Chapter 24 New Friends
From the little boy's sobbing, broken words, Song Xinran learned the whole story of how he ran away.
“At home, I was good and didn’t run around. I was drawing.” Song Yu usually spoke more logically than other children his age, but he was only three years old after all, and he was frightened today, so his words were a bit incoherent.
But Song Xinran understood that he meant that after they left, he was very well-behaved at home and didn't run around, but quietly painted.
Ever since Song Xinran bought him books and comic books, Song Yu has shown a great interest in books. Although he has only just started learning to read with Song Xinran and knows only a few characters, he naturally can't understand the books, but he loves to flip through them and enjoys looking at the pictures.
Naturally, Song Yu also began to paint without a teacher.
In terms of drawing, Song Xinran didn't have much to teach him. Her drawing skills were still at the elementary school level. She could only draw a quarter of a red sun in the upper left corner of her sketchbook, a simple continuous mountain, a small house, a tree in front of the door, and a simple line drawing of a little person.
Although Song Yu is only three years old, he has an extremely rich imagination, his paintings are diverse in content, and he loves to draw.
Song Xinran bought him a box of paintbrushes, which Song Yu always cherished. He would apply color gently each time, not wanting to stain the tips of the watercolor brushes.
After her mother and aunt left, Song Yu took out her treasured sketchbook and watercolors and started drawing at the table by the window in her room.
“There are small cakes for sale outside, and there are so many people…” Song Yu nestled in Song Xinran’s arms, her eyes red from crying. She rubbed her eyes and said in a hoarse voice, “There are so many children buying small cakes, the kind of small cakes that are only eaten on birthdays.”
His eyes stung a little from the tears, but his face felt hot.
Song Yu was focused on painting when he heard the noise outside the window. Curious, he grabbed the stool with both hands, slid down, ran to the window, and stood on tiptoe to look down.
It turned out there was an auntie selling small cakes from a pushcart. Several children, all around her age, were gathered around the cart, offering money with their little hands, all wanting to buy small cakes.
Song Yu saw the appearance of the small cake clearly. It was placed in a paper cup and topped with a cream flower with thick pink and yellow petals. It looked delicious.
Song Yu twitched his nose, as if he could smell the sweet, milky aroma of the small cakes. He swallowed, feeling a little tempted.
He really wanted to eat a small cake too.
Song Yu had eaten a small cake before; it was when Cai Yang's uncle bought a cake for his birthday.
When her uncle opened the lid, Song Yu stood beside him, staring intently. The cake was so beautiful, so colorful, and covered with lots of flowers.
Cai Yang reacted quickly, touching the cream with his finger. His index finger was covered in cream, which he then put in his mouth and laughed happily, "So delicious!"
Song Yu had only seen this in cartoons. Unlike other children his age, he wasn't greedy, but he couldn't resist trying a little to see if the cake was as delicious as it was in the cartoons.
Cai Yang shouted excitedly, "I'm going to call my best friend over to see!"
His uncle stopped him: "Are you stupid? You invited others over, so why can't you give them some? The cake is so expensive, just eat it yourself!"
Cai Yang thought about it and agreed, but he was a kid who liked to show off, and it was a pity that he couldn't show off to his best friend. But Song Yu was still there. He turned his head and saw Song Yu's longing gaze.
Picking up a piece of cake from the bowl, Cai Yang deliberately waved it in front of Song Yu: "It's such a sweet cake, do you want some?"
Song Yu swallowed hard, nodded slightly, and said in a soft voice, "Yes."
Cai Yang laughed heartily, turned the bowl around, and brought it to himself. He lowered his head and took a big bite, his mouth covered in cream: "I'm not giving you any, it's all mine!"
Song Yu pursed her lips and ran into the room, not wanting to see Cai Yang.
But Cai Yang, being cheeky, followed Song Yu around with a bowl in his hand, licking it as he ran, laughing loudly: "The cake is so delicious! It's even more fragrant and sweeter than milk candy, and it's so soft that it melts in your mouth!"
Song Yu covered his ears and ran very fast. Although he was small, he was a great runner and almost managed to outrun Cai Yang.
But then a loud "thud" came from behind, followed by Cai Yang's earth-shattering sobs.
Song Yu froze for a moment, then turned around and saw that Cai Yang had fallen while chasing him. The bowl had broken, the cake had crumbled into a pile, and Cai Yang was lying on the ground, crying loudly.
