Chapter 62: Spreading rumors will cost you money
The baby's crying was like an invisible thread, pulling at Xu Yao's heart and making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
She pushed open the heavy wooden door of the archive room, and a musty smell hit her in the face, and dust flew in the dim light.
The burnt red rope trembled in her hand, as if carrying some kind of magic, guiding her to the truth.
"Qiuyue...my Qiuyue..." Xu Yao stumbled towards the dusty filing cabinet, her fingertips running across rows of yellowed folders, her heart feeling as if it was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand.
Suddenly, a big warm hand supported her shaking shoulders.
"Back then, Sun Jianguo's illegitimate daughter was abandoned in an orphanage, and there was only one word 'Qiu' written on her birth certificate." Xue Han's voice was low and powerful, like a reassurance pill, calming Xu Yao's panicked heart a little.
The two looked at each other and saw the nervousness and anticipation in each other's eyes.
They held their breath and opened the yellowed abandoned baby registration book almost at the same time.
"Qiuyue..." Xu Yao's voice trembled, and her eyes fell on the familiar name.
Next to the name, there was a dark red birthmark shaped like a small plum blossom.
Xu Yao's tears burst out and slid down her cheeks.
This is the daughter she has been looking for!
At the same time, at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative, Sun's mother was shouting at the crowd with spit flying: "The cloth sold by that damn girl Xu Yao is mixed with rat hair! What a black-hearted thing, she wants to kill people!"
Her sharp voice, like a sharp blade, cut through the originally bustling street.
The people around began to talk, and their eyes towards Xu Yao's fabric stall became suspicious.
At this moment, Xue Han's tall figure suddenly appeared in the crowd.
He held a magnifying glass in his hand and had a sneer on his face.
"Aunt Wang, can you please take a look at this..." He unfolded a roll of cloth, and in the sunlight, the yarn was gleaming with silver light.
"This is imported polyester thread. Rat hair will emit black smoke when burned. Can you smell what this smell is?"
Everyone came closer to smell it curiously, and a faint scent of jasmine filled their noses.
"It smells really good!" "The material looks good, so smooth!" The crowd burst into laughter, and Sun's mother's face turned pale in an instant.
Xue Han looked at Sun's mother with eyes as cold as a knife. "There is a price to pay for spreading rumors."
He turned to look at Xu Yao, and his eyes softened instantly.
"Why are your hands so cold?" He stuffed Xu Yao's frozen hands into his warm arms without saying a word.
"Go have a bowl of ginger soup."
In the noodle shop on the corner, the steaming ginger soup dispelled the chillness from Xu Yao's body.
Xue Han suddenly took out the burnt red rope from his pocket and placed it in front of Xu Yao.
"The old director of the orphanage said that the woman who took Qiuyue away had this tied around her wrist." His voice was low and hoarse, with a barely perceptible tremor.
Xu Yao suddenly raised her head and met Xue Han's deep gaze.
In the dim light, his thick eyelashes cast a faint shadow on the bridge of his nose, and his Adam's apple rolled up and down.
"You...will you accompany me to the county archives tomorrow?" Xue Han's voice was soft, but with unquestionable firmness.
Xu Yao's heartbeat suddenly quickened, and a strange feeling spread in her heart... She nodded, her eyes fell on the red rope in Xue Han's hand, her eyes complicated.
The next morning, Xu Yao was counting the account books and found that Xue Han had quietly set up a military green tent behind her stall...
In the evening, the setting sun casts a gentle orange hue on the small town.
Xu Yao stretched and began to count today's account books.
Oh, that’s not bad!
Today is another day with good income!
She thought happily, and couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth.
Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of something behind my stall.
Huh?
What is this?
Xu Yao walked over curiously, went around to the back and took a look, and was immediately stunned.
She saw that a military green tent had been erected behind her stall. It was square and looked like a small bunker, protecting her fabric stall tightly behind her.
"This is..." Xu Yao opened her mouth in surprise. This... this is too big a scene!
"Protect from rain and sun." Xue Han's low voice suddenly came from behind, with a barely perceptible hint of... um... shyness?
Xu Yao turned her head and saw Xue Han with his hands in his military pants pockets, looking straight ahead, but his ears were slightly red.
The sunlight shone on his tough profile, adding a touch of softness to his usually cold lines.
etc!
Xu Yao's gaze fell on the collar of Xue Han's military uniform.
What is that?
A red string?
There is also a silver... pocket watch tied to the red rope?
This combination is quite interesting!
Tough guy with a soft heart?
Contrast cuteness?
"Those fabrics of yours..." Xue Han cleared his throat and continued, "I asked my comrades to contact the provincial foreign trade company to see if they could..."
He didn't say anything else, but turned his face away, avoiding Xu Yao's inquiring gaze.
Xu Yao felt like a deer was running around in her heart.
Oh my god, this cold-faced tough guy is actually quite caring!
She subconsciously reached out her hand to help Xue Han straighten his collar.
Her fingertips accidentally touched the back of his hand.
"Hiss..." Xue Han took a slight breath.
Only then did Xu Yao notice that there was a faint scar on the back of Xue Han's hand.
That was the result of him being burned by fire in his previous life while trying to save her.
"Does it hurt?" Xu Yao asked softly, with a hint of heartache in her voice that she herself didn't even notice.
Xue Han suddenly retracted his hand as if he was burned, his eyes flickering: "No...it doesn't hurt."
The atmosphere between the two of them suddenly became a little subtle.
There seemed to be a sweet smell with a hint of tension in the air.
At this moment, the director of the subdistrict office suddenly rushed over, holding a notice in his hand, and shouted: "Comrade Xu Yao! I have good news for you! The old woman of the Sun family was fined for disrupting the market order and spreading rumors! A full fifty yuan! Let's see if she dares to talk nonsense again in the future!"
When Xu Yao heard this, she was immediately happy. This is really gratifying! Every evildoer will receive his due punishment!
She was just about to turn around and thank Xue Han. After all, his help behind the scenes was definitely indispensable.
However, when she turned around, she saw Xue Han squatting in the corner of his stall, holding a gleaming bayonet in his hand, carefully picking something out of a piece of cloth.
Xu Yao curiously leaned over to take a look, and immediately gasped!
I saw tiny pieces of glass on the tip of Xue Han's bayonet!
In the afterglow of the setting sun, these pieces of glass glow with a cold light, which makes people shudder.
"This is..." Xu Yao's voice trembled a little.
"The old woman from the Sun family stuffed it in." Xue Han said without raising his head, his tone calm as if he was talking about a trivial matter.
Xu Yao's heart was in turmoil.
She knew that Sun's mother was still determined to cause trouble!
Xue Han stood up, and the hem of his military uniform gently brushed across the back of Xu Yao's hand, leaving a warm touch.
"Be careful next time." He said calmly, his eyes deep and no emotion could be seen.
Xu Yao nodded, but her heart seemed to be filled with something, warm and sour.
At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from a distance, accompanied by an anxious voice: "Comrade Xu Yao! Comrade Xu Yao! There is news from the orphanage!"
Xu Yao and Xue Han raised their heads at the same time and looked at the person who came.
"They said... they said... Qiuyue's adoptive mother seemed... seemed to have appeared over there on the west street in the county town..." The man came in, panting and speaking intermittently, his face flushed red from running too fast, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
"...She often picks up scraps to sell..."
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