Chapter 30: Time to Draw in the Net
He looked around, and a sudden tightness constricted his chest.
’Those last few words...’
’They were too cruel.’
’That wasn’t what he’d meant to say at all.’
But the words were already out, and there was no taking them back.
"Yes, it’s all my fault."
He immediately put on a humble and pathetic expression.
"Yingzi, please, have a heart. Just forgive me this once."
"About what happened... I really didn’t mean to hide it from you! You know how hard it was for me to join the army. My parents pestered me to get married every day, worried I’d be taken advantage of if I was out there alone."
"That Shanshan... her mother forced her on me. I never wanted anything to do with her! In my heart... the only one I’ve ever cared about is you!"
Cao Daqiang rattled off a seamless fabrication.
Liu Yingzi held their child, not saying a word.
Her eyes reddened as she looked at the man before her, her throat tight with emotion.
He looked just as he had back then, blushing as he held a bouquet of wildflowers and proposed to her.
For a moment, she was in a daze.
’Those venomous words from just now...’
’Was it all just a bad dream?’
"Cao Daqiang."
She finally lifted her head, her gaze vacant as she looked at him.
"Tell me... can I still believe you now?"
Cao Daqiang’s eyes flew wide. With a THUD, he dropped heavily to his knees.
He crawled toward her on his hands and knees, inch by inch.
When he finally reached her feet, he seized her hand, his fingers locking around it in a death grip.
"Trust me one more time, Yingzi, I’m begging you, just trust me one more time!"
"I swear, I’ll never lie to you again! I’ll tell you everything, I won’t hide a single thing! We still have Jiajia. For our child’s sake, please forgive me this time! A child can’t be without a father!"
He turned his head and saw his daughter huddled in the corner, crying so hard she could barely breathe.
His heart clenched. He immediately lunged over and swept her into his arms.
"Jiajia, don’t cry, don’t cry. Daddy’s here. Daddy’s back, and Daddy’s never leaving again..."
A small child doesn’t understand the complexities of adult relationships.
She only remembered that the man before her was the father who always spun her around in his arms and lulled her to sleep.
So she clung to him tightly, crying her heart out.
Liu Yingzi stood rooted to the spot, watching the scene unfold, her heart aching and heavy.
In the end, she couldn’t hold out any longer.
"Cao Daqiang."
She finally spoke.
"I’ll give you one more chance."
"But you have to solve this problem with the illegitimate daughter completely. Don’t leave a single trace behind. Otherwise, all bets are off."
"As long as you do that, I’ll pretend none of this ever happened. The three of us can live a good life."
Hearing this, Cao Daqiang was so thrilled that his entire body trembled.
He ducked his head and planted a loud SMACK of a kiss on his daughter’s tear-streaked little face.
Then he pulled both mother and daughter into his embrace.
"Don’t worry, Yingzi!"
His voice quivered.
"I’ll make sure you’re satisfied this time! Once this is over, we’ll live a good, stable life! I’ll work myself to the bone to make money so you and our child will have full bellies and warm clothes! I swear!"
Cao Daqiang got up briskly and bent over to pick up the scattered bowls and chopsticks from the floor.
Liu Yingzi silently picked up her daughter, who had cried herself to exhaustion, and gently hummed a nursery rhyme to lull her to sleep.
The child curled up in her arms, her breathing gradually evening out.
「The next morning,」 the two of them went about their own business as if nothing had happened.
Cao Daqiang served the rice, Liu Yingzi set out the bowls, and their daughter climbed out of bed, rubbing her eyes.
The family sat together, eating breakfast in silence.
But Cao Daqiang’s mind was completely preoccupied with how to deal with Shanshan.
Before the sky had fully brightened, he was standing at the entrance to Yang Dapeng’s house.
His eyes were fixed on the wooden gate.
Yang Dapeng, who was up early for his morning exercises, had just stepped out of his house when a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision caught his eye.
In the thin mist by the courtyard gate, a dark figure was stirring.
