Chapter 46: Entanglement

Zhang Yuanxiu returned home just before ten o’clock. Recently, he had taken on a business deal in a village five or six miles away, and his evening class ended at nine. Afterward, the filial sons would keep vigil, and then the Taoist priest could go home.

The next day, he had to leave around six, making earning this money quite hard work.

They didn’t mention Zhou Shufen’s situation to avoid bothering him.

They only told him that Zhang Tingyuan would be leaving early the next morning, and his tickets were already purchased, with his luggage packed.

Even though it was getting late, the father and son chatted for about an hour.

When Zhang Tingyuan returned, Lin Bingwei had already taken a nap.

“What time is it?”

“It’s eleven. You should go to sleep.”

“Mm.”

The next morning, Lin Bingwei got up to help Zhang Tingyuan pack his things and then sent him off.

Given his situation, it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to carry two large bags to the station by himself, so Lin Bingwei planned to accompany him and help carry half of his luggage.

Just as they were about to leave, a young man in a train station uniform arrived.

“Is this the home of Comrade Zhang Tingyuan?”

Li Yurong, who answered the door, quickly replied, “Yes, this is the home of Zhang Tingyuan. May I ask who you are?”

The man smiled and said, “I’m a staff member from the railway station. I was sent to pick up Comrade Zhang Tingyuan and take him to the train station. Here’s my work ID.”

He took out his ID to show Li Yurong.

Hearing the commotion, Zhang Tingyuan and Lin Bingwei came out of the house. The three of them checked his ID, and after confirming its authenticity, they believed him.

“Thank you very much, comrade.” Li Yurong quickly reached out to shake his hand and hurriedly asked Lin Bingwei to go to the kitchen to get the steamed buns and boiled eggs she had prepared before dawn as a token of gratitude for the comrade.

This way, Lin Bingwei wouldn’t have to make a trip to the city; she would just send him to the main road.

The organization’s humanistic care was commendable. Zhang Tingyuan mentioned that since someone was seeing him off, there would likely be someone to pick him up when he got off the train, so they didn’t need to worry. The comrade had driven a small car over, and all he needed to do was put his luggage in the car.

Once the luggage was secured, Zhang Tingyuan got into the car. “Mom, Weiwei, you should head back now. I’ll write to you once I arrive.”

“Hey, you be careful on the way.”

Li Yurong didn’t want him to go but felt there was no other choice.

Watching the car drive away, she took out a handkerchief and began to cry.

Lin Bingwei turned her gaze away and saw Li Yurong wiping her tears.

“Mom, don’t cry. He said he would write to us.”

Li Yurong’s tears wouldn’t stop flowing. “I’m worried about him. What if something happens to him?”

“He’s fine, isn’t he? Nothing will happen.”

“How can you be sure? He’s lucky this time, but what if there’s a next time?”

Uh…

“Weiwei, if anything happens to him, I encourage you to remarry. Please don’t stay with us and waste your life for our sake; it’s not worth it.”

Her words sounded strange, and Lin Bingwei kept glancing at her curiously on the way back.

When they got home, the two of them busied themselves in the kitchen, and only then did Li Yurong mention the nightmare she had.

“I dreamed that last time, Tingyuan wasn’t so lucky. He was honored, but his dad collapsed and couldn’t recover, and I fell ill. If it weren’t for you, this family would be finished.”

She recounted the nightmare to Li Yurong, shocking Lin Bingwei.

Li Yurong didn’t notice her reaction and continued rambling, “I mentioned to his dad about him getting shot. He said that surWeiweing great calamities brings future blessings, but I didn’t dare tell him about my dream.”

After talking for a while and noticing that Lin Bingwei hadn’t said anything, she finally stopped. “Weiwei, I was just rambling. You’re not scared, are you?”

Lin Bingwei came back to her senses and smiled gently. “No, Mom. Dad is right; surveying great calamities brings future blessings. Besides, people often say that dreams are the opposite. If you dream something bad for him, it means he’ll be fine.”

“Really?”

“Of course, Mom. Don’t overthink it.”

