Heart Stealer

In the afternoon, the sun was high in the sky, and the sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows.

Xiao's mother and father slowly returned from the farm after finishing their farm work, dragging their slightly tired bodies.

The two returned home, hurriedly finished their lunch, and then sat together in the spacious and bright living room, leisurely drinking tea.

Mother Xiao frowned slightly, looked at her husband with worry, and said softly, "Old man, look at our child Tuobang. After he got married, he went to the countryside every few days, and each time he stayed for four or five days.

He comes back so frequently, is there something wrong between him and Qiu Xue? When I was in the city, I had a vague feeling that something was amiss between them.

Father Xiao nodded gently and responded thoughtfully: "That's true. Before their marriage, they looked so loving and affectionate. That sweetness didn't seem like they were pretending for us to see. But now... Alas!" As he said this, Father Xiao couldn't help but sigh.

Just as the couple was worried about this, they heard a creak and the door was pushed open from the outside.

It turned out to be Xiao Tuobang who had returned. What was surprising was that he came back empty-handed, without any fishing tools or seafood on him.

You know, every time he went out to sea, he would bring back a lot of fresh fish, shrimp and other things.

When Xiao's father and mother saw this scene, they couldn't help but look at each other, and the doubts in each other's eyes became more and more intense.

Xiao's mother couldn't contain her inner worry and curiosity after all, so she asked first: "Tuobang, why did you come back empty-handed today? And...

Tell me honestly, why do you always run to the countryside and ignore your wife in the city? Is there really a rift in the relationship between you and Qiuxue?

When Xiao Tuobang heard his mother's question, he shook his head like a rattle and quickly denied it: "Mom, don't let your imagination run wild. Qiuxue and I have a good relationship."

Father Xiao didn't believe it. He said to Xiao Tuobang seriously, "Since there's no problem with your relationship, why don't you go back to the city to be with Qiuxue? You should know that as a husband, you have the responsibility and obligation to be with your wife."

Xiao Tuobang lowered his head and was silent for a while, then raised his head and said hesitantly: "Dad, Mom, I have my own difficulties. I need some time to deal with some things, but I assure you that there is no problem with my relationship with Qiuxue."

"What's going on? Tell me!" Xiao's mother asked anxiously.

Xiao Tuobang was so anxious that his face was covered in sweat. In his desperation, he made up a lie to try to get away with it.

He took a deep breath, as if he had made a great decision, and said, "Mom and Dad, actually, I met a girl in the countryside. Her name is Xiao Yating. Her family is in trouble, and I just want to help her. But I swear, I have no other feelings for her. I only have Qiuxue in my heart."

"Then you can't abandon Qiuxue!" Xiao's father said angrily.

"I know. I will find a chance to explain it to Qiu Xue." Xiao Tuobang said, with a hint of guilt in his eyes.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Xiao Tuobang opened the door and saw Qiuxue standing there holding two boxes of exquisite gifts.

As soon as Qiu Xue entered the room, she shouted to Xiao's father and mother,

"Dad, Mom, I'm back to see you."

The originally tense atmosphere in the living room seemed to ease a little because of Qiu Xue's arrival.

Her words were like a gentle spring breeze, gently blowing away the haze that shrouded the home.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the living room was no longer so dull.

Mother Xiao hurried forward, took the gift from Qiuxue, and asked with concern on her face, "Qiuxue, you're back. We thought something was wrong with your relationship with Tuobang!"

Qiuxue smiled slightly and answered sincerely, "Mom, there are indeed some problems in my relationship with Tuobang. That's because Sufang is still alive..."

Xiao Tuobang had never expected that Qiu Xue would suddenly reveal this secret. He stood aside anxiously and made faces at Qiu Xue.

Qiu Xue pretended not to notice and continued, "However, this matter has passed. Tuobang and I are fine now. You don't have to worry."

Qiu Xue's words made Xiao's father and mother look surprised. Their eyes widened and their mouths opened slightly, as if they had heard something unbelievable.

Mother Xiao quickly asked, "Qiuxue, you just said Sufang is still alive? How is that possible? We always thought she died in the shipwreck."

Qiuxue nodded and said, "Mom and Dad, this is true. On the wedding day, an uncle delivered a letter to Tuobang. The letter was from Sufang. She currently lives on a small island in the sea."

Xiao's father and mother looked at each other, their eyes full of confusion and disbelief.

They looked at Xiao Tuobang with questioning eyes, and Xiao Tuobang's face became a little embarrassed.

Xiao's mother asked dissatisfiedly: "Tuobang, what's going on? Why have you been hiding this from us?"

Xiao Tuobang sighed helplessly and said, "Mom and Dad, I'm sorry. I only recently found out that Sufang is still alive."

