Chapter 124

Chapter 124

"You want to hit him, right?" Mrs. Tang quickly embraced the chubby baby in her arms.

The chubby baby waved his little hands: "Hit! Hit! Hit!"

Yu Tongtong pointed at the chubby baby and said, "He hit me first."

Mrs. Tang angrily said, "He's your brother!"

Yu Tongtong argued, "Does being a brother make it right to hit people?"

Mrs. Tang firmly declared, "If your brother hits you, it is right! You just have to endure it!"

"Why should I?" Yu Tongtong protested.

Mrs. Tang pointed at Yu Tongtong and said, "Because you're a liability!"

"I am not!" Yu Tongtong argued with reason: "I sweep, boil water, wash dishes, do laundry, pick up sticks, take care of my brother every day. Every bite I eat is earned by me. I'm not a liability. You and my brother only spend dad's money on restaurants, doing nothing. You're the real liabilities!"

"How dare you talk back! You're rebelling! Watch how I discipline this dead girl!" Before Xiao Yu and the others could react, Mrs. Tang skillfully and quickly grabbed Yu Tongtong's ear, mercilessly dragging her into the backyard, and with a "bang", kicked the back door shut.

"Tongtong!" Minghe quickly ran towards the back door.

Xiao Yu, Pei Yanli, and Pei Yiyang followed closely.

Ignoring everything, Minghe pushed open the courtyard door and shouted loudly, "Let her go!"

Mrs. Tang and Yu Tongtong turned their heads to look over.

Minghe ran up quickly and pushed Mrs. Tang away.

Caught off guard, Mrs. Tang stumbled backward two steps, her grip loosening.

Minghe seized the opportunity to pull Yu Tongtong towards Xiao Yu and the others, glaring angrily at Mrs. Tang.

Coming to her senses, Mrs. Tang pointed at Xiao Yu and his companions, demanding, "And who might you be?"

Acknowledging their abrupt entry, Xiao Yu explained, "Mrs. Yu, we are close friends of your esteemed husband, Chef Yu Song. We saw Tongtong from afar and rushed over in concern. We apologize for the intrusion and hope for your understanding."

Hearing the name "Chef Yu Song", Mrs. Tang's expression turned displeased as she replied indifferently, "Oh, and what brings you here?"

"We are here to see Master Yu," said Xiao Yu.

"He's not in," Mrs. Tang responded.

Pei Yiyang asked, "When will he return?"

"I don't know," Mrs. Tang stated bluntly.

Xiao Yu sensed a strained relationship between Mrs. Tang and Chef Yu Song.

"You impudent girl, what are you doing standing among these men? Come here this instant!" Mrs. Tang, showing no regard for Xiao Yu and his group, spoke harshly.

"Mrs. Yu!" Although Xiao Yu was usually patient, he couldn't help but get angry upon hearing Mrs. Tang speak so to a five-year-old girl, saying, "As Tongtong's mother, you should treat her kindly. Not only would it earn you a good reputation, but she would also be more inclined to show you filial respect in the future."

Mrs. Tang asked with a smirk, "My dear sir, in what way have I treated her poorly?"

Minghe interjected, "You pulled her ear!"

Pei Yiyang added, "We saw it with our own eyes!"

"Spare the rod, spoil the child. She was wrong, and I disciplined her. What's wrong with that?" Mrs. Tang asked defiantly.

"She's not a dutiful son, she's a dutiful daughter!" Minghe meant that Tongtong was already sensible and well-behaved and didn't need harsh discipline.

Mrs. Tang ignored Minghe.

Pei Yiyang said, "We saw your son hit her first!"

"So what?" Mrs. Tang challenged.

Xiao Yu interjected, "You should teach your son instead of constantly blaming your daughter."

"Son, don't hit your sister next time," Mrs. Tang said to her son in her arms, then turned to Xiao Yu, "Is this satisfactory?"

"You're completely unreasonable!" Pei Yiyang exclaimed.

Mrs. Tang, playing the victim, said, "Gentlemen, I know the elders don't like me or respect me. They hide their money and don't share it with me. I've never complained. But you don't have to slander me like this. What good does it do to spread such rumors?"

Slander?

Xiao Yu, encountering such shamelessness for the first time, realized the dilemma. This shameless woman was Yu Tongtong's stepmother and legally her mother, inherently holding control over Yu Tongtong. He suddenly felt exceptionally passive.

"The key to this issue lies with Yu Hui," whispered Pei Yanli.

Indeed.

The key to this matter indeed lay with Yu Hui.

Only if Yu Hui relented could they take Yu Tongtong away.

This needed careful planning.

