at every level, from the upper-class children of wealthy families to the street corner idiots. If you wanted to find someone, you could ask him for help.
Xixi lay down in her father's arms and yawned. She had been walking for so long and hadn't taken a nap at noon, so she felt a little sleepy.
Seeing that the little girl was sleepy, Pei Xingzhi rubbed her soft head, then he and Meng Wanqiu went their separate ways and met up at the original place half an hour later.
They thought there was no hope of finding someone, but the result was far beyond their expectations.
Half an hour later, Meng Wanqiu said with a cheerful look on her face, "There's news. The older sister's name is Jiang Xuezhu, and she lives in the nearby compound."
Meng Wanqiu heard the news from another auntie who sold donkey rolls.
Pei Xingzhi's lips curled up, and he held the sleeping little one in his arms, saying softly, "I've also heard some things. I know the compound where Sister Jiang lives."
After learning about Jiang Xuezhu's residence, Meng Wanqiu and Pei Xingzhi quickly went to the location of the slum.
When they reached the door, Meng Wanqiu stopped Pei Xingzhi and pointed at her daughter sleeping in his arms. "I'll go in first. You watch her outside."
Pei Xingzhi was a little worried, but he was no longer the same person he used to be. He had a thorough understanding of his wife's fighting ability after being abused by her time and time again.
"Then hurry up. No matter what the situation is, come out and let me know first."
Meng Wanqiu nodded, "I understand. I'm going in."
In public, there were at least fifty or sixty people living in the compound, and she was not afraid at all that anyone would dare to commit a crime.
Meng Wanqiu disappeared in the blink of an eye. Pei Xingzhi was not idle either. He saw the old lady with a headband on her head, leaning on a cane, slowly walking towards them. Pei Xingzhi's eyes flashed, and he carried his daughter to find someone to talk to.
Jiang Xuezhu was a well-known figure in the yard. As soon as Meng Wanqiu entered, she saw a middle-aged woman walking out with her head lowered, carrying a wooden basin full of dirty clothes on her waist.
"Sister, do you know Jiang Xuezhu's family?"
The middle-aged woman who was called over looked up at the noise. After seeing Meng Wanqiu, she looked her up and down for a few times, then curled her lips and said, "I know. Go inside and that's the house that was smashed."
The one that was smashed?
Meng Wanqiu's heart tightened, thinking that something had really happened, and she quickly quickened her pace and walked inside.
When she reached the innermost part, Meng Wanqiu no longer had to look for it. She found Jiang Xuezhu's house at a glance among the surrounding doors.
The other doorways were clean and tidy, except for one where the gate was damaged and leaned against the door frame. The area in front of the door was extremely messy, with overturned potted plants, a chair with missing legs, and a broken cart in the corner.
Meng Wanqiu recognized the cart; it was the same one Jiang Xuezhu had used to sell her wares the previous time she'd run into her. Though crude, it had been clean and practical. But now, two of its four wheels had fallen off, and the base, one high and one low, lay on the floor, completely unusable.
Seeing this situation, Meng Wanqiu guessed the situation inside without even going into the house. It must not be good.
"Hey, who are you and why are you in our yard?"
Suddenly, an old man smoking a pipe came out of the house. Seeing Meng Wanqiu appear in the yard, he frowned and scolded her.
Meng Wanqiu looked over and explained, "Uncle, I'm Jiang Xuezhu's friend. Do you know what happened at Sister Jiang's house? Where are Sister Jiang and her family now?"
"Xiao Jiang's friend? Why haven't I seen you before?" The old man exhaled a puff of white smoke and looked at Meng Wanqiu's clothes with a hint of confusion in his eyes.
Jiang Xuezhu's family is so poor, where did she get her rich friends from?
Seeing the obvious disbelief in the old man's tone, Meng Wanqiu lied, "It's like this. Sister Jiang has a stall outside. I take my daughter to school every day and often buy things from her. We became familiar with each other over time. When I saw she wasn't setting up her stall today, I got a little worried, so I came to check on her. I didn't expect to run into trouble."
After listening to Meng Wanqiu, the old man's expression softened a little. After all, a person with feelings and righteousness would never be disliked.
The old man took another puff before telling Meng Wanqiu what had happened to Jiang Xuezhu.
