Chapter 218 - 217: Exposed (Third Update)
Gu Xiaoqing and Gu Juying took Gu Xiaoying’s car to Ten-mile Castle, because Gu Xiaoqing wanted to see the house where she was kidnapped by human traffickers all those years ago.
Gu Juying was also curious, and Gu Xiaoying did not object. These events left a deep mark in their hearts back then, so everyone seemed to understand Gu Xiaoqing’s actions.
Gu Xiaoqing had already inquired about it long ago, through a cousin from her uncle’s side. Feng Shichao’s house is the fifth one at the head of Ten-mile Castle village. Feng Shichao’s wife is a typical rural woman who rarely goes out, mostly staying home to take care of the children and the family land.
So it was easy to find.
The three of them first went to see the dilapidated cave dwelling where Gu Xiaoqing was kept back then.
There have been changes here; the dilapidated cave dwelling has been demolished, mainly because the incident back then was so famous, it alerted quite a few officials at the county level, turning this place into a trouble magnet in people’s minds.
So the village sent people to demolish it, to prevent future trouble caused by nefarious individuals targeting this place.
As Gu Xiaoqing recounted the events of those years while observing the site, Gu Juying and Gu Xiaoying were astonished for a long time. They only knew that Gu Xiaoqing suffered a lot then, but they didn’t realize there was so much danger and cruelty involved.
Especially upon hearing that the traffickers actually caught up and even impersonated Gu Xiaoqing’s father, leaving them speechless, the two became quite anxious.
Back then, Gu Xiaoqing hadn’t spoken much about these things, and Gu Xiaoying and Gu Juying hadn’t asked much either, as they didn’t want to rub salt into the wounds of the child seeing her in such a miserable state.
Now, listening to it all makes the two feel terribly alarmed.
Thinking about how Gu Xiaoqing was just a twelve-year-old girl back then, it took so much courage and boldness, along with desperate determination.
Coming down from the mountain, Gu Xiaoqing specifically mentioned wanting to see the village.
The three of them entered the village.
Gu Xiaoqing specifically looked for the courtyard of the fifth household at the village entrance. Upon seeing it, indeed there was someone there, with the yard gate wide open, and a muddy little boy squatting at the gate playing with mud, seemingly about three years old.
A short and plump woman in her twenties was washing clothes in the yard.
Gu Xiaoqing told Gu Juying, "Let’s go in and ask for a drink of water; I’m dying of thirst."
The two had no choice.
The three of them walked in.
"Sister, we’re from another village here on some business, we’re thirsty, could we get a drink of water at your house?"
Gu Xiaoqing said without shyness, as she was here precisely to see them.
The woman looked up, seeing three girls, dressed like city folks, she stood up with a smile and said, "Come in, I’ll pour some water for you."
She moved several benches from under the eaves to the porch under the gate, where it was cool.
Then she went inside to pour water.
Gu Xiaoqing sat down, took out a bag of fruit candies from her bag, and waved to the little boy playing with mud, saying, "Hey little friend, come here. Auntie has something tasty."
The little boy, with his big round eyes, stared for a long time before slowly moving over. When his eyes caught sight of the colorful fruit candies in the bag, his mouth finally started to water.
Gu Xiaoqing handed a piece of candy to the little boy, saying, "Here you go, what’s your name?"
The little boy quickly snatched the candy from Gu Xiaoqing’s palm and shyly said, "My name is Xiao Hu."
Then he ran into a room over there.
Gu Xiaoqing laughed.
Gu Juying and Gu Xiaoying laughed too.
Village kids are just a bit timid, mainly because they rarely see strangers.
The woman came out with a teapot and a few cups, pouring water for Gu Xiaoqing and the others, adding sugar to it.
"You all drink some, this water is just-boiled and cooled, now the temperature is just right, perfect for quenching thirst." She was warm and straightforward.
Gu Xiaoqing thought, this good woman ended up with a scumbag.
She accepted the water, poured it herself, and invited the woman to sit down.
"Sister, have a seat, no need to keep busy with us. Do you just have one child? I just saw a little boy running inside."
Gu Xiaoqing asked.
The woman glanced at the boy hiding behind the door curtain, smiled, and said, "Two kids, the older one is a girl, six years old, and the younger one is this little boy, just three. But country kids are shy."
Her face was filled with maternal love.
Gu Xiaoqing asked, "You seem young, is your family’s life okay? Are both partners local to the village?"
Though she felt guilty, like she was being unethical, and as if she was prying into an innocent woman’s secrets.
The woman smiled and said, "Stop calling me sister all the time, I’m Shi Ximei, but everyone calls me Mei Zi. My husband works at the county public security bureau as a clerk, so he’s often not home. I’m the one taking care of the two kids, farming, and looking after the elders. We get by."
Her face genuinely brimmed with a happy smile.
Gu Xiaoqing sighed, while Gu Juying became immediately curious, isn’t Feng Shichao the one working at the county public security bureau?
There are capable people here, not many can work at the county bureau.
So she asked, "Sister Mei Zi, who is your husband? I have friends at the public security bureau, maybe they know each other."
Mei Zi felt a bit delighted upon hearing this; if they could connect, they would be close like family.
"My husband is Feng Shichao, a clerk in the criminal section of the bureau. He’s very nice, friendly, and has a good sense of humor, maybe they really do know each other."
At this, Gu Juying’s face remained unchanged, but she felt her heart boil over.
This deceiver!
Feng Shichao always told others he was unmarried and often visited our house, saying he had a good impression of and liked me—especially when we were in the county, he always talked grandly about his family’s conditions and his loyalty.
He wanted to date me.
But here we find him with a wife and kids.
Isn’t this just a scoundrel’s behavior?
Gu Xiaoqing, however, remained calm, continuing to smile and ask, "Oh wow, so Sister Mei Zi’s husband is quite capable. Those who can hold their ground in the county are not ordinary people. How many years have you been married? Why doesn’t your husband bring you to stay in the county? Living apart like this must be tough."
Mei Zi, smiling, explained, "Living expenses are high in the county, and his father’s salary alone isn’t enough, not to mention us three—a mother and children. Plus, the elders at home need care, and the family has contracted fifteen acres of land. It’s all up to the three of us to stay fed. Otherwise, with just their dad’s salary, we’d starve."
Though it sounded like a complaint, it was clearly filled with happy grievances. (To be continued. If you like this work, please head to qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)