Chapter 67 : The Shu Family Mother and Son Arrive

At two o’clock in the afternoon, Yun Siying rode Nangong Ruochen’s bicycle to the county.

“Comrade, you’re finally here.” Shitou, who was stationed at the intersection, saw Yun Siying and greeted her with a flattering smile.

“Call someone. Let’s go to the usual place to get the goods,” Yun Siying said as she stopped her bicycle.

“Alright.”

Yun Siying looked at the 1,153 yuan in front of her and quickly stuffed it into her bag. “Brother Jun, the autumn harvest has started. My brothers and I won’t have time to go up the mountain for a while. I’ll deliver the next batch after the harvest is over.”

“Okay.”

Yun Siying checked her watch. It was three in the afternoon, she had half an hour. She rode her bike back to the middle of the Hongxing Brigade, put the bicycle into her storage space, and headed to the mountains, where she found a tall tree with a good view.

She took out a recliner, a small table, a plate of melon seeds, and a cup of malted milk. Lying lazily on the recliner, she enjoyed the breeze, the scent of flowers and plants, snacked on melon seeds, and drank malted milk. It was incredibly relaxing.

Her mental power had been monitoring the road several thousand meters below. Just as she finished her malted milk, the people she’d been waiting for appeared. Shu Chengzhi was riding a 28-bar bicycle with Tang Lingxue sitting on the back seat. Two large bags were hanging from the front crossbar.

Yun Siying quietly transferred all the money, tickets, supplements, and gifts they had brought for Shu Ruxue into her storage space, leaving only the clothes they had packed for changing.

She watched the two ride off without ever realizing anything had happened. Then she and the recliner vanished into the storage space, where she sorted through the money and tickets she had taken from them: 827 yuan and 30 cents in cash, a large stack of various ration and supply tickets, and two bank passbooks. Shu Chengzhi’s passbook had a balance of 13,000 yuan, while Tang Lingxue’s held 36,200 yuan.

Yun Siying smiled. Just how much money were these two planning to give Shu Ruxue? They even brought passbooks with them. Shu Ruxue didn’t deserve a cent of the Shu family’s money, she should be the one spending it.

She put on makeup and changed her appearance, becoming an entirely different person. Then she left the space, rode to the county town, visited two banks, and withdrew all the money from both passbooks.

—

Shu Ruxue, with a broken arm, didn’t go to the fields to work. At 3:00 p.m., she stood at the village entrance. At 3:30, Shen Subai came to join her. They waited together, occasionally glancing at the road and pacing restlessly. As 4:00 approached and their patience wore thin, two familiar figures finally came into view.

She waved her uninjured hand energetically. “Mom! Brother! I’m over here!”

The mother and son looked at the young woman excitedly waving at them. Her voice was familiar. One arm was in a cast, and there was a black hole in her teeth. Standing beside her, Shen Subai looked disheveled and worn out.

Seeing Shu Ruxue in such miserable condition broke their hearts. They had heard things were bad, but seeing it for themselves was a shock. When the bike stopped, Tang Lingxue quickly got off and ran over to hug Shu Ruxue. Tears streamed down her face as she choked out, “Ruxue, you’ve suffered so much.”

“Mom, brother, I’m so glad you came. I got the money Dad sent yesterday, but it was stolen not long after I withdrew it. I don’t even have anything to eat now,” Shu Ruxue said, her eyes red, her voice trembling with emotion.

Seeing the doubt in their eyes, Shen Subai added, “Aunt Tang, Ruxue isn’t lying. I also got money from my mom yesterday. But just walking from the post office to the department store, it was stolen.”

“The thieves here are so rampant, and the police don’t care?” Tang Lingxue said angrily.

“Mom, the money was stolen like that, and since Ruxue and the others aren’t suspects, the police can’t investigate,” Shu Chengzhi sighed. His sister had been in the countryside for less than ten days and had already been robbed twice. Her luck was unbelievable.

Several people returned to the Youth League Home. Looking at Shu Ruxue’s simple room, the mother and son felt very sad. Their daughter/sister had suffered. If they ever found out who signed Ruxue up to come here, they would definitely deal with that person.

Shen Subai poured each of them a glass of water. “Brother Chengzhi, Aunt Tang, you both take a rest first. I still have to go work in the fields.”

“Wait, Chengzhi, go get the two bags we brought,” Tang Lingxue said with a smile.

Shu Chengzhi removed the two bags from the bicycle and immediately felt that something was off about the weight. His expression changed slightly, and he quickly walked into the room. “Mom, open the bag and check if anything’s missing. I think the weight is off.”

As he spoke, he opened his military bag. Many things were indeed missing, the chocolate candies he had brought for Ruxue, the glossy malted milk, several beautiful hairbands, and a brand-new green military uniform. All gone. He checked the hidden compartment of his military backpack again. The cash and receipts inside were gone, and so was the passbook.

He checked the pockets of his clothes again. His ID and officer’s certificate were still there, but the money and receipts were missing. His brows furrowed so deeply they could crush a fly. He had never let his military backpack out of his sight, and the money in his pocket had been even more secure.

How could those things have been stolen? As an officer, he was supposed to be extremely alert. The pockets weren’t slashed, and he hadn’t felt anything unusual the entire trip. It was bizarre.

“Ah! My banknotes and passbooks are gone too! And the things I bought for Ruxue are missing as well! Chengzhi, how about yours?” Tang Lingxue exclaimed, her face filled with panic.

“Mom, mine are gone too,” Shu Chengzhi replied, his face dark with anger. He carefully recalled every detail along the way. When they first put the bags on the bike, the weight had felt normal. At that time, he had checked his pockets and the money was still there.

He had ridden the bike the whole way, and the two bags were placed on the crossbar in front of him. They had never left his sight. It was as if the items had vanished into thin air. Too strange.

“Ruxue, Subai, tell me exactly what happened when your money was stolen,” Shu Chengzhi said, thinking of the two times Shu Ruxue and Shen Subai had been robbed.

The two of them described the incidents in detail. Shu Chengzhi felt that their experiences were the same as his and his mother’s, like the money had vanished on its own. No one would believe it if they told others.

Shen Subai noticed that Shu Chengzhi was deep in thought, so he said goodbye and left for work. His suspicions deepened.

“Ruxue, all the supplements Mom and I brought for you are gone. I’m going up the mountain to hunt some wild animals to help you recover.” His mind was a mess, and he wanted to go out to clear his head. He’d figure out a way to borrow some money tomorrow.

“Brother, my adoptive parents know you and Mom are here. They’ve invited us to their home for dinner tonight. Make sure you come back early,” Shu Ruxue said. She didn’t want her mother and brother to go empty-handed.

“I know. I’ll hunt more . We’re not going empty-handed,” Shu Chengzhi replied, then quickly headed to the back mountain.