Chapter 102

Gu Shi’an raised his eyebrows, his black eyes smiling.

“Really?”

“Of course it’s true.”

“Then tonight…”

Deputy Director Gu whispered a few words, and Lin Yao’s face flushed. She pretended not to understand the look in her husband’s eyes and said, “Oh, you mean Doudou? Doudou is still little. Of course, he has to sleep with us. Otherwise, you can sleep on the floor.”

“Alright, I won’t keep you any longer. I’ve still got work to do. Take the lunch box and head back.”

Regretting her words, Lin Yao realized she had been outsmarted by Gu Shi’an yet again. Despite being married for so long, she never seemed to learn her lesson. Sighing at her mistake, she hastily made an excuse and hurriedly ran off.

Gu Shi’an smiled, taking a moment to appreciate the adorable sight of his little girl running off in embarrassment before he picked up the lunchbox and returned to his office.

In the office, Xu Xiangqian had been going through case records for most of the day. That morning, Gu Chunmei had cooked breakfast—mixed grain pancakes and sweet potato porridge. The taste was decent, but it wasn’t filling enough. Now, Da Tou Brother was starving, his stomach growling in protest. Frustrated that they still hadn’t found Ping’an’s parents, he rubbed his face and walked over to the window to splash some water on it.

When Gu Shi’an entered with the lunchbox, Da Tou Brother’s face lit up. He quickly sat down, feeling secretly pleased—his timing couldn’t have been better. Just as his stomach started grumbling, Old Gu walked in with food—what a great buddy!

As soon as the lunchbox was opened, the aroma of the food filled the room. Da Tou Brother knew right away that this wasn’t canteen food. The cooks there could never make something as fragrant as this egg fried rice. The rice was golden and glossy, with bits of ham and the freshest tender mustard greens mixed in. One bite was so delicious it made you want to swallow your tongue.

Xu Xiangqian was certain that this was Lin Yao’s handiwork.

Da Tou Brother sniffed the air happily and moved closer, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Old Gu, if you share, I’ll just take one bite, just one bite!”

Da Tou Brother shamelessly pestered Deputy Director Gu for food, but Gu Shi’an ignored him. So, he stretched out his paw to take it himself. Deputy Director Gu slapped his hand and threw a pair of chopsticks at him.

“This is your portion.”

Da Tou Brother grinned from ear to ear.

“Yao Yao really knows how to take care of us.”

The two brothers, who hadn’t eaten all night, devoured the food like a storm, leaving nothing behind. Once they were finished and everything was tidied up, they started discussing the case in Shuitou.

Zhang Cuilan’s inadvertent act of kindness in rescuing Ping’an had led to unexpected rewards.

Based on Ping’an’s description, the county public security bureau not only caught a gang that was forcing minors into begging but also uncovered the traffickers who had kidnapped Ping’an years ago.

These traffickers were incredibly audacious. Over the years, they had roamed across the country, treating the abduction of children as a lucrative business, specifically targeting children aged one to five who were alone.

The human traffickers in Yunshui County were divided into two groups. One group was the one led by Third Aunt, who had been arrested earlier. They were skilled and daring, specializing in abducting valuable young women. The other group specialized in trafficking children. Despite their mutual disdain, the two groups had coexisted peacefully for years due to their different “businesses.”

When the first group, led by Third Aunt, was captured, the other group even took pleasure in their misfortune, showing no sense of crisis. They were caught while drinking and playing games in a house, completely unaware that their end was near.

“Old Gu, it’s really tough finding Ping’an’s parents.”

Relying solely on Ping’an’s memories that his father was a soldier, and that his mother’s name was Xiujuan, was like searching for a needle in a haystack, especially since those traffickers had committed so many crimes. They had sold Ping’an years ago, and no useful information could be extracted from them.

Gu Shi’an looked at the table, pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Does Ping’an have any birthmarks?”

“I think he does. Let me think… Oh right, Ping’an has a small red birthmark, about the size of a mung bean, behind his ear!”

……

Lin Yao, who had earlier fled in embarrassment, returned to the courtyard. She saw her mother-in-law picking cucumbers in the corner of the backyard while her chubby son was being a little tyrant in Ping’an’s arms, flailing his chubby arms and insisting on going to the yard to see the little rabbits.

Ping’an, with his thin arms and legs, could barely hold Gu Doudou. Dongzi was shaking a rattle to entertain his little nephew, but the two of them, despite being covered in sweat, couldn’t handle the chubby Gu Doudou.

Seeing her chubby son throwing a tantrum, Lin Yao frowned, “Gu Doudou, what are you up to now?”

As soon as Gu Doudou saw his mother, he immediately behaved, blinking his big eyes and obediently saying, “Mommy, Brother wants to go out and play.”

The crafty little chubby boy tried to shift the blame, and the two older boys were happy to indulge him, both saying in unison that it was their idea to go out and play, not their little brother’s fault.

But Lin Yao wasn’t fooled. She gave Gu Doudou’s chubby bottom a light pat.

“You little rascal, it’s too hot outside. Stay inside and behave.”

Knowing that he shouldn’t provoke his mother, Gu Doudou didn’t throw a tantrum. Instead, he jumped over to give Lin Yao a few kisses to win her over.

“Yeah, Doudou will be good and listen to Mommy.”

After that, the little guy waved his chubby hands at the two older boys, “Uncle, Brother Ping’an, let’s go.”

