Chapter 65 Blocking all the wind and rain
The baby in the woman's arms cried incessantly, and the cry was like a sharp needle, piercing through the hustle and bustle of the market.
Xu Yao's heart tightened, and she quickly stepped forward and took the child from the woman.
The little guy gradually calmed down in her arms, and his pair of black eyes looked at the world curiously.
Xu Yao held Qiuyue, who had been lost and found again, feeling mixed emotions in her heart, as if a bottle of five flavors had been overturned, with sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty flavors all coming up at once.
She made her way through the bustling crowd and returned to her stall.
The colorful fabrics sparkled in the sun, like unfolding scrolls.
Business was good today, and Xu Yao's mood also brightened. A smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of her mouth, like a flower blooming in the morning light.
"Xu Yao's fabric is mixed with straw paper!"
The sharp voice rang in Xu Yao's ears like thunder, making her eardrums buzz.
She turned around suddenly and saw Sun's mother standing in front of the stall with her hands on her hips. The cheap rouge on her face looked like two patches of highland red, which was particularly dazzling in the sun.
"You're talking nonsense!" Xu Yao was furious, like an enraged beast, wishing she could pounce on her grandson's mother and tear her vicious face apart.
"I'm talking nonsense? Look for yourself!" Sun's mother grabbed a piece of cloth and tore it hard, but the cloth didn't move at all and was as tough as steel.
At this moment, a tall figure turned out from behind the locust tree, and the sound of his boots stepping on the ground made a steady and powerful sound, like a majestic march.
"Aunt Wang, look..." Xue Han shook the cloth, revealing the inspection holes on each piece of cloth. "There are inspection holes on each piece of cloth. You said the cloth was adulterated, so why are there inspection holes?"
The crowd burst into laughter, and the laughter came in waves like the sea, drowning Sun's mother.
Mother Sun's face flushed red, like a balloon that had been punctured, and she rushed to grab Qiuyue in anger: "Don't be afraid of that crazy woman, little girl!"
Xue Han suddenly protected Xu Yao and Qiuyue behind him, like a towering mountain, blocking all the wind and rain.
His Adam's apple rolled, and his voice was deep and powerful: "She is the lunatic who wants to kidnap the child."
Sun's mother was furious and tore open Xu Yao's cloth, revealing the lining: "Look! The cotton core is mixed with flax!"
Xue Han took out a magnifying glass from his pocket: "Let me lend you the magnifying glass to take a look -" He pointed at the warp and weft of the cloth, "This is imported jacquard thread. When the broken hemp is burned, it will emit black smoke."
Aunt Wang suddenly handed over a match: "The fabrics of the Xu family girl were all burned by my husband's family!"
Everyone gathered in a circle, like a group of curious children, watching Xu Yao's cloth emit white smoke when it came into contact with the fire, while the so-called "broken hemp" in Sun's mother's hand gave off black smoke, which spread in the air like a black poisonous snake spitting out its tongue.
Xue Han held Qiuyue on his shoulders and suddenly pointed at the crowd: "Look over there——"
Sun Zhiqiang, the son of Sun's mother, was stealthily pouring black ink into Xu Yao's basket. The ink looked like a black loach, flashing a strange light in the sun.
Xue Han swung out the dagger and pinned Sun Zhiqiang's wrist accurately: "The hands that splashed the ink are the same hands that stabbed Xu Yao's tire that year."
Sun Zhiqiang screamed and shook off the ink. The burn scar on his wrist turned red in the sunlight, like an ugly centipede lying on his wrist.
"You...you guys..." Mother Sun pointed at Xue Han and Xu Yao, her lips trembling, but she couldn't say a word.
Xue Han's gaze fell on Sun's mother's face like a knife, and he said word by word: "What else do you have to say?"
Xue Han was like an iron tower. With one hand, he grabbed the throat of the old witch Sun's mother and pressed her down on the bluestone slab. No matter how she struggled like a stranded octopus, she couldn't move.