Uncle ran over and picked Cai Yang up: "Serves you right for running around! Eat your food, you deserve to fall!"
Cai Yang cried and wailed, "It's all Song Yu's fault! It's all his fault for running away!"
Uncle glanced this way, walked up to him in a few steps, and slapped him on the bottom: "Why are you running? You're happy now that you've made your brother fall down!"
Then he coaxed Cai Yang, "Don't cry, look, Daddy hit him, so he won't run away anymore."
As she spoke, she stuffed a piece of cake into Cai Yang's mouth. Cai Yang was crying loudly when she tasted something sweet in her mouth, and her cheeks moved involuntarily. She wiped away her tears and barely managed to stop crying.
Uncle gave Cai Yang another bowl and filled it with a large piece of cake. Cai Yang ate it while crying and taking big bites, glancing at Song Yu with those little eyes: "I won't give you any!"
The cake wasn't big; Cai Yang ate half of it by himself, his uncle also tried a piece, and the remaining piece was given to his aunt.
When Auntie came back from outside and saw the cake, she realized that they had already eaten it. She scolded Song Yu while giving him a small half.
At that time, Song Yu's buttocks were still a little sore, but looking at the cake in his hand, it seemed to hurt less. He cherished it and dipped his hand in a little cream to taste it. Sure enough, it was sweet. Cai Yang was right. It was much, much better than milk candy!
But there was too little cake; it was gone in just a few bites. Song Yu licked his lips, took a sip of water, and as he swallowed, he could almost taste the sweetness of the cake.
The cake is very precious and can only be eaten on birthdays, and it has to be Cai Yang's birthday, not his.
Today isn't anyone's birthday, but Song Yu saw a vendor selling small cakes and he wanted to eat some, and he also wanted to give some to his mother.
And he's rich now!
Hearing the noise outside the window, Song Yu clenched his little fists. He thought he would just buy the small cake and go home.
He ran quickly to the cabinet, opened the bottom drawer, took out his piggy bank, carefully and cautiously pulled out a one-yuan note, and ran downstairs as fast as he could.
Although it was the first time he had gone shopping by himself, Song Yu was only a little nervous. He had been setting up a stall with his mother every day and had seen many older brothers and sisters come to buy Bo Bo Chicken. He had unconsciously learned how to buy things.
Running to the small cake cart, Song Yu handed over a dollar: "Auntie, I want a small cake."
The cake seller was a very young woman who smiled and asked him, "Which one would you like, little one?"
Upon closer inspection, Song Yu discovered that there were far more varieties of cakes than he had seen through the window—many flower shapes and colors. He carefully selected one, finally pointing to a pink petal: "Auntie, I want this one."
"Okay." The little cake lady took out a paper cup and handed it to him, and gave him 50 cents in change.
Song Yu held the small cake in both hands and couldn't help but smile. Just as she was about to go home, she was stopped by the other children.
"Are you new here? I've never seen you before." The one who called out to Song Yu was a little girl with short, ear-length hair, holding a toy gun in her hand.
There were three children standing beside her, all about the same age, two boys and a girl, all looking at Song Yu.
Song Yu was a little nervous, worried that they would try to take her little cake.
Because many children in the village love to snatch things from others, Song Yu was a frequent target of their sniping. However, Song Yu didn't have much on him, so they couldn't steal anything from him even if they wanted to.
Song Yu pursed her lips, hid the small cake behind her back, and tried to run home, but she was stopped before she could take two steps.
"Comrades, stop him!" At the little girl's command, Song Yu was surrounded.
He was stunned; even the children in the village didn't listen to Cai Yang like that.
Song Yu quickly covered up the small cake he had bought for five cents, and looked around at the little girl approaching him, searching for a way to break through.
Anyway, Song Yu was already very skilled at escaping from being besieged.
"Why are you running?" the little girl asked.
Song Yu didn't speak, but his eyes never stopped looking around.
"Whose child are you?"
Song Yu remained silent.
"Can't you talk?" the little girl asked curiously.
Song Yu remained silent.
Suddenly my cheek was pinched.
He was stunned, and looking at the little girl in front of him, he said in an adult tone, "She's quite cute, come play with us from now on!"
Song Yu's face flushed slightly, a mixture of anger and shyness. He had never played with children his own age before, except for Cai Yang...
