Chapter 33: Chapter 33 Her Stomach Hurts
Translator: 549690339
How could they have failed to notice that they had already finished their water? They weren’t thirsty right now, but what about later? They still needed to take the bus and go back.
Soon after, the old gatekeeper stepped out.
They informed him that Sang Zhilan hadn’t come to work today.
Hadn’t come to work? Tang Zhinian calculated the time, that wasn’t possible. It wasn’t her off-day, how could she not be at work? Tang Zhinian was more aware of Sang Zhilan’s work schedule than anyone else. He was constantly calculating it, thinking about when she’d be working and when she might come to see their daughter. However, no matter how long her time off was, she never seemed to come back. Recently, she was coming home more often, but it was to divorce him.
That’s right, the old gatekeeper nodded his head, she hadn’t come in, and hadn’t been seen since yesterday afternoon.
I see, Tang Zhinian sighed, but what could he do? If she wasn’t there, he couldn’t wait endlessly. Though it didn’t matter to him personally, he could just huddle somewhere, but what about Xinxin? She was so young, what if she caught a cold?
He had just decided to leave with his daughter but Tang Yuxin started speaking to the gatekeeper in her little girl’s voice.
“Grandpa, could you please give us some water? We have a long journey home and we’ve run out.”
“Sure, there’s plenty of water,” the gatekeeper replied. The title of “grandpa” tugged at his heartstrings. He gave a stern look at the adult Tang Zhinian. “Why didn’t you just say so if you didn’t have any water? Water doesn’t cost a dime, you know. I wouldn’t mind if it was just you, but the child is so small. You couldn’t possibly let her go thirsty, could you?”
This scolding made Tang Zhinian, the grown man, blush. This rural farmer from Shi City was still honest and direct.
The gatekeeper wasted no time and filled their water bottle to the very top.
Tang Zhinian placed the water bottle inside his jacket. The cotton jacket he was wearing was very big, big enough to hold more than just the one water bottle. However, this time they were returning empty-handed.
Tang Yuxin continued to be carried by her father. Since arriving here, Tang Zhinian hadn’t let her go. Although his arm ached from the strain, he had heard that the city was not safe, and many children had been kidnapped. Therefore, he needed to keep his daughter close.
However, Tang Zhinian was at a loss as to where to go next. They hadn’t found her, and she hadn’t been at the employee dormitory. Coming here was no small feat. If they went back today, coming back would be a challenge.
They had farm work to do and vegetables to grow. Plus, the weather was bad, and he couldn’t be bringing Yuxin out all the time. Zhijun was working in someone else’s field, and he couldn’t take care of Yuxin. Besides, Zhijun didn’t have any experience being a father. How would he take care of a child this young?
Throughout the journey, Tang Yuxin was far from calm. She had a lot on her mind. After Sang Zhilan had taken her to the Wei Family, Wei Jiani fell ill and was hospitalized for over a month. Now, Sang Zhilan was nowhere to be found. She hadn’t been at work or the employee dormitory. The gatekeeper mentioned that she had been taking a lot of time off. That meant that right now, she should have been at the hospital.
She couldn’t remember when in her previous life she had gone back with Sang Zhilan. But even if they delayed for a few days, it wouldn’t change the fact that Wei Jiani was sick.
After much hesitation, Tang Zhinian decided to head towards the bus station.
“Daddy, my stomach hurts.”
Tang Yuxin squeezed her eyes shut and managed to squeeze out a few tears. Although she wasn’t a child, she couldn’t naturally master the ability to cry or laugh on command. But she at least managed to force out a few tears.
“What’s wrong?” Tang Zhinian asked in surprise.