Why did you provoke me?

The news that Sister Xiu was leaving alarmed Uncle Zhao and his second uncle. They rushed over. "Sister Xiu, although your parents are gone, we are still brothers. None of us will have any objections to you staying here."

Sister Xiu bowed to the two elderly people. "I told Grandpa and Grandma a few days ago that I wanted to go back to town, and they agreed."

Tears streamed down the faces of Zhao's eldest and second uncles. Neither of them had anticipated this unexpected turn of events.

"Sister Xiu, this is your grandparents' home, and it will be your home in the future. Can't you stay now?" Uncle Zhao's voice choked with emotion.

Xiu shook her head. "I know my uncles both feel sorry for me. But I'm still used to the place where I grew up. I really don't feel comfortable living here. Uncles, I'll come back to visit you often in the future."

Yu Jun took the bag from Xiu Jie's hand and said, "We will take good care of Xiu Jie, so you two can rest assured."

Niannian ran over like a madwoman and hugged Xiujie's leg. "You said you'd take me with you wherever you went. You can't abandon me. Mom and Dad don't want me anymore. If you don't want me anymore either, I'll go find Mom and Dad."

Xiu-jie hugged Niannian tightly, saying, "I don't mean I don't want you."

Xiujie looked at her eldest and second uncles with a troubled expression. Niannian cried and looked at her eldest and second uncles as well, "I want to go with my sister." Then she looked at Yumeng, still crying. "Fourth sister, I'll be good, I'll be very obedient. Please take me with you, okay?"

Yu Jun also looked at Zhao's eldest and second uncles, "You have a lot of things to deal with right now, and you might not be able to take care of her. Why don't you let her come and stay with us for a while?"

Yu Meng nodded in agreement, "Children's moods are fickle. Maybe it won't be long before she starts clamoring to come back. Then we'll send her back."

Uncle Zhao and Uncle Zhao nodded helplessly. They had long known that they couldn't keep Sister Xiu, but they never expected that Niannian, who had grown up here, would also leave with Sister Xiu.

"Niannian, you're too young. Going to their house will only cause them a lot of trouble. Isn't it better for you to stay here? You have so many older brothers and sisters to take care of you." Second Uncle tried to change Niannian's mind.

"I want to be with my older sister. She's my only family." After saying that, she burst into tears.

Xiu-jie hugged her, her head down, and didn't say a word.

Yu Meng patted her gently, "You can run, jump, and even be naughty and cause trouble at my house, but you can't cry."

"Are you really willing to let me come to your house?" Niannian sobbed, stopping her loud crying.

"I'm the youngest in my family, and I'd love to have another little sister. But she'd have to be obedient."

Niannian held Yu Meng's hand and said, "I promise I'll be very obedient and well-behaved. Sister Xiu can be my witness." She even looked back at Sister Xiu, and only after Sister Xiu nodded did she look back at Yu Meng.

Everyone got on the bus, but the boy from Uncle Zhao's family ran over and stuffed a bag into Niannian's arms. "These are all for you. Remember to come back and see me."

Niannian picked up the bag, intending to throw it down, but Sister Xiu grabbed her hand and said, "I'll bring her back to see you. You have to work hard too."

The boy's face immediately lit up with a smile. "Sister Xiu, I will."

The ride home was quiet. Yu Meng had never been good at offering advice, not at all. Yu Jun, being a man, didn't say much either.

"Little sister, who are those two sisters who came with you? Why did they come back with us?" Sister Xiu asked softly.

Yu Meng remained silent for a long time before finally looking at Sister Xiu and saying, "Sister Xiu, I don't want to lie to you, but I really can't tell you about this."

Sister Xiu nodded. "Is Big Sister alright? She didn't come; did something happen?"

Yu Meng laughed, "My brother-in-law keeps a close eye on her. You know about Chu Jiao's madness, right?"

Sister Xiu nodded. "This matter has caused quite a stir. I've also heard some rumors."

Yu Meng sighed, "My brother-in-law is afraid this matter will get involved with my eldest sister. He doesn't want her to come to the city, and my parents support that."

"Chu Jiao is crazy. That's because she's sick. What does it have to do with our eldest sister?" Sister Xiu said, feeling indignant on behalf of Dali.

"Maybe my brother-in-law is afraid she'll become too attached to my older sister," Niannian whispered from the side.

Yu Meng and Sister Xiu both looked at her. "Why would you think that?" Sister Xiu asked, her face full of surprise.

Niannian clenched her fingers, lowered her head, and remained silent.

Yu Meng laughed, "Sister Xiu, don't ask anymore, she definitely did such a thing."

Niannian looked up at Yu Meng and asked, "Fourth Sister, will you hate me for doing this?"

"If this hadn't happened to me, I wouldn't hate you, but if it had happened to me, I would want to tear you apart."

"She bullied me first. When someone asked, I just said it was her." Niannian's voice trailed off.

Yu Meng asked curiously, "What happened to her in the end?"

"She was kicked out by her grandmother."

"You mean Chen Ma, the one who doesn't feed you?" Sister Xiu also remembered this person.

Niannian nodded. "She ate all the food she gave me, and sometimes I was really hungry. That time I broke my second aunt's bracelet, and Chen Ma happened to come in to clean up the room for her. I said it was Chen Ma who did it. Then my second aunt told Grandma about it. I insisted that it was her. Am I a child? What bad intentions could I have?"

"You're so young, yet you already know how to scheme against people. Does your older sister Xiu know about this?" Yu Meng continued to ask.

"Sister Xiu told me that if you suffer a loss, you should get revenge if you have the chance," Xiao Niannian replied confidently.

Xiu Jie's face turned slightly red.

Yu Meng chuckled softly. "Aren't you afraid she'll go astray if you teach her like this?"

Sister Xiu sighed, "Niannian is also very pitiful. My parents can only stay at home for a few days during the Chinese New Year. Do you think they can understand their child?"

Even if Niannian suffers injustice, given their rational nature, do you think they would stand up for her? Perhaps they're overthinking things. Maybe they trust their older brother to take good care of their child.

However, growing up isn't just about eating well and staying warm. Caught off guard by her peers, Xiao Nian had no one to confide in. Everyone said she was a little devil, unruly at home.

"So, that's how you teach her. Niannian will definitely like you as her older sister."

Niannian nodded in agreement. "I was happiest when my sister was here. Even when Mom and Dad came back, I wasn't this happy. They always told me to be obedient, but they never listened to me. They always made me apologize."

Yu Meng looked at Sister Xiu and asked, "Is she really okay like this?"

Sister Xiu shook her head. "This is already much better than when I first met her."