Chapter 195: Crying

Zhang Lan estimated that the fruit trees would soon bloom and bear fruit. While enjoying the warm atmosphere in the space, the mother and daughter felt completely at ease.

Just as they were about to doze off, they heard a child’s heart-wrenching cries from outside. They were unsure of what was happening and quickly came out of the space.

The crying child’s voice came from a house on their street. Zhang Lan was puzzled by the situation at the Zhang family’s house. How could the child cry so intensely while the adults ignored it?

Wang Qian listened carefully. The child was crying and accusing the big bad wolf of eating her parents. It struck her as funny how the child took the stories told by adults seriously, probably thinking that her parents had been eaten by the big bad wolf.

“Mom, I think Uncle Zhang’s family went to the movies and left the child at home to sleep. Little Xia woke up and didn’t see any adults around, so she got scared and started crying. Let’s bring her out. It’s not good for her to keep crying like this,” Wang Qian suggested.

Zhang Lan also wanted to go in and get the child, but the front door was locked, and they couldn’t enter.

Wang Qian looked at the iron gate. It wasn’t too high, so she could climb over it. “Mom, lift me up, and I’ll try to climb over,” she said.

Zhang Lan lifted Wang Qian, reminding her to be careful and not to get scratched as she attempted to climb over the gate.

Fortunately, being small and agile, Wang Qian was able to climb over the gate. Meanwhile, Zhang Lan kept calling out to comfort the crying little girl from below.

As Wang Qian entered the yard, she saw Xia, the little girl, waving from the window. Seeing her sobbing so heavily, Wang Qian felt sorry for her. She thought the parents of this family were too irresponsible. How could they leave the child alone at home and go to the movies so carelessly?

“Xia, don’t be afraid. Sister is here to hold you. Try to climb out of the window, and I’ll catch you from outside. Don’t be scared,” Wang Qian reassured her.

The little girl obediently stuck her head out of the window and slowly climbed out. Wang Qian placed a chair under her feet and caught her as she emerged. Fortunately, the little girl wasn’t too heavy, and Wang Qian was able to lift her out.

“Xia, can you tell Sister where your family’s door key is? Otherwise, neither of us can get out,” Wang Qian asked.

The five-year-old Xia, who understood a little, pointed to a brick under the door and said, “Sister Wang Qian, my mom usually puts the key under that brick. You can check if it’s there.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lan quickly reached under the brick and indeed found the key. She opened the door and led the little girl out.

Zhang Lan comforted Xia as she carried her, and the little girl sobbed, “Auntie, did the big bad wolf take away my parents and sister? I’m afraid I’ll never see them again,” before bursting into tears again.

“Xia, your parents and sister haven’t been taken away by the big bad wolf. They went to the movies and will be back soon. You can wait at Auntie’s house, and they’ll be back very soon. Be good, stop crying, or your throat will get sore, and you won’t be able to talk tomorrow,” Zhang Lan comforted the five-year-old.

The mother and daughter brought the frightened child back home. Even as she sat on the heated brick bed, her eyes darted around, giving the impression of a startled little rabbit.

“Xia, this is my home. You don’t need to be afraid. Sister is here with you. Are you hungry?” Wang Qian asked.

The little girl replied in a soft voice, “Yes, Xia didn’t eat dinner tonight.” After speaking, she seemed to remember something and choked back tears.

Wang Qian quickly held her hand and reassured her, “Xia, Auntie will make you something delicious to eat. It will be ready soon. After we finish eating, your mom might come back.”

Zhang Lan brought up some food for the little girl. Seeing her eat so eagerly, it was clear that she was truly hungry, as she ate as if afraid the food would disappear.

Zhang Lan sighed as she watched. Not all families were as fortunate as theirs. Wang Qian noticed her mother’s sigh and was about to ask, but then she remembered the eating habits of her family when she first arrived. It seemed that living a stable life for too long had caused her to forget about the living conditions of others.

“Xia, take your time eating. There’s more in the pot. We’re not in a hurry. I promise to make sure you’re full,” Wang Qian said as she served the little girl.

The little girl nodded, but her mouth didn’t stop moving. After swallowing the food, she finally spoke, “Auntie Zhang, your family’s food is so delicious. I’ve never eaten such fragrant food before.”

When Zhang Lan cooked dinner tonight, she intentionally added more oil, so the dishes were particularly fragrant. Zhang Lan wiped the food stains from the little girl’s mouth and lovingly said, “Xia, if you like it, eat more. Let’s fill up your little tummy so you won’t be hungry at midnight.”

The little girl nodded vigorously in response to Zhang Lan’s words. After eating a large bowl of porridge and half a piece of bread, she finally felt full.

Feeling a bit nervous, she looked outside and then turned to ask, “Auntie Zhang, I’m full now. Why haven’t my mom and dad come back? Could it be that the bad guys took them away?”

Zhang Lan smiled and lifted the little girl. She thought to herself that this couple really liked to scare the children. Why couldn’t they say something more pleasant? It was no wonder the child was worried about bad people.

“Xia, maybe the movie hasn’t finished yet. You can play with Sister Wang Qian on the brick bed. When your mom comes back, she will take you home,” Zhang Lan reassured her.

Wang Qian also played a game of jumping rope with the little girl on the brick bed, using a piece of string to play together. Wang Qian did this to entertain the child.

