Chapter 286 Waiting
“You mean you saw your mother just now?” Su Jinxiu asked in surprise.
Gugu hesitated, then nodded.
Liu Nanfeng, who was driving, also found a place to stop by the roadside.
“Are you sure you weren’t mistaken?” Liu Nanfeng turned his head and asked.
He asked this because after so many years without seeing her, the other person would have changed drastically. Gugu hadn’t changed because she was special.
Gugu hesitated again upon hearing this.
Just now, she felt the other person was her mother, but now, with this question, she was no longer sure.
…
“Dad, keep an eye on Mom, make sure she doesn’t do anything foolish,” Duan Xiaohai said to Duan Dacheng with a look of helplessness.
Duan Dacheng was also thin but dressed neatly, appearing slightly younger than Wang Hongmei.
“I know, you go, your mother will be fine,” Zhao Dacheng waved his hand, sighing inwardly.
Wang Hongmei, who had not had an episode since her granddaughter was born, why did she have an episode again? He felt very helpless.
As for what Wang Hongmei said, they didn’t believe a word of it.
How many years had it been? If Duan Xiaolan were still alive, she would be a young woman, not to mention married. How could she still be the small, chubby, fair-skinned little girl her mother described?
“Xiaolan, it’s Xiaolan, Xiaolan must have come back to find me…”
Wang Hongmei sat at the entrance of the shop, staring blankly across the road.
Across the road was a long wall, and behind it was an old residential complex.
The layout of the small town had changed long ago, and not a trace of its former appearance could be seen. But Wang Hongmei knew that this was where her daughter was washed away by the flood.
She watched it being torn down, new buildings erected, then torn down again, and erected again, finally becoming this residential complex.
But no matter how much it changed, she remembered this place.
Many times, she dreamed of her daughter standing across the road, waving to her, and shouting “Mom.”
When she was awake, she also told herself that her daughter couldn’t possibly be alive.
But people always hold onto a sliver of hope, what if, what if her daughter was still alive? As long as she was alive, that was good enough, as long as she was alive…
But when she had an episode, she felt that her daughter would definitely return, so she had to wait here. Her daughter was still so young; she didn’t know the way home…
Over the years, the Duan family had actually grown accustomed to Wang Hongmei’s condition.
Although her mental state was not normal, she didn’t cry or make trouble, nor did she harm anyone. The only problem was that no matter where she was, she would rush back and stand by the place where her daughter was washed away, lost in thought.
So, as long as she couldn’t be found, coming here was the right thing to do, which made things quite worry-free.
And after they bought this shop front across the road, they became even less worried. Since she liked to stay here, they let her stay every day. After all, as long as she was in the shop, she wouldn’t be exposed to the sun or rain.
“Dad, do you think… do you think my sister might still be alive?” Duan Xiaohai chatted with Duan Dacheng while sitting behind the cash register.
“With such a big flood, and your sister was so young…”
Thinking of his daughter, Duan Dacheng felt a pang of sadness in his heart.
Because their first child was a son, they cherished their daughter from their second pregnancy even more.
Duan Dacheng’s love for his daughter was no less than Wang Hongmei’s. He remembered that when he was resting from his carpentry work, he often liked to carve small toys for his daughter from wood.
“If only my mother had saved Xiaolan first back then,” Duan Xiaohai sighed wistfully.
“Don’t say such foolish things. No matter who she saved, your mother would never be able to live with it. Forget it, you go back and help Lili with lunch. I’ll watch here,” Duan Dacheng said impatiently.
He didn’t want to bring up this topic because he knew that this was a question where either choice was right and both choices were wrong, and there was no answer.
“Alright, let’s have a drink at noon,” Duan Xiaohai said, then turned and went upstairs.
The shops facing the street in the small town were two or three stories high. Besides the first floor being used as a shop, the second and third floors were residences, and the Duan family was no exception.
However, Duan Xiaohai soon came down with his daughter.
“We’re out of salt, I’ll go buy a bag.”
“I’ll go,” Duan Dacheng got up, seeing Duan Xiaohai holding the child.
Duan Xiaohai didn’t refuse, as the supermarket was not far ahead.
Although their family also had a shop, they only sold cigarettes and alcohol, as well as some pickled vegetables. These were all made by his wife, Zhao Lili, and tasted quite good.
As Duan Dacheng walked to the outside of the shop, he immediately felt a wave of heat. Even though it was October, the weather was still very hot. Looking at the huge hole in the sky, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of emotion.
At first, it had indeed caused panic among everyone, but slowly life returned to normal, with no impact at all.
The town where he was located was called Sanbao Town. During the war, it was a vital route, so three blockhouses were built there. After liberation, people from the surrounding areas gathered here to do business, gradually forming a market and finally a town.
However, because the town was not built for a long time, the population was not very large, and the town was very small.
But there were many people who came to the market every day. However, it was already noon, and everyone had gone home. The road was sparse, with people rushing home to buy groceries and vendors carrying empty baskets.
Duan Dacheng took out a cigarette and lit it. Because there were children at home, it was inconvenient to smoke, so he usually smoked outside.
This was also one of the reasons why he had to go buy salt.
“Asheng, give me a pack of cigarettes,” Duan Dacheng said as he walked into a small shop at the end of the street.
“Do you want iodized or non-iodized?”
“Iodized.”
There was actually a larger supermarket on the street, but Duan Dacheng came here to buy because it was a little farther, enough for him to finish a cigarette.
Taking the salt he bought, Duan Dacheng walked outside the shop and prepared to head back.
After just a few steps, he saw a group of people ahead.
They were dressed handsomely and beautifully, with excellent temperaments. Such a combination was extremely rare in town, and he couldn’t help but look at them a few more times.
He had also been in business before and had seen many people, but he had never seen such good-looking men and women. Especially the women, a glance at them made him feel incredibly amazed, feeling they were no ordinary people.
However, because of this, he did not dare to look too much. After a few glances, he withdrew his gaze.
This group of people was naturally Liu Nanfeng and his companions.
Although Gugu could not be sure if the person was her mother, she had reminded Liu Nanfeng. He analyzed some residual information in the air and found that the possibility was very high, so he tracked them all the way to Sanbao Town.
And as Duan Dacheng looked at them, Liu Nanfeng and his companions also noticed him, but they only glanced at him and didn’t pay much attention.
Only Gugu, holding Little Koi’s hand, tilted her head and stared blankly at the “old grandpa” walking past.
Her memory was awakened at this moment.
Gugu let go of Little Koi’s hand, walked forward blankly, and placed her small hand into the other person’s large, dangling hand.
Little Koi was about to speak but was immediately silenced by Su Huamei beside her, who covered her mouth.
Duan Dacheng felt something soft suddenly in his palm, which surprised him. He lowered his head to look and met a cute smiling face.
Upon seeing this face, his head buzzed, and he felt dizzy and faint.
(End of chapter)