Chapter 83 : Something Happened

Jiang Lichen looked at a large bag on the ground and listened to his grandparents’ instructions with red eyes.

“Chenchen, when you go to someone else’s house, you must be obedient, be diligent, and take good care of your sister.”

Jiang Lichen nodded obediently, he knew something had happened at home.

Some time ago, he witnessed his parents being arrested and his house being smashed.

A few days ago, he overheard his grandfather and uncle talking about how his grandparents, uncle, and younger uncle were all arrested.

He was very scared, and seeing his grandfather and uncle running around outside every day, he didn’t dare to ask.

Now that he knew he was going to be sent away, he couldn’t hold back his tears any longer. “Grandpa, are my grandparents, dad, and mom never going to come back?”

Gu Botang held his grandson in his arms. “They are all fine. They were just sent to carry out a mission. You and An’an be good, your parents will come to pick you up when the time comes.”

“Grandpa, is this true?”

“Of course it’s true. When has grandpa ever lied to you?” Gu Botang smiled and touched his head. He comforted his grandson a few more words and then took out a letter, handing it to his youngest son.

“Fang Xun, this is a transfer order. After you send the two children there, report to the Northwest Military Region. Tomorrow, I will publish an announcement in the newspaper to sever ties with you and your eldest brother’s family.”

Gu Fangxun frowned and immediately refused, “Dad, I don’t agree. I will send the two children to the Northeast to settle them down and come back immediately. I want to follow you and mom.”

“What use will you have by following us? We’ll save as many people as we can now. If our family collapses, what will happen to Chenchen and An’an?”

Gu Botang looked at his youngest son sternly. “Take the child away quickly. This is an order.”

When Mrs. Gu heard that her youngest son wasn’t coming back, she immediately went upstairs to pack his luggage.

It was already midnight when Gu Fangxun took the two children on a train to the Northeast.

He and his father were in the Beijing Military Region, and his elder brother and sister-in-law were in the Southwest Military Region.

He and his father had originally planned to send these two children there.

But the eldest brother was out on a mission. Although the eldest sister-in-law did not refuse openly, her words and deeds implied that she didn’t want to get involved, for fear of implicating them.

The father and son immediately gave up the idea of sending the child over.

Firstly, he was worried about Chenchen and An’an, and also, he was afraid it would affect Gu Fangjie. After all, he had three children.

Gu Fangxun was somewhat disdainful of his eldest sister-in-law’s behavior. He knew that she didn’t want to get involved in the affairs of the family for the sake of her children and his eldest brother’s future.

But he still felt chilled by her indifference.

My eldest sister-in-law and my elder sister were high school classmates.

In the past, my eldest sister-in-law’s family was not as well off, and my elder sister always thought of her for all the good things, truly treating her like her own sister.

It was my elder sister who brought my eldest sister-in-law together with my elder brother and allowed them to marry.

Now, as soon as my sister and brother-in-law got into trouble, the eldest sister-in-law was eager to distance herself from the matter. It was truly shameful.

“Wuuuu… I want my mommy.” An An, perhaps disturbed by an uncomfortable sleep, was whining in his arms, searching for his mommy.

Jiang Lichen, who was dozing off next to his uncle, was immediately awakened when he heard his sister crying.

He gently patted his sister’s head and coaxed her, “Sister, brother is here.”

An An heard the familiar voice and quieted down, but she was still subconsciously crying, “Brother, I want my mother…”

Jiang Lichen held back his tears and gently patted his sister to sleep.

Gu Fangxun held the two children in his arms, sighed softly, and his eyes became a little red.

They took a train for three days, two buses, and finally an ox cart for more than an hour.

Gu Fangxun then took his two children to the home of his comrade-in-arms, Xu Fan.

After Xu Fan was discharged from the army due to injury, he returned to the team and became the captain.

The two had a very good relationship when they were in the army, and they still kept in touch, writing letters to each other every one or two months.

Gu Fangxun was 23 years old this year. Xu Fan was four years older than him, and because they married early, they already had two children.

The older one was a son, eight years old this year, and the younger one was a daughter, six years old.

Gu Fangxun knocked on Xu Fan’s door, carrying two big bags and two children.

Xu Fan had gone to the commune for a meeting today. His wife was washing clothes in the yard. When she heard someone knocking on the door, she shouted loudly, “Who is it? Come in.”

Gu Fangxun pushed open the door and smiled, asking, “Excuse me, is this Xu Fan’s house?”

Zhang Damei looked at the man standing with two children and luggage.

She asked in confusion, “This is Xu Fan’s family. Who are you? What do you want with my husband?”

Gu Fangxun paused for a moment, then smiled and said, “You must be his wife, right? My name is Gu Fangxun, and I’m Xu Fan’s comrade-in-arms. I was passing by today, so I came to see you.”

“Oh, you’re Xu Fan’s comrade-in-arms. Please, come in.” Zhang Damei wiped her hands on her clothes and hurried over.

Gu Fangxun followed her into the main room. He noticed Zhang Damei staring at the two bags he had brought. He took out two snacks and two bags of candy and placed them on the table.

“Sister-in-law, I came here in a rush and didn’t buy anything else. These candies and snacks are for the children.”

“Oh, you’re too polite. Just come in. What else do you need?” Zhang Damei said with a smile. “Please, sit down. I’ll go boil some water.”

At that moment, the door was pushed open again, and a boy, around seven or eight years old, and a shorter girl entered from outside.

Gu Fangxun looked at them calmly.

Although the boy was dirty, he looked simple and innocent, and it was obvious that he had plenty of food. His clothes were neat and tidy, with not a single patch.

In that era, especially in the countryside, this kind of clothing was rare.

On the other hand, the little girl was a bit thin, with yellow hair, and wore clothes that looked like they were picked up from a boy. There were so many patches on the knees that it was almost impossible to tell the original color of her shirt.

Seeing the two children covered in dirt, Zhang Damei frowned and scolded, “Where have you two gone causing trouble again?”

She slapped the little boy’s butt first, then pinched the little girl’s arm hard. “You stupid girl, you just go out and play all day and never help with the work. What’s the point of keeping a useless child like you?”

The little girl screamed, “Ah!” when she was pinched, struggling hard to break free.

Seeing her resistance, Zhang Damei slapped her arm hard again before letting go.

The little boy had already run into the main room. He stared at Gu Fangxun, Chenchen, and An’an and asked curiously, “Who are you, and why are you in our house?”

Before Gu Fangxun could say anything, the little boy had already noticed the snacks and candies on the table.

His eyes lit up, and he quickly opened the candy and snacks, put a piece in his mouth, and then started stuffing them into his pockets.