DLRC – Chapter 22 Yu Wei Really Took the Little One Away

The man was wearing a suit—head to toe in black—even his shoes were a pair of black leather ones, though now their surfaces were dusted with a layer of dirt.

Under the suit was a snow-white dress shirt. He wasn’t wearing a tie, but the shirt had been rumpled and wrinkled by his movements.

In 1985, how many men in an ordinary small city wore suits?

Suits were incredibly expensive at the time, especially ones like the one this man was wearing—made from high-quality fabric. Unless absolutely necessary, ordinary folks wouldn’t buy one.

Aside from showing off, this man had to be either rich or powerful—either a businessman or a high-ranking official. Otherwise, Yu Wei couldn’t think of any reason a man would be wearing a suit in this era.

She glanced at him with curiosity, but before she could even take a step, the man took three steps forward and then collapsed straight to the ground—face down—landing right at her feet.

A muffled groan escaped from his throat, sounding extremely uncomfortable.

Yu Wei’s heart skipped more than a few beats. She silently mourned for him.

That kind of fall… had to hurt like hell.

But it was late at night, and curiosity could be dangerous. Little Huihui was still waiting at home. It was better to head back quickly.

Just as she turned to leave, her ankle was suddenly grabbed by a cold, rough hand.

She froze. Then, realizing what was happening, she frantically kicked her leg to shake off the hand.

She managed to break free—but at the same time, she heard a sharp crack as the man’s hand hit the stone pavement.

The crisp sound rang out chillingly in the silence of the night.

Oh no… she… she didn’t just break his hand, did she?

“Uh… comrade? Are you… alright?” Yu Wei crouched down, guilt written all over her face, and asked cautiously.

Only now did she get a good look at the man’s face.

Surprisingly, there was something oddly familiar about him. If she had ever been around a man this good-looking, she would’ve remembered for sure.

He was stunning. Truly stunning. Even by modern standards, he could pass for a celebrity.

A narrow, refined face, sharp sword-like brows and starry eyes. Those eyebrows were carved deeply into his expression, though now furrowed tightly in pain.

His eyes were still closed, lashes trembling slightly. His thin lips were pressed together, and his side profile revealed a smooth, defined jawline that flowed gracefully down to his neck—where his Adam’s apple moved up and down as he swallowed, trying to ease his parched throat.

But he looked like he was in a terrible state. Even breathing seemed like a struggle, hot breaths escaping in short bursts.

His hands were clenched into fists, trying to push himself up, but he had clearly had too much to drink—his strength failed him, and he could only lie there, panting in pain.

Thinking of how she’d flung him off just now, Yu Wei bent down again and asked, “Comrade, are you okay?”

Still no response. No reaction at all. Then suddenly, he stopped struggling.

An eerie silence fell between them—like the air had frozen.

Yu Wei blinked. If he weren’t so good-looking… she thought, I probably wouldn’t have dared to stay and check on him.

But clearly, she was meddling too much.

She stood up, ready to leave—only for a sudden weight to drop onto her shoulder.

The man had used her for support and staggered to his feet. Yu Wei lost her balance and slammed into a nearby utility pole.

Both of them hit the pole at the same time. The man let out a low groan, and Yu Wei hissed, “Tss—”

His hand was still resting weakly on her shoulder, hot to the point of burning—like he had a raging fever.

His breath reeked of strong alcohol, mixed with some hard-to-describe scent that probably came from his body—making her head spin a little.

Once she regained her footing, Yu Wei rubbed the side of her head where it had been smacked dazed, then quickly escaped from under his arm.

She stood a few steps away, panting. Just then, she saw the man leaning against the utility pole slowly open one eye—and then the other.

Though he had hit his head, he was holding his leg.

His eyes were clear, yet tinged with the murkiness of drunkenness—misty, dazed. As he stared at her, something flickered in their depths that made her feel inexplicably unsettled.

For some reason, it reminded her of Yu Hui’s fawn-like eyes. When he was silent, like a withdrawn child, he would often gaze at her the same way.

