The old woman stopped when Chen Lan stopped, and so did the old woman. They stared at each other. Chen Lan, with limited time today, did not intend to waste it with the old woman.
She saw that the old woman's hair was gray and dry. She was probably in a hurry on her journey. Her wrinkled face was very pale. The weather was so cool this morning, yet the old woman was sweating profusely. Her back was stooped, and she was wearing a loose, dark blue jacket that was patched all over.
Chen Lan couldn't help but sigh. This old woman could be described as skin and bones. Chen Lan guessed that in her condition, she was probably starving.
Seeing Chen Lan looking at her, the old woman's lips moved for a long time, but no words came out.
Chen Lan was sure that the old woman had encountered some difficulty! So she stepped forward and asked directly, "Grandma, you've followed me for so long. Are you in some kind of trouble?"
Hearing Chen Lan ask her, the old woman looked at Chen Lan, then looked back behind her, and then, with a trembling voice, answered softly, "Child, don't be afraid. I'm not a bad person. I just want to exchange some national food coupons with you."
As soon as the old woman finished speaking, she took a breath and looked behind her again. Then, trembling, she prepared to put her hand into her loose clothing. Chen Lan guessed that the old woman was probably going to take something out of her chest to exchange with her.
Seeing the old woman's action, Chen Lan quickly stopped her and said, "Grandma, it's not convenient here with so many people around. Do you live nearby? Can we go to your house to talk?"
As soon as Chen Lan finished speaking, without waiting for the old woman to reply, she found a pack of sponge cakes from a large bag of snacks and handed it to the old woman.
She then explained, "I just bought these. You probably haven't eaten breakfast yet, have you? Have a couple of sponge cakes to fill your stomach first."
Hearing Chen Lan's words, the old woman's eyes reddened, and she waved her hands repeatedly, "Child, it's too precious. I can't accept it. I appreciate your kindness!"
Chen Lan replied indifferently, "It's just a little food, what's so precious about it? Life is the most important thing. You're sweating from hunger. How long have you been hungry?"
Hearing Chen Lan's words, the old woman's eyes immediately welled up with tears. Chen Lan couldn't bear to see such scenes. She was very sentimental, so her nose began to sting.
So she stopped talking, opened the oil paper bag, took out two sponge cakes, and handed them to the old woman. She said, "Grandma, it's not convenient to talk in the alley with people coming and going. Have a couple of sponge cakes first, and we'll talk about the food coupons in a quiet place after you've eaten, okay?"
Hearing this, the old woman had no choice but to take the sponge cakes from Chen Lan's hand, her eyes red. She said, "Child, thank you! You're so thoughtful."
Then, with trembling hands, she took out a folded square of a torn handkerchief from her upper pocket. She carefully wrapped one sponge cake with the handkerchief and put it in her pocket.
Only then did she carefully take a bite of the remaining sponge cake in her hand, chewing slowly as if savoring a delicacy before swallowing.
Then she wiped the corners of her eyes and explained to Chen Lan, "That sponge cake is for my old man. We finished our supply for last month at the end of the month, and we have no food coupons at home. He's been hungry for almost two days! And he still has to do so much work every day."
Hearing this, Chen Lan knew without asking that the old woman had suffered a great misfortune! Looking at the way she ate the snack, even though she hadn't eaten for almost two days, an innate elegance emanated from her.
Chen Lan could guess the whole story without asking. The old couple must have been among those affected!
Chen Lan's heart began to ponder. Without beating around the bush, she asked directly, "Grandma, have you and your family experienced a great change, a great misfortune?"
When the old woman heard Chen Lan say this, the sponge cake in her hand fell to the ground. She was stunned with fear. After a while, she asked with a trembling voice, "Child, how did you know?"
Chen Lan took another sponge cake from the oil paper bag and handed it to the old woman. She then said softly, "Grandma, eat this. Let's walk slowly, and I'll explain to you as we go."
The old woman obediently took the sponge cake Chen Lan handed her, took a bite, and then looked at Chen Lan with wide eyes.
Seeing the old woman like this, Chen Lan smiled and said, "Let's go, Grandma. We'll walk and eat. I'll ask you a few questions, and you must answer me truthfully."
The old woman took another bite of the sponge cake and then nodded, replying, "Child, my old man's surname is Qian. You can just call me Grandma Qian! Feel free to ask me any questions, and I will tell you the truth."
So Chen Lan directly asked, "Grandma Qian, I'll be direct! What were you and your husband's professions before? And what caused you to end up in this situation?"
The old woman swallowed what was in her mouth and replied, "Child, this is not a question that cannot be asked. Many people here know our situation. My husband and I were both teachers at that Changchun Normal School. I taught English, I was an English teacher, and my husband taught economics!"
As the old woman spoke, she looked at Chen Lan's expression and found nothing unusual on her face.
In fact, when Chen Lan heard that the old woman was a teacher at Changchun Normal School, her suspicions were further confirmed!
The old woman continued, "As for how we ended up in this situation, to be honest, my husband and I still don't know what happened. The authorities said that someone reported me for having overseas connections. My husband was purely implicated by me; he suffered unjust misfortune."
As she spoke, the old woman's emotions became visibly agitated, and her voice inevitably grew louder. She continued, "They asked me to confess to colluding with foreign countries. To be honest, as soon as the country was liberated, my husband and I returned to teach in the country. While I can't say we taught thousands of students, we did train many talented individuals for the country. But it's been over twenty years, and I still don't know what crimes I have to confess! Sudan Novel Network."
The old woman became more and more agitated, and her voice grew louder. At this point, they had already walked out of the alley, and the old woman's voice attracted frequent glances from passers-by.
After venting her suppressed emotions, the old woman also noticed people looking at her and Chen Lan. She immediately became vigilant and said softly, "Child, you walk behind me. Stay a little farther away from me. Don't get yourself involved."