Chapter Ninety: Mommy & Auntie
Sunset.
The driver glanced ahead and saw a straight road lined with cars, their red taillights stretching all the way to the end of the road.
He looked down at the navigation; the red traffic warning stretched for two blocks.
Emergency traffic alert: A car has fallen off the Hannan Elevated Road...
A message notification popped up on the screen.
Noticing that the car was idling in place, Tang Wanru looked up and asked, "Is there a traffic jam?"
"There's been an accident on the elevated road ahead," the driver replied. "We won't be able to get through for a while."
The traffic was backed up for two streets, and there was no way to turn around or take a detour; we could only slowly follow along.
Tang Wanru glanced at the traffic, then looked out the window, her expression slightly taken aback.
Five more minutes passed, and the car had moved forward about 100 meters.
"I'll get out and walk over. When you get there, just wait for me in the parking lot." After telling the driver this, Tang Wanru picked up her bag, opened the door, and got out of the car.
She was going to a charity gala at a five-star hotel on the next street. It would take two blocks to drive there, but on foot she only needed to cross a pedestrian street.
Instead of sitting in the car and stopping and starting, it's faster to get out and walk around.
When she arrived at the entrance of the pedestrian street, Tang Wanru paused for a moment before stepping inside.
The Tang family's old house is nearby.
This path, from her first steps to attending university, took her more than a decade to walk.
only.
I left more than ten years ago, and haven't been back for more than ten years.
The city of Jiangcheng is changing rapidly with its booming economy. The old houses of Tangjia have long been demolished and replaced by high-rise buildings. Only this street has been preserved because of the historical buildings on both sides of the road.
The plane trees lining both sides of the road are still lush and green, but the bluestone road of my memory has been replaced by asphalt road, and the mottled brick walls that were originally full of traces of time have been renewed and decorated with fashionable signs of all shapes and colors.
The neon lights are dazzling, the glass windows are bright and clear, the giant dolls are tall and huge, and the air is filled with various fragrances wafting from the shops along the street.
The quiet path has become bustling and noisy, no longer the serene place I remember.
As Tang Wanru walked through these familiar yet unfamiliar streets, a sense of melancholy flashed through her heart.
"Does anyone know what's older than these historical buildings on this old street?"
A tour guide carrying a small flag led a group of tourists wearing red hats past Tang Wanru.
“I know, I heard it’s a loquat tree that’s over a hundred years old, right?” a tourist replied.
The tour guide asked with a smile, "Did you do your research before coming?"
Upon hearing their conversation, Tang Wanru paused in her tracks.
"Next, let's walk this way, past this old alley, and over there is a newly developed trendy street." The tour guide led a group of people through an arched stone gate.
Tang Wanru turned around and watched the group of people walk away.
"There's a small garden between the block and the old alleyways, and this garden was built specifically to protect this loquat tree," the tour guide continued.
"It sounds like there's a love story behind this," a tourist said. "Could this loquat tree be the place where the developer's boss met his lover?"
"Could it be that the developer bought this land just to keep this one tree?"
"This story sounds romantic enough."
"It's not only romantic, but also very expensive."
"This area seems to be developed by Jiachuang Real Estate..."
...
The tourists' chatter gradually faded into the distance.
The trees, over a hundred years old, are tall and robust, with dense canopies layered upon each other, overlapping the appearance in my memory.
Standing under the tree, time seemed to suddenly rewind to more than 30 years ago, to when she was in her third year of junior high school.
"Little mute, thief!"
"A mute nobody dares to steal!"
Three children, around seven or eight years old, surrounded a small, thin girl, trapping her under the tree.
The little girl wore patched old clothes, her hair was dry and yellow, and her small face was so thin and sunken that it was obvious that she had been malnourished for a long time, but her black eyes were exceptionally bright.
She clenched her fists and faced the much stronger boys with a cold, fearless expression.
"You little mute, you dare to glare at me after stealing!" The leader was a chubby boy. As he spoke, he raised his hand and pushed the little girl to the ground.
Tang Wanru saw this scene as she got off the bus after school.
Pushing the person down wasn't enough; the chubby boy picked up a stone and was about to throw it at the little girl.
Tang Wanru walked up to him and grabbed Pangdun's hand.
Suddenly being grabbed, the chubby boy jumped in fright, and when he turned around and saw Tang Wanru, who was much taller than him, he was even more surprised.
Tang Wanru shook off the chubby boy's hand, patted it dismissively, and asked, "You're so young and you're already bullying people. Whose child are you?"
Even the most defiant child is still a child. As soon as she asked about their parents, the two boys who had been supporting her immediately backed down, only the chubby boy remained defiant.
He pointed at the candy wrappers on the ground and shouted, "She stole my candy first!"
Looking in the direction he pointed, there was a crumpled White Rabbit candy wrapper on the muddy ground at the little girl's feet.
Tang Wanru frowned and turned to look at the little girl. The little girl bit her lip and shook her head stubbornly.
When she denied it, the fat man shouted again, "It was stolen!"
