Chapter 47: Finding a Way to Save Zhang Xiaoyu

A hearty laugh suddenly came from inside the room. Bai Weidong, who was just leaving, saw Mo Haoyue standing outside. “Mo Haoyue, you actually came to find me? And who is this?” he asked.

Mo Haoyue punched Bai Weidong in the chest. “This is your sister-in-law. Call her Sister-in-law.”

Bai Weidong looked at Mo Haoyue with a suggestive glance. “Wow, haven’t seen you in years, and you’ve got a wife, and such a beautiful one at that.”

Then, turning to Mi Xia, he said, “Hello, Sister-in-law.”

Mi Xia smiled in response, captivating Bai Weidong. He couldn’t tear his eyes away, muttering to himself, She’s my brother’s wife, I can’t do anything to her, but she’s really beautiful, like a fairy.

“Come in, come in. What are you doing standing at the door?”

Mo Haoyue and Mi Xia followed Bai Weidong into the house, behaving neither humbly nor arrogantly. They sat down as Bai Weidong indicated.

Bai Weidong said, “Have dinner at home tonight. Since I returned from the army, I’ve told my grandfather and father about you. They’ve been wanting to meet you.”

Mo Haoyue replied, “Not this time, next time. My wife and I are here to ask for your help.”

Bai Weidong said, “Don’t mention trouble. Your problems are my problems. Tell me what’s going on.”

Mo Haoyue looked at Mi Xia, who understood and explained, “One of my fellow villagers from my hometown runs a small business. He heard I was coming to Kyoto and asked me to bring him along.”

“He came here, didn’t understand the situation, and went back to his old ways. Someone reported him, and he was taken away by the Red Guards. He hasn’t been released yet. It’s all my fault; I shouldn’t have brought him here.”

“But now he’s here, and he’s in trouble. I can’t explain it to his parents, so I asked Mo Haoyue to think of a way, and he brought me to see you.”

“If you can’t do anything, it’s fine. This will at least teach him a lesson.”

After listening to Mi Xia, Bai Weidong understood it wasn’t just a simple matter of fellow villagers. He saw the sweat forming on Mi Xia’s palms, but since she didn’t want to elaborate, he didn’t press her.

“Okay, I understand. But I can’t handle this myself. I need to ask my father. Wait a moment; he’s in his study. I’ll go find him.”

Bai Weidong went upstairs. Mi Xia became even more nervous, sitting there worrying. What if Bai Weidong’s father doesn’t want to help?

Mo Haoyue patted Mi Xia’s back, and she managed a smile.

Mo Haoyue said, “It’s okay. Even if his father doesn’t help, I can still find others.”

This kind of thing couldn’t be forced. Even if Bai Weidong’s father could solve this with a single word, it was understandable if he didn’t help. Helping was a kindness, not helping was their right.

Although Mo Haoyue only knew Bai Weidong in Kyoto, and only he could help with this matter, he couldn’t say it out loud. If it didn’t work out, he was afraid Mi Xia would collapse.

After a long wait, Bai Weidong came down with a middle-aged man.

The man had dark skin, sharp features, and bright, piercing eyes. His gaze fell on Mo Haoyue and Mi Xia.

When he looked at Mo Haoyue, his body stiffened slightly before returning to normal. Bai Weidong and Mi Xia didn’t notice, but Mo Haoyue did.

“I know about this. You two can go back now,” Bai Hongbin said.

“We’ve disturbed you, Uncle Bai. We’ll go now,” Mi Xia said, placing the cigarettes and alcohol on the table before pulling Mo Haoyue away.

“Dad, can’t you help? Mo Haoyue is my only good friend, and this is the first time he’s asked me for help,” Bai Weidong said anxiously.

Bai Hongbin glared at his son. “I have to visit an old friend today. Tomorrow, I’ll handle this tomorrow.”

“I knew Dad was the best,” Bai Weidong said, acting spoiled.

