branch plum blossom

Chapter 16
It was already dark, and the boundless darkness enveloped the stone house halfway up the mountain.

"Baimei? Baimei?"

Qin Yulan's voice came in from outside the house, waking Baimei from her sleep.

The door opened with a "squeak".

Qin Yulan's vague figure flashed in lightly, and the two small shadows behind her were Bai Feng Bai Yue in turn.

Baimei got up quickly, and before Qin Yulan turned on the light, she quickly slipped out through the back door like a loach.

She doesn't know how to face Qin Yulan now.

She was afraid to see the sadness and helplessness in her eyes.

Every gleam of sadness in Qin Yulan's eyes can make Baimei's young heart grow up with overload.

This kind of growth is accompanied by endless pains, pains that make people unable to breathe.

If she could choose, Baimei would not be forced to grow up so fast.

"Mom, I'm afraid."

Bai Yue pulled Qin Yulan's clothes and nervously followed Qin Yulan's steps in the dark room.

"Bai Yue, be good, don't be afraid, my brother is here!"

Bai Feng took Bai Yue's tender hand, and with a slightly trembling voice, tried his best to show his responsibility as an older brother.

"Snapped!"

Qin Yulan touched the corner of the bed, found the rope, and turned on the lamp.

The weak light barely illuminated the small room.

Empty.

"Mom, sister, you're not here."

Bai Feng and Bai Yue said in unison, extremely disappointed.

"Ah."

Qin Yulan's expectant eyes dimmed the moment the light came on.

Originally thought that Baimei would be here, but she didn't.

Qin Yulan's darkened eyes kept flickering with uneasiness.

Where will Baimei go?
Could she do something stupid with her stubborn temper?

Thinking of what stupid things Baimei might do, Qin Yulan became extremely anxious.

"Baimei, you silly girl, where have you been? I'm so anxious!"

Qin Yulan looked out the dark window in bewilderment, stomping her feet, tears welling in her eyes.

In her opinion, this is the only place Baimei can come to, other than that, she really doesn't know where to find her.

"Mom, will my sister let the tiger take it away?"

Bai Yue looked at Qin Yulan, pursed her lips, and asked weepingly.

In the past, every time Bai Yue was disobedient, they would threaten her. If she was disobedient, the tiger would come and take her away.

"Hey, don't talk nonsense, if it dares to take away sister, I'll punch it!"

Bai Feng raised his fist without responsibility, and yelled at Bai Yue angrily.

In Bai Feng's eyes, his relatives are inviolable. If anyone dares to bully Bai's mother and sisters, he will fight desperately with them.

Neither can tigers!
"Woo-wow-"

Bai Yue, who was sobbing, was already on the verge of crying, but was startled by Bai Feng's unusually fierce expression just now, and screamed and wailed.

"Bai Feng, don't fool Bai Yue!"

Qin Yulan clasped her knuckles lightly on Bai Feng's head as a punishment.

"Who told her that her sister was taken away by a tiger?"

Bai Feng pouted angrily.

"I"

Bai Yue wanted to defend herself, but she was just guessing, but, after all, she was only four years old, her language organization and expression skills were far from perfect, her little face was flushed with anxiety, and tears were about to fall down again.

"Okay, okay, your sister may go to your uncle's house... or someone else's house, and she won't be taken away by the tiger."

Qin Yulan was slightly distracted by the quarrel between the two children, but she was not as worried as before.

Not finding Baimei here, the first place Qin Yulan thought of was her natal family, and then denied her stupid idea.

How could a child with such a heart like Baimei go to find Gao Xiubi?

Qin Yulan's parents died when she was very young, and she grew up with her elder brother Qin Yu.

Before Qin Yucheng married his daughter-in-law, Qin Yulan was doing well, with her brother taking care of her.

But ever since Qin Yucheng married a daughter-in-law, Qin Yulan's life has been difficult.