"You saw it?" Tang Wanru asked.
Fatty hesitated for a moment before speaking, "I think..."
"Children who lie will be taken away by ghosts in the middle of the night," Tang Wanru said coolly.
Fatty opened his eyes wide in fear, and his fat jiggled again.
"You saw it?" Tang Wanru repeated.
Fatty immediately fell silent.
Tang Wanru then looked at the other two children, who both shook their heads in terror, saying, "I didn't see it."
"You didn't see anything, so why are you saying she stole the candy?" Tang Wanru crossed her arms and said seriously, "At such a young age, you're already accusing others of stealing. What are your names? Where do you all live? I'm going to call the police to arrest you all."
"No, I don't want to be arrested!"
Upon hearing that the police would be called, one of the boys was so frightened that he ran away. Seeing this, Fatty and the other boy also ran away.
"How are you?" Tang Wanru turned around to pull the little girl who had fallen to the ground.
She was so focused on checking the little girl's injuries that she didn't notice the little girl flinch slightly when she put her hand on her.
Tang Wanru wore a clean dress, and her skin was so white it seemed to glow. The little girl looked down at herself; her clothes were worn and her body was dirty.
A very bitter feeling spread through her heart, and for the first time in her life, the little girl became aware of the emotion called inferiority.
She stared intently at Tang Wanru, afraid that she would see a look of disgust on Tang Wanru's face at any moment.
Just now, after Tang Wanru grabbed Fatty, she clapped her hands in disgust.
The little girl stood there nervously, but instead of being disdainfully let go, she was met with...
Tang Wanru pulled her aside and examined her.
There were many small stones on the muddy ground under the loquat tree, and the girl had abrasions on her legs and hands.
Tang Wanru took out a handkerchief from her pocket, then turned around and grabbed the water bottle from the side of her schoolbag. She poured some water, wet the handkerchief, and used it to wipe the little girl's wound.
Tang Wanru had a very pleasant scent, and her handkerchief was very soft and smooth. Compared to it, the little girl felt that her clothes were as rough as dry grass, hard and prickly.
The little girl's lips were pressed tightly together into a straight line.
This was the first time in her memory that she had received such meticulous care.
She was somewhat at a loss, completely unsure of how to react, and could only stand there, frozen in place, not daring to move.
After giving her a quick clean of her wound, Tang Wanru asked, "Where do you live? I'll take you home."
Several wounds are bleeding; it's best to disinfect them to prevent infection and inflammation.
After asking the question, Tang Wanru realized that the child couldn't speak. She squatted down to be at eye level with the little girl.
The little girl stepped back, her tense little face turning slightly red.
Tang Wanru didn't pay attention and asked again, "Do you know the way home? Show me, and I'll take you back."
"No need, I know the way, I can get back by myself."
The little girl spoke fluently and calmly, not at all like a child.
Tang Wanru was stunned for a moment before realizing that she had been foolish. How could she have believed the insults of a few children from the very beginning? This child wasn't mute.
After answering Tang Wanru's question, the little girl explained, "I didn't steal the candy. I picked up the candy wrapper. He secretly ate the candy himself and didn't want to give it to his two friends, so he framed me for stealing the candy."
She wasn't mute; she just felt that talking to others, especially people her own age, was a waste of time.
Tang Wanru was a little surprised. The child looked to be eight or nine years old, and his logic was quite clear.
She guessed that he might be malnourished, as he looked thin and small, and might be a teenager.
"I believe you didn't steal the candy." If I didn't believe you, I wouldn't have helped her in the first place.
"Let me take you back; your injuries need to be treated," Tang Wanru said.
"It's alright, it'll be fine in a few days." The little girl shook her head.
There was no medicine at home, and no one would care whether she was hurt.
Her tone was very casual, and Tang Wanru sensed something was wrong, but she didn't point it out directly.
"Are the adults not home?" She took the little girl's hand again, smiling kindly, and said, "Then let's go to my house first, I'll help you take care of it."
The little girl instinctively flinched, but didn't pull out; Tang Wanru had already led her away.
Tang Wanru's hands were warm and soft, unlike her aunt's hands, which were calloused, rough, and hurt a lot when hit.
Tang Wanru's home is not far from the loquat tree; it is a two-story villa with a yard.
The courtyard was surrounded by a high wall. The little girl had only seen the second floor and the roof of the house. After entering the courtyard, she realized that the beauty inside far exceeded her imagination.
A garden filled with flowers of all colors, a pond with large golden fish, and an exquisite little villa with stained glass windows.
Everything she saw made the little girl, who was used to mud-brick and dilapidated houses, feel as if she had entered a heavenly paradise described by the storyteller on the street corner.
And Tang Wanru was beside her.
The little girl looked up at her. She was wearing a white dress, which was very pretty and smelled wonderful. The golden light of the setting sun fell on her, giving her a hazy glow.
"This must be what the fairies living in the Heavenly Palace are like," the little girl thought.
While she was lost in thought, she was led into the house.
She was illiterate and had never been to school, but she had an excellent memory; she could remember anything she heard only once.
