RYEY – Chapter 38 Father

In her previous life, when she was twelve, her mother, Zhao Min, passed away from illness. Unexpectedly, only half a year later, her father, Cheng Liguo, brought a stepmother home, along with a stepsister who was half a year older than her. He claimed it was to “take care of this motherless child and accompany the lonely little sister.”

The stepmother was a schemer. As soon as she entered the house, she changed her daughter’s name from Wang Qin to Cheng Qin, as if she were now part of the Cheng family. Outsiders would think Cheng Qin and Cheng Qiao were real sisters.

Moreover, she treated Cheng Qiao even better than her own daughter. Whenever she bought clothes, she would give the better ones to Cheng Qiao and the worse ones to her own girl. This moved Cheng Qiao deeply—she thought her stepmother was truly good.

Some people secretly hinted to her that the stepmother spoiled her own daughter behind closed doors, and that the kindness shown to Cheng Qiao was only for show, warning her to be careful. But foolish as she was, she scolded those people instead, accusing them of being jealous of her stepmother’s kindness.

Seeing how well the stepmother got along with his daughter, Cheng Liguo relaxed and focused on his work. After all, he was the deputy director of a steel factory, always busy.

Naively, Cheng Qiao even introduced her good friend Xu Laidi to Cheng Qin. On the surface, the two were just acquaintances who nodded at each other, but in reality, they teamed up to cheat and take advantage of Cheng Qiao.

Why? Because Cheng Qiao had more money than they did. Zhao Min had left behind a dowry and a savings passbook, which Cheng Liguo personally handed over to Cheng Qiao every month. She was never deprived of anything in life.

And so, silly Cheng Qiao used her money to buy food, clothes, and goods for the two of them, while the stepmother shamelessly enjoyed the good things her mother had left behind.

Years passed like this until the neighborhood committee announced that her stepsister would have to go to the countryside. With tears streaming down her face, the stepmother told Cheng Qiao, “Your sister has a hidden illness. If she goes, it may be a farewell forever—we may never see her again.”

Knowing the pain of being motherless herself, Cheng Qiao was overwhelmed by sympathy at the sight of the crying stepmother and stepsister. She volunteered to go to the countryside in her sister’s place. Her father disapproved, but the decision was already made. He could only pack her bags, prepare ration coupons and money, and personally see her off at the train station.

Later, she received a few parcels from her stepmother, but each was worse than the last. The final one was only a letter, telling her that her father had died of lung cancer.

That was the hardest time of her life—her good-for-nothing husband died, she lost her child, and everyone despised her. Only her mother-in-law stood up for her and escorted her out safely.

No—that wasn’t right. Since her rebirth, why had she never once received a parcel from home? Cheng Qiao’s gaze turned suspiciously toward Xu Laidi. Could it be that Xu Laidi had intercepted them? Or was there another reason?

“Cheng Qiao, I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant. Don’t take it to heart.”

Seeing Cheng Qiao’s expression change, Xu Laidi felt a secret thrill. So even your beloved father doesn’t care about you anymore, huh? Haha, I finally hit your sore spot. As long as you’re in pain, I’m happy.

Without showing her feelings, Cheng Qiao glanced at Xu Laidi. She decided that today she would go to the county post office to check. She had been in Xiangyang Village for almost ten months—there was no way not a single parcel had arrived.

She went back to the dormitory, slung her cloth bag over her shoulder, unlocked her bicycle, and prepared to leave. Han Chunmei quickly called out, asking where she was going.

Cheng Qiao could not reveal her true destination to anyone. She just smiled and said she was going to the county to try her luck—maybe she could buy some fine grains or good goods.

Zhao Xiaobao looked enviously at the nearly new bicycle. He had money and ration coupons, but not a bicycle coupon, so owning one was impossible for him.

“Cheng Qiao, can I trade you something to borrow your bike sometime? Walking to the county is too far, and taking an ox cart is too slow.”

Qian Longkun immediately caught on to Zhao Xiaobao’s thoughts and chuckled, “Of course, just let her know when you need it.”

“Sure,” Cheng Qiao agreed. “If any of you need the bike, just tell me.”

Then she set off straight toward the county post office. Today, she intended not only to ask about her parcels but also to call her father and ask about his situation.

“Hello, comrade. I’m Cheng Qiao, an educated youth from Xiangyang Village. May I ask if there have been any parcels from Huizhou in the past few months?”

“Where’s your letter of introduction?”

The postal worker looked up at her.

Seeing such a pretty, glowing girl, he immediately smiled. “Letter of introduction?”

“Yes. To pick up a parcel, you just need the parcel slip. But to make inquiries, you need a letter of introduction. Otherwise, how do we know you’re checking your own parcels?”

“Oh, I see. Then, can I make a phone call instead?”

“You can, but it’s one yuan per minute, maximum five minutes.”

Cheng Qiao nodded, took out five yuan from her cloth bag. The worker stood, led her into a room, unlocked a box on a large table, and pulled out a black telephone. Then he stepped aside to give her space.

As she picked up the receiver, a familiar phone number surfaced in her mind. Her fingers slowly turned the dial.

Hearing the clattering of the rotary dial, her heart pounded with excitement. No matter what, she was about to speak with her biological father—the man whose voice she hadn’t heard, whose face she hadn’t seen in so long.

“Hello, Huizhou First Steel Factory. Who are you calling?”

A middle-aged woman’s voice answered. Instantly, Cheng Qiao’s eyes turned red. It was Yang Mei, her mother’s best friend, who worked there as a switchboard operator.

In her previous life, Yang Mei had often warned her to be wary of her stepmother. But how had she responded? She had lashed out, accusing Yang Mei of being jealous and sowing discord, until Yang Mei was so angry she severed ties completely.

“Auntie Yang, it’s me, Cheng Qiao. I want to speak to my dad.”

“Cheng Qiao—oh, wait a moment.”

Yang Mei’s tone cooled, then came the sound of switching lines, until finally, a familiar voice came through:

“Cheng Qiao, my daughter, you finally called! Do you know how many letters I’ve written to you? Why haven’t you replied to even one?”

“Dad…”

At last, Cheng Qiao couldn’t hold back her tears, her voice choking.

“My girl, don’t cry. Did something happen? Tell Dad, he’ll fix it for you.”

“Dad, are you well?”

“I’m fine. How about you? Have you suffered? Whatever it is, tell me—Dad will help.”

“Dad, I only have five minutes to talk. I need to tell you—I haven’t received any of your letters or any parcels.”

“What? I asked your mother—no, Aunt Xia—to send you letters, money, and parcels. How come not even one got through? I’ll go ask her.”

“Dad, I called today because I wanted to tell you—I’m getting married, after the autumn harvest.”

“What? Married? To which family? What kind of man? And why are you marrying?”

“His character… He saved me, and he treats me very well. So I’m willing.”