姜语走进了干果店，看似平静的在挑选炒货，实则内心慌得一批。她本身对姜媚儿的八卦不感兴趣，便一直没有关注她的迹象。这会儿莫名其妙的蹦跶出来，不多想都难。
“哎，听说了吗？最近城里抓住了一批人贩子，据说把上面的领导都惊动了，也不知道这群人怎么想的，为了赚钱什么事儿都做的出来。”
On the street, some people chatted idly with their arms folded, while passersby hurried by, showing no intention of lingering. Normally, Jiang Yu wouldn't have had time to listen to such chatter. But having just been reminded by Bai Na, she couldn't help but look unpleasant.
"And you know what? I heard that when they followed the clues and found those children, some of them were barely recognizable as human. Some were maids in remote areas, some were beaten for disobeying, and some had their legs broken and were forced to beg on the streets. The scene was heartbreaking even for outsiders. I wonder what their own parents would think if they saw it. It was truly unbearable to look at."
"Compared to those who lost their lives, they are considered very good."
Jiang Yu shakily placed the cardboard bag in her hand on the scale, and the shopkeeper reminded her several times before she finally paid. Time passed slowly, and a flood of hazy memories washed over her, making her feel completely overwhelmed.
If this continues, even without any unexpected events, she'll go crazy from overthinking. Jiang Yu took two deep breaths, preparing to ask for more details, but the gossiping crowd in the corner had already disappeared, leaving behind a mess of sunflower seed shells.
"Jiang Yu".
In a daze, she heard a deep voice. Looking in the direction, she saw a man walking towards her from not far away, carrying a gas cylinder on his shoulder and a wok in his hand.
No wonder it took him so long to get to the meeting point; he went to buy something else.
Shen Ying saw Jiang Yu standing alone in the corner from afar, with things scattered on the ground. His first thought was that the woman was tired, so he walked over to her in a few quick steps and picked up the vegetables from the ground.
"Didn't you go to pick up the kids? Where's Sui Sui? I'm asking you, where's Sui Sui?"
Jiang Yu only saw the man himself, and frantically grabbed his collar, looking around frantically.
"Mom, I'm here! What's wrong?"
Hearing the sound, Shen Suisui emerged from behind the man, holding a string of candied hawthorns. She had been so focused on eating behind her father that she hadn't noticed her figure being blocked.
Seeing Chen Suisui appear before him, Jiang Yu bent down, hugged her tightly, and breathed a long sigh of relief. The bewildered child looked up at the man, and the two stared at each other in confusion.
"Jiang Yu?"
The man called her name, trying to bring her to her senses. His first thought was whether she had been upset by someone or something.
"No...it's nothing."
Jiang Yu controlled her emotions, acting as if nothing had happened, and took Shen Suisui's hand. The father and daughter, as if they had planned it, didn't ask any further questions.
On the way to the bus stop, Shen Ying sensed that the woman's emotions had stabilized, and unconsciously began to speak:
"I just saw Sister Xue at the gas shop. She said she couldn't get through to you by phone in the village, so she wrote you a letter. She should have arrived by now."
He was unaware of the contents of the letter when he met Li Xue at the shop entrance. It took him a while to remember that the village chief's landline had been broken for several days and had only recently been repaired.
"Um."
Jiang Yu nodded, indicating that she was listening. She gripped Shen Suisui's hand tightly, knowing without guessing that the letter must be related to the trip to the provincial capital tomorrow.
The clothes are already finished; there's no need for frantic rushing to finish them tonight. She should have already told all the men about it.
"The blizzard is true. We won't be going to the provincial capital tomorrow for the time being. We'll also give you the reason. You can rest well at home tomorrow."
As someone who frequently travels to the provincial capital for competitions, Shen Ying naturally knows how arduous the journey is. Aside from getting up early, just sitting in the car all morning is enough to break a person's bones. This woman has been busy for a whole week, and with the added fatigue of travel, she definitely won't be able to rest for a while.
Now it's all good. Because of the delay due to the weather, I have a day off and can better adjust my body.
"good."
Jiang Yu didn't have the energy to think about these things. Anyway, she had already made full preparations, so it didn't matter whether she went early or late.
The woman, usually so positive about life, now seemed somewhat indifferent to life and death, which made Shen Ying more vigilant. He couldn't fathom what could have changed her so drastically, and assumed Jiang Yu was simply exhausted.
As the family of three walked to the corner, they could see a large crowd of people at the bus stop from a distance. To the uninformed, this scene might have looked like a group of refugees fleeing famine.
Some people with relatives in the city, having heard the news in advance, came out early to stock up on goods. They bought quite a lot of things and didn't catch the last bus until it was getting late, so everyone was crowded together.
When Jiang Yu boarded the bus, there were no seats left, and even the handrails were occupied. Amidst the commotion and jostling, Jiang Yu stood on tiptoe but still couldn't reach the top railing.
Worried about being bumped into, she could only walk towards the back with the crowd, her hands protecting Shen Suisui's head to prevent her from bumping it.
After a while, everyone finally came up. The sounds of talking, arguing, and children crying mingled together, making everyone's ears ring.
It took the ticket seller quite a while to maintain order before things started to improve. As the bus started moving, many people who hadn't been able to stand still nearly fell.
Without the aid of rings or other equipment, Jiang Yu lost her balance and fell straight into the crowd. Just as she was about to collide with a 'lucky person,' a large hand pulled her back.
"Jiang Yu, hold on tight to me."
While the man was speaking, he shielded Shen Sui Sui in front of him where the gas cylinder was placed, as it was a safe place where the child wouldn't bump into it.
Jiang Yu thanked him softly, then awkwardly grabbed his arm, her cheeks slightly flushed where the man couldn't see.
As the journey became increasingly bumpy, they arrived at the village, and many people got off the bus, making the vehicle suddenly more spacious. Seeing this, Jiang Yu, who was holding the man's arm, quickly withdrew her hand and pulled Chen Suisui to sit in the empty seats at the back.
Outside the window, snow began to fall heavily, each snowflake larger than a child's palm.
The people on the bus had never seen anything like it before. Amidst gasps and exclamations of amazement, many remarked that the trip had been well worth it.
Shenjiazhuang:
Zhao Meiyun was kneading dough in the house when she listened to Zhang Xinhua ramble on for almost an hour. Her head was throbbing so badly that she wanted to pick up a rolling pin and hit someone.
She had never had any dealings with this woman before, and after learning that she had bullied her daughter-in-law and grandson, she wanted to ignore her even more.
Zhang Xinhua rambled on and on, her mouth dry from talking. Seeing that she couldn't get any information out of him, a new idea popped into her head.
"Auntie, you and my mother-in-law are distant relatives, how could I possibly harm you?"
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