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

Qi Weiwei strained her ears, trying hard to hear what was happening over there, but the wind was too strong, and she could only vaguely make out a few whispers:

"...I almost didn't see your signal..."

"...She's still a girl..."

"...The usual..."

"...Don't mess things up..."

"...How come it's only eighty...?"

"...Alright, alright..."

The voice was very low, intermittent, and indistinct.

A moment later, Su Cuilan came out, no longer holding the swaddling clothes.

She walked up to Qi Weiwei and said irritably, "Little sister, come to my house for the night. You'd better get up early tomorrow morning and leave, okay?"

Qi Weiwei nodded blankly, "Mm."

Su Cuilan stared at her again, her eyes fierce: "I'm telling you, absolutely do not speak to anyone in my family! If they ask who you are, just say you're Binwa's distant cousin, here to stay for the night. Don't say anything else! Otherwise..."

She leaned closer, her voice chilling: "I'll cut off your tongue!"

The flashlight beam suddenly shone on Qi Weiwei's face, so bright that she couldn't open her eyes.

She hurriedly covered her mouth in alarm and nodded repeatedly.

Su Cuilan was finally satisfied and turned around: "Follow me."

The two then walked back, one after the other.

The return journey seemed a bit shorter.

Qi Weiwei's feet were so cold she couldn't feel them, and she just mechanically followed along.

His mind raced—who was that contact person? Where was Xiao Qi taken? Did Ling Heping's men follow her?

When we returned to Fengshou Brigade, the village was already pitch black, and everyone was asleep.

Su Cuilan did not lead Qi Weiwei into the main house, but instead went around to the back of the yard, where there was a sheep pen—a shed made of branches and thatch, inside which was a ewe and a lamb.

"You'll sleep here tonight." Su Cuilan pushed open the gate, pointed inside, and said, "Leave at daybreak tomorrow, understand?"

The sheepfold was filled with a strong smell of mutton and manure.

The ground was covered with dry grass, but it was very thin, and in some places it had been trampled down, exposing the soil underneath.

Hearing the noise, the ewe raised her head and bleated.

The lamb huddled beside its mother, looking timidly at the newcomer.

Su Cuilan took out a black flatbread from her bosom and filled a bowl with dirty water, then put it on the ground: "Here, have some food and drink."

After saying that, she yawned widely, turned around and left, closing the gate behind her.

Qi Weiwei stood in the sheepfold, looking at the black flatbread on the ground—it had been there for who knows how long, and was as hard as a rock.

Needless to say, the water in that bowl was murky and turbid, with a few bits of grass floating on top.

The ewe came closer, sniffed the bread, and then... started to nibble on it.

Qi Weiwei did not stop her.

She broke the bread into pieces and poured it into the sheep trough along with water.

The ewe immediately buried her head in her food, and the lamb came over and knelt under the ewe's belly.

After the ewe finished eating, she still seemed hungry and came closer to sniff Qi Weiwei's hair, probably to see if she could eat it.

Qi Weiwei retreated to a corner of the sheepfold, squatted down, and curled up into a ball.

The ewe then gave up, returned to her original spot, and lay down.

Qi Weiwei leaned against the cold earthen wall, feeling both cold and tired, but dared not sleep.

She didn't know if Ling Heping and his team had lost track of the contact person, nor did she know if they had alerted the enemy.

What if they get caught and a fight breaks out? Will Xiaoqi be in danger?

Also, what does Su Cuilan mean by "old rules"?

It seems those two children were sent away in the same way, right?

I think so?

Su Cuilan charged her one hundred yuan, and then sold Xiao Qi for eighty yuan...

This woman...

……

Countless questions swirled in her mind, leaving her feeling utterly confused.

Time passed little by little.

It was cold in the sheepfold; the cold wind seeped in through the gaps in the straw, making her shiver.

She could only hug herself tightly, curling up in a ball, trying to conserve some body heat.

In the middle of the night, she heard snoring coming from the main room of the Zhou family's house, and Su Cuilan talking in her sleep: "...money...my money...twenty yuan is missing..."

As dawn approached, Qi Weiwei's lips had turned purple from the cold, and she had completely lost feeling in her hands and feet.

But she still forced herself to stay awake.

Finally, dawn broke.

The gate creaked open, and Su Cuilan poked her head in, tossing her a black flatbread—just as hard as the one from last night.

"Get out of here!" she whispered. "Go out the back door, and don't let anyone see you!"

Qi Weiwei picked up the pancake and staggered to her feet.

Her legs were really numb this time, and she almost fell.

He stood leaning against the wall for a while before slowly moving out of the sheepfold.

Su Cuilan pointed to the back gate of the courtyard: "Go that way. Hurry up!"

Qi Weiwei nodded and limped toward the back door.

The back door was a broken wooden door, the bolt was broken, and it was propped open with a wooden stick.

She moved the wooden stick aside, pushed open the door, and outside was a narrow alley.

It was not yet fully light, and the alley was deserted.

Qi Weiwei walked out of the alley and onto the main road outside the village.

She glanced back at the Fengshou Brigade—the village was still asleep, with only a few houses' chimneys beginning to smoke.

She walked along the main road, her legs still numb, and she walked very slowly.

After walking about a mile, a jeep was parked on the side of the road ahead.

The car looked familiar—it was the one Ling Heping drove yesterday.

The driver's side door opened, and Ling Heping jumped out of the car, smiling and waving at her.

Qi Weiwei felt a sense of relief and almost burst into tears.

She quickened her pace and staggered over.

Ling Heping opened the car door and helped her into the car.

The car was very warm, with the heating on full blast.

"Here, have some water first." Ling Heping handed over a water bottle. "It's brown sugar water."

Qi Weiwei took the kettle, her hands still trembling.

She unscrewed the cap and took a big gulp—it was indeed brown sugar water, warm and sweet, warming her from her throat all the way to her stomach.

"Where's Xiaoqi?" she asked anxiously.

"My men are watching, it's safe," Ling Heping said. "We've already caught the contact person, and my men are interrogating him!"

Qi Weiwei's eyes lit up: "You caught them? Where are they?"

"It's in a courtyard over at the commune," Ling Heping said, starting the car. "I'll take you there now."

He handed her a sesame seed cake: "Eat something first, to fill your stomach. The interrogation isn't urgent; the person can't escape."

Qi Weiwei took the sesame seed cake and took a bite—it was hot, and the aroma of sesame was wonderful.

She then realized she was starving and devoured a sesame seed cake in just a few bites.

Ling Heping took out another lunchbox from under his seat: "There's also millet porridge, it's been simmering all night, it's thick."

Qi Weiwei took the lunchbox, opened it, and found it filled with golden millet porridge, still steaming. There were seven or eight red dates, each as big as half an egg!

She sipped the drink slowly, eating the sweet and soft red dates, and gradually warmed up.

The jeep turned around and sped off toward the commune.

As the sky grew brighter, the eastern sky began to lighten.

A new day has begun!