Chapter 87

Xu Wen turned his head and saw Doudou looking at him curiously.

She asked Doudou again, "Doudou, was Dongsheng abnormal when he broke up with you? Was he unhappy?"

Doudou nodded.

Xu asked anxiously, "Why are you unhappy? Did you have a fight?"

Doudou shook his head, "We didn't quarrel, but Fuwa and Dongsheng did."

"Then do you know why they are fighting?" Xu Wen frowned. Dongsheng is not a trouble-making kid.

Although Fuwa is a new kid on the island, he had been with the army in the compound before and is very familiar with Dongsheng.

According to Lu Yuanzheng, before Doudou came, Dongsheng's best friend was Fuwa. When he was away on missions, Dongsheng often stayed at Fuwa's home.

Children are like the weather in June. Their expressions change at any time and it is normal for them to fight.

But it is not normal to beat Dongsheng to the point of running away from home.

Doudou's eyes fell on Xu Wen's belly and she answered in a baby voice, "Fuwa said that if you have another baby, you won't be nice to Dongsheng anymore. Dongsheng was unhappy and said Fuwa was wrong. Fuwa also said that you are Dongsheng's stepmother and you won't care about him if you have your own baby."

Xu Wen’s face turned pale instantly.

Doudou was still young and couldn't read adults' expressions. He blinked his big eyes at Xu Wen and asked her curiously, "Auntie, what is a stepmother?"

After she got home, she asked her parents what a stepmother was. Her mother said that a stepmother was the queen who made Snow White eat the poisoned apple. She also said that if she didn't obey, the stepmother would beat her.

Dad told Doudou not to follow Fuwa's example and not to mention this matter in front of Dongsheng.

Doudou was very confused. How could Aunt Xu, who was so beautiful and gentle, be the bad queen?

"What happened next?"

"Dongsheng didn't want Fuwa to say bad things about him, so he started fighting with Fuwa. Fuwa also said that Dongsheng didn't have a father either, and he was an orphan without a father or a mother!"

Xu Wen was so angry that he was shaking all over.

How could a child understand such heart-wrenching words? He must have heard them from adults.

Xu Wen took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. There was no rush to settle the bill. The most urgent thing was to find Dongsheng back first.

She tried to soften her voice and continued to ask Doudou, "What happened after the fight? Did Dongsheng say anything when you separated?"

"Just say you're going to find Mom and Dad. Aunt Xu Wen, Dongsheng fought with you to protect you, so can you please not be mean to him? He loves you the most!"

Xu Wen's throat tightened and he forced a smile, "I love Dongsheng, too. I won't treat him badly, and I won't abandon him!"

Doudou groaned, heaved a sigh of relief, and was obviously happy for his good friend. He patted his chest and promised, "Then if Fuwa says something bad about Dongsheng again, I will help Dongsheng beat him up!"

He looked fierce and even swung his fist.

But Dongsheng didn’t go home!

Suddenly, Xu Wen had an idea.

This "dad and mom" may be Dongsheng's biological parents.

But his parents are gone!

Xu Wenteng stood up from the sofa and said, "Doudou, wait here. Don't run around. I have to go find Dongsheng. It's so dark. If I can't find him, he'll be scared and in danger."

Doudou also stood up, "Auntie, can I go with you? I also want to find Dongsheng. He cried after the fight with Fuwa! He cried so sadly."

The little girl sighed like an adult, very confused: "He obviously won, why is he crying?"

Why? Because he felt that no one wanted him.

Xu Wen's tears started to flow again. He was in no mood to explain all this to Xiao Doudou. After thinking for a while, he led her out and said, "Then let's go find Dongsheng together."

If Doudou runs around and gets into trouble again, Xu Wen will not be able to take responsibility.

As everyone still hadn't found Dongsheng, Lu Yuanzheng personally sailed towards the high seas to look for him.

All the people gathered on the shore, waiting for the warriors who had gone out to sea to return.

Xu Wen saw Doudou's parents and returned Doudou to them.

When he turned around, he saw Fuwa's mother, Huang Yu, not far away.

