Chapter 180 - 81: Top Sister of the 60s Cultural Troupe (20)
Chapter 180: Chapter 81: Top Sister of the 60s Cultural Troupe (20)
He Qingran’s eyes lit up. She pictured the scene in her mind and couldn’t help but take a deep breath. Most of her tension melted away. It was true—the faint light of dawn filled a person with energy and high spirits, making one want to recite something with passion. How could she possibly feel nervous now?
She smiled and nodded vigorously. "Brother Kun, thanks!"
Liu Mingkun smiled and scratched his hair. He turned to Xia Zhaoyun and said, "Comrade Xia, why don’t you take the kids to the front to watch? I’ll be here with Comrade He."
He gestured to the badge hanging around his neck. "Look, I’m the liaison from the Capital City General Supply and Marketing Cooperative, in charge of the clothing and food sponsorship for this Golden Microphone competition. As long as I’m here, no one will bully Comrade He."
Seeing He Qingran nod her approval, Xia Zhaoyun thanked Liu Mingkun, then took the two children by the hand and returned to the audience seats.
The semi-finals lasted for three days. The first two days were mainly a contest between broadcasters from out of town. Today was the last day, and the contestants were the cream of the crop among the Capital City’s broadcasters. They were all exceptionally outstanding, whether in terms of looks, vocal talent, or even family background. The competition was naturally both fierce and thrilling.
Since it was the weekend, quite a few spectators had come to watch. Xia Zhaoyun chose three seats in the middle, next to the aisle, to make it easier for the children to get in and out for bathroom breaks or to stretch their legs.
The children were young, after all. Xia Zhaoyun worried they wouldn’t be able to sit through it all, so she had prepared plenty of little snacks.
She wiped their hands clean and gave each of them a piece of dried sweet potato to chew on. She massaged her slightly aching calves, but she didn’t dare let her gaze stray from the children for even a moment.
Public safety was good these days, but child trafficking still happened from time to time.
When Xia Zhaoyun had chosen to take in these two children, it had not been a random decision.
They had a brief encounter in her past life. Back then, she had broken her leg and couldn’t accept it, making a huge scene at the hospital and threatening to die. But she was too cowardly to actually go through with it. None of her friends or family cared about her; they only gave the nurses and doctors a massive headache.
Ruyuan had been at the hospital with his younger sister. She didn’t know what had happened to them, but the five-year-old boy was covered in bruises. Little Ruyi was even worse off, her head bleeding from a nasty fall. She had injured her occipital bone and gone blind.
The two children, having suffered so much, huddled together for warmth like little animals, their guards up completely as they radiated a cautious air.
On the fourth floor, they saw her sitting hysterically on the windowsill. Though her eyes clearly showed a desperate fear of death, she stubbornly shouted at the nurses and doctors to stay away. Then she began rambling incoherently, cursing Tong Yuanbin for being a beast in human skin, Song Zhenbao for being shameless, the Song Family for being hypocritical and vicious, and the Tong family for being cruel and snobbish...
Everyone was afraid of this madwoman. There were even troublemakers shouting for her to just get it over with and jump.
Only Little Ruyi, her head wrapped in white gauze, opened her unfocused, wide eyes. She pushed away her brother’s supporting hand, fumbled her way forward, and stopped a short distance away from her.
Her small, dark, thin face held a faint smile. "Auntie, can’t you see?"
She, still Song Ruoyun then, seemed to calm down a little and said stiffly, "No."
"Then, Auntie, did you fall and hurt your head?"
"No, that’s not it either."
"Were your mommy and daddy burned to ashes in a big fire while saving other children, so they can’t love you anymore?"
"No," Song Ruoyun, perhaps vaguely realizing the little girl was comparing tragedies with her, couldn’t help but say, "I’m a dancer. I could perform beautiful dances, but I broke my leg. I’ll never be able to stand or walk again!"
The little girl tilted her head and said with a smile, "But I’ve heard there are lots of tools that can replace legs, like crutches and wheelchairs. Auntie, you can still go out whenever you want and see the beautiful world."
"But Ruyi’s eyes can’t see anymore. There’s only the color black. But I have my big brother to love me."
"Auntie, you shouldn’t sit on the windowsill. It’s windy there. I heard the grandpa on the loudspeaker say that life is very important and you only get one, so you have to cherish it. It’s okay if other people don’t care about you. We have to learn to love ourselves and love life..."
All of Song Ruoyun’s anger vanished. She realized how pointless her tantrum had been. ’For people who don’t care about you, even if you splatter yourself into a meat patty right in front of them, they won’t feel a shred of pity. They’ll only complain that your death was too disgusting and gave them nightmares.’
They ended up becoming hospital buddies, but too many things happened after that. She could barely take care of herself, let alone pay any more attention to the young siblings.
After she divorced and returned to the Song Family, she was bullied by Song Huie and his gang of degenerate friends, and Mr. and Mrs. Song did nothing to stand up for her. As she was living her days in a daze, she overheard her next-door neighbors talking.