Living in a small county town, earning a million a year

Chapter 83 Searching for Grandma Huang (14 First Subscription Requested!)

Xu Mu was stunned!
This guy looks just like the old man from the movie "Goodbye Mr. Loser".

Why are you doing this?

Are you here to buy dumpling pancake rolls?

Just then, a middle-aged woman, who looked to be in her forties, came out of the kitchen.

Wang Qiang immediately called out, "Sister Liu! Is that you?"

"Huh? You know me?"

Liu Meiyang looked at Wang Qiang with a face full of curiosity.

“Xu Mu, she’s Sister Liu from the orphanage! She used to work part-time at our orphanage. This grandpa used to bring us dumpling rolls, I remember now…”

Wang Qiang excitedly patted Xu Mu on the shoulder.

"Are you... are you children from the orphanage?"

"Yes, Sister Liu, I'm Wang Qiang! This is Xu Mu, have you forgotten us?"

"I remember now." Liu Meiyang's face immediately lit up with a kind smile. "Why are you back?"

"Are you here to see Grandma Huang?"

"Yes, Sister Liu! We've been searching all this way, trying to find where Grandma Huang is!"

“But I don’t know where Grandma Huang is…” Liu Meiyang shook her head. “After the welfare home was demolished, she disappeared, and we can’t reach her by phone anymore! But I have a photo from ten years ago, a group photo of us before the welfare home was demolished.”

I thought I could find news about Grandma Huang, but I never expected... it turned out like this.

Liu Meiyang also lost her phone number.

The hope that had just been ignited immediately vanished.

Can we take a look?

Xu Mu could only look at the photos to see what Grandma Huang looked like now!
"Sure! I'll get it for you!"

As Liu Meiyang spoke, she went back to the inner room of the kitchen and found the photos that had been printed out before.

It was framed and wrapped in a picture frame.

However, the picture frame has turned yellow.

The photos inside were also yellowed.

Do you have a digital photo?

"Let me think... I think it's in my WeChat Moments. I posted it there. Let me look for it!"

Liu Meiyang picked up her phone and started looking for old photos.

Xu Mu then offered Grandpa Liu a cigarette, saying, "Grandpa Liu, have a smoke!"

"Okay, thank you!"

"??"

He was just acting all high and mighty, but the moment he heard someone smoking, he immediately sobered up.

"Please don't mind, my dad has had Alzheimer's for three years now. His consciousness is still intermittent and he can't take care of himself."

“This shop was supposed to close a long time ago, but he insisted on keeping it open because he was worried that if Grandma Huang’s children came back looking for her, they wouldn’t be able to find her. So I’ve kept it open until now…”

Liu Meiyang looked at the three of them and explained.

Xu Mu nodded without saying anything more.

Liu Meiyang quickly found the photo and handed it to Xu Mu.

Xu Mu transferred the photos via Bluetooth.

Huang Yuehua sat in the middle of everyone.

She was still as kind as ever.

Memories from the depths of my memory immediately surfaced.

She hasn't changed much over the years.

"Is this a photo from ten years ago?"

"Sister Liu, do you still have the phone numbers of other aunties and sisters who used to work at the welfare home? I want to call and ask them."

"No need to ask anymore, I've already contacted them, but they don't have Grandma Huang's phone number. Her old number has been canceled! I don't know if Grandma Huang is intentionally avoiding us or what... We've all been looking for Grandma Huang all these years, but we've never heard from her."

"How could you possibly not find anyone in such a small county town?"

Liu Meiyang's words immediately extinguished the hope that Xu Mu and Wang Qiang had just begun to have.

Is it that sad?

Xu Mu couldn't help but sigh, "It's so hard..."

"Moreover, Grandma Huang has no children of her own and has always stayed in the welfare home to take care of us..."

Upon hearing Xu Mu's words, Liu Meiyang immediately said, "Grandma Huang has a niece, and her brother has children, but I don't have their contact information!"

Wang Qiang looked at Liu Meiyang and Xu Mu and said, "Why don't we try looking through social media platforms? I saw that we can post on 108 Community, right? There are photos of Grandma Huang now, maybe some kind-hearted people can find them."

"Since that's the case, then this is the only way!"

The three of them had lunch at Liu Meiyang's house.

