NOVPUB
Chapter 496: Chapter 486: Caution is the Parent of Safety
By the end of July, Shen Yunfang received a telegram from her hometown, sent by elder sister Li.
The telegram said that the three children from Sister Li’s family had set off on the train on the morning of July 26, and asked Shen Yunfang to pick them up at the station on the morning of the 28th. 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝒄𝙤𝙢
Before Yunfang’s holiday, she had received a letter from Shuanzi, which surprised her; she never expected that little guy would actually write her a letter on his own.
After reading the letter, she smiled speechlessly in the end. The child still remembered what she had said when their family left during the winter vacation, inviting them to come over for the summer break. He had secretly written to his second aunt without Li Xianglian knowing. Children are not cunning and simply ask straightforwardly about what is on their minds.
Of course, Yunfang welcomed the Li family’s children to come and play, as her own kids would have some company. So she sent a letter back to Sister Li, including the children’s train fares.
She didn’t know how the children managed to outwit Xianglian at home, but now that they could take the train from back home, it meant that they were the victorious party. Yunfang shared the news with her own children, Manman and Pangpang, and the two kids cheered, shouting that their brother and sister were coming.
That very evening, Yunfang took the two kids and Taxue for a walk and headed straight for the family compound because she had arranged with Uncle Ye to deliver food supplies that day.
Since buying rice from the small market last winter, she had kept in touch with Uncle Ye, who would bring her rice and flour roughly every month. The amount varied, but Yunfang always paid at a rate of three yuan and thirty cents per jin.
They hadn’t been at the family compound for long when someone knocked on the gate.
Yunfang went to open the door, and sure enough, it was Uncle Ye with his handcart.
She let him into the courtyard and said with a smile, "Uncle Ye, you’re always so punctual."
Uncle Ye grinned, revealing his yellow teeth, "I don’t have much to do at home. Since I was coming to bring you rice, I left a bit early. The new rice is about to come in, so I didn’t bring much this time. Once the new rice arrives, I’ll bring you some." Uncle Ye said, lifting a bag of rice off the handcart with one hand, "This is fifty jin, enough?"
"That’s enough. Not all of this rice is for eating; some of it, like this aged rice, I might use to make wine. Next time you come, Uncle Ye, make sure to bring me some new rice and flour." Yunfang didn’t mind; though it was aged rice, it still had the fragrance of fresh rice, and besides, she already had a good supply of fresh rice in her space, which was more than enough for eating.
"Oh, I never realized you, young lady, would be into wine making. That’s great, making wine is a skillful craft," Uncle Ye smacked his lips, clearly someone who enjoyed a good drink.
"What I do is hardly a skill. It’s just homemade wine for my family to drink. No one complains about it whether it’s good or bad." Yunfang was modest, although both Hongjun and Liguo said her wine was excellent, she knew her own capabilities. Her little skill was all self-taught from reading books, nothing compared to those with a hundred years of experience.
"Well, that’s very good. Haha, making your own wine can save a lot of money." Uncle Ye continued to praise her.
Yunfang paid him and after some more pleasantries, she sent Uncle Ye on his way.
Then the group of them, plus one dog, locked up the family compound and ambled back home.
The next morning, around eight o’clock, Yunfang got the kids ready and then took the bus to the train station, prepared to pick up the Li family children.
Standing inside the train station, their trio was somewhat conspicuous. The oldest, who didn’t look at all like a married woman who had birthed two children, and two kids, each looking better than the other, rosy and fair, stood out attractively as they waited.
Shen Yunfang held one child’s hand in each of hers, and she had given strict instructions before arriving—once inside the train station, they must hold onto Mommy’s hand and never leave her sight, for they might otherwise be taken away by bad people.
"Little miss, are these two kids yours? They’re so adorable," a middle-aged woman who appeared to be waiting for someone said as she cozied up to them.
Shen Yunfang glanced at her and said, "My children," then tightened her grip on the little ones’ hands.
"You must be kidding, your children? How old are you?" the woman said with an expression that read ’don’t try to fool me,’ "Where’s their mother? It must be tiring for you to look after the kids alone. If you trust me, I could help you hold one; we’re all waiting here anyway."
Shen Yunfang watched her warily, "No need, thank you. My children don’t need to be held; I can manage them. Excuse us, we’re going over there." After saying this, she led the children toward a nearby security booth staffed by two police officers with armbands.
When she saw the woman didn’t follow, Shen Yunfang finally let out a sigh of relief and bent down to educate her two children, "Did you see? That woman just now didn’t seem like good news. When you’re in crowded places, you must always hold onto Mommy tightly. If someone tries to take you away, you need to shout for Mommy to come to your rescue, got it?"
Pangpang nodded his head, while Manman, a bit scared, clung to their mother’s thigh and hid her little head.
"Sister, don’t be afraid. I will protect you," Pangpang confidently reassured his sister, considering himself unbeatable among his kindergarten peers.
The mother and her two children emphasized the importance of safety awareness while keeping an eye on the exit gate. After waiting for almost half an hour, they finally spotted the three Li siblings coming out.
Shuanzi came out looking all around, his little head turning here and there, oblivious to his brother and sister moving away. Shen Yunfang shook her head, realizing her safety class needed to include Shuanzi as well.
"Shitou, over here!" Shen Yunfang called out loudly. The station was noisy, and her voice would be drowned out if she didn’t shout.
After she called out several times, Shitou finally heard her and looked over.
Shitou tugged at his younger brother and sister, who ran towards Shen Yunfang’s direction with faces lit up with surprise.
"Auntie Shen, you came to pick us up," Shitou said, scratching his head in happiness.
"Yeah, could you have found your way to your auntie’s house if I hadn’t come?" Shen Yunfang smiled, taking the bag from Shitou—all the kids had was one big bag for him to carry.
"Hehehe, couldn’t find it, kind of forgot," Shitou admitted with an embarrassed chuckle.
Just as Shen Yunfang was about to speak, she caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye of the middle-aged woman who had tried to strike up a conversation with her earlier sneaking around nearby. She immediately became alert and grasped her own children’s hands again, then said to Shitou and the others, "Let’s go. This isn’t the place for chatting. Follow your auntie home, and we’ll catch up there."
After making the children walk ahead of her, she followed behind with the two kids, not letting her guard down until they were on the bus and could no longer see that woman. Only then did Shen Yunfang breathe a sigh of relief.
In truth, she couldn’t be certain whether her judgment was correct, whether that person was genuinely kind or looking to abduct children, yet when it came to children, it’s always better to err on the side of caution and keep away from such strangers.