Gao Xiubi is a woman with a face full of flesh. She usually beats or scolds Qin Yulan, and Qin Yucheng can't do anything about it.

Qin Yulan had just turned 20 years old, and she hurriedly married her to the orphan Bai Wu.

After getting married, except for going back to see Qin Yucheng during the Chinese New Year, Qin Yulan basically would not step on her threshold of Gao Xiubi at other times.

Even when Bai Wu died, Gao Xiubi just came over to look at it pretendingly, snorted disdainfully in her nose, and never cared about the life and death of Qin Yulan and her mother.

Once, Qin Yucheng secretly came to work for Qin Yulan for half a day. After returning, Gao Xiubi didn't let Qin Yucheng in for a whole day and night.

"Brother, don't worry about us, I don't want you to have a bad life!"

Qin Yulan is also a person with backbone, she said to Qin Yucheng stubbornly.

"Lan'er, this."

Qin Yucheng grabbed his hair and kept moaning.

"Brother, this is my life, don't worry about it, our mothers won't starve to death."

Since then, Qin Yuguo has never been to Qin Yulan's house.

This is also clean!

Thinking of this, Qin Yulan felt much more at ease in her melancholy heart.

"She's not here, oh, let's go, let's go back."

Qin Yulan looked around the room, but she still didn't find Baimei, and her mood fell to the bottom, pulling Baifeng Baiyue, and she was about to turn off the lights.

"Mom, shall we live here tonight? Okay? I don't want to go back there."

Bai Feng raised his head and looked at Qin Yulan pitifully.

"Me too, Mom, I don't want to go there, I'm afraid."

When mentioning the house down the mountain, the terrifying faces of Liu Shibi and Bai Gui made Bai Yue's calf tremble.

"No! Now, there is our home! Come, follow me!"

Qin Yulan ordered without rebuttal.

"No!"

Bai Feng Baiyue clawed at the door frame, crying, unwilling to take a step.

After all, they are all children, and they have the same twists and stubbornness that children should have, but, sometimes, they are forced to restrain themselves.

"Be obedient, let's go!"

Qin Yulan forcefully dragged the two children away.

Listening to Qin Yulan's scolding voice gradually going away and Bai Feng Baiyue's crying voice gradually weakening, Baimei's heart was tormented.

At this moment, she really wanted to run out, hold Qin Yulan's hand, and snuggle into her arms like before, feeling the unique smell of a mother.

Baimei leaned against the stone wall, biting her lip, tears streaming down her face.

"Woooooo."

When Qin Yulan and the others' voices completely disappeared into the night sky, Baimei let go of the restraint and cried out.

The night sky pressed the entire darkness to Baimei's shoulders that were constantly twitching from crying.

It was overwhelming for her.

Baimei slid and sat on the ground weakly, cold air penetrated into her bone marrow.

"Baimei, Baimei."

A crisp sound rang in Baimei's ear.

"dad."

Bai Mei opened her eyes, and the hale and hearty Bai Wu was standing in front of her, looking at her with a smile.

The sun rose, and although there was no temperature, it still sprinkled light on the earth.

"dad."

Baimei curled up in the corner of the wall, the corner of her mouth kept muttering.

"Baimei, you have to take good care of your mother and younger siblings. You promised me, have you forgotten?" Dad gently stroked Baimei's head, his face full of love.

"Ok, I know!"

Baimei wiped her tears with the back of her hand, pursed her lips, and nodded.

"Okay, then I can rest assured."

When Baimei wanted to feel more about her father's heavy support, her father's smiling face gradually began to blur, and disappeared after a while.

"father!"

Baimei cried and woke up.

"Dad, I will take good care of my mother and younger siblings."

Baimei wiped her tears, fetched a bucket of water from the well, washed her face and hands, and walked down the mountain.

In any case, she has to fulfill her promise to her father.

Even if the road ahead is full of thorns, she will not hesitate.

(End of this chapter)