Before leaving, Xu Mu went to a nearby bank, withdrew 50,000 yuan, and handed it over to Liu Meiyang.

"Sister Liu, please accept this money."

"If any children come to the welfare home or to see Grandma Huang in the future, please consider this my treat for them to a meal!"

"Furthermore, we children who used to live in the welfare home all received kindness from you and Grandpa Liu. Now that we have achieved success, it is time for us to repay you."

Don't refuse!

Xu Mu forced the money into Liu Meiyang's hand and then ran away.

Xu Mu understood the principle of gratitude.

Driving away from the old town, Xu Mu and Wang Qiang both posted missing person notices on the 108 Community.

“If Grandma Huang were still alive, she would definitely be registered in the household registration system…”

Just as Xu Mu finished posting, something else occurred to her.

He found Tang Mu's WeChat.

I called Tang Mu.

"Uncle Tang".

After Xu Mu answered the phone, he called out.

"Mr. Xu, what can I do for you?"

"The thing is like this..."

Xu Mu recounted the events that had occurred at the orphanage.

“We are all children who came from the orphanage, but the orphanage was demolished ten years ago, right? Now we can’t find our former director. We only have a phone number that we used to use, her name and photo. Could you help me find the director through your channels?”

"We want to see how she's doing now?"

"Sure," Tang Mu readily agreed. "I thought it was something serious. You can just let me know about this little thing."

“I had heard a little about the welfare home at the time! I heard that she had argued with our county for half a year about demolishing the welfare home, and it was finally demolished because she didn’t want these children to be homeless… We also promised to find her a new welfare home.”

"The old lady was probably a bit stubborn; she just wouldn't agree. In the end, we suggested that all the children be placed in our family compound, and then... it seems like she just mysteriously disappeared!"

"They might be disappointed with the demolition of the welfare home."

Upon hearing Tang Mu's words, Xu Mu's passion was rekindled.

"Then come over here now!"

Let's talk in person!

"Okay, I'll wait for you at the station."

Arrived at Xincheng Police Station.

Xu Mu went straight to Tang Mu's office.

"Uncle Tang!"

"You're here?" Tang Mu stood up with a smile. "Let's go, I'll take you to check Grandma Huang's information."

"As long as she is still in Tianji County, we can conduct a population census every year."

"If we can't find her, it means she's no longer in Tianji County, and then there's nothing we can do to help!"

"I understand... but Grandma Huang is so old, she probably won't leave Tianji County, right?"

Xu Mu could only hope that Grandma Huang hadn't left Tianji County.

If you leave Tianji County, it will be like finding a needle in a haystack.

There are so many people across the country, and quite a few of them are named Huang Yuehua.

Upon arriving at the household registration office, Tang Mu asked Xu Mu to give him his phone number and name.

A colleague at the household registration office asked curiously, "Do you have any ID card information?"

"No... Sister Liu doesn't seem to have this either. We've never seen Grandma Huang's identity information."

"It's a bit difficult to find the phone number through the cancellation process, but if we only search by name, let me see... we can find 136 people, all with photos. Can you check them?"

"Row!"

If a photo can be found, then the location of Grandma Huang can be determined based on the photo and her age.

Xu Mu and Wang Qiang, using their left and right hands respectively, leaned on the chairs of their colleagues from the household registration office, staring at the computers in front of them.

"Young people definitely aren't."

"We need to find someone older."

After a screening process, only twenty-eight people over fifty years old remained.

After careful comparison by the two, Xu Mu quickly found someone who looked about 80% like Grandma Huang.

Because there are still some differences between ID photos and actual photos, but they are still 80% to 90% similar.

"It's her!"

"She must be Grandma Huang..."

Wang Qiang was even more excited than Xu Mu, pointing at the photo and shouting, "Xu Mu, I'm sure she's Grandma Huang!"

"Don't get agitated..."

"Brother, where does she live now?"

"Let me take a look..."

"She lives in Xiaoxikeng Village."

"Where is the stream?" Xu Mu asked, puzzled.

He really didn't know much about the various villages in Tianji County... because the county town was mostly villages, and Xu Mu only knew about some nearby villages and the more well-known large villages.

This village is clearly a small village!
"I know... It's deep in the mountains. It seems like you have to drive through Jietou Town and then drive for about an hour to get there. It's deep in the forest. But Xiaoxikeng has become quite popular in the last two years, and many people go camping there!"