However, Cai Yang didn't really like playing with him; Cai Yang had many friends in the village.
He didn't have time to carefully search for a breakout point, and turned to run, but the children behind him quickly caught up.
"You like playing chasing games? Then you run and we'll chase you!" The little girl's voice was full of excitement.
But Song Yu never lost when it came to running. Especially after coming to town, he had meat and eggs to eat every day, so he gained some weight and his physique improved a lot. The children behind him gradually couldn't catch up.
"Alright, alright, I declare you the winner of the game, let's take a break!" The little girl's panting voice came from not far behind.
Song Yu stopped in his tracks, feeling a little happy to hear the title of first place. This was the first time he had ever won first place!
He turned around and looked back. The little girl was panting, her eyes sparkling: "What other games do you want to play? You're new here, you can choose!"
The other children chimed in, "You run really fast!"
"You'll definitely win first place at our kindergarten sports meet!"
Song Yu naturally realized they meant him no harm; in fact, they were praising him. His furrowed brows relaxed, and he tilted his head to look at them, unsure of what to say.
Fortunately, the girl in the lead came forward and asked him, "What's your name?"
"Yuanyuan, you forgot, he can't speak, he's mute!" a little girl behind him reminded him.
"I'm not mute," Song Yu said softly.
All the children stared wide-eyed: "Ah, the mute can talk now!"
"Idiot, she's not mute!"
"If you're not mute, why didn't you speak just now?"
However, Yuanyuan didn't mind at all and was actually very happy: "That's great! You can play more games with us now. What's your name? Where do you live?"
Song Yu glanced at them, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the scene, and replied softly but earnestly, "My name is Song Yu, and I live at my mother's house."
"My name is Xu Shuyuan!" said the little girl in the lead. "My nickname is Yuanyuan."
The other three chimed in, introducing themselves: "My name is Zhou Xue."
"My name is Zhang Xiaoda."
"My name is Zhang Xiaolang."
"Do you still want to play the running game?" Yuanyuan asked.
Song Yu then realized that they didn't want to steal his things, but wanted to play with him.
Song Yu blushed slightly. He didn't have any good friends in the village. When he first saw Cai Yang leading this group of people around, he thought about joining them, but after being rejected, Song Yu stopped talking about it. He just felt a little envious every time he saw them.
He was too embarrassed to admit that he had misunderstood. He racked his brains for a game to play, and just as he was about to speak, he looked down and suddenly saw that the little cake he had been protecting was ruined. The flowers on it were stuck to his clothes, turning his clean clothes into a pink blotch.
Song Yu pursed his lips and wiped his clothes with his hands. Not only did he not get them clean, but the stained area continued to spread, and his hands also got dirty.
Yuanyuan noticed and quickly called to her friends, "His clothes are dirty, let's take him to wash them!"
Song Yu looked at her curiously: "Can you wash it yourself?"
When Song Yu was in the countryside, he washed his own clothes, but when he went to town, his mother washed them for him, saying that he was too small to wash them properly.
Yuanyuan nodded: "Of course I can. I always wash myself clean before going home after I get dirty, and my parents never say anything to me!"
Song Yu also wanted to wash the clothes before going back, so he nodded.
Several children surrounded him as they walked in another direction, chatting with Song Yu along the way. Song Yu answered earnestly, "I came to town with my mother, we're here..."
He counted on his fingers, only to find he couldn't count them all: "I've been here for a very, very long time."
As they were talking, the four children led Song Yu to a public handwashing station. Yuan Yuan turned on the tap and poured water on the stain on Song Yu's clothes, saying, "Just rub it and it'll be clean."
Song Yu rubbed it vigorously. The cotton-padded jacket quickly absorbed the water after being soaked, making the clothes heavier, but the dirty parts were not cleaned. Instead, his hands became sticky.
Xiao Da rolled up his sleeves: "I'm strong, I'll help you!"
He grabbed Song Yu's clothes with both hands and started rubbing them roughly. Song Yu was pulled to one side, and Xiao Lang quickly steadied him.
Seeing Xiao Da biting his cheek and straining with both hands, Song Yu quickly called out, "Stop washing!"
He was afraid his clothes would get ruined in the wash. Xiao Da was too strong. But as soon as he finished speaking, a button popped open and fell to the ground.
Song Yu was dumbfounded: "My clothes..."
