Chapter 54 Wen Xiaoxiao is gone
Zhao Fei arrived at the east wing.
Wen Xiaoxiao was still awake, leaning against the headboard, mending a small piece of clothing in her hand, but her eyes were somewhat unfocused.
"Xiaoxiao," Zhao Fei sat down beside her, his voice weary yet full of anticipation.
"I have something to tell you. I've found a house in the city, three bedrooms, sunny. Once the paperwork is done in a few days, we'll move there. Grandma Yidi will live with us and help take care of the children. As for the pig farm area, I'm thinking of moving to a different place; I've already found a new location."
As he spoke, a slight smile appeared on his face: "Once we move and settle down, we'll... get things done. We'll give you and the children a proper status."
Wen Xiaoxiao paused her needlework, and lowered her head even further.
She didn't speak, but nodded almost imperceptibly, her fingers gripping the fabric tightly in her hand.
Zhao Fei assumed she was just shy or still upset about the rumors and didn't take it to heart.
He reached out to pat her shoulder, but withdrew his hand halfway, only saying softly, "Go to sleep early, don't stay up too late." Then he got up and went back to the main room.
The next morning, Zhao Fei hurriedly ate a bite of breakfast and went to work on the site selection for the new pig farm.
This concerns his future livelihood, so he must personally go and take a close look.
Before leaving, he said to Zhou Lanying, "Mom, I might not be able to come back in the next couple of days. I need to settle on a place. Please take care of things at home."
Zhou Lanying nodded: "Don't worry, I'll take care of things at home."
She's taking Zhao Yidi back to her hometown today to pay respects to a distant relative who has passed away.
Only Wen Xiaoxiao, Yizhen, and Yibao remained in the courtyard.
The morning was relatively peaceful.
Wen Xiaoxiao fed the two children, changed their diapers, and put them on the kang (a heated brick bed) to play.
She herself was restless, her eyes occasionally drifting towards the courtyard gate, then back to the bundle she had secretly packed and hidden in the corner of the cabinet.
After a long while, her gaze became firm.
She gently patted the child in her arms and whispered, "Babies, Mommy will take you away."
After the child fell asleep, she quickly opened the cabinet and took out the bundle that she had prepared beforehand.
Inside were the few spare clothes she and her two children had.
She then pulled out the gold bracelet wrapped in red cloth from inside the pillow—a gift from Zhao Fei.
Finally, she took out her small savings book, which contained the little money she had saved up over the past two years as a seamstress, the wages Sister Hu had given her last time, and... the money Zhao Fei had insisted on giving her that she couldn't refuse.
She wrapped the gold bracelet up, then took out a piece of paper she had written long ago, folded it, and stuffed it into an old envelope.
There was no writing on the envelope.
Holding her sleeping daughters, Yizhen and Yibao, she took one last look at the courtyard house that had held so much of her pain, yet had also given her a brief period of warmth and shelter. She glanced at the east wing and then at the main hall.
Then, at the door of Zhao Fei's main house, she stopped and slipped the envelope into the crack of the door.
Then, she tightened her bundle, hugged her two children even tighter, straightened her thin back, and walked out of the alley step by step, heading towards a new path in life.
There was no turning back.
Goodbye, Zhao Fei. You deserved a wonderful life.
That night, Zhao Fei rushed back, covered in dust.
The new location has been basically decided. Although I'm tired, I feel more at ease.
He was thinking that he could talk to Xiaoxiao about the plan in detail tomorrow.
The courtyard gate was ajar, and the main room was dark.
The west wing was also dark; Zhou Lanying had taken Yidi back to her hometown and hadn't returned yet.
He assumed Wen Xiaoxiao and the child were already asleep, so he tiptoed to the window of the east wing and listened. It was quiet inside.
He felt a little relieved, pushed open the door to the main house, and prepared to wash up.
Something fell through the crack in the door.
He bent down and picked it up; it was an old envelope.
My heart skipped a beat for no reason.
In the dim moonlight streaming through the window, he took out the letter and unfolded it.
The handwriting is somewhat messy, and it's clear that the writer was in a very unsettled state of mind.
Zhao Fei: I'm leaving. Don't look for me.
There are some things I've been keeping inside for a long time, but I have to say them today. I approached you in the first place not because I liked you.
It was because she hated Zhao Qingda, because she had nowhere else to turn, and wanted to find someone to rely on, or even... wanted to take revenge on him.
It was my initiative; I seduced you.
I know you're good to me, but I feel unworthy of this kindness because my initial intentions were impure.
Later... I truly fell in love with you.
You are good to me, good to the children, responsible, and a truly upright man.
But the more I love you, the less I can afford to be a burden to you.
Because of me, the pig farm lost so much money;
Because of me, you are being pointed at and gossiped about;
Because of me, you and Zhao Qing have become mortal enemies.
You deserved to be better off.
I'm leaving, for your sake, for Yidi's sake, and for everyone's sake.
Don't worry, I can support myself and my child.
I have a skill; I won't starve.
Here's your gold bracelet back. It's too valuable; I can't take it anymore.
I hope you can marry someone else in the future and live a peaceful life.
Consider the money you gave me a loan; I'll definitely pay it back when I earn more money in the future.
Don't blame me.
Just like back then,
They must be pitying us, mother and children.
Xiaoxiao left
Beneath the letter, stiff and hard, was that red cloth bundle.
Zhao Fei opened it with trembling hands; a faint golden light shimmered, revealing the bracelet he had given her.
