Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Secret Code
It was already past six, and the sky had gone dark.
Seeing the gate was already closed, Zhao Nuanyue’s face went pale with fright. ’Are my brother and I going to have to sleep on the streets tonight?’
"Sis, what do we do?" Zhao Nuanyang saw the closed gate and guessed no one was there. He was starving and freezing.
Zhao Nuanyue was scared, but she knew she couldn’t show it. That would only make her brother more terrified and anxious. So, she comforted him, saying, "It’s okay. I’ll knock on the gate. Maybe someone’s inside!"
With that, Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang began to pound on the gate, desperate for a glimmer of hope.
"Who is it? It’s late! We’re closed. If you have scrap to sell, come back tomorrow," an old man’s voice called from inside, though he clearly had no intention of opening the gate.
Zhao Nuanyue was taken aback, but relieved. ’As long as someone’s here, it’s fine.’ Even if it wasn’t Station Chief Liu, she could ask for his home address and find him there.
"Mister, hello! I’m not here to sell anything, I’m looking for Station Chief Liu," Zhao Nuanyue said in a clear voice. "I’m a distant relative of his. I only knew that he works here, but I don’t know where he lives. Could you tell me?"
Hearing this, the person inside was clearly surprised. He asked again, "You’re relatives, so how could you not know his address?"
"It’s been a long time since we’ve been in touch, so I don’t remember," Zhao Nuanyue replied. "Sir, please help us. We’re really just here to find a relative, not to cause trouble."
A small peephole in the large metal gate opened. The old man inside held up a lantern to look out, then shook his head. "You’re not relatives of Station Chief Liu. You should leave. Don’t just stand at the gate. You were pounding so loud, you scared me to death."
Hearing this, Zhao Nuanyue grew anxious, but she also picked up on a clue. A flash of hopeful surprise crossed her face. "Are you Station Chief Liu?"
"If you’re a relative of Station Chief Liu, how could you not recognize him?" The old man inside eyed Zhao Nuanyue with extreme vigilance. "What is your purpose in tracking him down?"
Zhao Nuanyue saw how wary the old man was, and how he was so sure they weren’t Station Chief Liu’s relatives. This meant the old man was probably Station Chief Liu himself.
She remembered the letter Hua Yusen had given her, and the secret code. Zhao Nuanyue quickly said, "Sir, do you buy scrap paper here?"
The old man was taken aback that Zhao Nuanyue had stopped arguing and was asking him this instead. His expression grew even warier, but he played along, answering, "We do. Five cents a catty for dry, three cents for wet."
"Well, my paper isn’t dry, but it isn’t wet either. How about four cents a catty?" Zhao Nuanyue asked, her big eyes fixed on the old man.
The old man was even more surprised. He replied, "No. Damp paper is also three cents. Take it or leave it!"
"I’ll take it! I’ll take it!" Zhao Nuanyue replied. "But I need cash on the spot!"
At this, the old man opened the gate. After checking to see that no one was outside, he let them in.
"Who are you?" the old man asked. A sharp light glinted in his aged eyes as he sized up Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang.
Zhao Nuanyue wasn’t afraid. Instead, she asked, "Are you Station Chief Liu?"
"I am!" Station Chief Liu replied. "Who in the world are you?"
Only then did Zhao Nuanyue pull a letter from her pocket and hand it to Station Chief Liu. "Hello. This letter is for you. Please take a look."
Station Chief Liu led them into a brightly lit room. He took out the letter and read it carefully, verifying its authenticity.
"Alright, I understand the matter explained in the letter," Station Chief Liu said. "Tomorrow, I’ll write you an introduction letter and take you to the train station to buy tickets."
"Can’t we go right now?" Zhao Nuanyue asked. "I’m afraid the longer we wait, the more can go wrong. Someone might come looking for us."
Station Chief Liu frowned and said in a low voice, "If we’re seen on the streets at night and get caught, they’ll lock us up for questioning. That would be even more trouble. It might even alert your stepfather’s family, which would make it even harder to leave."
Hearing this, Zhao Nuanyue could only nod. "Alright, then. Thank you, Station Chief Liu."
"Don’t mention it. You two must be hungry. Wait a moment, dinner will be ready soon." After saying this, Station Chief Liu went to prepare the meal.
Zhao Nuanyue comforted her brother, then sat down on a stool to rest.
’I hope this night passes quickly!’
After eating, Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang wrapped themselves in blankets and rested their heads on the table to get some sleep.
Meanwhile, back in the family courtyard, Xia Yingyu woke up and grew anxious when she saw that her daughter and son weren’t in the room. But when she saw the note on the table, she relaxed. ’Ah, so my daughter took my son out to play.’
By the time Wang Lianhua got home and was bustling about making dinner in the kitchen, Zhao Jinghai and Zhao Huilan had also returned from work.
"Wow, Grandma, what smells so good?" Zhao Huilan smelled a rich aroma the moment she walked in. "Whoa, Grandma is actually making braised meat!"
With that, Zhao Huilan ran into the kitchen and snagged a piece of meat from the pot to pop into her mouth.
"You greedy girl! What are you going to do when you get married?" Wang Lianhua scolded with a laugh. "Now hurry up and get out of here. The kitchen is full of smoke."
Zhao Jinghai sat down next to Xia Yingyu and peeled an orange for her. "Where are Nuanyue and Nuanyang?" he asked.
"Those two went out to play. They’re eating dinner out and told us not to wait for them," Xia Yingyu replied, eating the orange while reading a book. "Oh, right, save some of the braised meat for Nuanyang and Nuanyue later. Don’t eat it all."
"Oh, okay, we’ll save some!" Zhao Jinghai nodded blankly, a frown creasing his brow. ’Zhao Nuanyue just got back and she’s already taking her brother out to wander around?’
’This has to be a coincidence, right?’
Over in the kitchen, when Wang Lianhua heard that Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang weren’t eating at home, she seethed with anger. This was the second time now that Zhao Nuanyue had managed to avoid her. Since they weren’t home, there was no need to drug the food.
"Not coming home when it’s time to eat... I’m telling you, Yingyu, you need to have a serious talk with those two. They’re not little kids anymore. They can’t just run around all over the place, and they don’t even think to help out around the house," Wang Lianhua said irritably. "I was just bragging about her to Mrs. Li today! And then she disappears all afternoon. Always out and about. What kind of girl acts like that?"
In the past, faced with her mother-in-law’s provocations, Xia Yingyu would have just listened, not daring to talk back. But she wasn’t as timid as she used to be. Xia Yingyu said sarcastically, "The children haven’t been back in over half a year, what’s wrong with them wanting to look around a bit? They can’t compare to Huilan, who gets to stay in the city, has a factory job, lives the good life, and has elders who care about her. My poor daughter and son can only work in the remote countryside. How pitiful!"
Wang Lianhua was so stunned by Xia Yingyu’s retort that she couldn’t catch her breath. She slammed her chopsticks on the table and cursed, "Xia Yingyu, don’t be so ungrateful! You think you can walk all over everyone just because you’re pregnant? My son is a great catch. He’s a capable man. He could have any woman he wants!"
