"Sis, you must have spent a lot of money on the renovation, right?"

Just as Wang Meixia was about to take Youyou out to buy groceries, her sister-in-law came over with her youngest child.

She initially didn't want to talk to them, as her husband was at home. But then she remembered her daughter's instructions, so she invited them in and sat them in the yard.

The child wolfed down the dumplings on the table.

Although her sister-in-law Qiu Fang didn't move, Wang Meixia could tell that she was very hungry and had become extremely thin.

I remember the last time we met, my family was quite wealthy. How come they've fallen on hard times in just a few years?

"How have you been doing these past few years?" Wang Meixia tried to ask.

Who knew that this question would be like opening a floodgate, and Qiu Fang poured out her grievances for two whole hours.

Later, she probably realized it too, so she changed her mind and asked about the renovations to her house—the courtyard looked completely different from the outside.

"I really don't know who the child is looking for."

"Sister, has Wang Jun come looking for you?"

Wang Meixia was bewildered: "I've been here once before, what's wrong?"

However, instead of a reply from her sister-in-law, she heard a heart-wrenching cry.

She cried bitterly, but it didn't affect the little tiger next to her who was wolfing down his food.

"Qiu Fang, what's wrong with you...? Have you not eaten for days?" Wang Meixia realized that this was not a simple matter.

Sure enough, because of her words, Qiu Fang poured out her grievances even more fiercely than before.

"Wang Jun gambled away all the family's money and even sold Daya. The creditors came knocking, smashed up the house, and stole all the valuables. I was desperate, so I brought Huzi here with me."

"You sold Daya? Where did you sell her to?"

Qiu Fang shook her head: "I don't know, it seems like those people from the casino took them away. Sister-in-law, I haven't had a proper meal in days, could you cook some more dumplings?"

Wang Meixia looked at her sister-in-law in disbelief.

Thinking back to how fierce and outspoken she used to be, no one in the surrounding villages dared to mess with her. How could she have changed so much in just a few years?

Moreover, now that her own daughter has been sold, all she cares about is filling her stomach, and she doesn't seem worried at all.

She hated her brother's family, but Daya was innocent!

Wang Meixia said calmly, "Alright, you sit down first. I'll go and have someone buy some groceries to properly entertain you and your son."

According to Qiu Fang's current understanding, Wang Jun owed gambling debts, ran away to the city alone, abandoned his wife and son, and faced the debt collectors alone.

The debt collectors are now demanding that they pay off their gambling debts within half a month, or they will kill their entire family.

Therefore, Qiu Fang's goals were twofold: first, to find her husband, and second, to get money.

Wang Meixia did not give her sister-in-law a chance to state her purpose directly, but instead pretended to be stupid and stalled for time.

Back inside, she told her husband about it.

Yu Jinbu had overheard quite a bit by the window, and the two of them immediately called their relatives back home.

Although Yu Jinbu has now retired and handed over all matters, big and small, to her daughter, she still has a considerable network of connections.

Wang Meixia only turned around to go out and knead the dough for a short while before Daya was found.

The two discussed taking Daya to a safe place to settle her for a few days, and then discussing her future after they had finished dealing with these matters.

Bringing her to Yuncheng now will only embolden Wang Jun. Once this happens, it will happen again.

Judging from the current situation, Wang Jun is now in a killing frenzy, and he might sell his wife and son next time.

As for why he seemed so calm that day, Wang Meixia had no idea. But she felt uneasy, as if Wang Jun were a mad dog, ready to pounce and bite at any moment.

Given this situation, she couldn't let her sister-in-law and child stay at home. Leaving them there would give Wang Jun the opportunity to retaliate.

Wang Meixia made a large bowl full of dumplings, which were all eaten by the mother and son.

It wasn't just a big plate of dumplings, but also a bowl of thick rice porridge, and three solid leavened flatbreads bigger than your face bought from the street corner.

Wang Meixia was at a loss for words and simply silently cleaned up the mess.

After saying a few words to Qiu Fang, he carried Xiao Youyou on his back and took them out.

She first took the two to the neighborhood office to inquire about the situation, and then learned from an old lady in another household in the alley that there were empty houses in Lotus Alley across the street.

With housing in short supply these days, it's not easy to find a place to rent near your home.

She had heard from her neighbors before, so when she learned that there was a rental house not far across the street, she immediately took her mother and son there.

Wang Meixia took this matter so seriously not because she was a person who repaid evil with kindness.

She was afraid that her good-for-nothing brother would bring trouble home—and what she feared most was running into Yu Jinbu.

After walking for twenty minutes, Wang Meixia found the landlord who rented out the empty house.

"Fifteen yuan a month, furniture not included."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Fang couldn't help but frown: "Fifteen yuan a month? This place is so small, there's not even any furniture, where's the nearest toilet?"

The landlord said impatiently, "If you think it's too expensive, you can rent public housing, it's only three yuan a month. That's how the private rental market is, mine is already cheap enough."

Wang Meixia pulled her sister-in-law away—if she were eligible for public rental housing, she wouldn't have come to rely on her sister-in-law, whom she had lost contact with for many years.

"Okay, I'll rent this room," Wang Meixia said.

The landlord nodded, his attitude towards Wang Meixia improving considerably.

But Qiu Fang kept chattering behind her. One minute she was complaining about the poor conditions, the next about the noise, then she said the room was too dark, and then she complained about the inconvenience of getting water.

The noise was driving Wang Meixia crazy, and Xiao Youyou, who was sleeping on her back, was showing signs of waking up.

"Enough! If you don't want to, go wherever you want. I have no responsibility to take care of your family," Wang Meixia said angrily.

In Qiu Fang's eyes, her sister-in-law had always been an easy target.

She didn't say anything on the surface, but what she was thinking was—people really are different when they have money.

"Auntie, thank you."

Faced with the gratitude of her nephew, whom she had never met before, Wang Meixia felt a mix of emotions.

Even a seven or eight-year-old child understands the meaning of gratitude better than this couple.

"You two wait here. I'll go find someone to send over some furniture and food in a bit."

After paying, Wang Meixia left quickly, not wanting to say anything more to her sister-in-law.

Standing at the door of the small house, Qiu Fang stared intently at the departing figure.

Then, her voice tinged with resentment, she said, "You'd better please your aunt. Look at you, all dressed up now, even that wretched girl dresses better than you."

Little Tiger didn't say anything, silently kicking the pebbles on the ground.

"Once things are settled in the next couple of days, I'll go find your dad. Once I find him, we'll have some good days again."

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