Xiao Mandong stepped out from behind the hay and softly called, “Dad.”
Xiao Jingping’s whole body suddenly stiffened. His eyes instantly reddened as he turned toward the voice, recognizing his daughter’s figure at a glance.
“Mandong… It really is Mandong… My girl.” Xiao Jingping’s voice was thick with emotion.
Having been reborn, Xiao Mandong was seeing her family again. Tears welled uncontrollably in her eyes.
She answered with a nasal “Mm,” but her throat was so tight that she could barely speak.
Xiao Jingping hurried over. His hands were covered in calluses and scars. Several times, he raised a hand as if to touch his daughter’s head, only to lower it again, his heart aching for her.
Compared with his condition after being exonerated in her previous life, Dad was in much better shape now. His skin was darkened by the sun, but he looked healthy.
Just then, a kerosene lamp lit up in the room beside them.
The unsteady wooden door swung open.
“What happened? I heard someone arrive just now. Is it another person who’s been sent down?”
As soon as Grandpa’s voice faded, he saw his granddaughter standing at the entrance.
The old man rubbed his sore eyes, thinking he must be seeing things.
“Mandong? Why are you here? Did something happen?”
His first thought was that something had gone wrong. Otherwise, why would the girl come all the way here?
“Grandpa, it’s me. I came to see you.”
The old man took Xiao Mandong by the hand and led her into the room. “Come on, let’s talk inside.”
“Mandong, my Mandong.”
Hearing Xiao Mandong’s voice, Grandma Xiao hurriedly climbed down from the kang.
This was the granddaughter she had raised with her own hands, and the one she worried about most. She had married so suddenly, and Grandma Xiao had no idea how she was doing at her husband’s home. When Old Lady Xiao got down from the kang, she nearly fell.
Xiao Mandong quickly rushed forward to support her.
“Grandma, don’t get so worked up. Nothing happened. I just wanted to come see you.”
“Now that I know where you are, I’ll find opportunities to visit you again. If you need anything, just tell me. I’ll find a way to send it over.”
Seeing the grandmother she had not had the chance to meet again in either of her two lifetimes, Xiao Mandong could not stop her tears from falling. Everyone in her family was safe and well. A sense of fulfillment unlike anything she had ever known filled her heart.
This was the meaning of being given a second chance at life.
She did her best to calm herself. Her family had to work the next day, so she wanted them to rest early. Besides, other people lived in the courtyard, and she needed to explain everything as quickly as possible.
“Wait here.”
Xiao Mandong hurried out of the room and returned to the one she was staying in. From her pocket space, she took out the bags she had prepared beforehand. She carried them back to her grandmother’s room.
From the large bag, she brought out rice, flour, cooking oil, malted milk powder, canned food, eggs, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Finally, she took out several valuable medicinal herbs.
“You girl, why did you bring so many things? Does your husband’s family know?” Grandma Xiao did not know what to say for a moment. The girl had married in such a rush, and they had no idea how she was treated in her husband’s home. If she took so many things back, Grandma Xiao feared that her in-laws might make things difficult for her.
“Grandma, I’m not far from here. I may come often in the future, so don’t worry about me. I have a salary, and no one else can decide how I spend my money.”
Xiao Mandong did not tell her family that she had divorced. She did not want them to worry.
Grandpa Xiao looked at his granddaughter, his heart filled with tenderness. How had this child managed to bring so many things here?
“How did you find out where we were? Don’t come here anymore. Just take good care of yourself. You don’t need to worry about us. Go home early. It’s better if you pretend not to know us and keep your distance from us. Don’t let us drag you into trouble.”
Seeing all the things his granddaughter had brought, Grandpa Xiao knew that he had not cherished her for nothing all these years. That alone was enough. There was no need for her to risk herself for them. What if someone with bad intentions reported her? Wouldn’t that put her in danger?
Back then, they had made her marry young and published a notice severing ties with her precisely so they would not implicate Xiao Mandong. Now that they knew she was doing well, they had no further demands.
“That’s right, Mandong,” Xiao Jingping said hoarsely. “If you have the chance, just go see your younger sister and give her some support. It’s not easy for a girl to go to the countryside. If her family visits her from time to time, the people at the educated youth station will think twice before bullying her. Besides, Manxue is too softhearted.”
“Dad, Grandma, I have good news. Manxue went to college—the Workers-Peasants-Soldiers University. You don’t need to worry about her anymore.”
Grandma Xiao sprang to her feet in excitement.
“What did you say? Are you sure?”
“It’s true, Grandma. She’s already started school. I personally took her to campus, so you can rest assured.”
Xiao Mandong told her grandmother about Xiao Manxue so that she would have one less thing to worry about.
When Xiao Jingping heard that his younger daughter had gone to college, a weight lifted from his heart. He knew that the place where they had been sent down was separated from Xiao Manxue’s location by only one mountain. However… their movements were restricted, and their own circumstances were difficult, so they had been unable to find out anything about Xiao Manxue.
“How did she get the spot?”
Grandpa Xiao immediately focused on the key issue. He was worried about where the admission slot had come from.
“The commune selected her. Who would have thought she’d be so lucky?” Xiao Mandong said lightly.
Grandpa Xiao cast a suspicious glance at Xiao Mandong, but did not pursue the matter.
With that blockhead of a brain, it would be strange if she had actually been selected on her own. There was an eighty or ninety percent chance that this granddaughter of his had used her medical skills to save someone and secured the spot for her sister in exchange. He did not ask any further questions. In times like these, people had to find ways to survive. It was unrealistic to expect her not to use her medical skills.
“Grandma, don’t worry about me. I simply didn’t know where you were before. Now that I do, I’ll come visit you often. I’ll prepare padded clothes and quilts for the winter—one set for each of you. Don’t worry, I already have the cotton. Once everything is made in a few days, I’ll bring it to you. If you need any medicinal herbs, just let me know. My salary is so high, and I have nowhere to spend it anyway.”
“There are other families living in the courtyard, so you should all get some rest. I’ll head back now. I won’t come over to say goodbye tomorrow.”
After Xiao Mandong finished speaking, she turned and began walking back.
Old Lady Xiao held tightly onto Xiao Mandong’s hand, unwilling to let go.
This was the precious granddaughter she had raised from childhood. She should have been living a happy, carefree life without a worry in the world. Yet now, her beloved granddaughter had to shoulder the burden of caring for the whole family.
Old Lady Xiao had been worried that they would not have padded clothes or quilts for the winter, but her granddaughter had already begun preparing them.
Her heart was sour and bitter, filled with emotions she could not put into words.
Bang, bang, bang!
The sudden knocking at the door startled everyone in the room.
Xiao Jingping asked warily, “Who is it?”
