Having said that, Chu Yunli understood that Caini had suffered a lot along the way. At the beginning, she even asked people to leave her alone several times. After coming down the mountain, she has never said this again from last night to now.
In other words, Caini herself also wants to go home.
Being so sad right now is probably because I am too timid to live close to home and dare not face my parents.
"Don't say such depressing words." Chu Yunli stretched out his hand to help her, and then greeted everyone: "Maybe there will be people chasing you. Let's not stay here for too long."
Among these women, most of them had no possessions. Leeks were different. She brought her two children with her, and she had a plan in mind. She stole a set of wedding clothes from her family... After the villagers bought the woman back, they would treat the villagers to it.
After a meal, Liao Cai’s mother-in-law saw the opportunity and spent money to buy a set of wedding dresses to keep at home. Anyone who wants to use it only needs to pay a few copper coins or get a few eggs.
This wedding dress was well collected and looked like new. When I took it down the mountain, although it was not worth much, the villagers still liked it. The group of people used this wedding dress in exchange for the opportunity to wash themselves.
Together with the children, more than a dozen people spent most of the day, and finally in the middle of the afternoon, they all changed their looks. Although the clothes on their bodies were covered with layers of patches, they were clean.
This village was very close to the path they came down from, and the group did not dare to stay any longer. They left the house while it was still early in the morning, and everyone parted ways on the official road.
Before leaving, they all expressed their gratitude to Chu Yunli, and the children knelt on the ground and kowtowed to her.
Soon, only Chu Yunli and Caini were left on the official road.
At this moment, Caini changed out of her dirty and smelly clothes, revealing her beautiful face. She had not seen the light of day for many years, and her skin was as white as snow. She was excited and nervous at the same time: "Huajiao, how about we go to your house first?"
"
"I'll take you back first." Chu Yunli asked for the direction of Dafeng Town and learned that it was more than 20 miles away from here. Generally, oxcarts would not go there, so she carried Caini on her back.
Probably because of bad luck, good luck finally came. Not long after leaving, a bullock cart stopped. The driver was an old man, and behind him sat his mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. The woman was very enthusiastic: "You two are going there."
where?"
Her eyes fell on Caini, and then she saw Caini's legs. She couldn't hide the surprise on her face, but she quickly restrained herself: "We live in Honghe Village in front of us, and I can give you a ride."
Caini was a little nervous when facing strangers, and held on to her clothes tightly.
It stands to reason that a woman who has just escaped from the mountains would be particularly cautious, but Chu Yunli is different. She is not afraid of malicious intentions. Moreover, these people look quite simple at first glance. They should just be farmers nearby. She smiled and said: "
Let’s go to Dafeng Town.”
"Honghe Village also belongs to Dafeng Town." Caini whispered in her ear.
Chu Yunli looked surprised: "Then we are really lucky." She smiled and thanked several people: "It's just... I don't have money and can't pay the fare."
"It doesn't matter, we're on our way, come on up!" The woman wanted to jump down to help, but Chu Yunli didn't need it. She neatly let Caini off the cart.
The woman smiled: "You look thin, but you have a lot of strength. You are not out of breath even when carrying someone on your back."
"I'm used to the work." Chu Yunli showed her hands full of calluses. In fact, Yang Huajiao originally only had some thin calluses left by embroidery, but now they are all given by the Hu family.
Thinking of the Hu family, Chu Yunli felt happy. The Lis and his wife would definitely not be able to escape. As for the fools... Without the care of their elders, they would suffer even if they were alive.
It was a bit cold in winter, and Chu Yunli and Caini's clothes were quite thin, so they cuddled together. When the woman saw them, she happily asked, "Where are you from?"
Caini didn't know how to answer for a while. Chu Yunli smiled and said: "I am from Liucun, my sister-in-law and I are going back to my parents' home."
"Ah, it turns out they are my sister-in-law." The woman's eyes fell on Caini again: "My sister-in-law and sister-in-law are often at odds with each other. Your sister-in-law is very kind to you."
