Erzhuzi poured out his heart, recounting his longing over the years and how much he regretted it, but Xu Lanzhi remained unmoved.
At this moment, Zhao Di knocked on the door and brought her younger sister into the room. Bao Gen brought three silver hairpins, which all looked similar. He was afraid of making a mistake, so he brought them all.
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"Uncle, is that the hairpin you wanted?" Baogen asked.
Erzhuzi glanced back blankly. Overnight, he looked much older, as if all his energy had been drained away.
Holding the hairpin, Erzhuzi's eyes suddenly lit up. He muttered to himself, "This is the hairpin. I was lucky enough to save you back then, and you gave me this hairpin as a token. Lanzhi, I was too cowardly, I was too stupid, that's why I gave the hairpin to Dongsheng and let him marry you!"
As Erzhuzi spoke, he began to cry in anguish.
Zhao Di and the other younger members were completely confused. So, it seems that their mother and Uncle Zhu really had a long-standing connection?
Tang Qiqi went to Erzhuzi to comfort him, but found tears welling up in the eyes of the unconscious Xu Lanzhi.
She cried out in surprise, "Mother, can you hear us? Wake up! Qiqi misses you so much!"
"Mother, you can't sleep anymore, we need you!" Zhao Di said with tears in her eyes.
The children called out to her, but Xu Lanzhi only kept crying and did not wake up. Everyone was at a loss.
At noon, the doctor took Xu Lanzhi's pulse and said that her pulse was stable and she should have woken up soon. He didn't know why she was still unconscious.
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The doctor tactfully suggested that his clinic was opening for business, and that Xu Lanzhi, given her current condition, could only go home to observe and recuperate, implying that the Tang family should take Xu Lanzhi away.
The cousins neither agreed nor disagreed, but staying at the clinic all the time wasn't a good idea; it would be more convenient to take care of the patients at home.
So they prepared a carriage and took Xu Lanzhi to Yindi's place. She rented a courtyard near the shop. Usually, her younger sisters would come back to stay after finishing school. It was more convenient in the city than in Tangjiagou. Besides, they hadn't dared to tell Wang about Xu Lanzhi's injury, for fear of upsetting her.
Tang Qiqi gave Xu Lanzhi glucose infusions every day to maintain her strength, and she also tried to feed her traditional Chinese medicine. On the third day, Xu Lanzhi still did not wake up, and the family's emotions gradually collapsed.
Zhao Di said anxiously, "It's been three days, and Mother doesn't look well at all. We've been taking turns talking to her every day, just like Qi Qi said, but she still doesn't respond. Should we go to Lanling and ask a better doctor to take a look at Mother?"
Yindi chimed in, "Big sister is right, this can't go on forever."
Jiedi said, "I'm going to Lanling to find a doctor for my mother!"
Tang Xiahe said, "Jiaping and the others came back a few days ago and said that there is a war in Lanling City and it's very chaotic. How can a girl like you go there? I told Jiaping and the others to leave today to find a doctor for your mother!"
Since Xu Lanzhi was injured, Si Di has become less talkative, while Nian Di and Pan Di cry incessantly every day. Tang Qi Qi spends all her time hiding in her space researching information, hoping to find a way to wake her mother up.
For three days, Erzhuzi couldn't eat and spent all his time with Xu Lanzhi. The entire Tang family was shrouded in gloom and the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.
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Erzhuzi seemed possessed, repeating the past every day. He kept saying, "Lanzhi, you can't just abandon me like this. I was wrong back then. I was afraid that you would suffer if you followed me when I was poor, so I gave the hairpin to Dongsheng. I regret it so much!"
After saying that, he continued, "Life used to be so hard. You raised so many children all by yourself and got through it all. Now your business is booming, and you're just leaving like this. The children have lost their pillar of support, and the family will fall apart..."
Finally, Xu Lanzhi said weakly, "Why do you talk so much? It's so noisy!"
Erzhuzi blurted out, "If you think I'm annoying, then wake up and yell at me!" Only after saying that did he realize something was off, and he finally cried tears of joy: "Lanzhi, you're finally awake!"
Xu Lanzhi finally woke up. Although she was still quite weak, her life had been saved.
Xu Lanzhi and Erzhuzi were injured and lame, respectively, and were forced to stay by Yindi to recover.
