Chapter 63: Arrival
“It’s fine, all the people have been caught and the child has been sent to the hospital.”
“That’s good.”
The sky outside the train window had turned completely dark before they knew it. Yan Bei glanced at his watch and smiled, “This time it’s not an excuse. Let’s go. I’ll take you to the dining car carriage for dinner.”
“Alright, I am actually a bit hungry.”
After telling Wu Tao, the two left the rest room one after the other.
Because Fu Jiaming and Xiao Qiu were still there, after getting the meals they couldn’t fulfill Yan Bei’s wish to dine together with just the two of them, so they brought the lunchboxes back to the carriage together.
Hearing the sliding door, Fu Jiaming immediately poked his head out. Upon seeing them, he was almost in tears of joy, “Great! Su Ning, you’re finally back! If you didn’t come back soon, I really wouldn’t know what to do when Xiao Qiu started crying!”
“Sister Ning Ning!”
Similarly full of eager anticipation with eyes brimming with joy was also Xiao Qiu.
After nearly two or three hours without seeing her, the unfamiliar environment made Xiao Qiu feel very insecure deep down. Even with Uncle Fu keeping her company and chatting, she couldn’t cheer up.
“Good girl, Xiao Qiu, are you hungry?”
“I ate some snacks that Sister Ning Ning prepared, so I’m not hungry. Sister Ning Ning, where did you go?”
Sitting down beside her, Su Ning reached out and gently touched the back of her head, “I went to help someone with a little favor.”
Nodding in a little adult-like manner, it took so long for just a little favor?
Thinking of this, Xiao Qiu quickly pulled out biscuits and twisted dough sticks from her little shoulder bag, “Sister Ning Ning must be exhausted. Eat quick, eat quick~”
“Your Brother Yan Bei and I got meals. Let’s not eat snacks first and have dinner instead?”
“Okay~”
Fu Jiaming scratched his head in annoyance. How come the little one became so well-behaved in front of Su Ning?
He was clearly very affable and likable.
“What are you thinking? Take it quick!”
“Oh, okay.”
Taking the lunchbox handed over by his good brother, Fu Jiaming winked at him and said what he thought was quietly, “Several hours alone together, what did you do?”
Meeting Su Ning’s suspicious gaze, Yan Bei slightly turned his face away. If he could, he would definitely give a full ‘massage’ cleanly and neatly.
The kind with all-around friction on the ground!
Just now he had indeed waited in the carriage without returning because of worry, as for where he went…
“Agh, let’s eat, let’s eat. It’s all dark outside, I’m starving!”
Perceptive Fu Jiaming sensed something off and immediately changed the topic. He casually opened the lunchbox lid, “Ha, stewed tofu, I like it! Add some meat sauce made by Su Ning, hiss~ simply delicious!”
“Hehehe~”
That exaggerated intoxicated expression made Xiao Qiu laugh nonstop. She hurriedly handed him the jar of meat sauce from her bag, “Uncle Fu, here!”
“Hey, such a good girl. Wait until we get off the train, Uncle Fu… cough cough, Fu Gege will buy you candy.”
“Thank you, Uncle Fu!”
“It’s brother, good Xiao Qiu. Bro, bro.”
……
On the three-day train journey, with two treasures big and small, time didn’t feel hard to endure at all.
Upon arriving at Shanghai City train station, the benefits of having acquaintances became apparent.
Fu Jiaming and Yan Bei led the two of them quickly out of the platform and took a car to the best hotel in Shanghai City.
According to Fu Jiaming’s introduction, this place not only had an excellent location where one could see the river nearby, but the meals in the hotel were also particularly delicious and very popular with foreign guests.
After sending the two into the room and agreeing on a rough return time, Yan Bei thoughtfully left the address and telephone, instructing her to contact him if anything came up, before heading home with Fu Jiaming.
After closing the door, Su Ning took Xiao Qiu to bathe together and change into clean clothes, finally feeling comfortable all over.
“Sister Ning Ning.”
“Hm?”
Xiao Qiu, who had changed into a pink dress, pinched the little butterfly at the waist of her skirt and nervously asked, “Will Grandpa and Granny like me?”
“Xiao Qiu is so sensible and well-behaved, how could they not like you?”
Pulling her into her arms and gently patting her thin back, Su Ning patiently told her.
“If Grandpa and Granny don’t show that they like you, it’s certainly because they’re busy missing your mom, so Xiao Qiu, don’t be sad. Once they slowly accept that mom has turned into a star, they’ll love you even more properly.”
“Will they?”
“Of course they will. They love your mom so much, how could they not like her most beloved Xiao Qiu?”
The shy little one she spoke of smiled bashfully, truly letting go of the tension and fear in her heart.
With her chin gently resting on the top of her head, Su Ning didn’t let her see the worry in her eyes.