Thinking this, Xiao Yu was no longer in a rush. He said to Mrs. Tang, "Mrs. Yu, please don't misunderstand. Like you, Chef Yu, and Madam Yu, we all want Tongtong to be healthy and happy."

Mrs. Tang scoffed internally at Xiao Yu's words, clearly not taking them seriously.

Xiao Yu saw it too but pretended not to. For now, he could only try to pacify Mrs. Tang and spare Yu Tongtong from further suffering. He continued with his harmonious and prosperous rhetoric, even leaning on Yu Hui's career prospects.

"It's getting late. I don't know when my husband will be back. You should leave," Mrs. Tang said dismissively, then turned to Yu Tongtong, "Tongtong, come here."

Yu Tongtong was reluctant.

Mrs. Tang glared fiercely, as if she wanted to devour Yu Tongtong.

"Stop glaring!" Minghe, noticing this, immediately shielded Yu Tongtong.

Yu Tongtong, startled, looked at Minghe.

"Tongtong, I'll protect you!" Minghe reassured her.

Yu Tongtong pursed her lips.

"You talk as if I'm going to kill her," Mrs. Tang said with a laugh. "Tongtong, come here, don't make me ask a fourth time."

Yu Tongtong glanced at Minghe, then walked towards Mrs. Tang.

"Gentlemen, I won't see you out," said Mrs. Tang, pulling Yu Tongtong into the house.

Xiao Yu and his companions, all being men, felt it inappropriate to enter.

Pei Yanli could only say, "Minghe, let's go."

Minghe stood there angrily.

Pei Yanli called out, "Minghe."

Minghe turned around, "You didn't even help me keep Tongtong."

"Holding her back now is futile," Xiao Yu explained.

"How is it futile?" asked Minghe.

"Master Yu is her biological father, and Mrs. Tang her stepmother. She should rightfully be with them. If we rashly take her away, given her stepmother's nature, she will surely tarnish Tongtong's reputation. In both ancient and modern times, 'reputation' is a double-edged sword that can easily ruin a woman. Considering the broader context of Daijing, we must think of Tongtong's welfare. Crouching down, Xiao Yu embraced Minghe, saying softly, "Let's devise a foolproof plan to take Tongtong away and cut ties with them for good, alright?"

"Really? Can we do that?" Minghe asked.

Xiao Yu solemnly replied, "Yes, trust your uncle. I came here precisely to take Yu Tongtong away."

Minghe nodded firmly.

Xiao Yu and his companions then waited at the Yu family's doorstep, keeping an eye on the house's activities.

As darkness fell, Yu Hui still hadn't returned.

"Where could this Master Yu have gone?" Minghe wondered, frowning.

Pei Yiyang suggested, "We should reveal our identities and make him come to us."

Pei Yanli replied, "That would prevent us from learning the true situation of Yu Tongtong. Adults are good at disguising and hiding things."

Just as Pei Yiyang finished speaking, he suddenly felt a pain in his neck. Slapping it, he saw in the dim light a mosquito the size of a bean in his palm and exclaimed, "The mosquitoes here are enormous!"

Minghe also swatted at his hand.

Then one after another, mosquitoes relentlessly bit the two children.

Seeing this, Xiao Yu suggested, "We don't know when Yu Hui will return. Let's go back to the inn for now and come back early tomorrow."

Pei Yanli listened for a while, hearing Mrs. Tang soothing her son. It seemed their presence had intimidated her. For today, Yu Tongtong wouldn't be beaten or scolded. "Let's go," he said.

After returning to the inn, Pei Yiyang began to complain after his bath, "I'm covered in bites."

"Look at how delicate you are," Minghe said, sitting on the bed in his underwear, showing off his plump little body as he applied ointment to himself.

Seeing the much younger Minghe manage to apply the medicine by himself, Pei Yiyang followed suit.

Pei Yanli watched this scene and smiled.

Xiao Yu approached Pei Yanli to discuss Tongtong's situation: "I wonder what kind of person Yu Hui is." Chef Yu rarely mentioned his son.

"Mrs. Tang treats Tongtong like this and still claims it's for her own good. It's clear Yu Hui knows nothing," Pei Yanli observed.

"Could he be oblivious?" Xiao Yu inquired.

Pei Yanli nodded, "Don't hold out hope for him."

Xiao Yu frowned, "Then we need to find a way to take Tongtong with us."

"The best solution would be for Chef Yu to come and take her."

"But Qingshi Town is hundreds of miles away from here; a round trip would take seven to eight days," Xiao Yu said, tapping his fingers on the table, "We need another plan."

The two discussed late into the night before falling asleep.

The next day dawned faintly.

The four of them got up and had breakfast on the street.

Minghe tucked two meat buns into his jacket.

Pei Yiyang curiously asked, "Why are you taking buns?"