Tang Mu glanced at the address and said, "Then you guys drive there and look for it!"

Can you see the remaining people named Huang Yuehua?

"To avoid making a mistake!"

"OK."

Afterwards, Xu Mu and Wang Qiang looked through all twenty-eight elderly people named Huang Yuehua and finally settled on a village called Xiaoxikeng.

"Thanks, Uncle Tang. I'll treat you to a meal another day!"

"But our real business today is to find Grandma Huang!"

"I won't stay here any longer!"

"You're too kind!" Tang Mu waved his hand with a smile. "We can eat anytime. Your current business is the most important thing. After all, Aunt Huang was quite famous in the orphanage back then, but she disappeared without a trace, and that incident still has some impact!"

"I wish you a triumphant return and that you find Aunt Huang."

"Thank you."

After leaving Xincheng Police Station, Xu Mu got into his car and headed to Xiaoxikeng according to the navigation.

Damn it, it takes an hour and a half to get there from the new city.

Xu Mu was stunned by what she saw.

But there was no other way but to charge forward!

Hopefully, we won't let them down!

Xu Mu and Wang Qiang were both very nervous throughout the journey.

Wang Mengyan wanted to drive, but Xu Mu refused.

Being a driver is also part of Wang Mengyan's job, but Xu Mu's desire to see Grandma Huang as soon as possible is something she can't understand.

He drove it himself, and watching the time on the navigation screen gradually decrease gave him a sense of satisfaction...

Full of anticipation.

More than an hour later, Xu Mu and his two companions arrived near Xiaoxikeng Village in their car.

This village is very, very small.

There are probably only a dozen or so households.

But given the winding mountain road, it still led this far back then.

After getting off the bus, Xu Mu and Wang Qiang split up to look for Grandma Huang...

After all, it's just a small village with a dozen or so households, so it's easy to find.

"Grandpa, do you know Huang Yuehua? She lives in this village..."

Xu Mu offered a cigarette to the old man sitting under the eaves.

"Huang Yuehua? Never heard of her!"

"Have you seen this photo before?"

"Hmm...you look familiar! But I don't really remember you. Why don't you ask someone else?"

"Thank you."

Xu Mu and Wang Qiang split up and acted separately.

A few minutes later, Wang Qiang called Xu Mu.

"Xu Mu, I've found Grandma Huang!"

"Come on!"

"Okay, I'm coming right now!"

Xu Mu and Wang Mengyan ran quickly toward the main road, and sure enough, just a hundred meters away, Wang Qiang was standing on the roadside waving at Xu Mu.

After meeting Wang Qiang, Wang Qiang led Xu Mu around two houses and arrived at a low bungalow with a yard.

They noticed Huang Yuehua standing up from her chair.

"Grandma Huang!"

Xu Mu and Wang Qiang ran over quickly.

They helped Huang Yuehua up.

"You two are..."

Huang Yuehua looked at Xu Mu and Wang Qiang with curiosity.

She has raised so many children in her life that she can't even remember what they look like.

"Grandma Huang, it's me, Xu Mu!"

"I am Wang Qiang. Have you forgotten us?"

"Xu Mu! Xiao Qiang!" Upon hearing the names Xu Mu and Wang Qiang, a light shone in Huang Yuehua's previously dry and withered eyes. She raised her rough hands to stroke Wang Qiang and Xu Mu's faces and said with a smile, "Why did you two come to see me?"

"How did you find me?"

Wang Qiang held Huang Yuehua's hand, his eyes red. "We went to the old site of the welfare home and asked the shops nearby, one by one, if they had any news about you, but they all said they didn't have your phone number."

"Your phone number was canceled a long time ago! And now nobody can find you..."

"Later, it was because Xu Mu has an uncle at the police station who helped us look up your information that we found this place... We've been looking for you all day! We've looked for you before, but no one had your information or phone number, so it's been dragging on until now, and nothing's been done..."

Xu Mu looked at Huang Yuehua and asked, "Grandma Huang, are you deliberately avoiding us?"

"Not really..."

Huang Yuehua shook her head and said, "It's because you've all been adopted by your own parents. My thought is that once you leave, you should never come back! And don't even think about coming to see me."

"That way, I can imagine you are happy and joyful, and that will be enough..."

