"Don't even think about it. I will absolutely not hand my daughter over to your family, and I absolutely forbid your mother from getting anywhere near my daughter."
The man said somewhat awkwardly, "This was just a suggestion. We can discuss another solution that you'd find acceptable."
Wang Yujiao suddenly interjected, "Teacher Yu, keeping Xiao An locked up at home all day isn't a solution. Besides, you still need to go to work."
"Yes, my workplace called again today urging me to return to work." Just as Liu Guanchao had been Zuo Si'an's only friend during this period, Wang Yujiao—who came from the countryside and had only completed fourth grade before dropping out—was currently the only person Yu Jia, with her doctorate and higher education, could discuss her daughter's predicament with. In her distress, she momentarily forgot about the other guest's presence and murmured, "I know dragging this out isn't good for Xiao An either. The doctors at the county hospital don't dare take responsibility and keep delaying the surgery, suggesting we go to a better-equipped higher-level hospital for an abortion. Of course I can't take her back to the provincial capital for such a procedure, but where else can I send her? Her father just walked away when I brought it up and refused to discuss it with me. What am I supposed to do?"
"Teacher Yu, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."
Yu Jia was surprised but replied, "Sister Wang, at this point, there's nothing you shouldn't say."
"Aborting at six months is truly sinful. It's just as hard on Xiao An's body as giving birth—there's almost no difference."
"She's so young. How could I let her... Absolutely not."
"But Xiao An seems very determined. It would be such a shame if County Chief Zuo gets dragged down by this. If you're willing to trust me, you could send Xiao An to my hometown, Liu Wan, to quietly have the baby and give it to the Chen family. That would settle this matter without affecting her future."
"How could that work?"
Yu Jia was naturally shocked, and Liu Guanchao in the bedroom was also astonished, muttering under his breath, "What is my mom saying?"
However, Zuo Si'an's expression showed no fluctuation; she continued staring straight ahead. Outside, Wang Yujiao explained fluently, "Liu Wan is very remote, with few people in the village. Girls there marry and have children very early. My eldest brother and nephew are working away from home and only return for Spring Festival. Only my sister-in-law lives there with my niece. The whole village is just elderly people, women, and children. If Xiao An goes, no one will pay her any attention. Plus, my sister-in-law is a doctor. If I ask her, she'll definitely take good care of Xiao An."
Liu Guanchao murmured, "That's true. My aunt is a well-known doctor in our area."
Zuo Si'an's thoughts drifted away involuntarily, as if they were discussing arrangements for someone else entirely, nothing to do with her.
"Your sister-in-law..." Yu Jia clearly found the idea of a doctor in such a small village hard to believe, yet she didn't know how to question it."My sister-in-law was originally an educated youth from a big city. She was sent down to our production brigade back then, and after marrying my brother-in-law, she stayed and never returned to the city. She was already educated and later was selected to further her studies at a medical college in the city. People from several nearby villages come to her when they're sick. She's quite famous in the surrounding townships and has delivered many babies—Xiao Chao was delivered by her herself. Besides, Liu Wan isn't too far from the town, and there's a clinic in the town too."
"No, I can't do this."
The man said, "Teacher Yu, please reconsider. Here's my phone number. If you have any thoughts, you can contact me. I will fully respect your and your daughter's wishes in this matter."
Yu Jia was clearly unsettled, her tone noticeably hesitant and softening. "You should go now."
As the door closed, it became quiet outside. Liu Guanchao looked at Zuo Si'an uneasily. "Xiao An, what are you thinking about?"
Zuo Si'an replied woodenly, "Nothing."
"Will your mom really send you to Liu Wan?"
"Maybe. She's been getting calls from her workplace these past few days, asking when she's going back to work. There's a research project she's in charge of that can't do without her. And my dad... you've seen it—either he comes back very late or he doesn't come back at all."
"Actually, Liu Wan is quite nice too. The pond in front of the village has clear water, and the osmanthus smells wonderful when it blooms. My aunt is very kind and capable, and she's educated. And my cousin, her name is Jingjing, is very well-behaved too. But," Liu Guanchao seemed unsure of what he wanted to say, pausing for a long moment, "but I don't think you should go there."