Xiao Da quickly picked it up, a little flustered: "Give me your clothes, I'll go home and have my mom sew them. My mom has a sewing machine, she's the best at sewing."
Song Yu pursed his lips, took the button, his eyes a little red. This was a new outfit his mother had just bought for him, and he was only wearing it twice...
The other four children looked at him helplessly, especially Xiao Da, whose hands were clasped together. He clearly knew he had done something wrong and didn't know what to do.
Song Yu sniffed and put the buttons into his pocket: "I'm going home."
The four children quickly said, "We'll go home with you!"
Won't the new friends be scared by them and never play with them again?
Song Yu was heartbroken, but it was the first time he had made a friend. He nodded with tears in his eyes, but when he looked down at the cake in his hand, which no longer had buttercream frosting, he felt even sadder.
Yuanyuan was very nervous: "Don't cry."
Song Yu also felt embarrassed to shed tears in front of her newly acquainted friends, and replied with a slightly sobbing voice, "I didn't cry, my eyes just got watery."
"Do you want some cake?" Xiao Da quickly handed him his cake. "Here you go!"
Song Yu felt even sadder as he watched him take a bite of the cake, leaving only half a cream flower. He had spent 50 cents on the cake, and it was already empty before he even finished eating it.
"Idiot!" Xiao Lang smacked him. "Your drool is all over it!"
"Here, take mine. I didn't eat it." Xiao Lang handed it over.
Song Yu glanced at the two of them. They were wearing the same clothes and looked very similar. Song Yu was a little confused, but still shook her head: "I don't want it. The cake is for Mom."
Yuanyuan immediately understood: "So you want to buy a cake for your mom! The cake seller hasn't gone far, let's go after her!"
At her command, the children ran off in a flurry of activity.
Song Yu was still a little stunned when he was grabbed by the arm and pulled along.
The next moment, his arm felt heavy. Xiao Da, who was holding his arm, obviously didn't notice his footing and kicked a stone, falling to the ground. Luckily, he was wearing thick clothes and only felt a little pain in his hand. Just as he was about to cry out, he suddenly heard a faint sob from Song Yu, who was on top of him and had been dragged down by him. Xiao Da was so frightened that he quickly swallowed his sob back.
Song Yu's eyes were red as he watched the small cake he had bought with his own money fall across the street. His clothes, soaked with water, rolled on the ground, getting even more dusty.
He stood up, looked at his empty hands, and now he really couldn't hold back his tears.
"Auntie Cake, wait for me!" Yuanyuan shouted, catching up with the cake seller and spending all her money to buy four cakes. She then gave them all to Song Yu, saying, "Here, don't cry, we'll play together again tomorrow!"
Song Yu blinked. It was the first time he had received such a gift from a child. He held back his tears, but pushed it away, his voice still childish: "No, I have money."
My mother said I shouldn't accept things from strangers.
He took out the remaining 50 cents from his pocket and bought another cake. Now he took good care of it, and the other four children didn't dare to touch him when they saw him like this.
"Does your mother like to eat cake?" Yuanyuan asked.
Song Yu said, "The little cake is delicious, but you can only eat it on your birthday."
"Is it your mother's birthday today?" Xiaoxue asked.
Song Yu shook her head: "I want to give it to my mother."
After hearing this, Yuanyuan said in an adult's tone, "You are such a good child."
Hearing such praise from a child his own age for the first time, Song Yu felt a little shy and a little strange: "I want to go home."
He felt like he had been away from home for a very, very long time.
Yuanyuan immediately asked, "Are you going out to play again tomorrow?"
The other three also stared at him expectantly.
Song Yu felt a little happy. Although a button had fallen off his new clothes and his first five-cent cake had broken, he had a friend now. He thought for a moment, "I'll go home and ask my mom if I can come out."
Yuanyuan looked on with lingering affection and offered a suggestion: "If your mother doesn't want you to come out, just roll around on the ground and beg her."
Song Yu didn't say anything; he wouldn't do that.
Carrying a small cake, and escorted by her newly acquainted friends, Song Yu returned home.
He was initially quite happy, but when he got home, he only saw his aunt.
"Auntie," he called, "where's Mother?"
As soon as his aunt saw him, she started beating him up: "Where have you been? Why are you only coming back now? What are you carrying? Do you know how worried your mother is! If you keep running around like this, your mother will abandon you!"
