Chapter 139: Reaction
“Ge Yu!” “Dad!”
“Dad, Older brother, are you alright?”
Xiang Mingyu and the others saw Yan Ziyu and his son return without any further injuries, and they all breathed a sigh of relief, stepping forward excitedly to speak.
Yan Nan, quick on the uptake, hurried ahead to help his older brother set down their father steadily, then took a bundle from his hand.
“What’s this? Who…”
“We’ll talk later.”
This place had too many people with loose tongues, and the Yan Family was right at the center of this storm—who knew if there might be shady rats sent by hidden enemies lurking around.
Clearly, everyone understood that this wasn’t the place to talk; after calming their emotions, they all quietly fell silent on their own.
Only after being escorted into the carriage did the train slowly carry them away from this familiar land, with no one knowing what the future held.
Even Yan Xi, who fancied herself a little witch, had always emphasized settling things with fists, whether at home or in the courtyard.
Even after years of training in the military, any competition was always a direct, face-to-face clash.
Facing this kind of situation for the first time—one that required brains, careful scheming, and heart—it concerned the life and death of the entire Yan Family, leaving her inevitably confused and at a loss.
She wasn’t worried about hardship or suffering; she just feared being completely useless.
“Xi Xi?”
Sitting beside her, Xiang Mingyu was the first to notice her daughter’s low mood.
“I’m fine, Mom. I just thought of Xiao Qi.”
As the smartest among the younger generation at home, if Yan Xiao Qi were here, would he…
In an instant, she shook her head; Yan Xi secretly pinched her palm hard.
She’d forgotten that given the Yan Family’s current situation, even if Yan Xiao Qi was far away in Xiangnan, he probably couldn’t escape being implicated.
“Bei Bei…”
Mentioning her youngest son, thinking of how he was immersed in research and loved burying himself in complex formulas, if…
A trace of heartache welled up in Xiang Mingyu’s eyes, because she knew.
Losing his superior family background and affluent life wasn’t a blow to him, but if he truly couldn’t continue his scientific research, it might cost him half his life.
“It’s a bit chilly tonight, Dad. You’re injured, so you can’t afford to get sick now—put on these clothes first, you and Mom.”
Seeing everyone’s moods off, Yan Dong opened the large bundle at hand, trying to shift their attention.
Sure enough, no one had time to think further; all eyes turned to these two suddenly appearing large bundles.
At least on the surface, who wasn’t keeping their distance from them now, not daring to approach—who would choose this moment to send things without any qualms?
“I wanted to ask earlier—what’s the situation here?”
“That person said he was Su Ning’s older brother.”
“Su Ning? Ning Ning’s older brother?”
An unexpected person, but when it actually happened, it didn’t feel all that surprising deep down.
Though they’d only spent a short time together, beyond her own little brother’s connection, Yan Xi really liked and admired Su Ning herself.
“Mm, not only did he send cotton clothes, cotton pants, and thick bedding, but he must be worried we’d struggle with the sudden cold in the north.”
As for the money and ration coupons, there was no need to mention them now, with so many ears around.
As Yan Dong spoke, he found jackets from Zhang Fu and his wife and handed them to his parents.
The clothes weren’t very new but had no patches; they were washed to a faded white with some pilling, yet very clean and carrying a faint scent of soap.
“As expected of someone our Xiao Qi has taken a fancy to and holds dear.”
Though puzzled how Su Ning, whose home was in Beijing City and who was an only daughter, had an older brother popping up in Shanghai City.
But they were moved and grateful for this kindness and thoughtfulness.
Even if Su Ning had concerns and didn’t end up with Yan Bei in the end, the Yan Family Members wouldn’t discount her kindness in the slightest.
At this moment, as they sighed inwardly, they didn’t yet know that these once seemingly unremarkable cotton clothes, cotton pants, and bedding would provide their greatest survival guarantee and lifesaving aid after they reached their destination.
……
Shanghai City, Huaijiang Alley Zhang Family.
“He’s back, Uncle’s back, Grandpa, Granny, Maternal Uncle’s back~”
Xiao Qiu, who had stubbornly carried a small stool to sit on the doorstep outside the main hall waiting, jumped up happily and shouted loudly into the house upon seeing the person pushing a bicycle into the yard.