When I was listening to the storyteller, he used the word "magnificent".
She had never understood what those words meant, but now she did. They must be what the house in front of her looked like.
"Is Xiaoru out of school?"
Hearing the door open, the housekeeper came out of the kitchen. She paused for a moment when she saw the little girl the housekeeper was holding, then seemed to remember something, "Is this Third Grandma's granddaughter?"
When she mentioned her grandmother, the little girl paused for a moment, then nodded.
"Seventh Sister-in-law, are you talking about Third Aunt?" Tang Wanru asked.
Third Aunt was a cousin of Tang Wanru's maternal grandmother, a relative who was neither too close nor too distant. Tang Wanru had met her twice when her mother was still alive; she was a very kind old lady. After her mother passed away, she hadn't seen her much.
Seventh Sister-in-law nodded.
She was a relative of Tang Wanru's mother's family and also related to her third aunt. She recognized the little girl because she had seen the child at her third aunt's funeral last month.
"You're injured, aren't you? I'll go get some medicine."
Seventh Sister-in-law also noticed the abrasions on the little girl's body and quickly turned around to find medicine.
"Sit down." Tang Wanru pulled the little girl to sit at the tea table by the window.
The little girl didn't sit down.
The green leather chair was clean and shiny; she felt it was an eyesore, not to mention sitting on it, even just standing next to it.
Tang Wanru pressed her down to sit, and seeing that she was a little awkward, she took a plate of butterfly cookies and handed it to her, asking with a smile, "Would you like some butterfly cookies?"
A sweet scent she had never smelled before wafted into her nose. The little girl subconsciously swallowed, then felt ashamed and lowered her head, not daring to look at Tang Wanru again.
"The little one is quite shy." Tang Wanru rubbed her head and stuffed the butterfly pastry into her hand.
"Don't be nervous. Your maternal grandmother and my maternal grandmother are cousins, so I'm practically your older sister."
Hearing her words, the little girl looked up in surprise.
"You think I'm lying to you?" Tang Wanru raised an eyebrow.
The little girl hurriedly shook her head, shaking it like a rattle drum.
She just didn't expect it; she never thought she would have a connection with a fairy.
Amused by her appearance, Tang Wanru smiled with her eyes crinkling, looking at the butterfly pastry in her hand, "Eat it quickly, I still need to apply medicine to your wound later."
The fairy sister's smile was so beautiful that she dared not look at her for too long, and lowered her head to take a bite of the delicate pastry in her hand.
The crispy and sweet flavor melts in your mouth, even better than the White Rabbit candy sold in convenience stores.
Tang Wanru saw that the child had finished eating the butterfly pastry slowly and deliberately, and she could tell that this child not only did not speak like a child, but also had an unusual personality; she was too sensible.
She asked, "My name is Tang Wanru, what's your name?"
"Ran Aijie".
"How old are you?" Tang Wanru asked again.
"Six years old."
"Six years old?" Tang Wanru was surprised to receive this answer.
I thought she was a teenager because she was quite tall and spoke logically, but it turns out she's two years younger than I initially guessed, who was eight.
Seventh Sister brought over the medicine, and Tang Wanru stood up to give up her seat so that she could apply the medicine to the child.
The phone rang at home. It was Tang Wanru's friend calling, asking why she hadn't come to her house yet, as the two had agreed to do their homework together.
Tang Wanru originally planned to walk there directly after getting off the bus, but she was distracted and forgot about it. Her friend's house wasn't far away.
She picked up her schoolbag again and told her seventh sister-in-law, "Seventh sister-in-law, I'm going to Qi Rui's house to do my homework. Could you take this child home for me later?"
Seventh Sister nodded and replied, "Go ahead, I'll take her home in a bit."
Tang Wanru smiled at the child and went out the door.
Unbeknownst to her, the child's gaze followed her out of the yard until she was out of sight, before reluctantly looking away.
evening.
Tang Wanru returned from Qi Rui's house and immediately heard her seventh sister-in-law's angry voice as she entered the door, "She's so heartless!"
She walked into the house and overheard her seventh sister-in-law and her father complaining to her.
"Third Aunt's son is really outrageous. He's her sister's child, how can he be so heartless as to abandon him!"
"That child was covered in bruises, all from his wife beating him!"
Tang Wanru frowned, walked into the house and asked, "Seventh Sister-in-law, are you talking about the child I brought back this afternoon?"
“Yes,” said Seventh Sister-in-law. “After you left, I noticed that the child was covered in bruises. When I asked her, I found out that it was all because of her heartless aunt.”
“I sent the child back and told her uncle about it. Her uncle said he couldn’t control her, that his wife had a bad temper and even hit him.”
"What a spineless coward!"
At this point, Seventh Sister couldn't help but sigh again, "This child is also unfortunate. His parents died when he was young. When Third Aunt was alive, there was someone to take care of him, but now there is really no one to love him!"
Tang Renliang thought for a moment and said, "I'll call Director Chen of the neighborhood committee and ask him to talk to him."
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