At half past ten in the evening, they finally arrived at Xixiang Village.
The night was very dark, and all the houses in the village had their lights extinguished; it was very quiet.
Su Ding pulled Wang Siwei along and knocked on Xu Xiufen's door. It took a long time for it to open.
"Who is it?" Xu Xiufen asked impatiently, pulling on her coat.
"Great-aunt, it's Siwei," Wang Siwei stepped forward, took Xu Xiufen's hand, and lifted his small face to look at her.
Xu Xiufen hadn't noticed a child initially. Upon seeing her clearly, she was stunned.
"Siwei, why are you here? Who is this? Where's your mother?"
She hugged Wang Siwei tightly and asked repeatedly.
Su Ding's face was cold. "The girl Xu Rong asked you to look after, is she in your house?"
Xu Xiufen's expression changed slightly, and she looked at Su Ding warily. "Who are you?"
Perhaps it was Su Ding's intensely sharp gaze, carrying an oppressive aura, that made rural women like Xu Xiufen uneasy.
"Great-aunt, this is my mom's friend, Aunt Su."
Wang Siwei broke the tense atmosphere, rubbing his hands. "Is Little Rui here? Hurry and let us in, this is Little Rui's mother."
As he spoke, he firmly took Xu Xiufen's hand and walked into the yard.
Xu Xiufen, who usually doted on this little one, naturally did not refuse, still sizing up Su Ding with a vigilant gaze.
It was a typical farmhouse yard, with vegetables planted within.
The courtyard was not large. Entering the living room from the main door, the three rooms on the east were all for living. The master bedroom had its light on.
"Little Rui! Little Rui!"
Wang Siwei began calling as soon as he entered the yard, genuinely wanting to see his good friend safe.
Xu Xiufen quickly covered Wang Siwei's mouth. "My little ancestor, I just coaxed the child to sleep. We can talk about this tomorrow."
"Auntie, Little Rui is in the room," Wang Siwei said to Su Ding.
Su Ding ignored everything else and pushed the door open.
The moment she stepped into the bedroom, she saw the little face sleeping soundly on the kang. Her daughter!
Little Rui!
Her tears could not be held back and welled up in her eyes. Her nose felt sore, and she quickly stepped forward.
She gently touched her daughter's face, leaned down, and kissed her. Her heart finally settled down.
Xu Xiufen watched all this, confirming that Su Ding was not someone who would harm the girl.
"Daughter, if you have something to say, come out and talk."
Seeing Xu Xiufen wave to her, Su Ding got up and went over, arriving in the living room.
After sitting down, Xu Xiufen gave her a cup of hot water.
Wang Siwei took the opportunity to sneak into the room to see Su Xiaorui. He didn't disturb her rest, only gazing at her intently.
In the living room, Su Ding asked first, "How long has she been with you?"
"About a month or so. Are you this child's mother?"
Su Ding nodded. "What did Xu Rong tell you about this child's origin?"
Xu Xiufen sighed. "She didn't say much, just asked me to look after the child and gave me living expenses. She told me not to ask too many questions."
She had originally thought it was her niece's illegitimate daughter.
Su Ding understood. Xu Rong had hidden Xiao Rui in the countryside, away from everyone's eyes. She couldn't find her even if she tried.
In Shao Lin's eyes, Xiao Rui was still a bargaining chip she could use against her.
Now, she absolutely could not alert the enemy!
"In this past month, has Xu Rong asked about this child?" Su Ding asked.
Xu Xiufen shook her head. "No, she hasn't. She left the child here and didn't care about her."
Based on the timeline, Su Ding inferred that Xiao Rui had indeed been held by Shao Lin for a period, precisely to threaten her on her sickbed not to escape. xxs1
Later, Xiao Rui was transferred here.
"Why would you hand the child over to Xu Rong, to the countryside? This little girl is so young, don't you feel heartbroken?" Xu Xiufen, having developed some affection for the girl during the past days of care, couldn't help but complain.
Su Ding glanced at Xu Xiufen, seeing the genuine concern in her eyes, and her attitude softened.
"I have matters to attend to, and she would be in danger if she stayed with me."
After explaining, the heavy stone weighing on Su Ding's heart remained. Shao Lin absolutely must not know that she had found Xiao Rui.
What should she do?