Chapter 22

What was Aunt Ye saying?
Why did Song Qingdai feel like she didn’t understand a thing?

There was also a strange feeling—subtle, indescribable—but undeniably odd.

“Auntie, Comrade Gao Han is quite good,” she replied.

“He’s quite good?”

Ye Chunjiang was momentarily stunned, then broke into a chuckle. “That’s good, that’s good. I was worried you wouldn’t be able to adjust, but if you are, then great, haha…”

Who would’ve thought—little Song looked so skinny, yet she could actually handle that brute of a son.

With a build like Gao Han’s, he was practically undefeated across all of Hongxing Town.

Since he was young, he’d always had endless brute strength.

To be honest, the moment Ye Chunjiang first laid eyes on Song Qingdai, she started to worry.

She was a woman too—she understood. Girls had limited endurance, and Gao Han was a man in his prime. A man who’d been single for nearly thirty years… naturally, there’d be times when he couldn’t control himself.

She knew. She understood everything!

But clearly, Song Qingdai didn’t.

“Mom.”

Gao Han entered through the doorway.

The morning sun cast a warm glow across the courtyard.

He was dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt, the belt at his waist accentuating his lean, powerful build.

“Qingdai just woke up. Why are you giving her so much?”

Even if Song Qingdai didn’t get it, Gao Han obviously did.

“Alright, alright! I won’t say anything more. Aren’t you two heading to the provincial capital later? Hurry up and eat your breakfast before it gets too hot.”

Ye Chunjiang brought the dishes to the table.

When Gao Han saw what had been laid out in front of Shen Zhizhi, there was steamed egg, red sugar rice wine tangyuan, and even a plate of freshly stir-fried spicy sour pork liver.

“…Seriously?”

Who eats pork liver first thing in the morning? Especially spicy and sour?

“Mom, did you and Dad sleep well last night?”

Ye Chunjiang suddenly heard her son’s question and quickly exchanged a look with Gao Hongxing.

“Ah, you’re about to get married soon. Your father and I could die in peace now—we slept just fine, of course! Haha…”

She forced an awkward laugh while Gao Hongxing kept his head down, silently eating.

Yep. Their son noticed.

It was honestly embarrassing.

But really, it was because Gao Han had brought a girl home for the first time. And they had even slept in the same room, same bed!

Under her son’s intense gaze, Aunt Ye couldn’t help but feel awkward.

“Oh, right.”

Father Gao suddenly remembered something and looked at Song Qingdai.

“Xiao Song, I just heard from the butcher next door—your younger sister, Song Mingshan, was taken to the provincial hospital.”

Song Qingdai blinked.

“She was hospitalized?”

“Yeah, transferred from our town’s clinic. I heard the fall was quite serious.”

She fell?

Song Qingdai looked thoughtful.

She recalled seeing Song Mingshan and Zhang Shaoxing the day before. Could it be that Song Mingshan had stayed the night at Zhang’s house?

She really couldn’t wait, could she?

Song Qingdai suddenly wanted to laugh.

She knew exactly what was going through Song Mingshan’s mind—she must’ve wanted to get in early and win over the kids.

But no one knew better than Song Qingdai what kind of “creatures” those three Zhang kids really were.

So she was pretty sure—if Song Mingshan ended up in the hospital, it had to be something those three brats did.

“She fell at the Zhangs’ house, right?”

“How did you know?” Mother Gao asked in surprise, and even Gao Han looked curious.

It was like Qingdai wasn’t surprised at all—like it was just a matter of course.

“Yesterday, Ah Han and I ran into her with Zhang Shaoxing. I figured she must’ve stayed over at the Zhangs’. As for the fall… probably just an accident.”

Qingdai wore a soft, gentle smile—warm and calm.

But beneath that gentleness, there seemed to be a subtle trace of sorrow, like someone who had weathered life’s storms.

That was Gao Han’s impression of her.

She was still Song Qingdai… and yet, somehow, she wasn’t.

“Alright, alright—go catch the bus, or you’ll miss it,” Ye Chunjiang said, waving them along.

“Xiao Song, don’t be stingy with money, okay? Whatever you need, just get it. Our Gao family’s daughter-in-law should have the best. Don’t worry about the cost!”

“I understand, Auntie,” Qingdai said sweetly, her smile so warm it melted Ye Chunjiang’s heart.

As the couple walked off hand-in-hand, Ye Chunjiang watched them leave with pride, then turned around and secretly wiped a tear from her eye.

But Gao Hongxing saw her.

“Why are you crying again?”

Ye Chunjiang glared at him. “What do you know? Back when I met Jiahui, she was so young and beautiful.”

“I never dared tell little Song, but Jiahui was tricked by that beast Song Yuanshan. He forced himself on her because she was pretty. That’s how Qingdai came about.”

“But even if he’s not a decent man, he’s still Qingdai’s father. How could I say that?”

She knew better than anyone—Song Yuanshan was scum.

The Gao family had some standing in Hongxing Town. They weren’t filthy rich, but they were solid enough to not fear anyone.

And Ye Chunjiang… her temper was legendary. No one dared cross her.

“Anyway, forget about all that. I just always felt that Comrade Yao wasn’t from an ordinary family,” Gao Hongxing murmured, lost in thought.

Back then, Qingdai’s mother, Yao Jiahui, had arrived with a group of refugees. Most of them didn’t stay long—Hongxing Town was poor. But Jiahui remained.

It seemed like she had suffered some head injury while fleeing—she kept muttering about going back.

Back where?

She talked about building some kind of “machine.”

Gao Hongxing always wondered—could she have meant a plane?

In those days, only the rich and powerful could afford to fly.

She also kept saying she needed to find some kind of communicator. Like she was looking for someone.

He’d even tried helping her search for a while… but nothing ever came of it.

“To raise such a lovely, spirited daughter, that family must’ve been something special. I just wonder if any of Jiahui’s relatives are still out there.”

If they were, then Qingdai wouldn’t be so pitiful—alone, without any support.

That scumbag father of hers wasn’t worth relying on.

If Qingdai had just one reliable maternal relative, maybe her life wouldn’t have been so hard.

Even though Jiahui wasn’t all there, she still knew how to protect her daughter.

Women are weak—but mothers are strong.

“If you get the chance, ask around at the public security bureau. If we can find something, anything, that would be for the best.”

Jiahui had always said she wanted to go home. If her spirit knew how much her daughter had suffered after she died, it would be heartbreaking.

So Ye Chunjiang felt—if she could help, even just a little, she would.

There were only two buses to the provincial capital in the morning—one at 8 a.m. and one at 10 a.m. That was all Hongxing Town had.

Luckily, Gao Han and Song Qingdai caught the 8 o’clock bus.

The county was close by—you could get there on a motorbike. But the provincial capital was different—it took at least two hours, even on the fastest ride.

Once you left town, nearly half the road ahead was all rugged, bumpy mountain trails.