Chapter 12 Arrival on the Island

After General Zhao hung up the phone with Jiang Qingzhou, his hands still trembled slightly. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing emotions, and immediately dialed his home number.

“Son, Suisui and Niannian have been found!”

On the other end, there was an instant silence. After a brief pause, his daughter-in-law Xu Jiajia’s heart-wrenching sobs erupted, filled with the despair, guilt, and endless anguish of the past days. From the moment the children went missing, her world had collapsed, tears flowing endlessly. For three whole days, she had neither eaten nor slept.

Listening to her grief, General Zhao offered a few gentle words of comfort and promised to bring the children home safely as soon as possible. He then hung up and hurriedly left for home.

At home, his wife Xie Xiuying was equally exhausted. These days, she had been trapped in the pain of her missing grandchildren, washing her face with tears, her once-robust spirit seemingly drained dry.

When General Zhao pushed open the door and saw his wife’s red, swollen eyes, he quickly stepped forward, holding her hand, his voice slightly choked yet filled with joy.

“Xiuying, Suisui and Niannian have been found. They’ll be home soon!”

Xie Xiuying was stunned, unable to believe her ears. When the reality sank in, tears welled up and streamed down her face again.

“Really? That’s wonderful… wonderful…”

Meanwhile, Fang Yingyue, holding one child in each hand, returned to her train compartment with the two children, followed closely by Jiang Qingzhou.

Once inside, Fang Yingyue opened the lunch boxes. Though the buns had cooled, the two little ones stared intently at them. Even though their stomachs growled, they obediently took the buns with both hands and ate ravenously, their cheeks puffing out, speaking unclearly yet politely as they ate.

“Thank you, Auntie Fang!”

Seeing this, Fang Yingyue, feeling heartache, quickly grabbed a cup and poured two glasses of water, placing them nearby.

“Eat slowly, don’t choke.”

At that moment, Aunt Huang, sleeping on the upper bunk, was roused by the noise below. Groggily, she realized it sounded like children. Curious, she turned over and looked down, spotting the two little ones sitting there.

Suddenly wide awake, she hurriedly sat up, astonished. “Why are there two kids here?”

Fang Yingyue then explained the whole situation in detail.

“Now, these two children are coming with us to the island.”

Aunt Huang’s eyes widened, and she slapped her thigh. “Oh my! How can there be human traffickers on this train! Luckily, you stepped in. If not, who knows what terrible fate these kids would have faced, sold off to some remote place. Just thinking about it makes me shudder!”

Fang Yingyue quickly raised a finger to her lips, making a “shh” gesture. “Aunt Huang, keep your voice down. Don’t let the children hear the word ‘sold.’ They’re too young; if they knew how close they were to being sold, it would leave a shadow in their hearts.”

“Yes, yes, I got carried away and almost forgot.”

With the two lively children on board, the time passed quickly. Before long, they arrived at Longcheng Train Station.

After disembarking, Jiang Qingzhou, tall and upright like a pine tree, carried the large and small bags steadily, leading the way. Fang Yingyue and Aunt Huang each held a child’s hand, following at a moderate pace.

The walk would take about half an hour. Fortunately, everyone had swapped out of their heavy coats; otherwise, under the blazing sun, they would have sweated profusely.

Fang Yingyue wore a linen outfit with a knitted sweater over it, exuding warmth and gentleness. Jiang Qingzhou occasionally glanced back at her, his concerned eyes silently asking if she was tired, worried she might hurt her feet.

Fang Yingyue understood and replied, “I’m fine, not tired at all.”

The two children were equally persistent, walking steadily without crying or fussing.

In this way, they successfully arrived at Longcheng Harbor, just in time for the 12 noon ferry. Jiang Qingzhou, familiar with the route, found them a vacant spot to sit.

For the first time, the children saw the vast sea. Their eyes widened with excitement and curiosity, chattering nonstop.

Soon, the ferry set sail. Perhaps due to the rough sea, the boat rocked considerably. Fang Yingyue suddenly felt waves of nausea—it was clear she was seasick. She quickly leaned on the window sill and stuck her head out for fresh air.

The breeze was like gentle hands caressing her face, her chestnut hair blowing freely. Sunlight, like scattered gold, fell across her hair, a scene so beautiful it was hard to look away.

Aunt Huang sat nearby, playing cheerfully with the children.

Jiang Qingzhou kept a close eye on Fang Yingyue. Seeing her discomfort, he quickly brought over a small bag of candied fruit and sat beside her.

Her eyes lit up in delight at the sight of the treat. “When did you buy this?”

Jiang Qingzhou, his expression full of tenderness, brushed back the hair disturbed by the wind. “I just bought it. I saw someone selling it on the boat, so I grabbed some.”

Fang Yingyue took a piece and offered it to Jiang Qingzhou. “You eat.”

He didn’t refuse, leaning slightly to bite the piece from her hand. Only then did Fang Yingyue take one herself.

As soon as the candied fruit touched her tongue, the nausea in her stomach gradually subsided.

The group enjoyed the sea view and chatted casually, and before they knew it, the ferry had reached the island port. They quickly disembarked.

Fang Yingyue and Aunt Huang held the children’s hands tightly, their eyes alert, constantly scanning the surroundings for any sign of danger. Upon disembarking, they saw an SUV parked in the nearby open area.

“Ji Beiwang!”

Ji Beiwang looked toward the voice, saw Jiang Qingzhou, and hurriedly jogged over.

“Brother Jiang!”

In front of everyone, he scratched his head, a little shy, and looked at Fang Yingyue. “Sister-in-law!”

“Hello, Aunt Huang! Commander Xu already told me everything. I’m here specifically to pick you up.”

Saying that, he quickly took the luggage and gestured for everyone to get in the car first. Once the bags were stowed, he got in, started the engine, and drove swiftly toward the camp.

On the way, Ji Beiwang held the steering wheel steadily while chatting with Jiang Qingzhou, his face full of admiration, giving a thumbs-up.

“Brother Jiang, you’ve really done a great deed this time!”

Jiang Qingzhou remained calm, his voice cool as he instructed, “Drive carefully.”

“Sister-in-law, Brother Jiang has been looking forward to seeing you for so long. Now you’re finally here,” Ji Beiwang said, chatting casually as they drove.

Soon, they arrived at the camp. At that time, Xiao Yang was on duty. Seeing that Vice Commander Jiang and the staff officers were in the car, he quickly greeted them and waved them through.

General Zhao and Xie Xiuying had been waiting there for quite some time, eyes straining toward the distance.

Before long, the two children excitedly jumped out of the car, their faces full of joy. Spotting their grandparents at once, they ran toward them with all their might.

Xie Xiuying’s eyes instantly reddened. She opened her arms wide, hugging her grandson and granddaughter tightly, her voice trembling.

“It’s good to have you back, it’s so good to have you back…”

Jiang Qingzhou watched the scene, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He turned to Fang Yingyue beside him, his gaze full of warmth and love.

Fang Yingyue looked back, and their eyes met. No words were needed—their feelings were already perfectly conveyed through that shared gaze.