Era: After foreseeing the future, I changed my fate using spatial abilities.

Chapter 215 Parting Ways
Peeking out halfway, he silently counted the heads in his mind: one, two, three.

The three people were wrapped tightly in their thick cotton-padded clothes, huddled together to keep warm and ward off the cold wind.

After thinking for a moment, Su Ning left a coded message on the ground that only she could understand, and then quietly and slowly retreated.

Judging from their words, the goods had all arrived and the transaction was scheduled for the next couple of days. To avoid alerting them, she chose not to use the medicine to investigate.

After all, when catching a thief red-handed, it's best to catch them red-handed in one fell swoop.

……

Tao City, Wuling County.

After changing buses several times, Zhang Ze finally arrived safely at Wu Meng's small county town at 7 p.m.

This county town is far inferior to Yong County, which is located under the ancient city; it doesn't even have a decent main street.

There are only two small two-story buildings.

After finally finding the ancient bridge that had stood for many years, Zhang Ze immediately perked up, knowing that he was not far from the home Wu Meng had mentioned.

In the distance, there was a small hill shaped like a camel's hump, with a large number of residential houses at its foot.

In the darkness, it was impossible to see whether the mountain was indeed a peach blossom forest that stretched as far as the eye could see, as Wu Meng had described.

"Dong dong~"

"dong dong dong~"

"Who is it? Coming here so late at night!"

The man inside casually draped a patched cotton-padded coat over his shoulders and braved the biting cold wind to open the courtyard gate.

Upon seeing the unfamiliar face and meeting those sharp, knife-like eyes, I don't know if it was fear or cold that made my legs go weak and tremble.

"Who are you?"

"Hello, brother. I'm a distant relative of the Wu family. I'm here late at night because of a family emergency. Could you please give me directions?"

"The Wu family? Which Wu family? This used to be Wu Family Village, but most of the people here are surnamed Wu!"

"My cousin's name is Wu Meng, and Wu Meng's family name is Wu."

Wu Meng?

The girl from Wu Shengli's family at the edge of the village?
"Wait a minute."

After straightening his clothes, the man went back into the house, greeted his wife, and then took a torch, lit it in the stove, and strode out.

"Let's go, I'll take you there."

"Thank you, thank you, brother!"

"We're all from the same village, no need for such formalities. This road is difficult to travel, so stay close."

"Hey, okay."

Zhang Ze responded and followed closely behind him, using the torch he held high. He couldn't help but ask, "How is my aunt?"

"This blind old woman has no son by her side, and her daughter is gone too. Life is hard for her."

It was also because the brigade leader was kind-hearted that he usually gave her easy and manageable jobs so that she could barely make ends meet and not starve to death.

Furthermore, this place isn't far from the county town. Although Wu Han can't come back, he's a filial son and sends his monthly allowance home.

Otherwise, since this person is blind and in poor health, constantly needing medication, having just that little bit of food would be useless.

"Here you are, this is the room."

Before Wu Shengli's accident, the Wu family lived a comfortable life in the village, with a loving couple and two children.

Ever since her husband's accident, Wu Mengniang's health has deteriorated and she has gone blind from crying. If it weren't for her two children whom she couldn't let go of, she probably would have followed him in death.

"Thank you so much, brother! You've really gone to a lot of trouble!"

Upon arriving at the destination, Zhang Ze thanked him and took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket, offering him two cigarettes. After the man smiled, waved goodbye, and left, Zhang Ze turned around and knocked on the Wu family's door again.

……

To save firewood, and because she was blind and didn't need firelight, Wu Mengniang would go to bed early as soon as it got dark, even if she couldn't sleep, she would force herself to lie down.

Hearing the knock on the door, a hint of doubt appeared on his deeply lined face.

She knew every nook and cranny of the house so well that even in the dark when she couldn't see, she could accurately avoid the tables and chairs and reach the front door without any obstacles.

"Who?"

Touching the stick behind the door, Wu Mengniang picked it up without rushing to open the door, and instead carefully asked a question.

"Auntie, is this Wu Meng's home?"

"Girl?"

Hearing her daughter's name again from someone else, Wu Mengniang's hand trembled, and the stick fell to the ground with a thud.

"Yes, yes, this is Wu Meng's home, her home!" Startled back to reality by the sound of the stick hitting her, Wu Meng's mother frantically pulled off the door latch, repeatedly asking, "Who are you? Do you know my Wu Meng? Where is she? Why hasn't she come home yet?"

