Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Arrival at Haicheng

Jiang Qiuyue bought two pancakes. It was a little after five o'clock. The two children ate other people's candies, so she took out her own pancakes, sauerkraut and smoked fish.

The moment I opened the bag, the aroma filled my nose. "Sister Juanjuan, I heard you said you were going to buy lunch boxes. Why don't you eat some with us? My man has more."

She put some stir-fried pickled cabbage in the middle of the pancake and handed Gao Juanjuan a pair of chopsticks, "Try my cooking skills."

Gao Juanjuan is a generous person. She took the pancake without any hesitation and took a bite. She was immediately amazed. The pancake was fragrant and soft, and the sour and spicy taste of the fried pickled cabbage made her appetite open.

She ate several mouthfuls in a row, and Jiang Qiuyue handed her some smoked fish. After tasting it, she was speechless about how delicious it was. "Qiuyue, your cooking skills are amazing. I have never eaten such delicious pancakes."

"As long as you like it, sister." Jiang Qiuyue poured water for the two children and let them eat slowly. "I also prepared fried peanuts and dried sweet potatoes. These are the most abundant things in the countryside. It will take a long time to get to Haicheng."

She won't make herself suffer. She can eat when she needs to and rest when she needs to. The environment of the berth is much better than that of a seat, and it is not crowded.

They were enjoying their meal here, and people from the next carriage came over from time to time to check on them. One man felt embarrassed and asked if he could exchange it for a pancake, as Gao Juanjuan had always said it was delicious.

Jiang Qiuyue prepared a lot of pancakes and pickles because Lin Zhengrong had a big appetite. Now that Lin Zhengrong was not around, she generously offered to give one piece to her brother, but he was not so shameless and gave her four oranges in exchange.

After eating it, the eldest brother also said it was delicious, which prompted others to want to change. Jiang Qiuyue changed a few and then did not dare to change anymore.

Gao Juanjuan smiled and whispered, "The train attendant who was selling lunch boxes just passed by. I saw her face was so depressed. Your pancakes made her sell fewer lunch boxes."

"That's all I have. They have to buy lunch boxes tomorrow." Jiang Qiuyue thought that if the train attendant was so petty, she might as well not do this. She peeled an orange for herself and took the two children to wash their hands and brush their teeth.

It was boring on the train. There was no mobile phone to play with and no TV to watch. Jiang Qiuyue played sandbag throwing with the two children while chatting with Gao Juanjuan.

"Sister Juanjuan, the place you mentioned is so far away from my village. I have never been there. How dare you go there alone?"

"What are you afraid of?" Gao Juanjuan said with a smile, "Now is a peaceful time, not the war-torn times. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was a real mess. My brother's matter is a knot in my parents' hearts. They are too old to run away, otherwise they wouldn't need me."

If the place Gao Juanjuan mentioned was not too far away from Taohua Village and the age didn't match, Jiang Qiuyue would have been unable to help but think about it for a while.

But there is no such coincidence in the world. Lin Zhengrong is 28 years old this year, and Gao Juanjuan's younger brother is 29 years old.

Jiang Qiuyue sighed, "Yes, as long as you have a letter of introduction, you don't have to be afraid of going out."

"Yes, my brother and I were separated and fostered in the homes of fellow villagers. I was five years old at that time, and my brother was just one month old. I could remember some things, so it was easy for my parents to find me later. Unfortunately, the family that fostered my brother died in the war. When my parents went to look for them, they only heard that the hostess had fled with several children."

"I've been looking for it for so many years and haven't found it. I've given up hope, but every time there's some news, I go check it out and I won't give up."

Jiang Qiuyue said she understood, "This is human nature."

She was used to going to bed early, and now she was sleepy. She told her two children to go to bed, "If you need to go to the toilet at night, wake up mom. Don't go by yourself. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Mom." Lin Beibei said, and Lin Nannan nodded.

The train made a clanging sound and Jiang Qiuyue slept uneasily because she was thinking about Lin Zhengrong's instructions. She kept waking up and could only continue sleeping after making sure that both of them were there.

