The gluttonous little boy is four and a half years old, and even the wealthy family kneels down and

There was still a little more than half a pot of curry left in the pot, and Yun Ziang was stirring it with a spoon to prevent it from burning.

Xiao Jin sat on a rock nearby, holding her small bowl, her face still covered in dust, and was eating with great relish.

Fu Zongxu stopped, looked at Xiao Jin, paused for a moment, and then said:

"The Fu family owes you a favor for what happened today. If you ever need anything in the future, just let us know."

Xiao Jin looked up, still chewing her food, and said indistinctly, "Don't mention it, Zhouzhou is Xiao Jin's friend."

She thought for a moment, then added, "But if you want to send curry to Xiaojin, Xiaojin will eat it too."

Fu Zongxu's lips twitched slightly, he nodded, and said nothing more.

As he turned to leave with Fu Yuzhou in his arms, Fu Yuzhou poked half his head out from his shoulder and waved to Xiao Jin.

Xiao Jin waved to him.

Both families returned to their respective posts.

Yun Zi'ang carried Xiao Jin into the car, wiping her face and hands with wet wipes while scolding her: "Do you know how dangerous it was for you to run into the mountains? Do you know you almost scared me to death? Do you know the curry almost burned?"

Xiao Jin obediently let him wipe her face, and only after he finished speaking did she look up and ask, "Grand-nephew, were you crying?"

Yun Zi'ang stubbornly replied, "No."

Xiao Jin reached out and touched the corner of his eye: "Then why are your eyes so red?" Yun Ziang slapped her hand away: "They're spicy."

It was already late at night when they returned to the Yun family villa.

The living room was brightly lit. Yun Zhengbang sat on the sofa, clutching his cane. Yun Mingyuan, Yun Mingyi, Jiang Shulan, Yun Mingyue, and even Uncle Chen were standing at the door looking around.

As soon as the car came to a stop, a group of people came out to greet us.

Jiang Shulan took Xiao Jin out of the car and checked her over from head to toe, her eyes reddening.

Yun Zhengbang walked over, leaning on his cane. He looked down at Xiao Jin for a long while before saying in a hoarse voice, "It's good that you're back."

Surrounded by people, Xiao Jin looked left and right, then suddenly grinned.

She said, "Xiao Jin is back, don't worry."

She reached out and took Yun Zhengbang's hand, patting it gently. "Zhengbang, Xiaojin said she would celebrate many birthdays for you. Xiaojin keeps her word."

Yun Zhengbang held her hand in his palm and said nothing more.

Yun Mingyuan stood behind, watching this scene, and gave Yun Ziqian a wink.

Yun Ziqian nodded and turned to arrange for people to handle the follow-up matters.

After this incident, the Fu family made a big fuss.

Sang Jiamei was personally taken to the police station by Old Master Fu, and Fu Yuanxun was also summoned by the old man and scolded all night long. It is said that at the end of the scolding, Fu Yuanxun knelt on the ground and dared not get up.

Taking this opportunity, Fu Zongxu compiled a list of investigation materials on Zhou Kun and Qicheng Real Estate, along with evidence of Qicheng Real Estate's tax evasion, illegal land acquisition, and manipulation of bidding processes over the years, and sent it to Yun Mingyuan.

The email ended with only one sentence: "This is the Fu family's gratitude, and also the Fu family's apology."

After reading the email, Yun Mingyi called Fu Zongxu back.

The two didn't say much on the phone. Yun Mingyi only said, "Received, thank you," and Fu Zongxu only replied, "It's nothing."

Between two men, words should be left unsaid.

But from that day on, the invisible thread between the Yun family and the Fu family was reconnected.

After Xiaojin returned to kindergarten, she lived a very successful life.

The children in the Whale Class had all heard about her "heroic deeds"—although the versions varied. Ren Feichen told everyone that "the boss single-handedly defeated ten bad guys," while Gu Fei said that she "bravely protected Zhouzhou."

Fu Yuzhou never interrupted, but always shared his food with Xiao Jin.

On Fu Yuzhou's birthday, Fu Zongxu held a small birthday party for him at home.

Before blowing out the candles, Fu Zongxu asked him what he wished for.

Fu Yuzhou looked at his father and said earnestly, "I want to buy Xiaojin back into our family."

Fu Zongxu was taken aback and asked him why.

Fu Yuzhou said, "She has no parents and is always hungry. I want her to take my surname, Fu, and be named Fu Xiaojin. My father is very rich; he can buy her back!"

After hearing this, Fu Zongxu didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.

He squatted down, looked into his son's eyes, and said, "Xiao Jin has a home. The Yun family is her home. She's not an object; we can't buy her."

Fu Yuzhou was silent for a moment, then asked, "Could we invite her to our house for dinner? Every day?"

Fu Zongxu said, "Then we'll have to ask the Yun family if they agree." Fu Yuzhou nodded and said he would ask Xiao Jin tomorrow.

Fu Zongxu ruffled his hair and said nothing more.

Over the weekend, Xiao Jin volunteered to accompany Yun Mingyi to the hospital for a follow-up examination.

Yun Mingyi's leg is already able to walk a few steps with the help of crutches. The doctor said that the recovery is better than expected, and in a few more months, he may be able to throw away the crutches.

Xiao Jin sat in the hospital corridor waiting for Yun Mingyi to have his examination, holding her little fox-shaped bag and looking around.