Zuo Si'an was silent for a while. "It doesn't matter where I go. I just want them to stop giving my dad a hard time."
☆、14
IV
Gao Xiang walked downstairs to his car and had just opened the door when Wang Yujiao caught up with him from behind.
"Please wait a moment."
He turned to look at her. As soon as she had entered earlier, he immediately recognized her as the middle-aged woman who, at the beginning of Chen Ziyu's case, had come to his house with her daughter and accepted hush money from his mother. Wang Yujiao also looked uncomfortable upon seeing him, quickly averting her gaze. He had heard that her daughter Yaqin was interning at the county hospital and realized it was likely that girl who had informed Chen Zihui about Zuo Si'an's situation. When Wang Yujiao suddenly suggested taking Zuo Si'an to her hometown to care for her, and Yu Jia seemed tempted, his suspicions grew stronger, though he restrained himself from showing it.
Wang Yujiao said hurriedly, "Please don't tell County Chief Zuo and Teacher Yu about that matter."
"I have nothing to say. But I can see they consider you and your son as friends and trust you a great deal. You should decide for yourself whether you ought to keep things from them."Wang Yujiao looked at him nervously. "I haven't hidden anything else, I just didn't tell them that my daughter was also... That day when your mother suddenly came looking for her, I found out about that matter. Xiao Qin is almost 18 this year. Her father has a quick temper and has always been much stricter with his daughter than with his son. If he finds out, he'll definitely beat her to death. I don't dare mention it to him at all, I can only secretly pressure Xiao Qin. She says she's in a relationship, what can I do? The money was forced on me by your mother, I never asked for it. I only beg that this matter isn't spread around. If I also go to accuse him, my daughter's reputation will be ruined, she'll never be able to marry, we won't be able to stay in Qinggang, and Xiao Chao won't be able to continue his studies. Xiao An can still go back to the provincial capital with her parents later, but where can we go besides returning to our hometown Liu Wan? If that happens, Xiao Chao will have no future at all. County Chief Zuo and Teacher Yu's family are all good people, I really want to help them get through this difficult time. That's why I wanted to take Xiao An to Liu Wan and have my sister-in-law help take care of her for a while."
Her words sounded quite sincere, but her eyes occasionally flickered. Gao Xiang didn't completely believe her explanation, yet the thought of Chen Ziyu made him lose any desire to investigate his mother's role in this matter. He could only nod, "That would be best. I'll take my leave now."
Gao Xiang started the car and drove away, his mood indescribably gloomy and agitated.
He certainly understood that the task his mother had entrusted to him was neither reasonable nor appropriate. The reason he had yielded was only because after repeated discussions with his father, they didn't want to let Chen Zihui truly push this matter to an irreparable point. But he never expected that his conversation with Yu Jia would become unsustainable right from the start. Yu Jia's accusations left him speechless, and even he couldn't convince himself with his own explanations. Seeing the profound sorrow in Yu Jia's eyes, he understood that no matter how gently he tried to phrase it, once he forced himself to speak, it was actually as cruel as his mother's threatening visit.
Zuo Si'an unexpectedly coming out had shocked him even more.
This was his first time seeing this girl, and the impact was even greater than when he heard about Chen Ziyu committing sexual assault.
She wasn't tall, her hair was messily tied into a ponytail, her face pale, her neck slender, her chin thin and pointed. Her slightly curved eyes were dull and lifeless, with dark circles beneath them. She wore a loose, oversized school uniform. Apart from what seemed like a slightly protruding abdomen, the person standing before him was clearly just an ordinary teenage girl who hadn't fully developed yet. Her face still carried childish features, looking even younger than her 14 years. From her figure to her appearance, she couldn't possibly inspire any improper thoughts in a normal adult man.
Guilt. He thought, only this word could describe the intense, persistent unease he felt after seeing Zuo Si'an.
Two days later, Yu Jia called the number Gao Xiang had left her. Her voice was hoarse and full of bitterness. "Please come over."
