110. 110 take them away.
Er Ya didn't stay for dinner for the first time. Before Xiao Yuan returned safely, she made an excuse to leave. She didn't take a bus back to school either, but wandered the streets with her arms crossed, like a lost soul eavesdropping on other people's laughter and chatter. She paid special attention to seven- or eight-year-old children. Xiao Hu was also that age and was already in first grade. He had classmates and friends, and his mother wouldn't mistreat him. She could go back to see him every year, buy him books, clothes, and snacks, and even let him mail letters, preparing stamps and envelopes for him. She could support his schooling indefinitely.
She convinced herself and flagged down a tram to go to school. The next day, she went to a familiar alley to get her student ID and rented a small room. It was crowded and risky, but relatively safe; at least no one dared to climb over the wall at night.
Next came the issue of arranging a car. "Auntie, when is Uncle Ning's next bus coming here? My sister can't take the train, so I'd like to ask Uncle Ning to help me bring her over." She felt a little embarrassed, as she was troubling people again.
"It should be in the next few days. I'll let him know when he arrives."
"No, no, Auntie, I'll talk to Uncle myself. This is quite troublesome. Uncle definitely won't refuse what you said. Before, I had no choice but to ask you for help. Now my situation is much better. It would be shameless to ask you to relay the message again. I'll talk to Uncle myself when he comes. If he thinks it's not easy to take care of me, I'll think of another way."
"Okay, I'll let you know when he arrives." People who experience hardship mature quickly, and those who are sensitive and have self-respect are more inclined to be independent. Er Ya is much better at this than Xiao Yuan and Ping An. Xiao Yuan has always been sensitive, but his family relationships are too harmonious, which makes him attached to his home and completely lacking in independence.
Speak of the devil and he appears.
"Oh, Little Black and Little Flower are back? And your mistress and little master are back too?" Ning Jin spoke to the two dogs that had come over through the crack in the door, and shouted loudly, "Su Yu, Su Laoyao, come open the door."
"I was just thinking about you, and here you are."
"Oh, I was wondering if you had come back on my way here. I've come three times, and you weren't home all three times. I haven't heard from you at all. I was so worried. Dad was also at home asking why no one was replying to the letters I wrote to you." When he saw the person, he perked up and kept talking, wishing he could hug her to ease his longing.
"Er Ya is home." Su Yu slapped his hand away and muttered softly, "Is that all you're thinking about?"
“You don’t mean it the same way.” He pinched her, lifted the curtain and went into the room. “Erya is here too. Call Ping’an and Xiaoyuan back later and have a meal together at home. It’s been a while since we got together, and the house feels quite deserted.”
"Okay, I'll help Aunt Su cook."
"Er Ya has something to say to you, you two. I'm taking Xiao Hei and Xiao Hua out to pee." Su Yu gave them a heads-up, then went to open the gate, put muzzles on the two dogs, and let them out to run wild in the alley. She stood at the gate watching, calling out to them whenever they ran far away.
“That’s fine, but your sister is a bit slow-witted. You need to be there when I take her away, meaning you have to bring her out and put her in the car. I’m worried she might get too emotional and get caught, which would be difficult to explain.” He was particularly concerned about his conduct now, firstly because he was afraid Su Yu would misunderstand, and secondly because he was afraid of negatively impacting the three college students in his family. His wife and son would both have government jobs after graduation, and he couldn’t let his influence affect their future.
“No problem, Uncle. When are you leaving? I’ll ride back with you, and I’ll come with her.” Er Ya also wanted to save money, as train tickets were expensive.
“The next time I come here is uncertain. If you’re not coming with me, you can continue your studies. I’ll send you a telegram when I have definite news.” Ning Jin looked outside and saw Su Yu walk away. He waved and went out, standing at the door and whistling. The dog that had run far away heard the sound and ran back, and Su Yu followed.
"Still not going to learn to whistle with me?" he asked, looking down.
"Not learning it is uncivilized."
"How is it uncivilized? Is my mouth uncivilized or what? You didn't seem to mind when you kissed me."
Su Yu bit her lip and smiled. Ten years ago, this man wouldn't even walk side by side with her when he left the house, but now he dares to stand at the door and say flirtatious things.
“Your whistle can call the dog back; that’s dog language. I won’t learn it,” she said defiantly, tilting her head back.
The man immediately whistled softly again and asked, "Do you understand what I mean? I can also sing with a whistle, I guarantee you'll understand, but the dog won't."
Su Yu glanced at his mouth, "Teaching him hand in hand?"
The man understood, "If you can't teach me by hand, you have to teach me by mouth. I guarantee you'll learn it."
"Shall we meet tonight?"
"Auntie, Uncle, I'm going to the school to find Xiaoyuan and Ping'an and bring them back." Er Ya couldn't go in or out, so she had to bite the bullet and speak up. Sigh, they're an old married couple and they're still so lovey-dovey.
After Er Ya left, the man pulled the dog by the leash and led it into the yard. "Come on, let's make a date now." He held her buttocks and let her lower her head to do the movements, moving from the yard to the kang (heated brick bed) in the bedroom.
...
"How were the second child's father and the second child sentenced?" she asked the shirtless man as she combed her hair in front of the mirror, her face flushed.
"It seems like it was seven years ago. The incident caused quite a stir and involved a wide range of people. Everyone in the town and countryside knew about it. Du Xiaojuan's family became known throughout the town as being short-sighted."
"That little tiger has suffered a bit. The adults are alright, but the child is naive and speaks bluntly, hurting people's feelings." Su Yu thought of the clever little tiger and felt a little sorry for him.
"There's nothing we can do about it. He was born into that family, and his parents have never mistreated him. If Er Ya hadn't run away and called the police, the money from selling the college acceptance letter would have ultimately benefited the three brothers." Ning Jin had little contact with Xiao Hu and no emotional connection to him. From an outsider's perspective, he felt that Xiao Hu was much luckier than Da Ya and Er Ya.
"Shut up, I can't be bothered to talk to you. What does a little kid like him know? He has no idea from the beginning that having parents like that is the worst luck imaginable."
"Women are just soft-hearted." He muttered to himself as he lay down on the bed. He turned over and buried his head in Su Yu's pillow, took a deep breath, and decided he didn't want to get up. He wanted to continue sleeping and was too lazy to bother with having a meal together.
"Get dressed, Xiao Yuan is back safe and sound." Su Yu threw the clothes on the ground at him.
*
Ten days later, after receiving a telegram from Ping An's father, Er Ya went to ask her teacher for leave, promising to make up for the missed lessons when she returned. She then packed her clothes in the dormitory and took the train back to her hometown.
"Big sister, Uncle Ning is driving to the Northeast to deliver goods the day after tomorrow. You can take the car there, and I'll go with you." Er Ya instructed, "Just do what you're supposed to do these next two days. Don't pack any clothes. Just take one person with you. And don't let anything slip. If Mom finds out, I won't be able to take you with me."
She kept nodding, listening to everything Er Ya said. When Er Ya stopped talking, she asked, "Should we tell Xiao Hu?"
Er Ya felt a tightness in her chest. She clutched her chest and gasped for breath, forcing herself to swallow hard. "I won't tell him. I'll explain when I come to see him during my summer vacation after you leave."
As soon as she said it, she felt a pang of sadness and wanted to cry. Xiao Hu was definitely angry, but the price of taking him away was too high. If she took him away, she wouldn't be able to send him to school. He was still young, and his parents were his guardians. She couldn't take him away.
"Xiaohu misses you a lot. He even fought with Mom because of you," Daya said, sounding a little aggrieved.
"Then what do you want me to do? Huh?" she shouted. Seeing her sister tremble in fright, she wiped away her tears and whispered, "I took you away because you are an adult and have the capacity for civil conduct. If I take him away, it's child abduction. Even if I'm his own sister, it won't work. Mom won't agree, and I can't get the household registration. I also need to go to school, eat, live, buy books, and subscribe to newspapers to read current events."
“Then, then we won’t take him.” Daya said cautiously, “We’ll pick him up when he’s grown up and has civil capacity. Mom doesn’t like him either; she even said before that she wouldn’t let him go to school.”
"I will take him away when I am able to." She promised again. A few years ago, she promised to take her eldest sister away, and now she has done it. Give her a few more years, and she will definitely be able to fulfill this promise.
Xiao Hu felt that his older sister had been acting strangely these past two days. She was always nervous, and she didn't dare to look at him or talk to him. When he asked her if she was sick, she shook her head. When he asked if a poisonous spider had hit her, she said no.
That morning, he planned to go to school after the school bell rang and all the students had gone into the classroom, as usual. But he saw his older sister sneaking by, looking back as she walked. He felt something was wrong and suspected that she had been deceived by a man, so he quietly followed her.
Then, as they were almost out of town, he saw his second sister.
He didn't know why he didn't shout out, and instead ran into the bushes to follow them out of town. The grass scratched his face, and he didn't feel the pain when his tears dripped on it. It wasn't until he saw his second sister push his eldest sister onto the truck that he finally understood that his second sister was going to take his eldest sister away, but she was keeping it from him.
"Waaah—" He stood in the grass and cried loudly. When his second sister looked this way, he scrambled out and ran away, "Sister, you don't want me anymore."
When Er Ya saw it was him, she couldn't hold back her tears any longer. He hugged her and she hurriedly explained, "I didn't mean to abandon you. I'll take my older sister away first. You can continue your studies at home. I'll come and take you away when you graduate from elementary school."
"I'm not going to school anymore, I want to go with you." He hugged her tightly, his fingers gripping her clothes tightly, determined to leave.
Ning Jin and Lao Wang watched helplessly from the sidelines. Xiao Hu was crying more heartbrokenly than if his parents had died. Even as outsiders, they felt sad. What kind of parents must they be to make their son insist on going with his sister?
“If I take you away, it will be child abduction. If you come with me, you will be an unregistered resident and will not be able to go to school. You are so young, you must go to school,” Er Ya explained, cupping his face in her hands.
"I don't want to go to school, I don't want to stay at home alone, I want to go with you." He felt his second sister trying to pry his hands off, and he screamed and wouldn't let go, his two hands tightly clasped together.
Er Ya was sweating profusely from all the commotion and couldn't do anything with Xiao Hu. She turned around and said, "Uncle Ning and Uncle Wang, you can go now. I'll take the train back tomorrow."
The car drove away. She stroked Xiaohu's hair, patted his back, and comforted him, "Okay, stop crying. You'll make your voice hoarse if you keep crying."
"Let him be mute then," he said in a muffled voice, his face buried in her stomach.
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