Chapter 66 Father Tang and Mother Tang

The Mao village chief and his family were all honest and kind-hearted people. Knowing that Tang Banxia and her companion had yet to eat dinner, they warmly invited them to join their meal.

At the table, the village chief’s elderly mother, upon learning the reason for their visit, was so moved that her eyes filled with tears. She immediately instructed the village chief to help these two filial children find their family, no matter what. The village chief agreed with a hearty laugh.

After dinner, Tang Banxia excused herself, claiming fatigue from the day’s journey, and returned to her room to rest.

Once inside, Wen Mubai circled the room cautiously, then shook his head at Tang Banxia to indicate there was nothing unusual. She nodded in acknowledgment, and he finally sat down beside her.

No kerosene lamp was lit in the room, making it oppressively dark. Wen Mubai took her hand and spoke softly, “Something’s not right.”

Tang Banxia was well aware of this herself. The letters she had sent had never reached Shijie Village. Moreover, the village chief, who clearly knew her father’s whereabouts, kept denying it and insisted they stay the night.

All of it seemed strange, no matter how she looked at it.

“What do you plan to do?” Wen Mubai asked.

Tang Banxia was silent for a moment before responding, “Let’s wait.”

Wen Mubai understood immediately and said no more. He simply tidied the bedding, and the two of them sat close together, leaning on each other.

In the middle of the night, the sound of a door opening came from next door.

Tang Banxia instantly became alert and nudged Wen Mubai. “They’re coming.”

Wen Mubai pulled her down to lie beside him.

Soon after, footsteps approached, stopping outside their window for a while before moving away.

Even as the footsteps faded into the distance, neither of them moved. Only when all was quiet did they sit up softly, exchange a look, and slip out the window. Wen Mubai even took care to erase their footprints.

Leaving the Mao family’s house, they made their way to the sheepfold they had scouted earlier that day.

Shijie Village survived by herding, so the sheepfold was large, guarded, and housed several dogs. If anyone entered, the dogs would surely bark, alerting the guards.

Fortunately, Tang Banxia had come prepared. She circled the sheepfold, found a hidden spot, and laid out several pieces of raw meat, sprinkled with animal attractant and sleeping powder.

Then she and Wen Mubai withdrew to a safe distance.

After a while, the dogs in the sheepfold rushed out, heading straight for the doctored meat. They fought over it, but in the end, each dog got a share, happily wagged their tails, and returned to the sheep.

They waited patiently. Only when Tang Banxia was sure the dogs had been subdued did she say, “Let’s go in.”

The sleeping powder was actually a failed batch of knockout drops she had made herself. The dogs were her first test subjects.

They climbed into the sheepfold. The sheep, unbothered by the sneaky pair, merely shifted position and continued lying down, occasionally nibbling at the grass, calm as ever.

Tang Banxia breathed a sigh of relief, worried the sheep would make a commotion.

They searched the sheepfold, finally finding a group of sleeping people in a far corner.

“Who’s there?” someone called out as they approached.

A figure sprang up, short hair trimmed smartly, eyes sharp and bright, scanning the area before fixing on their hiding spot with an unwavering gaze.

In the moonlight, Tang Banxia’s tears fell without warning as she recognized the figure. She took a deep breath, stepped out slowly, and whispered, “Mom, it’s me.”

The defensive figure froze, narrowing her eyes. “Is that you, child?”

Tang Banxia felt awkward. “Mom.”

“Child!” Su Nan stared at her in disbelief.

Tang Banxia drew closer, stopped before Su Nan, and grinned. “Mom.”

But her eyes were red and her face streaked with tears, making for a comical sight.

Su Nan, however, pulled her into a tight embrace. “My child, my precious child!”

The embrace was familiar to Tang Banxia, or at least to her body—it made her relax completely and focus only on this not-so-soft but utterly safe hug.

“Nan, who is it?” A slender, refined figure stepped out.

Su Nan finally let go of Tang Banxia and said, “Tang, it’s our child.”

The refined figure froze. “Our child?”

Tang Minxun rushed over, and at the sight of Tang Banxia, tears streamed down his face. “Oh, it really is you! Daddy has missed you so much.”

A grown man sobbing uncontrollably as he hugged Tang Banxia.

Tang Banxia was used to this. She patted his back, soothing him. “Dad, I’m here now, aren’t I?”

Wen Mubai: …

He straightened his clothes, smoothed his hair, took a deep breath, and approached the emotional trio, reminding them, “Time is limited.”

Su Nan studied Wen Mubai. “Child, who is this?”

Tang Minxun also straightened up, looking warily at the unfamiliar man, for some reason instantly disliking him.

Tang Banxia rubbed her nose. “Let me introduce you. This is my husband, Wen Mubai.”

“Wha—” Tang Minxun started, but Su Nan swiftly covered his mouth.

Seeing this, Tang Banxia changed the subject. “Mom, Dad, time is short. Is there somewhere safe we can talk?”

Su Nan looked deeply at her. “Come with me.”

She kept her hand clamped over Tang Minxun’s mouth as she led the way. Tang Minxun, being taller, had to walk awkwardly beside her, bent slightly to keep pace.

Su Nan brought them to a locked storeroom, took a piece of wire, and had the lock open in seconds. “This is the feed storage,” she explained. “It’s safe.”

The four slipped inside and shut the door.

Tang Minxun immediately pulled Tang Banxia to his side, warily eyeing Wen Mubai. “Child, tell Daddy, did this boy trick you?”

Su Nan smacked him on the back of the head. “Let’s talk about what matters!”

She pulled Tang Banxia to sit between her and Tang Minxun and scrutinized Wen Mubai. “What’s your name? How old are you? Where do you live? How many in your family? What do they do for a living?”

Tang Banxia thought: This is what matters?

Clearly, for Su Nan and Tang Minxun, this was the most important thing.

Wen Mubai dared not conceal anything and answered honestly, “My name is Wen Mubai. I’m twenty-one, from Ping City. I’m the only one left in my family. Right now, I’m assigned to the countryside with Banxia.”

Tang Minxun put on a critical face. “Twenty-one? A bit old for my daughter.”

“From Ping City? Too far, no, I can’t bear to let my child marry so far away.”

“And you’re a sent-down youth? My daughter will suffer with you.”

Hearing this, Su Nan frowned as well, giving Wen Mubai an unfriendly look.

Wen Mubai was about to explain, but Tang Banxia stopped him and turned to her parents. “Mom, Dad, we’ll talk about me later. Right now, what matters is you and Dad.”

She was very serious. “What exactly happened? Why were you suddenly sent down here? Even Grandpa doesn’t know the details.”

She also described the Mao village chief’s odd behavior. “What’s really going on?”

Hearing her questions, Tang Minxun’s face fell. “It’s my fault. I got you all into this.”

Su Nan patted him on the back of the head. “Stop whining. No one’s blaming you!”

Wen Mubai thought: … My in-laws are not quite what I expected.

Tang Minxun sniffled, glared at Wen Mubai, and finally began to explain…