C199 Homing of Swallows
C199 Homing of Swallows
Yang Chen frowned and tried asking, "Ye, didn't you …"
He was about to ask, but was stopped by Mo Qianni.
"What are you talking about? How can you ask such a girl!" Mo Qianni said with dissatisfaction as she reached out her hand to hold Leaves' hand. "Ye, don't say it if you don't like it. Just pretend that I didn't ask."
Leaves forced a smile. She looked gratefully at Mo Qianni and said: "Sister Mo, don't blame Brother Yang. It's alright. I have never been bullied by them."
Mo Qianni heaved a sigh of relief and laughed, "You scared me to death. If that's really the case, I'll help you to file a lawsuit."
Leaves was filled with desolation as she whispered, "It's my mother."
"What!?"
Mo Qianni, who was very happy a moment ago, was stunned on the spot. Yang Chen was also a bit surprised.
Leaves bitterly smiled and said, "That was a long time ago. My mother was also bullied by some people on this train, and later … and gave birth to me. "
Leaves voice was very low, but her expression was very calm. It was as if such misfortune was just a narration of someone else. It had nothing to do with her at all.
Mo Qianni couldn't help but feel tears welling up in her eyes. She tenderly hugged Leaves. "You and your mother must have had a hard time."
"I didn't have a hard time, but my mom had me, so she didn't get married and had a falling out with my grandma and raised me by herself. I feel I'm sorry for her," Leaves finally sobbed, her tears wetting her collar. "Before, my mom took me to the city to sell some goods, and I knew she was in pain, because every time she took this train, she would think of the past, and she couldn't sleep at all at night. She would cry in her bed, so I wouldn't hear her crying.
The air in the coach was a bit heavy, so Yang Chen opened the window a crack so that the mountain breeze could blow in. Only then did he feel relatively more comfortable.
Ye's life also reminded Mo Qianni of the dark and gloomy days of the same year. The two women fell into deep thought and said no more. They walked down the platform until they reached the end of the line.
The train station in this small town was very simple and crude. It was just a shabby house selling tickets. Outside stood an old man to manage order. Actually, it was as if there was no train station here.
Since they were going to the same place, Mo Qianni held onto Leaves' hand and they headed to the station to the Kunshan stronghold.
In fact, if she didn't meet Yang Chen and Gu Ruoyun, she would have walked into the night and returned to the mountain. Although the tickets were cheap, it was still her hard-earned money, so the little girl wasn't willing to spend it.
It was already evening, like a mountain rain was about to arrive. The sky was gray and it pressed down on the monotonous edge of the town.
Although it was getting dark, Mo Qianni had promised her mother that she would be home tonight, so they didn't stop for the night in the town. The three of them simply ate some tea eggs and egg pancakes from the roadside stand and followed Leaves to a simple plastic shed with a concrete platform.
Leaves was a little nervous. While waiting for the bus, she walked back and forth. In the end, she couldn't help but say, "Sister Mo, I think it's better if I walk back. I'll eat all your dinner. I can't ask for your ticket money anymore."
A ticket worth only five yuan was the price of an ordinary drink in Zhong Hai. In the eyes of this girl who was not even twenty years old, this was an unbearable burden.
Mo Qianni pretended to be angry and said, "Don't you like coming back with us?"
"No, no, I'm just embarrassed." Leaves whispered.
Mo Qianni could not help but extend her hand and pinch Leaves' cheek, "Looking at you is the same as looking at me all those years ago. Although I was younger than you at that time, but I still feel close to you. Don't feel embarrassed.
Leaves bit her lips, unable to speak. She could only obediently nod her head.
After waiting for more than a quarter of an hour, a "ancient" Chinese bus finally drove into the station. The three of them got on the bus. Yang Chen acted as a carrier boy, carrying the two women's luggage by himself.
There were very few people on the bus. Including the chauffeur, there were only five people on the bus. A bus that could accommodate more than twenty people was enough for eight people to get on the road that led to the Kunshan stronghold.
Since there were still some stations on the road, the car would occasionally stop, but after about two hours, when they were about to arrive at the Kunshan stronghold, there were only a few dozen people.
The car had passed the last hill and was about to arrive at the Kunshan stronghold.
But just at that time, the dark clouds rolled about in the sky, and the blue-yellow lightning finally started to resound like thunder.
In almost an instant, the torrential downpour was like a huge basin of water poured down by a god, soaking the entire mountain.
Many parts of the bumpy road had lost repair over the years, becoming muddy and the speed of the cars had slowed down.
Seeing the downpour outside, Mo Qianni hugged Leaves, who looked worried. After all, she still had to climb two hills before she could get home.
"It's fine. At most, I'll stay at elder sister's house tonight. The sky is already so dark. It's too dangerous for a girl to walk on the mountain path at night and it's raining." Mo Qianni comforted him.
Leaves shook her head, "No, Sister Mo. It's rare for you to come home to see Aunt. As an outsider, I can't disturb you. Besides, my mom will worry too."
"If you walk back so late, your mother would be worried. This rainy day, the mountain road has many landslides. If you are in danger, what will your mother do in the future? Listen to your sister and stay at our house." Mo Qianni said firmly.
