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

The old lady was wearing a drab gray cotton-padded jacket with a large front opening and black cotton-padded trousers, the cuffs of which were tied with strips of cloth.

Her hair was gray, tied in a bun at the back of her head, and held in place with a chopstick.

His back was slightly hunched, and he walked with a limp, as if he had a problem with his legs.

Her face was dark red and wrinkled, and her eyes were small but bright, gleaming with a shrewd light.

This is Su Cuilan?!

So old?!

The driver pointed at Qi Weiwei: "She's the one who's looking for you."

After saying that, he drove the oxcart slowly, harnessing it and preparing to leave—but he went very slowly, clearly wanting to see what the commotion was about.

Su Cuilan spotted the swaddled baby in Qi Weiwei's arms at a glance, and her expression changed instantly.

She strode over, her eyes fixed on the swaddled baby, her voice low but urgent: "What's going on?! Girl, who are you?"

Qi Weiwei said urgently, "I'm from Beijing. Tang Tiantian asked me to come and ask you for help, sister. Sister, shall we talk at your house?"

Su Cuilan immediately understood. She glanced at the driver, who was still slowly harnessing the cart, and shouted at him, "Old Zhang, hurry up and get going! What are you looking at?!"

The driver reluctantly gave a "Giddy up!" and the oxcart sped up and drove away.

Once the driver was out of sight, Su Cuilan turned to Qi Weiwei, scrutinizing her from head to toe with a wary look in her eyes: "You really were sent by Tiantian? Why the change?"

Qi Weiwei lowered her voice: "Big sister, this matter... is hard to say. Tian Tian is not available right now, so I'm coming instead. The baby... has been born again."

Su Cuilan's eyes widened: "Another one?! When did that happen?"

Qi Weiwei's heart tightened, but she quickly calmed down and said, "It was just a few days ago. I gave birth so suddenly that I didn't have time to write. That's why they asked me to bring the baby here right away."

Su Cuilan's gaze fell on the swaddling clothes again, her eyes filled with complex emotions, including disgust, anger, and a hint of greed.

She reached out, wanting to lift the swaddling clothes to take a look, but Qi Weiwei subconsciously turned away.

Su Cuilan's hand froze in mid-air, her face darkening. "What happened? Is my daughter's baby a boy or a girl?"

Qi Weiwei hesitated for a moment, then remembered that Su Cuilan had given birth to five daughters before finally having a son, showing a deep-seated preference for sons over daughters. So she said, "Boy."

Sure enough, Su Cuilan's face darkened even more, she practically gritted her teeth: "That brat Tian Tian certainly knows how to have children! Two boys aren't enough? Tang Aijun really doesn't cherish my daughter at all! I was wondering why we hadn't heard anything for a year! Turns out she's had another one!"

She paused, then asked, "Did Tiantian say when Tang Aijun is going to marry her? It's been so many years! My daughter is just following him around without any status or recognition?!"

Qi Weiwei sneered inwardly, but feigned indifference and shook her head: "Tian Tian didn't say. I'm just here to drop off the child, I don't know anything else."

Su Cuilan spat angrily, "Useless thing! Another maid?"

Qi Weiwei replied blankly, "Mm."

Su Cuilan sneered, "Serves that bitch Qi Weiwei right! A barren hen that can't produce a son!"

As she spoke, she stretched out her hand.

His hands were as rough as cracked earth, crisscrossed with furrows, and his fingernails were full of black mud: "Same as always, one hundred dollars! Pay up first, then I'll find a way to make this wretched girl live."

Qi Weiwei shuddered.

A worthless life.

These two words pierced her heart like needles.

In Su Cuilan's eyes, were her daughters "worthless"?

She gritted her teeth to keep from slapping him.

She took a deep breath and handed the child to Su Cuilan.

Su Cuilan took the child, but her movements were rough, and she almost dropped the child.

Qi Weiwei's heart was in her throat, but Su Cuilan quickly tucked the child under her arm like a bundle.

Qi Weiwei painstakingly rummaged through the inside pocket of her cotton-padded jacket and pulled out the ten ten-yuan bills.

Su Cuilan's eyes lit up. She grabbed the money, shoved the child into Qi Weiwei's arms, and freed her hands. She moistened her fingers with saliva and began counting the money.

One, two, three...

She counted very slowly and carefully, counting three times.

Once she confirmed it was one hundred yuan, not a penny less, a smile appeared on her face, and her wrinkles smoothed out.

She carefully stuffed the money into her pocket, pressing it against the outside to make sure it was in place.

Then, she looked at the child under her arm and frowned: "This child can't go into the village. You stay here and wait in a sheltered spot. I'll bring you some food and drink in a bit."

She tossed the child back to Qi Weiwei and said, "I'll come find you when it's completely dark tonight. We'll talk then."

Su Cuilan was quite cautious.

Qi Weiwei nodded: "Okay."

Su Cuilan glanced at the child again, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by greed.

She pressed her hand against the pocket containing the money, hummed a little tune happily, and turned to limp back into the village.

Qi Weiwei, holding her child, stood under the big locust tree, watching Su Cuilan's figure disappear into the path at the village entrance.

The wind blew, and the withered branches of the locust tree made a "whooshing" sound.

The baby in her arms stirred and let out a soft cry.

Qi Weiwei took off her coat and wrapped it around the swaddled baby, then gently patted the baby and whispered, "Good girl, don't cry... it'll be over soon..."

Her eyes were cold and resolute.

The fish has taken the bait.

With the hundred yuan in her pocket, Su Cuilan's steps became lighter.

She limped into the harvest brigade, her wrinkled face beaming with undisguised joy. She hummed a tuneless little tune, her fingers occasionally tapping her pocket, feeling the thickness of the wad of cash.

From the moment she entered the village, three pairs of eyes were watching her from the shadows.

Under the old locust tree at the village entrance, a peddler carrying a load on a shoulder pole was selling needles and thread to several old ladies, but his eyes kept glancing at Su Cuilan's back.

The peddler was young, in his early twenties, wearing a worn-out cotton-padded jacket, with a simple, honest smile on his face. He looked like an ordinary salesman from village to village for a supply and marketing cooperative.

"Auntie, these thimbles are made in Shanghai. They're sturdy and durable; one can last for years! The women at our supply and marketing cooperative each bought several!"

He enthusiastically promoted his wares, but secretly drew a mark with chalk on the side of the bamboo basket on his shoulder pole—a secret signal set by Ling Heping to indicate that the target had returned to the village.

Another old man, a junk collector, slowly strolled around the village pushing his cart, calling out, "Recycling benefits the commune! Collecting junk—broken copper and scrap iron, old books and newspapers, wine bottles and cans—"

His eyes, however, were as sharp as an eagle's, sweeping across the gates of every household.

Seeing Su Cuilan enter the Zhou family's courtyard, he squatted down, pretending to tie his shoelaces, and made a mark on the earthen wall by the roadside with a stone. It was inconspicuous, but you could see it without looking closely.

The third one was a carpenter who was repairing doors and windows at Aunt Wu's house.

He was in his thirties, wearing overalls covered in sawdust, and the plane in his hand made a "shush-shush" sound.

From Aunt Wu's courtyard, you can see the gate of the Zhou family's courtyard.

While he was working, he kept an eye on what was happening over there out of the corner of his eye.