Chapter 123: Chapter 122: The Visit

Ling Chengyan watched the match of this team and didn’t feel much pressure. When she gathered the team for practice, she focused on tactical arrangements against the opponent. After a few matches, the team became increasingly convinced of Ling Chengyan’s command authority, executing the strategies more thoroughly, and seeing her calm demeanor, they became less tense themselves.

While Ling Chengyan was actively preparing for the second round of competition, visitors arrived at the Huicheng Courtyard gate for the Ling Family.

Wang Liansheng rode his bike home after work and saw Zhou Xiuying and Wang Lianxiang supporting each other at the courtyard gate.

Zhou Xiuying had bound feet, wearing a blue-gray long gown and black pants with tied cuffs, a typical rural old lady attire. Wang Lianxiang, however, wore a shirt with a small floral print against a white background, which was seventy percent new, and she had a rather neat appearance, but noticeably restrained and tense.

The two soldiers standing guard at the courtyard gate made the mother and daughter put away their arrogance seen at home, becoming cautious and even lowering their heads when observing people coming and going.

“Second Brother! Second Brother!” As soon as Wang Lianxiang saw Wang Liansheng, she shouted loudly as if she’d seen a savior.

“Do not shout loudly!” The soldier on guard reprimanded.

Though Wang Liansheng’s body stiffened upon seeing his mother and sister, he got off his bike and walked over: “These are people from my hometown, visiting for the first time.”

Wang Liansheng offered a brief explanation and led Zhou Xiuying and Wang Lianxiang aside, asking them why they had come.

As soon as Zhou Xiuying saw Wang Liansheng, she began wiping her eyes: “You unfilial son, your mother is bullied to death at home, and you ignore it without care…”

Wang Liansheng’s face turned grim, and his voice grew cold: “Uncle made it very clear last time…”

Wang Lianxiang was livelier than her mother; she forcefully pulled her mother’s arm, hinting her not to cry, not to anger the second brother, lest he really shakes them off and leaves them uncared for, making their trip in vain.

Wang Lianxiang tugged at Wang Liansheng’s sleeve, looked pitifully: “Second Brother, please help our elder sister, she was kicked out by the Gao Family. After all her effort to conceive, they still don’t acknowledge her child, saying she’s cursed and causing her husband to be sentenced, claiming the child isn’t his flesh and blood… My sister returned home crying every day, not eating or drinking. Second Brother, you have to save her; if you don’t, she truly won’t survive, she has a child in her belly. If she dies, the child will die too, it would be two lives lost, Second Brother…”

Initially, Wang Lianxiang lamented sorrowfully. But in the last sentence, she struck a nerve, and the way she called “Second Brother” echoed hauntingly, tugging at hearts.

However, Wang Liansheng knitted his brows tightly, his face darkening completely as he chastised sharply: “Speak properly!”

If you won’t speak properly, then shut up!

What kind of proper daughter would use such tones and act all pretentious and delicate? It’s embarrassing!

Wang Lianxiang had never seen her second brother lose his temper; truly facing his anger, she realized the previously easygoing and accommodating second brother was frightening. Her face paled in fear, and she kept silent, not daring to make a sound.

“Why are you angry with your sister?…” Zhou Xiuying saw and was displeased, immediately defending her daughter.

But Wang Liansheng had already hardened his heart, unwilling to listen to Zhou Xiuying’s meddling incoherently.

He gently closed and reopened his eyes, now devoid of any emotions, cold like ice shards: “You two go back. I’ve long been separated and cut ties with you…”

Here he paused, Zhou Xiuying and Wang Lianxiang were briefly glad, thinking the second brother was still soft-hearted, and with a bit of coaxing and deception, he’d be won over.

Unexpectedly, their faint cheer didn’t yet surface before Wang Liansheng’s following words frightened them.

“Hurry back, do not cause trouble here. Otherwise, if deemed hostile elements, you won’t just face a simple sentence. This is a military area; they have real guns in their hands. When dealing with troublemakers, if they shoot, they shoot without any issues.”

After speaking, he left the mother and daughter behind, walked straight into the courtyard without looking back.

Zhou Xiuying and Wang Lianxiang were stunned, wanting to cry and fuss like at home, but truly fearing Wang Liansheng’s recent warning, scared it might lead to being shot.

Dying for nothing, wouldn’t it be unjust?

The mother and daughter didn’t dare approach the main gate, keeping dozens of steps away, pacing back and forth… Coming all this way just to return empty-handed, they were truly unwilling.

As they were contemplating, two young soldiers walked out from the gate.

One of them suddenly stopped: “Aunt of the Wang Family, why are you here?”

Zhou Xiuying and Wang Lianxiang took a closer look and recognized someone from their brigade, Wu Qingyun, who had participated with Ling Chengyan in the militia contest and was specially recruited into the army.

The mother and daughter couldn’t consider much, blinded and stuck in a dilemma, yet seeing someone they knew stirred them eagerly, wanting to plead, hoping to ask him to take them inside to find Wang Liansheng.

Wu Qingyun didn’t give them a chance to act upon their thoughts, quickly greeting his companion, then approached swiftly, supporting Zhou Xiuying’s arm, half carrying her away from the courtyard gate until the guards were out of sight. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and lowered his voice: “How dare you loiter at the courtyard gate? Don’t you realize there’s a war going on? The military district gate is under martial law; any unfamiliar persons lingering or spying can be executed right on the spot… which means shot! Just a few days ago, two people were shot, later confirmed as spies. Even their families got implicated…”

While speaking, Wu Qingyun led Zhou Xiuying to the intersection, hailed a man-powered tricycle, handed some money to the driver, and asked the uncle pedaling the tricycle to help get two bus tickets and ensure they boarded the bus.

A few days ago, the uncle fell and hurt himself while pedaling the tricycle during heavy rain. It was Wu Qingyun who had just returned from a trip and took him to the hospital.

Now, Wu Qingyun entrusted him to take the two to the station, help buy the tickets, and put them on a bus. How could he refuse? He agreed repeatedly, helping Wu Qingyun get Zhou Xiuying and Wang Lianxiang onto the tricycle, waving as he pedaled away.

Sitting on the bus, as it left Huicheng, Wang Lianxiang finally came to her senses: “Wu Qingyun was surely sent by Second Brother!”

Zhou Xiuying’s face wasn’t good; she didn’t cry or fuss, but appeared soulless, dazed.

She realized the son she believed to be most easily fooled and obedient had truly changed. He no longer recognized her as his mother.

Wang Lianxiang, realizing this, grew increasingly angry and hateful: “It must be that dead woman Ling Chengyan causing this, otherwise Second Brother wouldn’t be so heartless. He doesn’t recognize me as his sister, that’s fine, but to not even acknowledge his own mother… If it weren’t for preserving Second Brother’s dignity, I’d have called upon Hong Xi to handle this long ago, no need to travel so far here…”

Zhou Xiuying suddenly grabbed Wang Lianxiang’s hand, holding it tightly: “He’s not your biological brother after all, so what if he doesn’t recognize you!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep