RYEY -Chapter 284 Can This Family Still Be Returned To?

“Xiaohui, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me—what happened?”

The few men who had been throwing things also looked grim. They knew Gao Xiaohui was pregnant before marriage and feared that she might have lost the baby from shock.

Thinking this, the men quickly found a tricycle and asked the women watching the commotion to help send Gao Xiaohui to the hospital.

Chen Damao jumped onto the tricycle and pedaled furiously toward the hospital. He hurriedly registered and looked for a doctor, and Gao Xiaohui was rushed into the emergency room.

After an unknown amount of time, when Chen Damao’s patience ran out and he was about to knock on the door, it opened, and a doctor shook his head.

“The baby is gone?”

The doctor looked at Chen Damao with a sharp gaze, disapproving of the man. He thought Chen Damao should have asked about his wife first, not the child.

“The baby is temporarily safe, but the pregnant woman seems to have been shocked. She needs proper care, or the child might still be lost.”

A nurse pushed Gao Xiaohui into a ward. Damao, completely drained, sank against the wall. Overnight, he had lost his job, his house, his reputation, and almost his child.

When Gao Xiaohui opened her eyes, she saw Chen Damao sitting on the floor, clutching his hair. Her gaze darkened—she, too, was in an awkward position.

Returning home was no option. Her family valued sons over daughters. When she had been recommended to attend the Workers-Peasant-Soldier University, her older brother and sister-in-law had mocked her. Going back now would be sheer torture.

But not returning was also impossible. Without work or money in Spring City, life was almost unmanageable, and they had nowhere to stay.

The only path left was to follow Damao back to Xiangyang Village. But with how Damao had treated his family, going back seemed difficult. How had things reached this point?

Damao kept his head lowered, pondering the same problem. Returning with Gao Xiaohui was impossible—the only way left was to go back to his hometown.

But could he even return there? He decided not to care. Gao Xiaohui still carried his child—just this alone made him believe his mother would accept them.

Having decided on the next step, Chen Damao was resolute. He told Gao Xiaohui to rest well while he handled the remaining belongings, selling whatever he could.

The neighbors had already eyed the sturdy furniture Damao was taking. Privately, they had divided it among themselves and were waiting for him to come ask for money.

Ten yuan here, five there—by the end of the morning, Damao had sold everything he could. His hometown house still stood with all its contents, so it was best to exchange some items for money.

Three days later, with only eighty yuan and Gao Xiaohui by his side, Damao boarded the long-distance bus back to Xiangyang Village. Upon entering the village, the villagers who had once been familiar seemed not to recognize him.

This obvious indifference frustrated Damao. When he had been recommended to the Workers-Peasant-Soldier University, these people had held him in high regard. How could they suddenly forget him?

Gao Xiaohui felt awkward, too. Her identity as a “third party” had been exposed, and she knew Zhang Yuefang was still in Xiangyang Village, making things even more embarrassing.

“Let’s go. I wonder if my mother is still home.”

Cuihua was indeed at home. She had been exhausted, running back and forth between the county hospital and home, cooking and doing laundry for her hospitalized husband.

Ermao had already given up on the college entrance exam. He took up a hoe and went to work in the fields. In their home, food was based on work points—without working the fields, there would be no grain allowance.

Chen Xiaoniu also gave up her studies. The chickens needed feeding, clothes had to be washed, and the fields had to be swept. It was already September, and firewood was still insufficient—they had to gather wood and dig wild vegetables.

She had always been the most pampered child in the family. Even washing an extra shirt required coaxing. Overnight, she matured quickly. The changes in the household had made her grow up a lot.

“Xiaoniu…”

Chen Xiaoniu turned around and saw her older brother, accompanied by a woman—none other than the “third party” Gao Xiaohui. She wanted to drive them away, but after glancing at the kitchen, she picked up her firewood knife and left.

Chen Damao felt heartbroken. Xiaoniu, who used to call out to him so affectionately, now looked at him with disdain, as if she didn’t recognize him.

“What are you back for?”

Cuihua stepped out upon hearing the voices. Seeing her eldest son standing foolishly in the yard, her anger flared.

Her eyes flicked to the broom beside her. She was about to strike, but thinking of her husband’s fall, she paused abruptly.

Seeing this, Damao felt as if a knife had pierced his heart. He had indeed tripped his own father intentionally, but if he had known the consequences would be this severe, he never would have.

“Mother, I was wrong. Please forgive me. Gao Xiaohui is pregnant, almost lost the baby, and we have nowhere to live. Please show mercy. The seed of the old Chen family cannot be lost.”

Cuihua’s heart trembled. She knew how much she wanted to hold a grandchild. When Zhang Yuefang’s child was lost, she had been even more heartbroken.

Now that she learned Gao Xiaohui had just come out of the hospital, she felt torn. Emotion told her to let them return, but reason said this son could not be accepted.

“Mother, my elder sister went crazy and reported us to Spring City. Now both Xiaohui and I have lost our jobs, and the factory reclaimed our house. We’re at our wits’ end.”

“What…”

Cuihua realized Daniu had gone to confront Damao and never expected such severe consequences. This girl, after all, was her brother, so a beating would have sufficed. How had it escalated to ruin both lives?

She suddenly came to her senses and slapped herself. How could she let Damao mislead her? Daniu had done the right thing. A son capable of harming his own father was unacceptable.

“Go find the village chief. Your household registration is no longer under my name. I cannot take you in.”

“Mother…”

“I am not your mother, and you are not my son. As for that woman’s child in her womb, I will not recognize it. Pregnant before marriage—it takes shamelessness to do such a thing.”

Gao Xiaohui staggered, nearly falling if not for Damao’s quick reflexes. She knew she had acted improperly, but this scolding was too harsh.

Li Huan, still at school, was called back. The reason: Damao’s and Gao Xiaohui’s household registrations had been rejected. The local authorities would not accept them, claiming she was already married.

Looking at the two returned household registration forms, Li Huan felt a headache coming on. He could not refuse—they were, after all, native villagers of Xiangyang.

“Give fifty yuan, and I’ll apply for one acre of homestead for you, near Chen Dazhu. Build the house yourself. If you want help from the villagers, you’ll have to pay for their labor.”

Although Li Huan accepted their household registrations, he knew Chen Damao’s registration could never rejoin the Chen family. Though they had not formally split the family, the situation was worse than a separation.