On this sunny afternoon, Sister Hong turned a strong whirlwind like a light cloud, and magically disappeared in this city with crowds of people. I searched desperately on familiar and unfamiliar streets until it was dark that I returned to the county alone.

On the west horizon, the last red cloud lost its warm color. The scorching evening breeze made people feel tight and irritable. When I heard the sound of me pushing open the yard door, the old landlord walked out of the main hall: "Xiao Wu, are you back? Where have you been in the past two days?"

"We went to the city to do something." I lowered my head and walked into the yard, "Auntie, are you back from Lunan too?"

"I got home last night. My little apprentice wanted to stay for a few more days, but your uncle thought that Xiaozhuang was going to the provincial capital for medical treatment, so he was in a hurry to come back to see the child." When the old lady spoke, she leaned over and looked behind me, and asked in surprise, "Why are you going to the city? My uncle and I thought you two went back to our hometown to pick up the child. Where is Xiaozhuang's mother?"

I was in a complicated mood and wanted to cry: "When we were shopping in the city today, we met my master Lu Yu. He is the eldest man of Lu and the only son of Commissioner Lu. After being transferred, he recruited workers and went to the yarn mill. He had a partner with Sister Hong and almost got married. Later, Lu Yu was transferred back to the city and the two finally broke up. His wife probably knew about the past of the master and Sister Hong, and she talked and bullied Sister Hong when she met. When I argued with her, Sister Hong left angrily..."

This is the first time I have talked about this since we came to Xizhangzhuang and rented into the Liu family.

"Oh... look..." The old lady was so anxious that she slapped her thighs, her face changed, "What's wrong with this? Yin Hong's heart is so angry, how can she stand this..."

When Carpenter Liu heard our conversation, he hurried out of the main hall. While slapping the sweat on his face with a palm fan, he comforted me pity: "Xiao Wu, don't be anxious first. The city is so big, you two may be separated. Yin Hong is not a child, and she can't lose it. She will definitely come back by herself."

In the resentful night sky, a transparent gray cloud covered a round moon. The black canal beach, and the cicadas in the willow bushes made people feel upset. I said that I was too tired and refused the good intentions of the old couple. I didn't eat dinner with them. I took a shower and then fell head onto the bed. On the pillow, there was a faint body fragrance of Sister Hong, and the sorrow was full of depression in my heart, which made me exhausted, but I couldn't sleep for a long time. While I was sleeping but not sleeping, I seemed to hear the sound of Sister Hong's footsteps several times. I quickly pulled the mosquito net and got up and went out. A pair of night birds that were inhabiting fluttered and flew around. Looking around, the sky was deep and the four celestials were empty.

The next day, Sister Hong had not come back. I hurried to the factory early in the morning with a heat wave. In the front spinning workshop, I found the senior squad leader of the bus stop shift where Sister Hong was. When this sister, who was nearly 50 years old, was shocked to see me, her face was filled with pleats.

"Why are you... not leaving yet?" The old sister asked with her mouth half open, looking at me in surprise.

"Where am I going?" I asked in confusion.

"Didn't Xiao Yin take a long vacation and say he wants to go to the provincial capital to see the child? Why don't you go together? She takes care of a sick child alone and is unfamiliar with the place. How can this work?" The elder sister spoke quickly, her words full of worry.

When I heard this, my heart skipped a beat. Before I could explain in detail, I hurriedly said goodbye.

Throughout the day, I searched all over the streets and alleys of the county town in the heat, and almost searched for the places that Sister Hong might have gone, but there was no news at all. Where can Sister Hong go? Haven’t returned from the city or went directly to the provincial capital? Will there be any accidents? I dare not think about it anymore...

At noon, I rode my bike to the county hospital and met Senior Brother Xiao Cai who was about to go to the cafeteria.

"Have you seen Yin Hong? Has she been to the hospital?" I asked at the beginning.

Senior Brother Xiao Cai looked surprised: "What's wrong with you? Is there another problem with Xiao Zhuang?"

"No, I'll ask you if you saw Yin Hong?" I didn't want to explain and asked blankly.

"I haven't seen it, what's wrong with you? You quarreled with Yin Hong..."

"No, we didn't quarrel, but Sister Hong lost..."

"Don't you lose her? She's a living person? How is this possible? What's going on with you..."

