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

Qi Zhuangzhuang reached out, wanting to pat his sister's shoulder, but he lowered his hand halfway up and finally just sighed heavily.

"Ugh!"

That sigh was heavy, like a stone hitting the ground.

Qi Zhuangzhuang turned around, looked at his grandfather, then at his parents, and finally his gaze returned to Qi Weiwei.

"Weiwei, Grandpa told me everything about you. Your older brother wrote the letter of introduction for you!"

His voice was steady, but you could hear the suppressed emotions in it.

"Don't worry, not all the men in the Qi family are dead!"

He paused, then said, slowly and deliberately, "My elder brother will go to Shandong Province with you!"

The room fell silent instantly.

The fire crackled and popped.

Qi Weiwei stared wide-eyed at her older brother.

Qi Zhuangzhuang pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and slapped it on the table—it was a leave request form stamped with the red seal of the street office.

"I took a full month off," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "The work arrangements are all taken care of. Your sister-in-law will temporarily fill in for me at the neighborhood office."

Qi Weiwei opened her mouth, wanting to say no, wanting to say it's too troublesome, wanting to say...

But she couldn't say anything.

My throat feels like it's blocked by something, and it's burning.

Qi Zhuangzhuang looked at her with a firm gaze: "You're going on a long trip alone, and no one at home can comfort you. Shandong Province is so big, and you don't know anyone here. Finding your child won't be a matter of just a day or two. With me here, at least you'll have someone to look after you."

Chen Hongxia was the first to react, her eyes reddening: "Zhuangzhuang, your...your job...isn't Ma Lan herself very busy? Can you manage?"

"Mom, it's okay. That's one of the advantages of working in the same unit as your spouse!" Qi Zhuangzhuang waved his hand. "You know how it is at the neighborhood office, it's just like that. Taking a month's leave will only result in a deduction in salary at most. I talked to the supervisor, and Ma Lan agreed to cover half a day's shift for me every day. She also said that Weiwei's matter is important."

Ma Lan, the eldest sister-in-law, has always liked her sister-in-law Qi Weiwei, and she always treats her well whenever she visits their home.

However, Tang Aijun said that his sister-in-law was arrogant, which he didn't like, and told Qi Weiwei to have less contact with her.

The arrogance Tang Aijun mentioned specifically refers to the fact that when his sister-in-law poured him tea, she didn't hand it to him with both hands.

Just that once, just that one small thing.

In her previous life, Qi Weiwei never set foot in her elder brother and sister-in-law's house again.

Qi Weiwei wanted to slap herself again.

Qi Chou also came over, patted his son on the shoulder, and didn't say anything, but everyone could see the gratitude and relief in his eyes.

Grandpa nodded, a satisfied look on his face: "I think it's suitable for Zhuangzhuang to go. It'll be safer with a man by his side. Besides, Zhuangzhuang has always been steady and reliable, so it's a good fit."

Qi Weiwei looked at her older brother, the one who had protected her since childhood, fought for her, and taken the blame for her.

In her past life, her elder brother impulsively hurt someone for her sake, ruining his promising future and causing the destruction of his family.

But what about her?

What did she do for her older brother?

No.

Not even once.

She only knows how to take and only drags things down.

And now, her older brother is going to take a month off to accompany her on her long journey.

"Big brother..." Qi Weiwei's tears finally fell, "Thank you..."

Qi Zhuangzhuang frowned and reached out to ruffle her hair—just like when they were little, the movement was a little rough, but very warm.

"Silly girl, why are you being so polite with your older brother?" he said. "Hurry up and pack your things, let's leave as soon as possible. I've already asked someone to buy the train tickets, let's not delay, let's go tomorrow."

tomorrow.

Qi Weiwei wiped away her tears and nodded emphatically.

Okay, I'll leave tomorrow.

Go find your daughter.

This time, she wasn't alone.

She had her older brother with her.

She has family support.

She's not afraid of anything!

The snow stopped that afternoon, but the sky remained overcast.

Qi Zhuangzhuang, clutching his father's work ID, went out the door.

Railway family members receive a discount on tickets, saving a few yuan and having priority in seat selection—in this day and age, getting a seat is already quite difficult.

Qi Weiwei sat by the window, watching her older brother's figure disappear into the alleyway.

Qi Chou also went out, carrying the purchase list written by his mother and all the ration coupons in the house, and went to the supply and marketing cooperative.

Chen Hongxia was busy in the kitchen, the clattering of pots and pans carrying a warm, homely feeling.

Qi Weiwei lowered her head and continued sewing the pocket.

The old cotton shirt I was wearing next to my skin had become soggy from washing.

She sewed three pockets inside the shirt with a needle and thread.

The stitches are fine and the thread is a similar color to the fabric, so it's almost invisible unless you look closely.

The first pocket was sewn on the side closest to the chest, completely sealed, with only a small opening at the very top.

She folded the yellowed "guarantee" to its smallest size, stuffed it inside, and then sewed the small opening shut with needle and thread.

This pocket is impossible to open unless you take the clothes apart.

The second pocket was under her left rib, with the opening facing right. Inside was money—three hundred yuan from the Tang family, two hundred yuan from her grandfather, fifty yuan from Wang Dong, and thirty-odd yuan she had saved herself, totaling five hundred and eighty yuan.

A thick stack of paper, tied with a rubber band, wrapped in an old handkerchief, and stuffed inside.

The pockets were sewn very deep; money placed inside would stick to the body, and the coat was so loose that the marks were almost invisible.

The third pocket was under the right rib, with the opening facing left. It contained various coupons: national grain coupons, local grain coupons, cloth coupons, oil coupons, and most importantly, a letter of introduction, Tang Tiantian's household registration information, and a series of contact methods for the Ling family.

Wrap these in another handkerchief and stuff them in as well.

After sewing the last stitch, she cut the thread and put the shirt on.

The three pockets were close to my skin, heavy but reassuring.

Keep the money and tickets separate, so that even if one is lost, the whole thing won't be lost.

She was worried: When will Sun Xidi and Tang Tiantian find out that the money is missing?

Tang Tiantian had touched the pillow stuffing that contained money, but it had healed very well and shouldn't be discovered anytime soon.

The iron box in Sun Xidi's trunk was hidden even more discreetly. The old lady had a hoarding habit, and the trunk was stuffed full of things. It was estimated that unless there was a big income, she wouldn't rummage through the bottom of the trunk, and probably wouldn't notice it for a while.

Moreover, she used scraps of cloth to cover the weight inside the tin box.

As long as you don't open it to look at it, there won't be any problems.

but……

Qi Weiwei calculated the time.

Wang Dong receives his allowance on the first of each month and sends the money back on the same day or the next day.

The last remittance slip was seven days ago.

In other words, Tang Tiantian will definitely open the box and put away her money 23 days later—she has a habit of taking out the money to count every month when she receives a remittance, and then putting it together with the previous remittances.

Twenty-three days.

She should be able to get back within 23 days and handle everything.

Of course, this is assuming that neither Tang Tiantian nor Sun Xidi will suddenly need money urgently.

In case any of them want to buy new clothes or other things, they can open the box in advance...

Qi Weiwei shivered.

They'll go crazy once they find out their money is gone!