With a loud "boom," Zhao Fei felt the world spinning around him!
She's gone? Where could a pregnant woman like her go?! Penniless and all alone!
He rushed out of the main room and burst open the door to the east wing—the kang (heated brick bed) was empty, with only messy bedding.
The closet door was open, and several pieces of clothing were missing from inside.
She's really gone!
"Xiaoxiao!!!" A scream burst from her throat, sounding particularly shrill and desperate in the silent night.
Zhao Fei rushed out of the courtyard like a madman, started the van, and the wheels screeched as they rolled over the dirt road.
He rushed to Wenbin's temporary residence at the pig farm and dragged Wenbin, who had just fallen asleep, out of bed.
"Xiaoxiao is gone! She's gone with the child! Quick! Help me find her!" Zhao Fei's eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was trembling.
Wenbin was also bewildered: "Gone? Where did they go? What happened?"
"Stop asking! Find it now!" Zhao Fei practically shouted.
The two drove around the streets like headless flies.
I asked at hotels one by one; I searched through streets and alleys again and again; I went to every place I could think of, under bridges and abandoned brick kilns.
No, there was no trace of Wen Xiaoxiao or her child anywhere.
It was as if they had vanished into thin air.
The night grew deeper, and the chill seeped into the bones.
Zhao Fei parked the car by the empty riverbank. Finally, unable to hold on any longer, he slammed his fist hard on the steering wheel, then covered his face and let out a suppressed, beast-like whimper.
This man, who had endured countless storms and persevered through gritted teeth, completely broke down at this moment.
Wenbin sat beside him, both anxious and angry. Seeing Zhao Fei's pained expression, he realized how unusually he was acting. Thinking of what his sister might have gone through, a surge of anger welled up inside him.
He grabbed Zhao Fei's shoulder abruptly and roared, "Zhao Fei! Tell me the truth! What exactly happened between you and my sister?! Did you bully her?! She just got divorced and is pregnant! You let her run away alone with two children. If anything happens, I'll fight you to the death!"
Zhao Fei raised his head, his face streaked with tears and dust, looking utterly disheveled.
Looking at Wenbin's angry face, he took all the blame in a hoarse voice: "It's my fault... Hit me... It was me... I was the one who wronged Xiaoxiao first, it was me... I seduced her... I ruined her... Hit me!"
He wanted to protect Wen Xiaoxiao's reputation, even in front of her brother.
Upon hearing this, Wenbin's eyes reddened, and he raised his hand and punched Zhao Fei hard!
"Zhao Fei! You bastard!" Wenbin cursed, his hands trembling.
Zhao Fei took a punch but didn't retaliate, only repeating, "It's my fault... Find her... I must find her..."
Seeing his dejected appearance, Wenbin's hand, which had been hitting him, fell limply to his side.
He knew that now was not the time to pursue the matter.
He opened the car door: "Get in! Keep searching! If you can't find her in the city, search in the nearby counties and cities! The train station, the bus station! You must find Xiaoxiao!"
Wen Xiaoxiao held her two children as she sat on a rickety long-distance bus heading to a neighboring city.
The car was old and smelled foul.
She sat in the last row, pale-faced, her stomach churning.
Her body was exhausted, her bones felt like they were about to fall apart, but her eyes were unusually clear, even carrying a kind of do-or-die determination.
After several hours of bumpy travel, the car finally arrived at the chaotic and noisy bus station in the neighboring city.
Wen Xiaoxiao, holding her child and carrying her bag, got off the bus with the flow of people.
Outside the station were unfamiliar streets, unfamiliar accents, and everything else.
Without hesitation, she found a small hotel near the station that looked clean and inexpensive, and used the money she had on her to book the cheapest single room and settle in.
After putting her exhausted child to sleep, she herself was almost completely drained.
But she got up at the crack of dawn the next day.
She entrusted the precious item to the kind-looking hotel owner, gave her a few extra dollars, and begged her to look after it for half a day.
Then, she took the remaining money and walked onto the unfamiliar streets.
She needs to settle down as soon as possible and needs to earn money.
Her only asset was a skill.
After walking several streets, I saw a red paper sign that read "Shop for Rent".
The shop isn't big; the front can be used as a storefront, and there's a small room in the back where people can live.
The rent was cheaper than she had expected.
Without much hesitation, she used most of her money to rent the shop.
Then, she went to the flea market and bought the cheapest, old-fashioned second-hand treadle sewing machine, along with some basic fabric, needles, thread, scissors, and rulers.
Within a day, the simple signboard of "Xiaoxiao Tailor Shop" was hung on the small street of this unfamiliar city.
The front area is the work area, with a sewing machine and a cutting table. The small room at the back, furnished with bedding, is her "home" with her child.
At night, with the door closed, only she and her two sleeping children remained in the small space.
Wen Xiaoxiao sat on the edge of the bed, and her nerves, which had been tense for days, finally relaxed a little.
She is not afraid of hardship, nor is she afraid of starting over.
I just feel sorry for the child, who is so young and has to live a life of hardship and displacement with her in this shabby place.
Thankfully, Yizhen and Yibao are very sensible, they don't cry or fuss, as if they understand their mother's hardships.
She gently kissed her children's foreheads and whispered, "My darlings, Mommy will work hard to give you a good life. Our new life starts here."
Outside the window, the city lights are unfamiliar.
Inside the window, a woman with two young children is desperately trying to hold onto a small patch of sky.
Meanwhile, in the distance, the wheels searching for her continue to speed aimlessly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com