Chapter 366: Because You Can Take a Beating

mayiwsk

Li Ye had drunk too much and felt thirsty; he got up in the middle of the night for water and heard the pattering rain outside the window, realizing it had started raining again.

In July, Pengcheng was already very hot, but fortunately, the frequent rains helped dispel the oppressive heat and aided sleep.

The pattering rain sounded like a natural lullaby, comforting and soothing.

So after drinking water, Li Ye planned to sleep again—but a faint sobbing sound, mixed within the rain, reached his ears and disturbed his nerves.

Li Ye couldn't help but sigh.

"Sigh, women are such a hassle!"

Li Ye and Li Yue had stayed in Pengcheng for over ten days; Li Yue's exhaustion had vanished, and her spirit and vitality had improved several levels.

But she had a job in Jingcheng, and due to Yang Yu's connections, it was inconvenient to transfer her to Pengcheng—so in the end, she still had to leave reluctantly.

The night before her departure, Fu Guiru prepared a full table of delicious dishes, yet even that couldn't ease Li Yue's sadness.

Women's nature is like this: nagging, lingering, tears flowing like rivers at the slightest provocation—you simply can't do anything about it.

Fu Guiru could only soothe her with kind words, promising to visit Jingcheng often to see Li Ye and Li Yue, and adding that in two months, Fu Yiruo would enroll at Beijing University, making their bonds even closer.

After much persuasion, Li Yue finally calmed down; the whole family was happy and drank heartily.

They thought Li Yue had come to terms with it, but in the dead of night, she started crying again.

Then again, they hadn't seen each other for over a decade, and now they were parting once more—when they'd meet again was unknown; crying a little was normal.

But just as Li Ye pulled the blanket over his head to ignore it, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Because the faint sobbing came from the room on his left.

Li Yue slept on his right; the room on the left was occupied by Fu Yiruo.

Li Ye snapped alert, slipped on his clothes, and quietly walked to Fu Yiruo's door.

Indeed, faint sniffles came from inside.

Only because Li Ye's body was extraordinary could he hear such a faint, almost imperceptible sound.

Was she having a nightmare?

Li Ye knocked gently and whispered, "Yiruo? Yiruo, are you asleep?"

Fu Yiruo didn't answer, but the sobbing immediately stopped.

Clearly, Fu Yiruo wasn't dreaming.

Li Ye knocked twice more; receiving no reply, he gave up.

She was growing up; gender differences mattered—knocking on her door late at night was inappropriate.

But after this disturbance, Li Ye slept poorly the rest of the night and woke up the next day feeling sluggish.

Fu Yiruo was even worse—dark circles faintly shadowed her face.

The little girl silently packed Li Ye and Li Yue's luggage, saying not a word all morning; her occasional glances made Li Ye, despite his mature mental age, feel a pang of heartache.

So Li Ye sought out Fu Guiru and told her what had happened the night before.

Fu Guiru paused, then quietly asked Fu Yiruo what was wrong.

Fu Yiruo kept her head down, silent, but her desolate expression clearly showed something weighed on her heart.

No matter how much they pressed, Fu Yiruo refused to speak.

"Yiruo just doesn't want her sister to leave! It's fine—I'll stay another week."

Li Yue hugged Yiruo tenderly, planning to use the chance to linger at her mother's house for another week of meals.

After all, in Jingcheng, no one dared fire her—not even withhold her salary or bonus.

But Li Ye saw Yiruo's inner turmoil and asked softly, "Yiruo, do you want to come with us?"

Fu Yiruo looked up sharply at Li Ye, then nodded firmly.

Li Ye said gently, "Then why do you want to come with us? There must be a reason. Keeping it inside only leads us to misunderstand you."

Fu Yiruo opened her mouth, then lowered her head; after a moment, she spoke a sentence filled with sorrow, grievance, and struggle.

"I… I want to see my father."

Everyone froze; no one had expected Fu Yiruo to harbor such a thought.

"Only mother is good in this world; a child without a mother is like grass; a child without a father…"

Fu Yiruo had never seen her father since birth, but as a daughter, her admiration for him was innate.

Seeing Fu Guiru, Li Ye, and Li Yue all stunned, Fu Yiruo looked like a child who had done something wrong, helpless.

Yet she still held out one finger: "Just one look. Just one look is enough."

Fu Guiru ultimately couldn't refuse Fu Yiruo's persistence and agreed to her wish to "see her father once"—but only once.

So after enduring her mother's one hundred and eighty reminders, Fu Yiruo, like a bird freed from its cage, cheerfully boarded the northbound train with Li Ye and Li Yue.

"Brother, the mainland is really this vast! It took a whole day and night to reach Da Jiang—how long would it take to get to the far north?"

