Shen Feng's memory was far better than mine.
Not long after leaving the complex, I was completely lost, but he navigated through twists and turns with ease, and somehow we ended up back on that bustling main street from before.
Passing by that bar again, I deliberately glanced at it, only to see a crowd gathered outside, talking about something.
Before I could get a closer look, the car had already passed.
Shen Feng seemed to notice the group as well and asked, "What was that about just now?"
I shook my head. "I don't know. There were a few drunk guys there this morning too. Probably another fight after someone drank too much."
Shen Feng glanced at the rearview mirror and shook his head. "These people are really full of themselves. They don't appreciate the good life. Throw them out for a couple of days, and they'll come back without doing anything."
I smiled at him. "Come on, we've been wandering around for so long. When people mess up, they just do. That's human nature—it won't go away. Honestly, they just like causing a commotion. Life's boring without a little trouble."
Shen Feng rolled his eyes at me. "You and your crazy theories."
The car soon reached the building of the complex we had been to before.
The guard who had eaten noodles that morning was standing in the lobby, stretching his legs, seemingly warming up.
There were a lot of people living in the building, and now in the afternoon, many had gone out for a walk, making the lobby bustling with activity.
Shen Feng and I, being unfamiliar faces, were greeted by several people along the way, all asking questions like, "When did you move in?" or "Where are you from?"
Amid the flurry of curious greetings, we finally reached the twenty-third floor.
After saying goodbye to the others in the elevator, Shen Feng and I hurried out.
It was shortly after lunch, so if I wasn't mistaken, Yangyang and the others should be at Uncle Gazi's place.
Sure enough, when we knocked, Yangyang came to open the door.
Inside, the others were gathered in the living room, seemingly discussing something.
"What's going on, guys? Let us in on it!" I called out as I entered, greeting everyone before heading into the kitchen.
Even though these supplies were distributed from above, once they were in our hands, they were ours.
With so many mouths to feed, nothing could go to waste.
I grabbed a large plastic bag, emptied the fridge, and placed everything on the dining table in the living room.
As I turned back to tidy up the rice and grains, I noticed that everyone was unusually serious—even Shen Feng, who had just entered, was quiet.
Puzzled, I clapped my hands. "Hey, what's going on? Yangyang, Shen Feng, don't you guys understand the concept of helping out? Come over and help me sort this stuff."
I was about to turn back into the kitchen when Shen Feng stopped me.
"Chen Yang, wait. Come here, Uncle Gazi has something to tell you."
"What is it?" I asked, puzzled, but I went over and stood beside Yangyang.
"Girl…" Uncle Gazi seemed hesitant, as if struggling to find the right words.
I scanned the group and noticed even Zhou Wen, who usually showed no expression, had furrowed his brows.
A sense of foreboding slowly crept over me, making me anxious. "What is it? Just say it already."
"It's about Lili's child… I'm afraid… we might not be able to keep him." Uncle Ga, who was always soft-hearted, now looked helpless when it came to the matter of the child.
I was stunned. "Wait, wait, what do you mean? What do you mean the child can't be kept? He's not going anywhere—someone is holding him 24/7, and his father is keeping a close eye on him. How could he not be kept? Uncle Gazi, don't say things like that."
Actually, when Uncle Gazi first mentioned Lili's child, I had already had a vague idea of what had happened—or what was about to happen.
What he said afterward was just me, in my turtle-like mindset, subconsciously deceiving myself.
The baby had been born prematurely for so long, and without receiving any proper medical treatment, had been brought into the deep mountains on the day of birth.
In such a humid and stifling environment, even we adults struggled to cope—let alone him.
For just a brief moment, my mind rapidly raced through countless chaotic fragments, becoming completely confused.
Uncle Gazi sighed. "Let's go bring Lili back for a while, let her see him one last time. I won't comment on the father—that's their family matter—but the child was born to her. Since he came into this world, she's his mother. That identity can't be changed just out of spite. Let her hold him properly; it'll give the child peace in passing. Parents should send him off—no underworld minions will bully him if they both do their part."
My brain felt like it had turned into a mush.
I couldn't imagine that at this moment, Lili's child would have any problem.
She was so fragile, barely holding herself up, yet she insisted to everyone that she was fine.
Now, knowing this news, what would she do? How would she cope?
That little piece of flesh she carried—she didn't even have time to feel the pain, and in an instant, it vanished without a trace.