Song Yu froze on the spot, holding the small cake blankly in her hands, her mind a complete blank, and tears instantly fell down her cheeks.
The joy of meeting new friends vanished in an instant, replaced by overwhelming fear. My hands trembled, and I only dared to cry out loud when I saw my mother return.
He will be obedient, he won't run around anymore, he won't go out tomorrow, he won't play with his new friends, and Mommy doesn't want him anymore.
Hearing the child sobbing, Song Xinran felt a pang of heartache and reached out to wipe away the tears on his face: "Mommy won't abandon Xiaoyu, Xiaoyu, have you forgotten? Mommy went through so much trouble and made so many efforts to become Xiaoyu's mother, how could I possibly abandon my baby?"
Song Yu wrapped her small, tender hands around her neck, her little face red from crying.
Song Xinran glanced at Song Xinwen, her eyes showing disapproval. How could she say such things in front of a child?
Song Xinwen was also at a loss, not knowing where she had gone wrong. When Cai Yang made a mistake at home, she said the same thing while cleaning up the mess.
Song Xinran stood up, holding the child who was still clinging to her and twitching, and walked to the table: "Is this the cake that Xiaoyu gave to Mommy?"
Song Yu hummed in agreement: "Only, you can eat cake on your birthday."
It's a very precious cake, so when I saw small cakes for sale today, I really wanted to buy some.
Song Xinran said, "It looks delicious. Xiao Yu, can you give some to your mom to try?"
Song Yu hummed in agreement, then held out the cake with both hands and presented it to Song Xinran. Song Xinran lowered her head and took a bite, instantly filling her mouth with the flavor of vegetable cream.
It has a sweet and cloying taste and a rather hard texture.
Song Xinran would never have eaten a cake like this in her past life. The taste is so-so, and eating too much of it is bad for her health.
But at this moment, all I felt was the sweetness in my mouth sliding down my throat, filling my heart with warmth.
"Thank you, Xiaoyu," she said, "for letting Mom taste such a delicious cake."
Song Yu smiled, her slightly swollen eyes crinkling into crescents, her voice hoarse: "It's delicious."
This was the best thing he had ever eaten, and he wanted his mother to try it.
Song Xinran held the child's soft body and asked, "Did Xiao Yu make any new friends today?"
Song Yu nodded and held up four fingers: "Four."
"Did Xiao Yu make plans to go out with them tomorrow?"
Song Yu still remembered what her aunt had said, and quickly hugged her mother's neck and shook her head: "I won't go out, I'll stay home and be good."
Song Xinran patted his head tenderly: "Go out and play. Mom has made friends in town and goes out with them. Mom hopes that Xiao Yu will also make new friends."
"No matter where Xiaoyu goes or what she does, her mother will always love her."
Song Yu blinked her slightly sore eyes and softly hummed in agreement.
"Mom took Xiaoyu to take a bath. Did he fall down today? Does it hurt?" Song Xinran asked.
Song Yu shook his head: "I fell on Xiao Da, but it didn't hurt."
He pulled a button out of his pocket and said softly, "It's fallen off."
"It's okay," Song Xinran said softly. "Mom will sew the buttons back on and wash the clothes."
Song Yu handed the button to her.
Song Xinran put him in the bathtub and turned on the hot water from the showerhead.
Song Yu stared at her intently, and Song Xinran smiled: "What's wrong?"
She squeezed out the shampoo, lathered it in her hands, and applied it to Song Yu's head.
Song Yu has soft, black hair. He is also very well-behaved; he knows to close his eyes when it's time to wash his hair, otherwise the foam will get into his eyes.
Looking at his head covered in fluffy white foam, which made him look a bit like a little lamb, Song Xinran said with a hint of laughter, "Mommy is so happy."
Song Yu tilted his head slightly, his eyes still tightly closed, but Song Xinran could understand his confusion from his movements and explained, "Mom is very happy that Xiao Yu has a new friend."
Song Yu said in her childish voice, "I have new friends and I play with my mom too."
Song Xinran understood what he meant; even if he found friends, he wouldn't abandon his mother.
Song Xinran chuckled and said, "Thank you, Xiao Yu, for playing with Mom every day."
Song Yu blushed slightly, closed her eyes, and remained silent.
After giving the child a bath, Song Xinran took a shower herself. She had worked up a sweat while looking for Song Yu earlier that day, and when she returned to the room, she found Song Yu clutching the corner of the blanket with both hands, nervously watching the door. His gaze relaxed a little when he saw her come in.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Song Xinran asked.