Last night, when Jiang Xuezhu returned home with her child, she found the front door had been pried open. Fearing a thief might have come, she rushed over to check what was going on. Xiaohao was being looked after by the only old man in the compound who was kind to them.
Then she walked in and found that the people who had pried open her door were her parents-in-law and brother-in-law. They rummaged through her house and even knocked Shi Tianliang, who was lying on the bed, to the ground.
Seeing her husband being treated like this, Jiang Xuezhu couldn't stand it any longer. "What are you doing? Stop it immediately."
Seeing Jiang Xuezhu coming back, her parents-in-law and brother-in-law were not afraid at all. Instead, they said happily, "You little whore are finally back. I've been looking for you for a long time. Hurry up and hand over all the money you've earned recently."
As she spoke, Jiang Xuezhu's mother-in-law stretched out her hand in front of her. Her righteous look almost made Jiang Xuezhu breathless.
Seeing Jiang Xuezhu, the brother-in-law complained to his father, "Sister-in-law is really good at hiding. We searched this shabby house for so long and still couldn't find the money. Could it be that she hid the money on her body?"
Father Shi patted his youngest son's shoulder and said, "It's okay. The people are here now. Let's go home right after we get the money. I'll ask your mother to make you some dumplings."
It was as if he treated Jiang Xuezhu's money as his own.
Hearing what the family of three said, Jiang Xuezhu leaned against the door frame and sneered, "You're dreaming of asking for money! I advise you to leave as soon as possible, or I'll call the police."
When they heard the word 'call the police', the faces of the three members of the robber family changed instantly.
Jiang Xuezhu's mother-in-law raised her hand and slapped Jiang Xuezhu hard in the face. "Call the police, you conscienceless little whore. I'm your mother. Just try and tell me if you dare."
Jiang Xuezhu was caught off guard and got hit directly.
Jiang Xuezhu was stunned for a moment as she felt a burning pain on her face. After she realized what was happening, she immediately slapped her mother-in-law in the face.
Mother-in-law Jiang Xuezhu didn't expect that she would dare to fight back, and was stunned for a moment.
The father and son over there saw this, and Father Shi glared at Jiang Xuezhu angrily, "Jiang Xuezhu, you're so bold! You actually dared to hit your mother. If Tianliang knew that you treated your mother like that, he would definitely punish you."
The uncle rolled up his sleeves and walked towards Jiang Xuezhu. "Damn it, you bitch, you actually dared to lay hands on my mother. I'll beat you to death."
Jiang Xuezhu snorted coldly, "If you dare to do it, try it! If you dare to touch a hair on my head, I will put you in jail tomorrow."
The brother-in-law's eyes flickered.
The mother of stone who was standing nearby reacted, pulled her son behind her, pointed at Jiang Xuezhu's nose and cursed: "You jinx, if I had known you were like this, I shouldn't have agreed to let Tianliang marry you. You harmed Tianliang and gave birth to a fool. This is all your fault."
Jiang Xuezhu laughed. "It's all my fault. Haha, you all know how Tianliang became like this. When Tianliang gets better, your good days will be over."
Hearing Jiang Xuezhu's words, Father Shi's pupils shrank.
What did Jiang Xuezhu know? Impossible. Only their family knew about that matter, and Shi Tianliang, who knew all this, was already a living dead. Jiang Xuezhu couldn't possibly know.
After comforting himself, Shi's father's guilty conscience immediately disappeared. Jiang Xuezhu was just deliberately trying to trick him, but he couldn't fall for this woman's tricks.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Stop talking nonsense and hand over the money. Xiao Ming needs money urgently. Five hundred yuan. You've been doing business for so long, you must have made a lot of money. I don't want more from you. Just give me five hundred yuan."
Seeing that Shi's mother was about to continue fighting with Jiang Xuezhu, Shi's father quickly stopped her and brought the conversation back to the point.
Shi Baoming echoed, "That's right."
"You want money?" Jiang Xuezhu sneered, "Why should I give it to you?"
Shi's mother narrowed her eyes and pointed at herself and Shi Baoming, "I am your mother-in-law, and this is your brother. Your brother needs money, and as the eldest sister-in-law, isn't it your duty to pay for it?"
