Chapter 137

Yunjian found Meng Jingmo and Meng Guangbai in a dilapidated factory building.

The two children were hugging each other, huddled under a rotten wooden board full of holes.

Their clothes were shiny with dirt, their faces were pitch black, and they were so thin they didn't have two taels of meat on them, looking like little beggars.

It was hard for people to imagine that these two children used to have no worries about food or drink and were the most handsome cubs in the lamp factory's family quarters.

Yunjian had also been a soldier, had completed various missions, and had seen all kinds of pitiful people; the situation of the Meng brothers didn't count as the most miserable, and it didn't stir any ripples in his heart.

He looked at them indifferently.

"Are you Meng Jingmo and Meng Guangbai?"

Little Jingmo didn't expect anyone to appear here; he stood up abruptly, blocking his younger brother, his expression vigilant, "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

This was the secret base he and Xiaobai had found; how could this person have come here?

His face was full of displeasure at being offended.

Yunjian didn't take the child's defensiveness to heart and asked again, "Are you Meng Jingmo and Meng Guangbai?"

Meng Jingmo's pitch-black eyes stared at him, "So what if we are?"

His whole body was full of thorns.

Yunjian seemed to smile slightly.

"Little hedgehog, come on, I'll treat you to a meal."

Gu Chenghuai hadn't said much on the phone; he didn't know what relationship these two boys had with his comrade-in-arms, but since his comrade could open his mouth to entrust him with inquiries, it showed the relationship was not shallow.

He had to take good care of these two for his comrade.

The Yuan family was vicious and had occupied everything belonging to the Meng family, not even willing to give the little steamed buns to little Jingmo and Xiaobai to eat. That Yuan Jin Bao was even more excessive, throwing half a bun on the ground and stepping on it heavily with his foot, telling the Meng brothers to pick it up and eat it.

Meng Jingmo was so angry he overturned the dining table with a clatter, and taking advantage of the fact that his enemies hadn't reacted, he pulled his brother out of the house and hid here.

The little brothers were very hungry.

Meng Jingmo ignored the nickname "little hedgehog," looked at the strange man in front of him, and asked calmly: "Why?"

"Someone entrusted me to inquire about you, and I find you two pleasing to the eye, so I'm treating you to a meal," Yunjian said lightly.

Meng Jingmo's eyes brightened slightly, "Who?"

Is it Dad?

Thinking of his father, the little boy's bravado was stripped away, and a sky full of grievances surged up; his throat felt astringent and sour, and he really wanted to cry.

He held it back, turned his face to the side, and quietly sniffed, concealing the vulnerability that had almost been exposed.

"You don't know him," Yunjian said.

Meng Jingmo didn't believe it, "I don't know him... why would he inquire about me?"

"How would I know that?" Yunjian shrugged, "I'm not a meddlesome person."

"Come on, I'll take you two to eat."

Meng Jingmo ignored this sentence and continued to ask, "What kind of person is inquiring about us?"

Although Yunjian felt this kid talked too much nonsense, a flash of appreciation crossed his eyes.

"A soldier."

A soldier?

Meng Jingmo lowered his eyes.

He didn't know any soldiers, and his father didn't know any soldiers either.

Just at this moment, a rumbling sound came from Meng Guangbai's stomach.

The child hurriedly covered his stomach and pursed his dry lips, "Brother, I'm not hungry; it's just my stomach not listening to me."

Meng Jingmo touched his brother's head, his eyes full of self-reproach; he hadn't taken good care of his brother and had failed his father's entrustment.

He looked at Yunjian, "Can I see your credentials?"

Yunjian clicked his tongue and laughed: "Sure."

He took out his credentials for him to see.

"Can you read?"

Meng Jingmo nodded, "I can read."

Dad said people must be literate, as only then would they not be taken advantage of; when he was over four years old, his father had held him in his arms and taught him to read.

Thinking of his father being forcibly taken away without knowing where he had been sent, Meng Jingmo's mouth tasted bitter, and his little heart felt very, very uncomfortable.

Those people said his father was a bad element, and Yuan Jin Bao also cursed them as bad seeds, but... he didn't blame his father; he only hoped to see his father again.

After confirming the credentials were correct, the defensiveness in Meng Jingmo's eyes dissipated a little.

"You can rest assured now, right? Come on, I'll take you to eat," Yunjian sneered, "I have no interest in selling children."

Little Jingmo: "..."

He held his brother's hand and followed the man, "Aren't you afraid we'll implicate you?"

Yunjian raised an eyebrow, his tone slow and leisurely, "Didn't your father and mother divorce? Besides, didn't your mother publish a statement on your behalf severing ties with your father? In essence, there's no problem with your identities."

Meng Jingmo's face sank fiercely, and he gritted his teeth, "That statement doesn't count! I don't acknowledge it!"

He wouldn't sever ties with his father!

Meng Guangbai was still young and couldn't understand at all, looking at his brother blankly.

Yunjian laughed, "You're quite tough."

Your bones are tough too.

However, such children are likable. He had inquired that the doctor Meng was very good to his two sons; it would be chilling if they had no reaction.

Meng Jingmo didn't speak.