"Wait for Mom."
Song Xinran knew that he was still frightened today. In the past, the original owner had to leave the child in his hometown in order to make money. Cai Yongde also liked to say bad things in front of the child, which made Song Yu very insecure. Even if she asked Song Yu a hundred times whether his mother would abandon him, he was still terrified.
Song Xinran lifted the quilt; the bed had already been warmed up by Song Yu.
He gently moved closer to Song Xinran, touched the blanket with his small hand, timidly grasped her fingers, and rested his head on her shoulder before stopping.
Song Xinran hummed a lullaby tune, and Song Yu closed his eyes. He had run a lot today and his mood had fluctuated greatly, so he was very tired. He hadn't slept earlier only because she hadn't come back.
This time, she fell asleep very quickly.
Song Xinran wasn't asleep. There was a soft knock on the door, followed by Song Xinwen's low voice: "Xinran, are you asleep?"
"I'm not asleep, sis, come in."
Song Xinwen cautiously pushed the door open and entered, still remembering Song Xinran's look in his mind. He hesitated for a moment and asked, "Xinran, did I say something wrong today?"
Song Xinran sighed and said directly, "Sister, please don't say things like 'Mom doesn't want me' in front of the child in the future. Xiao Yu is very scared."
Song Xinwen's lips moved, as if she wanted to say that she wasn't targeting Song Yu.
Song Xinran seemed to understand what she was thinking: "Sister, I know you don't have any other intentions, but the children are too young. Saying these words to them will have a very deep and serious impact. This is also one of the reasons why many children are not close to their mothers when they grow up."
Song Xinwen panicked slightly: "Xinran, I..."
She never expected such serious consequences. However, in the countryside, it wasn't just her family that threatened the children; every household did it.
"Sister," Song Xinran said, "it's good that you know now, but don't say things like that to Cai Yang in the future."
"Get some rest, you must be tired today."
Song Xinwen walked away somewhat dejectedly, wondering all the way if those words had such a big impact.
Is this also a factor in why Cai Yang is always disobedient at home?
Song Xinwen tossed and turned in bed that night, unable to sleep, because she missed her child.
Meanwhile, at the Cai family home, Cai's mother asked Cai Yongde in disbelief, "Xinwen has been gone for half a month?"
Cai Yongde looked dejected, with dark stubble sticking out on his chin and his hair matted like clumps of black rope. He was dressed fairly cleanly, but he had lost all his energy and spirit.
Cai Yang sat beside her, his clothes wrinkled like pickled vegetables, the cuffs frayed but he hadn't changed them. The once chubby child had lost a lot of weight. As soon as he heard his grandmother ask, he shouted, "Dad won't let Mom come back!"
Cai's mother slapped Cai Yongde on the shoulder: "Look what you've done!"
Cai Yongde said angrily, "It's not that I didn't want her to come back, I went to invite her, but she just wouldn't come back!"
"When did you go to invite him?" Cai's mother questioned.
Before Cai Yongde could speak, Cai Yang interjected, "It's been such a long time, a year!"
Cai Yang hadn't started school yet, so he didn't have a concept of days of the week or specific dates. He only knew that a long time had passed, and in a child's mind, a year was a long time, so it must have been a year.
Cai Yongde cursed, "What nonsense are you talking about!"
He then said quickly in a low voice, "The tenth of this month."
Cai's mother quickly realized what was going on and became anxious: "Why didn't you tell me about something this big? You've been sitting at home doing nothing for over ten days? Are you thinking of getting a divorce?!"
Cai Yongde panicked: "I didn't want a divorce!"
The thought never crossed his mind: "I went to look for her, but what can I do if she won't come back on her own..."
Cai Yongde muttered to himself.
Cai's mother was furious: "You don't want a divorce, and you won't bring him back. I don't know what's going on in your head!"
Cai Yongde was displeased: "Why are you scolding me? It's not like I didn't do anything."
"Tell me in detail why Xinwen ran away from home! She's always been a virtuous and capable homemaker, and her parents are dead, so why would she go to her sister's house!"
Cai Yongde then recounted in detail how Song Xinwen had run away from home.
