Chapter 237 Young Woman
The young woman sitting with Deng Shirong and her son were eating the most common fare—sweet potatoes.
Opposite them sat an elderly couple in their 50s or 60s. They had brought white porridge with pickles, and one of them even had a boiled egg.
As the couple peeled their eggs, the four or five-year-old boy, who had been sitting quietly, stared at the eggs with longing in his eyes.
The elderly couple exchanged glances, and finally, the old lady broke her boiled egg in half and handed one piece to the little boy, saying, "Child, take this and eat it."
The boy's face lit up, and he instinctively reached out. But halfway through, he hesitated and looked up at his mother, asking, "Mom?"
If it were just the young woman, she would have declined the offer. Life was hard for everyone in this era, and eggs weren't something people could afford to eat often.
But as a mother, seeing the eagerness in her son's eyes, she couldn't refuse. She nodded reluctantly and said, "Hurry up and thank grandma."
With his mother's approval, the boy smiled, took the egg, and said, "Thank you, grandma!"
The old lady smiled warmly, "You're welcome, child. Eat up!"
Even though the boy was clearly hungry, he still offered the egg to his mother first, saying, "Mom, you eat it."
The young woman's heart swelled with both joy and sorrow at her son's thoughtfulness. She replied softly, "Mom doesn't want it. You eat it."
The boy nodded and began eating the egg with relish.
Deng Shirong observed this scene quietly.
After a moment's thought, he reached into his sack and pulled out an oil-paper bag. Of course, this was just a cover—the bag had actually been retrieved from his system space.
Inside the bag were six large meat buns.
Deng Shirong picked up two of the buns and handed them to the little boy, saying, "Child, these are for you. Share them with your mother."
The boy, still savoring the rare treat of an egg, looked curiously at the buns and asked, "Uncle, what are these?"
In later generations, even toddlers would recognize buns, but in this era, especially in rural areas, many children had never seen or eaten them. This was particularly true in the South, where pasta wasn't a staple.
Deng Shirong smiled, "These are meat buns. They're delicious."
Before the boy could respond, the young woman interjected, "Uncle, these are too precious. Please keep them for yourself."
Deng Shirong shook his head, "I have plenty. In this weather, the buns won't last long. If we don't eat them now, they'll go bad tomorrow, and that would be a waste. So don't be polite. Take them for your child."
Originally, Deng Shirong had planned to keep to himself during the journey. After all, the people on the train were strangers he'd likely never see again. But seeing the young woman and her son in such difficult circumstances, and witnessing the elderly couple's kindness, he felt compelled to help.
After some hesitation, the young woman accepted the buns, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you, uncle."
Deng Shirong then handed two more buns to the elderly couple across from him, saying with a smile, "Cousin, you two should try these as well. Two buns are enough for me."
The elderly couple was taken aback. The old man shook his head, "Uncle, we can't take these. At your age, you need more than two buns to fill you up."
Deng Shirong insisted, stuffing the buns into their hands. "Two years ago, when I was doing hard labor, two buns wouldn't have been enough. But I haven't done that kind of work in a while, so my appetite's smaller now. Besides, I've got plenty of other food. I won't go hungry."
Reluctantly, the old man and his wife accepted the buns. "Well… thank you, Cousin."
With that, everyone began eating the buns with great relish.
For the little boy, it was likely his first time tasting meat buns. Despite his young age, he devoured them eagerly, exclaiming, "Mom, these buns are so delicious!"
Even in later generations, meat buns were a beloved treat, let alone in this era of scarcity. For both city dwellers and rural folk, they were a rare delicacy. The boy's reaction was entirely understandable.
Fortunately, Deng Shirong had prepared for such situations. Over the past year, he had stored both hot and cold food in his system space. The buns he handed out now were from the cold food section. Otherwise, it would have been suspicious to produce steaming hot buns in such a setting.
This small act of kindness broke the ice, and the group began to chat more freely.
Through their conversation, Deng Shirong learned that the elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Chen, were also heading to Beijing to visit their youngest son and his family.
As for the young woman, surnamed Jiang, her story was a tragic one, reminiscent of the plots often seen in TV dramas.
In short, she had fallen in love with a male educated youth who had been sent to her production team. However, the young man had no intention of settling in the countryside, and his parents opposed him marrying a rural woman. After the college entrance exams resumed, he passed the exam and was admitted to a technical college in Beijing.
In this era, university graduates were guaranteed jobs, but no one knew where they'd be assigned. With his future bright and his horizons expanded, it was no surprise that the young man had moved on, leaving Jiang behind.
After he left, Jiang discovered she was pregnant.
In this era, premarital pregnancy was heavily stigmatized. Though Jiang didn't elaborate, Deng Shirong and the Chens could imagine the hardships she must have endured in her village.
Aunt Chen asked gently, "Xiao Jiang, did you keep in touch with the child's father after he left for college?"
Jiang shook her head, her eyes downcast. "After he left, he never wrote to me."
Aunt Chen sighed, "It's been so long since you've been in contact. How do you plan to find him?"
Jiang bit her lip. "Another educated youth who worked in our village came back to visit last month. I got his address from him. I'm sure I can find him."
Aunt Chen pressed, "Xiao Jiang, what do you hope to achieve by finding him? Do you want to start over?"
Jiang shook her head, her eyes red. "He's already married. I'm only going to talk to him about our son. I can't provide a good life for him. He's been bullied in the village. As his father, he should take responsibility."
Deng Shirong understood her reasoning. Though he doubted the man would acknowledge his son, Jiang's attempt was her only hope of improving her child's life. Whether it succeeded or not, it was worth trying.
Aunt Chen shared Deng Shirong's skepticism. She didn't believe the man, who had walked away so easily years ago, would now take responsibility. More likely, he'd deny everything to protect his current family.
Of course, these were just assumptions. No one could predict how the man would react upon seeing Jiang and their son.
...
On the sixth day of the seventh lunar month, Deng Shirong arrived in Beijing for the third time.
As they stepped out of the station, the bustling cityscape overwhelmed Jiang. Panic flickered in her eyes.
This was her first time traveling so far from home. Nanning had already been a shock, but Beijing was on an entirely different scale. Without the help of kind strangers, she and her son would have struggled to even find the train station and buy tickets.
Now, faced with the capital's overwhelming size and complexity, finding the man with just an address seemed an insurmountable challenge.
Aunt Chen, ever kind-hearted, noticed Jiang's distress. "Xiao Jiang, you're unfamiliar with this place, and carrying luggage and a child makes it even harder. Why don't you come with us to my son's place first? We can help you look for him afterward."
Jiang was touched by the offer but hesitated. She didn't want to impose. After a moment, she declined, "Thank you, Auntie, but I don't want to trouble you. I'll manage on my own."
Aunt Chen wanted to insist but thought better of it. Bringing a stranger home might cause tension with her daughter-in-law. Instead, she patted the boy's head and advised, "Be careful, then. If you run into trouble, ask the police for help."
"Thank you, Auntie. I will."
Having spent several days together on the train, and being fellow Guangxi natives, Deng Shirong couldn't stand by. He said, "Xiao Jiang, I've been to Beijing a few times and know my way around. If you trust me, I'll help you find the child's father."
Aunt Chen, relieved that someone was stepping in, quickly added, "Xiao Jiang, please accept his help. With Uncle Deng's assistance, we'll feel much better about your situation."
After a moment's hesitation, Jiang nodded. "Thank you, Uncle Deng. Thank you so much."
End of Chapter.