“Back?”
“How’d it go? Did you see them? Did you hand over the things?”
Zhang Fu turned to look at the back seat of the bicycle model and, seeing no things there, put his heart mostly at ease.
After parking the bike, Zhang Qi nodded and replied, “Saw them, handed over the things, but Yan Ziyu and Uncle Yan were injured—pretty seriously.”
“Ah?”
“When I went, I gave them all the money and ration coupons I had on me—hope they can find a way to buy medicine for the injuries once they arrive.”
“All for nothing!”
Hearing this, Zhang Fu waved his hand; over these years, he’d seen plenty—no one had the guts to get close, let alone help out of kindness.
Rubbing his hands, Zhang Fu stopped pacing and looked at his son, who had just gotten home and hadn’t even caught his breath, then unsparingly directed again, “You go call Ning Ning and update her on the situation.”
“Okay.”
Zhang Qi agreed readily; originally, he’d planned to inquire about the Yan Family Members’ exact sent-down address tomorrow before replying to Ning Ning.
But calling now worked too—it’d spare her worrying and losing sleep tonight; worst case, he’d call again tomorrow with confirmed news.
And just like that, without even entering the house, Zhang Qi hurriedly went out the gate again.
Hu Yingtao, who only half-understood the matter, knew Ning Ning’s request had been handled, so with her mind at ease, she ignored the father-son duo getting tossed about again.
Turning, she took her granddaughter’s hand. “Come on, Xiao Qiu, Granny will heat up some meal for you—we’ll eat first, no waiting for your Grandpa and Uncle.”
“Okay, eat first, you two eat—Xiao Qiu’s growing and can’t go hungry. I told you to eat earlier, but you wouldn’t.”
Waving at the two of them, Zhang Fu smiled and urged, “Don’t wait for us—later I’ll have A Qi keep me company for a couple drinks.”
……
Shanghai City, Xinyuan Road Su Family Little Red Building.
“How’d it go, Feng Ge? Has Qiao Ge come back?”
“Not yet.”
One tall, one short—two figures stood by the large window on the second floor balcony, anxiously tiptoeing to peer out at the dimly lit alley street.
“Hey, it’s Qiao Ge—Qiao Ge’s back!”
Xiao Qiao had just entered the iron gate when he saw his two younger brothers waving from upstairs; a smile tugged at his dirty face.
He quickly entered, shut and locked the gate, then climbed the stairs to the second floor.
“Have you two eaten?”
“Not yet—we were waiting for you to eat together.”
“Alright, let’s go eat first. We’ll talk after.”
Tang Feng nodded in agreement and headed to the kitchen first; the meal had been kept warm in the pot—all it needed was to uncover and serve.
Thanks to Sister Ning, they now truly had a home and didn’t have to go hungry anymore.
Though she’d told them to eat the rice at home without worry when she left, they couldn’t bear to use up the grain; even with fine rice, the three hadn’t planned to just consume it like that.
Apart from what was used for exchanges, they’d swapped their own rations for coarse grain with this top-grade fine rice.
Even this was more than satisfying for the three.
Perhaps from too much hunger before, the three lads of various sizes ate faster than one another.
Swallowing the last bite of cornmeal and drinking even the soup clean, Tang Feng wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and began telling Xiao Qiao the news he’d gathered.
“That’s roughly how things stand—Ming Ge and the others didn’t know more.”
“Qiao Ge, the Yan Family is done for—they say the whole family was sent down, split to different places, and the little buildings in the courtyard were all ransacked and sealed.”
Knocking Tang Feng’s forehead as he clucked his tongue with a glint of schadenfreude in his eyes.
Xiao Qiao put on a stern face, very serious. “What’s with that expression? These should be people very close to Sister Ning.”
“Ah?”
“What ‘ah’? Why else would I have you inquire about this?!”
“Then, then what do we do? What can we help with? But they’ve already been escorted away by now, right?”
“Go inquire more tomorrow—see if you can find a way to get those specific sent-down addresses.”
“Mm, good—I’ll go first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Be sharp about it—it’s fine if you can’t find out, just don’t get yourself in trouble.”
“Qiao Ge, rest assured—I know.”
