The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 223 - 222: Xue Xingjun Ran Away?
Mr. and Mrs. He hadn’t arrived in Beijing City yet when Xue Yue received a letter from her father.
She opened it and read that Xue Xingjun had run away. He had taken some money from home, and they had searched the neighborhood for days without finding him. Xue Changlin suspected Xue Xingjun might have run off to Beijing City to find Xue Xingzhou. If Xue Yue saw him, she had to let them know immediately. The family was worried sick.
And it was no wonder. Ever since Xue Xingjun went missing, Liu Hongxing had been crying nonstop. Her eyes were swollen like balloons, and she was even talking about coming to Beijing City to find him.
Xue Yue’s brow furrowed as she read. A fifteen-year-old kid who’d never even left his own town had run off to Beijing City all by himself. ’What if he runs into traffickers and gets kidnapped and sold?’ Xue Yue shivered at the thought and didn’t dare let her imagination run wild any longer. She hurried to find her brother.
After reading the letter, Xue Xingzhou grew anxious too.
"I should have written to him. He probably started overthinking things because we didn’t go back for the New Year."
"So what do we do now?" Xue Yue asked.
Xue Xingzhou grabbed his jacket. "I’ll go to the train station to look for him, see if he’s arrived in Beijing City. Don’t worry. Just go home and wait for news."
"Okay."
Xue Xingzhou rode his bicycle as fast as he could toward the train station. Once there, he searched everywhere, inside and out, but he didn’t see Xue Xingjun.
’Could he have not arrived yet?’ Xue Xingzhou wondered. ’Based on the timeline Xue Changlin mentioned, that shouldn’t be right. Xingjun should know Xue Yue’s address. Maybe he’ll find his own way here.’
Xue Xingzhou rode his bicycle along the roads outside the station, continuing his search. As he passed a bus stop, a quick glance was all it took to recognize Xue Xingjun.
It had been two years since they’d last seen each other, and the boy had grown a lot, but his familiar eyes and brows told Xue Xingzhou he wasn’t mistaken.
Xue Xingzhou took a moment to steady his racing heart, then rode toward the bus stop.
Xue Xingjun was wearing the set of clothes Xue Yue had bought for him, now all rumpled and creased. He was squatting by the bus stop, staring blankly into space.
He had arrived in Beijing City the day before. Before leaving home, he’d made a point to look at the address Xue Yue had left with the family. He’d repeated it to himself a few times and thought he had it memorized. But the moment he got off the train in Beijing City and saw the streets swarming with people, his mind went completely blank.
’Where was it again? East something District, some hutong or alley...’
He asked several people, and finally, an old woman managed to give him a rough idea and pointed him in a direction. But then he got on a bus going the wrong way and had to ride it back. By then, he was out of money. He’d spent the previous night in the train station’s waiting hall and had come back out today to continue his search.
Xue Xingjun was starting to regret it. He should have written the address down. ’This stupid pig brain of mine,’ he thought. Now he was homeless. The more he thought about it, the more miserable he became, and his eyes started to turn red again.
"Xue Xingjun!"
Xue Xingjun thought he heard someone call his name, but then decided it was impossible. He remained huddled in the corner, lost in his daze.
Not until he heard it again. "Xue Xingjun, what are you doing squatting over there?"
Dazed, Xue Xingjun finally lifted his head and saw his brother on a bicycle, one foot on the ground, looking right at him.
Xue Xingjun shot to his feet, nearly stumbling. His legs had gone numb from squatting for so long.
"Big Brother!"
Xue Xingjun took two steps toward him.
"Big Brother, it’s really you!"
Xue Xingjun ran to Xue Xingzhou and threw his arms around him, bursting into genuine, wracking sobs.
Seeing his state, Xue Xingzhou guessed he must have had a rough time on the road.
He waited for a while, but the boy showed no signs of stopping.
Xue Xingzhou patted his back helplessly. "Alright, that’s enough. You ran off to Beijing City without telling anyone. Do you have any idea how worried the family is? You brought this suffering on yourself."
Xue Xingjun finally let go of Xue Xingzhou. Seeing his pitiful expression, Xue Xingzhou’s heart softened a little.
"Didn’t you bring money with you? We left your sister’s address at home too. So tell me, what happened to you?"
In a stuffy, tear-clogged voice, Xue Xingjun told Xue Xingzhou his whole story.
The story made Xue Xingzhou laugh in exasperation.
"How old are you, acting so recklessly? Don’t you know you have a bad memory? You got lucky. If you’d been unlucky and run into a con artist, they could have tricked you, sent you off to some remote village, and sold you. Where did you get the nerve to run off to Beijing City all by yourself?"
Xue Xingjun glanced at his brother. Seeing the dark look on his face, he quickly lowered his head and admitted his mistake. "Big Brother, I was wrong. I should have told you all. I shouldn’t have snuck away."
He then hesitated for a moment. "But... you’re also at fault. You’re disloyal."
Xue Xingzhou was taken aback. "How am I at fault? How am I disloyal?"
Xue Xingjun declared righteously, "You left home and vanished without a trace! You never came back, and you never wrote to me. I bet you were just enjoying yourself and completely forgot about me, your little brother. Do you have any idea how much I missed you? During the New Year, I was waiting for you to come home. I must have gone to check the front gate of your house several times a day, but you never showed up. Even Sis knew to bring me clothes and snacks. Even if you weren’t coming back, couldn’t you have at least sent a message? You’re too much!"
Xue Xingzhou was stunned for a moment, then he chuckled. "I came to Beijing City for school. How is that ’enjoying myself’? Besides, I figured it was enough that your sister kept you all updated. I didn’t want to be redundant."
Xue Xingjun snorted. "How is it redundant? It’s not the same thing at all! And you’ve got a wife, kids, and a cozy home—of course you’re enjoying yourself! And you just forgot all about me. So much for brotherhood. Are we even real brothers or not?"
Xue Xingjun didn’t know the truth about Xue Xingzhou’s background, and no one else had told him.
Listening to Xue Xingjun’s accusations, Xue Xingzhou felt a complicated mix of emotions. So, someone had been waiting for him to come back all this time.
Xue Xingzhou ruffled Xue Xingjun’s hair. "Alright, it was my fault, okay? Let’s go home. Oh, but first I need to send a telegram home. You sneaking out has everyone worried sick."
After sending the telegram, Xue Xingzhou took Xue Xingjun to Xue Yue’s place.
The moment Xue Yue saw Xue Xingjun, she looked him over. Seeing that he wasn’t hurt, she breathed a sigh of relief. Then she picked up a broom and started hitting him with it.
"You really have some nerve! How dare you run off to Beijing City without telling the family? Do you know how worried everyone is? Huh? You have no idea how dangerous the world can be!"
Xue Xingjun ran in circles around the courtyard to dodge her, with Xue Yue chasing after him, which made the three children roar with laughter.
Xue Xingjun glanced over at them, feeling that he was losing his image in front of his nephews and nieces. He stopped, and Xue Yue promptly whacked him squarely.
"Alright, Sis, I was wrong! I was wrong! At least let me save some face! People are watching!" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
Seeing the three children covering their mouths to stifle their giggles, Xue Yue lowered the broom and jabbed a finger at Xue Xingjun’s head.
"Since you’re here, you can stay for a few days. Then I’ll buy you a train ticket, and you can go back."
As soon as Xue Xingjun heard this, he immediately protested, "I’m not going back! I’m always at the bottom of my class anyway. My teachers all say I’m a waste of money. I’m staying in Beijing City! I’m going to follow Big Brother!"
