NFBE Chapter 221 9 Didn't Come Back
Chapter 221 9 Didn't Come Back
"Second son, give me the money bag." As soon as the oxcart left the village where the Liu family lived, Wang said to her second son.
"Hehe, Mother, it's quite heavy. I'll carry it for you. I'll give it to you when we get home." The second son grinned at Wang Shi but refused to take out any money.
Hearing her son say this, Wang Shi, not knowing what he was thinking, suddenly darkened her face and said, "Hurry up and take it out, don't make your mother angry."
Seeing that Wang's face had turned cold, the second son, though unwilling, obediently took the money bag out of his pocket.
Wang took the money bag in her hand and weighed it in her hand. Thinking of what Sister-in-law Liu had just said, a cold smile appeared on her lips.
"Mother, if you ask me, we were just too soft-hearted. If we had known the Liu family only had so much wealth, we should have taken care of that shrew's youngest son too..."
"Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting? I've told you so many times, stop bringing up those things all the time. Some things are better left unsaid," Wang interrupted her son, scolding him.
"Mother, look around, there's no one here. Even if there were, we're speaking so softly, who could hear us?" The second son was resentful after being scolded by Wang Shi; his mother was just too cautious.
"Hmph, I'm just giving you a heads-up. There's no one here right now, but if you keep bringing this up, someone else might overhear you one day."
"Don't worry, I'm not a child. I'll be careful. Look, three or four years have passed, and I haven't let a word slip. Besides, even if someone overheard, so what? As long as we stick to our guns and deny it, who will know that we sold the child?"
"You still dare to say that? Didn't you see your nephew was still here? Don't talk about these things in front of the children in the future." Wang couldn't help but slap her second son.
"Second brother, listen to your mother. Don't say such things again, especially in front of the children." The eldest brother, who was driving the cart, couldn't help but remind his younger brother when he heard his conversation with his mother.
"I know, I know. He can't talk, what's there to be afraid of?" The second son muttered discontentedly, glancing at his nephew who was snuggling close to his mother. Unexpectedly, Wang Shi overheard this and rolled her eyes at him, her gaze carrying a hint of warning.
Silence returned on the oxcart, and beneath it, a figure clung tightly to the bottom, like a bat with outstretched wings. If she weren't so small, such a cramped spot would have been difficult to hide in.
On the vast white snow, a mule cart moved forward at a leisurely pace. Two hundred meters behind the cart, a man in a gray cotton-padded coat was trying to catch up. They ran and chased each other for a while, but the distance between them continued to grow until the mule cart finally disappeared completely from the man's sight.
Brother Liu, supporting his legs and bending over, gasped for breath for a while before straightening up. He looked helplessly at the disappearing mule cart ahead, and finally turned and walked towards home. He wanted to go back and borrow an oxcart to go to his sister's house, and at the same time hoped that his sister would find out that Nineteen was missing and drive the mule cart back.
The atmosphere on the mule cart was somewhat silent. Xia Yu, Chang Yun, and Da Niu were all a little worried about Shi Jiu. Although she knew martial arts, she was still young, after all. Xia Yu wanted to ask Liu Shi why she had Shi Jiu inquire about this matter instead of reporting it to the authorities and having Wang Shi arrested. However, seeing Liu Shi's obvious preoccupation, Xia Yu swallowed the question she wanted to ask.
When Zhang Youtie and the others arrived home, it was already getting dark. Uncle Ma and Aunt Ma had been looking out countless times. Finally, when they saw lanterns swaying and drifting towards them, Uncle Ma quickly ran up to them.
Once everything was settled, Aunt Ma poured them some ginger tea that she had prepared beforehand to ward off the cold.
"Madam, where is Nineteen?"
"I asked her to go out and inquire about some things for me. She'll probably be back tomorrow."
"Oh, then let's eat quickly. I was thinking that since it's cold, I made mutton soup and heated up some steamed buns for dinner." As she spoke, she went to the kitchen to get the food.
"Have you eaten yet?" Liu asked, sitting at the table and watching Aunt Ma busy at work.
"We've already eaten. We had meat buns and millet porridge. Da Niu's food was also left for her; she's probably eating it by now," Aunt Ma replied to Liu Shi as she set out the bowls.
Hearing that she had already eaten, Madam Liu did not ask her to go back immediately. During the meal, she asked about the situation at home these past two days and whether anything had happened.
That night, Liu didn't sleep well at all. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep, wondering what kind of news Nineteen would bring back. But Nineteen didn't appear until dawn.
Wang, who was about to have dinner with her son and daughter-in-law, suddenly heard a knocking on the door. Wang was about to ask her daughter-in-law to open the door when she heard her son instructing his wife, "Go and fry some more eggs. Mother and I want to have a couple of drinks tonight."
Hearing her son say this, Wang slipped on her shoes and went to open the courtyard gate herself. But as soon as she opened the gate, she saw a little beggar holding a bowl out to her.
"Auntie, please have mercy and give me a cornbread. I haven't eaten anything all day."
"No, it's really bad luck for someone to come begging during the New Year." Wang spat at the little beggar and slammed the door shut.
"Mother, what's going on outside? Who is it?" Wang's second son asked, standing at the doorway of the main room.
"A little beggar is begging for food. It's such bad luck during the New Year."
"How old is the beggar? Is he a boy or a girl?" The second son asked his mother as soon as he heard that she was a beggar.
Upon hearing her son's question, Wang instantly understood what he meant. She immediately turned around and opened the courtyard gate, only to see the little beggar slowly moving towards the neighbor's house. He was walking very slowly, presumably because he was too hungry to move.
"Hey, little one, come back." Wang called out gently to the beggar's retreating figure.
Upon hearing the call, the figure immediately stopped, turned around, and saw Wang waving at her.
"Auntie, are you calling me?" the beggar asked Wang Shi in disbelief.
"It was you. I was in a bad mood earlier, that's why I snapped at you. It was my fault. Are you hungry? Come in, I just finished cooking. Come in and have some."
"Ah? No need, no need, I'm dirty, just give me a cornbread." Hearing Wang invite him into the house, the beggar quickly waved his hand and refused.
"Hey, come in, it's warm inside. You're not much older than my granddaughter. Poor thing, why are you begging for food all by yourself?" Seeing that she was reluctant to come in, Wang quickly stepped forward and took her hand. With a little effort, she pulled the little beggar into the yard.