“Speak properly. A grown man acting spoiled, isn’t that disgusting?” Bai Hongbin glared at Bai Weidong and walked towards the door.

“Let’s go out together,” Bai Hongbin said to Mo Haoyue.

Mo Haoyue replied, “Okay, Uncle Bai, thank you for your help with this.”

Bai Hongbin asked, “How old are you this year?”

Mo Haoyue answered, “Uncle Bai, I’m 30 this year.”

“Where are you from?”

“S Province.”

Bai Weidong looked at Bai Hongbin strangely. Father has never been this gossipy before. What’s gotten into him today?

At the gate, Bai Hongbin said, “Go back first. He’ll be back tomorrow afternoon.”

“Thank you, Uncle Bai. We’ll go now,” Mo Haoyue said, greeting Bai Weidong before leaving with Mi Xia.

“Mo Haoyue, thank goodness you were there. I wouldn’t know what to do without you.”

Mi Xia felt a great sense of fear. Even after Zhang Xiaoyu was released, he couldn’t continue this work. If something happened again, who would they turn to next?

Back at the small building, Liu Zhaodi rushed over upon seeing them return. “How did it go? Did Xiaoyu come back?”

She looked behind Mi Xia, then lowered her head in disappointment when she didn’t see him.

Mi Xia said, “Don’t worry, he’ll be back tomorrow afternoon.”

“Really? He’ll be back tomorrow afternoon?” Liu Zhaodi’s face was still wet with tears.

Mi Xia nodded firmly, but Liu Zhaodi cried even harder.

“It’s good he’s coming back, it’s good he’s coming back.” Liu Zhaodi didn’t blame Mi Xia. She knew that money and risk went hand in hand.

Mi Xia hadn’t forced them to do this; Zhang Xiaoyu had wanted to do it himself. Besides, they had earned so much money before, and Mi Xia hadn’t abandoned him when he got into trouble.

Now, she was finding a way to get Zhang Xiaoyu out. They hadn’t followed the wrong person.

“Thank you, thank you,” Liu Zhaodi bowed to Mi Xia and Mo Haoyue.

Mi Xia quickly helped Liu Zhaodi up. “What are you doing? Zhang Xiaoyu works hard for me, and I can’t just ignore him when he’s in trouble.”

“Okay, stop crying. The children will worry if they see you. I’ll cook dinner; you can play with the children.”

Liu Zhaodi didn’t refuse. Her current state wasn’t suitable for cooking, and the children didn’t need much care; they could do most things themselves.

Mi Xia simply cooked porridge, stir-fried some green vegetables, made some egg pancakes, and took out some salted duck eggs.

No matter how delicious the food was, they had no appetite. They couldn’t rest easy until he was released.

Meanwhile, at the Liu family home…

Bai Hongbin said, “Baoguo, my son’s comrade-in-arms came to the house today. The one I told you about, the one who beat my son.”

Liu Baoguo joked, “Oh, him? What’s he like? Is he as outstanding as Weidong said?”

Bai Hongbin smiled, “I think he’s very similar to your younger son. His name is Mo Haoyue, 30 years old, from S Province.”

“Mo Haoyue?” Liu Baoguo stood up excitedly. He hadn’t even seen him yet, and Bai Hongbin had already met him.

“Yes, he said his name is Mo Haoyue. He came to ask my son for help; his wife got into some trouble.”

Liu Baoguo said, “You recognized him, he’s the eldest son I lost all those years ago.”

“You investigated?” Bai Hongbin asked.

Liu Baoguo replied, “Yes, the family who took care of my wife moved away, and we couldn’t find him. This time, through her, we found him in S Province.”

“My wife has already met his mother. It’s indeed the family who took care of her back then, but we didn’t alarm his mother. We just came back yesterday and don’t know how to tell him.”

“By the way, what happened? Let me handle it. Then have him come to your house so we can meet.”