Perhaps noticing my silence, Shen Feng spoke up: "Then for now, take Jun Di, Taozi, and Zhou Wen with you. When you come back, bring Lili along. Uncle Gazi, get ready and keep an eye on her."
"All right, all right." Uncle Gazi let out a deep sigh and waved to Shen Feng.
"Get everything packed first. When Lili sees it, make sure to talk to her gently, give her some mental preparation."
"What kind of mental preparation? Her own son is gone. What preparation can she have? Nothing can prepare her," Han Xue said, looking dejected.
"But you can't be too blunt," Shen Feng replied.
"All right, we understand. It's getting late, so let's pack some things and go."
The plan to move over to Suo Tian's place, as Shen Feng had mentioned earlier, had everyone cooperating.
No one opposed the idea.
After Shen Feng and Zhou Wen roughly organized the supplies in the kitchen, he asked me, still sitting silently on the sofa, "Chen Yang, will you wait here or come with us to bring Lili over?"
I glanced at the four of them, stiffly stood up from the sofa, and said, "I'll go back. I'll talk to Lili myself."
Shen Feng looked at me for a moment but said nothing further.
He called Zhou Wen and Taozi to carry the things out and headed toward the door.
I followed behind, my head bowed, endlessly pondering how I could tell Lili this news in the least shocking way.
But my mind was in complete chaos, and my focus scattered.
I knew I'd probably fall apart once I saw her.
When I came back to my senses, we were already in the first-floor lobby.
The guard, still idly walking around, saw us carrying large packages and shouted, "Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing? What are you carrying?"
Zhou Wen and Taozi ignored him and continued outside.
Shen Feng paused, and I signaled him to go first, then turned to block the guard, who was about to chase after them.
"What are you doing? I said, it's you again! Newcomers sure cause a lot of trouble. First you want to change rooms this morning, now what? Are you tearing the place apart? Those packages—what's inside?"
Annoyed by the guard's endless chatter, I snapped, "Those are the supplies that were assigned to us. They belong to us."
"Food?" The guard paused, surprised.
Assigned supplies were usually just food.
"Yes."
"These items are distributed periodically. Once they're gone, they're gone. They won't be reissued before the next time. Where are you taking them?"
"That's none of your business."
As soon as I said we were moving to the villa area, the guard, who had been ready to push past me to stop Shen Feng and the others, froze.
He stared at me for a long while, his expression extremely strange, and after glancing outside at Zhou Wen and the others, he said nothing more and retreated back to the security room.
The guard's expression had been extremely strange, but my mind was completely preoccupied with how I was going to tell Lili about the child.
I had no time to dwell on it and quickly turned to get into the car.
Probably feeling a bit anxious, Shen Feng drove the car at high speed, but once we reached the streets, he had to slow down due to the heavy traffic.
While waiting at a red light, I leaned my head against my hand and looked out the window.
The crowd that had gathered earlier still hadn't dispersed—it even seemed to be growing larger.
I couldn't help but frown.
Didn't the headquarters have anyone assigned to manage these streets?
Once we passed the street area, the car picked up speed again.
At the entrance to the villa district, there was another round of checks and questioning.
Only after we mentioned Suo Tian's name were we allowed through.
Back at the villa, Zhou Wen, Taozi, and Jun Di got out first, carrying the supplies inside.
Shen Feng turned off the engine, looked at me, and followed suit.
Watching them carry the things into the house, I closed my eyes, took several deep breaths, and then opened the car door and stepped out.
Inside, Lili and Xu Shu were chatting and laughing as they unpacked the things we had brought.
Ting Yun and Xiao Hu were circling their legs, causing a ruckus.
Bruno was slouched on the sofa, seemingly asleep, with someone having thoughtfully draped a thin blanket over him.
Noticing me standing at the door in a daze, Lili called out, "Chen Yang, what's wrong with you? So excited to be spending the night with your husband that you've lost your mind?"
She rarely made jokes like this.
Apart from the first awkward scene when we met, Lili was usually quite reserved.
I forced a smile and walked toward them. "Yeah, I'm so excited I've even forgotten my own last name. I just hope my ancestors don't strike Suo Tian with a heavenly thunderbolt for what's about to happen."
"Hahaha…" Lili and Xu Shu burst into laughter.
Ting Yun and Xiao Hu were a bit puzzled, but seeing the two of them so happy, they started giggling along.
After a long while of laughter from the two adults and two kids, Lili and Xu Shu finally noticed that, apart from them, the expressions of everyone else in the room were far from cheerful.
— The end of the Chapter–