Yu Wei finally stumbled her way out of the alley.

Only when she reached the corner outside the alley did she feel that heavy, pricking gaze disappear.

When she got home, the mess in the main room had already been cleaned up. The greasy table was wiped spotless.

She had barely reached her bedroom door when she heard her son’s miserable wailing. Her heart lurched, and she rushed inside.

“Are you crazy? Your mom’s not gone for good! Cry cry cry—what are you even crying for?!” Jiang Min snapped, irritated. “So damn annoying!”

“Cry again and I’ll throw you out! Sell you! Feed you to the wild wolves!”

The little guy ignored her threats and continued bawling in heartbreaking sobs. He was even whispering “Mama” through his cries, which pierced straight through Yu Wei’s heart.

“Who dares sell my son!” Yu Wei glared fiercely at Jiang Min, her eyes so sharp and fierce they made the woman flinch in fright.

When did Second Sister start looking at people like that…?

“Yu Hui!”

Yu Wei strode forward and shoved Jiang Min aside. Jiang Min stumbled and fell onto Yu Bing’s bed. Yu Wei then grabbed the pillow and slammed it onto the cement floor before storming off in a huff.

The little boy sitting in the center of the bed paused his crying when he heard his mother’s voice. He looked around with tear-filled eyes, searching for her.

The moment he spotted her, Yu Hui whimpered pitifully, “Mama…”

“Mommy…”

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying? Isn’t our Huihui the strongest? No crying allowed, okay?”

Yu Wei gently wiped away the tears at the corner of his eyes, her voice soft and soothing as she coaxed him.

A child who had never known a mother’s love since birth lacked a deep sense of security and was extremely sensitive.

The moment he woke up and didn’t see Yu Wei, fear took over. He was scared Mommy would abandon him and leave, scared that the happiness he’d finally tasted these past few days would burst like a bubble.

Mother and son held each other tightly, drawing warmth from one another. Jiang Min stood at the doorway, curling her lip and muttering under her breath about the troublesome pair.

Curled up in Yu Wei’s arms, little Yu Hui sobbed pitifully. The warmth of his mother’s embrace finally soothed his anxious heart, though his tiny hands clung tightly to the fabric at her chest, unwilling to let go.

He remembered what Grandma had said that afternoon—saying Mommy wanted to sell him—and his uneasiness had reached its peak. That’s what led to the heart-wrenching scene earlier.

Yu Wei sighed. It looked like the road to helping little Huihui recover would be long. She just hoped he could walk out of his shadows soon.

She patted his small shoulders and, when she looked down, noticed his wet lashes were still fluttering with sobs.

She gave him some water, and the little one gulped down half a bowl. In the end, he even let out a tiny hiccup.

Yu Wei teased him, “Our Huihui drank so much water—are you full now? Is it time to go to sleep?”

Yu Hui stared at her silently. As Yu Wei gently pinched his soft cheeks, she said again, “Alright, I’m just going out to wash my face. You wait here like a good boy, okay?”

Mommy’s going out?

Yu Hui instinctively grabbed her arm and shook his head gently.

Right now, he didn’t even dare to promise to be a good boy and wait. His fear was greater than his resolve to behave.

Yu Wei didn’t know what to do. She tried to coax him again. “If you behave, Mommy will just brush her teeth and wash her face, then come back and give you a fruit candy, okay?”

Luckily, the candies she’d bought last time hadn’t been eaten yet. Now was the perfect time to use them. But this stubborn little guy still wouldn’t let go. Yu Wei had to pretend to be angry and pinched his little nose.

“Do you want Mommy to go to bed all dirty?”

Yu Hui blinked in confusion but finally reacted, shaking his head.

“Then how about you look at a book?” Yu Wei pulled out an old book from the wooden cabinet and placed it in his hands. “Flip through this book, and when you’re done, Mommy will be back, okay?”

It was the first time Yu Hui had heard something like that. He held the book in a daze. Taking advantage of his distraction, Yu Wei gently pried his little hand off her arm.