Xu Wen strode up to Mrs. Huang and slapped her in the face, which not only stunned Mrs. Huang but also the onlookers.

People nearby rushed forward to separate the fight.

Mrs. Huang was slapped in public and of course she was furious: "Xu Wen, are you sick? I'm here to help you find your child, why are you so crazy?"

Xu Wen glared at her fiercely, "Then you'd better beg grandpa to pray that Dongsheng is okay. Otherwise, I will tear your mouth off! You are such an old man, but you gossip in front of the child. If anything happens to Dongsheng, I will make you pay with your life!"

Mrs. Huang was embarrassed and annoyed. She jumped up and down and retorted: "What am I talking about? You are the stepmother and you don't take good care of the child. Now that the child is lost, you put the blame on me?"

When Xu Wen heard this, he was so angry that he wanted to slap her.

Several sisters-in-law pulled her hard, and other sisters-in-law also pulled Huang Yu back.

Xu Wen's arms were held up, but his legs were still free, so he kicked Huang Yu right in the abdomen.

Huang Yu also tried to kick back, but her legs were not as long as Xu Wen's and she couldn't reach Xu Wen.

"If you tell Fuwa in front of me that I'm a stepmother and that I won't care about Dongsheng anymore after I have my own child, will Dongsheng run away from home?"

Some of the sisters-in-law who were not familiar with Xu Wen thought that Xu Wen was a bit harsh when they saw him slap and kick Huang Yu right away. Then when they heard Xu Wen's question, their eyes immediately turned unfriendly when they looked at Huang Yu.

It was a well-known secret in the compound that Dongsheng was an orphan. Even after he came to the island, many people still knew about it.

But everyone on the island could see how Xu Wen treated Dong Sheng, so no one ever gossiped.

Even if there was, at least it never reached Xu Wen and Dong Sheng.

Huang Yu felt guilty when he heard Xu Wen's question. His eyes wandered and his tone of rebuttal was much weaker: "I didn't say that. Don't put the blame on me."

"I'm putting the blame on you? You're really good at turning the tables! What does my pregnancy have to do with you? So what if I'm a stepmother? I have a clear conscience! What gives you the right to say that it would be bad for Dongsheng if I give birth to another child? Dongsheng is also my child! You put a false accusation on me with just a few words, and you still have the nerve to say that I'm putting the blame on you?

I swear that I treat Dongsheng as my own son. Do you swear that you have never said these hurtful words in front of the child? If you dare, I will kowtow to you and apologize. "

"I swear..." Huang Yu was forced to this point and could only grit his teeth and swear.

In front of so many people, she didn't dare to admit it no matter what.

"Don't say something that doesn't hurt or itch!" Xu Wen snorted coldly and interrupted her, "If you have the guts, swear on your Fuwa. If you lie, Fuwa won't live past the age of 20!"

Huang Yu was furious. "How can you be so vicious? Cursing a six-year-old child."

"Am I as vicious as you? You let a six-year-old child tell a child who is less than five years old that he has no father and no mother, and that his stepmother will treat him badly in the future. Are you not vicious? Besides, if you have not said these heart-wrenching words and will not take an oath, what are you afraid of?"

Topaz lowered her head.

The sisters-in-law who were holding Xu Wen all quietly relaxed their strength.

Everyone thought Huang Yu was too mean and deserved to be beaten.

Xu Wen stopped hitting Huang Yu because he thought it was dirty.

She scanned the crowd one by one, focusing on her sister-in-law who said she was pregnant yesterday, and said in a harsh tone, "Don't just watch the fun. Dongsheng is in trouble, and I won't let anyone who spread rumors go unpunished!"

Xu Wen knew that there was a lack of entertainment on the island, and any new things would become a topic of conversation. The warriors were fine, as they were so busy that rest was a luxury. The ones who liked to gossip were the idle sisters-in-law.

But I didn't expect that her suspected pregnancy was just yesterday's news, but it has become a rumor today.

