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

The old woman was so frightened that she trembled like a leaf, shaking her head incoherently:

"I don't know... I really don't know... She just said she likes girls... wants a companion... to raise them up and take care of them in their old age... but it's painful to look at someone who's too ugly every day..."

Qi Weiwei frowned deeply.

"Those two children..." Her voice trembled, "Those two girls...where are they now? Are they still alive?"

The old lady hesitated for a moment.

Qi Weiwei's eyes instantly turned fierce, and she raised her hand again.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" the old woman screamed in terror, "They're still alive! They're all alive! The old tailor was... alright with them... he didn't hit or scold them... it's just..."

"What is it?!" Qi Weiwei's heart jumped.

"It's just... they're not allowed to go out," the old woman said softly. "They're locked up in the yard... teaching them needlework... saying... saying they'll take over her job later... Anyway, there are plenty of weirdos out there, I never really paid any attention..."

Qi Weiwei was stunned.

Locked in the yard?

Are they not allowed to go out?

Teaching needlework?

Her daughters... were confined in a courtyard, living a life of isolation like prisoners.

Six years.

The eldest daughter is five years old, and the youngest daughter is three years old.

They were locked up from birth, never saw the outside world, never met their parents, and may not even know that they were "bought"...

Qi Weiwei felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing her heart, causing her unbearable pain.

Just then, the door creaked open.

A middle-aged woman, around forty years old, walked in carrying an enamel mug, peeking around with a slightly obsequious expression on her face.

Steam was rising from the jar; it was tea.

She was wearing a dark blue Lenin suit, with a pen clipped to her left breast pocket, and her hair was short and neatly combed to her ears; she looked every bit the commune cadre.

"Boss, have some tea." She placed the enamel mug on the table in front of Ling Heping, a warm smile on her face.

After saying that, she casually added, "I just heard you mention the old tailor? You mean Xie Chunqiao, right?"

Qi Weiwei looked up abruptly, her heart pounding.

Ling Heping also looked at her: "You know her?"

"Yes, we know each other very well."

The female cadre sat down on a chair nearby and sighed.

"Her house is right next to mine, separated by only a wall. Come to think of it, she's not exactly a loner—she has a younger brother."

She paused, then shook her head:

"However, her younger brother... is an idiot. Not just any idiot, but the kind who will hit people, and when he goes berserk, he won't recognize his own family."

Qi Weiwei felt as if her internal organs were being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, and the pain made it almost impossible for her to breathe.

A terrifying suspicion began to fester in her mind—was Xie Chunqiao buying the two baby girls because…

No, it won't happen.

She shook her head frantically, trying to shake off that terrible thought.

She must be overthinking it, she must be...

"Her younger brother," Qi Weiwei asked in a trembling voice, each word seeming to be forced out of her throat, "does he live with her too?"

The female cadre scoffed, as if she had heard something absurd: "How could that be?"

Qi Weiwei felt relieved.

"Her brother was arrested by the city's mental hospital in a cage van about seven or eight years ago."

The female cadre recalled, her tone tinged with a sigh.

"In the first two years, Xie Chunqiao would often bring things to visit her younger brother, going every few days."

Every time she comes back, she cries all night long, crying so terribly that it keeps our family awake. However,

She frowned, thought for a moment, and continued:

"It's strange—it started about five or six years ago, and suddenly she stopped going. She stopped crying and making a fuss, and kept the courtyard gate closed all day long, not letting anyone in, acting all mysterious."

The female cadre thought for a moment and added:

"Oh right, it seems that after she adopted two girls, she completely abandoned her brother. You know, people's hearts are just..."

Qi Weiwei trembled violently, like a withered leaf shivering in the cold wind.

She jumped to her feet, grabbed the female cadre's arm with surprising force: "Quick! Take me to her house! Now! Right now!"

The female cadre was startled, her arm gripped painfully: "Hey, who...who are you? What are you doing at her house?"

"I'm the mother of those two children!" Qi Weiwei practically screamed, her eyes bloodshot. "My daughters! She bought them!"

The female cadre was stunned. She looked at Qi Weiwei, then at Ling Heping, and then at the old lady handcuffed to the chair. Finally, she understood what was going on.

Ling Heping stood up: "Comrade, please lead the way. I'm from the military, and this matter involves child trafficking; we must handle it immediately."

His voice was calm, but carried an undeniable authority.

The female cadre's expression changed as she looked at the identification Ling Heping pulled out, but she finally nodded: "Commander... okay... okay, I'll take you there."

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "However, Xie Chunqiao... has a strange temper, and no one dares to ask too many questions about her brother's affairs. You..."

"I'll take full responsibility for the consequences," Ling Heping interrupted her. "Lead the way."

The group hurriedly left the house.

Xiao Zhao was already waiting in the yard, and the car was already started.

Ling Heping handcuffed the old woman back to the chair and left two soldiers to guard her.

Then he got into the car with Qi Weiwei and the female cadre.

The car drove out of the courtyard and traveled through the narrow streets of the commune.

The female cadre sat in the passenger seat and gave directions: "Go straight, turn left... then turn right... yes, that's the area."

The car stopped in front of a residential area.

This residential area looks very chaotic, with each household having built their own yard, varying in height and orientation.

The east family lent their wall to the west family, and the west family's roof was built on the east family's eaves, without any order or arrangement.

The road surface was dirt, full of potholes, and covered in sewage.

The air was filled with a mixed smell—the smell of coal smoke, the smell of food, and a faint smell of feces.

The female cadre got out of the car and pointed to a thin woman carrying a chamber pot not far away: "Look, that's Xie Chunqiao! Perfect timing, she's home. Wait for me to call her—"

Before he could finish speaking...

Ling Heping reacted quickly and covered the female cadre's mouth!

The force wasn't strong, but it was enough to stop her from making a sound.

"Don't make a sound!" Ling Heping said in a low voice, his eyes sharp. "Don't alert them!"

The female cadre was startled by him, and nodded repeatedly, gesturing to indicate that she would not make a sound.

Ling Heping then released his grip.

The three hid behind the car, observing the woman from a distance.

Xie Chunqiao looks to be around sixty years old, though she may not actually be that old, but she appears very aged.

Her gray hair was tied into a bun at the back of her head and secured with a black hairpin.

His back was so badly hunched that it was almost questionable.