Chapter 71: The Happiest Day

Twenty-six years had passed, yet that day remained the happiest of Chen Xiaofen’s life.

Not only had she saved a fragile newborn from certain death, but in doing so, she had also rescued her own crumbling marriage.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she ran home as fast as her legs could carry her. Just minutes later, she returned with Cheng Wei in tow.

The weather that year was bitterly cold; the cesspool hadn’t fully thawed.

Cheng Wei tied a hemp rope around his waist, securing the other end to a withered tree for safety before leaping into the deep pit behind the outhouse. His pants were soon soaked in filth, but he managed to lift the freezing, cyanotic infant above his head and hand her over to Chen Xiaofen.

Baby Cheng Simin was tiny, resembling a wrinkled kitten. Her eyes were still shut, and fine curls clung to her scalp. Her cries were faint, her body smeared with mucus, dirt, and fresh blood. Yet Chen Xiaofen felt no revulsion. Instead, it was as if she’d received divine grace. She immediately wrapped the child in a blanket, unbuttoned her coat, and pressed the baby tightly against her chest.

As the infant’s cheeks gradually warmed, an unprecedented surge of emotion—molten and scorching—flooded through Chen Xiaofen’s veins.

This child wasn’t hers by birth or blood, but cradling her, Chen Xiaofen instinctively began rocking back and forth, humming lullabies. For the first time, she experienced the euphoria of motherhood.

On the way to the county hospital, Cheng Wei pedaled furiously on their old “28-style” bicycle while Chen Xiaofen sat on the rear seat. She kept talking nonstop: this was a gift from heaven, a miracle meant to save their marriage. They wouldn’t need to divorce anymore because having this child would resolve all the rumors troubling Cheng Wei.

Chen Xiaofen could temporarily hide in the county, claiming she’d gone back to her parents’ home during pregnancy. Later, they could bring the baby back to the village. As long as the Cheng family stayed quiet, no one would suspect the truth.

Awoken abruptly by Chen Xiaofen earlier that morning, Cheng Wei was still dazed and shocked. He had briefly considered calling the police, but hearing his wife’s reasoning made him hesitate. If authorities got involved, the child would be taken away for investigation, leaving Chen Xiaofen distraught—and he couldn’t stand seeing women cry. Annoyed, he decided to let things slide.

At the very least, they’d go to the hospital first—to cut the umbilical cord and check for congenital diseases. If the hospital notified the police or discovered incurable conditions explaining why the baby was abandoned, then they, being poor, wouldn’t have the means to treat her anyway. In that case, even Chen Xiaofen would have to accept reality without throwing a tantrum.

But as Chen Xiaofen said, it seemed fate had intervened.

The infant’s health check came out perfectly normal. When doctors and nurses heard Chen Xiaofen claim the baby had been born accidentally while using the toilet, none questioned further. However, they informed them that since the child wasn’t born under their care, the hospital couldn’t issue a birth certificate.

Fortunately, registering births in rural areas was more lenient than in cities. With some cigarettes and a bottle of liquor, Cheng Wei and Chen Xiaofen smoothly became the legal parents of Cheng Simin.

Initially, Chen Xiaofen feared the biological mother might return to reclaim the child, and Cheng Wei worried villagers would discover the baby wasn’t his. But as they raised her into toddlerhood, Cheng Wei grew attached. Whenever he took Simin to pick fruits in the fields, unknowing villagers remarked how much they resembled each other, which secretly pleased him.

That lingering fear and unease slowly faded away.

Later, Cheng Wei and Chen Xiaofen started trading agricultural products in the county, eventually splitting off from Cheng Wei’s parents and siblings. Moving to the city where no one knew them erased any remaining doubts. They accepted their new roles as Simin’s parents, attributing everything to destiny. No one ever revisited that fateful day when they found the child.

Until fate played a cruel joke on Chen Xiaofen at forty-something: during Simin’s college entrance exam year, she unexpectedly conceived naturally.

By then, the family planning policy had relaxed, and this pregnancy carried their shared bloodline. Just as Chen Xiaofen once convinced Cheng Wei to adopt Simin by invoking “fate,” Cheng Wei now used the same argument to persuade her. He claimed it was divine reward for treating Simin like their own, proof of his virtue moving heaven itself.

Chen Xiaofen didn’t argue. Following her husband’s wishes, she embarked on the arduous journey of becoming a high-risk, advanced-age mother.

Bed rest, prenatal care, injections, muscle atrophy, bedsores—the physical toll was immense. During the final month, she was hospitalized under constant supervision. IVs stayed in her arm for 24 hours, needles changed every four days, finger pricks seven times daily for unstable blood sugar, and biweekly blood tests.

Though unbearable, Chen Xiaofen endured it all silently, viewing it as a sacred maternal trial.

Finally, after ten months of carrying the child, enduring labor pains, natural delivery, episiotomy, and manual placenta removal, Cheng Jiabao was born. As the nurse joyfully placed the newborn on Chen Xiaofen’s battered body, encouraging skin-to-skin contact to stimulate lactation, the anticipated “maternal bond” failed to materialize.