The sister-in-law who said Xu Wen was pregnant yesterday was a straightforward person. When she saw Xu Wen looking at her, she slapped herself and apologized: "Sister-in-law Wenwen, it's my fault for being so quick-witted! I thought it was a good thing and mentioned it when we were chatting. I really didn't expect it would cause you so much trouble."

Xu Wen moved his lips, but he couldn't say "it's okay".

Dongsheng hasn’t been found yet!

It's been so long. The longer we delay, the more dangerous it will be.

Xu Wen said nothing, just stared straight at the sea.

The ships that went to search at sea gradually approached the shore one after another.

There is still no sign of Dongsheng.

The only hope is to go on an expedition without returning.

Xu Wen clasped his hands together. As a staunch materialist, he wanted to place his hope on a non-existent god for the first time.

"Please bless me, Bodhisattva!" Xu Wen murmured.

In the darkest hour before dawn, the long journey finally ended.

Xu Wenying was at the front. She didn't say a word, but all her anxiety and worry were in her eyes.

Lu Yuanzheng shook his head.

Xu Wen shook his body.

It is scary in itself that a child under five years old was missing on an isolated island for most of the night.

Xu Wen turned around to look for Huang Yu, needing to vent his anxiety and panic.

Huang Yu had just left since he realized he was in trouble.

Xu Wen gritted his teeth and scanned everyone's faces. In front of a group of adults stood Doudou, the only child.

It was not in vain that Dongsheng treated her as a good friend.

She glanced over, then remembered something and turned her gaze back to stride towards Doudou.

Doudou's mother was so scared that she shivered. She had never said anything bad about Xu Wen. Mainly because she didn't know about Dongsheng's affairs. Her husband was transferred to this camp later, so she didn't know either.

She didn’t know if Doudou had said anything nonsense when the other kids were playing together, so she subconsciously hid Doudou behind her.

No one doubted that Xu Wen would kill someone at this moment.

Xu Wen ignored Doudou's mother's doubts, squatted down and looked at Doudou behind her. Xu Wen asked her softly: "Doudou, has Dongsheng ever taken you to a secret base? The kind of place that no one else knows about except the two of you."

Doudou didn't shake his head immediately, but raised his head, squinted his eyes and thought seriously for a while, then asked Xu Wen, "Does a place where other kids will never find me count when playing hide-and-seek?"

Xu Wen's eyes lit up and he nodded: "Okay. Can you take me there?"

Doudou looked up at his mother.

Her mother's surname is Song, and her name is Song Qin. Seeing this, Song Qin bent down and touched Doudou's head, and said to her: "Doudou, if you know, can you take us there? Because it would be very dangerous for Dongsheng to hide there alone so late at night."

Only then did Doudou nod.

Song Qin held Doudou by her side and used a flashlight to illuminate the road beneath her feet.

Following behind him were several hundred people led by Lu Yuanzheng and Xu Wen.

That hide-and-seek treasure is the hope of everyone here.

Dongsheng and his friends usually hang out at the beach, in the wooden house, and in the camp on the top of the mountain.

The place Doudou mentioned was not far from the canteen, and it was indeed where they often played house games.

She led the group to an old tree and stopped.

This is an extremely old tree, with a trunk so thick that two adults can't hug it. There is a big black hole at about half a person's height, perhaps it was destroyed by a wild beast or struck by lightning.

Doudou pointed at the big black hole and said, "It's right there."

Everyone's flashlights shone in that direction.

All that could be seen was an empty black pit about half a meter high and thirty to forty centimeters deep.

Dongsheng is not here.

Xu Wen frowned. Could this place that could be seen at a glance be a treasure trove that could not be found when playing hide-and-seek?

Doudou pointed to the left side of the big black hole and said, "That piece of wood can be taken down."

Xu Wen was about to step forward when Lu Yuanzheng pulled him back, "I'll do it."

He walked under the tree with a flashlight and knocked on the inside of the rotten wood. Sure enough, there was no signal.

Lu Yuanzheng brought the flashlight closer and took a closer look, only to find that this must have been a disguise made by someone a long time ago to hide. There were indeed traces of wood of the same color spliced ​​together, and there was a thin rope of the same color on the board. He pulled it, and the board fell down, revealing a hole that was barely big enough for a person to fit through.