Upon hearing this, Cai's mother slapped him again: "You really don't use your brain! Xinwen only has one younger sister, Xinran. It's such a huge trust that they put their child in your family and even give you a subsidy of four hundred a month. If you're going to act, at least act convincingly. You had to say those things in front of the sisters. Even if it weren't for Xinwen, I wouldn't want to come back!"
Cai Yongde wiped his face: "So what do we do now?"
Cai's mother is truly exhausted; at her age, she still has to clean up all the messes her son has made.
Cai Yang started crying and screaming, "I want my mom! I want my mom!"
It turns out that his father forbade him to cry at home, and if he cried, a stick would come out, so Cai Yang didn't dare to make a fuss. Now he has found a protector.
Cai's mother felt sorry for her grandson and patted him on the back, comforting him: "Yangyang, don't cry, Grandma will find your mother."
Cai Yongde said awkwardly, "She already said she's not coming back."
Cai's mother glared at him: "If she says she's not coming back, why don't you go look for her a few more times? Take Yangyang with you, what mother wouldn't love her child!"
Cai Yongde hesitated, fearing that he would be shooed away again if he went to the town.
Cai's mother saw through it immediately: "You don't want to lower your head and lose face?"
Cai Yongde remained silent.
Cai's mother said, "Have you seen any letters sent back these days? If you don't want to bow your head, then just wait for them to run away."
Cai Yongde immediately said, "Mom, didn't you say she couldn't bear to part with the child?"
Cai's mother stared at him coldly without saying a word.
Cai Yongde scratched his hair: "Go away, I'll go, okay?"
He was also panicked. He had never thought about divorce before. At worst, he would just have to wait a while for Song Xinwen to come back. But what Cai's mother said today really made him a little scared.
No one in their village is divorced yet. It would be so embarrassing for him to get divorced. His family is quite prestigious in the village; they were among the first to build a house there.
Cai's mother said, "You can't go with this attitude, or Xinwen will be even more determined not to come back."
Cai Yongde, in a fit of despair, retorted: "So what do you want me to do?"
"Say nice things to her, and apologize to her sister Xinran. Tell her not to be so petty in the future."
Cai Yongde: "Okay!"
"Grandma, I want to go find Mom too!" Cai Yang said.
Cai's mother said, "Definitely. I'll take you with me when the time comes. As soon as you see home, your mother will hug you and cry, saying she missed you."
Cai Yang nodded, never having been so obedient before: "I've been missing my mom a lot."
*
At Xu Shuyuan's home on the other side:
When Mr. Xu came home, he saw his wife eating cake and was a little surprised: "Didn't you say you were on a diet? Why are you eating cake so late?"
Xu's mother gave him a reproachful look: "This cake was brought back by Yuanyuan."
Mr. Xu asked in surprise, "Yuanyuan brought us something back today?"
He looked at the table and saw that there were two cupcakes and an empty cup left.
Xu's mother's gaze softened: "Yes, as soon as she came back, she told me to wish me a happy birthday in advance and invited me to have a birthday cake. You see, my daughter even remembered my birthday next month."
Mr. Xu didn't know what to say. He thought to himself that his daughter probably didn't remember, otherwise why would she have brought it back so far in advance? But the fact that his daughter remembered to bring back a small cake for her parents when she went out to play today really warmed Mr. Xu's heart.
His daughter, who is usually carefree and loves to go out and play, has suddenly become such a sweet and considerate girl today.
Mr. Xu took off his uniform and casually hung it on the coat rack in the entryway. He went into the room, glanced at his sleeping daughter, and felt even warmer inside. He then came out and finished the remaining two cakes.
"It's so sweet! The things my daughter brings are just different!" she exclaimed while eating.
Xu's mother said, "Yuanyuan was very happy when she came back today. She said she made a new friend. The new friend bought a cake for her mother, and she also bought one for us. She said she wants to play together tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Xu said, "This is a good friend. Yuanyuan has become so considerate! She's much better than the Zhang family's twins, who are always running around outside."
Xu's mother was too embarrassed to speak up, thinking to herself that everyone knew it was their Yuanyuan who was causing trouble with the other children.
Mr. Xu added, “It’s very important for children to make friends. We had a case at our station not long ago that was caused by not making the right friends. As the saying goes, ‘One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black.’ You must have seen many examples like this at school…”
Knowing that he loved to quote classical texts, Xu's mother turned to go to her room to check on Yuanyuan, too lazy to listen to him anymore.
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