Around five in the morning, the train stopped at the station. Jiang Qiuyue woke up and saw a man standing beside the bed, reaching for Gao Juanjuan's bag.

Jiang Qiuyue didn't even think twice and shouted, "Catch the thief!"

When she shouted, everyone in the carriage woke up, "Thief? Where is the thief?"

The train attendant also came over with a flashlight. Jiang Qiuyue grabbed his hand tightly and said, "Sister Juanjuan, this guy stole your things!"

The man still had the money in his hand, but he let go immediately after hearing Jiang Qiuyue's shout. He pushed Jiang Qiuyue hard, but was slapped in the face by Jiang Qiuyue first.

At this time, the train police also arrived and asked, "What's going on?"

The man was the first to complain, "It's none of my business, I was just sleepy and went to the wrong place. This woman came up and hit me, look at the slap mark on my face, she was really cruel!"

Gao Juanjuan jumped out of bed and asked Jiang Qiuyue what happened. Jiang Qiuyue said, "I just woke up and saw him rummaging through your bag. Look, there's money on the floor. This is physical evidence. He's trying to cheat you now."

A few dollars fell to the ground, and the zipper of Gao Juanjuan's bag was indeed torn.

The man denied it. "It was so dark in the car. You must have seen it wrongly. Why are you blaming me? It was you who wanted to steal the money and I saw you. I saw you talking and laughing with the woman all the way. You might know where she put the money. How could I know?"

"You're still slandering me?" Jiang Qiuyue laughed angrily, "In this day and age, there are still people who cry thief, do I need to steal money?"

She saw that the man's pockets were a little bulging, so she turned to look at Gao Juanjuan, "Sister Juanjuan, have you checked your bag to see if there's anything missing besides the money?"

Gao Juanjuan believed what Jiang Qiuyue said. She checked it again. "There is also a bag of White Rabbit candy that I bought, and a small bag of buttons."

Jiang Qiuyue asked the police to search, "Well, to prove my innocence, all my things are here, you can search them. Search him too, to see who hid these things!"

Hearing this, the man panicked instantly. He saw that Gao Juanjuan was generous and her clothes didn't even have a patch, so it was obvious that she was rich. He was about to get off the car, so he came to try his luck.

Who could have thought that Jiang Qiuyue would actually wake up?

The conductor agreed. The man rolled his eyes, pushed the conductor away, and tried to run away.

But Jiang Qiuyue had already seen through the man's intentions, stretched out her foot to trip the man, and sat on his back, "Hurry up and search, damn it, you dare to slander me for stealing, you have lived enough!"

The conductor quickly found the big white leg candy and buttons in the man's pocket, which were exactly as Gao Juanjuan had said. The man was afraid and begged for mercy, "Brother, please let me go. This is my first time doing this. I was just confused for a moment. I have a wife and children to support. If you arrest me, I will lose my job."

Jiang Qiuyue didn't fall for the man's pity talk. "Who knew it was your first time? Now that you know you have a wife and children to support, why did you have such evil thoughts? If you succeed, how will my sister Juanjuan go home? You are still stealing. If you get brave enough to steal a child in the future, won't the child's parents cry to death?"

"Why are you making such a fuss? It's none of your business." The man glared at Jiang Qiuyue viciously, hating her in his heart.

If it weren't for Jiang Qiuyue, he would have succeeded by now, and no one would know that it was he who stole the money.

Seeing the man so arrogant, Jiang Qiuyue punched him twice. When others saw this, they also spat on the man and asked the conductor to arrest him quickly.

Jiang Qiuyue followed him to take notes. When she came back, the elder brother who exchanged pancakes with Jiang Qiuyue yesterday gave her a thumbs up and said, "You look innocent and have never done anything, but you actually have a bad temper."

"Well, what else? He stole things and then wrongly accused me. I can't stand this." Jiang Qiuyue regretted not throwing a few more punches. If the man hadn't been greedy and taken the candies, it would have been hard to explain what happened just now.