When he went to the Zuo family again, Zuo Xuejun was still not home, and the door to Zuo Si'an's bedroom remained tightly closed. Yu Jia looked somewhat haggard: "You've won. My husband was called in for a talk by Secretary Hu yesterday, and tomorrow he has to go to the provincial capital to report the situation and undergo investigation. My daughter has refused to eat for a full day and night, forcing me to agree to your terms."Gao Xiang quickly said, "I've already had my mother write a statement of the situation and submit it to the county government, guaranteeing that we will never bring this matter up again. If necessary, she can cooperate with any investigation and retract all her previous doubts about County Chief Zuo."
Yu Jia's expression showed no sign of softening, but she seemed to have exhausted her anger, speaking with cold detachment, "Let's discuss the details. Please note, this is not a negotiation—there is no room for discussion."
She laid out her terms concisely: Zuo Si'an would be sent to Liu Wan to stay at the home of Wang Yujiao's eldest brother, where his wife, Aunt Mei, would care for her until she gave birth. Once Zuo Si'an reached nine months of pregnancy, she would undergo a cesarean section. Gao Xiang must arrive in Liu Wan half a month in advance to ensure that, in case of any emergencies, he could immediately drive Zuo Si'an to the county hospital. No other members of the Chen family were permitted to visit or disturb her. After the child was born, they would take the baby directly, and no further contact would be necessary.
As Gao Xiang had anticipated, Yu Jia flatly refused his cautiously proposed offer of financial compensation.
When Gao Xiang returned home and relayed the terms to his parents, Gao Ming was completely opposed. However, Chen Zi Hui smiled for the first time in a long while, saying, "I knew you could win their trust. See, you convinced them and even secured such favorable conditions for us."
This praise left Gao Xiang with a bitter taste in his heart, while Gao Ming angrily confronted his wife, "How could you drag our son into this mess?"
"What's with you picking fights with me all the time now? I am determined to have this child. If Xiao Xiang doesn't go, I have other ways to make them compromise. It's not like I'm asking him to deliver the baby or raise it—he just needs to stay in that village for about half a month, and the problem will be solved. What's wrong with that?"
Seeing that the two were about to argue again, Gao Xiang interjected, "There really is no other way. Let's do it. I'll arrange my work in the provincial capital."
Though he said this, he was filled with uncertainty. Living in a remote village for half a month was one thing, but his task—to oversee a victimized teenage girl giving birth and then take the child away from her—was another. No matter how he tried to rationalize it, he couldn't see any of this as justified.
On a morning in early November, Gao Xiang drove the family's Jeep Cherokee to Zuo's apartment building at the agreed-upon time. Five minutes later, Yu Jia and Wang Yujiao brought Zuo Si'an downstairs. As they got into the car, Zuo Xuejun suddenly appeared from another street, yanked open the right-side door, and said, "Xiao An, get out."
Startled, Gao Xiang turned to see Yu Jia angrily retort, "So you've finally decided to come home?"
Ignoring her, Zuo Xuejun repeated, "Xiao An, get out of the car."
Zuo Si'an remained seated and whispered, "Dad, let me go."
Zuo Xuejun reached in, grabbed her arm, and began pulling her out. Alarmed, Gao Xiang immediately got out of the car, saying, "County Chief Zuo, you're going to hurt your daughter."
Wang Yujiao added, "County Chief Zuo, this isn't right. If she falls, she could miscarry..."
She trailed off, intimidated by Zuo Xuejun's grim expression.
Zuo Xuejun pulled Zuo Si'an out of the car and, gripping her arm, began dragging her back toward the building. She stumbled, losing her balance. Yu Jia rushed over to block her husband, supporting their daughter with one arm, and hissed, "Have you lost your mind? Do you have to make a scene out here?"
"You actually made our daughter part of this kind of transaction? You don't deserve to be her mother."Oh wow, if you find 52 Book Lake great, remember to bookmark the URL https:https://www.52shuku.net/ or recommend it to friends~ Please (>.<) Portal: Ranking List | Book Finding Guide | Qingshan Luotuo
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