Chapter 74: Sending Letters Back to the Village

Luo Qiao said, “Auntie, I have to go to school. I’ve already registered, and I will take the entrance exam with this year’s high school candidates. Please rest assured.

And don’t forget, I’ve been learning traditional Chinese medicine with Professor Yang. I’ve collected quite a few herbs in the mountains before and made some money selling them. So Auntie, you really don’t need to worry about my life. In fact, my life has improved since leaving the Luo family.”

As soon as the Luo family was mentioned, Mrs. Yao became angry again, “I knew the Luo family treated you like that. It turns out that the Luo couple aren’t your biological parents at all. They did such shameless things just for their own son.

Don’t let me see them again. I can’t curse them enough for their shamelessness. Their hearts are too malicious, how could they do such things?”

After Mrs. Yao calmed down, Luo Qiao said she needed to take her leave. Mrs. Yao insisted that she stay, suggesting she spend the night at their home before leaving, as they had just reunited.

However, Luo Qiao explained she had left the team yesterday and couldn’t delay returning to the village any longer. Mrs. Yao had planned to give Luo Qiao some food to take back, but Luo Qiao also needed to bring bedding and couldn’t carry more.

Mrs. Yao then packed up all the leftover steamed buns from lunch for Luo Qiao, suggesting they would save her from cooking dinner once she got home.

Luo Qiao only took one set of bedding, but Mrs. Yao insisted she take two pieces of fabric with her, saying she needed better clothes for school and refusing to let her leave them behind.

So Luo Qiao ended up taking both pieces of fabric with her, leaving Mrs. Yao about two pounds of red dates. This moved Mrs. Yao to tears again, silently lamenting why such a good child had to suffer so much.

Mrs. Yao walked Luo Qiao all the way out of the family courtyard. Only then did Luo Qiao stop her from going any further and promised to visit whenever she had time, and to write to them if anything happened. Then she hurried to the station.

On her way, she passed by the post office and sent letters to Grandpa Yuan and the Yang family grandparents, along with about two pounds of red dates for each household.

Feeling pleased after getting things done, she headed to the station, thinking that once she had money, she would buy a watch because relying on guessing the time was inconvenient.

The bus had already arrived at the station, just waiting for departure time. Luo Qiao bought her ticket at the station and placed her luggage on the luggage rack at the front of the bus. She herself sat in the front to avoid the crowded back seats.

As they neared departure time, the driver and the ticket seller finally boarded the bus. It departed from the bus station at exactly five o’clock, and after a bumpy ride, finally arrived at the entrance of the commune road. Luo Qiao got off the bus, took a moment to stretch, and then started walking back.

The smell inside the bus was really overpowering, but fortunately, it was late at night now. Along the way, she even encountered several villagers who were heading to the commune for business.

One of them was Gao Shunyi from Li Xiulan’s family. When Gao Shunyi saw Luo Qiao coming back with her carrying basket, he couldn’t help but glance a few more times. In his mind, he thought, ‘Luo Qiao is quite capable. I wonder what she has brought back this time.’

A woman from the village spoke up, “Luo Qiao, where did you go?”

Knowing she couldn’t hide it, Luo Qiao confidently replied, “I went to fetch a quilt.” She didn’t mention she went to the city, just that she fetched a quilt.

Luckily, they were now at the village entrance, otherwise she would have faced even more questions. Quickly exchanging greetings, she turned towards the path leading home.

After a few steps, she saw Lu Yichen shaking off dust from his clothes at his house’s doorstep. Luo Qiao thought to herself that he finished work early today.

Lu Yichen furrowed his brow and asked, “You didn’t come back yesterday?”

After speaking, he looked at Luo Qiao with a cold expression, waiting for her answer.