“Alright, starting now—when you finish the book, Mommy will be back.”

Yu Wei watched him turn the first page. Though his eyes remained fixed on her, with tears still hanging from the corners, at least he didn’t cry and beg her to stay. That reassured her enough to finally step out of the room.

There was no more hot water. Yuan Guifang and Yu Dachao had already gone to bed. Jiang Min and her husband were quietly arguing in their room. As for that punk Yu Bing, he was probably out playing with his girlfriend again until late.

Yu Wei quickly washed up. When she returned, Yu Hui was already immersed in flipping through the book. At the faint sound of the door, he turned his head.

“Mommy…”

Yu Wei smiled, sat down by the bed, and the little one slowly crawled over to tug at her shirt hem. Only when she pulled him into her arms did he cling to her tightly, unwilling to let go.

“Huihui is amazing! You’re already halfway through? Mommy came back early. Are you happy?”

The little one nodded softly. At least he wasn’t silent this time.

Yu Wei felt like she had discovered a secret to caring for Yu Hui—if she could immerse him in something, he wouldn’t get lost in his fears.

That was a nice discovery, she thought.

It was late. Thinking about how they would be moving out tomorrow, Yu Wei lay on the bed, hugging her son, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Even though the little one was already well-rested, he didn’t disturb her. He lay quietly in her arms, his wide, bright eyes glowing more brilliantly than the stars in the sky.

Early the next morning, Yu Wei woke before five and couldn’t fall back asleep.

She got up and began packing. Everything they were taking fit into two cloth bags. Yesterday, when Yuan Guifang wasn’t home, she had even managed to find and take her and her son’s household registration booklet.

Her registration was independent, but she and her son were listed together in one book. That book contained only the two of them.

The little one was still sleeping soundly, so Yu Wei didn’t wake him.

Across the hall, Yu Bing was snoring like a pig, his snores rumbling like a power drill through the night.

What shocked her was that Xiao Qiu was sleeping beside him. That bed was tiny—how could the two of them fit? If word got out that they shared a bed, how could Xiao Qiu face anyone?

But since they’d soon be leaving this place behind, Yu Wei couldn’t be bothered to care.

Just as she stepped to the door, a soft but anxious voice called out from behind her.

“Mommy.”

Yu Wei was opening the door when she turned back to see her little one rubbing his eyes and tumbling out of bed. He ran over to grab her pant leg.

She felt like their mother-son relationship, which had just begun to mend over the past few days, had been undone by Yuan Guifang’s one sentence: “Sell Yu Hui.”

The little one wanted to hug her but instead looked up at her nervously. That’s why he only dared to tug her pant leg with trembling little fingers—he was too sensitive to fling himself into her arms like a typical child.

He was carefully protecting the hard-won bond between them.

Yu Wei’s nose tingled with emotion. She crouched down and smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt before gently ruffling his soft hair with a smile.

“Let’s go. Time to move.”

When they stepped outside, only Jiang Min was up. She was washing up under the eaves beside a water basin. A pot was boiling on the stove—she was probably making porridge for the whole family.

When she saw Yu Wei carrying two cloth bags and Yu Hui following behind, Jiang Min spat out the water in her mouth and called out, “Second Sister, where are you going?”

Yu Wei thought for a moment, then said to her, “Sister-in-law, when Mom wakes up, please tell her I’m moving out with Yu Hui.”

Moving out?

Jiang Min was so shocked she wiped her mouth haphazardly. Yu Wei had already reached the courtyard gate with Yu Hui by the time she turned and rushed toward Yuan Guifang’s room.

But… just as she was about to knock, she hesitated.

Yu Wei was moving out… Didn’t that mean there would be one less person in the house?

No, two fewer. That pair of freeloading mother and son were moving out. They were gone. Already gone…

She drew back her hand, slowly walked to the stove, and looked into the pot of boiling water. Then she turned to gaze at the main gate.

She stared at it for a full five minutes before snapping out of it.

Yu Wei really had taken the little one and left.