Each and every word the girl spoke was sincere. It seemed to embody a miserable past that made her emotional.
Yang Chen frowned, then probed,
Ye-er, in the past, were you…….
Before he asked, Mo Qianni shot his question down.
What are you saying! How can you ask her such a thing!?
Mo Qianni resentfully said. She held onto Ye Zi’s hand and said,
Ye-er, it’s alright if you don’t want to talk about it, just pretend that I didn’t ask.
Ye Zi gave a forced smile, and looked at Mo Qianni with gratitude and said,
Big Sis Mo, please don’t blame Big Brother Yang. It’s fine, I have not been bullied by them.
Mo Qianni sighed in relief and smiled,
You frightened me, if that was truly the case, I’d file a lawsuit for you.
Ye Zi was incredibly down, and whispered,
It was my mother.
What!?
Mo Qianni who was elated a moment ago was stunned, and even Yang Chen was a little surprised.
Ye Zi bitterly said,
It was all a long time ago. My mother took this train, and was bullied by people like them at that time. Later on… I was born.
Ye Zi spoke gloomily, but she was very calm, as if this adversity didn’t concern her.
Mo Qianni couldn’t help tearing up, she hugged Ye Zi tenderly,
You and your mother definitely had it tough.
It wasn’t tough for me, but since my mother had me, she couldn’t get married, and even had a falling out with her mother. She raised me all by herself, and I feel like I’ve let her down.
In the end, Ye Zi still sobbed, her sparkling tears stained her shirt,
In the past, Mom brought me to the city to sell our local specialties, but I knew that it was painful for her because she would be reminded of the past every time she took this train. She’d practically be unable to catch any sleep any night, and would cry under the blanket so that I wouldn’t hear…… That’s why I insisted on coming out to sell the goods alone. Although we’d end up selling less, I’d be more at ease……
The air in the cabin felt rather stifling, so Yang Chen opened the window slightly to let the mountainous winds enter, which made it a lot more bearable.
Ye-er’s life story made Mo Qianni recall her own horrible past. The two was caught up in their thoughts, and no longer spoke until they reached the station they were getting off at.
The train stop to the village was incredibly run down, there was only one small room that sold tickets, where an old man handled everything. It might actually make no difference even if he wasn’t here.
As they were all heading to the same place, Mo Qianni held Ye Zi’s hand, and they walked towards the bus stop to Kunshan Village together.
Truthfully, if it wasn’t because she bumped into these two, Ye Zi intended to return to the village on foot. Although the bus fare was inexpensive, the money she had was her sweat and toil, and she couldn’t bear to use it like this.
It was already evening time. The skies were gray and a storm seemed imminent, causing the small town they were currently at to seem even more desolate.
Although the sky was gradually turning black, Mo Qianni chose not to spend the night at this small town as she had already informed her mother that she would arrive tonight. The three had a snack of tea eggs and omelettes by the road. Next, they were led by Ye Zi to an area with a crude plastic shelter with cement floor which was the bus stop.
Ye Zi was rather fidgety, she walked back and forth while waiting for the bus, and finally couldn’t help but say,
Big Sister Mo, it’s better if I walked back. I’ve already gotten a free dinner from you guys, I can’t let you pay for my bus ride too.
It was a mere five dollars for the bus ride. This was an insignificant amount of money for them who lived in Zhonghai, but for this teenager, it was a great favor that she couldn’t accept.
Mo Qianni pretended to be angry as she said,
Do you dislike travelling with us?’
No… That’s not it, it’s just difficult for me to accept such kindness.
Ye Zi softly replied.
Mo Qianni couldn’t help rubbing Ye Zi’s face,
Oh look at you, you’re just like how I was back then. Although I was even younger than you at that time, I can’t help but find you so familiar. You need not feel apologetic over this, just think of me as your elder sister who’s taking care of you.
As she didn’t know what to say, Ye Zi bit her lip and obediently nodded.
After waiting for another fifteen minutes, an old minibus slowly arrived at the bus stop. The three of them got on, and Yang Chen became the gofer carrying all of their luggages.
Before they got on, there were only a total of five people in the bus including the driver. In this minibus which could accommodate twenty people, only eight people were on board towards Kunshan Village.
As there were several stops along the way, the bus stopped occasionally, but there were only around fifteen people on the bus two hours later when it was about to arrive at Kunshan Village.
The bus went over the last hill, and they were closing in on Kunshan Village.
But it was right at this time that the dark clouds in the sky made its move, and shot out lightning which struck the ground repeatedly.
At practically the same time, torrential rain began to pour as if the gods willed it, covering everything the eyes could see with rainwater.
Many parts of the treacherous road was worn down and unbearably muddy, which made the bus even slower than before.
Watching the pelting rain, Mo Qianni held Ye Zi in her arms. The young lady seemed very worried as she had to hike past two more hills on foot to reach her home.
It’s alright, you could always spend the night at my place. It’s already so late, yet you have to walk over hills when it’s raining? That’s too dangerous.
Mo Qianni consoled her.
Ye Zi shook her head,
That won’t do, Big Sister Mo. It has been so many years since you came back to visit your mother, I can’t possibly intrude at a time like this. Besides, my mother would also worry.
If you were returning home on foot this late, your mother would worry even more. The paths in the mountains are so slippery when it rains, if you end up falling, what’s your mother going to do? Listen to me, spend the night at my place.
Mo Qianni said with a commanding tone.
