Chapter 192: Pointing the Way

When Wang Qian and the others returned from fishing with three fish, Xiaoping had already woken up, but she was crying and looking for her mother.

Wang Qian walked over and asked her, “Xiaoping, do you still recognize your sister?”

The little girl, of course, recognized the sister who had made her delicious food at lunchtime. She nodded and asked, “Sister, where’s my mom? I woke up, but I didn’t see my mom.”

Xiaoping hadn’t forgotten about her mother. Wang Qian turned to Zhang Lan and asked, “Mom, can she go back now? We’ve been fishing for so long.”

Zhang Lan smiled and asked Xiaoping, “Xiaoping, your mom is at home. How about this? Your sister has brought back some fish from fishing. Would you like Grandma to cook the fish for you? After we’re done, we can take the fish to your mom. How does that sound?”

Since Wang Qian had come over, the family’s culinary skills had been continuously improving. In Wang Qian’s eyes, even the food in official households probably couldn’t compare to what they had at home.

However, Xiaoping’s situation was different. She was an orphan with a widowed mother, and their living standards were not as high. Even they didn’t usually have the opportunity to eat fish, except when Wang Qian was able to provide it. Otherwise, the family wouldn’t have been able to enjoy such a rich variety of food.

Xiaoping looked at the fish in Mingyuan’s hands, then glanced at Zhang Lan, showing a timid desire to eat.

“Xiaoping, why don’t you play with your brother and sister for a while? Grandma will cook the fish for you. Later, we’ll go home and find your mom, okay?” Zhang Lan said.

Hao Lianchun took the fish from Zhang Lan and whispered a few words to her. Afterward, Zhang Lan looked at Xiaoping, who was happily playing with the other children, nodded, and left.

Hao Lianchun was concerned about Xiu Li. If she looked so frightened, sending the child back would undoubtedly scare her. She asked Zhang Lan to go over and help take care of her, considering the woman’s plight and the child’s well-being.

When Zhang Lan arrived, Lin Xiu Li had already been released, but she was covered in bruises, with the most severe ones inflicted by the man’s wife.

As soon as Zhang Lan entered, she saw Xiu Li lying on the kang, looking disheveled and pale. If she hadn’t been breathing, Zhang Lan would have thought she was gone.

“Xiu Li, how are you?” Zhang Lan asked anxiously as she saw the battered woman lying on the kang. Xiu Li managed a bitter smile.

“Sister, I really didn’t want you to see me in such a sorry state. It’s all my fault that things have come to this,” Xiu Li said. With these words, she, who had not shed a tear until now, began to cry loudly, lamenting her own grievances and the mistake of trusting the wrong person.

Zhang Lan climbed onto the kang and held her tightly. She knew Xiu Li was not the type to be easily swayed, and she probably had a long history with that man.

“Silly girl, go ahead and cry. Then we’ll hold our heads high and live our lives. Think about your child. Xiaoping is still so young. She can’t be without her mother. You have to live for her, even if it’s just for her. Let others think what they want. We have to live our lives well. We can’t spend our whole lives worrying about what others think. From now on, you have to take care of yourself and not let us worry. Xiaoping was so frightened today.”

As she spoke about the child, Xiu Li’s face darkened. Thinking about what Grandma Hou said about her daughter being taken away by Zhang Lan, and then looking at her own appearance, she felt a deep sense of gratitude toward Zhang Lan and her family. She understood the significance of their visit at this time.

“Sister, I was wrong. I was blind. I really let down my deceased husband,” Xiu Li said.

Zhang Lan gently patted her back. “Silly girl, go ahead and cry. Your man, after all, is Xiaoping’s father. No other man can compare to him. At the very least, he cared for you and looked out for you. In the future,  find a good man to marry and live your lives well, raising your children.”

At this moment, Xiu Li truly regretted it. She regretted it the moment that man stood silently in the audience. She realized that all that “first love” nonsense was just a load of crap. Fortunately, she hadn’t married such a man.

After Xiu Li calmed down, Zhang Lan boiled a pot of water and helped her clean herself. Seeing the bruises all over Xiu Li’s body, Zhang Lan felt a pang of heartache.

“Xiu Li, does it still hurt? I’ll get some alcohol to help with the bruises. Who could be so heartless to inflict such severe injuries? We’re all women. Why make things difficult for each other?” Zhang Lan said.

Xiu Li was well aware of who had caused her injuries. “Sister, you have to believe me. I haven’t seduced any men from our village, and that man isn’t from our village either.”

Zhang Lan knew Xiu Li’s character to some extent. If she said she hadn’t done something, then she hadn’t. However, she remembered that Xiu Li had mentioned a person in the past, and she had some suspicions. “Sister, is that man the one you were involved with from your maternal family?”

Xiu Li hesitated but eventually nodded with difficulty. “Sister, I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I was blind, and I chose the wrong person.”

Xiu Li didn’t want to discuss it further, and Zhang Lan didn’t press the matter. Once Xiu Li was feeling better and presentable, Zhang Lan told her, “Wait at home. I’ll bring Xiaoping to you, and you don’t need to cook. I’ll bring you some food later. Just stay at home and behave. Don’t make me worry.”

