Chapter 70 The Journey Home

Amon carried an enormous burlap sack, its contents unknown, but blood dripped from it. As he walked through the state-run restaurant, every diner made way for him. He plopped himself down beside Tang Banxia and Wen Mubai, beaming with enthusiasm. “Doctor Wen!”

“Excellent, I made it just in time.”

He flashed a broad, white grin and set the sack on the floor. “I brought a little thank-you gift, Doctor Wen, I hope you won’t mind.”

With that, he began pulling out the gifts. There were bundles of sheepskins, an entire cowhide, and a freshly slaughtered lamb, the blood still wet on its flesh.

Amon said, “It’s not much, please don’t despise it, Doctor Wen.”

Tang Banxia and Wen Mubai stared in disbelief.

The other patrons in the restaurant were equally speechless.

Not much?

After a long pause, Tang Banxia finally found her voice. “This is too generous, I can’t accept it.”

“Oh, I think it’s not enough. If I’d had more time, I would’ve slaughtered a cow as well,” Amon muttered. “You saved my son’s life. I would gladly give my own in return.”

Tang Banxia: That’s really not necessary, truly!

Feeling the envious and jealous gazes from all around, nearly piercing her like arrows, Tang Banxia glanced discreetly to her front left and said solemnly, “I’m a doctor. It’s my duty to heal and save lives.”

She firmly pushed the gifts back.

But Amon was stubborn and insisted she take them. The two were locked in a deadlock.

At that moment, Wen Mubai reminded them, “We have to go, or we’ll miss the bus.”

Upon hearing that, Amon stood up. “I’ll see you off!”

He grabbed the sack and strode out of the restaurant, with Tang Banxia and Wen Mubai hastily picking up their rattan suitcases and following behind.

They climbed into Amon’s carriage.

Wen Mubai nudged Tang Banxia.

Tang Banxia had a sudden realization—sure enough, a few diners from the restaurant had followed them.

She frowned, still feeling lost in a fog. Ever since arriving in Shijie Village, it seemed she’d been caught in some kind of vortex. Everything that had happened these past two days was beyond her expectations, leaving her unsure of how to judge the situation.

Why were these people following them? What did they want?

Wen Mubai touched her shoulder and whispered with quiet resolve, “I’m here.”

“Doctor Wen, we’ve arrived!” Amon’s booming voice called out.

He jumped down to help unload their luggage, glancing at the sky. “The bus will be a while yet.”

After a short wait, the coach arrived. Tang Banxia and Wen Mubai boarded, steadfastly refusing Amon’s gifts.

Amon left, dejected.

But just as the bus was about to depart, he darted aboard in a few strides, tossed the sack in, and hurried off again. “Doctor Wen, just keep it!”

“Hey!”

Tang Banxia wanted to protest, but the bus was already moving.

She tried negotiating with the driver, hoping he’d stop, but he turned her down flatly. “Do you know how much fuel it costs for me to stop this bus even for a moment?”

Tang Banxia: Fine!

“When we get back, we’ll send him the money,” Wen Mubai consoled her.

“There’s no other way,” she replied.

Amon wasn’t from Shijie Village, but from a neighboring one. As long as they knew his address, it would be easy to manage.

Still, Tang Banxia rubbed her fingers together, an idea forming in her mind...

Once they reached the county seat, they rested for a night before catching a bus to Jiangcheng.

Upon arriving in Jiangcheng, Tang Banxia thought for a moment, cut off about a kilo of mutton, and brought it to Lin Yue’s house.

She expressed her gratitude to Lin Yue and mentioned they were planning to leave. Lin Yue made a token attempt to persuade them to stay, but said nothing more.

Back at the guesthouse, Tang Banxia remarked, “We still have half our family leave. Why not stay a few more days in Jiangcheng?”

She recalled how, when they’d first arrived, they’d promised to learn horse riding together. Who would have thought that after just a few days, they’d be leaving already?

The situation with her parents was far more complicated than she’d imagined. Even in Jiangcheng, people still trailed them.

This time, however, Wen Mubai didn’t follow her wishes. He shook his head. “Better not. We can learn to ride anywhere. It’s best for us to leave Jiangcheng as soon as possible.”