Lin Yao, puzzled, watched as the two older boys came over, each taking one of Gu Doudou’s chubby hands. The three of them then went back inside to read picture books and play with toy ducks and big fish.

Despite being only one year old, the chubby little boy had already accumulated a boxful of toys, including dolls made by his mother from fabric scraps, a wooden duck and a small wooden sword carved by his father, picture books bought by his grandparents, and a rattle drum and bell bracelet given by his uncle and aunt. The toys, when dumped out, covered half the bamboo mat.

The three little boys played barefoot on the bamboo mat. At first, Ping’an was a bit reserved, but it didn’t take long for Dongzi and Doudou, the two little rascals, to draw him into their games, and soon enough, the three of them were playing together.

Gu Shidong, holding a red-tasseled wooden sword, was enthusiastically splashing water in the basin, making Ping’an and Gu Doudou laugh out loud, the latter especially, his mouth wide open as he giggled uncontrollably.

While the two little troublemakers played on the side, Ping’an quietly read “Red Lantern” and “Young Hero Wang Erxiao.” These were picture books, with simple characters accompanied by pinyin and illustrations, making them easy to understand. A child who loved reading could understand them just by looking at the pictures, even without recognizing all the characters.

Lin Yao brought in a plate of egg cakes and a pot of barley tea. Gu Shidong, shouting that he was hungry, washed his hands, didn’t bother drying them, and immediately grabbed an egg cake to stuff into his mouth.

Gu Doudou, having just eaten a bowl of apple puree, wasn’t interested in the egg cake.

Gu Shidong handed a piece of egg cake to Cheng Ping’an.

“Ping’an, here, have some egg cake.”

Ping’an, with his thin face full of contentment, tightly pressed his lips together and said he wasn’t hungry.

In reality, the child wasn’t truly not hungry. He knew that Grandma Zhang’s family was good people and didn’t want to trouble them. Lin Yao smiled and patted the little guy’s head.

“Ping’an, why don’t you join Auntie and have a bite?”

Ping’an thought for a moment and then gently nodded. The little guy took a piece of egg cake and carefully put it in his mouth, taking a small bite. In these times, egg cakes were made with wholesome ingredients, with added sugar and honey, making them both fragrant and sweet. Little Ping’an, who had been wandering and begging for years, had never tasted anything so delicious, and he savored each bite.

Seeing how thin and well-behaved Ping’an was, Zhang Cuilan couldn’t help but feel heartbroken. “What a sin!” she murmured. “Children are treasures in every family. How could those traffickers be so heartless!”

Ping’an was truly a good child. After eating the egg cake and washing his hands, he helped out with the household chores. Zhang Cuilan picked cucumbers and tomatoes, while the little guy held the basket beside her. Gu Mancang washed diapers for his grandson, and Ping’an helped fetch water and dry the diapers. The child was so thoughtful that even Aunt Dafu from next door couldn’t help but feel affection for him, constantly praising him as a good boy.

At the Sun family in the town, ever since Lin Hongna was suspected of being pregnant with a second child, Mother Sun personally took out her own money and urged her daughter-in-law to go to the town health center for a check-up. Lin Hongna, worried and reluctant, didn’t want to go but couldn’t say no, so she eventually went to the health center.

In her heart, she hoped it was a false alarm. She had a history of stomach issues and had felt nauseous when eating meat before.

At the health center, the doctor examined her and confirmed that she was indeed pregnant.

Mother Sun’s previously stern face lit up with joy, and when she returned home, Father Sun was equally delighted with the news.

Even Sun Jialiang, who usually spoke to her in a stiff tone, made an effort to come home early to see her.

The Sun family was immersed in the joy of expecting a new addition, so much so that no one noticed the panic on Lin Hongna’s face. Even if they had, they would have assumed she was simply dreading the excruciating pain of childbirth.

For once, Mother Sun spoke kindly, reassuring her daughter-in-law, “Every woman goes through this. The first one is always hard, but it gets better after that. Just rest and take care of yourself at home. Once Tianyou is weaned, I’ll come to help. There’s still some tofu at home. I’ll stew it for you to nourish your body. I’ll also make some old hen soup. It’s the most nourishing and will ensure my grandson is born healthy and plump.”

Mother Sun’s chatter would have made an outsider think she was a perfect mother-in-law, but Lin Hongna, who had seen her harsh side, was not fooled. Feeling upset, she pretended to have morning sickness and asked to rest.

Worried that her grandson might not rest well in her daughter-in-law’s belly, Mother Sun was about to leave when she suddenly noticed a red patch on Lin Hongna’s neck. “What’s wrong with your neck? Did something bite you?”

Lin Hongna’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly pulled the blanket over her neck.

“No, nothing. There are a lot of mosquitoes in the summer. I got bit by a mosquito a few days ago and I scratched at the bite.”

“Don’t scratch too much, it’ll only make you more irritable. Don’t upset my grandson. I’ll get some cooling oil for you.”

Concerned about her grandson, Mother Sun grumbled as she went to the living room to fetch the oil.

As soon as Mother Sun left, Lin Hongna muttered a curse under her breath and rushed to the bedside table to grab a small mirror. She pulled down the blanket and inspected her neck, finding several red marks.

She leaned back, frustrated, thinking about the boiler worker who had harassed her earlier. She only wanted to get back at Sun Jialiang. How could she possibly consider being with a lowly boiler worker?