They were going to stay overnight in Haishi. On their way from the supply and marketing cooperative to the guesthouse, they suddenly heard a commotion coming from the state-run restaurant next door.
Gu Mingyue carried Chenchen over and saw two ragged people being dragged by the arms by a waiter, with half a bag of stolen buns rolling on the ground.
"You think you can justify stealing? This is food that people haven't even eaten yet, and you've already stolen it. You have to pay for it today!" The waiter's face turned red with anger, and he reached out to hit the two men.
Gu Mingyue stopped abruptly. The two people who had been beaten looked somewhat familiar. She looked closely and her pupils suddenly contracted.
The man's hair was gray and messy, and the woman's cuffs were frayed. The two of them huddled together like frightened mice.
Lu Lin noticed something was wrong with her and followed her gaze. "You know him?"
Gu Mingyue pursed her lips, feeling as if she had been pricked by a needle in her heart.
When she left home, her parents tried every means to find a way to Hong Kong, completely disregarding her own daughter's life or death, and only thinking about throwing her out.
She had been living well in the Lu family for the past two years and had long regarded it as her real home. However, seeing the two of them beaten and looking so disheveled, her heart couldn't help but ache a little. Perhaps it was the original owner's emotions that were causing the pain.
Gu Mingyue had no intention of going forward to acknowledge them. From the moment they abandoned her, the kinship between them was severed.
It's them.
Although Gu Mingyue did not name names, Lu Lin still deduced her identity from her reaction.
"You and Chenchen wait for me, I'll be there in a bit."
Gu Mingyue looked away, picked up Chenchen, and found a sheltered spot to wait.
"Stop hitting them." Lu Lin stepped forward, took out some money from his pocket, and gave it to the waiter. "I'll pay for what they took."
The waiter paused for a moment, then, seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, he let go of the person's hand, took the money, and his expression softened.
The man and woman were stunned for a moment, and when they looked up, they only saw Lu Lin's military green back as he turned and left.
The woman muttered under her breath, "These days, there are still many comrades like Lei Feng, otherwise we would be in trouble today."
The man nodded in agreement, preoccupied with rubbing his arm that had been scratched, and without even saying thank you, he pulled the woman away.
They were only thinking about finding a place to mooch their next meal, and had no intention of finding out who the good Samaritan was, let alone that the person who paid for their meal was the husband of their abandoned daughter.
Seeing that Gu Mingyue was staring blankly into the distance, Lu Lin reached out to tidy her hair, which was being ruffled by the wind. "It's all settled, don't overthink it."
Gu Mingyue turned her head, looked at the warmth in Lu Lin's eyes, and then glanced at Chenchen sleeping soundly in her arms. The slight irritation in her heart gradually dissipated.
She gave a soft "hmm," and said, "If we run into them again, let's just pretend we didn't see them."
When they returned to the guesthouse, Gu Mingyue was still a little listless. Seeing her like this, Lu Lin knew that what had just happened was still on her mind, so he took her hand.
"Are you still thinking about your parents?" Lu Lin poured her a glass of water and placed it in front of her.
“I know you’re upset. They didn’t treat you like a child. They treated you like an object to be exchanged for benefits. Even strangers would feel sorry for a child, but they didn’t even say a kind word to you.”
Gu Mingyue held the cup, her fingertips icy cold. Those forgotten old stories, like stones submerged in water, all surfaced before her eyes at once.
She recalled how, under her parents' strict demands, she learned to dance and calligraphy when she was young. To maintain her figure, she was often hungry and cold at a young age, which her parents euphemistically called cultivating her resilience.
They achieved success amidst hardship, completely ignoring the fact that she was just a child who couldn't even guarantee basic food and clothing and was riddled with illnesses at a young age.
Later, when she grew up and something happened in her family, they talked about leaving with her brother, without considering her feelings at all.
“I’m not blaming them for abandoning me; I’m just sad that they never treated me like a human being.”
Gu Mingyue's voice was slightly choked up, "Strangers will say thank you when they ask for directions, but they don't even have the most basic courtesy to me. It's as if I was born to do this and that for them, to be their puppet."
Lu Lin put his arm around her shoulder and patted her arm, like coaxing a child, "Silly wife, don't be angry with them. They don't know how to love the child, and that's their fault. You have me, Chenchen, and our whole family now."
It's your good fortune to have everyone enjoying themselves. As for those who don't treat you like human beings, just let them pass by and don't let them bother you anymore.
Just then, Chenchen's humming came from the bed; he was about to wake up.
Gu Mingyue glanced at him, and the feeling of tightness in her chest dissipated. She wiped her eyes, took a sip from her cup.
Yes, those who don't cherish her aren't worth wasting any of her emotions on. Her life should have been filled with people who love and care for her.
-
As soon as the car came to a stop on its way home from Haishi, Lu Lin got out carrying two strings of glistening sausages.
This is a local specialty of Haishi. The sausage is reddish and glossy, and tastes different from what they make elsewhere. It has a salty and fragrant aroma even before it's cooked.
"Today we're making claypot rice. The Chinese sausage will definitely smell delicious when it's stewed in the rice," he said as he walked towards the kitchen.
Zhong Yuxiu followed behind, carrying Chenchen. She hadn't seen her grandson all night and missed him terribly.
The aroma of rice soon filled the kitchen. Gu Mingyue sliced the sausage into thin slices and placed them on the almost cooked rice, then sprinkled some bright green vegetables on top.
Just as the pot lid was put on, footsteps came from the courtyard gate, and Xia Xiaohe walked in carrying a bag. "These are dried fruits that my relatives brought from out of town. Have a taste."
As soon as the bag was opened, the walnuts and red dates inside emitted a faint aroma of dried fruit. Chenchen, sitting in the stroller, reached out to grab them.
When Yangyang saw Chenchen while following behind his mother, his eyes lit up.
He had never experienced what it was like to be an older brother before, and he was very happy to finally have a little brother. He would come to play with him every day. Yesterday, he didn't eat a bowl of rice because he didn't see Chenchen.
"Chenchen, this is a toy your brother gave you. Do you like it?"
The two children huddled together beside the stroller. Chenchen held a small toy that Yangyang had given her and babbled in baby talk.
Yangyang didn't understand, but he still laughed along and reached out to straighten Chenchen's crooked bib.
Gu Mingyue found the scene very heartwarming and couldn't help but take out her camera and press the shutter to preserve this beautiful moment.
"The claypot rice is ready." Lu Lin brought out the clay pot, and Chenchen, who smelled the aroma of the rice, immediately shifted her attention.
Zhong Yuxiu invited Xia Qinghe and Yangyang to sit down and eat together.
"No, Auntie, we ate at home."
"I'll pack some for you guys, and heat it up for Yangyang tonight. It'll taste just as good." Gu Mingyue knew Yangyang loved sausages, so she set aside a portion for him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