Staring at Jiabao’s hungry mouth and listening to her loud cries, Chen Xiaofen felt only overwhelming pain and an inexplicable sense of loss and aversion.

She finally achieved what she’d dreamed of in her youth—a complete woman, free of regret, worthy of her role as Cheng Wei’s wife. Their dowry hadn’t been wasted. Yet the taste of fulfillment was bitter. Spiritually, she felt an indescribable void.

When Jiabao latched onto her breast, Chen Xiaofen tightly closed her eyes and turned her head away.

________________________________________

At most twenty minutes later, Cheng Simin and Shi Ying returned to the car. The slamming door jolted Chen Xiaofen out of her private memories.

The school’s surveillance footage clearly showed Cheng Jiabao leaving the campus, stopping briefly at Little Red Riding Hood Stationery Store, then heading across the street to catch Bus Route 2.

The store owner remembered Jiabao vividly. He told Cheng Simin and Shi Ying that Jiabao had indeed exchanged coins there earlier, asking how much money one would need for a ticket to Jicheng. Thinking it was part of a school assignment, the shopkeeper casually replied that traveling from Banshan to Jicheng required transferring in the provincial capital, costing at least two to three hundred yuan.

After thanking him for the change, Jiabao quickly left.

Route 2 didn’t lead to any transportation hubs—it solely served the urban villages, jokingly dubbed the “Mountain Wolf Express” by locals.

Thus, Jiabao’s destination was undoubtedly the demolished house in the urban village where they once lived.

They restarted the car, heading toward the urban village. Though rain still poured heavily, strong winds dispersed the clouds, allowing streaks of light to pierce through the dark sky.

The distance between the elementary school and the urban village wasn’t far, yet the ride felt interminable.

Upon entering the narrow streets of the urban village, dimly lit and claustrophobic, Shi Ying spotted faint lights glowing inside the old fabric store-turned-demolished home.

He parked by the roadside, and the trio walked around to the backyard, pushing open the unlocked door.

Inside, Cheng Jiabao sat comfortably on a dusty old sofa, completely dry despite the storm outside. She cradled a small piggy bank she hadn’t taken when moving earlier that year. Earphones blared pop songs downloaded onto her MP3 player years ago—songs Cheng Simin had asked Shi Ying to put on for her.

Jiabao had developed her own musical tastes. While indifferent to Jay Chou, she favored sweeter melodies, particularly BY2’s tracks. Her favorite was Ai Ya Ai Ya . As the chorus played, her feet danced along rhythmically, resembling a synchronized swimmer performing unseen underwater choreography.

Seeing Jiabao safe, Chen Xiaofen’s heart finally settled—but fury quickly followed. Without a word, she yanked the earphones off Jiabao’s face and smacked her hard on the head.

The sound echoed like a ripe melon being slapped.

Both Jiabao and Simin were startled. Jiabao screamed, clutching her forehead as she jumped up from the couch, while Simin rushed between them, arms spread protectively. “Mom! Are you trying to kill her?!”

“We’ve found her already! People these days talk about love-based education. Stop beating and scolding her. I read Jiabao’s diary—this isn’t worth getting angry over. Communicate with her calmly. You’re not helping yourself by losing your temper. She’s older now, in school. Talk to her gently; there’s no need for violence.”

Chen Xiaofen had regained her composure entirely, but little did Simin know how challenging Jiabao could be. Children weren’t alike—Simin had always been obedient, diligent, and sweet-talking as a child, whereas Jiabao was a handful, especially after Cheng Wei’s passing. Far from sympathizing with her struggles, Jiabao grew increasingly defiant and slippery.

If Chen Xiaofen didn’t discipline her harshly today, how would she ever learn?

Chen Xiaofen pushed past Simin, reaching for Jiabao’s collar. “What does she understand? Disobedient brat! If she understood, she wouldn’t skip class. How can she neglect her studies at such a young age? What will happen to her future? Will she end up scavenging trash on the streets?”

Simin clutched both of Chen Xiaofen’s arms tightly, almost hugging her to shield Jiabao. “It’s not what you think! The teacher said Jiabao got into a fight with classmates today—they must’ve bullied her. She’s just upset, feeling wronged. It’s not that she dislikes school; she genuinely wants to study. She’s a good kid.”

“Right, Jiabao?” Simin prompted.

Hiding behind Simin, Jiabao swayed left and right, tears streaming down her face. Hearing someone defend her, she grabbed Simin’s coat and shouted at Chen Xiaofen, “Exactly! The monitor told me to eat sand and said I stink! You never listen to me—always hitting me!”

“I hate you! Hate you! I’m taking my piggy bank and going to Jicheng with my sister.”

Crying uncontrollably, snot bubbles forming in her nostrils, Jiabao leapt off the couch and clung desperately to Simin’s leg. Looking up pitifully, she babbled, “Sister, you knew I was coming to find you, right? That’s why you came back from Jicheng just to pick me up!”