"But as it turns out, many of these children have come back to me after they've grown up and complained about how their families weren't doing well, or how they were returned to their adoptive parents after only a month..."

“There are many, many children like this. There are even human traffickers who come and trick children into coming and selling them. Of course, these things were all dealt with by the police in the end, so I tried my best not to hear about you!”

“Like Yao Yao, she was adopted but returned by her parents after less than a month because they said she didn’t talk much and had autism, which they couldn’t accept.” “And then there’s Fang Kuai, that chubby little boy. He ate too much at his parents’ house and was eventually given away. I used my connections to get him back, and I raised him until he was sixteen, and then he went out to work…”

“I really hope they will succeed, but what can they do when they enter society at sixteen? They will either work honestly or turn bad and become petty thugs... So I don’t even dare to think about it, I simply don’t dare to think about it!”

As she spoke, tears welled up in Huang Yuehua's eyes.

“I’m terrified of hearing news that you’re not doing well; it feels like a knife is being plunged into my heart! Do you understand?”

“You are all children I raised from infancy, and although I can’t take care of each and every one of you, I know exactly what you look like and what your names are…”

Xu Mu held Huang Yuehua's hand and could feel that Huang Yuehua still had a lot of reluctance to let go of the decades of perseverance she had maintained.

Her trembling hands as she spoke showed that she hadn't let go of the past years.

She still cares about so many children.

Children who have left the welfare home.

"..."

"But later, the welfare home was to be demolished, even though the leaders said they would get me a new welfare home."

“I said no, give me six months to adopt all these children… I’m getting old, and I don’t want to see these pitiful children being sent to orphanages again…”

“I raised you two from infancy. You have no idea… Back then, there were so many orphans, children whose grandparents and parents had all passed away. The look in their eyes when they came to the orphanage… I’ll never forget it…”

"Xiao Mu, you don't know how helpless and pitiful they were back then. Their eyes were filled with fear of the unfamiliar environment."

“Unlike you, they didn’t grow up with me. They witnessed their grandparents or parents die, and when no other relatives wanted them, they were sent here. The things they experienced were enough to make their childhood unhappy.”

"Therefore, these kinds of children are very sensitive...and the parents who come to adopt them are rarely educated. They are basically people who can't have children themselves but want one, and they can't communicate with these kinds of children."

"Their mental state is problematic."

“You mean, once they move to a new home or stay in a welfare institution, it’s very difficult for them to adjust.”

"This is a lifelong trauma!"

"..."

Huang Yuehua fell into her memories, and finally she sighed, "So I thought, forget it, I'll just find a place where no one can find me and enjoy my old age in peace... But after I got here, I kept thinking about my old children."

"Whether they're doing well or not... no matter what, you all came from here, you are my real children, those are just stepparents! I don't want you to be unhappy, I just want you to be happy... but I don't dare to ask."

"I'm afraid you're not doing well, and it will break my heart to see you suffer!"

"..."

Xu Mu and Wang Qiang knelt on the ground, tears streaming down their faces.

After all, Huang Yuehua had personally raised them from a young age until they were six or seven years old and ready to go to school, when they were taken away!

Therefore, Xu Mu's earliest memories are of an orphanage...

"By the way, Grandma Huang, do you have Shen Yuting's phone number?"

"..."

“Tingting…” Huang Yuehua’s expression turned sour. “She… isn’t doing well!”

"She used to call me, but I canceled my phone number later. I still secretly gave her my new number! She calls me every year. She has grown into a beautiful young woman now, but... her life is really hard!"

"Grandma Huang, do you have her phone number? Give it to me, I'll contact Tingting!"

“Wang Qiang, Tingting, and I used to be very close.”

"it is good!"

Huang Yuehua stood up and looked at Xu Mu and Wang Qiang, saying, "Why are you two kneeling?"

"Come in and sit down. You've come to see Grandma, but Grandma forgot to pour you some tea."

"I'm getting old."

Xu Mu and Wang Qiang followed Huang Yuehua into the house.

The house isn't big; it only has two rooms: a bedroom and a living room.

Xu Mu turned his head and saw that Huang Yuehua's bedroom was filled with photos, all of them of every child from their old orphanage...

Grandma Huang had one request: that we take a photo together after the adoption.