Meng Guangbai was obediently pulled by his brother, silent and well-behaved.

It was work time, so they didn't run into anyone on the road, and Yunjian took the Meng brothers directly to the state-run restaurant.

Meng Jingmo saw the sign of the state-run restaurant and thought of how his father used to often bring him and Xiaobai here, his eyes slightly moist.

"Brother, I miss Dad." Meng Guangbai also had an impression of this place; he grabbed his brother's hand as if grabbing a life-saving straw, and bean-sized tears rolled down his cheeks.

The little child also knew that no one was protecting them now; he raised his hand to wipe away the tears and sniffed heavily.

"Don't be afraid, brother. Brother promised Dad he would protect you well. Once I find out news about Dad, brother will take you to find Dad." Meng Jingmo shared his thoughts with his brother for the first time.

His father and grandfather had both left him money, which he had kept well, and he hadn't told anyone.

Meng Guangbai's eyes brightened, his voice soft and full of anticipation, "To find Dad?"

"Yes, to find Dad." Meng Jingmo kept a stern little face and said seriously: "Dad's situation is not good; we might suffer if we go to find him. Is Xiaobai afraid?"

"Not afraid!" Meng Xiaobai didn't quite understand what his brother meant by saying Dad's situation was not good.

The timid boy raised his volume and said: "Brother, I'm not afraid. I can endure hardship; I miss Dad and want to be with Dad."

Meng Jingmo said solemnly: "Mm, I will find out news about Dad!"

Xiaobai smiled, "Brother is the most amazing."

After having something to look forward to, the child became happy.

He thought that when he saw his father, he would definitely tell his father how bad Mom and Grandma were, and let his father vent his anger for him and his brother.

The brothers' conversation was all heard by Yunjian.

Go find that Meng Jiusi?

That is indeed a way.

But.

It would be strange if these two little runts could find out where someone was.

Although Meng Jiusi was surnamed Meng, he was picked up halfway by Old Meng; those heartless people in the Meng family didn't even acknowledge Old Meng anymore, so how would they pay attention to the two cubs left behind by Meng Jiusi?

Not to mention, they had their own mess of accounts and had no time to deal with others.

Yunjian didn't speak for the time being and took the two children inside. He glanced at the chalk writing on the blackboard and said: "Two portions of fresh meat dumplings, one meatball soup, one Kung Pao chicken, one pickled cabbage stewed with vermicelli, and another 5 taels of rice."

He often came out to treat himself and was very familiar with it. He paid the money and coupons and signaled the Meng brothers to find a place to sit.

The two brothers were also familiar and sat in the place they usually sat.

Meng Xiaobai missed his father again and whispered: "Dad said he would take us to eat dumplings."

Meng Jingmo also recalled—

Dad was carrying his younger brother on his back at the time and asked him if he wanted a piggyback ride; he was too proud and said no. Dad sighed and then said that Momo had grown up and wasn't close to him anymore. Xiaobai hugged Dad's neck, his laughter crisp, saying that he was close to Dad. Dad was very happy and said that when he got his salary, he would take you two to the state-run restaurant to eat dumplings, and at that time, he would buy you each a bottle of soda.

Finally, Dad also muttered that after eating, they would go to the state-run department store to look around, as Momo and Xiaobai's birthdays were coming up, and he would see what they wanted so he could give it to them on their birthdays.

But who knew.

That day, just as they arrived home, several fierce-looking people broke into the house and took their father away.

Without their father, he and his brother were like being soaked in bitter water; Mom didn't love them, and their cousins bullied them; they didn't even have an egg on their birthdays.

The more he thought about it, the more the fire in Meng Jingmo's chest burned, and the fewer ripples he felt in his heart for Yuan Qin.

That wasn't his mother; that was a lackey of the Yuan family.

He touched his brother's head and comforted him: "If Dad can't come back, we'll go find Dad; brother won't abandon you."

Xiaobai breathed a sigh of relief, the corners of his mouth curling into a shallow arc.

"Brother is so good."

Yunjian laughed lightly, propping his arm up to look at Meng Jingmo, "Are you so sure you can find out news about your father?"

"Heaven will not fail those who work hard; I have plenty of time." Anyway, he wouldn't give up.

Yunjian shook his head, puncturing the child's beautiful expectations, "You do indeed have plenty of time, but..."

He paused and then continued: "Will that uncle of yours give you time to breathe?"

"You're so small, he could crush you to death easily."

"Besides, who are you going to find? Not many people dare to intervene in your father's affairs, and you won't be able to see the people who know; how are you going to inquire?"

Yunjian's words hit the nail on the head. Meng Jingmo knew all this; his face turned pale, his eyes were pitch black, and his hands were clenched into fists, his body trembling with hatred.

He didn't blame the person in front of him for pointing it out; he only hated the Yuan family for pressing step by step, not leaving a way for him and his brother to survive.

"Brother?" Xiaobai felt uneasy and grabbed his brother's hem.

Meng Jingmo sobered up, having no time to be confused, and comforted his brother, "It's okay."

He thought fiercely in his heart that if the Yuan family bullied them too much, he would set the house on fire, and no one would have a good time!