After ensuring Xiu Li was okay, Zhang Lan finally left. Initially, lying on the kang, Lin Xiu Li had some fleeting thoughts of not wanting to live. However, after Zhang Lan’s visit, she completely dispelled those thoughts. She couldn’t die; there was a child at home. Even if she died, she had to raise her man’s child. Otherwise, she would be even more ashamed to face her deceased relatives in the afterlife.

When Zhang Lan returned, Hao Lianchun had already stewed the fish and specially prepared some fish soup for Xiu Li.

“Lan, is she okay?” Hao Lianchun asked.

Zhang Lan couldn’t say for sure what Xiu Li was thinking at the moment, but she had a feeling that she wouldn’t give up. “Aunt, I think she should be okay. If for nothing else, she has to stay strong for the sake of her child. It’s a pity for a motherless child. She should understand that.”

After feeding Xiaoping, Wang Qian accompanied Zhang Lan in taking her back home to see her mother again. Xiaoping couldn’t help but shed tears and asked, “Mom, does it still hurt? Let me blow on it for you.”

Seeing her daughter like this, Xiu Li couldn’t help but want to cry. Considering that she had expended too much energy that day, Zhang Lan asked her daughter to play with Xiaoping while she took out the pancakes and fish soup she had brought.

“Sister, you should eat something. You need to take care of yourself for the sake of the child. There are still many days ahead. Xiaoping has already eaten at our place, so you should eat this,” Zhang Lan said.

At this point, Xiu Li truly had no appetite. However, when she smelled the aroma of the fish soup, she couldn’t help but take a sip, and soon her appetite was stimulated. She didn’t think about anything else; she just wanted to fill her stomach. Seeing that she had an appetite, Zhang Lan quickly handed her the pancakes. Xiu Li continued to eat until she finished all the fish soup and her shrunken stomach was finally full.

Meanwhile, Wang Qian entertained Xiaoping while observing Xiu Li. She felt that this woman’s ability to remain level-headed in critical moments was remarkable.

After tidying up, Zhang Lan sat down and asked, “Sister, what are your plans for the future?”

Having eaten her fill, Xiu Li lay back on the kang, her eyes filled with confusion. “Plans? Sister, what plans can I have? I’ll just take each day as it comes, try to raise my child, and do right by her late father. I don’t know what else to do.”

It was at this moment that Wang Qian spoke up. “Aunt, have you ever thought about leaving this place? After all, with everything that has happened, the environment here might not be conducive for Xiaoping’s upbringing. Why not take her away and start a new life? No one will know you, and you can seek your own happiness. Xiaoping can also grow up happily.”

Upon hearing these words, Xiu Li’s gaze became even more distant, and she murmured to herself, “Leave this place? But where can I go?”

“Aunt, you can go anywhere with Xiaoping. You can seek help from relatives and friends, go to the south or the north. There’s land for farming and water for sustenance everywhere. Once you leave here, you can start anew. No one will know about your past. Otherwise, living here means facing ridicule and humiliation every day. How long can you endure that? How much longer can you hold on?”

Xiu Li repeated Wang Qian’s words, “Yes, I don’t know how long I can endure. Let me think. I can seek refuge with someone, either in the south or the north. I have an aunt in the south.” With this in mind, Xiu Li suddenly sat up.

“Sister, your daughter Qian Qian is right. I’ve made up my mind. I have to leave here. Otherwise, my daughter’s life will be even more difficult in the future. With my past, it will be a problem for her to find a partner. I have to leave, for the sake of my child and for myself,” Xiu Li said.

At this moment, Wang Qian undoubtedly pointed out a bright path for Xiu Li to survive. “Aunt, if you’ve made up your mind, get ready. Don’t delay too long here. Those people might start gossiping about you again at any time,” she advised.

Xiu Li nodded firmly. “I’ve made up my mind. I’d rather take my child out to seek a better life than stay here in limbo. I can work with my hands, and even begging would be better than staying here.”

Zhang Lan also believed that leaving was the best choice for Xiu Li, for both the adult and the child. However, the future would depend on her own efforts.

“Xiu Li, I support your decision to leave. Start preparing in the next few days. It’s better to leave early and avoid trouble. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to come to me. I’ll do my best to help you,” Zhang Lan said.

A few days later, Xiu Li came to bid farewell with Xiaoping. Before leaving, she handed the house deed and keys to Zhang Lan. “Sister, I’m leaving for an uncertain and dangerous journey. If I don’t return in the future, please keep these for Xiaoping. You are the only one I trust. If Xiaoping doesn’t return either, consider this house a gift from me to you as a parting gesture.”

Zhang Lan was hesitant to accept such a generous gift, but Xiu Li insisted, “Sister, none of my maternal relatives have shown up so far. Can I really count on them? Please keep this. Perhaps I will return in the future, so consider it as a way for me to preserve it.”

Unable to refuse, Zhang Lan accepted the deed and keys. However, she couldn’t bear to see a widow and her child leave with so little. She took out some money and handed it to Xiu Li, saying, “Sister, it’s not much, but it’s better than nothing. Whether you’re poor or well-off, you and your daughter can’t go out with nothing. Take this as a token of my goodwill. If you have a good life in the future, come back and visit.”