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

Xie Chunqiao glanced at her younger brother in the wooden tub, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes, but it quickly turned into a twisted "love".

"This is what my brother looks like."

She said, her voice lowering.

"What if a monster is born, then..."

Aesthetically pleasing things can balance things out...

Surely the baby won't be too ugly?

Qi Weiwei: "..."

She didn't know what to say.

anger?

Have.

Hatred?

Have.

But there's also a sense of...absurdity.

This woman surnamed Xie was very helpful; she answered every question with reason and evidence.

She made it all sound so "natural," as if she wasn't committing a crime, but rather "doing a good deed"—giving two "unwanted" children a home and her poor brother a "future."

After Xie Chunqiao finished speaking, she looked at Qi Weiwei and managed to force a smile—even though her face was covered in blood, her smile looked worse than her crying.

"actually,"

She said that her tone even had a hint of "taking credit."

"I didn't really torment the two girls."

They have food to eat every day, although it's not good, but they don't starve.

As winter approached, I even made a new cotton-padded coat for my eldest child—it was altered from my own old one. Although it's a bit worn, it's still very warm.

She paused, wiped the blood from her face, as if she had made a decision:

"Alright, now that you've come looking for me, you've already fought and vented your anger."

But I can't just let people go like that.

I don't want much—

I've raised these two girls to adulthood, and everything they eat, wear, and use has cost me money.

Give me two hundred each, four hundred yuan in total, and you can take the person away!

As she spoke, she stretched out her hand, palm open, waiting to receive the money.

Qi Weiwei didn't move.

She looked at Xie Chunqiao, at this woman whose face was covered in blood, yet who still had the audacity to ask for money, and felt it was utterly absurd.

Xie Chunqiao waited for a long time, but Qi Weiwei didn't take out any money. She asked suspiciously, "You came to ransom them, you didn't bring any money, did you? Four hundred yuan... that's a lot, but as their mother, your two daughters aren't worth that much, are they?"

Ling Heping finally spoke.

He walked up to Xie Chunqiao, looked down at her with a cold gaze.

"What an ignorant person about the law." His voice was calm, but every word struck Xie Chunqiao's heart like a hammer blow. "Xie Chunqiao, you've broken the law, do you know that?"

Xie Chunqiao was taken aback: "What...what law did you break?"

"Chinese law," Ling Heping said, enunciating each word clearly, "prohibits the buying and selling of women and children, and also prohibits the keeping of child brides. You have violated both of these laws, and you will go to jail."

Xie Chunqiao's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

"Why...why is it not allowed anymore?"

She struggled to speak, her voice weak.

"That's how our ancestors have always lived!"

There are plenty of people buying wives or raising child brides!

Why are you arresting me?!

I'm taking good care of these two girls; I didn't break their arms or legs. I'm doing this out of good karma!

Ling Heping stopped wasting words with her.

He pulled a pair of cold handcuffs from his waist, which gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

"Click."

The handcuffs were put on, binding Xie Chunqiao's hands.

Xie Chunqiao stared blankly at the handcuffs on her wrists, as if she hadn't reacted.

Several seconds later, she burst into tears.

"I'm innocent! I'm innocent! I was just trying to be kind! I saved two unwanted children! You can't arrest me!"

Her cries echoed through the courtyard, piercing and shrill.

But nobody paid any attention to her.

Qi Weiwei turned around, squatted down, and hugged her two daughters back into her arms.

This time, they did not struggle.

The older one buried his head in her shoulder and sobbed softly.

The smaller one clung tightly to her neck, refusing to let go.

"Don't be afraid," Qi Weiwei said softly, her voice as gentle as if she were soothing a baby, "Mommy's here... Mommy will take you home... Let's go home..."

The sunlight shone on the mother and her two daughters, casting a warm shadow on the ground.

Not far away, Xie Chunqiao was still crying and shouting.

The man in the wooden tub was still splashing around in the water, making "hoho" sounds.

The yard still reeked.

But Qi Weiwei felt that this was the warmest moment since her rebirth.

Her daughters have finally returned to her side.

This time, she would never let anyone hurt them again.

no way.

……

The jeep drove along the bumpy dirt road. In the back seat, Qi Weiwei sat in the middle, holding her two children tightly on either side.

She hugged her tightly, as if she wanted to make up for the six years of missed hugs all at once.

The two girls were a little stiff at first, but gradually relaxed. Their small bodies clung tightly to her, their little hands gripping her clothes tightly, as if afraid that this was just a dream and they would wake up if they let go.

Qi Weiwei looked down at her daughters in her arms—

The older one has delicate features, resembling both her and Tang Aijun, but is thin with a pointed chin, making her eyes appear exceptionally large.

The smaller one was curled up in her arms like a frightened kitten, with only her messy head visible.

They emitted a strong odor—the smell of feces, sweat, and the rancid smell of someone who hadn't bathed in a long time.

The smell was particularly pungent in the enclosed carriage, but Qi Weiwei didn't care at all.

She felt only heartache, so much so that she couldn't breathe.

"Mom," the younger one suddenly looked up and whispered, "I'm hungry."

Her voice was soft and cautious, as if she was used to being beaten for making demands.

Qi Weiwei felt as if she had been pricked by a needle.

She looked up at Ling Heping, who was driving in the front seat: "Brother Heping, could we find a place for the children to eat something?"

Ling Heping glanced in the rearview mirror: "The commune is just ahead, there's a state-run restaurant. Let's eat first, then go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy the children some new clothes."

The car drove into the commune and stopped in front of the state-run restaurant.

In those days, state-run restaurants were all state-owned, with small storefronts and red signs that read "Serve the People" hanging at the entrance.

It was lunchtime, and the place was quite crowded, filled with smoke, and the sounds of talking and clattering bowls and chopsticks blended together.

Qi Weiwei led her two children out of the car.

As soon as the three entered the room, the strong, unpleasant odor immediately caught their attention.

The clerk was a middle-aged woman in her forties, who was looking down at an abacus when she smelled the odor, looked up, and frowned.

When she saw the two dirty, emaciated children, her brows furrowed even more.

"Hey! You!" she stood up, her voice shrill, "Go beg somewhere else! This is a place to eat!"

He was about to come over and chase them away.

Ling Heping strode forward and stood in front of Qi Weiwei and the children.

He took out his ID from his pocket, unfolded it, and held it up to the ticket clerk.

"Comrade," his voice was calm, but carried an undeniable authority, "we need to eat here while on a mission."

The clerk recognized the words and official seal on the document, her expression changed, and her tone softened: "Oh... you're a leader from the military... then... please come in."