The eldest brother smiled and said, "Not bad, not bad, you have such a cool personality, well done!"

Gao Juanjuan only now felt a little scared, "The man just now was at least 1.8 meters tall. Aren't you afraid that he would hit you?"

"I didn't think too much about it at the time. Now that I think about it, it's not a big deal. The carriage is narrow, and as long as I shout, someone will come to help." Jiang Qiuyue does not regret catching the thief. "Now it's okay. The conductor even praised me for my bravery and asked me which unit I work for."

"You are really amazing." Gao Juanjuan liked Jiang Qiuyue even more. After such a commotion, no one was sleepy. Gao Juanjuan went to the carriage to buy four meat buns and told Jiang Qiuyue not to be polite. "You helped me catch the thief, I have to thank you. Your pancakes are delicious, but it's better to eat something hot in the morning, and have soy milk. Don't be polite to me."

Jiang Qiuyue asked the two children to say thank you and started eating the meat buns. "Then I won't be polite to you, Sister Juan. Drinking soy milk in the morning is really good."

Lin Beibei drank soy milk for the first time, it was fragrant and sweet, "I want to catch the thief too!" In his opinion, it was his mother who helped Aunt Gao catch the thief, and that’s why Aunt Gao bought meat buns and soy milk for them.

"Let's talk about it when you grow up. You are so young now, it would be good if you don't get taken away by human traffickers." Speaking of human traffickers, Jiang Qiuyue couldn't help but take a deep breath. Fortunately, she was cautious along the way, otherwise if there was an accident, she would blame herself for the rest of her life.

Jiang Qiuyue and a few others on the train started chatting after breakfast. They all came from all over the world, and to kill time, they talked about their past and what they had seen and heard.

At this time, Fang Zhaodi was in danger. The doctor said she needed surgery, but the surgery fee had to be paid first.

Jiang Chuntao's in-laws refused to give her any more money, so she looked for her mother's savings, but it was only a few dozen yuan, which was not enough for treatment.

"Haven't you thought it through?" the doctor came over and urged, "The patient's vital signs are already weak. If you delay any further, you will only be able to prepare for his death."

Jiang Chuntao trembled as she took out the money. "Doctor, this is all the money we have. Can you save my mom first?"

The doctor took a look and sighed, "Go pay the fee and go through the formalities first."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Yaozu grabbed the money and said, "No, sister, didn't you hear what the doctor said? Even if mom is saved, she may be paralyzed and need someone to take care of her. When the money is gone, mom will still need someone to take care of her. Will you take care of me and mom?"

"I can take care of mom, but you're grown up too." At this moment, Jiang Chuntao looked at her brother's adult face and felt angry for the first time. "No matter what, we have to give it a try. Are we just going to give up like this?"

Jiang Yaozu held the money in his hand and said nothing.

Jiang Chuntao was anxious, "Mom loves you the most, how could you just stand by and watch someone die?"

"If you love me, my mother will understand me better and know how difficult it is for me now. We don't have much money to begin with, and it may not be enough. Can you lend me some money, big sister?" Jiang Yaozu still refused to give her money. He made up his mind to see a doctor. "We won't treat me. I'll take my mother home."

"Jiang Yaozu!" Jiang Chuntao tried to steal the money, but was pushed to the ground by Jiang Yaozu. "How...how could you do this? She's our biological mother!"

Fang Zhaodi, who was in the ward, heard the quarrel between her son and daughter and shed silent tears.

Her beloved son, the person she thought she could rely on the most, actually abandoned her for money when she needed him the most.

Fang Zhaodi suddenly remembered what her second daughter had said to her. It turned out that her youngest son was really unreliable.

But it was too late to regret.

When Fang Zhaodi saw her son come in, she wanted to say something but couldn't. Only her eyes could move.

"Mom, don't blame me. Our family is in this situation now and we can't afford you." Jiang Yaozu didn't feel guilty at all. "I believe you love me so much, you will definitely understand my choice, right?"