Li Yurong said, “But that dream felt so real, as if it had actually happened.”

“I dreamed that last time, Tingyuan wasn’t as lucky. He… was gone with honor. His father suffered a stroke from the shock, and I fell gravely ill. If it weren’t for you, this family would’ve been finished.”

She recounted the nightmare to Li Yurong, leaving Lin Bingwei utterly stunned.

Li Yurong, unaware of her reaction, continued rambling on. “I mentioned his gunshot wound to his father, and he said, ‘A great disaster always brings blessings in disguise.’ I didn’t dare tell him about my dream, though.”

After talking for a while, she finally noticed Lin Bingwei’s silence and stopped. “Weiwei, I was just saying things. You’re not scared, are you?”

Lin Bingwei snapped out of it and smiled faintly. “Of course not. Dad’s right—surWeiweing a disaster means good fortune ahead. Besides, don’t people always say that dreams are the opposite of reality? If you dream of something bad happening to him, that just means he’ll be fine.”

“Really?”

“Of course, Mom. Don’t overthink it.”

Li Yurong sighed. “But the dream felt so real, like it actually happened.”

“That’s just because you were terrified when Zhang Tingyuan got injured last time. Don’t worry, with his current condition, there’s no way they’ll assign him any dangerous tasks. He still has steel pins in his bones that haven’t even been removed yet.”

Li Yurong thought about it and nodded, patting her chest in relief. “At least until the pins are out, he’s safe.”

“Exactly, so stop worrying and think about happy things instead.”

Happy things? The fact that the nightmare was completely different from reality was already a happy thing.

If only that wretched Zhou Shufen hadn’t come stirring up trouble.

Not long after breakfast, Zhou Shufen showed up again.

“Mom, Mom, open the door! I want to see Jianguo!”

At that moment, Lin Bingwei was doing laundry, while Li Yurong was feeding the chickens.

What an insufferable woman.

Lin Bingwei dropped the laundry and picked up a washing stick.

Before she could act, Li Yurong put down her basket and held her back. “Weiwei, you can’t get involved in this. She’s Tingyi’s wife and Jianguo’s birth mother. You’re the younger sister-in-law—it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to step in. Just keep an eye on Jianguo. I’ll handle this. I’m the elder here, and if she wants to enter this house, she has to call me ‘Mom’ first. If I teach her a lesson, no one can say a thing.”

Zhou Shufen hadn’t come alone—Aunt Liu was with her, along with a crowd of nosy onlookers eager for drama.

Since it wasn’t her place to interfere, Lin Bingwei handed the washing stick to Li Yurong. “Mom, take this. If she makes a scene, just beat her out.”

“Alright.” Li Yurong had lived her whole life without ever hitting anyone, but Zhou Shufen was infuriating enough that she just might make an exception.

She unlatched the gate and shoved Zhou Shufen aside.

“Didn’t I make myself clear yesterday? Our family will never take you back. Stop coming here—do you understand or not?”

Zhou Shufen sobbed. “Mom, I really know I was wrong! Can’t you give me another chance? At least for Jianguo’s sake? Please, just one more chance!”

The same old words, over and over again—she couldn’t even come up with something new.

Li Yurong scoffed. “It’s exactly because of Jianguo that I won’t let you in. Having a mother like you is bad luck for him. Now leave before I have to make you.”

At that moment, Aunt Liu jumped in. “Oh, come on, sister-in-law, what are you doing? No matter what, she’s still Jianguo’s mother. You can’t stop a child from seeing his mother!”

Some in the crowd chimed in, “That’s right! No matter what, she has the right to see her son.”

Recalling the cryptic things they had overheard last night, Li Yurong’s expression turned somber. “Who said I won’t let her see him? The first day she came, I told her—if she wants to see Jianguo, we can agree on a time and place, and I’ll bring him over to let her see him as much as she wants. But if she thinks she can walk through my front door, forget it. After everything she’s done, I will never allow that.”

Most people were reasonable enough.

Hearing this, the crowd finally understood the situation.