Especially Caini is still disabled, but her husband's family took good care of her and even allowed her daughter to accompany her back to her parents' home, which is really rare.
When they met just now, Chu Yunli only knew about Honghe Village and Dafeng Town after being reminded by Caini. Maybe a few people in front of her heard about it, so she simply pretended that she had never been there. Then she made up an identity at random.
"It's quite good." Caini smiled bitterly: "She didn't dislike me even when I became like this, and she helped me a lot. I will never be able to repay this kindness in my lifetime."
"We are all a family, don't say such polite words." The woman smiled and said: "Girl, you are still young, are you married? There are many young people in Honghe Village, and their families are not bad. Do you want to...
"
"No need." Chu Yunli lowered her head in a shy manner: "I will listen to my parents about marriage matters."
Caini's face changed slightly, and she compared her feelings. At this moment, let alone being married, she felt disgusted when she thought of a man. Yang Huajiao married a fool before, and she wanted to be bullied by her father-in-law. Her thoughts should be similar to hers, so she hurriedly said
: "My parents love my sister very much and want to keep her until she is eighteen..."
The woman was very enthusiastic, with a look of disapproval: "This is not the way to love your daughter. When you get older, all the good ones will be picked away."
Caini took over the conversation: "We already have a candidate, and our two families are also interested, so we just have to decide on the marriage. Madam, thank you for your kindness, but my sister is thin-skinned. If you continue to talk, she will die of embarrassment."
Chu Yunli became really "shy" and said nothing.
Twenty miles away, it took half a day to walk, and the ox cart was a little faster. After an hour and a half, Dafeng Town was in sight.
The farther the oxcart went this way, the more remote it became, but the town was still quite prosperous. Compared with the mountains where Yang Huajiao stayed for most of the year, this was a magical place.
The two got off the bullock cart at the entrance of the town. Chu Yunli smiled and thanked her. He carried Caini on his back and did not leave immediately. Instead, he stood there and watched the carriage leave before taking her to the east of the town.
Caini grew up here and left for a few years. She thought she would never see these scenery again in her life. Looking at the familiar place now, she couldn't help but burst into tears.
Seeing that the Zhao family was not far away, Caini grabbed Chu Yunli's arm: "Don't go there yet, let me slow down."
But the two of them just stood there blankly by the road, which was too eye-catching, and everyone passing by would look over. Chu Yunli thought for a while, and took her to a roadside tea stall.
There was no one at the stall, but the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were guarding it, serving tea enthusiastically. When they came over, Caini lowered her head in a hurry, probably because she was afraid of being recognized.
Chu Yunli patted her hand comfortingly and said, "Madam, I want to ask you something."
Caini's whole body was tense.
Chu Yunli didn't look at her, just held her hand and rubbed it.
At this moment, the aunt was the only two guests. She did not refuse, but immediately turned around and asked with a smile: "What's the matter?"
Chu Yunli sighed: "We came from out of town and wanted to find my sister. She suddenly disappeared a few years ago. Has anyone come to your town in the past few years?"
The aunt was stunned for a moment: "Looking for someone?" She looked around and lowered her voice: "To be honest, we have lost people in our town too..." She stretched out her hand and pointed to the Zhao family not far away: "I heard that that family
The girl disappeared a few years ago. Their family has been looking for her for a long time, but there is no news at all. There is also the Lin family at the end of the town. Their new daughter-in-law went out to buy groceries and never came back."
Chu Yunli looked surprised: "You can't even find it?"
"No." The aunt lowered her voice: "Some people said they ran away with wild men... The Lin family's little wife seemed to have asked for a lot of betrothal gifts when the price came out. The Lin family's sister-in-law scolded her when she mentioned it, and occasionally said
The little daughter-in-law was seduced by someone. But the Zhao family couldn't bear to hear this. They loved their daughter very much. After hearing that she was missing, the child's mother went crazy. If anyone dares to say this to them, that crazy woman of the Zhao family
If you want to fight with someone, you will not stop until the person admits his fault..."
