Back To The 80s-Chapter 309 - 319: Disaster _1

Qin Ximei quickly went forward to comfort Wen Xiuqing. Seeing tiny Yuanchao’s limp body, she told Xiuqing that she would help bury the child. However, Xiuqing refused to let go of Yuanchao, cradling him and weeping uncontrollably. Behind her, little Zhanguo also began to cry.

Qin Ximei quickly picked up Zhanguo and said to Xiuqing, "Xiuqing, Yuanchao is gone. Zhanguo is still here. You must stop crying or you will frighten the child."

Wen Xiuqing, seeming to have lost her senses, let go of Yuanchao and, clutching little Zhanguo, resumed her loud crying.

Taking advantage of this moment, Qin Ximei grabbed Yuanchao and sprinted outside. The rough movement woke the child, who began to cry. She wanted to kill him, but when her hand neared his throat, fear took over and she couldn’t do it. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

It was noon, and everyone was taking a nap. This allowed Qin Ximei to escape unnoticed from the village. She crossed over the mountain and abandoned Yuanchao at the doorstep of a family with the surname Song in Heyan Village. Then, she hastily returned home.

Wen Xiuqing was not able to bear the shock, and her mind seemed to suffer paralysis. Every day, she held little Zhanguo and cried. A month later, Lu Zhanguo’s grandfather came to see his grandson. Seeing Xiuqing in such a state, he wanted to take the two of them away. However, Xiuqing refused to leave and held constantly onto Zhanguo while crying.

After staying for two days, the grandfather had to return to the northeast. At that moment, Xiuqing seemed to regain her consciousness. She handed over little Zhanguo to the grandfather, asking him to take the boy away. She herself intended to stay and accompany Yuanchao.

This made Qin Ximei a bit scared. What if Wen Xiuqing asked about where Yuanchao was buried? What then?

However, Xiuqing never asked. She stopped smiling or talking, and her mood became unpredictable. Three months later, both of them returned to the Capital City.

As Qin Ximei reached this point in her story, Yuan Dahai sharply inhaled and stormed into the bedroom. He took out the military dagger that had accompanied him for years and pressed it against Qin Ximei’s neck: "If I don’t kill you today, I won’t be able to face the Lu Family, Xiuqing, and Yuanchao."

"No, you can’t kill me. After all our years as husband and wife, I even gave birth to your three daughters!" Terrified, Qin Ximei’s face paled and she shakily replied.

Fury in his eyes, Yuan Dahai replied: "Those three children you raised with me are all corrupted by you! They are all worthless!" Saying this, the dagger cut into Qin Ximei’s neck.

The door was kicked open. Yuan Qing stood in the doorway, tears flowing down her cheeks. She sobbed: "Dad, drop the knife!" She ran forward.

Yuan Dahai hesitated for a moment with the military knife in his hand, and the sharp edge sliced Qin Ximei’s neck, causing blood to slowly seep out.

Yuan Qing threw herself at her father, holding his hand and crying: "Dad, you can’t kill my mom. Otherwise, you will become a murderer."

Yuan Dahai’s hand loosened, the military knife fell to the ground, and he said tearfully: "Qingqing, if I don’t kill her, I’m betraying the Lu Family."

"Dad, no matter what, Qin Ximei is my mom." Yuan Qing cried out.

Scared, Qin Ximei didn’t even dare to cover her neck wound, just letting the blood flow and stain her clothes, creating a ghastly sight.

After crying for a while, Yuan Qing looked up at Qin Ximei and said, "Mom, I just realized that my two elder sisters’ misfortunes are all because of you."

Crying, Qin Ximei replied: "No, Qingqing. You three are the ones I love most. How could I harm you?"

Yuan Dahai suddenly stood up, grabbed Qin Ximei and tried to drag her out, causing Qin Ximei to scream: "Yuan Dahai, what are you doing?"

"Going to the Lu Family to confess," Yuan Dahai declared in anger.

Yuan Qing immediately blocked Yuan Dahai’s path and sobbed, "Dad, you can’t go. Aunt Lu may not even know about this."

Startled, Yuan Dahai released his grip on Qin Ximei as if he had been holding something filthy.

Qin Ximei was startled by his violent shaking and fell to the ground, afraid to make any noise. She could only tremble silently.

...

As Lu Zhanguo and Lu Aiguo left Yuan’s home, Lu Aiguo suggested, "Brother, let’s go to Zhangbei."

Lu Zhanguo thought for a moment and replied, "OK. The Lunar New Year is in a month. Let’s go there ourselves. Deal with your business first."

"No problem. As for our mother, should we tell her or not?" Lu Aiguo said, somewhat troubled.

"Let’s not tell her for now. We’ll check out Zhangbei first when we get back," said Lu Zhanguo, knowing that this trip to Zhangbei might not yield any results. Besides, he didn’t know if they could find that family.

Before going to bed at night, Lu Zhanguo told Gu Xiaobei about his plan to go to Zhangbei.

Gu Xiaobei worriedly asked, "It’s been so many years. What if that family has moved away?"

Lu Zhanguo, holding Xiaopang, frowned in thought and replied, "Unless there was a war or a natural disaster, they likely wouldn’t have moved since they would think of their old house as their root."

Gu Xiaobei nodded. Indeed. People at that time rarely left their hometown to work. They usually maintained their family’s land, unlike later generations who migrated like migratory birds.

"Will you be okay by yourself at home?" Lu Zhanguo asked worriedly.

"I’ll be fine. We still have Fang Jing and mother, and Aunt Li can also help. You and Aiguo can go with peace of mind. I heard it’s cold in Zhangbei. You two should pack more warm clothes," said Gu Xiaobei, who was more worried about them leaving.

Mo Wang recently grew able to clumsily crawl some distance. Xiaopang was lazy and simply watched her brother crawl, giggling on the side.

Lu Zhanguo, looking at Mo Wang crawling around the bed, couldn’t help but remind Gu Xiaobei again: "Remember to pile up blankets on the side of the bed."

Gu Xiaobei, laughing at Lu Zhanguo’s worrisome manner, reassured him: "Alright, just go without worries. I promise that the two darlings won’t hit or bump into anything."

Fang Jing in the next room, having heard that the eldest brother of the Lu family might still be alive, was also excited: "Do you think the big brother and the second brother look exactly the same? If you two bring him back, won’t everyone be frightened?"

Lu Aiguo gave her a glare and said, "You’re too naive. According to Qin Ximei, our older brother left home later. We don’t know if he has returned home over the years, or if we can even find him. Make sure you don’t let it slip."

Fang Jing waved her hand impatiently: "Okay, I got it. By the way, have you sorted out the issue with Ruirui? Don’t let her make a fuss with me again. I’m not going to put up with her."

Lu Aiguo’s face darkened, and he said quietly: "Don’t worry, if she creates a problem again, you can handle her as you like." He had lost all hope for his sister.

Fang Jing sneered and muttered, "Alright, I know you. You say harsh things now, but when trouble comes, you’ll be the first to jump to the front."

Not wanting to continue the conversation, Lu Aiguo moved closer to Yueyue, watching her draw.

Lu Zhanguo and Lu Aiguo set off at the end of the month. Before they left, Lu Aiguo told Wen Xiuqing that he and Lu Zhanguo were visiting a neighboring province to explore some potential business opportunities before the New Year.

Wen Xiuqing didn’t say much. Lu Songyuan, however, repeatedly warned them to avoid trouble on their journey as it was right before the New Year.