Jiang Xuezhu seemed to have heard something funny. She pointed at Shi Tianliang, who had pushed her eldest son off the bed to find money, and said to the Shi family, "You treat Tianliang like this, and you still have the nerve to admit that you are my mother-in-law."
Seeing Shi Tianliang lying on the ground, the Shi family felt embarrassed for a moment. Shi's mother winked at Shi's father and Shi Baoming, and the two of them quickly put Shi Baoming back on the bed.
"Aren't we just too anxious? It's okay when it's dawn. He's all covered in blankets and won't fall." Shi's mother added, her attitude much better now.
Jiang Xuezhu had a blank expression on her face. "This place is crowded and chaotic. I'm afraid something might happen if I leave the money at home, so I put it in the bank."
"Then go and withdraw the money now?" Shi Mu said hurriedly.
Jiang Xuezhu didn't say anything.
Father Shi next to him said, "The bank is closed at night, where are you going to withdraw the money?"
Only then did Shi Mu shut her mouth awkwardly.
Jiang Xuezhu: "I will set up the stall tomorrow morning. I will go to collect the money after I finish the stall. You can come back then."
Hearing this, the Shi family was satisfied.
"Okay, we'll come over early tomorrow morning. Xiao Jiang, remember to bring all the money, not a single cent less, otherwise..." Father Shi showed a malicious smile, "I will take my darling grandson home to live with us."
Jiang Xuezhu's body froze instantly, and she replied with trembling lips, "I know, it won't be less."
After the family left, Jiang Xuezhu suddenly collapsed to the ground, her lips turned pale, and her eyes were filled with intense fear and hatred.
When Mr. Shi threatened her with the child just now, Jiang Xuezhu wanted to kill the whole family with a knife.
But she couldn't, she still had children and dawn to take care of.
In fact, Jiang Xuezhu had already regretted the quarrel with the Shi family just now. There were three people on the other side, while she was the only woman on her side, with a weak child and an immobile husband.
If she were to come into direct conflict with the Shi family, she would have no advantage at all. No one else in the courtyard liked her. Although the old man was kind to her and the children, he was already in his sixties or seventies, and she didn't dare to put him at risk.
This was also the reason why she finally compromised and appeased the Shi family. She had too many concerns, so she couldn't confront them head-on.
But would Jiang Xuezhu really give them money for nothing?
Of course not.
She would rather use the money for something else than give it to that family.
Looking at the small house where she had lived for five years, Jiang Xuezhu hardened her heart. She packed up her important things overnight, removed the two wheels of the cart, made a simple bed with wooden planks, spread the mattress, and then placed Shi Tianliang on the planks.
"Uncle, I'm here to pick up Xiaohao." Jiang Xuezhu knocked on the uncle's door.
The door opened, and the old man took Xiaohao's hand. He looked at the plank bed in the yard and Shi Tianliang, and sighed, "Have you thought it through?"
Jiang Xuezhu nodded and said, "Thank you for your care over the past few years."
The old man didn't say anything else and handed Xiaohao to Jiang Xuezhu.
"Take care on your journey."
In the dim moonlight, the old man looked at the thin woman, pulled the rope of the plank bed, leaving clearly visible bone shapes on her body, and walked out of the dark and narrow alley step by step, holding the child in his hand.
The Shi family arrived early the next morning and saw the empty house. They angrily smashed the house to vent their emotions.
When Meng Wanqiu walked out of the alley, she was emitting a chilling coldness.
After hearing about Jiang Xuezhu's experience, Meng Wanqiu couldn't suppress the anger in her chest. At that moment, she thought, even if the other party had nothing to do with Uncle Feng and Aunt Feng, she would still help him.
Pei Xingzhi, who was waiting for Meng Wanqiu outside, also learned some important clues from the old lady.
After seeing Pei Xingzhi, Meng Wanqiu immediately told him what she had heard. Her tone was very indignant, and she wished she could deal with that family for Jiang Xuezhu on the spot.
"Sister Jiang and the others have moved away. What should we do? Let's go back and ask Zong Yan to find someone. Sister Jiang is alone with her child and her unconscious husband. It must be very difficult for her to be out there now."
Pei Xingzhi thought for a moment and said, "We should look for them, but let's go to a place first. Maybe they'll be there."
"Where?"