Without a second thought, he darted to the courtyard wall, grabbed a shovel, and forcefully shoved the wooden gate open!
The sudden movement startled the dark figure at the gate, causing him to flinch and stumble back two steps.
"Well now, Captain Cao?"
Yang Dapeng narrowed his eyes, his tone tinged with surprise.
"Visiting so early? Is something urgent?"
Cao Daqiang steadied himself, a sheepish smile spreading across his face.
"It’s nothing, nothing. Just... out for a morning walk, thought I’d pass by and take a look."
Before he finished speaking, he turned abruptly and hurried back in the direction of his home.
Yang Dapeng noticed his left leg was still limp; it clearly hadn’t healed yet.
His heart softened, and he couldn’t help but call out.
"Your leg isn’t fully recovered yet, why are you always running around outside? You should rest more at home. Stop messing around all day, be careful you don’t injure it again!"
Cao Daqiang’s retreating figure froze.
Then, he slowly turned around, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile.
"Yang, you’ve said exactly what’s on my mind."
I just got back from the big hospital in the county, and the doctor specifically told me I need to walk around more. He said better blood circulation means a faster recovery. I’m just following his orders, you know, taking a little stroll for rehabilitation. Well, I’ve had my fill of strolling, so I’m heading home now."
As he spoke, he raised a hand and pointed toward the roof of his own house in the distance.
"You shouldn’t stand out here in the wind either. Hurry back inside, it’s still chilly."
Yang Dapeng stared at his limping leg for a few seconds before grunting, "Mm."
He watched Cao Daqiang slowly shamble away before turning to close the courtyard gate.
Yang Dapeng didn’t give the matter much thought.
When he got home, he casually mentioned it to his wife.
"This morning, Captain Cao was hanging around our gate. His leg’s still lame, but he’s really pushing himself."
Zhang Yunhua was squatting in front of the stove, feeding the fire, and didn’t even look up.
"Pah! What good intentions could that man Cao have? Last time he came to borrow oil, his eyes kept darting toward our daughter’s room. He doesn’t look like a decent man to me!"
Yang Dapeng grinned, chuckling, and lowered his head to take a bite of his cornbread.
「Meanwhile.」
With his back to his own front door, Cao Daqiang turned into a quiet alley.
His face was grim as he pulled out a cigarette pack, shook one out, lit it, and took a deep drag.
’In the end, it looks like I’ll have to leave this to Jiajia.’
’Keeping an eye on a five- or six-year-old girl all day is just too conspicuous for me.’
In less than half an hour, Jiajia came running up, out of breath and carrying a basket of wild vegetables.
"Dad! Dad! That wild girl went out again! She headed for the woods to the east! She only had a small cloth bag with her, and she was walking super fast!"
Cao Daqiang pressed the cigarette butt against the wall, extinguishing it.
Then he looked up at Jiajia.
"You be a good girl and stay home. Wait for your mom to get back. Daddy’s going out for a bit."
He didn’t believe that a seven-year-old child could be more worldly-wise than him.
He didn’t know that Shanshan was no ordinary child.
She wasn’t gathering herbs. She was waiting.
Waiting for him to appear.
The moment he stepped into the bushes at the edge of the woods, the corner of Shanshan’s mouth slowly curved upward.
’Heh, so you’ve finally realized I’m useful?’
’Too bad. It’s too late.’
She continued skipping and hopping deeper into the woods.
One moment she’d squat down, raking through the dead leaves on the ground.
The next, she’d stand on her tiptoes, reaching for a wild fruit dangling from a branch.
She looked around everywhere, completely unguarded.
Cao Daqiang kept low, using the shadows of the trees for cover as he closed in, inch by inch.
He stared at her small hands.
Those small hands were digging a few inconspicuous green plants out of the soil.
’Herbs?’
A sudden heat flared in his heart.
’Does she really know medicine?’
’Or... does she know something?’
But every time he crept closer, Shanshan would stand up with a mischievous smile and take off running.
However, as she watched the sky gradually darken, she knew it was time to close the net.