Chapter 18: The Stolen Candy and a Desperate Cry

Chen Fen’s sharp cry instantly seized the attention of both Chen Guoliang and Cai Zhen.

More astute than Chen Fang, Chen Fen understood the gravity of the situation. There was a vast difference between swiping a bite of food—something children might do when hunger became unbearable—and stealing milk candy.

Milk candy, a luxury even the two adults of the Chen family seldom tasted, made her wonder: where had Chen Xiaohua possibly acquired it?

Cai Zhen fixed her gaze on Chen Xiaohua. “Did you eat milk candy?”

Chen Xiaohua’s face blanched with fear. She shook her head frantically, too terrified to speak.

“Mom, she smells faintly of milk candy! Just now, Erni touched her mouth and even tasted sweetness. It must be milk candy!” Chen Fen blurted out her conclusion.

“Come here!” Cai Zhen pulled Chen Xiaohua closer, bending down to sniff her. Indeed, a faint, sweet fragrance lingered, and Cai Zhen’s expression immediately turned grim.

In Xiang Chen’s original time, such a thing would have been unremarkable. Most children would have a milky scent about them, and children Chen Fang’s age often had various dairy products provided at home; a hint of milk was perfectly normal.

However, this was the 1960s, an era of severe material shortages. Milk coupons were exclusively for newborns. Many rural children, if their mothers’ milk was insufficient, were raised on thin grain gruel, never even tasting milk.

Thus, the barely perceptible milky scent on Chen Xiaohua was jarringly out of place. So much so that the moment Chen Fen and Cai Zhen caught a whiff, suspicion instantly bloomed.

Cai Zhen’s face was stern as she interrogated Chen Xiaohua. “Where did you get the candy?”

Chen Guoliang also frowned, his gaze serious. If she had truly stolen it from someone, and they came looking, it would fall to the adults to compensate.

Chen Xiaohua’s eyes reddened with fright. She bit her lip, unwilling to speak. She couldn’t tell them; her younger brother had told her not to say he gave her the candy, not to say anything.

“I asked you, where did it come from?!” When Chen Xiaohua remained silent, Cai Zhen’s temper flared. She grabbed the girl, spun her around, and slapped her backside.

Chen Xiaohua began to sob softly, tears streaming down her small face, yet she still refused to reveal the candy’s origin.

Seeing her stubborn silence, Cai Zhen let out an exasperated snort. She rained slap after slap onto Chen Xiaohua’s bottom and back. “Are you going to tell me or not? I’ll teach you not to speak…”

Xiang Chen could no longer bear to watch. He rushed forward, embracing Cai Zhen’s arm, and cried out, “I gave her the candy! Don’t hit her anymore!”

“You gave it to her?” Cai Zhen looked at Xiang Chen suspiciously. “Where did you get candy?”

Xiang Chen hesitated. Xu Hengzhou had given him the candy, but Xu Hengzhou had also instructed him not to mention knowing him. Naturally, he couldn’t expose him.

“My mother bought it for me,” Xiang Chen declared, gritting his teeth and craning his neck. “My real mother, not you!”

“What nonsense are you spouting!” Cai Zhen’s face contorted in anger. She raised her hand and slapped Xiang Chen on the head.

Xiang Chen had only intended to divert Cai Zhen’s fury, but he hadn’t expected her to strike him immediately. An adult’s slap was heavy, and the blow left Xiang Chen’s head spinning.

“Why are you hitting his head?” Chen Guoliang stepped forward to intervene, gripping Xiang Chen’s arm. “Dabao, apologize to your mother. And remember, you are a child of our family; you have no other mother.”

Xiang Chen’s head was still reeling. How could he apologize to Cai Zhen, who had just hit him? And `mother`? His real mother was wonderful, nothing like the wicked Cai Zhen.

He refused to lower his head or admit fault, which only enraged Cai Zhen further. She twisted Xiang Chen, preparing to strike him again.

Chen Guoliang merely frowned and said, “Don’t hit his head,” before letting go. He felt a certain fondness for Xiang Chen, but only on the premise that Xiang Chen was his son. If Xiang Chen kept dwelling on his original parents, Chen Guoliang wouldn’t protect him.

