How I Tamed My Wolfish Husband Back in 80s-Chapter 323 - 325: Entering the City_1

"Auntie Three, are you here to pick us up to go to the city today?" the eldest son asked eagerly, having longed for a trip to the city to watch movies and eat popsicles.

Li Qiao’s eyes twinkled with amusement, "Sure, but I’m afraid your parents might not agree."

"I am at ease," Song Lin said.

Letting the children follow the Top Scholar into the city would broaden their horizons and help them study diligently when school started, laying the foundation for university entrance exams in the future.

Li Jiaoyang said, "Of course you’re at ease without the kids, three children, each more mischievous than the last, Qiaoqiao won’t be able to handle them all."

Li Qiao took over the conversation, "Aren’t you free? Come with us. Brother-in-law, if you’re not busy, you might as well join us, it would be nice for you to visit our family home."

Song Lin hesitated.

The eldest and the second child grabbed his arm and shook it vigorously, "Dad, come with us."

"Alright," Song Lin agreed after some thought.

"Then you better hurry up and finish the errands Mom told you about."

Song Lin immediately acted, grabbing the vermicelli and riding off on his bicycle.

The children were happy, and naturally, the adults were cheerful.

Li Jiaoyang said, "I’ll start making lunch now, so we can all eat together once your brother-in-law gets back, then we’ll head out."

"Don’t bother cooking, I’ll treat you all to a restaurant in the city," Li Qiao said.

The eldest had already accompanied Li Qiao to restaurants before, where the food tasted so much better than at home; in the words of her textbook, it was delicious. She led the cheer, "To the restaurant! To the restaurant!"

Her younger sister and brother, not knowing what it meant, also chanted enthusiastically.

Hearing this, the neighbor’s child ran home, pulled his mother over, and asked her to take him to the city with Li Qiao.

"Why are you following the crowd when the whole family is going to the city?" the neighbor scolded the child.

"I don’t care, I don’t care, I want to go to the city and eat at a restaurant with Dani and Erni," the child insisted.

"They have an aunt who’s a Top Scholar, with money and free time; whose fault is it that you don’t have a Top Scholar aunt?"

"Boo hoo... why isn’t my aunt a Top Scholar..." the child wailed and caused a scene.

Li Qiao held her forehead, "Shall I take him with us?"

The neighbor, concerned about safety as she had only this one precious child, and knowing the city was crowded, politely declined with a smile, "No need, you all go enjoy yourselves."

The child cried even louder, but in the end, was dragged back home by the adult.

Soon after, Song Lin returned, suggesting to save on fare, "I’ll ride the bike, and you two take the three kids."

Li Qiao replied, "Let’s go together, to avoid the hassle of meeting up once we’re in the city, in case you get lost."

Li Jiaoyang also urged him to join, while Mrs. Song, worried about the new bike being stolen, did not allow him to ride.

Song Lin had no choice but to agree, as the youngest was too little and got tired after walking a few steps, he carried him.

Li Jiaoyang said, "It’s good you came along, imagine if I had to carry him all by myself; how tiring that would be? I wouldn’t even feel like shopping or watching movies after getting to the city."

"Mom, I’m hungry," the child on his back said.

"Every time we leave the house, it’s either hunger or thirst, needing to poop or pee. Where can I get you food now? Just bear the hunger."

Li Qiao opened her handbag and took out a packet of small biscuits, "Here, eat these to hold you over."

"I want some too, I want some too."

The other two children clamored from the side.

Li Jiaoyang was embarrassed, "I’ve bought you biscuits plenty of times, haven’t I? Don’t you have any restraint?"

"Auntie Three’s biscuits look so tasty, plus they’re really clean. She bathes every day, even her pillows smell nice and fresh, much more hygienic than the stuff you give us."

Li Qiao could not help but chuckle, these cheeky kids sure knew a lot.

...

After the three children finished off Li Qiao’s biscuits and drained the water from her small flask, they finally calmed down.