Surprisingly, she had kept it all along...

Perhaps, she is also thinking of all her many children all the time?

"Xiao Mu, this is Tingting's number. Why don't you call it and see..."

"Okay!" Xu Mu entered Shen Yuting's phone number into his phone.

Then, I made a phone call.

"Wang Qiang, why don't you chat with Grandma Huang for a bit..."

"I'll call Tingting!"

Upon reaching the outside, Xu Mu lit a cigarette.

There was a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.

The call was disconnected shortly after it was made.

"That's strange! Why did they hang up on me?"

Xu Mu thought for a moment and then made another call.

"I've already told you, can you please stop harassing me? I don't have the money to pay you back! Are you trying to drive me to my death?"

"I'm already working hard to pay off my debts, what more do you want? And there's no way I'd agree to do that kind of thing with you! Forget about it!"

"???"

Xu Mu was startled by the unexpected words Shen Yuting uttered on the phone.

"Tingting, what did you say?"

"I'm Xu Mu!" Xu Mu calmed himself down and said, "I'm your brother Xu Mu, do you remember me?"

"..."

A long silence fell over the phone.

"Tingting, are you still there?"

"Waaaaah...you...you really are Brother Xu Mu?"

Shen Yuting's voice immediately turned into a sob, "Brother Xu Mu, is it really you?"

"It's me, Tingting! What's wrong?"

"what is going on?"

"Brother Xu Mu... Waaah!"

Shen Yuting couldn't even speak a single sentence clearly.

It seemed that upon hearing the name Xu Mu, her tense emotions immediately collapsed.

It seems she has been immersed in a lot of sadness and pain lately.

According to the system's task prompts, Shen Yuting was indeed having a hard time... otherwise the system task wouldn't have said it would help her escape her misery.

"Don't rush, tell me slowly... Are you in Tianji County right now?"

"Yes, but I'm working right now, as a waiter in a restaurant..."

"Where?" Xu Mu asked. "Can I come find you now?"

"Is this your WeChat number? Let me add you. I'm with Grandma Huang right now, we'll come find you!"

"It's my WeChat account... I'll just send you my location directly!"

Shen Yuting sobbed, "Are you with Grandma Huang now? Where is Grandma Huang? I tried to see her before, but she wouldn't tell me where she is... Waaah, Brother Xu Mu, I really can't take it anymore."

"It's alright, don't worry! I'll come find you in a bit. Let's bring Grandma Huang to the city first, okay?"

"Okay...I'll wait for you!"

"Calm down, we'll see you later!"

After hanging up the phone, Xu Mu realized that Shen Yuting was really not doing well...

And judging from what she just said, it seems that her family owes a lot of money and she is now being asked to pay it back!

Not only that, the debt collectors also harassed her in various ways.

This caused Xu Mu to clench his fists even tighter.

Standing up, Xu Mu let out a long sigh of relief.

"Brother Mu, how is it?"

Wang Mengyan cried uncontrollably when she heard Huang Yuehua's words... Now that she has wiped away her tears, her eyes are still red.

There is a kind of sadness that makes one feel pity for the person who saw it.

"Tingting is having a very hard time!"

"Let's take Grandma Huang away first! It's not good for her to live here alone."

Xu Mu put his arm around Wang Mengyan's shoulder and walked inside, saying, "We'll go find Tingting later."

Back inside, Huang Yuehua said reluctantly, "Xiaoqiang, Grandma knows you mean well, but Grandma is used to living here... I really don't want to go out."

"Grandma, you're getting old and living here all alone. There's no one to take care of you!"

"We've grown up now, we've come back, and we've even made money! We just wanted to come back to take care of you and let you have a peaceful old age! Please, Grandma!"

Wang Qiang gripped Huang Yuehua's hand tightly and knelt down on the ground.

"Grandma Huang, Xiaoqiang is right."

“You are getting old. You raised us before, and now that we have achieved something and grown up, it is our duty to take care of you!”

"Come out with us."

As Xu Mu spoke, he also knelt down.

The man has gold at his knees.

However, kneeling to heaven, earth, and one's parents is the proper thing to do.

What's more, Huang Yuehua in front of them is their grandmother.

Their grandmother, who had given them a second chance at life.

"You two..."

"Let's go back."

Huang Yuehua sighed again.