Dongsheng was curled up and sleeping inside, with tear marks still on his face.

"Dongsheng!" Lu Yuanzheng called softly.

When Xu Wen heard this, he rushed forward immediately.

Dongsheng opened his eyes when he heard the movement and called out "Dad" out of habit.

Lu Yuanzheng breathed a sigh of relief, handed the flashlight to Xu Wen, leaned into the tree hole, and carried Dongsheng out with both hands.

The contrast between the light inside and outside, as well as Xu Wen and the shouts of the crowd, opened Dongsheng's eyes.

As soon as he saw Xu Wen, he burst into tears, "Mom! Please don't abandon me! I won't compete with my little brother for affection, okay?"

Xu Wen's defense was broken, and he opened his arms to hug him from Lu Yuanzheng's arms. He hugged him tightly and burst into tears, "Silly child! How could I not want you?"

Lu Yuanzheng's cheekbones moved, and he was about to reach out to hug them, but when he saw the crowd, he withdrew his hand and said to everyone, "Thank you everyone! Dongsheng has been found, everyone go back first! We can talk tomorrow if there is anything else."

After dispersing the crowd, he forcibly took Dongsheng from Xu Wen's arms and led Xu Wen back, "Let's talk about it when we get home!"

When they got home, Dongsheng calmed down, and Xu Wen's panic also subsided.

There was no way to avoid reconciliation. Lu Yuanzheng got angry and separated Xu Wen and Dongsheng, and ordered Dongsheng to stand in the living room.

It’s not that Xu Wen didn’t want to protect her, but Lu Yuanzheng sent him away with a remark that a loving mother often spoils her child.

Then Xu Wen got angry too, and sat on the chair in front of the window with a stern face, not saying a word.

Lu Yuanzheng knew that he had said the wrong thing in a hurry, but now was not the time to coax his wife. He was examining Dongsheng.

"Come on, tell me, why didn't you come out when so many people in the camp shouted at you until your throat was hoarse?"

Later, when people walked away, he fell asleep, but he was definitely not asleep at first, he was hiding on purpose.

I feel bad for them, but we shouldn't run away from home when we are unhappy. This is an isolated island, and any accident could mean life or death.

If anything happened to Dongsheng, he would not be able to explain to his father.

"I want to wait for you to come find me." Dongsheng said in a low voice with his head lowered.

Lu Yuanzheng and Xu Wen both understood.

Just like many children who want to get their parents' attention will get into trouble.

He thought of hiding himself. If Lu Yuanzheng and Xu Wen found out that he was missing, coming to look for him would mean they cared about him.

Lu Yuanzheng's eyes softened, and then he asked angrily, "Then you didn't come out when we were looking for you! Your mother and I passed by that tree more than once! Every time we called out to you, but you never responded."

Dongsheng lowered his head and said nothing.

Lu Yuanzheng raised his foot and kicked him lightly on the buttocks, "Speak up! No matter how young you are, you are still a man. Don't be afraid to take responsibility for what you have done! If you feel wronged, you can speak up! If you don't speak up and hide it and make others worry, what kind of ability is that?"

Dongsheng muttered: "But you didn't find me either!"

Lu Yuanzheng hissed, feeling that there was no way to communicate, and was so angry that he wanted to kick him again.

Xu Wen pulled Dongsheng into his arms and protected him, "Don't just think about beating him up! Do you know why he hid himself? It's because Fuwa said that if I get pregnant and have another child, I won't like him anymore!"

Lu Yuanzheng was stunned.

He didn't know about this yet and just thought Dongsheng was unhappy and throwing a tantrum, otherwise he wouldn't have kicked him.

Dongsheng lay in Xu Wen's arms and cried loudly, crying so aggrieved and desperate, and kept repeating in his mouth, "Mom, please don't have a brother, okay?" "Mom, please don't dislike me!"

"Mom, I only have you as my mom, can you also have only me as your child?"