Fortunately, they had reached the side of the road.

Three adults, each holding a child, waited for a bus.

Li Qiao cautioned, "When we get to the city and it’s crowded, you mustn’t run around, okay? If a bad person kidnaps you, you might never see your dad and mom again." Although there were fewer cases of child abduction these years, finding someone once taken was like looking for a needle in a haystack, even with a large search party.

"Why would a bad person kidnap me?"

"Because you’re a boy, and you have something they want. If you fall into their hands, forget about eating cookies; you won’t get anything to eat, and your new dad won’t carry you on his back or let you act spoiled. He’ll whip you and make you work..."

The little one was so frightened by Li Qiao’s words that he dared not make a sound and took refuge behind Song Lin.

Li Qiao’s objective was achieved, and she smiled.

The eldest asked, "Auntie, girls won’t be targeted by bad people, right?"

"Girls are in greater danger. With the exception of your dad and mom, your grandparents, and your auntie me, you two shouldn’t believe anyone else..." Li Qiao explained to the eldest and the second eldest what could happen if a girl was kidnapped.

Fearfully, the two promised, "We won’t believe what others say."

"That’s good," Li Qiao said.

Li Jiaoyang joked with a smile, "Qiaoqiao, aren’t you exaggerating a bit? Relatives don’t kidnap children."

"Big sister, I’m not trying to scare you, it’s all true. Our team has dealt with similar cases before." Li Qiao told Li Jiaoyang about an uncle in a village who had tried to molest a little girl.

She also slightly adapted and narrated to the children a news story about a female college student who, decades later, was kidnapped into the mountains by a relative.

When out and about, girls are in more danger than boys.

Boys are taken away for the sake of continuing the family line, to care for the elderly, and won’t suffer too much; some are even spoiled.

Girls have it much worse.

Li Jiaoyang began to take it seriously and told the children, "You must remember what your Auntie says."

The children nodded earnestly.

At that moment, the minibus arrived.

The family boarded the bus in an orderly fashion.

"Big sister, third sister, what are you doing?"

Li Qiao noticed Li Jinniu in the corner, with a haggard-looking Li Jinhua beside him, her eyes dull, her complexion sallow, and her lips pale.

Sick?

Li Qiao didn’t speak.

Li Jiaoyang answered, "Jinniu, are you and Jinhua also going to the city?"

"Yes, my fourth sister is sick, she’s had a high fever for several days. The medication and IVs at the health clinic didn’t work, so we thought we’d go to the city to seek medical advice," Li Jinniu said, while sneaking glances at Li Qiao.

He sighed inwardly.

His aunt used to be quite fond of him, even though they didn’t talk much.

Li Jiaoyang couldn’t muster much sympathy for Li Jinhua; she was aware of the incident where Jinhua had caused a scene with her parents in the city. Qiaoqiao had visited twice without revealing a word, indicating she likely didn’t want to mention Jinhua, so Li Jiaoyang dared not discuss it in her presence either. She changed the subject: "What have you been up to at home recently?"

"Not much," Li Jinniu said.

He had begun to understand things, knowing how tight money was at home, and had planned to ask his aunt for help finding a job someday. He had always been well-behaved, and given his aunt’s nature of being more concerned about things than people, she would likely have agreed to help him.

But then Li Jinhua had gone and angered people again, and their brother-in-law had come over and beaten their parents once more.

How could he dare to bring up work now?

And then there was Li Jinhua, who, despite suffering a big loss, still hadn’t learned her lesson and had been kicked out by her in-laws because of Li Jianguo.

Yet she was sick, and he, as her brother, couldn’t just ignore it.

Li Jiaoyang pondered before saying, "Your brother-in-law found some work as a bricklayer, building houses for an officer, earning ninety cents a day. If you’re idle, why not join him in a few days once they start?"

Li Jinniu’s face lit up, "Sure!" Ninety cents a day, for ten days straight, that would make nine dollars.

That would cover two months of expenses at home.