Ye Zi wanted to reject her, but looking at the storm that seemed to be expanding, she had no choice but say,
If the rain stops, then I’ll go home.
-2: Swallow returning to its nest
The temperature was high when there was daylight, so when rain came pouring down in the evening, there was a lot of mist. Luckily, there wasn’t much traffic along the way, so the bus managed to safely arrive at Kunshan Village’s bus stop after much hardship.
Yang Chen first got off to open the umbrella Mo Qianni brought, then supported the two ladies when they got down. As the ground was muddy and slippery, they were extremely careful.
After getting off the bus, Mo Qianni realized that there was only one umbrella for the three of them. The rain wasn’t going to stop, so they couldn’t all remain sheltered under it. Helpless, she looked towards Yang Chen.
Yang Chen understood what she meant, and handed the umbrella over to Mo Qianni without any hesitation.
You and Ye-er stay under the umbrella while I carry the luggages, it’s ladies first. In any case, my body is robust, a little rain can’t hurt me.
But……
But what? I can’t bear to let my Little Qianqian get in the rain, but if I let Ye-er get soaked, you’d strangle me to death.
Yang Chen joked.
Mo Qianni blushed. Feeling sweet inside, she spoke no more.
Ye-er watched the intimacy between the two, and was a little envious.
The three walked along a narrow path with many bends and slopes covered with weed and stone as they advanced towards Kunshan Village. Yang Chen followed behind the ladies, carrying all of their luggages. A route like this was considered difficult to travel for ordinary people, but to Yang Chen, other than the annoying feeling of rain falling on his clothes, it was no different than walking on flat land.
Gradually, the village began to reveal itself within the mist. Houses were built at varying altitudes, which was common in rural areas. This was a place where people of multiple ethnicities lived together, so there was a myriad of housing styles.
It had been over ten years since Mo Qianni was home, but she didn’t need to figure out where her house was despite the various changes in the village, because there was someone here to lead the way.
At the end of the path, there was someone holding a black umbrella in the rain. This person was looking in their direction.
Mo Qianni’s feet came to a halt. Like a weathered rock, she stood upright, staring at that person, and her eyes reddened.
The person standing ahead seemed to have noticed something, and shouted,
Are you Ni-zi?
It was a very ordinary woman’s voice, but it made Mo Qianni lose control of her emotions. She tossed the umbrella aside, ignored the filthy path of mud and stone, ignored the pelting rain, and even forgot about the pitiful Ye Zi who needed the shelter as she ran over.
Mom!
Joyful and thankful like a baby swallow returning to its nest. This was a way of describing this rainy scene.
Who could have known that despite the rain and nightfall, Mo Qianni’s mother, Ma Guifang would be waiting at the entrance of the village? It seemed like she had been waiting for quite a while, she was truly a doting parent.
When Yang Chen and Ye Zi caught up with them, Mo Qianni and her mother was already sobbing while embracing each other.
Ma Guifang didn’t drop her umbrella like Mo Qianni did. Her arm was still upright, sheltering Qianni from the rain. Although her face was wrinkled, it was apparent that she was beautiful when younger. Her tears flowed down, but it was impossible to distinguish between which were tears and which were rainwater.
Ma Guifang who wore handmade purple clothes hugged her daughter who wore fashionable sportswear. Yet, it was this ill-fitting combination that made them look all the more harmonious at that moment.
Yang Chen held the umbrella that Mo Qianni dropped, and used it to shelter Ye Zi and himself. Actually, it made no difference whether he covered himself or not, for he was already soaked all over.
When the mother-daughter pair were done hugging, over ten minutes had passed. The two separated and stared at each other for a while, there was nary a word from them. They just smiled at each other knowing that they had so much to talk about, to the point that they didn’t know where to begin.
Ma Guifang wiped away her tears, and awkwardly smiled at Yang Chen and Ye Zi.
This is embarrassing, we forgot about you guys. You must be Son-in-law Yang, Ni-zi has spoken about you to me on the phone, you’re very handsome.
Handsome? This seems to be the first time that someone says I look good, could it be that I look more and more pleasing to the eye as time passes to this mother-in-law? But this was the first time they met.
Yang Chen didn’t expect this mother-in-law to call him her son-in-law so easily, but as a thick-skinned person, he accepted it with a laugh.
It was instead Mo Qianni who rolled her eyes at him with both anger and joy.
Noticing the confusion Ma Guifang had when looking at Ye Zi, Mo QIanni explained,
Mom, this is a girl from the southern part of the village. She journeyed with us,but since it’s dark and raining, I want to let her stay over for the night. Her name is Ye Zi, you may call her Ye-er.
Ma Guifang understood the situation, and cordially held Ye Zi’s hand,
Don’t be shy, young lady. Follow me back, dinner is just about ready as well.
Thank you Auntie.
Ye Zi was still a little reserved, but she still thanked with a sweet smile.
As a result, Mo Qianni held hands with her mother as the four of them walked to her house. Compared to earlier, Mo Qianni was obviously a lot happier, it was a feeling of joy when reunited with family, which made Yang Chen rather envious.
However, Ma Guifang would turn to glance at Yang Chen from time to time with a smile, and it was the kind of smile that made it seem like she was liking him more and more. This made Yang Chen’s scalp itch.
I don’t think I’ve given this mother-in-law any gifts yet. Could it be that she has already noticed my
loyal, dependable, pure, and kind
nature, my quality of being more like a virgin than a virgin, and has taken a liking to me!?
