TIPS – Chapter 144

Er Baozi’s grandmother, Aunt Liu, was still staying at the Shen family’s main house, just so she could hear news about Er Baozi as soon as possible. The longer she waited, the more anxious she became. Tears were already streaming down her face as she kept muttering, “I wonder how things are now. Has Er Baozi been found yet?”

“Auntie, they’ve already gone to look for him. There should be some news soon. Please be patient a little longer,” Song Jingwei comforted her. He was the one who had selected the people for the task, and if anything truly happened to Er Baozi, he wouldn’t be able to escape responsibility — nor would he try to.

Shen Junxi stayed by her side as well, changing her cup of tea for a hot one and quietly keeping her company.

Yang Shi and Shen Dongming were hiding in another room with Benben. They didn’t dare go out to face Aunt Liu’s tearful eyes.

“Aiyo, I really hope Er Baozi is okay. Otherwise, Aunt Liu will cry herself to death,” Yang Shi said. The reason she didn’t dare go out lightly was because once she did, Aunt Liu would grab her and cry, which made her want to cry too.

“You women are just… crying before there’s even a conclusion,” Shen Dongming said irritably.

“It’s not like we want to cry either, but we can’t help worrying! If it were our Xi’er who had gone missing, wouldn’t you cry?” Yang Shi retorted, her eyes turning red as she spoke. She thought more deeply and more anxiously than Shen Dongming did. After all, Er Baozi was one of the people Song Jingwei had chosen. If anything really happened to him, could their family escape responsibility?

Definitely not. By then, they would be forever indebted to Aunt Liu’s family, burdened by guilt for the rest of their lives. Just the thought of it was unbearable.

“What use is crying? Did we want to be in this situation? Weren’t we forced into it? Who can guarantee a smooth life? We’re all just trying to survive,” Shen Dongming said. Sometimes, he really felt it wasn’t worth it — his daughter-in-law worked tirelessly for everyone’s sake, but if anything went wrong, their family would be the first to take the blame.

Justice? Justice for what? Who can truly give justice? Who even owes you justice? There just isn’t that much fairness in this world.

As he was speaking, another commotion came from outside. This time, it wasn’t Aunt Liu’s cries — it was the crying of Er Baozi’s mother.

Shen Dongming and Yang Shi rushed out to see what was happening. They saw that Er Baozi’s parents had arrived, and as soon as they stepped in the door, they dropped to their knees, crying, “What’s going on with our Er Baozi? Please, give us a straight answer. Whether he’s dead or alive, we need to know!”

“Ai ai! Aiyo! Get up, get up! What are you doing?” Shen Dongming said in distress, quickly pulling the couple up from the ground.

“It’s already dark, and he’s still not back. How are we supposed to stay calm?” Er Baozi’s mother clung to the floor, refusing to get up. She just kept crying, “I don’t care! If anything happens to my Er Baozi, I’ll hang myself at your doorstep… I don’t want to live anymore…”

Er Baozi’s father was more composed. They had come to seek news, to ask for help to save their child, not to make trouble. He quickly covered his wife’s mouth and said, “Don’t listen to her nonsense. We just came to ask what’s happening now. Has someone been sent to look for our Er Baozi? We only have this one child — please understand how we feel. We’re not here to cause trouble.”

“We understand, we do,” Shen Dongming said quickly. “Help your wife up — the floor is cold, and crying like this will make her sick. As for Er Baozi, my daughter-in-law has already sent people to look for him. But it takes time, doesn’t it? Just going down the mountain is an hour’s trip. It’s not even been two hours yet — it’s still early.”

“Yes, let’s go inside and sit. We can talk things through properly. Let’s not cry and say such ominous things,” Yang Shi added, though her heart was filled with sorrow. The family had been racking their brains every day to keep everyone safe, yet in the end, they ended up being the “bad guys.”

Now she finally understood — her husband Shen Dongming wasn’t wrong. Women like this really were a bit unreasonable.

“Qisheng? Feng? You’re here?” Aunt Liu heard her daughter-in-law crying outside and immediately couldn’t hold back anymore either, bursting into tears.

Sure enough, once mother-in-law and daughter-in-law saw each other, they hugged and cried their eyes out, and no one could console them.

Aunt Liu’s eldest son stood awkwardly to the side, but he was extremely nervous too. His palms were sweating from all the crying. If something really happened to his son, then the family would never have peace again.

“Mother, I told him over and over not to go, but he just wouldn’t listen! He insisted on jumping into danger to show off!” Er Baozi’s mother sobbed and complained, “What’s all this about everyone having a responsibility? I don’t care about that — I just want my Er Baozi to be safe! If someone else wants to go, let them! Why did it have to be my son?”

“Feng…” Aunt Liu wiped her tears and said, “You can’t say it like that. After all, it was for the sake of everyone…” Hearing her daughter-in-law speak like that made her feel a little embarrassed, especially since they were in the Shen family’s main house, and Song Jingwei and his family were there too. They were the ones who initiated all these efforts.

Now her daughter-in-law was saying these things in front of them — it wasn’t very appropriate.

