Born in the 1980s, she was remarried and became a stepmother; a cold, rough man doted on her, pinchi

Chapter 17 I'll be back soon
The train station in the early morning is always a place filled with noise and sorrow of parting.

Jiang Man, along with the two little ones Shi An and Shi Ning, arrived at the train station early in the morning.

Shi An and Shi Ning seemed to sense that the atmosphere was unusual today. Usually, they were always chattering away, but now they were obediently following Jiang Man, their little hands tightly clutching the hem of Jiang Man's clothes. Every now and then, they would look up at their mother and then at their father who was about to leave, their little eyes full of confusion and doubt.

Jiang Man's gaze remained fixed on Qin Yishen, her eyes filled with reluctance and longing.

She tried hard to force a smile to ease the heavy atmosphere of parting, but her slightly trembling lips betrayed the sadness in her heart.

Qin Yishen carried the luggage and walked ahead, his steps appearing much heavier than usual, each step seemingly filled with a thousand regrets.

"Mom, why does Dad have to leave? Can't he stay and stay with us forever?"

Shi Ning asked in a childish voice, her tender voice sounding exceptionally clear in the noisy train station, which made Jiang Man's heart clench.

She knelt down, patted Shi An's head, and said softly, "Dad still has to work, but he'll be back soon. He'll bring gifts to see us during the New Year."

Upon hearing this, Shi Ning blinked her big eyes and muttered somewhat aggrievedly, "But I don't want Daddy to leave. I'll miss him."

Looking at the two children's innocent yet reluctant expressions, Jiang Man's eyes instantly reddened. She quickly stood up, fighting back her tears, and said, "Let's go, shall we see Dad off one more time?"

They followed Qin Yishen to the platform, where the train was already quietly parked, its body gleaming with a cold metallic sheen, as if it too were telling a story of parting sorrow.

Qin Yishen stopped and turned around, looking at Jiang Man and the two children, forcing a slightly bitter smile on his face.

"Jiang Man, don't be too sad, I'll be back soon."

Qin Yishen spoke, his voice slightly hoarse, trying to comfort Jiang Man, but he himself was also feeling terrible.

Jiang Man bit her lip, nodded slightly, and said, "Okay, take good care of yourself over there. Remember to call me if anything happens, and I'll come pick you up."

Landline phones aren't common in every household yet; the only one in the entire village is in the village head's office.

At this moment, Shi An broke free from Jiang Man's hand, ran to Qin Yishen, stretched out her small hand, and tightly clutched a painting she had drawn herself.

The drawing on the paper showed four people, clearly a family, with a few childish words written next to them: "Dad, come home early."

Shi An looked up at Qin Yishen with bright eyes and said, "Dad, this is a drawing I made for you. Look at it when you miss us."

Qin Yishen looked at the sensible Shi An in front of him and felt a surge of emotion. He squatted down, took the painting, and his eyes reddened. He gently patted Shi An's head and said, "Thank you, Shi An. Dad will keep it safe and miss you all very much."

Seeing this, Shi Ning was not to be outdone. She took out her favorite candy from her pocket, handed it to Qin Yishen, and said in a childish voice, "Daddy, this candy is for you. It's very sweet. If you eat it, you won't forget us."

Qin Yishen took the candy, his heart filled with warmth as he looked at the slightly crumpled wrapper in the little hands. He carefully put the candy in his pocket, then picked Shi Ning up and kissed her on the cheek, smiling as he said, "Little Ning is so good. How could Daddy forget you? Daddy can't bear to eat this candy; I'll save it as a keepsake." Jiang Man stood to the side, watching this scene, and tears finally streamed down her face. She quickly turned her head away, wiping her tears with her hand, but the unstoppable tears still blurred her vision.

Qin Yishen put Shi Ning down, stood up, and walked to Jiang Man's side. Seeing her crying, he felt extremely distressed. He reached out and gently wiped away Jiang Man's tears, saying softly, "Don't cry, Jiang Man. It's not like we'll never see each other again. I promise I'll come back as soon as possible."

Jiang Man looked up at Qin Yishen, her eyes filled with tears, which broke Qin Yishen's heart. She choked out, "I know, but I just can't bear to part with you. I feel so empty inside when you leave."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yishen pulled Jiang Man into his arms, holding her tightly as if trying to soothe all her reluctance and sadness with this embrace. He whispered in her ear, "I can't bear to part with you either, or with Shi An and Shi Ning. You are the most important people in my heart. When I come back, we will do so many things together."

At that moment, the train sounded a long whistle, the sharp sound echoing above the platform, as if urging people to part ways.

Qin Yishen released his embrace from Jiang Man, gave her a deep look, patted Shi An and Shi Ning's heads, then turned and dragged his suitcase toward the train.

Jiang Man held the hands of her two children, her eyes fixed on Qin Yishen's figure. With each step she took, her heart clenched tighter.

Shi An and Shi Ning were sensible enough not to cry or make a fuss, but their eyes were red and they held their mother's hand tightly as they watched Qin Yishen get further and further away from them.

Qin Yishen walked to the car door, stopped, and looked back at Jiang Man and the others.

He felt a pang of pain in his heart when he saw Jiang Man's tear-streaked face and Shi An and Shi Ning's pitiful appearance as they tried to hold back their tears.

He waved to them and shouted, "Go back now, I'll miss you!"

Jiang Man also raised her hand with difficulty, waved, and replied in a tearful voice, "Have a safe journey, and remember to think of us!"

Qin Yishen gave them one last, deep look before turning and boarding the train.

Through the train window, he could still see Jiang Man and her two children standing on the platform, their small figures looking particularly forlorn in the crowd. Jiang Man's hand was still raised in mid-air, as if making a final plea.

The train slowly started moving, making a "clanging" sound, and began to accelerate forward.

Jiang Man held the children's hands and ran a few steps after the train, tears flying freely in the wind.

Shi An and Shi Ning also started running, shouting repeatedly, "Goodbye, Dad! Dad, come back soon!"

Gradually, the train sped up and disappeared from their sight, leaving only the long tracks stretching into the distance, as if it had also taken away a part of Jiang Man's heart.

She stood there, staring blankly in the direction the train had gone, unable to come to her senses for a long time. Shi An tugged at Jiang Man's sleeve and whispered, "Mom, Dad's gone. When will we see him again?"

Jiang Man came to her senses, squatted down, hugged the two children, and said in a slightly choked voice, "Soon, my darlings, Daddy will be back soon, and we will be able to see him again."

(End of this chapter)