The crowd of onlookers around had their eyes as wide as bells and dared not breathe, for fear of missing any details.
"The soles of her shoes are stained with red brick dust from the orphanage..." Xue Han's voice was as cold as if it had been fished out of an ice cellar. He held up Sun's mother's pair of cloth shoes with thousand-layer soles. The soles were indeed stained with some red stuff. "Guess what? It's exactly the same color as the brick seams that Third Sister stepped on when she was taken away. Hey, what do you call this? This is what it means to look for something in vain, but to find it without any effort!"
When the director of the subdistrict office heard this, his poker face instantly turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.
He has traveled all over the country for so many years, what kind of monsters and demons has he not seen?
But this is the first time I have seen someone like Sun's mother, who is still determined to steal.
"Auntie Sun, what are you doing? Are you the thief crying "Catch the thief" or are you just trying to stop the good guy?" The director of the subdistrict office had a low voice, but it was like a blunt knife, cutting into Auntie Sun's heart.
“I…I…” Sun’s mother stammered and couldn’t utter a word for a long time. Her old face turned the color of liver, like a ripe persimmon that might burst at any time.
At this moment, a childish voice suddenly came from the crowd: "Mom!"
The sound was like a flash of lightning, breaking the solemn atmosphere.
Xiao Qiuyue broke free from Xue Han's arms and flew towards Xu Yao like a little swallow.
She hugged Xu Yao's neck tightly, buried her little head in her mother's neck, and refused to let go.
Xue Han stood there in a daze, his tall body trembling slightly, like an old tree struck by lightning.
He watched Xu Yao gently pick up Qiuyue, his fingertips lightly brushing the dark red birthmark on the back of the girl's neck, his eyes full of pity and care.
At that moment, he felt as if his heart was hit hard by something, sour and bitter, but also with a bit of indescribable sweetness.
Xu Yao held Qiuyue in her arms and patted her back gently, like coaxing a frightened kitten.
She raised her head and looked at Xue Han with gratitude. Her eyes were as gentle as spring water, which made Xue Han's heart skip a beat.
"Thank you, Xue Han." Xu Yao's voice was soft, but it was like a spring breeze, blowing into Xue Han's heart.
"It's okay, it's my duty." Xue Han scratched his head and smiled naively, revealing a row of neat white teeth.
As the sun sets, a fiery cloud appears on the horizon, like a colorful oil painting.
Xue Han looked at Xu Yao holding Qiuyue. The figures of mother and daughter were stretched out by the setting sun, like a pair of silhouettes cuddling together.
Suddenly, Xue Han seemed to remember something and pulled Xu Yao into the alley next to him.
"What are you doing?" Xu Yao was startled and almost dropped Qiuyue.
"Shh..." Xue Han raised a finger, signaling her to keep her voice down, "Just now, Sun's mother stuffed a candy into Qiuyue's pocket."
He took out a colorful candy from Qiuyue's small pocket and carefully peeled off the candy wrapper, revealing a yellowed piece of paper inside.
"See you at the old pier at 10 o'clock tonight." The handwriting on the note was crooked, as if it was written by an elementary school student.
When Xu Yao saw it, her face turned pale. She tried to tear up the note with trembling hands, but was held down by Xue Han.
"Don't be impulsive, this may be a trap." Xue Han's voice was low and powerful, like a reassurance pill, gradually calming Xu Yao's panicked heart.
He looked down at Xu Yao, his warm breath brushing her earlobe, itchy, plucking her heartstrings like a feather.
"Let me take you home first." Xue Han's voice was very soft, but it was full of unquestionable determination. "I will protect my fiancée's child until dawn."
Xu Yao raised her head and looked at Xue Han's angular face, and an inexplicable warmth surged in her heart.
She nodded and said "hmm" softly.
As night fell, in the old ward, Father Xu lay on the bed, breathing evenly.
Outside the window, a red rope swayed gently in the night wind, like a lonely eye, watching this restless night.
That was the third sister's red rope, swaying in the wind, I don't know if it was foreshadowing danger or mocking something.
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