Minghe replied matter-of-factly, "For Tongtong to eat."

"Will she eat them?"

"Of course, her stepmother treats her so poorly, she must be eating terribly," Minghe couldn't help but feel pity for Yu Tongtong.

As they spoke, they arrived at the Yu residence just as the day fully broke.

Yu Hui, dressed in official robes, was just stepping out. He was handsome, with well-defined features and a tall stature, only slightly more attractive than an average man.

Xiao Yu's first thought was that Yu Tongtong must resemble her mother. He called out, "Master Yu."

Mrs. Tang had exaggerated the previous day's events to Yu Hui, so he recognized the four immediately and asked indifferently, "Ah, it's you. What brings you to me?"

Minghe said directly, "We're here to take Tongtong on behalf of Grandfather Yu."

"I'm afraid that's not possible," Yu Hui responded.

"Why not?" Minghe asked.

Yu Hui stated, "Tongtong is my daughter."

Minghe blurted out, "But you don't even care for her."

"Young man, watch your words. You only saw my wife disciplining our daughter yesterday, unaware of the care she puts into her upbringing," Yu Hui said with displeasure evident on his face.

Xiao Yu and Pei Yanli exchanged a glance, both agreeing that Yu Hui was utterly clueless. Deciding not to play by the rules, they were about to speak when they heard Mrs. Tang shouting in the courtyard, "Yu Tongtong, you wretched girl, come out here!"

Xiao Yu and the others turned to look.

Mrs. Tang had thought Yu Hui had gone to his duty, only to find him still standing at the door, which slightly startled her.

"Madam, what has happened?" Yu Hui inquired.

Seeing that Yu Hui didn't take offense to her referring to Yu Tongtong as a "wretched girl," Mrs. Tang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then angrily said, "That Tongtong stole my silver and has run away from home."

"Run away from home?" echoed Xiao Yu and the others.

Yu Hui asked, "How do you know she ran away and isn’t just out playing?"

"She hasn’t played since she arrived in Zhuyang County," he reasoned, knowing that Mrs. Tang never mentioned such things. "She took her clothes, shoes, and the little toy her grandfather gave her."

It was clear she had sneaked away.

Suddenly furious, Xiao Yu pointed at Yu Hui and declared, "If anything happens to Tongtong, Yu Hui, I won’t let you off the hook!"

Yu Hui was taken aback, not understanding the meaning behind these words.

Xiao Yu, grabbing Minghe, started to run.

Pei Yanli and Pei Yiyang followed suit.

The four of them reached the main street.

Pei Yiyang asked, "Brother, Xiao Ziqing, where could Tongtong have gone?"

Pei Yanli confidently said, "She must be trying to return to Qingshi Town to find her grandparents."

"Exactly, those were her happiest times," Xiao Yu pondered and added, "Yu Hui came from Qingshi Town to Zhuyang County via the waterway to Chuanyang Town, then took the official road to Zhuyang County."

"So, should we now follow the official road to Chuanyang Town?" Pei Yiyang inquired.

Xiao Yu replied, "Not necessarily. Tongtong is quite resourceful. She might ask for directions and take a shortcut to Chuanyang Town."

"Regardless, she would head to the Chuanyang Town dock to catch a boat," Pei Yanli stated.

"Right, the waterway is the fastest route to Qingshi Town. She must be eager to see her grandparents quickly. Yanli, you and Yiyang take horses along the official road to the Chuanyang Town dock, while Minghe and I will take the shortcut," suggested Xiao Yu.

"No, let the secret guards take the official road. All four of us will take the shortcut," Pei Yanli insisted, unwilling to part with Xiao Yu.

Understanding Pei Yanli's intent, Xiao Yu said, "Then you should give the secret guards a sketch of her."

"Alright."

After asking passersby for directions, they rode their horses along the shortcut. The path grew increasingly narrow and dangerous for horse riding, so they dismounted and led the horses by the reins.

After a long journey, Xiao Yu stopped and said, "Tongtong couldn't have walked this far, could she?"

"Depends on when she left last night," Pei Yanli realized his oversight. He should have either personally or sent someone to keep watch near the Yu residence.

Pei Yiyang, frowning and looking around, suddenly noticed some muddy footprints on the young green grass nearby: "Brother, look, there's a small footprint here."

Xiao Yu and the others hurried over to examine it.

Minghe exclaimed, "It might be Tongtong's."

"Let's go and check," said Xiao Yu.

They passed through the thickets and tall weeds to a mound, where they spotted a small hole on the slope.

Minghe immediately lay down to look and saw Tongtong sleeping peacefully inside, clutching a bundle. He excitedly yet quietly called out, "Uncle, it's Tongtong!"