Caini's face was already filled with tears. She was holding tea with her intact left hand. She met the aunt's surprised gaze and forced a smile: "I just got burned."
The aunt was busy talking and didn't notice whether she was really burned. She didn't doubt it: "It's been cold recently and my water has been boiling. It's indeed hot. People don't like to drink it if it's not hot."
Caini didn't care whether it was hot or not, she drank the tea in her hand. When she looked sideways at Chu Yunli, she shed more tears than before: "Let's go home."
Chu Yunli placed a copper plate, which she had received from the Hu family before she left. There were only a dozen in total and she did not dare to spend it randomly. She carried Caini on her back and heard her whisper: "She said in a low voice
That crazy lady should be my mother."
The door of Zhao's house was closed, and Chu Yunli went up to knock on it.
Then a young woman's voice came from inside: "Here, who is it?"
Chu Yunli didn't respond, and she could feel her neck becoming increasingly wet.
The person who opened the door was a woman in her twenties. Seeing the two people at the door, she looked surprised: "Who are you looking for?"
"Sister-in-law!" After Caini shouted this word, she was speechless.
The visitor was Caini's sister-in-law, Tang. She looked surprised, looked at Caini, and tentatively called, "Caini?"
At this time, the door of the main room in the yard opened, and a woman came out. Her hair was a little messy and her eyes were dull. It was obvious at first glance that she was not normal. When such a person saw Caini, he rushed over: "Ni
son!"
A quarter of an hour later, Caini and her mother were still holding each other's arms and crying. Tang went to the next door to ask a neighbor to help call someone. When she came back, she also cried. After crying, she comforted the mother and daughter. But the mother and daughter reunited after a long separation, and for a while they didn't even know what to do.
I couldn't help it.
Mrs. Tang gave up her comfort, brought tea to Chu Yunli, and asked her sister-in-law about her experiences in the past few years.
She had secretly observed just now that her sister-in-law looked cleanly dressed, but she was no longer the pretty girl she was a few years ago. Moreover, both her legs were broken and one of her arms was missing... She was almost thin and had lost her appearance.
It wasn't the mother-in-law who insisted that this was my sister-in-law, she alone was not sure that this cripple was the sweet and well-behaved little girl back then.
"It's hard for me to say." Chu Yunli stood up and said, "I sent her home specially. Since she was sent home, I have to go home."
"Don't!" Mrs. Tang hurriedly stopped her: "My sister has become like this, and she came back with you..." It was time to speak clearly before leaving. She also guessed that the woman in front of her was probably not the culprit of her sister-in-law's death, but
What if?
But she couldn't let the bad guys run away. She changed her words and said: "My father and the others will be back soon. We have spent a lot of effort to find my sister over the years, but we haven't even heard any news. You sent the person back, why?
It’s time for my father and the others to express their gratitude in person and give them a thank you gift.”
"So, I'm hungry, can you give me some food?" Chu Yunli looked at Caini, who had been crying over there: "We haven't eaten properly for many days, it's best to eat softly. Also, help her.
Ask a doctor to take a good look at it."
As a guest, it was not appropriate to beg for food. Tang was stunned for a moment and said with a smile: "I'll do it right now. It's because I was so happy to see my sister that I should have prepared it a long time ago. You can wait a moment
wait."
She went into the kitchen to work, and from time to time she stuck her head out to ask about the taste.
Not long after, the door was pushed open, and the father and son appeared at the door. They seemed to be sweating on their foreheads and panting. They must have run back. They saw Chu Yunli standing in the yard with his hands behind his back, and then turned their eyes.
It fell on the mother and daughter holding each other's arms and crying.
When Father Zhao saw his daughter like this, he didn't dare to recognize her for a while. In other words, he wanted to recognize her but didn't dare to recognize her. The daughter he had been looking for for many years appeared in front of him. This was a good thing and he should be happy, but his daughter has become like this...
How much hardship have you suffered? What should you do in the future?
When Caini looked at her father and brother, her unstoppable tears flowed even more.
"Dad...brother..."