Three days and three nights! A great nation's fundamental condition is vast land and abundant resources. Places like Lijiapō, even with geographical advantages, can never become a superpower.

"Mm-hmm, you're right, brother."

After asking Li Ye, Fu Yiruo turned to her sister, chattering: "Sis, is Dad taller or shorter than Brother? Is he handsome?"

Li Yue sighed. "Didn't you see the photo?"

Fu Yiruo pouted. "But that photo is over ten years old—I just want to ask."

Li Yue had no choice but to reply vaguely: "Dad's been through a lot—his hair's gone mostly white, his face darker, but he's still strong."

"Dark skin doesn't matter; hair can be cared for; strength is what counts."

Fu Yiruo dreamed all the way, the train clattering as they reached the provincial capital of Dongshan.

Before getting off, Li Ye told Fu Yiruo: "Remember, under no circumstances can you leave my sight or your sister's—even when using the toilet, you must go with your sister. There are too many child snatchers here; if you're taken, you'll never see Mom again."

Although the 1983 crackdown had improved mainland security significantly, it still paled compared to decades later—Li Ye had to be cautious.

Fu Yiruo nodded vigorously like a chick pecking grain, promising to obey her brother and sister completely.

After calling Jin Peng ahead of time, Li Ye easily borrowed a 212 Jeep.

Though the 212 was inferior to Volgas or Santanas, in this era, it was still unquestionably a "luxury car" on the road.

Li Ye drove the car to the entrance of the Qingshui County fertilizer plant and parked in a suitable spot.

Then he told Fu Yiruo: "Later, Dad will finish work and come out of this factory—just take one look."

Fu Yiruo nodded eagerly, whispering, "I know, Brother. One look is enough—I won't cause trouble."

At five p. ., the fertilizer plant workers clocked out.

Fu Yiruo pressed her face against the Jeep window, asking repeatedly: "Which one? Which one?"

Li Ye pointed to Li Kaibian. "That tall guy pushing the motorcycle—that's him."

"Dad's really tall!"

"Sis, you're wrong—he's not dark at all, and he's really handsome!"

Fu Yiruo's voice trembled.

Though Li Kaibian had aged, his Dongshan man's frame remained, and years in the military had forged his presence; riding a red Xingfu 250 motorcycle, he truly looked cool.

In short, Li Kaibian's image perfectly matched Fu Yiruo's lifelong fantasy of a father.

After all, she grew up in Malaysia, where men like Ah Niu and Guang Liang were common, but hard men like Li Kaibian were rare.

Yet as Li Kaibian rode his red "cannon" away with a "putt-putt-putt," Fu Yiruo couldn't get enough.

She begged Li Ye again: "Brother, chase after him—I just want to see him one more time. Just one more look."

Li Ye pursed his lips, hesitating: "Yiruo, Mom already explained the difficulties. One look and two looks are the same—don't cause trouble."

Having grown close to Li Ye, Fu Yiruo pouted and held up two fingers, her voice full of grievance: "Just two looks. After that, we'll leave—I'll never see him again."

Li Ye still hesitated, but Li Yue suddenly shifted over from the passenger seat.

"Get in the back. I'll drive. You're acting like a wimp."

Li Ye was shoved into the back seat and had no choice but to yield to these two women.

Li Yue slammed the accelerator, and the Jeep rumbled after them.

Seeing Li Kaibian turn onto the road to Xicheng, Li Yue pressed harder.

But as soon as the 212 turned onto the same road, they saw Li Kaibian had stopped by the roadside, watching them warily.

Li Ye immediately said: "He spotted us—go!"

Fu Yiruo gasped: "What? How did he spot us?"

Li Ye snapped: "Dad's a reconnaissance soldier from a field unit—he's fought the Russians up north. Do you think he's some peasant? We chased him too hard—he noticed."

Li Yue knew Li Kaibian's prowess; she quickly turned east, hoping to escape the former border reconnaissance platoon leader's gaze.

But this only screamed guilt—Li Kaibian immediately sped after them on his motorcycle.

Worse, he broke all safety limits, executing a dangerous "lean turn" at the corner.

Fu Yiruo turned back, watching through the Jeep's rear window as Li Kaibian leaned into the turn, her mouth forming a perfect "O." "Dad's so cool!"

Cool your sister!

The 212 couldn't outpace the Xingfu 250 on the road, and Li Yue dared not race her father further—what if she crashed? It'd be a disaster!

She pulled over quickly and told Fu Yiruo: "Yiruo, you and I stay quiet—let your brother handle this."

Li Ye stared at his sister in shock. "Why me?"

Li Yue glanced at him, matter-of-factly: "Because you're sneaky—you can lie your way out, and even if you can't, you can take a beating!"

(End of Chapter)