Who knew what those followers intended?

Tang Banxia understood too. She just felt a sudden wave of disappointment.

“Don’t worry. With your mother around, your father will be fine,” Wen Mubai reassured her.

Her mother was no ordinary woman. A flicker of inscrutable light flashed through his eyes.

What a winding road!

“I know,” Tang Banxia said.

Of course, she knew her mother wasn’t an ordinary person.

Since childhood, both her parents had been away from home for long periods. Unlike her father, her mother often returned injured—sometimes gravely so.

Even if she’d been slow to realize it as a child, she knew now that her mother’s work couldn’t be ordinary.

“Actually, this is for the best,” she said.

A little hardship, a little less freedom, but at least her mother wouldn’t have to do such life-threatening work anymore.

“Let’s leave tomorrow,” Tang Banxia decided.

Wen Mubai smiled warmly. “Alright. But on the way back, I’m afraid we’ll only get hard seats on the train.”

“Hard seats are fine,” Tang Banxia replied. “Let’s just get home quickly.”

The next day.

They checked out and went to the station to buy tickets for the earliest train home.

—

“Captain, are we just going to let them go like this?”

The stern young man’s eyes were sharp. “We can’t touch those two.”

His subordinate hesitated, wanting to ask why. The young man seemed to read his mind. “That woman is Tang Minxun’s daughter. If anything happens to her, Tang Minxun will fight us to the death.”

The higher-ups had warned them repeatedly: unless there was irrefutable evidence, Tang Gong must not be harmed under any circumstances.

“But didn’t they say…” He stopped mid-sentence, realization dawning, and fell silent.

Out here, identities are self-declared. Who could say for certain what was true?

“Enough. Don’t slack off. Keep a close eye on them!”

—

The train journey was arduous.

After four days on hard seats, the two finally disembarked, legs shaky.

Crossing the platform, Tang Banxia muttered, “I feel like I’ve gone sour.”

The hard seat carriages were a chaotic mix of people.

Some had no sense of propriety, taking off their shoes—the stench was enough to kill anyone’s appetite.

Others brought live chickens and ducks, and all along the way, these birds soiled the carriage—a kind of biochemical weapon in itself.

Worst of all were the children: their used diapers were simply piled up, turning even the most stoic faces green.

Wen Mubai’s face was pale as paper. He agreed wholeheartedly, “Next time, let’s book sleepers if we can. At least there are fewer people.”

Tang Banxia nodded in solemn agreement.

They rested for a while before setting off on foot toward the county town.

“Shall we go to Brother Gang’s house?” Tang Banxia asked.

“No,” Wen Mubai shook his head. “Let’s wait a couple of days. Right now, I just want to go home and lie down.”

“Let’s go, then. Back to the village.”

After another bumpy journey, they reached the commune and then walked back to the village.

Just as they reached the village entrance: “Sister Tang!”

Song Yu ran up to them but paused a meter away. “Sister Tang, what happened to you two?”

Tang Banxia forced a smile. “The train had a mishmash of smells.”

Song Yu looked at them with sympathy. “Sister Tang, I missed you so much.”

Tang Banxia’s face was wooden. If you missed me so much, why not come closer to say it?

Song Yu truly had missed her. She cheerfully escorted them home and stayed, chattering endlessly about all the happenings in the family.

Tang Banxia didn’t mind. She boiled a pot of hot water and went to her room for a much-needed bath.

When she came out, drying her hair, Song Yu pounced. “Sister Tang, you smell so nice.”

Tang Banxia pinched her soft cheek. “Little flatterer!”

Song Yu protested, “I’m not! You really do smell nice, Sister Tang.”

Tang Banxia let her go and began preparing a meal.

Song Yu stuck with her, talking non-stop.

“My second sister has been acting so strange lately. She keeps asking when I’m going up the mountain, and which way I’ll go. But I have no plans to go up the mountain.”

“I told her, and she got mad at me.”

Song Yu pouted, wanting to complain that her second sister was annoying, but in the end, she swallowed the words—after all, she was still her sister.

Tang Banxia understood immediately. It seemed Song Yu was likely to gain something by going up the mountain, and Song Qing wanted to intercept her.