Chapter 77: Chapter 75: Yun’er Chapter 77: Chapter 75: Yun’er Shen Chengyao and his wife finally entered Yundong County after five days of travel.
Yundong County was by the sea, and the salty sea breeze hit them full in the face.
After lining up to enter the city, Mrs.
Liu couldn’t bear her hunger, “Dear, let’s buy some buns to eat on the way after we enter the city!”
They had eaten a few buns early in the morning and then traveled for half a day, and now they were all hungry.
Recently, she didn’t know if it was because they didn’t have meals at regular times, or their food wasn’t as good, her breast milk was insufficient, and the baby wanted to nurse more and more frequently.
Luckily, Xiao’er had prepared some dried meat, otherwise, there would be even less milk.
“Alright, there’s a bun shop up ahead.”
“Sister Li, how much further to Li Village?” Mrs.
Liu felt as if she was being jolted so much by the carriage that her waist was about to break.
She had never been so far away from home in her life.
She didn’t realize that traveling by carriage could be this painful!
“Not much further, half a day’s journey from the southern city gate!”
“Half a day!” Mrs.
Liu was disappointed to hear this.
“I usually walk out of the city, we should get there quickly by carriage!” Sister Li felt dizzy in the carriage and wanted to arrive faster.
When Mrs.
Liu heard this, she perked up – if walking takes half a day, then they should get there much quicker with the carriage!
Upon reaching the bun shop, Shen Chengyao got off the carriage to buy twenty hot meat buns and filled a few gourds with hot water, then rushed back on the road.
Throughout their journey, in order to reach their destination faster, they ate food that could be taken on the carriage, such as buns, steamed buns, or cornbread.
However, they were used to hard times, having meat buns was quite good, and Sister Li didn’t think the food was bad.
Li Village was even closer to the sea, and the sea breeze made their faces sting.
“Our village is by the sea, most of the villagers rely on fishing for a living.
But fish caught from the sea are hard to keep alive, and there are too many people selling fish in the city, so we can only just scrape by.
When there are big storms, houses can be blown down, and we can’t go out to sea, life is even harder.”
“Your village’s houses seem to be very sturdy!” Mrs.
Liu thought to herself, how strong the wind must be to blow down a house built of such large stones.
“The destructive power of wave is terrifying.” She regretted marrying so far away!
But such is fate!
Life by the sea was fraught with uncertainty.
She was terrified all the time, and it took her many years to adapt to this environment.
“The third house up ahead is my home!” Sister Li pointed out.
When they arrived at Sister Li’s house, she jumped off the carriage and banged on the door.
“Yong’er, Hai’er, Mom is home!”
Shen Chengyao and Mrs.
Liu also got off the carriage, Shen Chengyao helped the little girl tighten her quilt, only her eyes and a nose were exposed, the wind was too strong, it was making their eyes water.
The little girl had just eaten and smiled at her dad who was covering her with the quilt.
Seeing this, Shen Chengyao’s fatigue from the past few days lessened quite a bit, and he was about to meet his other daughter too!
“Mom, you’re back?” a small boy’s voice came from the courtyard, and then the door creaked open, a figure threw himself into Sister Li’s arms.
“Yong’er, where are your cousin sister and cousin brother?
Your cousin sister’s parents have come to take her home.”
Yong’er timidly looked at Shen Chengyao and Mrs.
Liu, “Mom, grandma said cousin sister was going to die yesterday, she said having a dead person in the house would bring bad luck to our family, so she threw cousin sister on the back mountain!
Cousin brother went with her.”
Upon hearing this, Mrs.
Liu almost fainted.
“Where is the back mountain?
Tell me quickly!” Shen Chengyao’s eyes were red as he yelled.
His daughter, the daughter he had just heard news of!
Could she still be alive after being thrown on the back mountain in such cold weather?
He didn’t even know if there were any wild beasts on the back mountain.
“I, I’ll take you!” Even though Yong’er was startled, he bravely responded.
They hurried to the back mountain.
“She’s in this cave, cousin brother and I carried cousin sister into the cave last night!
I even stole a quilt from home to cover them!”
The entry to the cave was small, children could enter without issues, but adults had to bend down to go inside.