Yunjian captured the gloom that flashed across Meng Jingmo's eyes and clicked his tongue.

Not only a hedgehog, but also an extraordinary hedgehog.

He didn't speak again; he would decide what to do after talking to his comrade on the phone tomorrow.

Not long after, the waiter called out, and Meng Jingmo went to fetch the food and dishes with great awareness.

Yunjian saw he was so self-aware and didn't get up.

Meng Jingmo went back and forth three times before bringing all the food and dishes Yunjian had ordered.

Xiaobai hadn't eaten normal food for a long time; he swallowed his saliva, his eyes unable to look away.

Yunjian's temperament was slightly bad, but he wouldn't bully a little runt not even as long as his leg, so he put one of the bowls of dumplings in front of him.

"Eat, you and your brother share one bowl; if your brother doesn't have enough, eat some rice."

Xiaobai took the chopsticks, smiled shyly, and thanked him politely, "Thank you, Uncle."

Yunjian: "..."

"What Uncle, call me Brother."

Am I that old?

I'm not even married!

Xiaobai looked at him suspiciously, his yellowish, thin little face full of struggle, and said seriously: "It's Uncle, not Brother."

After speaking, he stuck the chopsticks into a dumpling, lifted it up, blew on it a few times, leaned forward to take a bite, and his eyes brightened slightly after tasting the meat.

"Brother, you eat." The child handed the bitten dumpling to his brother's mouth.

The two of them shared even a single steamed bun, and neither minded the other's saliva.

Meng Jingmo swallowed it in one bite, his long eyelashes drooping to cover the moisture in his eyes.

I wonder if Dad has dumplings to eat?

After eating, Yunjian bought four large meat buns for Meng Jingmo, telling him to have them for afternoon lunch, and then went to the state-run department store to buy some biscuits and other things that could be stored, telling the child to keep them well before intending to leave.

"... Uncle Yunjian, thank you."

Meng Jingmo thanked him solemnly; this was the first person to extend a helping hand to him and his brother after his father's incident, and he was very grateful and would definitely repay him when he grew up.

Yunjian was stunned for a moment.

He waved his hand and said indifferently: "Don't thank me, thank my comrade; my comrade's name is Gu Chenghuai."

After speaking, he raised his hand to touch his forehead and left unhurriedly.

Meng Jingmo muttered, "Gu... Cheng... Huai..."

He hadn't heard this name before; was it someone his father had saved?

Because of Yunjian's visit, the Meng brothers had a full meal.

Just after hiding the buns and biscuits, Yuan Qin, who had realized belatedly that she hadn't seen her sons all morning, came to find them.

Seeing the two children, she ran over, her expression worried and her eyes full of exhaustion, "Jingmo, Guangbai, why are you here? Come home with Mom quickly."

Meng Jingmo avoided her hand, his gaze cold, "Without Dad, that's not our home anymore."

A home was never just a cold container.

He looked at Yuan Qin, "Where's the money? I want money!"

Yuan Qin ignored Meng Jingmo's first sentence and coaxed him gently, "You go back with Mom first, and I'll give it to you when we get home."

Meng Jingmo wasn't led astray and repeated again, "I want money."

His eyes were stubborn.

Yuan Qin knew how stubborn her son's temperament was; if she didn't give it to him, he wouldn't say anything else to her.

She sighed and took out a stack of ten-yuan bills, "Here. Come back with me. You didn't eat breakfast either; don't you know you're hungry? Mom will cook noodles for you when we get back."

Meng Jingmo took the money, "Since when do we have a share of the noodles!"

Yuan Qin hurriedly explained, "Your grandma and the others aren't there; I'll cook noodles for you. You eat them quickly, and once they're in your stomachs, they won't say anything..."

She felt this was hollow even as she said it, and said uncomfortably: "If your grandma scolds you, don't go against her; just admit your mistakes."

Meng Jingmo wanted to laugh, and he really did laugh, his pitch-black eyes turning red from anger.

"I didn't do anything wrong, why should I admit it? My bones aren't that soft!"

Not wanting to argue with Yuan Qin anymore, he took the money and ran away, running very fast.

Xiaobai hurriedly followed, afraid his brother would abandon him, running at a new speed and soon leaving Yuan Qin behind.

"Jingmo! Guangbai!" Yuan Qin chased after them, shouting, but before long, she lost sight of the two children.

She stopped, panting heavily, her mouth tasting bitter, and she couldn't stop muttering, "Mom has no choice either; if you just endure it, things will get better, why won't you?"

Not long after, Yuan Qin left, looking lost.

She had never worried about money after getting married and didn't value money heavily; if her sons wanted it, she gave it to them, and the money her husband left behind was also theirs, so she wouldn't be greedy.

Once Yuan Qin left, Meng Jingmo brought his brother out of the dog hole, and the two ran toward the "wooden board house."

After hiding the money, Meng Jingmo's heart settled down a lot, "Xiaobai, with this money, brother can support you."

Xiaobai asked nervously and expectantly: "We're not going back?"

"I don't want to go back; I don't want brother to be beaten again." He lowered his head, his eyes full of fear.