Lu Yuanzheng opened the door and walked into the yard, took out a cigarette, lit it, and looked up at the dimly lit sky.

Xu Wen looked at Lu Yuanzheng and patted Dongsheng on the back. "Dongsheng, I told you that I will never leave you again in this life. Do you remember?"

She had promised him a year ago.

Dongsheng nodded, "I remember."

"So do you believe what Fuwa says or what I say?"

"You." Dongsheng answered without hesitation. He stood up and looked down at Xu Wen's belly. "But I was not born from your belly. The baby was born from you! Will you be nice to him and not to me?"

"I don't have a baby in my belly. It's just a misunderstanding." Xu Wen wiped the tears from Dongsheng's eyes with his thumb. "Even if I have a little brother or sister in my belly one day, you are still my eldest son. Although you did not come out of my belly, I am still your mother! How can I not be good to you?"

Dongsheng pulled her clothes and started crying again, "Why don't my parents want me anymore? Then I won't steal my little brother and sister's mother."

Xu Wen was so distressed by his crying, and knew that he was talking about his parents. "Your parents are great heroes! They didn't mean to give up on you, they just sacrificed themselves to protect everyone's safety. Do you remember that you have another name besides Dongsheng?"

Dongsheng nodded, "My name is Li Zheng."

"Yes! Your father Li Huainian is a great hero. He sacrificed his life to defeat the bad guys who invaded our country and to protect his comrades. Your mother was also a nurse who was injured while protecting the wounded soldiers, and then she sacrificed her life to protect you. Dongsheng, they all love you very much, but they just can't continue to accompany you, so please ask Dad Lu to be your father. I am the mother you chose yourself.

You can hold your head high and tell others that I am your stepmother. It doesn’t matter if they scold me or not, but you have to remember that even if I am just a stepmother, I will love you as much as the mother who gave birth to you. "

Xu Wen slowly explained to Dongsheng that she didn't want to promise something she couldn't do, such as having only him as her child.

I didn't want to lie to him, because lies always get exposed when you least want them to.

Rather than hearing nonsense from other people, she would rather let him slowly accept the facts and make him believe that she and Lu Yuanzheng loved him very much.

Xu Wen held Dongsheng in his arms and let him sit on his lap. He spoke to him a lot as if he was talking to an adult.

Lu Yuanzheng sat at the door, smoking one cigarette after another.

Although Dongsheng still didn't quite understand, he realized one thing: whether he had a little brother or sister or not, Xu Wen would always love him so much.

Dongsheng sobbed and apologized: "I'm sorry, Mom, I shouldn't have hidden away and thrown a tantrum."

"I forgive you. But don't do this again next time, okay? Dad and I were so worried when we couldn't find you. Not only us, but also uncles and aunts from all over the island stayed up all night looking for you. Even Doudou followed you all night looking for you. If you have something unhappy in the future, you can tell us. If it's Mom and Dad's fault, we will change. If it's you, then you change. Okay?"

Dongsheng nodded: "I'm sorry, I won't do that next time."

Xu Wen put him on the ground and pointed in the direction of Lu Yuanzheng: "Apologize to Dad again. Don't think he is mean to you, it's because he is afraid. He is afraid that he can't find you and that you are in danger. In order to find you, Dad ran to the far, far sea alone."

Dongsheng hesitated for a moment, then moved to the door and whispered, "Dad, I was wrong!"

Lu Yuanzheng put out his cigarette and said, "This won't happen again. Let's go take a shower and go to bed!"

"I want Mama to wash it for me."

Lu Yuanzheng tapped him on the back of his head with his big hand, "Either I help you, or you wash yourself. There is no such option for Mom. She is a woman, and we are men. Men cannot bathe with women."

Dongsheng covered the back of his head and retorted: "You are lying! Then why did you take a bath with Mama?"

Xu Wenlian was immediately burned up.

She didn't know when Dongsheng saw or heard it.

Lu Yuanzheng seemed much calmer than Xu Wen, "Because she is my wife! When you grow up, you can also take a bath with your wife! But Mom can't, and other women can't either!"