I felt sad and didn't know what to say for a moment. Senior Brother Xiao Cai probably never saw me like this, so he hurriedly pulled me to his logistics room. I took a few sips of the cold boiled water he handed over, and then under the rotating electric fan, he told me about what happened to us when we went to the city and met the couple of Lu Yu.

"Wu Ping, we are good brothers. I said, don't stare at first. Is there any possibility..." Senior Brother Xiao Cai observed my face and said thoughtfully, "Yin Hong... went to find Lu Yu again, or Lu Yu found Yin Hong because he became suspicious of Xiao Zhuang. Will he negotiate about this matter..."

"Don't think about it anymore. Xiaozhuang is the life of Sister Hong. She didn't even submit to the Peng family's coercion and temptation. How could she surrender to Lu Yu, the unfaithful man?" I knew that Senior Brother Xiao Cai had no malice, but he still interrupted him mercilessly.

"Wu Ping, don't be so naive. Yin Hong and Lu Yu have had different feelings after all. Now as long as Lu Yu can turn around and give in, they will be able to..."

"Stop talking, this is absolutely impossible. You still don't understand Yin Hong. She is not that kind of person." I didn't let him talk about it any more.

The scorching sun was like fire, the plants were hanging down, and the air was like a little spark would explode. This year's scorching heat seemed to come particularly early. After leaving the gate of the county hospital, walking under the thick sycamore tree, I was sweating all over, but my heart was chilling. Although I didn't believe the words of Senior Brother Xiao Cai, these words still made me restless. I rode my bike aimlessly and came to the moat without realizing it. In despair, I looked up and saw the familiar alley. After hesitation, I walked in and came to the majestic red painted iron gate.

When the Zhao family's wife who came to open the door saw me, her face changed. Because they occupied the Cai family's territory, the yard is now more spacious. Not only has a new rockery been built inside, but a four-corner pavilion was also built on the fish pond, which is even more luxurious and grand.

"You...what do you want to do..." Perhaps thinking about the time when I sent me into the bureau, the Zhao family's wife bluffed and timidly wanted to close the iron gate.

"Yin Hong, are you here?" I ignored it and grabbed the hot iron door.

"Yin Hong...How could she come here..." When the Zhao family's wife heard me say Yin Hong, her lips trembled and stuttered, "You... don't do anything wrong..."

When I heard that Yin Hong was not here, I turned around and left, but the Zhao wife suddenly changed her face: "Xiao Wu... Stop, last time... we had a misunderstanding last time, don't take it seriously, I'll apologize to you now."

"Is it a misunderstanding? You apologize to me..." I stared at my wife's flattering fat face, a little unable to believe my ears.

"I just apologize to you. I'm really sorry last time. I let you go to the detention center for a few days. We don't know that you are the nephew of Secretary Yuan of the Municipal Party Committee. Lao Zhao scolded me for several days. He has been preparing to treat you to dinner and apologize to you in person..."

I suddenly felt like I was eating a green-headed fly, so disgusting that I just wanted to vomit. These guys usually rely on their own power and bully the weak, but they are humble and slave-like in their greater power, and their deformed mentality are both hateful and pitiful.

In the evening, I returned to Xizhangzhuang dejectedly. As soon as I entered the yard, the landlord and aunt pulled me into the main hall with heartache, made me a basin of cold water, let me wipe my sweat, and sat down to have a meal.

The old man shook his palm-leaf fan and smoked a dry tobacco. He suddenly spoke in a muffled voice: "Xiao Wu, aren't you going to see Xiao Zhuang? Will Yin Hong, this daughter, go back to her hometown and pick up Xiao Zhuang by herself?"

"Yes..." The aunt immediately took over the conversation, "The child is my mother's life. Xiaozhuang's mother will not lose the child no matter where she goes. She will definitely go back to pick her up."

"Yes..." I suddenly realized, "I... why didn't I expect this?"

Sister Hong must have gone back to her hometown directly. She was going to pick up Xiaozhuang. I felt a sudden enlightenment in my heart. It seemed that I was so anxious. The old lady was right. No matter where Sister Hong went, she would definitely take Xiaozhuang with her. She would never leave Xiaozhuang. Thinking of this, I could no longer sit still. After picking up the rice in the bowl in two or three, I pushed up the bicycle without saying a word, and then prepared to go out overnight.

"It's dark, there are still hundreds of miles of roads, so you have to be careful!" The old couple of Carpenter Liu knew that they couldn't persuade me, so they took me out of the yard and reminded me over and over again behind me.
Chapter completed!