Chapter 12

Su Yuwei’s mind went blank for a moment…

A faint scent of soap filled her nose, and she snapped back to her senses. Rubbing her sore nose, she quickly took two steps back—only to bump right into Madam Pei, who had followed behind her.

“……”

The scene fell into complete silence…

Su Yuwei felt extremely embarrassed. The usually composed and handsome Pei Shuchen across from her also seemed caught off guard—his ever-unchanging expression momentarily stunned.

“……”

It was rare for Madam Pei to see such a dazed look on her son’s face, but she also found the situation… a little awkward.

I mean, the two kids just bumped into each other—what’s the big deal? It’s not like you can avoid a little jostling on a train. So why was the atmosphere suddenly so weird?

Sighing internally, she stepped forward to smooth things over after making sure Su Yuwei had regained her footing. She glanced at her son and chided him with a teasing tone:

“You’re such a big guy, can’t you be more careful? Look how tall and strong you are—what if you hurt Yuwei?”

Su Yuwei’s mind went blank again, almost petrified on the spot…

It wasn’t really her fault. She possessed the full memories of a modern-day Chinese medicine PhD—one who had grown up in the digital age, bold, cheeky, and all too familiar with risqué innuendos from the internet.

So in moments like these, Su Yuwei sometimes couldn’t help syncing up with that other self in her mind.

Luckily, Pei Shuchen seemed a bit more innocent. He touched the spot where she had bumped into him, and his mind reflexively recalled the soft sensation from that brief collision.

For some reason, his throat felt dry…

Frowning slightly, and thinking about her situation, he looked down and said in a low voice:

“Sorry.”

Su Yuwei quickly shook her head. Honestly, it wasn’t really his fault either—she had opened the door without checking if anyone was on the other side.

Pei Shuchen handed her a bottle of alcohol wipes. Seeing that she took it, he turned and walked away.

“……”

Madam Pei watched her tall and lean son’s retreating figure and somehow saw a trace of disappointment in it.

…

After the Pei family got off the train, it took two more stops before Su Yuwei and her family reached theirs.

Getting off the train was a chaotic mess. Su Yuwei was carrying the baby, her father led the way, and they surrounded Zhao Fang and Su Yunxiang protectively.

By the time they got off, Zhao Fang’s hair was a complete mess. Fortunately, they managed to squeeze out—this wasn’t the final station, so after their stop, the flow of passengers reversed, and people began boarding instead.

Looking back at the crowd, Su Yuwei thought that if they hadn’t gotten off just now, they might’ve been pushed right back onto the train. Terrifying!

…

After traveling for a full day and night, the moment Su Yuwei’s feet touched solid ground, she felt disoriented—like the sound of the train’s “clank-clank” was still echoing in her ears.

Zhao Fang, on the other hand, was full of energy. She fixed her hair, took the baby from Su Yuwei, and along with Su Dad and Su Yunxiang, looked around curiously, discussing things in hushed voices.

“This province is really more developed than ours. Nothing back home looks this nice,” Zhao Fang said with a sigh, and Su Dad nodded in agreement while Su Yunxiang hobbled along.

Su Yuwei checked her wristwatch, and Su Yunxiang immediately leaned over, intrigued.

“Hey sis, what time is it?”

Su Yuwei held out her wrist for him to see. After staring at the dial for a moment, he grinned and said:

“It’s already 3 in the afternoon! No wonder I’m starving.”

Now that he mentioned it, Su Yuwei realized she was hungry too. Even though they’d had some jerky from Madam Pei on the train, it wasn’t enough to keep hunger at bay.

She reached into her coat pocket to grab some money, but Zhao Fang smacked her arm and scolded quietly:

“What are you doing, flashing money on the street? You want some thief to target you or what? I’ve got small change.”

Su Yuwei quietly pulled her hand back, rubbing her sore arm and grumbling internally about her mom’s heavy hand, then obediently followed behind.

They found a small restaurant near the station, treated themselves to a hearty meal, and then checked into a nearby guesthouse for the night.

The next morning, Su Yuwei finally felt her exhaustion start to fade.

Su Dad had gone out early and soon returned with a few steamed buns and some golden millet porridge from a nearby stall. After eating and packing, they left the guesthouse.

Their destination was the provincial military district, but when they asked for directions, they were told that the city was no longer the provincial capital—they’d have to take a long-distance bus to get there.

With no other choice, they decided to first search for Tao Xue. Pan Chuan had mentioned in a letter that she lived in a village on the outskirts of this city.

Carrying baby Yueyue, the family asked around and finally got on a bus to the place. But when they arrived, they were told she had left a month ago.

“She left over a month ago—took our three kids and left with my brother’s army buddy. Said he found her a job. Hmph! That vixen!” said Tao Xue’s sister-in-law, who clearly had no love lost for her.

Su Yuwei asked carefully if she knew where Tao Xue worked. Surprisingly, the woman gave it up easily.

She even looked around before leaning in and whispering:

“You’re that man’s wife, right? Let me tell you—something’s fishy. That guy was way too protective of her. Said he was helping her for my brother’s sake. Bullshit!”

“Oh, wait a second.”

She disappeared into the house and came back a moment later with a yellowed slip of paper with two phone numbers written on it.

Pointing at them, she said:

“The top one’s that guy’s military unit contact number, the bottom one’s our village line. If you catch them having an affair—you must call us. We’ll come raise hell.”

Su Yuwei actually appreciated that.

She pocketed the paper and smiled sweetly at the angry young woman.

“Don’t worry, I absolutely will.”

…

Leaving Tao Xue’s in-laws, the group headed back into town, having wasted an entire day. Zhao Fang was fuming, cursing under her breath the whole way, but Su Yuwei felt pretty satisfied.

At least they learned something new—that Tao Xue and Pan Chuan hadn’t told his family about her pregnancy.

Hah. Those two animals.

Using the excuse of helping a comrade’s widow while carrying on an affair—how ironic.

When Su Yuwei returned to the guesthouse, her mind was already racing with several ideas on how to make them pay.

The next day, after a bumpy five-hour bus ride…

They arrived at their destination around noon. The sun was blazing hot, and after days of travel, even baby Yueyue was cranky and uncomfortable.

Su Yuwei checked her over and found no signs of illness, but they didn’t dare keep traveling. They checked into a better guesthouse, had a simple lunch, and after Su Yuwei breastfed the baby, Zhao Fang rocked her to sleep.

Surprisingly, little Yueyue had gotten used to being held by Grandma. She soon fell asleep peacefully.

Su Yunxiang’s leg was acting up after all the walking, so he asked Su Yuwei for a few acupuncture needles and then lay down to rest.

Su Dad, ever energetic, took some baby clothes and diapers from their bundle, washed them thoroughly, and hung them up to dry on the balcony.

In the end, Su Yuwei was the only idle one left.

She told her father she was going out, then left the guesthouse alone to explore the city. After asking a few locals, she found out the food factory where Tao Xue worked was nearby.

That close, huh…

Su Yuwei’s weariness immediately vanished. Following the directions, she crossed a street and soon saw the factory gate.

It was quite grand for a city factory, with the name “Hongxing Food Factory” painted in red on either side of the entrance.

She checked the time—2:20 PM. Finding a shady spot, she waited just a few minutes before seeing workers begin to return to the factory.

Su Yuwei was about to approach someone and ask about Tao Xue when, to her surprise, she spotted two unexpected figures.