Chapter 13
Wu Fan was on the verge of tears, desperate. How could this have happened? The money, which he had sacrificed his dignity for, was gone. What could he do for his mother?
Mother? Wu Fan felt a shock and began searching for his mother.
"She was here just a few minutes ago, maybe she went to the bathroom?" suggested a kind security guard, pointing to a row of chairs by the window.
Wu Fan rushed inside but couldn't find his mother.
"Ah, I know, she's a bit crazy, like you said. She went out earlier, I even saw her get into someone's delivery truck. I thought it was a family member of the driver!" said a middle-aged man, noticing Wu Fan searching the lobby.
"What? She got into a truck? Do you know the driver?" Wu Fan asked, frantic.
"Haha, I don't know him. I just watched her because she seemed a little crazy!" The man shook his head and walked away.
Wu Fan exited the hospital, questioning everyone, but he received no new information about his mother. He then decided to go to the nearby police station to ask for help.
"After the truck stopped, your mother got out quietly, then walked away and left the city. There are no cameras around there, so it will be difficult to track her!" explained a policeman after reviewing the footage.
"She's on her way back, she must remember the route. I have to go find her!" Wu Fan declared before running out of the police station and heading towards his hometown village, Taoyuan.
However, he found no sign of his mother on the way, which made him more and more anxious, his blood pressure rising and his head buzzing.
"Ding ding ding!" At that moment, his old second-hand phone rang again.
"The Mayor!" Seeing that it was Liu Tiansheng calling, Wu Fan had a bad feeling.
"Wu Fan, your mother is already back! She got into Tie Niu's tractor. He saw her wandering and, concerned for her, offered her a ride. You said you had to take her to the hospital, right? Did you go?" Liu Tiansheng asked casually.
"She's back, that's great! Mayor, something happened…" Wu Fan, relieved, briefly told him what had happened, omitting the humiliations at the Lin family's house.
On the one hand, he didn't want to embarrass himself, and on the other hand, the villagers wouldn't be able to help; it would only add to their pain.
After hanging up, Wu Fan hailed a truck and headed back to Taoyuan.
He still had ten kilometers of mountain roads to cover before reaching his home from the main road.
These ten kilometers were difficult to navigate; only tractors could slowly make the journey. Motorcycles couldn't manage because of the mud and water making the road slippery.
Wu Fan had to struggle through the mountain.
No matter what happened, his father was already lost, but he couldn't let his mother go. He had to be by her side, even if it meant staying forever in this isolated village.
An hour later, he finally arrived in his hometown.
"Wu Fan, you're back! Good, good, you can stay with your mother. We're leaving!" Mayor Liu Tiansheng gestured for the others to leave as he saw Wu Fan return.
The message was clear: the family needed time to reunite, or Wu Fan, the son-in-law, would be in an uncomfortable situation.
In the countryside, those who became sons-in-law were often looked down upon.
A common saying goes, "A good man doesn't marry behind," meaning that those who choose this path are often seen as failures who can't even fit into rural life.
Although everyone knew Wu Fan had become a son-in-law to save his father, a certain resentment lingered.
Meanwhile, at Tianya Cosmetics, Lin Miao pointed at Lei Meng, who was standing before her, and exclaimed, "I told you not to kill him, but your men still tried to! Now I'm hearing that he's run off to Taoyuan. What will we do if he talks about our business out of spite? You're pushing him into a corner like a trapped rat!"
"Haha, don't worry. No matter where he runs, I'll make sure he stays silent forever!" Lei Meng retorted with a mocking sneer.