"Why are you here?" Qin Xiaoyu asked in surprise.
"Stop talking nonsense! I've found Hanhan's whereabouts, come with me to pick him up!" Tang Wenwen was so anxious that she stomped her feet!
"What? Where is Hanhan?" Qin Xiaoyu grabbed Tang Wenwen and ran outside, but after a few steps, she turned back to look at her little sister on the hospital bed. Her heart was torn in two; she couldn't bear to leave either side.
"Let's go, I'll take care of things here." Zhou Xing's mother appeared at the door. She was still very weak and pale, and Xiao Chen was supporting her.
"Are you physically capable?" Qin Xiaoyu asked anxiously.
“What do you mean by ‘can’t we do it’? This is a hospital with so many people. What use would I be? You should go pick up Hanhan. If something happens to Hanhan, how will we explain it to Lao Zhou?” Zhou Xing’s mother found the best excuse for herself.
Qin Xiaoyu and Tang Wenwen boarded the first train to depart. They would travel for six hours to reach the county town and then transfer to a bus to go to the farm.
“I just felt that they did it, but I couldn’t find any evidence. After they kicked you out that day, they weren’t so wary of me anymore. My uncle casually mentioned a place name, and my aunt kept giving him meaningful glances, so I understood. I went to ask my wife, and she said that my aunt had a nephew who went to the countryside, and it was that farm. My mom is such a stingy person, but that day she put a few dried mushrooms in the soup, so I was even more certain that he must have been there.”
"No wonder, he was wearing a big leather hat; he was heading into the mountains," Qin Xiaoyu suddenly realized.
“I’ve been staying home every day, and if I suddenly come out, they’ll probably be suspicious. But communication is difficult, and I don’t know how many days it will take them to get the message to the farm. We have to get there quickly. If they’ve moved Hanhan beforehand, it might be hard to find her again. That’s the Lesser Khingan Mountains,” Tang Wenwen said worriedly.
"Who got involved in this?"
“My father knew nothing about it. My mother and those two beasts from Westinghouse did it together. They lured Hanhan out of school and coaxed her straight to the train station.”
"If Hanhan returns safely, I will forgive everyone. If he doesn't come back, I will make everyone pay with their lives." Qin Xiaoyu said expressionlessly, looking at the car window covered with thick frost.
Tang Wenwen hesitated for a moment, then said, "Sister Xiaoyu, my mom is getting senile. She can't distinguish right from wrong after hearing a few nice words. Just consider her mentally challenged."
"Wenwen, I'm sorry." Qin Xiaoyu recalled the resentment she felt towards her those two days.
"Stop saying such useless things, sister-in-law. I'm a traitor to the Tang family now. You have to take responsibility for me." Tang Wenwen sighed.
"I'll take responsibility for you for life." Qin Xiaoyu took Tang Wenwen's hand; she was determined to be her friend.
Who says there's no true friendship between women? Besides fake besties, there's also steel-like friendship.
The two of them got off the train and felt dizzy for a while. The small station was quite crowded. It turned out that farms heading towards the Lesser Khingan Mountains all had to transfer here; Nenjiang County was a transportation hub.
Tang Wenwen only knew that she had to transfer buses to get to the farm, but she had no idea where to transfer or which bus to take.
Qin Xiaoyu pouted. There were a few people dressed as flight attendants over there; she could ask them for information.
In the 1980s, small county towns in Northeast China were still very backward. People dressed conservatively, wearing thick cotton-padded coats and trousers. As far as the eye could see, it was a dark and gloomy place.
Qin Xiaoyu wore a beige, belted wool coat with large buttons and black lambskin boots. Tang Wenwen wore a grass-green cotton-padded jacket made by her cousin-in-law, fitted at the waist with straight-leg trousers, and cute bun-shaped cotton shoes.
The two of them were like a single red flower amidst a sea of green, truly rare and extraordinary individuals.
"Let me draw you a map." The flight attendant was very attentive, the kind of attentiveness one would expect from a beautiful woman.
“My nephew came over a few days ago with relatives. I don’t know if you saw him, but he was wearing an Air Force leather jacket, which was quite conspicuous.”
“You mean that child? I actually saw him!” Another flight attendant chimed in. “Is that your nephew? Didn’t he say he was coming back from the city for medical treatment? He didn’t have a ticket, and someone was carrying him the whole time.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Xiaoyu's heart sank. What had they done to Hanhan? Had Hanhan resisted and been beaten?
"Sister-in-law, let's go quickly. Thank you, comrades." Tang Wenwen understood her feelings; now was not the time to be emotional, they needed to be rational.
The map was very detailed; after a few turns, we arrived at a guesthouse. It turned out that each farm had set up a guesthouse in the county town. Cars coming from the farms would park in the guesthouse courtyard, where meals were cheaper than outside, and accommodation was also available. People going to the farms would also find transportation here.
They arrived at the wrong time, because it takes six hours to drive to the mountains. Now the mountains are blocked by heavy snow, and the road conditions are very bad. If the driver wants to get there, he has to leave early. If he leaves now, it will be dark by the time he gets there, which could easily lead to an accident.
They inquired about several buses, but all of them weren't scheduled to depart until tomorrow. The two were somewhat discouraged; for now, they could only eat something and try to think of another solution.
After lunchtime, there was hardly any food left in the canteen: two cold steamed buns and two small dishes of pickled vegetables.
Tang Wenwen brought it over and placed it in front of Qin Xiaoyu.
"I have no appetite at all." Qin Xiaoyu pushed it back in front of her.
"Sister-in-law, you can't be like this. Don't collapse before you find Hanhan. You need to be strong; the children are all relying on you."
Tang Wenwen's words were like a wake-up call. Qin Xiaoyu picked up the steamed bun and ate it heartily. A mother's love makes her strong; she really didn't deserve to be a mother.
"Hey ladies, have some hot soup." A man wearing a leather hat backwards approached with a grin, holding a large bowl filled with steaming egg drop soup.
"Thank you, let's have a drink together." Tang Wenwen accepted without hesitation. The man was a little surprised that she didn't refuse, and sat down happily.
"Judging from your accent, you're not a local, are you?" Qin Xiaoyu also drank a couple of sips of soup, feeling warmer and her fighting spirit slowly returning.
"Wow, that's impressive. I've been working in the countryside for so many years, my accent has completely worn away, but you can still tell."
"Well, it's all about the vibe. Look at you, big brother, you're definitely cultured." Tang Wenwen also abandoned her aloofness and started flattering him.
"You're not locals either, are you? Why are you visiting relatives in that godforsaken place?" the older brother asked curiously.
"I'm visiting relatives. Do you know someone named Shi Zhuzi? He's my cousin." Tang Wenwen seized the opportunity.
"I know him, Shi Erlaizi, right? He's good for nothing but eating everything, he's famous. Didn't he just come back from the city a few days ago, and you guys came to visit? Did he steal some of your treasures and come back to settle scores?" This guy is indeed quite smart.
"No, it's just that I have something I'd like to ask him for help with," Qin Xiaoyu said, bringing up the topic.
"What can he possibly do to help!"
"There's plenty of help I can offer, like buying some mushrooms and other mountain products," Qin Xiaoyu finally managed to smooth things over.
“That’s true. You all in the city are short of that stuff. You want to get some mountain produce to take back for the New Year? You don’t need him, I can do it myself,” the elder brother said, taking full responsibility.
"It's cold enough here. It would be great if we could just go into the mountains." Tang Wenwen hissed as she warmed her hands.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" The eldest brother's expression was somewhat hesitant, and Qin Xiaoyu noticed the hidden meaning.
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