Chapter 13: The Origins of the Two Children

“Aunt Fu, the supply and marketing cooperative is just ahead. We’ll be there soon,” Lu Chen said, blinking as he turned to Fu Xiaoxiao.

Fu Xiaoxiao nodded, gritting her teeth to keep going.

After about another thirty minutes of walking...

“Are we there yet?” Fu Xiaoxiao asked, panting.

“Almost, just up ahead. Aunt Fu, come on,” Lu Chen said, pointing ahead as if the destination were right there.

Fu Xiaoxiao took a deep breath, trying hard to keep pace.

Her legs felt heavier with each step, trembling beneath her. Seeing the two carefree boys ahead, she found a large stone and sat down.

“Let’s rest a moment. I can’t keep going,” she said, feeling as if she had been walking for at least an hour and a half. Every time Lu Chen said, “just ahead,” she thought they had arrived.

When Fu Xiaoxiao sat, Lu Lin and Lu Chen exchanged a glance and sat down as well.

“Xiao Chen, be honest with me—how much farther?” Fu Xiaoxiao asked, noticing that the boys showed no sign of sweat, while her own legs trembled.

“Just up ahead, we’ll be there soon,” Lu Chen blinked, pointing toward the end of the road.

If it weren’t for his clear eyes, Fu Xiaoxiao might have thought the boys were deliberately teasing her.

“We’re almost there,” Lu Lin said with certainty after glancing at her.

“All right! Let’s keep going!” Fu Xiaoxiao patted her legs and stood up.

Come on, aching legs, pull yourself together and keep moving!

When she finally saw the three large characters spelling “Supply and Marketing Cooperative,” tears welled in Fu Xiaoxiao’s eyes with excitement—they had arrived.

She checked her watch; they had been walking for a full two hours.

The cooperative was sparsely visited, with only a few counters selling everyday goods.

Fu Xiaoxiao headed straight for the fabric counter, where a middle-aged woman was knitting a sweater. She glanced at Fu Xiaoxiao but ignored her afterward.

Working at the cooperative obviously gave this woman a certain air of pride. Fu Xiaoxiao paid no mind to her attitude and pointed at a piece of gray cloth. “Comrade, please tear off some cotton fabric for me.”

“What else do you want? Say it all at once,” the woman said without stopping her knitting.

“Oh, and two pounds of white sugar, a tube of toothpaste, two towels, a bar of soap...” Fu Xiaoxiao smiled and quickly rattled off everything she wanted to buy.

Before the woman could respond, Fu Xiaoxiao smiled again. “Please hurry.”

“Who can remember all that if you say it so fast!” The woman, annoyed by Fu Xiaoxiao’s gaze, retorted angrily. “Are you deliberately bullying me?”

“Aunt Fu wants two pounds of sugar, a tube of toothpaste, two towels...” Lu Lin, standing beside Fu Xiaoxiao, shot the woman a cold look and repeated the order with a stern face. “Got it?”

Fu Xiaoxiao looked at Lu Lin in surprise—she had spoken fast on purpose, but the boy had remembered everything.

Was he defending her?

Very good, bonus points for that.

“Hmph!” The woman put down her knitting and began tearing the fabric for Fu Xiaoxiao.

Two other clerks at nearby counters heard their goods being called and packed the items. Fu Xiaoxiao paid for everything, keeping the receipts.

Once the fabric was ready, Fu Xiaoxiao glanced at the woman’s knitting. “Don’t knit while you’re working. You don’t even notice when you make mistakes.”

“What mistakes? Nonsense,” the woman was taken aback and looked at her sweater. Indeed, there was a noticeable error in the middle.

Half of the sweater was already done; if she tried to undo it, all her work would be wasted.

“Ah! My sweater!” The woman yanked at it in frustration, accidentally pulling out a needle. As she bent to retrieve it, the thread was pulled loose, and the sweater lost its shape entirely.

“Hahaha, serves her right,” Lu Chen burst out laughing.

Fu Xiaoxiao smiled gently, holding her purchases in one hand and pulling Lu Chen along as she hurried out.

“Lin, let’s go,” she called cheerfully.

Outside the cooperative, Fu Xiaoxiao smiled at the two children.

“We’ve bought everything. Thank you so much for showing me the way! To thank you, let’s have lunch outside!” She spotted a nearby restaurant and checked the time—it was already past eleven. If they returned home now, they wouldn’t get there until after one.

Better to eat lunch out and head home afterward.

“No, I don’t like that place,” Lu Chen tugged at her, shaking his head.

“Let’s have buns,” Lu Lin said, pointing to a steamed bun shop.

Fu Xiaoxiao agreed and bought six meat buns, two for each.

Noticing how familiar the boys were with the town, Fu Xiaoxiao asked curiously, “You seem to know this town well. Do you come here often?”

At her question, the boys froze mid-bite.

Oh dear, that reaction—she had hit a sensitive spot.

“Lin?” Just as Lu Lin was about to speak, a frail voice came from behind.

Fu Xiaoxiao turned to see an elderly man carrying a basket. Lu Lin stood up, and the coldness on his face vanished upon seeing the old man.

“Grandpa Bai,” Lu Lin and Lu Chen stepped forward. Lu Lin skillfully took the basket, while Lu Chen helped steady the old man.

“And who are you?” Grandpa Bai looked at Fu Xiaoxiao, pulling the two boys protectively behind him.

“Hello, Grandpa. I’m the boys’ stepmother, Fu Xiaoxiao,” she smiled warmly. “We were missing some things at home, so I asked them to bring me to the cooperative.”

Grandpa Bai glanced at Lu Lin and Lu Chen, who nodded in response.

“Grandpa Bai, she’s Dad Lu’s new wife. Her egg and vegetable pancakes are delicious,” Lu Chen said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Bai lowered his guard and invited her to visit his home.

His house wasn’t far. Watching Lu Lin and Lu Chen behave like obedient children before the elder, Fu Xiaoxiao’s curiosity deepened.

Upon entering, she noticed medicinal herbs drying all over the courtyard. She thought of the bee pupae at home and made a connection.

“Lin, gather the herbs in the yard. Xiao Chen, please go boil some water in the kitchen,” Grandpa Bai said as he invited Fu Xiaoxiao inside, then turned to send the boys away.

Fu Xiaoxiao sat quietly, waiting for him to speak.

“Before Lu Feng adopted Lin and Chen, the boys were abandoned and wandering the streets. I took them in and cared for them for a few days,” Grandpa Bai said, tapping his water pipe and looking at Fu Xiaoxiao.

Fu Xiaoxiao frowned. Lu Feng had mentioned this briefly, but hadn’t explained in detail.

“And their mother? Did she just leave them?”

It was hard to believe such young children had been left to roam the streets.

“She was a soft-hearted woman who couldn’t stand on her own. After their father died in the war, the widow’s pension was taken by her family. They coaxed her back home and soon remarried her off,” Grandpa Bai sighed deeply.

“She didn’t take the children with her, leaving them neglected?” Fu Xiaoxiao guessed. The boys must have been tossed about like a ball—unwanted by both her family and their father’s side.