Pei Xingzhi said: "Hospital. However, I have something else to tell you. Let's talk while we walk."
It turned out that Pei Xingzhi learned a secret from the old lady with a headband, which even Jiang Xuezhu didn't know.
The old lady was old and her words were incoherent. Pei Xingzhi listened for a long time before he figured out the secret.
That is, Shi Tianliang is not the biological child of the old couple of the Shi family, but an adopted child.
The old lady said that when Mr. and Mrs. Shi were young, they had been married for seven or eight years but had no children. Everyone advised them to adopt a child, either a girl or a boy.
But Mr. and Mrs. Shi were unwilling to raise a girl. As a boy is a treasure, it was very difficult to adopt a healthy boy without any problems.
Just when everyone thought that Shi's father and mother were going to give up, Shi's mother returned to her hometown and brought back a fair and chubby boy of six or seven years old.
Shi's father and mother announced that they had too many children among their relatives and could not afford to raise them, so they adopted one of the children into their family.
But any discerning person can see that this child is plump and good-looking, and there is no way he can be raised in a rural area.
Some people whispered privately that the Shi couple must have bought the child from human traffickers.
The child refused to eat or drink at the Shi family's house, and the neighbors often heard the Shi family beating the child and scolded the Shi family for committing sins. But after a few days, they saw the child calling the Shi family couple "Mom and Dad."
It turned out that the child's fever had damaged his brain and he had forgotten everything. The Shi family secretly visited the neighbors and asked them not to tell the truth to the child.
Others felt it was a pity, but also thought it was a good thing. After all, the child was probably impossible to find, so it would be nice for him to forget about the past and live a good life with the Shi couple.
Not long after, perhaps feeling guilty, the Shi couple moved away with the child.
And that old lady was one of the people who once knew the truth.
"Shi Tianliang's name also contains the word 'Liang'. The time when the Tian family adopted him was very close to the time when Feng Liang disappeared. In addition, the little boy that Xixi mentioned was very similar to Feng Liang when he was a child..." Meng Wanqiu's eyes lit up. After analyzing a passage at a very fast speed, he looked at Pei Xingzhi without blinking.
Pei Xingzhi nodded and said, "It's almost right."
There are not so many coincidences. It seems that Shi Tianliang is the Feng Liang they are looking for.
The couple came out of the alley and rushed to the nearby hospital. After Pei Xingzhi's analysis, the reason why Jiang Xuezhu was so eager to make money was probably because she wanted to treat the unconscious Shi Tianliang, a five-year-old child who could not speak.
Based on Jiang Xuezhu's craftsmanship and the frequency of her stall setting up, Pei Xingzhi could roughly guess how much money the other party had, and it must be a considerable amount.
Therefore, with enough money in hand and leaving in the middle of the night, Jiang Xuezhu would most likely go directly to the hospital.
Because only the hospital would accept patients at night, so Jiang Xuezhu's family could have a place to stay.
Therefore, Pei Xingzhi felt that Jiang Xuezhu would most likely go to a nearby hospital.
"Um, may I ask if you are Xixi's parents?"
Meng Wanqiu and Pei Xingzhi looked over and saw a haggard woman with a red and swollen face. She was holding a child in her hands. She lowered her head slightly, revealing the lower half of her face, and looked very quiet.
But Meng Wanqiu and Pei Xingzhi recognized each other at first sight.
Half an hour later, on the lawn in the park.
Xixi was talking to her younger brother, but her younger brother was still very aloof and ignored her.
But Xixi was still very happy. She helped her grandparents find the child, and also got a daughter-in-law and grandson as a gift.
When she thought of this, Xixi couldn't help but laugh.
Shi Lihao dodged to the side invisibly.
Seeing the two children playing, the adults here had almost finished their conversation.
Jiang Xuezhu brought Xiaohao here, but she still remembered the agreement with Xixi. She disappeared without saying a word. She was worried that Xixi would be waiting for them here.
What if they meet bad guys? Thinking of these hidden dangers, Jiang Xuezhu brought her children here.
"Xixi's parents, I'm actually not quite sure what you're talking about. In my impression, Tianliang has always been the Shi family's child. However, the old couple have always been mean to Tianliang. I thought they were simply partial to the younger one. Now that I think about it, it's really possible that they bought Tianliang from a human trafficker."
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