Leaves wanted to refuse, but seeing that the rain was getting heavier, she said, "If the rain stopped, I'll go home."
During the day, the temperature was high, and during the night, the mountain area welcomed rain, making it very foggy. Luckily, there weren't any cars on the road, so the car finally came to a stop at the Kunshan stronghold, safe and sound.
Yang Chen got off first. He opened an umbrella brought by Mo Qianni and led the two women off the car. Due to the mud on the ground, it was easy for them to fall, so he was extra careful.
After getting off the car, Mo Qianni realized that the three of them only had one umbrella and the rain kept falling. The three of them couldn't just hide inside it. She couldn't help but look at Yang Chen.
Yang Chen understood and pushed the umbrella into Mo Qianni's hands without wasting any time, "You and Ye hold up the umbrella while I carry the luggage. Ladies are more important, since I'm physically strong anyway, so it's fine if it rains a bit."
"But …"
"But what, I can't bear to let my Little Qianqian rain. If I let Ye rain, won't you strangle me?" Yang Chen joked.
Mo Qianni's face reddened, and she felt a burst of joy in her heart. She didn't say anything else.
When Leaves saw the intimacy between the two of them, her eyes were filled with envy.
The three of them walked along a small path, stepping on weeds and rocks, and headed into the Kunshan stronghold. Yang Chen followed behind, carrying a big bag of luggage. This was a difficult road for most people, but for Yang Chen, other than the rain wetting his clothes, it was no different from a concrete floor.
Gradually, the mountain village appeared from the mist ahead. The houses of varying heights revealed a strong national style. This was a mixed area with many races, so it was particularly varied.
Mo Qianni hadn't been home for more than ten years, but she didn't need to think about where her home was. Even if the village had changed considerably, someone would lead the way for her.
At the end of the winding path, amidst the drizzling rain, a figure holding a black umbrella appeared before the three of them.
Mo Qianni's footsteps halted, and she stood on the spot like a weathered rock. Her eyes turned red as she looked at the figure in front of her.
The figure in front seemed to have noticed something as she shouted from afar, "Is that you —"
It was an extremely ordinary female voice, yet Mo Qianni could no longer control her emotions. She practically threw the umbrella to the side, no longer caring about the dirty mud road or the big drops of rain, or even forgetting that she still had leaves by her side, she quickly ran over.
"Mom!"
The joy and emotion of the returning swallows rendered a picture scroll of a rainy night.
He did not expect the rain to be so heavy. It was dark again, and Mo Qianni's mother, Ma Guifaang, would come to the village entrance to greet him.
By the time Yang Chen and Ye Wen walked to the front of the group, Mo Qianni was already crying silently with her mother, Ma Guifaang.
Ma Guifaang didn't throw away the umbrella like Mo Qianni. She even straightened her arms and gave Mo Qianni an umbrella. Her old and wrinkled face was clearly outlined with youthful beauty. Tears flowed down her cheeks, but Ma Guifaang couldn't tell which was the teardrop and which was the raindrop.
Ma Guifaang, who was dressed in a cut purple dress, was carrying her daughter, who was wearing a fashionable sportswear. What was originally such an unmatched color, now seemed so harmonious.
Yang Chen picked up the umbrella that Mo Qianni threw away and held it for Ye Wen and himself. Actually, there was no difference whether he held the umbrella or not. His whole body was dripping water, and not a single piece of it was dry.
When the warm embrace between mother and daughter ended, about ten minutes later, they separated. They looked at each other silently for a while and did not say anything. They just smiled. Obviously, they both knew that they could not continue their conversation.
Ma Guifaang wiped her tears and smiled awkwardly at Yang Chen and Ye Wen, "Look at us, mother and daughter, we forgot about you. You must be Yang Chen. Girl told me about you on the phone, you're really handsome."
Handsome? It seemed that this was the first time someone had said he looked good. Was it possible that his mother-in-law was liking him the more she saw her son-in-law? But this was the first time.
Yang Chen didn't expect that one of his mother-in-law would call him son-in-law so easily, but he was also a thick-skinned person and directly agreed with a laugh.
On the other hand, Mo Qianni rolled her eyes at him.
Seeing Ma Guifaang look at Leaves with a bit of doubt, Mo Qianni explained, "Mom, this is a little girl from the Southern Village who came back along the same road as us. I saw it was so dark and raining, so I wanted her to stay at our house for the night. She called her Ye, just call her Ye."
Ma Guifaang suddenly understood and immediately tugged on Leaves' hand enthusiastically, "Little girl, don't be shy. Come back with me. We've almost finished preparing dinner."
"Thank you, Aunty." Leaves was still a little restrained as she said with a smile.
Therefore, Mo Qianni held her mother's hand as the four of them walked home. Mo Qianni was obviously more excited when compared to her mother. She was ecstatic about reuniting with her family, which even made Yang Chen envious.
However, Ma Guifaang would turn her head around from time to time and look at Yang Chen with a smile. The more she looked at him, the more she liked him. This made Yang Chen's scalp tingle. He didn't seem to have bought any gifts for his mother-in-law. Could it be that she had already discovered the essence of his "loyalty", "purity and kindness", and was deeply moved by him?