“I don’t care, and I can’t care. I just want my Er Baozi to be okay…” Er Baozi’s mother continued sobbing, sniffling between words.

Er Baozi’s father tugged at his wife’s sleeve, signaling her to stop.

“What?” Er Baozi’s mother wiped her tears and looked up, only to find everyone in the room staring at her.

No one could say they didn’t look down on someone like Er Baozi’s mother—so selfish. Everyone has selfishness, sure, but… as someone protected by others, to enjoy the benefits without any willingness to bear the cost—it was truly shameful.

“What are you all looking at me for? Was what I said wrong? I just want my son to be safe—is that so wrong?” Er Baozi’s mother snapped back. She felt justified and wasn’t afraid of their judgmental looks.

“You were wrong. You were wrong for not telling me this earlier. If you’d told me earlier, I wouldn’t have agreed to let your family come up here with us,” Song Jingwei said, looking straight at her. “Other people’s children also have parents who care about them. There are risks for them too when they go down the mountain. Those risks are not one person’s burden—they are everyone’s responsibility. If you don’t understand that, then take your family and move down the mountain right now. The protection measures I organized are under no obligation to cover you!”

At these words, the room fell silent.

Those who knew Song Jingwei were shocked—it was the first time they’d seen him so angry, so blunt. As for Er Baozi’s family, they were stunned by the sheer ruthlessness of his words.

He said—If you don’t understand this, move down the mountain…

“Then what about my Er Baozi? Who’s going to compensate us for him? You think saying ‘move down the mountain’ is enough? Who do you think you are?” Er Baozi’s mother forgot to cry for a moment. When she came to her senses, she grew even more indignant. Was it wrong for her to care about her son? Was this really something that could be brushed off with a few words about shared responsibility?

“No one will compensate you. In this world, no one pays the price for your grief.” Song Jingwei pointed coldly at the doorway of his house. “The door’s right there. If you want to hang yourself, go do it there. I won’t spare you a second glance. I’ll just have someone take your body down and send it back to your family. And you? You’ll already be dead—nothing left, unable to see what I’m doing, and still won’t get your son back.”

From Song Jingwei’s eyes, Er Baozi’s mother saw nothing but indifference. It made her feel like a worthless fool…

As if her life didn’t matter. As if her son’s life didn’t matter.

But wasn’t that the truth? In such a chaotic and dangerous time, who could guarantee how long they’d survive? Who could say they wouldn’t die from someone else’s blade?

There was a war going on. Everyone was doing their best just to survive—to fight for that sliver of a chance to live!

“Think carefully for yourselves—do you want to sit here and wait quietly for news, or keep crying and demanding justice? Also, you better think about what you’ll do once Er Baozi comes back. I’ll say it again: if you’re not willing to take responsibility, then move down the mountain. No one is obligated to protect you,” Song Jingwei said, and with that, he stopped looking at them and turned to Yang Shi. “Mother, tidy up the kitchen. Let’s go eat dinner in the kitchen.”

Yang Shi was momentarily stunned by the order, but quickly nodded. She handed over Benben to his grandfather and went to the kitchen.

Earlier, no one had had the heart to eat. Song Jingwei had been waiting with Aunt Liu and didn’t even think about dinner. But now, it seemed like Song Jingwei no longer cared about Er Baozi’s fate—he was asking Yang Shi to prepare dinner.

Shen Junxi quietly took his wife’s hand and stood beside him, enduring the stares from Er Baozi’s family together.

Er Baozi’s family couldn’t believe it—people in the Shen family main house could really sit down and eat dinner with peace of mind. They stared wide-eyed, watching to see what Song Jingwei would actually do.

Right or wrong, they believed that everything they did was for their child—and who could say that was wrong? They were already anxious. Being treated like this only made them angrier. Naturally, they hated the Shen family even more. And especially hated Song Jingwei, who had sent Er Baozi down the mountain.

“We’re going,” Song Jingwei said. Under everyone’s gaze, he really did take Shen Junxi and head to the kitchen.

“You… do you even have a conscience?” Er Baozi’s mother pointed at them furiously. Her son’s life was still uncertain, and they still had the heart to eat dinner!

“Don’t mind her,” Song Jingwei said, pulling back Shen Junxi, who had wanted to turn around.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi looked at him worriedly. Was this really okay?

“Don’t ask me. I’m not a god. Everything is up to fate now,” Song Jingwei said as he walked into the kitchen with the young man. Yang Shi had already set up a small table, though the dishes hadn’t been served yet.

She saw Song Jingwei gesture and then sit down, saying, “I lied to them. No matter what, we’ll wait until the boy comes back.”

Everyone sighed in relief. As expected, they knew Song Jingwei wasn’t that heartless. Given the current situation outside, waiting in here was a good choice. Just because they worried about Er Baozi didn’t mean they had to silently endure the scolding from his family.

“Jingwei, don’t take those words to heart. In our eyes, you’re doing a good thing. You haven’t done anything wrong—we’re all grateful,” Yang Shi said. Seeing how distressed her daughter-in-law looked, her heart ached. She knew the child had been wronged, so she offered comfort.

