When Gao Mingcheng returned to the village, it was already dusk. A group of people were squatting at the village entrance, eating their dinner while gossiping about Old Lady Tan. They were also staring at the road leading into the village, eagerly waiting for someone.
Hearing the chugging sound of a tractor in the distance, someone couldn't help but shout excitedly, "They're back! They're back..."
Once they could clearly see Gao Dahan and Gao Mingcheng sitting on the tractor, many people immediately swarmed around them curiously, bombarding them with questions.
"You really brought back that crazy girl from Old Man Tan's house, Mingcheng?"
"Is it confirmed?"
How is she now?
"How has she managed all these years in the mountains?"
“Mingcheng…”
Gao Mingcheng patiently answered each question: "I'm not entirely sure either, maybe... She was injured and just had surgery. She hasn't woken up yet. We'll have to wait until she wakes up tomorrow and ask her to find out..."
However, such a simple answer could not satisfy their curiosity, and they wanted to continue asking questions, so Captain Gao decisively chased them away.
"Alright, alright, why ask so many questions? Mingcheng already said he doesn't know anything, he's still not awake. Are you all really that concerned about him? Grandpa Tan is gone, and now she's in the hospital and has had surgery. The medical expenses must be quite high. Let's all help her raise the money," said Captain Gao.
Upon hearing that they needed to pool their money, the people around them realized it was like taking a piece of their flesh, so they quickly laughed it off and turned to leave: "You know our family's situation, Captain Gao. We can contribute our labor, but we really can't come up with the money. Oh, right, we have something to do at home, so we'll head back first."
The once thronged crowd quickly vanished.
"Sure enough, one by one, they all ran away as soon as they got a piece of the money." Captain Gao muttered, but didn't say anything more, after all, no one was really rich these days.
However, Captain Gao turned to look at Gao Mingcheng and couldn't help but ask, "Is that really Old Master Tan's daughter?"
"Probably." Gao Mingcheng's answer remained ambiguous.
"I think so too," Captain Gao said, sighing helplessly. "I didn't expect her to still be alive, but she must be suffering terribly in the mountains."
“Although Grandpa Tan is no longer here, she is still one of our Xiaogaozhuang people. We can’t let you handle this all by yourself. Tomorrow I’ll have your aunt go to the hospital to keep an eye on her, so you don’t have to run around every day,” Captain Gao said to Gao Mingcheng.
Gao Mingcheng was still waiting for Grandma Tan to wake up so he could ask her about Xing Zhaozhao. He wasn't about to just abandon her like that. He shook his head and said, "It's alright. No matter what, I was the one who handled this from the beginning, so I have to see it through to the end. Besides, we're living in her house, so it's only right that I lend a hand."
Seeing this, Captain Gao stopped arguing with him and simply told him, "Let me know if you need any help."
"Okay." Gao Mingcheng nodded with a smile.
Seeing Gao Mingcheng's tired face, Captain Gao waved his hand at him and said, "You must be exhausted after a long day. Go home now and don't let your wife worry."
Gao Mingcheng's eyes darkened when he thought of Xing Zhaozhao, but he didn't show any unusual expression on his face. He smiled and nodded, "Mm."
After saying goodbye to Captain Gao, he hurried home, still holding onto a sliver of hope that Zhao Zhao might be waiting for him there when he got home.
Standing at his doorstep, his heart pounded with nervousness as he knocked, repeatedly muttering, "You must come back, you must come back..."
The door creaked open quickly, and when Gao Mingcheng saw Aunt Hao carrying Xiao Hongling to open the door, his last glimmer of hope vanished, replaced by a strong sense of panic. Something must have happened to Zhaozhao.
When Aunt Hao saw Gao Mingcheng, it was as if she had seen a savior: "You're finally back! Little Hongling has been crying all afternoon, constantly calling for her mother, and we can't soothe her. And Hongfei and Hongyu, I don't know why, they've been staying in the cellar and won't come out. What did Zhaozhao go into the mountains to do? Why hasn't she come back yet?"
Little Hongling's eyes were swollen from crying. When she saw Gao Mingcheng, she immediately reached out her hand to him.
Gao Mingcheng quickly picked up the little girl and looked at Aunt Hao, forcing a stiff smile. He said, "She's probably going to see Professor Yang. You know, Professor Yang, who was sent down to our village before, came this time too. They've always had a good relationship..."
Aunt Hao knew this, of course, but she still couldn't help but complain, "You have to check the time too."
"Poor little Hongling." She patted the listless little Hongling who was lying on her father's shoulder, then said goodbye to Gao Mingcheng, "I'm going back now. Remember to call me if you need anything."
Gao Mingcheng smiled and nodded, then saw Aunt Hao off.
As Aunt Hao left, she reminded him again, "Those two little ones are still in the cellar at the back, don't forget."
"Understood," Gao Mingcheng replied.
After seeing Aunt Hao off, Gao Mingcheng closed the door and carried Xiao Hongling directly to the cellar in the backyard. Looking at the two little ones sitting side by side inside, staring longingly at the wall, he called out, "Let's go, let's go back with Daddy first."
The two little ones turned to look at Gao Mingcheng in unison, their eyes red and swollen, their lips trembling with tears, and said, "What should we do, Dad? Mom hasn't come back yet."
Gao Mingcheng took a deep breath, suppressing the stinging sensation in his nose, and said, "Something might have delayed us. Let's go back to eat with Dad first. Maybe Mom will be back when I wake up after a nap."
The two little ones' eyes lit up immediately, looking at Gao Mingcheng expectantly: "Really?"
"Hmm." Gao Mingcheng nodded with a forced smile, took the two children back to the front room, made them dinner, fed them, and put them to bed. But he himself was not sleepy at all, so he went to the cellar to wait, and waited all night.
The next morning, Hongfei woke up and didn't see his mother. His heart sank, and he sensed something was wrong. After walking around the house, he realized that his father was also gone, and he became even more panicked.
A little while later, Hongyu woke up rubbing her sleepy eyes and found herself in the same situation as Hongfei. Her little mouth twitched and she was about to cry: "Mommy didn't come back, and now even Daddy is gone. Do they not want us anymore?"
"Let's go check out the cellar at the back," Hongfei said after a moment's thought.
Hongyu nodded obediently and took her brother's hand, wanting to go out together.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, Xiao Hongling also woke up and cried so loudly that it shook the heavens. The two brothers had no choice but to go and comfort their sister. However, their sister was extremely difficult to comfort today, and they couldn't soothe her no matter what they did. In the end, they had no choice but to take their sister to the cellar to find their father.
Thankfully, Dad is still alive, but Mom still hasn't come back.
The two little ones felt an unprecedented sense of panic, especially after a strange old lady had come through the door yesterday. This had never happened before, and coincidentally, something happened to their mother the moment she appeared…
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