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

The old woman was wearing a dark gray, faded cotton-padded jacket with patches on the cuffs.

The trousers were black, with the cuffs tied with cloth strips, and he wore a pair of patched cotton shoes.

At that moment, she was carrying an enamel chamber pot and slowly walking out of the residential area—she could smell that there should be a public toilet over there.

She walked very slowly, taking each step carefully, afraid of spilling the contents of the chamber pot.

Sunlight shone on her hunched back, casting a distorted shadow on the ground.

Once she was out of sight after turning a corner, Ling Heping whispered, "Quick! She probably won't lock the door when she empties the chamber pot. Let's take this opportunity to check the yard!"

Qi Weiwei was about to rush over when Ling Heping grabbed her arm: "Be careful, don't run. Pretend to be passing by."

The three of them pretended to be nonchalant and walked towards Xie Chunqiao's courtyard.

The courtyard is located deep in the residential area and is very secluded.

The courtyard wall was made of adobe bricks and was not high, only about a meter tall, with withered grass growing on top.

The courtyard gate consisted of two dilapidated wooden doors, the paint long since peeled off, revealing the blackened wood underneath.

Arriving at the courtyard gate—

A black iron lock hung on the door, locked tightly.

The female cadre clicked her tongue: "This old Xie is really strange. He locks the door just to empty the chamber pot? Is he trying to keep out thieves? What kind of possessions does he have?"

Ling Heping frowned but didn't say anything.

He looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, then pulled a thin wire from his pocket—no one knew when he had prepared it.

He bent the wire into a small hook, inserted it into the keyhole, and gently stirred it.

Qi Weiwei watched nervously, her heart pounding like a drum.

Time seemed to stretch out, each second feeling like an eternity.

Five seconds.

Perhaps even shorter.

"Thump."

A soft sound.

The lock is open.

Ling Heping removed the lock and gently pushed open the courtyard gate.

The wooden door creaked softly, its sound particularly jarring in the quiet residential area.

He was the first to slip in sideways.

Qi Weiwei followed closely behind.

The female cadre hesitated for a moment, gritted her teeth, and followed her in—she had only wanted to become familiar with the leaders coming down from above, but who would have thought she would get involved in this kind of thing?

Upon entering the courtyard, all three were stunned.

The courtyard is not big, only about 20 square meters.

But the sight before her eyes made Qi Weiwei's blood freeze instantly.

In the very center of the courtyard, there was a huge wooden tub—the kind used for bathing in the countryside, about a meter in diameter and more than half a person tall.

The wooden barrel was very old, with stains all over the walls, and some parts had turned black.

At this moment, the wooden bucket was filled with murky water.

A man was soaking in the water.

A fat, pale middle-aged man.

He looked to be around forty years old, but his face was the kind of fat, pale, and dull-looking person with very wide-set eyes that were almost slits.

His nose was flat, his mouth was half-open, and he was drooling.

At that moment, he was grinning foolishly, slapping the water with his hands, splashing water everywhere.

The scariest thing is——

The entire courtyard was filled with a stench so strong it was almost nauseating.

It was a mixture of feces, urine, sweat, and some indescribable rotten smell, so strong it was almost overwhelming and filled the nostrils.

And right next to the wooden barrel stood two little girls.

They were all standing with their backs to the courtyard gate on two small stools—because they were too short to reach the rim of the bucket without standing on the stools.

The older one was about four or five years old, while the younger one looked only one or two years old.

Both of them were so thin they were skin and bones, wearing thin, filthy clothes that were impossible to tell their original color.

Her hair was dry, yellow, and sparse, like autumn weeds, sticking up haphazardly at the back of her head.

At that moment, the larger one was bent over, holding a gourd ladle, scooping things out of the wooden bucket.

The younger one held a broken enamel basin in both hands, trembling as he received it.

Qi Weiwei saw clearly what was inside the gourd ladle—

It was a piece of feces.

It was yellow, thin, and still dripping with a cloudy liquid.

The older girl seemed oblivious, carefully pouring the feces into the basin her younger sister was holding.

The smaller one was holding the basin, his hands trembling.

The basin was heavy, and she struggled to hold it, her little face turning red.

"Sis," the younger one suddenly spoke, her voice very childish but surprisingly clear, "your man is really good at pulling!"

These words were like a red-hot knife, stabbing fiercely into Qi Weiwei's heart.

Your man?

Your man?!

Xie Chunqiao is planning to...marry her eldest daughter...to this idiot?!

Qi Weiwei felt her vision go black and the world spin.

She bit her lip hard, the taste of blood filling her mouth, which kept her from fainting.

The older girl, hearing her younger sister's words, lowered her voice and said, "You little brat, hold on tight, don't spill any more! Mom's in a bad mood today, watch out, she might hit someone!"

The younger one nonchalantly curled his lip: "I'm thick-skinned! Let them hit me!"

Qi Weiwei could no longer hold back.

She charged forward like an enraged mother beast!

She snatched the gourd ladle, poured it back into the wooden bucket along with the excrement, and lifted the older girl off the stool!

Then they threw the basin from the little one's hand into the wooden bucket and pulled the little one down with them!

Then, she squatted down, opened her arms, and hugged the two emaciated girls, who seemed weightless, tightly in her arms.

Her movements were so fast that the two girls didn't have time to react at all.

When they realized what had happened, they were trembling with fear and struggled desperately to break free from Qi Weiwei's embrace.

But they didn't cry.

There was no screaming.

It just trembled like a frightened little animal, struggling with all its might.

Qi Weiwei, however, was in tears.

Tears flowed like a burst dam, soaking the two children's hair and clothes.

She squatted on the ground, burying her face in the children's thin shoulders, her voice hoarse like a broken gong:

"Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid! It's your mother! I've come to save you... I've come to save you..."

The two girls froze and stopped struggling.

They looked up at the strange woman who had suddenly hugged them.

The older one looked blankly at Qi Weiwei, while the younger one curiously sized her up.

"Who do you say you are?" the older one asked timidly, his voice very soft. "Go away... my mom doesn't let us talk to strangers... she'll beat us..."

The younger one nodded, "Don't make us get beaten up..."

Qi Weiwei felt as if her heart was being torn apart.

She hugged him tighter, repeating over and over, "No more...you won't be beaten anymore...Mommy's here...Mommy's here..."

Just then—

Footsteps could be heard at the gate of the courtyard.

Xie Chunqiao is back.

She held the empty chamber pot, her expression gloomy and filled with a sense of hostility.

When she reached the gate, she found that the lock was missing and the gate was ajar, and her expression immediately changed.

She quickened her pace, almost rushing into the yard.