“I know, don’t worry. I didn’t take it to heart,” Song Jingwei said.

“Really not?” Yang Shi was still a little frightened as she recalled her daughter-in-law’s earlier expression. So that’s what she looked like when she got angry? No, no, it couldn’t even be called anger—just colder and a little harsher than usual—but it was already enough to be scary.

“No,” Song Jingwei replied with a helpless smile.

“Oh, good, good. We were just afraid you’d feel wronged,” Yang Shi said.

“Yeah, if you ask me, they’re all a bunch of ungrateful wolves,” Shen Dongming said gloomily. “When there’s a benefit, they think of you and say nice things. When there’s none, they turn around and bite you—really…”

“Not all of them are like that. If they were, I wouldn’t have taken the lead in this,” Song Jingwei replied. There were still some reasonable villagers. That’s why he didn’t choose to just look out for himself.

“Sigh.” Shen Dongming sighed. “Let’s hope everything turns out fine this time.”

Everyone fell silent, each quietly praying in their hearts.

Next door, the Pei Hongxuan couple had made some tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) in the evening and wanted to share dinner with the group. But when they entered the house, they saw three unfamiliar faces, and the Shen family wasn’t there.

Pei Hongxuan turned to Wu Xi and said, “Come on, let’s go check the kitchen.”

Once in the kitchen, they indeed found everyone there. Pei Hongxuan asked, “What’s going on? Who are those people in the house? It’s this late and they’re still here? Are they guests of yours?”

“Guests, my foot,” Shen Dongming said. They were basically here to mourn. His son wasn’t even confirmed to be in trouble yet, and they were already speaking ominously and acting like they were at a funeral.

“Don’t say that,” Yang Shi tugged gently at her husband’s sleeve and whispered, “It’s just that their eldest daughter-in-law is a bit much. Auntie Liu is still alright.”

“Alright? She burst into tears the moment she got here, like we owed them something,” Shen Dongming grumbled as he sat down on a low stool. “We’re worried about Er Baozi too. We sent people out to search first thing this morning. If you want to talk about danger, isn’t it dangerous for those who went down the mountain to look? Who can guarantee anyone’s safety forever?”

“Sigh!” Yang Shi no longer dared to speak. She felt both sides had valid reasons. Er Baozi’s family was understandably worried, and so was her own. There was no way to make sense of it now.

Everything would only be clear once the results came out.

“If Er Baozi really ran into trouble, then what do we do?”

“Pfui, pfui! Can we not say such unlucky things?”

Just as Shen Dongming was speaking, there was a sudden commotion outside the door. Everyone tilted their heads, listening closely. It sounded like Yuan Guanlin’s voice.

“Eh? Sounds like someone’s back! Let’s go out and take a look!” Shen Dongming shot to his feet and ran out, shouting, “Second Boss! Is that you back?” He was so used to calling him that, the nickname had stuck.

“Uncle! Is dinner ready yet? I’m starving to death!” Sure enough, it was Yuan Guanlin, and behind him followed a dazed-looking Er Baozi.

The moment Shen Dongming saw them, he felt that Er Baozi had never looked so lovable. He hurried over and grabbed Er Baozi, looking him over from head to toe, patting him all over. “You little rascal, are you okay? Any injuries?”

Er Baozi felt incredibly awkward being touched all over and quickly dodged. “Uncle, I’m fine. Not hurt at all.” Just then, his stomach let out a loud growl. If anything was wrong with him, it was that he was starving.

“Heh heh! Give this kid a big bowl of tangyuan and he’ll be just fine!” Yuan Guanlin laughed.

“Heh heh.” Er Baozi scratched his head awkwardly.

“As long as you’re okay.” Shen Dongming patted his head and said, “Hurry and go inside. Your parents and grandma are worried sick about you.”

Hearing this, Er Baozi quickly nodded and ran inside, calling out to his parents and grandmother.

The moment they saw Er Baozi, his family rushed over to check if he was hurt anywhere. They fussed over him: how could he be out for so long, didn’t he know it was already dark? What had he encountered on the way?

When Er Baozi said he had run into enemy soldiers on the road, his family burst into another round of tears, and soon the whole family was hugging each other, crying together.

This made Er Baozi feel even more embarrassed and guilty. He had been worrying about the trouble he had caused and hadn’t dared to speak up. But just because he didn’t say it didn’t mean others didn’t know.

When Song Jingwei walked out, Er Baozi mustered up his courage and walked over, standing in front of him.

“You’re back?” Song Jingwei looked at him calmly, just like usual.

“Yeah.” Er Baozi scratched his head and gave him a quick glance, then said apologetically, “I made everyone worry. I was stupid this time and brought trouble upon us.”

“It’s not really trouble. You’ve learned something from it—next time you’ll do better,” Song Jingwei said.

“Uh…” Er Baozi shook his head. “No, I really did cause trouble. Those soldiers now know we’re hiding in the mountains. They’ll definitely come back. We won’t be safe anymore…” The more he spoke, the lower his head drooped. This was too serious a matter—he couldn’t help but feel guilty.