Father Xiao said angrily: "How could you do this? We always thought she was dead, but you kept it a secret from us!"

Xiao Tuobang lowered his head and said, "I know I was wrong, but I did it for your own good. I don't want to make you sad anymore."

Mother Xiao sighed and said, "Tuobang, although we are sad, we also want to know the truth."

Xiao Tuobang nodded and said, "I understand. I won't hide it from you anymore."

Qiu Xue continued, "Mom and Dad, I came back this time to help Tuobang find Sufang. I believe that as long as we work together, we will definitely find her."

When Xiao Tuobang heard Qiuxue's words, a flicker of gratitude flashed in his eyes. He asked anxiously, "Qiuxue, I've gone out to sea several times and still can't find my junior sister. Do you have any way to find her?"

Qiu Xue pretended to be mysterious and said, "Tuobang, please go and invite Master, Master's Wife, and all the other brothers to come home first."

Xiao Tuobang didn't know what Qiuxue was up to, but he still followed Qiuxue's advice and invited his master, his mistress, and all his senior brothers to his home one by one.

In the living room, people sat together, and the atmosphere seemed a little tense and expectant.

Xiao Tuobang took out Zhang Sufang's letter and handed it to his master, his mistress, and his fellow apprentices. He apologized, "Master, mistress, and fellow apprentices, I'm sorry. I received a letter from my junior sister on the wedding day. I was afraid everyone would be worried, so I wanted to go find her myself first. I didn't expect it would be so difficult."

After reading the letter, Master, his wife, and other senior brothers shed tears of surprise when they learned that Zhang Sufang was still alive.

They were very excited and started discussing how to find Sufang.

However, Zhang Sufang's letter only mentioned that she was on a small island on the sea, and the specific location was unclear.

This brought the discussion to a standstill.

At this time, Qiu Xue stood up and said confidently and firmly, "I have a way to find Su Fang."

Everyone's eyes were focused on Qiu Xue, curious about her tricks.

Qiu Xue deliberately kept the secret secret. She smiled mysteriously and said, "If we want to find Su Fang, we should first look for the messenger. Only the messenger knows Su Fang's exact location."

After listening to Qiu Xue's words, everyone felt that it made sense.

Someone suggested that they split up immediately to find the person who delivered the letter, but Qiu Xue came up with a more clever method.

Qiu Xue said, "There's no need to bother everyone running around. We can put up an advertisement in town and offer a large reward to find the person who delivered the letter. The person who delivered the letter might see the reward and come to us on their own."

After listening to Qiu Xue's advice, everyone felt that she was very clever.

Xiao Tuobang also cast an admiring look at his wife. He realized that Qiu Xue was not only smart, but also thoughtful.

Five days passed, and the advertisements were posted in every corner of the town, but the messenger still did not show up.

The patience of Xiao Tuobang and his fellow brothers was worn away bit by bit, and their mood gradually changed from initial hope to disappointment and discouragement.

Xiao Tuobang and several of his fellow brothers decided not to wait any longer. They planned to go out to sea themselves to look for their junior sister.

Just before they were about to leave, a man's voice suddenly came from outside the door, asking to see Xiao Tuobang.

Qiu Xue was the first to react. She recognized at a glance that the middle-aged man was the messenger they had been looking for.

The uncle walked into the house with a tired look on his face, obviously from a long journey.

He apologized and explained, "I went out to work as a construction worker some time ago. I heard the news as soon as I got home, so I rushed over immediately."

Everyone eagerly inquired about Sufang's whereabouts. The uncle replied, "This letter was given to me by my younger brother who's out fishing. The signal is poor at sea, so he can't contact you directly. However, he will be back in a few days, and I'll have him contact you then."

After hearing the uncle's explanation, everyone felt relieved. At least, now they had Sufang's clue, and they were no longer searching aimlessly.

Qiu Xue gratefully gave the uncle a generous reward to thank him for his timely arrival.

The uncle accepted the reward and promised to contact his brother as soon as possible.

Xiao Tuobang decided to stay in town and wait for his uncle's younger brother to come back, while Qiuxue returned to the city to help her father run the business.

At the moment of parting, Xiao Tuobang hugged Qiu Xue tightly, his eyes full of gratitude and reluctance.

"Qiuxue, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I might have lost my way long ago." Xiao Tuobang's voice was gentle and sincere.

Qiu Xue gently patted Xiao Tuobang on the back and comforted him, "Tuobang, we are a family. This is what I should do. Take care of yourself. I'm waiting for your good news."

At the moment of parting, the two hugged each other and kissed passionately, as if pouring all their emotions into this moment of intimate contact.