The beloved but ungrateful girl is reborn: This time she has truly changed.

"Bring glory to your ancestors, bring glory to your forefathers!"

Sun Xidi covered her mouth and nose with one hand and reached out to pull Tang Yaozong away with the other.

"Let's go to your dad's workplace! Let him see that this slut has been out gallivanting somewhere, caught a nasty disease, and is trying to infect my two precious grandchildren!"

Tang Yaozong was pulled up by her, still sobbing, but when he heard "Find your dad," his eyes lit up, and he immediately shouted, "Yes! Find Daddy! Let Daddy beat her! Beat her to death!"

Sun Xidi then went to pull Tang Yaozu.

The little grandson tried to dodge, but she grabbed his arm and dragged him outside.

"Don't be afraid, my dear grandson, Grandma will take you away, away from this plague!"

She cursed as she walked.

"Let's go to your dad's workplace and make him come back and chase this wicked woman away! Let's see how long she can keep up her arrogance!"

A noise came from the courtyard.

Sun Xidi, holding one grandson in each hand, stumbled and rushed out of the courtyard gate.

Tang Yaozong was still glaring at Qi Weiwei, his eyes filled with a viciousness beyond a child's comprehension: "Pah! Pah! Pah!"

"Bang!"

The courtyard gate was slammed shut with a loud bang, and the door panels were shaking.

Qi Weiwei stood at the door, listening to the hurried footsteps outside receding into the distance, growing fainter and fainter until they finally disappeared.

The courtyard suddenly fell silent.

The afternoon sun of late autumn slanted in, casting long shadows on the ground.

The pile of dirty clothes was still stacked in the corner, emitting a rancid smell.

At the entrance to the main room, the enamel bowl used for feeding was still on the stool, with half a bowl of porridge left inside, already cold.

The iron shovel was lying on the ground. She picked it up and propped it against the wall.

Qi Weiwei walked quickly to the courtyard gate and bolted the door from the inside.

With a "click," the iron bolt fell into the slot, completely isolating the inside from the outside.

She turned around and, without the slightest hesitation, went straight to the west wing—Tang Tiantian's room.

As I pushed open the door, the familiar scent of face cream wafted towards me.

The room was tidy, the floral sheets were neatly laid out, and the pillows were arranged upright. The mirror on the windowsill was polished to a shine, reflecting the grayish-white light from outside.

Qi Weiwei walked up to the red lacquered box.

Open the lid of the box.

The clothes were folded neatly, with the navy blue wool coat on top, the same one Tang Tiantian wore yesterday.

Qi Weiwei easily found the stack of remittance slips.

She drew one card.

The remittance address is clearly stated: XX Company, XX Regiment, XX Unit, XX Suburbs of Beijing.

Qi Weiwei carefully copied down the address.

The handwriting was neat and precise, each stroke precise and the hand did not tremble at all.

After copying it, she put the remittance slip back as it was, folded the clothes again, and closed the box.

Everything was restored without a trace.

She left the room and gently closed the door behind her.

Back in her room, she began to pack her things.

There's really not much to tidy up.

Those few faded clothes: two cotton-padded jackets, a pair of corduroy trousers, a polyester shirt, and a pilling sweater. They were all made before the wedding, worn for six years, the cuffs and collar worn thin, patched upon patched.

But she still brought it with her.

She folded the clothes one by one and wrapped them in the blue and white floral cloth.

The bundle wasn't big; it felt light in her hands—this was all her possessions from the past six years.

She then filled the drawer with all the toothbrushes, toothpaste, and a little clam oil.

I took all four of my hair ties, all of them made of rubber.

And then... there's really nothing else.

As I was tidying up, I heard the sound of a bicycle bell and a child crying outside the gate.

"Dad! It hurts so much! She kicked me! My stomach hurts so much!" Tang Yaozong's shrill voice rang out.

"Waaah... I'm scared... I'm scared..." Tang Yaozu cried.

Qi Weiwei walked to the window and looked out through the crack in the window covered with old newspapers.

Tang Aijun pushed his bicycle into the courtyard. Tang Yaozong sat on the crossbeam, Sun Xidi sat on the back seat, and Tang Yaozu was in her arms.

All four people wore thick cotton gauze masks—the kind commonly seen in hospitals, white, with straps on both sides hanging over their ears.

Tang Yaozong's mask was crooked, revealing half of his face, and he was still gesturing wildly as he complained.

Sun Xidi tightly covered Tang Yaozu's face with a mask, as if Qi Weiwei were the source of the plague.

Tang Aijun parked the car and stood at the doorway of the main room. He didn't come in, but raised his voice and called into the room, "Weiwei, are you alright? How did you suddenly get tuberculosis?"

His voice held concern, but even more so doubt, and a hint of barely perceptible impatience: "You hardly ever leave the hospital, how could you have caught this disease?"

Qi Weiwei leaned against the door, cleared her throat, coughed a few times as if she were weak, and then said, "The doctor said... it's because I'm tired."

Upon hearing this, Sun Xidi immediately exploded.

Her voice, muffled by her mask, was still vicious: "You don't go to work, you just stay home all day taking care of the kids and cooking. You lazybones, what's tiring about you?! I bet you're just faking it!"

Qi Weiwei's response was a violent cough.

She coughed violently, bent over, held onto the door frame, and her shoulders shrugged.

While coughing, he used the corner of his eye to observe the reactions outside.

Despite wearing a mask, Tang Aijun instinctively covered his mouth and nose and took a half step back.

Sun Xidi hugged Tang Yaozu and backed away repeatedly, almost crashing into a bicycle.

After coughing for a while, Qi Weiwei slowly straightened up, panting, her voice even weaker: "The doctor said that everyone can come into contact with tuberculosis bacteria, but you only get it when your immunity is weak. The doctor also said that I am malnourished."

Tang Aijun frowned.

He glanced at Tang Yaozong on the crossbeam, then at Tang Yaozu in Sun Xidi's arms, a clear look of worry flashing in his eyes.

"Weiwei, what should we do?"

He stood far away, his voice coming through his mask, sounding somewhat muffled.

"Tuberculosis is contagious! We adults are fine, our immune systems are strong, but what if we accidentally infect Yaozong and Yaozu..."

He paused, not finishing his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Qi Weiwei sneered inwardly, but on the surface she pretended to be aggrieved and said in a low voice, "Then... I'll go back to my parents' house for a while. I'll come back when I'm better."

A hint of relief flashed in Tang Aijun's eyes, but he quickly concealed it, feigning difficulty: "This...isn't that inappropriate? You're sick, we should take care of you..."

"No."

Qi Weiwei interrupted him, then coughed twice.

"What if I infect the child? I've already packed my things. My parents said I should go back to live here, and they'll take care of me."

As she spoke, she slung the blue floral bundle over her shoulder and swayed as she walked out.

The bag wasn't heavy, but she deliberately walked slowly, her steps unsteady, as if she were terminally ill.

When Tang Aijun saw her come out, he immediately took three steps back, almost back to the center of the courtyard.

Qi Weiwei smiled at him—a pale, weak smile that looked somewhat eerie in the late autumn twilight: "Keep a close eye on the house."

She was referring to a "house," not a "home," and certainly not a "child."