Chapter 73: Back to the City

“You’re leaving tomorrow, have you bought the tickets?”

Qiu Yinuo froze for a moment. “Can’t I just buy them at the train station tomorrow?”

“What are you thinking? If you wait until tomorrow, you’ll miss the train.”

“When I came here, I bought the tickets on the spot.”

“With such a small county like ours, how many people are going to the city? There are probably more people heading to the provincial capital. Let Jinzi go this afternoon and buy two tickets for you, just in case you can’t get one tomorrow.”

Cheng Hongying had learned to be more self-aware. Her son was painfully slow-witted, but thankfully harmless. Her daughter, on the other hand, was lazy and gluttonous, but extremely sharp-minded, so buying tickets was something she couldn’t count on Qiu Yinuo to handle.

“One ticket is enough. I’ll go back myself.”

“What do you mean? You’re not taking Qingqing back?”

“Yeah, I’ll go back, clean up the house, and pick up the stuff my husband’s superior sent for the kids. I’ll be back in two or three days.”

“The milk powder should definitely be brought back, it might expire soon. It’s fine if adults drink expired stuff, but Dabao and Erbao can’t.”

Qiu Yinuo rolled her eyes. “Adults shouldn’t drink expired stuff either.”

“You’re bringing back so much stuff, how can you manage without Qingqing?”

“Dabao and Erbao are both crawling and sitting up now. How are you going to manage by yourself? Do you expect Jinzi to help you?”

At this point, Dabao and Erbao were full of energy, and she really couldn’t handle it alone.

It was one thing to leave someone to watch over them while she cooked, but even with Jinzi, it wasn’t the same as having Qingqing around. Qingqing was much better at managing them.

“But you can’t go back alone. Take Jinzi with you, at least he can help carry some things.”

“Fine!” Qiu Yinuo gave in. “When he comes back, I’ll have him buy the tickets. Don’t forget, make sauerkraut dumplings tonight!” Seeing her mother grab the fire poker, Qiu Yinuo hurriedly ran off.

After showing off for a bit, Jinzi came back and learned that his sister was going to take him to the provincial capital. He eagerly went to buy the tickets.

That night, Qiu Yinuo ate the sauerkraut dumplings. Though they were a bit less oily, they were still the dumplings she had been craving.

…

The next day, Qiu Yinuo didn’t expect to leave feeling so lonely.

Dabao was smiling so much his teeth were almost gone, still enthusiastically waving his little hands.

Erbao didn’t even look at her, sitting on the bed, his soul seemingly somewhere far away.

There was no “chaos” as she had imagined, but Qiu Yinuo was still fuming. These two sons seemed like a waste of time! If only she had a daughter—soft, pink, and calling her “Mama” sweetly. Just thinking about it made her feel better.

The two of them sat on the train for a little less than half a day, and when they arrived, the sky outside was gloomy.

It was Jinzi’s first time in the provincial capital. He was fascinated by everything, looking here and there, asking so many questions it was almost too much.

“Sis, does my brother-in-law’s house have a department store right outside?”

“You’re thinking too much. Though we live in the provincial capital, it’s in the outskirts, far from the department store. It takes over an hour by car.”

Jinzi couldn’t help but marvel. “This is really the provincial capital; it’s so big.”

The small western-style houses were impressive, and he couldn’t even imagine what the bustling city center must be like. It must be a world he’d never seen before.

“Sis, when you have time, could you take me around?”

Qiu Yinuo didn’t hesitate. “Sure, I’ll take you to see the sights before we head back.”

By the time they got home, the sky had already darkened.

She took the big hazelnut from home and went next door to introduce her little brother to Aunt Yang.

Qiu Yinuo had gone back to her hometown, and she brought along a stranger—a man. To anyone who didn’t know better, it could cause quite a stir. Word spread quickly, and by the time it circulated, who knew how it had changed.

“Yinuo, you’re back just in time. To keep the house dry, I sometimes light the stove to get rid of the dampness. In fact, I just lit one today, the fire should still be burning. Come on, let’s go take a look,” Aunt Yang said, taking two pieces of honeycomb coal from her own house. “Your place only has firewood, not this kind of coal. I’ll give you two pieces for now.”

“Thank you, Aunt Yang. I’ll get some coal tomorrow and bring it back to you.”

Aunt Yang looked at her with concern. “I see you didn’t bring the kids back. Are you planning to leave again?”

“Yes,” Qiu Yinuo nodded. “Dabao and Erbao have gotten used to staying with my mom, so I thought we’d just stay there until school starts. We’ll move back once it begins.”

Aunt Yang patted Qiu Yinuo’s hand and spoke kindly but seriously. “Yinuo, I’m going to say something you might not like, but don’t take it the wrong way. You see, it’s hard for a mother to raise kids, especially when she has sons. No one’s willing to help their daughters with kids these days. Your mom is doing a lot, and sometimes you need to be a little more understanding with her.”

Qiu Yinuo knew Aunt Yang meant well, so she nodded in agreement.

“I understand, Aunt Yang. By the way, has the police come by our house recently? Have you heard any news about my mother-in-law?”

Her mother-in-law had gone missing, and the neighbors had reported it to the police. In those days without cameras, finding a missing person was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

“No one has heard anything. Maybe you should go check again tomorrow,” Aunt Yang suggested.

“I will,” Qiu Yinuo replied.

Auntie Yang then glanced discreetly at Qiu Qianjin and asked, “Your brother isn’t married yet, is he?”

“Yes.”

“That’s what I thought,” Aunt Yang lowered her voice and continued, “Once he’s married, your sister-in-law won’t let your mom watch the kids anymore. When that happens, you can come back here, and we’ll all help you out.”

Qiu Yinuo felt deeply grateful. Even though Aunt Yang and her family were only helping because they had a good relationship with her mother-in-law, it still meant a lot. No matter what, she had to repay their kindness, whether or not they were able to help.

As they entered the house, Qiu Yinuo noticed the little chickens still hopping around in the fenced area. The yard was immaculate, and as soon as the door opened, a wave of warmth greeted them.

There was no trace of dampness in the air. Qiu Yinuo called her brother over to add more coal to the stove.

After returning inside, she grabbed two quilts from the cupboard and laid them on the kang to air them out.

When it was just the two of them in the room, Aunt Yang lowered her voice and asked, “Yinuo, is your distant cousin still staying at your place?”

Qiu Yinuo’s heart skipped a beat. “Why?”

“Not long after you left, some people came asking about someone. They were looking for someone who looked a lot like your cousin. But they insisted it was a man. We didn’t think much of it and told them they probably had the wrong person. But later, I kept thinking about it, and I’m starting to feel something’s not right. Do you think your cousin might’ve gotten involved with the wrong kind of people?”

Hearing this, Qiu Yinuo let out a slight sigh of relief. It seemed like they still hadn’t realized Qingqing was a girl. After all, Qingqing had always kept her hair short and was taller than most women, so it made sense they’d get confused.

“Did they come back again?”

“Yes, they did. I heard they were upset you hadn’t returned yet. They kicked the door a few times before leaving, which scared the neighbors so much that no one dared to go outside. I’m not saying this to cause trouble, but if your cousin really got involved with someone dangerous, you might want to be prepared.”

Aunt Yang’s lips were usually sealed, so Qiu Yinuo knew she wasn’t one to gossip unless she truly needed to share something important. If Aunt Yang wanted to tell anyone, she would have done so already.