Chapter 149 The Right Time, Place, and People

Chapter 149: The Stars Aligned

Fu Yanju's chest clenched in dread when she heard the voice, thinking someone from the Chen family had come to cause trouble again.

She quickly stood up and hurried forward.

When she caught sight of the small figure, tears immediately welled up in Fu Yanju's eyes.

"Wa-Wan Er..."

She covered her mouth, gaping in disbelief at the daughter standing before her.

Chen Waner looked exactly like Fu Yanju - both gaunt and sickly pale, with brittle, straw-like hair that showed clear signs of malnutrition.

She couldn't understand how Chen Zhijie had managed this. Despite the family's decent financial situation, he had reduced his wife and daughter to such malnourishment.

"Mom-"

The moment she saw Fu Yanju, Chen Waner excitedly rushed forward and hugged her mother.

"Wan Er... Wan Er..." Fu Yanju broke into sobs.

Her daughter - ever since the Chen family had caused trouble earlier that day, Fu Yanju had been sick with worry.

She feared her daughter might become the target of the Chen family's anger.

She knew all too well how extreme Chen Zhijie's parents' son preference was, showing no affection at all toward their granddaughter.

"Mom, don't cry." Chen Waner was an exceptionally sensible girl.

From a young age, only Fu Yanju had shown her love in the Chen household. Her grandparents constantly dismissed girls as worthless, lamenting why she wasn't a boy.

Her father hadn't disliked her at first, but he never warmed to her either.

Later, when he started beating her mother, she sometimes caught in the crossfire too.

She and her mother were all each other had.

Knowing her mother wanted to escape back to her parents' home, Chen Waner sensibly told her mother to save herself.

Though she was terrified - afraid her father would vent his rage on her if her mother fled - she couldn't bear to see her mother suffer any more beatings.

And Chen Waner firmly believed her mother would send her mother's parents to fetch her from the Chen family.

Her mother's parents treated her far better than her father's parents ever had.

They say girls mature faster than boys. Chen Waner, barely seven years old and just starting first grade, was already so attuned to her mother's suffering.

"Wan Er, how-how did you get here? Did you come alone?" Fu Yanju wiped her tears and asked.

"Old Man Liu helped me. He took me around the back of the mountain to avoid the villagers, so I could escape," Chen Waner answered obediently.

It was largely a stroke of luck - the Chen family had all been called away to cause trouble for the Fu family, leaving just one daughter-in-law at home to watch the children.

That was how Chen Waner had managed to sneak away from the village.

Originally, she had planned to slip out unnoticed, but as she fled, Old Man Liu spotted her.

Chen Waner had expected him to haul her back, but instead, he led her on a detour through another path over the hills to escape the village.

Grandpa Liu said this was as far as he could help her and hoped she could safely find her mother.

Did the whole village really support the Chen family’s actions?

Not really. Most were too afraid to speak up because of the Chen family’s influence.

In truth, many people felt sympathy for Fu Yanju and Chen Waner and were willing to help out when no one was looking.

"He was willing to help you? Thank God! What happened next? How did you make it here all by yourself?" Fu Yanju couldn’t even imagine how difficult it must have been for her daughter.

How selfish she had been—running away without a thought for her daughter.

She really hadn’t been a good mother.

"He took me to the main road, and then I walked along it, asking for directions whenever I met someone. I walked and asked all day before finally finding Grandma’s house."

Chen Waner was still young and wasn’t great at explaining things, but the adults listening couldn’t help but feel anxious for her.

Such a small girl walking alone, meeting so many strangers on the way—yet she arrived safely. It was nothing short of a miracle she made it.

Never mind accidents—if she’d run into just one bad person with ill intentions, Chen Waner might have disappeared forever.

Fortunately, everyone she met was decent and kind.

This was characteristic of the times—not many would do evil just for money.

Not only did they help her, but some even gave her buns and water, feeling sorry for her.

Otherwise, she might’ve been too worn out to reach Shangyao Village.

"Let the child eat first," Fu Dajun cut in.

"Right, let’s eat! Wan Er, you’re starving, aren’t you?"

Fu Yanju picked up her daughter, her heart aching, hesitated for a moment, then carried her toward the children’s table.

Su He glanced at the dishes on the children’s table—there was more food here than at the grown-ups’ table.

"Let me get Wan Er some chicken soup," Su He said to Fu Yanju.

Fu Yanju gave her a grateful look. "Okay, thank you, Su He."

Su He gave her a reassuring smile and went to fetch the soup.

Wan Er perched on a low stool in her mother’s lap, surrounded by other children who gazed at her with big, curious eyes.

She had seen many of them before, but kids forget fast, and it had been a long time. Though older than most, Wan Er seemed uneasy.

"Are you Wan Er?" the oldest girl asked first.

"Y-yes," Wan Er answered shyly.

By then, Fu Yanju had dished her some rice and passed her chopsticks.

Looking at the spread of food, Wan Er couldn’t help gulping.

It all looked so delicious.

Even though the dishes were messy from the children’s picking, they still looked downright delicious.

It smells amazing and looks like it’s cooked with plenty of oil.

"Wan Er, try some chicken. My aunt made it—it’s super tasty!" Da Ya said, then picked up a nice-looking piece of chicken and placed it in Chen Waner's bowl.

"Th-thank you, Da Ya," Chen Waner stammered, staring blankly at the chicken in her bowl.

Since they were around the same age, they still recognized each other.

"Hey, my mom’s mushrooms are the best—you gotta try them!" Niu Niu chimed in, though she didn’t quite understand why the whole family had come out to see this “sister.”

No matter what, she took it upon herself to hype up her mom’s mushroom chicken.

Then, with her chubby little hand, she plopped a mushroom into Chen Waner’s bowl.

"Thanks... um, little sister," Chen Waner said, unsure of her name.

"I’m Niu Niu!" Niu Niu immediately replied.

"Oh! Thanks, Niu Niu!"