The family hugged each other and cried again.
It wasn't until Mrs. Tang brought the food and said that the guests needed to eat, and Caini hadn't had a decent meal for a long time, that she stopped crying.
Chu Yunli had been recuperating her body and could eat anything now, but Caini was different. After half a bowl, she put it down. After running around for so long, her spirit had been tense. When she arrived at home, she quickly fell asleep.
Father Zhao did not question his daughter. He could tell at a glance that she had not been doing well in the past few years. He found Chu Yunli in private and asked, "What happened?"
Chu Yunli saw that the Zhao family really loved their daughter, so she didn't hide anything and told the story.
Father Zhao burst into tears, became angry and angry, and finally bowed seriously to Chu Yunli to thank him.
"If it weren't for you, my daughter..." would not have come back to face her family. She might have died with the Zhang family with the fire certificate.
Chu Yunli avoided: "I want to go home too."
"Have a rest for two days before leaving." Zhao's father repeatedly persuaded him to stay. In addition, it was getting late and it was difficult to travel at night, so Chu Yunli rested all night.
The next morning, Father Zhao sent a package: "These are dry food. You can keep them for the journey."
He was truly grateful to this woman. After escaping from such a place, he did not go home immediately, but sent his daughter back first. Not everyone can do this. Also, his daughter is not as fragile as he thought.
, after waking up last night, I had already told him what had happened in the past few years, and also said that if Yang Huajiao had not repeatedly insisted on taking her home and offered various kinds of comfort, she would have died.
"I don't know where your family lives, but...if your family refuses to accept you, don't be sad. You will be the daughter of my Zhao family from now on."
Chu Yunli couldn't help but smile. Even if the Yang family didn't want her, she would not trouble the Zhao family. However, there was no need to say these words. She took over the burden... This was not just dry food, it was the Zhao family's wish.
Chu Yunli started on the road again.
Dafeng Town also falls under the jurisdiction of Wucheng, which is much more remote than the outskirts of Wucheng where Yang Huajiao's family is located. When she went to the city, she easily found a carriage passing by.
The Zhao family did not take the initiative to help her find a carriage. In fact, it was Zhao's father who was considerate...
Being sold to a fool as a wife, and escaping after getting pregnant and having a miscarriage, for a girl's family, is almost ruined for life. Not everyone can face such an unbearable past calmly, and even if they can come out, they are not willing to
People who don't want to be mentioned, and don't want to know their true identity are often hanging around.
Therefore, Father Zhao has made up his mind that after this time, he will never see Yang Huajiao again unless necessary.
The carriage jolted for a day, and Chu Yunli got off the carriage when he was still ten miles away from the gate of Wucheng.
The village where Yang Huajiao lives is branched off from here. When Chu Yunli ate dry food yesterday, he found that there were three taels of silver in it... It didn't look like much, but it shouldn't be a small amount for the Zhao family.
It gets dark earlier in winter. When Chu Yunli entered the village, there was only a dim light left. Dogs barked from everywhere in the village. Some cautious people poked their heads out and saw Chu Yunli.
I just felt like a stranger and couldn't help but take a few more glances.
It was too dark, so the villagers saw it was a woman but didn't recognize it, so they didn't pay much attention.
In the darkness, Chu Yunli ran and knocked on Yang's door.
Yang Huajiao is the youngest daughter in the family, and her parents and two brothers love her very much. Chu Yunli is excited. This excitement belongs to Yang Huajiao herself, and she doesn't have much anxiety.
"It's so late, who is there?" Mother Yang's voice came: "Just come in."
Chu Yunli opened the door: "Mother."
Yang's mother was busy working under the eaves. She was holding a pair of muddy shoes in her hands and was scraping the mud with a piece of bamboo. When she heard the voice and the address, her body stiffened slightly. After a while, she slowly turned her head and saw clearly that the door was
A slender woman touched her forehead and murmured: "It's not dark yet, why am I dreaming again?"
Hearing these words made people's hearts ache, Chu Yunli spoke again, this time the voice was much louder, almost shouting: "Mom, I'm back!"