Xu Lanzhi was relieved to see that Tang Qiqi was safe and sound, but she was still worried about the trafficked children and Hongying's son.
That day, she saw someone who looked like Hongying and followed her. The person disappeared into an alley, and Xu Lanzhi hurriedly chased after her, calling out, "Hongying, is that you? Stop!"
As they entered the depths of the alley, several people suddenly appeared and dragged Xu Lanzhi inside.
It turned out that the traffickers learned that Hongying had run away with her son and that the two girls had not gone with her. Thinking that the children had gone astray, they dressed up as Hongying in an attempt to attract the Peach Blossom sisters, but instead attracted Xu Lanzhi.
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Fearing that Xu Lanzhi would expose their whereabouts, they kidnapped her, intending to sell her as well.
However, upon investigation, it was discovered that this woman was no ordinary person; she was actually the owner of Tangji. Although Tangji operated in a low-key manner, she had planting bases in several places, and her two daughters ran shops and were building factories in the city, making her a force to be reckoned with.
Fearing that people looking for Xu Lanzhi would come looking for her, they made the decisive decision to move the entire group.
Song Chunhua had planned to have the Tang family pay a hefty sum to ransom their boss's wife, making a huge profit, but unexpectedly, the third brother and his group took Tang Qiqi with them, and they were all wiped out.
Seeing that Xu Lanzhi was worried about the children, Yindi said, "Mother, don't worry, all the children have been rescued, and the female bandit leader and her men have been captured!"
Xu Lanzhi then asked, "Have those children been properly taken care of now?"
Jiedi said, "Isn't this something the county magistrate should be concerned with? You don't need to worry about it. We've been worried about you these past few days and haven't bothered to inquire about the children's situation!"
Xu Lanzhi asked Yindi, "Second Sister, is Mr. Liu here? Can you ask him to inquire about the children's situation? They are so pitiful, I'm worried about them!"
Everyone was worried that Xu Lanzhi's excessive worry would affect her recovery, so they had to ask Liu Rufeng to investigate.
Liu Rufeng returned quickly and said that the human traffickers were still in custody, and he didn't know why the county magistrate hadn't interrogated them yet.
口口五六三七四三六七五
Of those children, only a few were taken back by their families. Most of them could not find their families and were initially placed in the county government office. However, taking care of these children every day was not only complicated but also quite expensive. The county magistrate was at a loss and might send these children to wealthy families as maids.
Xu Lanzhi was immediately alarmed. The child was so young and well-behaved. Sending her to be a maid might be fine if the master was kind, but if she encountered a mean master, who knew what kind of suffering she would endure!
Seeing her worried expression, Zhao Di spoke up: "Mother, I know you are a kind person, but there are so many pitiful people in this world, how can you save them all? You almost lost your life to save them from human traffickers, so don't worry about the rest, leave it to the government!"
Xu Lanzhi was still very worried: "But the government's idea is too unreliable. Qiqi, go and talk to the county magistrate and tell him to properly take care of those children!"
Tang Qiqi agreed with Zhao Di's idea. She said, "Mother, the government is not a charity. There are so many children. The government can't support them all by itself. With so many people, it costs a lot of money just to feed them every day. It's only natural that the magistrate has no choice but to find a way to settle them!"
Jiedi also said, "Mother, for the sake of Hongying, you risked your life alone, putting Qiqi and you in danger. You barely escaped with your lives, so don't meddle in other people's business."
Seeing that her daughters did not support her, Xu Lanzhi said earnestly, "Children, have you forgotten what the Bodhisattva said when we built the factory? She said that I was kind-hearted and willing to help others, which is why she protected us. Maybe I was able to wake up because of the Bodhisattva's blessing. Now that we have the ability, we should do more good deeds. I don't ask for anything else, I only ask that the Bodhisattva protect you all and keep you safe and sound!"
Xu Lanzhi brought up the story of the Bodhisattva's miraculous appearance, and sure enough, Zhao Di and the others remained silent. The scene from back then was still vivid in their minds; not only they, but even the onlookers remembered it vividly.
Xu Lanzhi's words made them reflect on their behavior and whether they might disappoint the Bodhisattva.
Tang Qiqi knew the truth, but no one would believe her if she told them. Now, her mother and sisters all agreed that they should do their best to help those children.
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