In the afternoon, Miss Feng did not go out all day. An elderly woman with a plump figure and wearing an old-fashioned side-fastening dress came looking for her.
When she entered the hospital, Fan Wu was helping Xu Keke set up her small kitchen. Mr. Lin, whom she hadn't seen for several days, was also there.
When the old woman saw them, she politely bowed to them, her expression showing humility.
She knocked on the door, and Miss Feng opened it from the inside. She was clearly surprised that this person would come. After pausing for a moment, she stepped aside to let the person in.
Soon, the somewhat hoarse voice of Miss Feng Si came from the opposite room. Sometimes high-pitched, sometimes low, it reminded Xu Keke of the voice from the gramophone that day.
"...No one wants to harm me, but I can't live like this forever..."
"Go back and tell her I won't marry anyone. Do you think anyone will genuinely marry me? You don't need to say anything more. What do people who want to marry me now want...?"
Fan Wu rolled up his sleeves, revealing taut, tanned forearms. He hammered away at the nails on the board.
Mr. Kobayashi half-squatted down, using his hands to steady the board. Seeing him again, Xu Keke felt a little ridiculous about her first visit to Baijia Lane. How could she have imagined that Mr. Kobayashi was pursuing Miss Feng? She thought he had stayed here specifically to pursue Miss Feng.
Her imagination is getting richer and richer.
Noticing Xu Keke's gaze, Mr. Kobayashi looked back at her, seemingly having misunderstood something, and explained to her in a low voice that this woman claimed to be a distant cousin of Miss Feng's adoptive mother. But in reality, everyone knew that she was just a maid.
When Miss Feng was four years old, her family fell into ruin, and her stepmother sold her to Feng Jinhong in the city. Feng Jinhong was originally a prostitute, but later redeemed herself and married a gentleman in the city. When the gentleman died early, she bought a group of girls and returned to her old profession.
Feng Jin Hong treated Miss Feng differently from others, raising her in her own home. Her living conditions were better than those of other girls. Not only was she provided with the best food and drink, but she also hired tutors to teach Miss Feng music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Later, when a church school opened, Miss Feng was sent there to study for several years.
No wonder everyone says Feng Jinhong is smart. She's a beautiful female student with a great voice and excellent singing skills. Back then, she attracted a large following of high-ranking officials, wealthy men, and literary figures, who poured money into her. What's most impressive about Feng Jinhong is that she never pressured Miss Feng; she could be with whomever she wanted. Miss Feng thought this was respect, but she didn't realize that as long as someone was willing to spend money, it didn't matter who spent it.
After liberation, when they were being sent for centralized reform, everyone reported them, but Miss Feng Si insisted that she and Feng Jinhong were adoptive mother and daughter. She even said that she wouldn't have had a good life without her adoptive mother.
Mr. Kobayashi lowered his voice and said to her, "But she doesn't know that her adoptive mother doesn't only have her as a daughter. She's just the most famous one. Others have already reported her. The reason she hasn't been dealt with yet is because she has other things to do. Once the materials are almost all gathered, she can go in."
Xu Keke looked at Fan Wu with some surprise. She wasn't surprised by Miss Feng's background, because that was something anyone could easily guess. What surprised her was that these were things that an ordinary person like her should know.
Mr. Kobayashi didn't understand why she was looking at Brother Fan. Fan Wu, however, understood her meaning; he had originally planned to talk to her that morning.
"Go away, go away, I don't want to hear you anymore..." Miss Feng pushed the old woman out and slammed the door shut with a 'bang!'
The old woman didn't mind, and even bowed to them again before leaving the courtyard. Not long after, the sound of opera came from Miss Feng's room again.
"Mother, Yuanbao is missing!" Da Cui rushed into the courtyard. Her shout even stopped the singing in Miss Feng's room.
"What happened?" Xu Keke threw down the broom she was holding and rushed over. "Yuanbao, where is he?"
“When school was over, he told me to go ahead and wait for Xiaopang. I got to my doorstep and talked to people for ages, but I didn’t see him. So I turned back, thinking I’d meet him. But I got to the school and still didn’t see him. So I turned back again. I’ve gone back and forth twice already.” Da Cui’s voice was already choked with sobs.
"It's all my fault. I didn't take good care of my younger brother. Mother, what should I do?"
Xu Keke calmed herself down, pulled Da Cui into her arms, and gently patted her shoulder. "Da Cui, don't panic, Yuanbao won't get lost. He must have gone somewhere to play. We'll find him."
“No, Yuanbao said there was definitely something wrong with the blood on the ground in front of our house that day. He also said there must be a bad guy in the yard and he wanted to catch him.”
As she spoke, Da Cui secretly glanced at Fan Wu, then quickly lowered her head again. At this point, Xu Keke understood perfectly well that the two children had misunderstood. Just as she was relieved that they had misunderstood Fan Wu, she heard Da Cui whisper again…
“Yuanbao said that Mr. Chen in our courtyard is acting strangely. He saw him acting suspiciously the other day, and he insisted that Mr. Chen is a bad person.”
Just from those words, Xu Keke felt a cold sweat break out on her back. She had been too careless. She always thought Yuanbao was clever, but she forgot that the child was precocious and also very bold.
Xu Keke and Fan Wu exchanged a glance. Fan Wu shook his head at her, indicating that it was unlikely. Xu Keke trusted him. The person was definitely under their control; otherwise, Fan Wu wouldn't have been so relaxed these past few days.
“Da Cui, your little brother will definitely be alright. Trust what your mother says. Didn’t you say Yuanbao was with Da Pang? Let’s ask Da Pang first.”
Da Cui blushed and said anxiously, "Dapang doesn't live here. I'm so worried because I can't find him."
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