This situation has never happened to Yang Huajiao, but it has appeared many times in her dreams.
Mother Yang finally believed that all this was not a dream and shouted: "Dad, come quickly."
Yang's father heard the commotion in the yard, but he was washing up... It was rare to take a shower in winter. He had just taken off his clothes not long ago, and it was not that convenient to get out. He wrapped it casually and ran out of the door.
"Sichuan peppercorn?"
"Dad, I'm back." Chu Yunli stepped forward slowly. Mother Yang first held her hand, as if she was afraid to touch it. She rubbed it, then tightened it instantly, and said in surprise: "It's hot. He
Dad, it’s hot!”
Chu Yunli: "..." Mother Yang thought the person who came back was a ghost?
At the same time, Yang's father also reached out and touched it, feeling the warmth. He said happily: "It's really a living pepper!" He couldn't help but blame: "Since you are fine, why did you come back at night?"
Chu Yunli: "..."
"It was already dark when I arrived at the entrance of the village... How about I find a place to spend the night and return early tomorrow morning?"
"No!" Mother Yang grabbed her daughter and said, "Hurry into the house. Are you hungry? Mom will cook for you. What do you want to eat?"
"I ate dry food and I'm not too hungry." Seeing that there was no one else in the house, Chu Yunli asked, "Where are brother and the others?"
"Going to work in the city." Mother Yang said, and was busy pouring tea. Half of it was poured, and she realized that her hands were covered with mud. Then she suddenly remembered that she had just been digging out the mud from her shoes. She hurriedly threw it away.
He put down his tea cup and ran out the door: "I'm going to wash up."
Halfway through the run, he almost tripped over the threshold. When he regained his balance, he rushed into the house again and said, "This cup needs to be washed too."
Father Yang scolded: "Slow down, what are you busy with?"
Mother Yang didn't even look back: "I'm happy, but can you take care of it?"
Yang's father was not angry, so he also stood up, blew the huozhezi and lit the candle.
The village where the Yang family is located is not poor, and every family has lamp oil, but they don't light it often. They save it when they can. Yang's father turned around and looked at his daughter carefully. He saw that she had lost a lot of weight, and her eyebrows and eyes were still a little pale, and her hands were
It was also full of calluses, and the clothes were even worse... His adopted daughter had never been dressed in such shabby clothes since she was a child. Even when she went to chop firewood in the mountains, she didn't have so many patches.
"Where have you been in the past year?"
Chu Yunli lowered his eyes and looked at his hands: "Looking back now, I feel like it was a dream."
"You have suffered, haven't you? Who abused you?" Yang's father looked at his daughter's hand, his eyes stung, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Who dares to do this to you? Tell me, and I will go find him to settle the score."
"I'm not looking for you anymore." Chu Yunli shook his head: "As long as you can come out."
Yang's father felt wrong when he heard this: "Are you locked up?"
"Locked in the mountains." Seeing that Yang's father insisted on getting to the bottom of things, Chu Yunli told the story exactly.
There was silence in the room. After Chu Yunli finished speaking, he looked at the door.
There, Yang's mother had already burst into tears, her hands were shaking so much that she could not hold the cup. She covered her mouth with one hand, her whole body was trembling, and she choked with sobs and cried: "My Sichuan pepper... what evil have you done...
…”
The family did not hold each other's heads and cry like the Zhao family did, but the atmosphere was by no means a good one. Yang's mother cried sadly. During this period, neighbors who were not far away also asked questions, and Yang's father casually fooled them.
, after entering the door, he said: "It's a good thing to be back. Don't mention the past again, and don't talk about it to anyone. Damn, just cry. Don't reveal your whereabouts. Huajiao will still be a human being in the future."
If these things happen to a girl's family, if word spreads, it will definitely affect the marriage.
Mother Yang took a few deep breaths, held Chu Yunli in her eyes for a long time, and then took a deep breath for a long time before she recovered. She thought of something and asked, "Should I tell the two brothers about this?"