Chapter 102

Su Xiuying timed it perfectly and arrived right after Tong Xuelu had finished lunch.

Tong Xuelu’s eyes beamed when she saw Su Xiuying. “Comrade Su, you are here!”It had been a week since she had last seen Su Xiuying. The bruises on Su Xiuying had faded a lot and she looked much less disheveled. She was still skinny but looked to be in good spirits.Su Xiuying handed over the fruit candies and snacks and said in a low voice, “Their sentencing has been handed down.”She could not put it behind her until the sentencing was finalized nor could she switch jobs with Tong Xuelu, fearing that Tong Xuelu would be dragged into her mess.Now that the sentencing had been finalized and she was divorced from He Baogen, she felt that she could finally come over.Tong Xuelu looked at the stuff that she brought with her and said politely, “You shouldn’t have.”“Of course I should. You’ve helped me so much!”Su Xiuying smiled. Noticing the other three children inside the house, she asked, “These are your brothers and sisters?”“Yes, I have two brothers and a sister.”Tong Xuelu nodded and had Tong Jiaming and the others address Su Xiuying.Tong Mianmian was the cutest one.She ran over on her stubby little feet and said in her milky voice with her head lifted. “Hi Big Sister, I am my big sister’s little sister. My name is Mianmian and I am 3 years old.”As she spoke, she brought up four fingers. She looked so cute that she could melt one’s heart.Su Xiuying looked at Tong Mianmian, who was about her daughter’s age, and her heart softened. She grabbed a handful of candies and handed it to her. “Good girl. Have some candies.”Tong Mianmian did not take them from her. She looked up at Tong Xuelu with sparkly eyes.Tong Xuelu rubbed her on her head and nodded at her. “It’s okay. You can take them.”Tong Mianmian finally accepted the candies from Su Xiuying. She smiled, showing her little dimples, “Thank you Big Sister. Mianmian’s hands are small. Can you please put them into Mianmian’s pockets for her?”Tong Xuelu finally busted out laughing when she saw that.The kid was smart. She knew that her pockets could hold more.Su Xiuying’s smile deepened, and she filled both of Tong Mianmian’s pockets. She then gave both Tong Jiaming and Tong Jiaxin a handful of candies.The two brothers thanked her shyly and left with Tong Mianmian.Tong Xuelu had Su Xiuying take a seat and poured her a glass of water. “Is everything all settled?”Su Xiuying took a sip of water and lifted the corners of her lips a bit. “Yes, all set. The sentencing has been finalized and the divorce is also final. My parents also agreed to look after my child for me.”Tong Xuelu noticed the sarcastic look on Su Xiuying when she mentioned her parents and had a guess. She, however, did not pursue the subject.Su Xiuying looked around the house and asked curiously. “I don’t see your parents around. Are they out?”“They passed away in a car accident a few months ago.”Su Xiuying let out a “Oh” and quickly apologized, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know……”Tong Xuelu waved her hand. “It’s alright. Don’t worry about it. Oh right, what I’ve mentioned before were my adopted parents.”She then briefly told Su Xiuying about her background.Su Xiuying let out a long sigh after listening. “Things were rough for you, too.”When she saw the way Tong Xuelu dressed and that she was pretty with good temperament, she assumed that Tong Xuelu had been coddled her entire life. Her story was much bumpier than she had expected.Her siblings were all young and she had to carry the entire family by herself. That was no easy feat.Tong Xuelu, however, did not feel that she was pitiful. “Comrade Su needs to hang in there. Under the guidance of our Party, our days will only become better!”The reform and opening up would be coming in 2 years’ time. At that time, the economy would develop rapidly, and everyone's life would undergo earth-shaking changes.She looked forward to that day.Seeing the confident smile on Tong Xuelu, Su Xiuying felt encouraged. “You are right. Our days will only get better from this point forward!”They chatted until the end of the lunch break. Tong Xuelu packed up and headed over to the plant with Su Xiuying.