Chapter 63: An Unexpected Encounter at the Garment Factory

Qu Lianying repeatedly insisted it was impossible, then carefully recounted every detail to Lu Guoqing all over again.

She was absolutely certain that what she had seen earlier was not a hallucination caused by panic. Tongtong had genuinely changed.

Right, meat buns! Tongtong had still been holding a meat bun.

Qu Lianying pried open Lu Tongtong’s hand and took away the last bit of the meat bun she had not finished.

“Guoqing, look, wasn’t Tongtong still holding a meat bun just now? That proves I wasn’t lying. Tongtong really did change earlier.”

The moment the meat bun was taken away, Lu Tongtong seemed as if some seal had been lifted. She immediately twisted her face and burst into loud sobs.

“Waaah!”

Lu Tongtong cried loudly, waving her hands as she tried to snatch back the meat bun.

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Lu Guoqing quickly changed out of his white coat and dashed off to the state-run restaurant. But by the time he arrived, so much time had passed that the people inside were long gone.

Unwilling to give up, he circled the entrance of the state-run restaurant several times. When he still failed to spot Fang Mingxi, he finally walked back in disappointment.

……

Fang Mingxi and Tong Xueyan made their way to the largest garment factory in Tongluo County.

No one knew who Tong Xueyan had contacted by making a phone call along the roadside, but as soon as the two reached the gate, the guard let them in without so much as a question, allowing them straight into the factory.

A middle-aged man was already waiting inside. When he saw them, he said nothing and simply led them directly to the warehouse.

He took out a key, unlocked the warehouse door, and pointed to a pile of clothes near the entrance. “Comrades, those are all new styles. Take a look and pick whatever you like. Once you’re done, I’ll write you up an order.”

Tong Xueyan thanked him, then turned to Fang Mingxi. “Xixi, go see what you like. Take whatever you want here.” She loosened her grip and gestured for her to choose on her own.

What kind of over-the-top CEO line was that? Fang Mingxi’s eyes widened. “Really… take whatever I want?”

Tong Xueyan nodded firmly. “Don’t worry. Your older sister has money.” She patted her bulging purse, clearly unconcerned about funds.

With that said, Fang Mingxi did not hold back. She dove into the pile of clothes and picked out two neatly folded spring outfits.

One was a light blue shirt with a leaf pattern; the other was a brown, striped plaid jacket.

The weather had been gradually warming these past few days, and padded jackets would not be wearable for much longer. Most of the warehouse stock was new styles anyway. The two she chose were not eye-catching, nor were they brightly colored.

The designs were a bit novel, but once she got home and rolled them in some mud, it would not be easy to tell they were new.

Among the entire pile, these two were the most understated. The rest were all bright, colorful pieces, clothes Fang Mingxi could not wear and did not dare wear.

After choosing just the two, she stopped. She did not pick any pants either. Her grandmother had just made her two pairs a few days ago, and rotating through a few outfits was more than enough.

“Older sister, I’m done. I want just these two.”

Tong Xueyan raised an eyebrow. “That’s it? Xixi, I told you not to save money for your sister.”

Fang Mingxi shook her head, still refusing to pick more.

Children grew fast, and buying too many clothes meant they would not fit before long. In the blink of an eye, she would grow taller, and extra clothes would go to waste.

Of course, she could not say that outright, so she used her grandmother as an excuse. “I still have clothes. Grandma says you shouldn’t buy too many.”

Tong Xueyan paused, her hand hovering midair. After a moment of silence, she seemed to agree. Turning around, she picked out several bolts of fabric in more subdued colors, along with four sets of adult spring clothes.

Then she went to another box and selected a few outfits suitable for farm work, as well as several pairs of comfortable shoes good for climbing mountains.

“That’ll be all. Write me the ticket.”

The man standing nearby immediately took out paper and pen to calculate the total.

Tong Xueyan had taken at least ten sets of clothing, each costing between three and ten yuan. With the fabric and shoes added in, the final total came to exactly fifty yuan.

Tong Xueyan pulled out five large-denomination bills and fabric coupons and handed them over. The man accepted the money without counting it, wrote out a receipt, and gave it to her.

With so many clothes, Tong Xueyan naturally did not carry them away herself. Instead, she left the address of the inn and asked the man to have someone deliver the items.

The man readily agreed and promised the clothes would be delivered that very evening.

As they stepped out of the warehouse, Fang Mingxi and Tong Xueyan suddenly ran into two women walking toward them.

One was relatively young, dressed in a bright red padded jacket with a scarf around her neck. She carried a handbag and looked somewhat fashionable.

The other appeared to be in her forties, wearing a green padded coat. She looked energetic and full of vigor.

The middle-aged woman was in the middle of speaking when her peripheral vision caught sight of Fang Mingxi beside Tong Xueyan. She froze in shock, nearly biting her tongue.

“What’s wrong, Sister Qiu? Do you know them?” the younger woman asked with concern.

He Qiu snapped back to her senses despite the pain. “It’s nothing. I thought I saw someone I know.”

Qin Caiyun followed her line of sight and saw a young girl with a toddler just over a year old.

She immediately understood and assumed it was a relative He Qiu had come to meet. She stepped aside considerately. “Go on, Sister Qiu. I’ll wait here for you.”

“I’ll be right back,” He Qiu said, already hurrying toward Fang Mingxi.

Why was Xixi here? And why was she with a stranger? Had she been kidnapped by traffickers?

He Qiu’s heart pounded with unease, her greatest fear being that the person beside Fang Mingxi was a human trafficker.

Did Big Brother know about this? Tongluo County was at least several hours’ walk from Maple Leaf Brigade. How had she gotten here?

Qin Caiyun looked at Fang Mingxi, who was not much younger than her own daughter, her eyes filled with envy.

If only her daughter could be like this, such a well-behaved child, just looking at her brought joy.

But something crossed her mind, and her mood suddenly sank. Her gaze dropped to the ground, her thoughts a tangled mess.

If her daughter had not fallen ill, she would surely be just like this little girl now. She did not know if she would ever live to see that day.

He Qiu hurried over and blocked Fang Mingxi and Tong Xueyan, speaking directly to Fang Mingxi. “You’re Xixi, right?”

Tong Xueyan immediately stepped forward, shielding Fang Mingxi behind her as she eyed He Qiu warily. “Who are you?”

He Qiu did not have time to explain herself to Tong Xueyan. Her eyes were fixed on Fang Mingxi peeking out from behind her.

“Xixi, how did you end up here? Does Xiao Yu know? Does the Brigade Leader know?”