Xiang Chen received a sharp slap on the back from Cai Zhen, which snapped him back to his senses. He couldn’t break free, but unlike Chen Xiaohua, who only cried softly when hit, he immediately opened his throat and began to wail at the top of his lungs.

A child’s voice was naturally piercing, and Xiang Chen knew precisely how to cry in the most pitiful manner. His shrill wails quickly drew neighbors to their door.

Cai Zhen was about to cover his mouth, but before she could act, a loud *bang, bang, bang* echoed from outside. Xiang Chen’s cries instantly intensified.

Chen Guoliang felt mortified. Cai Zhen, her face dark, went to open the door. She had barely cracked it open when the neighbors pushed it wide.

“Oh my, what’s going on here? Why are the children crying like this?” Auntie Wu, their next-door neighbor, swept her gaze around the room as she entered. Both young children had tear-streaked faces.

“It’s nothing,” Cai Zhen said with a forced smile. “The children were disobedient, and after two slaps, they started crying. We’ve disturbed everyone.”

“Little ones don’t understand much,” Sister Pan, who lived next to Auntie Wu, interjected. “Just teach them properly, don’t hit them. Children’s bones are soft; it’d be terrible if you hurt them.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Cai Zhen hastily agreed, smiling. “I’ll talk to them properly later; I just lost my temper.” With that, she tried to usher the neighbors away.

Xiang Chen, however, dared not let his `rescuers` escape so easily. He didn’t believe Cai Zhen would let him off; she would surely `deal with him` once everyone was gone.

So, Xiang Chen frantically ran over, clutching Sister Pan, who had spoken kindly on his behalf. His tiny, milky voice still held a hint of a sob. “Auntie, I’m obedient. She wants to hit me, I’m scared…”

Seeing his little dumpling face so utterly wronged, Sister Pan’s heart instantly softened. She crouched down, intending to embrace Xiang Chen.

Upon witnessing this, Chen Fen shrieked, “He’s lying! He stole things! He stole our family’s food to eat! He’s a thief!”

Sister Pan’s outstretched hand froze. Being disobedient and stealing were not the same thing. All children had moments of disobedience, but stealing? No family would welcome such a child.

Xiang Chen also understood the consequences of being branded a `thief`. In the future, no one might believe anything he said. His face flushed as he tried to explain.

Cai Zhen, quick as a flash, grabbed Xiang Chen and clapped a hand over his mouth, all while saying, “He just arrived in our family; we haven’t had time to teach him properly…”

This was her way of distancing herself, implying that Xiang Chen’s thieving habits were taught by his original parents and had nothing to do with their family.

Xiang Chen was desperate. Not only was he being slandered, but his parents were also being maligned. He struggled, grunting and whimpering, trying to speak, but Cai Zhen held him in a death grip.

Neighbors’ gazes towards Xiang Chen were already shifting, becoming less sympathetic. Just then, someone spoke from behind them. “Why is everyone blocking the way here?”

The neighbors turned their heads to see Wu Guangming returning with the factory director’s child, accompanied by a middle-aged man in his forties, who appeared to be the new factory director. Their gathering had blocked the corridor in front of Chen Guoliang’s house, making it impossible for them to pass, which prompted Wu Guangming’s question.

The neighbors scattered, making way for the director, leaving Cai Zhen and Xiang Chen, who stood by the door, exposed to everyone’s view.

The moment Xiang Chen saw Xu Hengzhou, his eyes lit up. He gazed at him with a look of desperate pleading.

Xu Hengzhou had just returned from the cafeteria, having spent the entire walk back pondering how to subtly let Song Wenbin notice the small red mole on Xiang Chen’s hand.

However, as soon as he ascended the stairs, he found a crowd blocking Chen Guoliang’s doorway, and a sense of foreboding settled in his heart.

When the crowd dispersed, Xu Hengzhou saw Xiang Chen’s little dumpling face streaked with tears, a red mark on his forehead. He was being held by a woman who had her hand clamped over his mouth. A fiery rage instantly ignited within Xu Hengzhou.