Suddenly, she saw an old man walk past her, his bag slipping from his hand, and several apples rolled all over the ground.

Xiao Jin immediately jumped off the chair and ran to pick it up.

She crouched down, chasing after an apple that had rolled to the corner of the wall. As she reached out to grab it, she suddenly stopped.

She looked up at the old man who was bending down to pick up apples.

The old man stretched out his hand, and on his right hand, six fingers were clearly visible.

Xiao Jin's pupils contracted slightly.

She didn't stand up immediately, but squatted down, holding the apple in her arms, and carefully examined the old man.

The old man was in his sixties, with gray hair, deep wrinkles on his face, and wearing a faded gray jacket.

After picking up the apples, he straightened up, smiled at Xiao Jin, and said, "Thank you, little friend."

Xiao Jin slowly stood up, handed him the apple, but kept her eyes fixed on his face.

She didn't say anything, but simply took a step back, retreating to the wall.

The old man took the apple, thanked him, and turned to leave.

Xiao Jin stood in the corridor, watching the old man's figure disappear around the corner, her brows furrowed for a long time.

She didn't hesitate for long before lifting her short legs and chasing after him.

She followed behind the old man, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

The old man walked slowly, his steps somewhat dragging, through the corridor on the third floor of the inpatient department, and turned into a single ward on the far east side.

Xiao Jin didn't go in immediately, but instead pressed herself against the door frame and quietly peeked inside.

The ward wasn't large, but it was very clean.

A small pot of pothos sits on the windowsill, its leaves glossy and vibrant.

The woman lay quietly on the bed, her face thin, her skin almost translucent white. Her eyes were closed, her eyelashes long, and her lips slightly pursed.

She had tubes inserted into her body, and the monitor next to her beeped rhythmically, one beat after another, neither fast nor slow.

The old man placed the apple on the bedside table, then took out a soft cloth from under the bed, dampened it with warm water, wrung it out, and began to wipe the woman's hands.

His movements were slow and gentle, as if he were wiping a piece of porcelain that would break.

He spoke as he wiped, his voice low, making it impossible to hear what he was saying.

Xiao Jin stood outside the door, watching intently.

She could see the hazy, somber look on the old man's face, and she could also see the faint glimmer of light remaining on the woman in the hospital bed.

The light was like a spark about to burn out, flickering and threatening to go out at any moment.

After wiping his hands, the old man washed the apple, peeled it, cut it into very small pieces, and put it in a bowl.

He took the bowl, sat down on the edge of the bed, scooped up a small piece with a spoon, and brought it to the woman's lips.

But the woman did not react.

He held the spoon up for a moment, then withdrew his hand, put the apple pieces in his mouth, and chewed slowly.

His shoulders were slightly slumped, and from behind, he looked like an old tree bent by the wind.

Xiao Jin stood outside the door, her brows slightly furrowed, looking somewhat sad.

She watched the old man sit for a while longer, watched him reach out to tuck the woman in, and watched him carefully gather the leftover apple peels into a plastic bag.

Then the old man stood up to take out the trash. As he turned around, Xiao Jin took a step back and hid behind the wall.

The old man walked past her without noticing her, heading straight for the trash can at the end of the corridor.

Xiao Jin peeked half her head out from behind the wall and glanced into the ward again. The woman on the bed was still quiet, and the monitor was still beeping.

She stared at the woman's face for a long time, then slowly turned around and walked back down the corridor.

She returned to the bench where she had been sitting; Yun Mingyi's examination was not yet finished.

She climbed onto the chair, hugged the fox-shaped bag to her chest, rested her chin on the bag, and stared at the ground, lost in thought.

After a while, Yun Mingyi was wheeled out. He saw Xiao Jin looking sullen and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xiao Jin shook her head and didn't say anything. She thought for a moment and then said, "Little nephew, don't let others take care of you for too long in the future."

Yun Mingyi was stunned for a moment: "What?"

"Xiao Jin will take care of you," Xiao Jin said. "Xiao Jin will always be with you and won't leave you alone."

Yun Mingyi looked at her, suddenly unsure of what to say.

He reached out and ruffled Xiao Jin's hair, saying softly, "Okay."

Xiao Jin was quiet for a while, then jumped off the chair, grabbed the armrest of Yun Mingyi's wheelchair, and said, "Let's go home."

Meanwhile, in the Yun family villa, Yun Zi'ang had been having nightmares for the past few days, his dreams filled with images of Xiao Jin being suddenly taken away.

He couldn't help but call Kong Zheng to inquire about the mastermind behind it all. Yun Zi'ang speculated, "Based on my years of experience watching crime dramas, I think that six-fingered monster probably also lost his wife?"

Kong Zheng paused for two seconds on the other end of the phone, then said, "Why do you say that?"

Yun Zi'ang said, "Li Yifa did it for his wife, and Yuan Wei did it for his girlfriend. So I guess this six-fingered monster's wife must have gotten into trouble too."

Kong Zheng thought for two seconds and said, "It's not impossible."

"We will do our best to find her. Until then, you must protect Xiao Jin."

Yun Zi'ang answered without hesitation, "Of course, as long as you don't leak Xiao Jin's information."

After hanging up the phone, Yun Ziang still felt uneasy. "It's better to rely on yourself than on others. My little miss still needs me to protect her!"

As he spoke, Yun Ziang, as if injected with chicken blood, grabbed his coat and dashed out of the room.