Lü Qing took Yushui into his arms, helped wipe away her tears, and said, "There, there, little sister, don't cry. Big Brother is back, and from now on, life is going to be good." He Yushui nodded, still sobbing, and didn't say anything more.
At that, Lü Qing straightened up and said to his younger brother and sister, "Zhuzi, Yushui, I need to tell you both about a few things now. Once you hear them, keep them strictly to yourselves. Don't show it, and don't breathe a word to anyone outside. Understand?" The two of them nodded, sensing a rare solemnity in their eldest brother.
Lü Qing said, "Zhuzi, you've told me about the people and matters in the Siheyuan, and it seems this First Uncle has been taking good care of you. I'm going to ask you a few questions, and you must answer honestly without a single lie." Shazhu nodded.
Lü Qing asked, "Zhuzi, did Father leave you any money and a letter when he left?" He Yuzhu replied, "He didn't leave a thing. The money at home consisted of whatever loose change was lying around, adding up to less than thirty yuan in total. As for grain, there were only twenty or thirty catties of leftover coarse cornmeal and the like, which were kept in Yushui's room."
Lü Qing asked again, "When did you find out that Father had run off? Did he ever mention going to Baocheng to you?"
He Yuzhu said, "The noon Father ran away, I was working at Fengzeyuan when First Uncle Yi Zhonghai came running over to tell me that Dad had eloped with the White Widow and gone to Baocheng, abandoning both me and Yushui, and that only Yushui was left crying at home.
I went back with him to the Siheyuan, and sure enough, Dad was gone, along with all his clothes and belongings. Only Yushui was crying. I checked the usual hiding spot for our money, and apart from the property deed and less than thirty yuan, there was nothing."
Lü Qing continued, "When did you and Yushui go to Baocheng to look for Dad?" Shazhu said, "I wanted to take Yushui and set off in pursuit right away, but First Uncle held me back, saying that even if we went now, we wouldn't catch up.
Besides, since we didn't have Dad's address in Baocheng, going would be a wasted trip. He told me to wait a few days while he asked a friend of his in Baocheng to find out Dad's address, and then I could go.
It wasn't until the third day that we went to Baocheng. We didn't get to see Dad; the White Widow drove us away, saying Dad didn't want us anymore, didn't want to see us, and that we shouldn't ever go looking for him again."
A sudden clarity came over Lü Qing. With a serious expression, he said to Shazhu, "Zhuzi, I have already been to see Dad, and after my own investigation, there are some things I need to tell you both." He Yushui asked, "Big Brother, did you really see Dad? Does he really not want us anymore?"
Lü Qing said, "Yes, I went to see Dad. He didn't abandon you, and he had unavoidable hardships that forced him to go to Baocheng."
Shazhu said emotionally, "I don't believe it! Back then he left without a word, and when I went to Baocheng, he wouldn't even see me!" Lü Qing said, "Zhuzi, don't get worked up. Listen carefully to what Big Brother has to say."
With that, Lü Qing pulled the remittance receipts given by He Daqing out of his pocket and asked, "Zhuzi, take a look at these.
Starting from 1952, he wrote letters and sent living expenses every single month—ten yuan a month, sometimes an extra five yuan during holidays. The recipient's name on all of them is yours. Did you never receive these letters and money?"
Shazhu shook his head, saying, "That's impossible! I never received any of this!" He took the slips and looked them over. Sure enough, the earliest ones dated back to 1952, and they continued all the way up to this very month. Shazhu stood there completely dumbfounded.
Lü Qing went on, "Zhuzi, let me tell you something else: when Dad left back then, he left behind a letter, two hundred yuan, and some grain. He even reserved a job position at the Rolling Mill for you so you could take over his shift and become a regular worker straight away. Do you believe me now?"
Shazhu was so stunned at this point his mind was practically blank. He had never heard a word about any of this before, but looking at these receipts, he had no choice but to believe it. Remembering the bitter hardships they had endured back then,
he looked at Lü Qing with reddened eyes and asked, "What on earth is going on here?" Even little Yushui looked at Lü Qing through tear-misted eyes, desperate for the answer.