RYEY – Chapter 89 Returning Home

So, in a way, Cheng Liguo still trusted Yang Mei. After telling her about everything, Yang Mei realized how serious the situation had become—Xia Fen had already gotten her hands on a fatal leverage against Cheng Liguo.

Before Xia Fen could report Cheng Liguo, they had to act first—such as transferring assets, changing Cheng Qin’s surname back, and sending her to the countryside.

Cheng Liguo took out the bankbooks, cash, and some gold and jewelry hidden in a secret compartment in his room. He sent the money directly to Cheng Qiao, while the other items were delivered to Yang Mei’s house.

Yang Mei also wrote Cheng Qiao a letter, vaguely outlining the situation, hoping she could take a leave to go home and retrieve the items stored at her place. Otherwise, Yang Mei feared they couldn’t be kept safe.

Li Huan read the letter too and greatly admired the strategy of the father-in-law. However, Cheng Qiao’s pregnancy was still unstable, and it was uncertain whether she could endure a long journey.

With the New Year approaching, her elder brother would also be returning. If they left now, they might not even see him, and Cheng Qiao had so many things she wanted to discuss with him.

Seeing Cheng Qiao’s worried expression, she resolutely went out, first to Ye Jun to inform him that they would be away for a while, and then to Chen Weidang to ask him to write a recommendation letter.

Chen Weidang felt a little hesitant. Normally, young intellectuals who hadn’t been in the countryside for two years couldn’t take leave to go back home—except under special circumstances.

But now Cheng Qiao had married Li Huan. In a sense, she was no longer considered a “young intellectual,” so this loophole could be exploited.

When Chen Weidang wrote the letter, he left himself some cover, specifically describing Cheng Qiao as a family member of Li Huan. This way, if anyone tried to cause trouble, he could still get away with it.

Cheng Qiao quickly packed a simple bundle. Li Huan’s mother, knowing that her in-law had gotten into trouble, anxiously took all her money from the room for Cheng Qiao to carry. Even a family of modest means needed cash on hand while traveling.

Cheng Qiao hugged Li Huan’s mother tightly. Having gone through two lives, she still found this mother-in-law incredibly kind. “Mom, I have money with me. Don’t worry. I’ll handle everything and return immediately.”

Uncle Niu had originally wanted Li Huan to see his new trousers but was instead dispatched as the cart driver. He could only resign himself to misfortune and drove them to the county town.

To take the train, they needed to get to Chuncheng. Buses from the county to Chuncheng only ran in the morning. So, they stayed overnight at their home and called out Skinny Monkey to hand him the keys, asking him to quickly deal with the items in the house.

Skinny Monkey knew something was wrong at Cheng Qiao’s home and nodded seriously in agreement. These items were all in high demand; once news got out, they could all be sold in a single day.

Cheng Qiao didn’t sleep all night. She repeatedly read the letters from Cheng Liguo and Yang Mei, carefully analyzing the meaning of every sentence, until she finally discovered the issue.

“Li Huan, this time we’re not going home first.”

“Ah? Then where are we going?”

“When we get to Huizhou, we’ll first find a guesthouse. Then I’ll go to Aunt Yang Mei’s home.”

“Going to her place to collect the things? I’ll go with you.”

“Li Huan, listen to me. We can’t appear together. I’ll be in the open, and you stay hidden. If anything happens, there will still be someone to cover for me.”

“What could possibly happen?”

Li Huan had read the letter but couldn’t see the hidden problem.

“My maternal grandfather was a professor who studied abroad. Even though my mother has passed, the house should still hold her belongings. And those items must have been hidden by Xia Fen.”

“Ah…”

Li Huan’s mouth fell open in surprise.

He knew better than anyone what could happen if those things were discovered. Didn’t the people in Uncle Niu’s backyard already prove enough?

At dawn, the two of them arrived at the station, bought tickets, and waited for the train. Taking advantage of the gap, Cheng Qiao pulled out the breakfast she had prepared earlier and quickly ate.

The train shook and swayed as it moved. Li Huan kept worriedly glancing at Cheng Qiao. Seeing her color was normal, he relaxed slightly. But as time passed, Cheng Qiao began to struggle.

The smell in the carriage was overpowering, and the road was uneven, making Cheng Qiao feel nauseous. She hurriedly took out a thermos from her backpack, containing the protective pregnancy medicine she had prepared in her space the previous night.

She opened the thermos, pinched her nose, and drank the medicine in one go. The strong taste overpowered the surrounding foul smell, and she finally exhaled in relief.

But it didn’t last long. Cheng Qiao felt her stomach churning and took out some pickled plums to counter the rising acidity, constantly reminding herself she had to endure until the next stop.

As soon as the train stopped, Cheng Qiao didn’t even have time to get off. She rolled down the window and vomited, scaring Li Huan half to death. Surely she hadn’t hurt the baby?

He gently patted her back while silently praying to the heavens, asking all gods to protect his wife and unborn child.

After vomiting, Cheng Qiao retched for a while longer until she was finally done. She sat down and took the other thermos from Li Huan, drinking slowly.

“Comrade, do you need to go to the hospital?”

The ticket clerk hurried over, anxious when seeing Cheng Qiao sit down.

Cheng Qiao forced a smile and shook her head. She dared not speak, afraid of the taste in her mouth. Li Huan quickly explained, thanking the clerk and saying his wife was pregnant, which was why she had vomited.

Upon hearing it was pregnancy-related, the clerk relaxed. Otherwise, any incident would affect their bonuses.

They successfully bought a last-minute evening train ticket. Using his black-market experience, Li Huan paid a high price to upgrade to a sleeper ticket. This way, Cheng Qiao could rest properly during the three-day journey.

By the time the train reached Huizhou, it was already dark. Cheng Qiao, familiar with the area, led Li Huan near Yang Mei’s house and they found a guesthouse to stay.

Late at night, they left the guesthouse with two bicycles and quietly made their way to Yang Mei’s home.

Cheng Qiao knocked on the door. Yang Mei, sensing something, quickly opened it. Seeing Cheng Qiao, she looked around cautiously and, realizing she was alone, hurriedly pulled her inside.

“Cheng Qiao, you stubborn girl! Why won’t you listen? Your father has been taken away—what will we do now?”

“Yang Mei, who’s here?”

Before Cheng Qiao could speak, a man’s voice came from inside. Cheng Qiao obediently straightened up and handed over a pack of front-gate cigarettes from her backpack.