Song Wenbin also noticed. He had always been fond of children, and seeing Xiang Chen’s miserable state, he interjected, “What’s wrong with the child?”

Cai Zhen was mortified to be seen in such a compromising situation by the new factory director, whom she was eager to impress. She seethed with hatred for Xiang Chen, vowing to `deal with him` thoroughly once the door was closed.

“Nothing much. The child was sneaking food and lying, so we’re just educating him.” Cai Zhen offered a forced smile, adopting Chen Fen’s narrative and directly saddling Xiang Chen with the blame.

The surrounding neighbors chimed in with various remarks about children needing proper education and not being allowed to go astray. If things continued this way, Xiang Chen might well be stuck with the reputation of a thief.

It wasn’t that the neighbors were foolish to believe Cai Zhen’s lie; it was because, despite some quirks, their family was generally considered trustworthy by the community.

Perhaps due to Cai Zhen’s background, believing her father was a cadre, she harbored a certain inexplicable pride. Consequently, she was particularly concerned with maintaining appearances among neighbors, usually presenting herself as a respectable person. Regardless of the children’s personalities, petty theft was certainly not a characteristic of their household.

In contrast, Xiang Chen was an adopted child, and the neighbors didn’t know he had been abducted. They would naturally wonder why his original parents had abandoned him.

With Cai Zhen’s words, the neighbors’ sympathies would naturally lean towards her family.

Though Song Wenbin felt pity for Xiang Chen, he didn’t understand the full situation. He assumed Xiang Chen was Chen Guoliang’s biological child and, hearing the neighbors’ corroboration, felt it was inappropriate to intervene.

Xiang Chen’s eyes were red from holding back. Xu Hengzhou’s face was grim, his hands clenched into fists. He wanted nothing more than to rush forward and pull Cai Zhen away, regardless of the consequences.

Just then, a tiny voice piped up from behind Cai Zhen: “Little brother didn’t steal anything, and he didn’t lie. Sister is lying.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?!” Chen Fen’s face flushed crimson as she slapped Chen Xiaohua across the face. The little girl lost her balance and fell to the ground.

The neighbors forgot everything else, rushing to help Chen Xiaohua amidst the sudden chaos. Xiang Chen also twisted his head anxiously, trying to see Chen Xiaohua.

No one noticed Xu Hengzhou secretly mouthing the words “human trafficker” to Xiang Chen. Though Xiang Chen didn’t fully understand, he blinked at Xu Hengzhou in a bewildered manner, indicating he had seen it.

Chen Xiaohua was helped up, a red handprint visible on her face. Auntie Wu, after checking that there were no other injuries, chided Chen Fen somewhat. “She’s just a little child. How could you, as her elder sister, use such a heavy hand?”

Chen Guoliang also reprimanded Chen Fen a few times. Chen Fen’s face was flushed, her gaze fleetingly darting towards the door. “She’s talking nonsense and slandering me! What’s wrong with me teaching her a lesson?!” she retorted indignantly.

“Shut up!” Cai Zhen’s face was extremely displeased. It was already embarrassing enough that disciplining a disobedient child had drawn neighbors, and now the new factory director had witnessed it. Cai Zhen was boiling with suppressed rage. Yet, her own family couldn’t keep quiet, making a spectacle for everyone to see.

Cai Zhen forced a smile. “The children are ill-behaved; you’ve all had a laugh at our expense. Please disperse, everyone. We haven’t even finished eating yet…”

Then, she turned to Song Wenbin with an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry to have bothered you.”

The crowd noticed the half-eaten steamed buns on the table, and seeing Cai Zhen’s humble posture, they began to turn and prepare to leave.

Xiang Chen realized this was bad. He saw Xu Hengzhou frequently giving him signals, and Cai Zhen’s grip had loosened slightly as she spoke, giving him an opportunity.

So, Xiang Chen broke free from Cai Zhen’s hand covering his face and shouted at the top of his lungs, “They’re not my parents! I was abducted by human traffickers!”