Chapter 312
Yu Dong bought them sleeper tickets. The Yu family had money and connections, so he handled such matters with ease.
However, he bought himself a seat ticket, saying he was too worried to sleep.
He also worried that Si Nian, like him, would be too concerned about the Boss to sleep, so he comforted her: "Don't worry, Eldest Sister-in-law. I've heard the authorities are taking this matter very seriously now, it's not like the old days anymore. Maybe once they know you're coming to the northwest, the Boss will be busy getting back."
Given the long journey, Si Nian didn't bring much. However, worried about temperature differences, she had all the children wear jackets in case it got cold on the train at night.
Xiao Dong and Xiao Han carried their own backpacks, stuffed with a change of clothes and their homework.
They also carried a small bag with Yao Yao's clothes. Si Nian herself only carried a suitcase, not much at all.
She didn't want the hassle of lugging around numerous bags.
Fortunately, the children were all older now, saving her a lot of trouble.
Still, she had to be careful; pickpockets were rampant in train stations during this era.
The money she brought was sewn into the lining of her clothes.
With Yu Dong's help, Si Nian felt considerably more at ease.
Yu Dong didn't bring anything himself; he had friends over there and could just borrow whatever he needed.
Si Nian was Zhou Yueshen's family member. Zhou Yueshen was a regiment commander, and they had housing in the family compound there, so Si Nian wasn't worried about having nowhere to stay.
Yu Dong was deeply moved. He used to think Eldest Sister-in-law was too noble, not someone their Boss was worthy of, always feeling like the Boss was somewhat of a simp.
Not only did he give all his money to Eldest Sister-in-law, but even when buying clothes, he had to ask her for money, and then he'd spend it all on her, not buying a single thing for himself.
Although others said the Boss seemed hard to get along with, even suspecting he might have abusive tendencies,
in Yu Dong's eyes, the Boss's status at home was pathetically low.
But then, Sister-in-law was so beautiful; this was all what the Boss deserved.
He never expected Eldest Sister-in-law would come along this time, especially since the northwest was so far.
She had even put aside important work.
The Boss's efforts finally hadn't been in vain.
Even such an unattainable flower had been moved.
He decided then and there: he would learn from the Boss!
With Yu Dong carrying Yao Yao and Si Nian holding the two brothers' hands, no one dared to target them.
However, the crowd was massive. Once at the station, Si Nian didn't let the excited Zhou Zehan run around, making him hold her hand tightly.
It was Zhou Zehan's first time on a train. Though very curious, he knew to be obedient and held on tight.
In those days, orderly queues were practically impossible. Once the train arrived, people surged forward, squeezing in like zombies drawn to flesh.
Both children clung tightly to her.
After boarding, finding their assigned carriage, and walking in, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Si Nian's berth was the bottom one because it was inconvenient for her to sleep with Yao Yao otherwise.
The two children's berths were right next to hers.
Yu Dong had arranged everything perfectly, terrified this family might suffer any inconvenience.
The journey was long. Yu Dong even went and bought a bag of snacks,
saying he was afraid the children would get hungry.
There was hot water on the train. Si Nian had brought milk powder, made some for Yao Yao, and let her sit on the bed to drink it.
After finishing, the train started moving, rocking and swaying, lulling Yao Yao to sleep in no time, her mouth still making faint sucking motions unconsciously.
Si Nian covered her with a blanket. She herself didn't sleep, worried she wouldn't be able to sleep later.
Zhou Zedong, relatively calm, had already picked up a book to read.
The Second Child, on the upper berth, was excitedly chattering in a low voice, calling to him, "Brother~ Brother, I won't fall, right? If I fall, you have to catch me!"
Yu Dong had wandered off somewhere, probably bored and walking around the carriages.
Si Nian looked at the scenery outside the window. In an era without phones, being on a train was pure torture.
She had intended not to sleep, but ended up dozing off anyway.
When she woke up, Yu Dong and Zhou Zedong, one big and one small, were playing a numbers game.
Yu Dong's brows were furrowed like mountains, seemingly unable to believe he, an adult, couldn't beat a child.
His face was full of unwillingness.
From the upper berth, the Second Child's snores were also quite loud.
This kid, developing the bad habit of snoring at such a young age.
Si Nian turned over and went back to sleep.
Meanwhile, at the Fu residence.
The news of Fu Yang's accident reached them two days later.
Upon hearing her son had ventured deep into an uninhabited zone, Fu's mother nearly fainted.
Lately, she had been feeling chest tightness and shortness of breath, a constant sense of foreboding.
Because her son hadn't been in contact.
She initially thought he couldn't contact home due to a mission.
She never expected an accident.
In the past, her son often went on missions for ten days or half a month without returning.
But this was the first time she had felt this way.
And sure enough, something had happened.
Now she was clamoring to go see her son.
Fu Qianqian, though not particularly fond of her brother, couldn't ignore such a serious matter.
She immediately requested leave to go with her mother to take care of Fu Yang.
Father Fu was a high-ranking officer and definitely couldn't leave.
He could only let his wife and daughter go.
Meanwhile, the Si household had long been in complete turmoil.
Si's Father had been vying for a promotion for half a year, gifting who-knows-how-many presents. After forming a marriage alliance with the Fu family, the promotion seemed like a sure thing.
But recently, for some unknown reason, his superiors suddenly started finding fault with him everywhere.
Even the leader who had previously hinted at giving him the position because of the Fu family now seemed like a different person.
Not only did he give the position to Si's Father's arch-rival, but he also demoted him.
He said Si's Father's recent work had been increasingly poor, that he was very disappointed, etc., leaving Si's Father utterly bewildered.
His own subordinate had leapfrogged to become his superior.
Si's Father was nearly driven mad with anger. Relying on his status as the Fu family's in-law, he made a scene with his superiors.
Normally, the other side might have been afraid of him.
But this time, not only were they unafraid, they told him to go ahead and complain wherever he wanted.
Furious, Si's Father, refusing to believe it, immediately went to the Fu residence to seek an explanation from Officer Fu.
After all, they were in-laws and had years of friendship; Si's Father believed the Fu family couldn't possibly not help him.
Father Fu already had a terrible headache over his son's situation, and now Si's Father was causing trouble, adding to his annoyance.
Seeing Si's Father insist on an explanation, he told him to go back and ask his own wife what she had done.
Father Fu himself had a good relationship with the Jiang family. Division Commander Jiang had been his superior before. After Division Commander Jiang retired, Father Fu took the high-ranking position. His son had also served under Division Commander Jiang before.
Forget the connection with Division Commander Jiang; just the incident where his wife came back and told him how Zhang Cuimei had said Si Nian's son being kidnapped served her right was enough to make things difficult for Si's Father.
And now he still had the nerve to come seeking an explanation.
Father Fu felt secondhand embarrassment for him.
Si's Father was also stunned. He hadn't been fond of going home lately; every time he did, his wife would make sarcastic remarks, and they'd argue at the slightest disagreement. He found it annoying and simply stopped going back.
He never expected his wife had caused such a mess, making him dizzy with anger.
He increasingly felt he and Zhang Cuimei were fundamentally incompatible. Years of affection seemed to vanish in that moment.
Not a trace of tenderness remained, only full of rage and anger.
And Zhang Cuimei, right then, was precisely because of this matter, visiting Lin Sisi and pouring out her bitterness.
She said she hadn't meant it at the time, was just too angry, and never expected the Fu family and the Jiangs to overhear.
She also complained that Si Nian knew such important people but never told her.
Lin Sisi offered comforting words, but inwardly, she was filled with anxiety.
Although her parents had promised during this time that they would help her leave early.