Fang Zhaodi: “I…” She was powerless and struggled to speak, but in the end only drool came out.

She stared at her son intently. Even when her eldest daughter came in crying, she was still looking at her son. She wanted to ask why he didn't save her. She also wanted to ask Jiang Qiuyue and Jiang Xiahe, they were both her biological daughters, why didn't they understand her?

They all blamed her and thought she was a burden. What was the purpose of her life?

Fang Zhaodi was speechless. Looking at her son's cold face, she felt a little regretful.

Until she died, Jiang Yaozu never regretted it.

The doctor confirmed that Fang Zhaodi had no vital signs and allowed Jiang Yaozu and Jiang Chuntao to take her away. However, Jiang Yaozu was a little reluctant and said, "Sister, you should find someone to do it. You can't ask me to carry her all the way back."

It was fine when he was alive, but now he is afraid of dying.

"Yaozu, are you still talking like a human being?" Jiang Chuntao yelled, "My mother couldn't close her eyes even after she died. You've hurt her so much!"

"Big sister, what makes you say that I am the one who made mom sad? Didn't the second and third sisters make mom sad?"

Jiang Yaozu walked out with a frown on his face. "Really? Anyway, I don't care. It's your own business how you do it."

Seeing her brother leave like this, Jiang Chuntao realized that the person she had protected for so many years was actually unreliable.

She wanted to hear Jiang Qiuyue's evaluation of her brother - a selfish and self-centered person who lives off his parents, and it really was like that.

Jiang Chuntao had no choice but to ask for help from her husband's family. The person was dead, and no matter how much Wu Li complained, he still came to help deal with the funeral.

However, Wu Li asked Jiang Chuntao to swear, "I have said it before, your brother is a useless person. I will help bury your mother this time, but if you dare to interfere in your brother's affairs again, you will go back and live with your brother!"

Jiang Chuntao said no, "I won't care about anything anymore. I won't care about anything anymore."

She returned home struggling to support herself, and then collapsed. This time she was exhausted both physically and mentally, and had completely given up on Jiang Yaozu.

By now a day had passed, and Jiang Qiuyue took her two children to pack their things. Half an hour later, the train arrived at Haicheng Station.

Gao Juanjuan wrote down Jiang Qiuyue's phone number and address. "When you settle down, you can write to me or call me. We are destined to be together. I will send you food then."

It's hard to explain the feeling of affinity. The more Gao Juanjuan looked at Jiang Qiuyue, the more she liked her. She felt like they were sisters in their previous lives and were particularly close.

Jiang Qiuyue also liked Gao Juanjuan’s straightforwardness. She put away the note and said, “Okay, I will write to you when I am settled.”

"By the way, you said someone is coming to pick you up, right?" Gao Juanjuan also packed her bag.

Jiang Qiuyue said yes, "My husband said that his comrades-in-arms came to pick us up, and he has already made arrangements." Otherwise, with so many bags and two children, it would be difficult for Jiang Qiuyue to deal with it.

"Just be glad someone is picking you up." Gao Juanjuan glanced out the window. "It'll be here in a few more minutes. It'll be quick."

At this time, Chen Guowei and Xiao Zhou, who was driving, arrived at the exit of Haicheng Railway Station ahead of time.

Xiao Zhou was Lin Zhengrong's bodyguard and also the driver. He stood on tiptoe and looked into the distance, "Captain Chen, why hasn't my sister-in-law come yet?"

Chen Guowei pulled Xiao Zhou to stand properly, "Why are you in such a hurry? The train hasn't arrived yet. Stand properly and don't let others laugh at you."

"Got it." Xiao Zhou had just stood up when he heard the train whistle and said excitedly, "Here it comes, the train has arrived. Captain Chen, what kind of person do you think my sister-in-law is?"

Chen Guowei took out the sign with the name on it. He thought about Lin Zhengrong's previous description and said, "Anyway, your deputy head Lin said that your sister-in-law is a very simple person. Hold the sign higher so that they can see it."