OBS Chapter 32 feels really corny.
Chapter 32 feels really corny.
Hearing that the injured and still angry people included her parents, younger brother, and younger sister, Qin Wenjing lowered her head and whispered, "Mom, I'm sorry, I was wrong."
Deng Xiuzhen let go of her hand, straightened her clothes, and said, "Wenjing, you did nothing wrong. Not only was it right for you to protect your family, but it also warmed my heart."
Mom isn't saying you're wrong, nor is she trying to criticize you. I just want to tell you that we need to protect our families, but even more importantly, we need to protect ourselves.
When facing an enemy stronger than us, or an enemy as strong as us, we must be wise and know how to avoid the strong. Avoiding the strong is not admitting defeat, but protecting ourselves.
In situations like today, we don't need to pay any attention; just treat it like dogs barking.
“Yes, we can’t be stubborn. Sister, you did a great job last time. If you hadn’t noticed something was wrong in time and taught us not to talk, to pretend to be asleep to fool the traffickers, and then wait for a chance to escape, we wouldn’t have been drugged again or beaten. That’s why we were able to wait for the police to rescue us. If it weren’t for you, we would have suffered a lot. Sister, I love you!” Wenxin said as she walked to Wenjing’s side.
"Jingjing, I like you so much!" Wenyu shouted.
Deng Xiuzhen glanced at Qin Yanlin, who lowered his head guiltily.
"You must remember, we are not aggressive, but we are not afraid of being ruthless either! When we can be patient, we will be patient and not stoop to others' level."
However, if someone bullies us maliciously, we will retaliate fiercely.
"We'll avoid violence if we can avoid it normally. But if we do, we'll give them a good beating, so badly that they'll be afraid of you and never dare to bully you again! Do you understand?" Deng Xiuzhen said, looking around at the three children.
"Understood! We won't cause trouble, but we're not afraid of trouble either! We won't fuss over trivial matters, but if anyone dares to bully me, I'll fight back, and I'll fight them until they're terrified, so that no one will dare to bully us again!" Wenjing said firmly.
“Mom, I won’t fight. If I need anything, I’ll call my sister, or my dad and mom,” Wenxin said.
"Mom, Mom, I understand. But I really want to go to a restaurant. Are we going to a restaurant today?" Wen Yu asked loudly.
"Go in! Why don't you go in?" Deng Xiuzhen couldn't help but laugh.
Wenjing laughed too, and she grabbed Wenyu's arm, saying, "Come on, let's go eat something delicious!"
Kids will be kids. Just a moment ago they were angry, but a few words were all it took to calm them down, and then they happily went to find something to eat.
Dafeng Restaurant is neither the largest nor the best restaurant in Pucheng, but it is the one with the highest customer traffic. It is loved by the people of Pucheng because of its affordable prices and generous portions.
It wasn't dinner time yet, but the restaurant was already quite full of customers.
"Hello! Please order whatever you'd like to eat, and then pay over there." The waiter politely handed them a piece of paper with the names of the dishes written on it.
"Mom, what's this? Is all the food on this?" Qin Wenyu's eyes widened as he looked at the paper.
Wenjing and Wenxin's eyes were also focused on that piece of paper.
Deng Xiuzhen has never been to a restaurant in this life, but she went with her children in her previous life. She explained, "This is called a menu. It lists the dishes. We find the dishes we like on it, tell the waiter, and they will prepare them and bring them to us."
"Can we just sit and wait to eat after we order?" Wenjing asked.
"Do we need to wash the dishes after we finish eating?" Wenxin asked.
"No need, no need at all. We've ordered, so we just need to wait to eat. We can leave once we're done. They'll wash the dishes, wipe the tables, and their waiters will mop the floor," Deng Xiuzhen said, letting the children order while she went to the restroom.
"Sister, you said there are ants climbing a tree, are there really ants? What kind of tree is it? And why can it be put in a plate?" Deng Xiuzhen came back and heard this question.
"They must have cut the tree into small pieces to cook with, but I don't know what kind of tree it is, or if it can be used in cooking. The waiter even said it's a signature dish, and I heard that signature dishes are the most famous, delicious, and popular dishes in the restaurant," Wenxin explained to Wenyu.
"Wow, I want to eat their signature dish!" Wen Yu exclaimed excitedly.
"Don't shout. We'll know if there are ants and what kind of tree the food is made from once the dishes are served," Wenjing whispered.
"I love chicken the most. What kind of chicken is it? Is it a chick? Is it a rooster or a hen?" Qin Wenyu's mouth just wouldn't stop.
"Didn't I tell you not to shout? If others hear us, they'll call us country bumpkins again!" Wenjing warned Wenyu in a low voice.
Upon hearing this, Wen Yu shrank back and covered his mouth with his hand.
Deng Xiuzhen couldn't help but glance at her red woolen coat. It felt really tacky.
Qin Yanlin lowered his head again, thinking to himself that he would buy Xiuzhen a few more clothes when he had time, and he would buy the latest styles!
The restaurant was getting busier and busier, but Deng Xiuzhen's food hadn't arrived yet. Deng Xiuzhen wanted to ask the waiter, but when she looked up, she saw a familiar face: Old Zhao.
What terrified her was that Qin Yanxiang was standing next to the old man!
If Old Zhao is the old man Liu Xiaozhen was talking about, and if the old man knows Qin Yanxiang, then everything makes sense:
Qin Yanxiang knew about her family's past situation, and the old man knew that she was living in Ji'er now and knew about her family's situation back then.
If they share information, then the entire line of events—first swindling money from her family, then kidnapping her child—is connected!
But I didn't see them talking. Maybe they came to eat and just happened to run into each other?
These thoughts only lasted for a moment, but in that short time, Old Man Zhao and Qin Yanxiang disappeared.
With the children around, Deng Xiuzhen didn't know what to say, afraid of frightening them. She tried her best to control her emotions and didn't show anything unusual.
After finishing her meal, she made an excuse to go to Chenjiawan, saying that Aunt Chen from the new house wanted to see her and had something to discuss. She told Qin Yanlin to take the child and go back first.
As soon as Qin Yanlin and the others left, Deng Xiuzhen hurriedly went around to the vicinity of the restaurant, hid behind a tree, and kept a close eye on the entrance of Dafeng Restaurant. She wanted to see if Old Man Zhao and Qin Yanxiang would come out together, and where they would go after they did.
A short while later, Old Zhao came out, but Qin Yanxiang was not with him.
Deng Xiuzhen watched as the old man stood at the restaurant entrance, looked to both sides, and then turned left towards the T-junction.
She waited a while longer, but still didn't see Qin Yanxiang. Meanwhile, Old Zhao had reached the T-junction. He didn't cross the road, but instead walked towards the road next to Dafeng Restaurant.
That's not the way home! Where is he going? What is he going to do?
Full of questions, Deng Xiuzhen quickly followed.
Old Zhao walked a short distance before turning left, then turned right across the road in front of Pucheng People's Hospital, and then walked straight again. He turned right at the second alley entrance.
The old man walked along, looking at the shops on both sides, and occasionally stopped to talk and greet people.
This short distance took them more than half an hour to walk. Of course, this also allowed Deng Xiuzhen, who was not good at following people, to keep up closely without being noticed by Old Man Zhao.