Jing Zhi noticed that after that night Shi Sheng seemed a little off. She would always be absent-minded. When he asked about her thoughts, she would only answer with a one-liner.
“Xi Xi,” Jing Zhi went to Shi Sheng. Before he could say anything, the main entrance was barged open by someone out of the blue. Zhu Feng rushed in with urgency.
“Young Master Jing, something’s happened.”
Jing Zhi’s brows furrowed, “what it is?”
“It’s Ye An... Ye An and Ye Ran,” Zhu Feng trying to catch a breath while pointing outside, “Someone insisted that Ye An is their son. Now they want to take him away.”“Bring me there,” Shi Sheng said without an expression while walking toward the main entrance.
Zhu Feng hurriedly led the way.
Ye An was at a marketplace, where they bartered supplies with freedom. It was an area flooded with people.
On their way here, Zhu Feng had already told Shi Sheng when they passed by there.
Today they were going to roam around in that area and Ye An wanted to go out so they brought Ye An with them. Who knew they would meet a couple that stopped Ye An, saying that Ye An and Ye Ran were their son and daughter.
The couple started to make a scene after Ye An told them he did not know them.
Shi Sheng squeezed her way into the crowd, immediately recognizing the couple in dirty clothes. Though their faces were thinner, it was still recognizable that they were the ones on the album of the bakery.“Sister.” Ye An hid behind Shi Sheng as soon he could when he saw Shi Sheng came.
“Who are you? Give me my son back!” The woman reached her hand to drag Ye An, “This is my son! You human traffickers, give me my son back!”
Shi Sheng took a step back while protecting Ye An, looked coldly at the woman, “Your son?”
The woman felt guilty unconsciously due to Shi Sheng’s exceptionally cold attitude, but recalling that they were her children, she convinced herself there was nothing to feel guilty about.
“They are my children. His name is Ye An, born on the 6th of May in 2014; and her name is Ye Ran, born on the 15th of October, 2012.” The woman shouted at the top of her lungs, “You give me my children back.”
The spectators began to whisper about it the moment they heard that.
“From what I see, these children do look a little like them. Are they really her children?”
“Yeah... they do look alike.”
“Look at these kids, cleanly clothed and fully fed, doesn’t look like they were suffering in any way. If my children get to be treated like this, I’d rather have them be raised by another person.” Someone said with deep gratitude.
The man holding the agitated woman, pleaded earnestly, “Please, I’m begging you, return our children.”
“They are our children, why are you begging them!” The woman screamed, “There is absolutely nothing wrong with us wanting our children back.”
Shi Sheng’s lips curved up slightly with a faint smile, “While you were running for your lives, abandoning them at home. Why didn’t you think about your children then?”
The woman and the man froze abruptly.
The spectators made a huge fuss after that statement.
Many people lived in the base since it was established, so they were with their families. The bonds and affection for their families still existed. It was something extremely shameful for someone to abandon their children.
“We...” The woman looked around to see the spectators were all pointing fingers at her, making her unable to come out with any words to justify her actions.
The man said with grief, “We went out to look for food. At first, we wanted to go back to get them after we found some food. Who knew that there would be a zombie wave at our home, making it impossible for us to return. We had no other choice at all.”
Ye An grabbed the hem of Shi Sheng’s clothes, looked across at his parents without saying a word.
“That’s right, we had no other choice. An An, it’s mommy, faster come here, mommy is here.” the woman wrung out a smile, “An An, I’m here to bring you and sister home.”
Ye An retreated even further at Shi Sheng’s back. That time he was pleading with them to take his sister with them, but they even abandoned him at the end. How could he trust them now?
No...
No way.
He could not trust them.
Sister said before, everyone is a recidivist. As long as they have done it for the first time, it will be easier for them to do it again the second time.
“We’re tremendously thankful for you to bring our children here. But you need to return our children. We’re their parents, kids are supposed to grow up with their parents.”
“Ye An, do you want to go back with them?” Shi Sheng lowered her head, looking at Ye An.
Ye An shook his head.
“Look, Ye An doesn’t want to go with you.” Shi Sheng said.
The woman was screaming and shouting at Shi Sheng, “It must be because you spoke ill of us to my son. That’s why our son can’t recognize us. How could you be so malicious, to steal other people’s children? Give me my son back!”
“The moment you abandoned my sister and me, we were no longer your children.” Ye An shouted. The place went dead quiet. “If it weren’t for sister Shi Sheng, my sister and I would’ve starved to death a long time ago. You didn’t even come to find us.”
He was just a child. He couldn’t even protect himself, let alone an infant.
If they could stay alive until now, that meant someone must have been protecting them.
Ye An’s whole body was shivering. Tears gushed out from his eyes uncontrollably.
The man bowed to Shi Sheng immediately, entreated with tears rolling down his cheeks, “We know that you’ve saved our son and we’re eternally grateful for that, but they are our children. I’m begging you, please return our children.”
It was like an epiphany hit the woman. She plopped down on her knees, kowtowed, and pleaded, “Please give me back our children, I’m begging you. ”
“Captain Han, it’s Captain Han.”
The spectators suddenly split up which made a lane. Han Yu and a few people came through the crowd, “What’s going on?”
Mu Xin was standing next to Han Yu, her eyesight glanced towards Shi Sheng, lingered on Jing Zhi for a moment before finally stopping on the couple. She asked, out of surprise, “Big Brother Ye and Big Sister Ye, what are you doing?”
The Ye couple was probably close with Mu Xin, Father Ye whispered a few words to Mu Xin.
“Since they’re big brother Ye’s children, Miss Jing, you have to return them to big brother Ye and his wife.” Mu Xin said righteously, “Children are supposed to be with their parents. If you take the children away forcefully, aren’t you basically breaking up a family?”
Female lead, please be sensible!
Before Shi Sheng could say anything, Mu Xin continued, “Miss Jing, I’ll compensate you with supplies if you return big brother Ye his children.”
She said that, as if Shi Sheng refused to return the children due to the Ye couple not giving her supplies.
If Shi Sheng and the others were scruffy and shabby, looking sickly and malnourished, the crowd might believe that. However, they were cleanly dressed. There did not appear to be lack of supplies either.
Mu Xin’s words had little to no effect.
What makes you think that they would fancy those supplies over the children, seeing that they could raise the kids so well?
Shi Sheng pondered about it seriously, “How much supplies can you give me? One cart or two carts?”
The spectators:”...” Wait a minute, what are you doing?
Shouldn’t you disdain it?
One cart of supplies seems to be more bizarre.
Just how cheap are human lives? Who would trade two kids for a cart of supplies?