"Grandma, if you won't come with us, we'll kneel here and refuse to leave! We must fulfill our filial duty in front of the family!"

"..."

"Grandma, I just called Tingting. She's not doing very well right now. Don't you want to see her?"

"..."

The thought of Shen Yuting brought tears to Huang Yuehua's eyes...

After a long silence, Huang Yuehua looked at the dimness inside the room, then at the light outside the door...

She could only sigh helplessly, "Fine, I'll go out with you."

"..."

Xu Mu didn't pack Huang Yuehua's clothes or anything; he just packed up all the photos in the house and put them in the trunk of the car.

These are Grandma Huang's most important things, and Xu Mu certainly can't forget them.

“Grandma Huang, once we get to the city, I’ll rent you an apartment. You can live in the new place. And our company is downstairs. If you get bored, just come over to our company to have some fun… Wang Qiang and I will both be there.”

"Okay, you can arrange it!"

"Grandma is getting old, I really don't know what life is like in the city..."

She came here ten years ago.

I've lived here for ten years.

She's old, so now she can only sit under the eaves, watching the sunlight slowly sink below the horizon, or watching the rain drip from the eaves, pattering onto the ground and growing moss...

Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Huang Yuehua doesn't know how she got through those ten years.

It seems very slow.

But it also seems to happen very quickly...

Sometimes, it's over in the blink of an eye.

After getting into the car, Wang Mengyan drove towards the city.

Xu Mu and Wang Qiang sat next to Huang Yuehua, each recounting their experiences over the years.

Xu Mu's life was indeed relatively uneventful, while Wang Qiang's life did experience some fluctuations.

But when the child grows up, the outcome is always good.

They have their own ideas.

Xu Mu, holding his phone, discovered that Shen Yuting had accepted his friend request.

A location was sent concurrently.

"Mengyan, I'll send you my location. Use that location to find Tingting in the old town."

"Okay!" Wang Mengyan replied.

"Xiao Mu, this car must be expensive, right? Is she your girlfriend?"

"No, Grandma Huang, I'm Brother Mu's driver. Brother Mu is very capable now!" Wang Mengyan smiled sweetly. "You can think of it as me working for Brother Mu."

"Xiao Mu is that amazing now?"

"And there's a driver? And how much does this car cost? What's it called, a Mercedes?"

"Yes!"

"But Grandma Huang, my car is your car... I'll drive this car every day to take you out for fun!"

"Good good!"

We chatted casually along the way.

Xu Mu sent two WeChat messages to Wang Qiang.

"Should we take Grandma Huang to the hospital for a check-up? After all, she's been here for so many years, she must have some underlying health conditions, and her body needs to be taken care of."

“Okay.” Wang Qiang nodded. “We’ll split the money in half.”

“I know you have money, but Grandma Huang is also my grandma.”

"polite……"

Xu Mu did not argue with Wang Qiang.

Wang Qiang is indeed a filial son.

If he didn't have a sense of gratitude and filial piety, he wouldn't have sent money to his former parents to make up for their kindness in raising him after severing ties with them.

"The other thing is Tingting's situation. She's not doing well... We'll discuss it and see how to handle it."

"Okay, we'll talk about it in detail when we get there."

As dusk gradually fell, they were still a few minutes away from reaching the location that Shen Yuting had sent to Xu Mu.

"Xu Mu, will you be back for dinner later?"

Ye Muling sent a message.

"We're not coming anymore. We found Grandma Huang from the old orphanage, and now we're planning to go find Tingting from before!"

"Okay, bring him over so I can meet him."

"Don't forget to eat!"

After parking the car, Xu Mu arrived at a restaurant called Lamb Bone Restaurant based on the location.

"How many of you are there?" Inside the restaurant, there was only a young girl wearing an apron. Seeing Xu Mu and Wang Qiang walk in, she immediately asked curiously, "We have lamb spine hot pot and steak..."

"Tingting!"

Before the little girl could finish speaking, Xu Mu had already shouted it out.

Are you Tingting?

When Xu Mu saw Shen Yuting's eyes, he remembered Shen Yuting when she was a child, and she had a mole at the corner of her eye.

Now, the beauty mark at the corner of her eye is even more noticeable.

"You are……"

"Brother Xu Mu?"

"Brother Wang Qiang?"

(End of this chapter)