When asked the last question, the old man choked up, and the tears he thought he had cried all over flowed out again.

"Auntie, please don't get agitated, let's talk this out slowly!"

"Okay, okay, I'm not excited, not excited... cough cough cough~"

With her rough hands, Wu Mengniang rubbed her face hard. She stopped coughing and forced back the unease and discomfort in her heart as she led him into the house. "Come in, young man, let's go inside first and talk inside."

Zhang Ze had good night vision and helped her into the courtyard.

Led by someone to sit down by the brazier in the kitchen, I watched as she skillfully started a fire with dried fir needles and added a few pieces of thick firewood. For some reason, a strange bittersweet feeling welled up in my heart.

"Don't bother, I'm not thirsty, I don't need to boil water."

"How can we not offer our guests a cup of hot water when they come to visit?"

"No need, please sit down first. If I'm really thirsty, I can just heat the whole thing myself."

"Alright then, young man, can you tell me now? What exactly happened to my Wu Meng?"

"aunt…"

After organizing his thoughts, Zhang Ze somewhat reluctantly informed Wu Meng of the situation.

The cause and course of events were kept as brief as possible, just a few words, for fear of frightening people and causing them harm.

If there were still a living person in the house, even if it was just a child who hadn't grown up yet, he wouldn't have chosen to tell her about this.

"I knew it... I knew it! How could my girl not come to see me for so long? Something must have happened..."

"Everyone who comes back, tell me, my girl, she's gone. She's nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead..."

"What do you mean she couldn't keep her and ran off with someone? My girl isn't that kind of woman... Waaah, my child, my girl..."

"Auntie, you must take care of yourself. Wu Meng is still waiting for you. She dreams of you taking her home."

Although he spoke concisely, having lived to such an old age, what hadn't she seen and experienced during times of war and famine?

Wu Mengniang just wanted to know what the words "abducted" and "imprisoned" meant.

Even if her daughter escaped death, she, as a widow and a court lady, knew better than anyone what the Wu family clan would face upon their return.

But she wanted her child to live, even if it meant living with a stigma, it was better than a cold corpse.

Quickly calming down, Wu Mengniang stopped crying, opened her lifeless eyes, and grabbed his arm. "Young man, please take me to see her, please! Don't wait until she's better before sending her back, take me, take me to find her first!"

"Okay, let's set off tomorrow morning, and I'll take you to see her."

"Thank you, thank you, young man!"

Wu Mengniang knelt down with a thud and was about to kowtow in his direction.

"Auntie, what are you doing? Get up!"

"Thank you for saving my daughter, thank you for coming all this way to warn the blind old woman..."

"aunt!"

Holding her shoulders firmly, Zhang Ze lifted her up from the ground and pressed her into the chair behind him.

“Auntie, I am also a soldier, and your son is a soldier. I only regret that I did not rescue him sooner. I do not deserve this thank you and my kneeling.”

After much persuasion, Zhang Ze finally managed to calm the person down.

But tonight's night is destined to be long.

……

The Su family courtyard is located on the first street south of the ancient city.

Su Ning and Zhang Qi arrived home one after the other. Before they could say anything, the little guy, who should have been asleep long ago, ran into the main room.

"Auntie!"

"Xiao Qiu?"

He quickly pulled her into his arms and pulled his coat over her, asking, "Why did you run out? Did you have a nightmare?"

"Auntie, even though I'm back in Gushi, I still can't see you when I open my eyes every day. Does Auntie not like Xiao Qiu anymore?"

She opened her eyes and was already out the door; she closed her eyes and was already home.

With tears welling up in her eyes, Xiao Qiu pouted, looking so pitiful that it was both heartbreaking and funny to see.

"How could that be? Xiao Qiu is so well-behaved and adorable, how could Auntie not like our Xiao Qiu?"

Afraid that the little one would catch a cold, Su Ning picked her up while coaxing her, saying, "Godfather, Godmother, and Big Brother, I'll take Xiao Qiu inside to sleep first, and we'll talk about it later."

"I'll go instead. You just got back and haven't even had a bite to eat yet."

Hu Yingtao quickly stepped forward and took the child from her arms, patting the little guy's bottom in feigned anger, "You're being naughty, you don't listen to what Grandma says?"