When the movie ended and Zhang Chuanwu and his wife returned home, they discovered that their child was missing. This frightened Zhang Shuqin, who sat on the ground and began to cry. When Wang Zhenhe and the others returned home and saw the child on the brick bed, they understood what had happened from Zhang Lan’s explanation.

“Wang Zhenhe, go and check on them quickly. Don’t let anything happen before the couple returns home and finds the child missing,” Zhang Lan urged.

As soon as Wang Zhenhe stepped out of the house, he saw Zhang Chuanwu and his wife, who were anxious to go out and look for their child. They were holding their child, probably afraid of losing her again.

“Don’t bother looking. Xia is at our house. You two are too careless. How could you leave such a young child alone at home? Aren’t you afraid something might happen? Come with me,” Zhang Lan scolded.

Zhang Shuqin, who had been crying just a moment ago, now knew where her child was. She rushed into Wang Zhenhe’s house and saw her daughter playing with Wang Qian on the brick bed. She hugged her daughter and cried together with her. Although Xia had been playing with Wang Qian the whole time, she was still a little worried in her heart. Now that she saw her family, the little girl was influenced by Zhang Shuqin’s emotions and burst into tears.

Zhang Lan advised the mother and daughter, which helped them stop crying. “Alright, the child is safe, and that’s what matters most. Shuqin, next time, you can’t leave the child alone at home. If something really happened, wouldn’t you regret it? Hurry and take the child home,” she said.

The couple, expressing their gratitude, left Wang’s house, having watched the movie until late at night. Everyone was tired and ready to wash up and sleep.

The next day at noon, Zhang Shuqin brought her daughter to visit. After hearing about the kindness of Zhang Lan and her daughter, she felt that they should be on better terms with the Wang family, as it would be good to have neighbors looking out for each other. She was worried about her child’s well-being would have turned out if there was no one from the Wang family around the previous day.

Wang Qian played with the little girl on the brick bed. This time, Xia, having seen her mother, was not as timid as the day before and played quite cheerfully with Wang Qian.

While chatting, Zhang Lan noticed something unusual about the little girl. “Shuqin, take a look at Xia’s chin. It seems like there’s a swelling. It feels like a lump,” she said, as she reached out to pick up the little girl, who was happily playing. She felt a noticeable bump under the girl’s chin.

Zhang Shuqin hadn’t noticed this the night before. After Zhang Lan’s reminder, she felt the bump under her daughter’s chin. It seemed quite large.

“Sister-in-law, what’s going on? How did this swelling happen? It feels soft, like there’s fluid inside,” Zhang Shuqin asked, concerned.

Zhang Lan couldn’t determine the cause. Hao Lianchun came over to take a look and advised Zhang Shuqin, “Shuqin, I think you should take the child to the clinic to have it checked. It seems like there’s pus inside. Hurry and get it checked to avoid delaying the child’s treatment.”

Xia, still unaware, stayed in her mother’s arms, smiling foolishly, thinking that the adults were just playing with her.

Zhang Shuqin was truly flustered this time. She quickly left Wang’s house, carrying her child, to find her husband and take the child to the clinic for a check-up.

In the evening, Zhang Lan learned that Xia had undergone a surgical procedure that day to drain the abscess, which was filled with pus. Fortunately, it was discovered early, preventing further suffering for the child.

Upon hearing this, Hao Lianchun couldn’t help but sigh. “Ah, this couple is really careless. They need to be more attentive in taking care of the child. She’s so young and doesn’t understand anything. It’s a pity she had to undergo the procedure.”

Zhang Lan agreed, “Indeed, Shuqin probably needs to learn a lesson from this.”

As they were talking, the familiar sound of the mailman’s bell rang outside. Wang Qian hurried out. There had been no news from her younger uncle for some time. Could it be that Zhang Weiguo had written back?

“Uncle Bai, do we have any mail?” she asked.

The mailman parked his vehicle and took out a stack of letters from the green mailbag, smiling as he said, “Yes, there are quite a few for you to look at.”

Wang Qian went through the letters one by one. Indeed, there was a letter for her mother, and the rest were for the elderly gentlemen. “Mom, there’s a letter from Uncle Zhang. You should read it quickly,” she said.

She ran back into the courtyard with the letter. Zhang Lan had been quite worried about her younger brother lately, not knowing where he had been assigned after joining the army.

After reading the letter, she breathed a sigh of relief. Wang Qian, who was anxiously waiting, urged, “Mom, where exactly has Uncle been assigned? Please tell me.”

Zhang Lan, looking at her impatient daughter, cheerfully replied, “Qianqian, your uncle has been assigned to the south this time. The letter says Guangzhou. From now on, we can contact him at this address.”

Wang Qian was initially quite happy to hear about Guangzhou, as it was a forefront of reform. However, considering the timing, she sighed. “Mom, I heard Guangzhou is very hot. I wonder if Uncle will be able to adapt,” she said.

Zhang Lan comforted her, “Silly girl, don’t underestimate your uncle. Don’t worry, Comrade Zhang Weiguo is my brother, and I have confidence in him.”

At noon, the elderly gentlemen returned and received their respective replies. Each of them had a happy smile on their face, as their collections had been mostly preserved. Even Old Chen’s grandson had good news for him. The smile on the old gentlemen’s faces didn’t fade even during the meal.