Seven years missing, suddenly learning the devastating news that their daughter was gone— the Zhang Family definitely couldn’t accept it all at once. Even after learning Xiao Qiu’s background, it would be human nature if they felt implicated and resentful.
However, they raised a daughter like Zhang Qin who was wise, resilient, decisive, and even retained kindness in her heart while mired in the quagmire. She believed the Zhang Family, especially the old couple, were good people.
“Then Sister Ning Ning, when are we going to find Grandpa and Granny?”
Xiao Qiu turned her face sideways to look up at her, her eyes now free of worry and fear, full of anticipation.
Glancing at her watch, 10:20 a.m.
Lowering her head and pinching her little face, Su Ning glanced with her peripheral vision at the box wrapped in black cloth on the table.
This trip to Shanghai City was not only to send Xiao Qiu and Zhang Qin home, but also to handle purchasing tasks for the factory, visit Maternal Grandfather’s friends Grandpa Zhao and Grandma Xin, and if there was opportunity, return to her home in Shanghai City.
In just a few short days, running errands for purchasing alone would probably keep her very busy.
“Is Xiao Qiu tired?”
“Not tired!”
Her eyes rolled a couple times, and Xiao Qiu sat up straight in surprise, “Are we going now?”
“If Xiao Qiu isn’t tired, Sister Ning Ning will take you now.”
Zhang Qin had longed for it for so many years and should also be eager to go home and see her own family.
“I’m not tired at all. Let’s go, Sister Ning Ning!”
“Alright, let’s go. Don’t rush, put your shoes on first.”
Bending down to hand her the sandals, Su Ning stood up and took out a comb, hairband, and two cute hairpins from her bag.
She re-tied two symmetrical little buns for her, pinning a hairpin on each side, “Done, so pretty!”
“Hehehe~ Sister Ning Ning is the prettiest!”
The two pressed their faces together, then picked up the urn hand in hand and left the hotel.
……
The address handwritten by Zhang Qin was very detailed, so Su Ning found it without much trouble.
But the Zhang Family’s door was tightly shut, and no one came to open it after knocking for a long time.
An old man sitting in the alley enjoying the cool air saw this and asked, “Who are you looking for?”
“Granny, is this Zhang Qin’s home?”
“Who did you say?”
The old lady fanning herself with a reed fan opened her eyes wide, wondering if her ears were even worse, how she couldn’t hear clearly from so close.
“Zhang Qin, the Qin from zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Is Zhang Qin’s home here?”
“Yes, yes, yes, this is it. It’s really Zhang Family Nannan!”
The old lady looked around. Apart from the big and small two, she didn’t see that familiar face and couldn’t help asking doubtfully, “Then where’s Nannan? Didn’t she come back herself?”
So pitiful. Ever since she went missing, what kind of days has the Zhang Family been having.
The old couple, to find her, placed newspaper ads, entrusted connections everywhere to inquire, and went anywhere no matter the hardship as soon as they heard even a little news.
Not even past fifty, yet their hair turned completely white, and their health collapsed.
If not for that breath holding them up—wanting to see her alive, her remains if dead—the couple probably wouldn’t have held out!
“She… came back, Granny. Where did the Zhang Family people go? When will they be back?”
Came back? If she came back, why isn’t she here?
The old lady gave her a strange look. When she saw the black box-like thing in her arms, her heart startled: it couldn’t be…
Such a good Nannan, gone just like that?
She had been neighbors with the Zhang Family for over thirty years and could be said to have watched the Zhang siblings grow up. It was hard not to like this sweet-mouthed, well-behaved Nannan.
Back then when she was lost, not only their family but everyone in the whole alley went to search, practically turning all of Shanghai City upside down, but… still no sign of her.
Now seeing her again in this situation, the old lady’s eyes reddened. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she continued asking, “What’s that?”
Seeing her nod, the old lady’s tears gushed out uncontrollably.
Once she came back to her senses, she remembered something and hurriedly wiped her eyes, saying to her, “You, quickly take Nannan to the hospital!”
“Which hospital?”
After getting clear directions from Su Ning, she thanked her, took Xiao Qiu’s hand, and hurried toward the hospital.
Xiao Qiu, with lips tightly pressed, didn’t speak, but her grip on her hand tightened uncontrollably, even breaking out in sticky sweat.
“Xiao Qiu, don’t be scared. Grandpa hasn’t seen you and Mom yet. It’ll be fine, okay!”
“Mm!”
Pear: Wuwu, begging for votes, not too much, right? Just… exchange with Ning Ning’s beauty. If not, Peach Blossom Spring Space works too!
Su Ning: What did you say? Say it again?
Pear: Even real mom isn’t good enough, what could you be? Right? Open up your mindset, goose!
Su Ning: Then… how about exchanging with my twenty years of being single?
Some male lead: Gotta kill me to hype things up?
Hahahaha, cracked myself up. Begging for votes, big and small cuties!