In the cave, a small girl silently lay on a pile of grass, covered by a tattered quilt.
What was startling were her pale face and blood stains around her mouth.
Next to her, a small boy was holding a stick in hand, propping up his body, which looked as if it would collapse at any moment.
His face was purple and black, and there was blood around his mouth.
He chased away an unknown creature with great difficulty, and said, “Don’t come over, you cannot bite Yue’er!
If you come any closer, I am going to…
kill…
you.” After finishing his sentence, he collapsed.
Upon entering, Shen Chengyao saw this scene.
He quickly stepped forward, grabbed the stick, and killed the creature with a few swift strokes.
“Ah!”
Sister Li screamed in fright at the sight of the two children, thinking they were ghosts.
“Yun’er!
Yun’er!” Mrs.
Liu ran to Yun’er’s side.
She could recognize her daughter even if she were turned to ashes, no matter how horrifying she looked!
She stretched out a trembling finger and put it under Yun’er’s nose.
Although the breath was very weak, it was there!
“She’s still alive, Yun’er is still alive.”
“Didn’t Xiao’er give you medicine?
Bring it out quickly!”
“Ah, right, the medicine!
Feed her the medicine!” Mrs.
Liu hastily unwrapped a bundle from her shoulder.
Xiao’er said this medicine could cure chills and other illnesses.
Mrs.
Liu fed a pill of the medicine to Yun’er.
“Is that package for poisoning?” The boy’s lips were all black.
He seemed poisoned.
If the poison wasn’t cured soon, he would be beyond saving.
“A drop of the water in this gourd is enough!” Shen Chengyao pried the boy’s mouth open and dropped a drop of water into his mouth.
Very soon, the black color on the boy’s mouth and face faded away rapidly.
The boy woke up quickly.
Upon opening his eyes and seeing Shen Chengyao, he was on guard immediately, “Who are you?”
“Wenri!” Sister Li exclaimed with joy as she saw Wenri awake.
“Aunt?” Recognizing the familiar voice, Wenri turned his head to see Sister Li and relaxed, then he recalled Yun Yue’er, turned back hurriedly, “Yue’er!”
At this moment, Mrs.
Liu was helping Yun’er wipe the blood off her face.
Yun’er groggily woke up too, seeing the woman wiping her face, she felt like she was seeing her mother, “Brother Ri, did I die?
I seem to see my mother.” She thought she could see her mother only if she was dead.
Ever since she left her parents, she remembered their faces every night, fearing she would forget one day.
In case they came to take her home when they had money in future, she wouldn’t recognize her parents.
Her auntie told her, “Our family can’t afford to raise so many girls.
Your mother gave birth to two daughters at once.
The plan is to sell one of you.
If you aren’t willing to go with these uncles and aunts, Xiao’er will have to go with them.
Rest assured, when we have money, we will bring Xiao’er back home.”
Her elder sister was more playful and ate a lot.
She would definitely be disliked when sent to somebody else’s house, so her sister should not leave with them.
Did they have money now?
Or was she dreaming?
“It’s your mother, your mother is here!” After saying this, Mrs.
Liu’s tears streamed down uncontrollably, she was choking on her words.
“Wen Yue, it’s your parents who have come to get you!” Sister Li’s eyes were moist.
She hadn’t expected that after so many years, this little girl still remembered her mother.
“Yun’er, it’s your daddy.
Do you remember me?” Shen Chengyao squatted beside Yun’er, holding her hand and asked softly.
After so many years, his little girl had barely grown.
What kind of life had she been living?
His eyes were red, so was his nose!
“Ah, Dad, Mom, you are finally here.
I, I …
have been waiting for you…for so long!” Seeing her parents had indeed come for her, Yun’er couldn’t help but cry her heart out.
She had forgotten how many days she had spent, suppressing her sobs and crying only stealthily at night.
The family of four held each other in their arms and wept.
The three onlookers couldn’t help shedding tears too.
After a while, the little boy asked Sister Li, “Auntie, have you found my parents?”
“I don’t know who your parents are or where to find them.” Sister Li wiped her eyes and shook her head.
Hearing that, the boy glanced enviously at the family huddled together, then lowered his head.
Yue’er had her own parents now and would return to her home.
Would he really be left alone in the world from now on?