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

"It's not a dream."

Qi Weiwei held her daughter's small hand, her voice gentle, "Mommy is here, always here."

Sisi quickly replied, "It's not a dream! I promise it's not a dream!"

Hearing this from the boat next to them, Qi Yang shouted, "What kind of dream lasts this long?! You've all been back for so many days now; if it were a dream, you would have woken up long ago!"

Qi Xing chimed in, "The good and bad things in dreams all pass in a moment. It really isn't a dream."

Sisi nodded emphatically: "Sister, it's not a dream. We've really fallen into a honey pot this time!"

They've fallen into a honey pot.

These words, spoken by a three-year-old child, are especially heartbreaking.

Qi Weiwei felt a lump in her throat and her eyes welled up with tears.

Ling Heping changed the subject at the right moment: "Children, look over there, there are withered lotus leaves."

He pointed to a withered lotus pond by the lake.

The lotus leaves were withered and drooping, and the stems were broken, but under the winter sun, they had a unique kind of poignant beauty.

"Withered lotus leaves?" Dandan tilted her head. "What's that?"

"It's the kind of plant that blooms lotus flowers in summer. In winter, the flowers wither and the leaves fall, and it's called 'withered lotus.' The ancients loved this kind of scenery."

Ling Heping patiently explained,

"Don't be fooled by how ugly they look now; next summer, they will bloom into beautiful lotus flowers again."

"Next summer..." Dandan murmured, her eyes shining. "Mommy, let's come boating again next summer and see the lotus flowers, okay?"

"Okay." Qi Weiwei nodded, "I'll come every summer."

The boat slowly glides across the center of the lake.

Sunshine, lake water, distant mountains, withered lotus leaves nearby, and children's laughter.

Everything was as beautiful as a painting.

At noon, they found an open space by the lake for a picnic.

Chen Hongli brought a large oilcloth and spread it on the ground, and everyone sat together around it.

The meal was simple—chive pancakes, which Chen Hongli and Chen Hongxia made together that morning. They had thin skins and generous fillings, were pan-fried until golden brown, and were still warm, wrapped in parchment paper.

There were also boiled eggs, pickled vegetables, and steamed buns.

"The conditions are simple, so we'll just have to make do with what we have," Chen Hongli said with a smile.

"This is rudimentary?" Qi Zhuangzhuang took a big bite of the chive pancake, his mouth full of oily flavor. "It's much better than what we eat at home!"

Ma Lan nodded in agreement: "Yes, Aunt Chen's cooking is really good, these chive boxes smell delicious."

Liang Bing opened a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) and poured some for the men: "It's cold, drink some to warm yourselves up."

Qi Weiwei doesn't drink alcohol, so Chen Hongli poured her a glass of hot water.

Everyone ate and chatted, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Dandan and Xixi ate with great relish.

They used to work at the tailor's house, where they rarely ate anything other than leek dumplings or even plain steamed buns, let alone white flour buns.

Holding the warm, oily chive pancakes, taking small bites, her face was full of satisfaction.

"Mom, it's so delicious," Dandan mumbled, her lips smeared with oil.

Qi Weiwei wiped her mouth with a handkerchief: "Eat slowly, don't choke."

While they were eating, Qianqian suddenly tugged at Qi Weiwei's sleeve and whispered, "Mom, I want to eat candied hawthorns."

She pointed to the ticket booth not far away.

There was a small window with a sign that said they sold candied hawthorns and syrup.

The bright red candied hawthorns stuck on the straw bundles glistened in the sunlight, looking incredibly tempting.

Dandan saw it too, swallowed hard, but didn't dare to speak.

She was more timid than her sister and more afraid of upsetting her mother.

Qi Weiwei looked at the longing in the two children's eyes and her heart softened.

"Okay, Mom will go buy it."

She stood up and walked towards the ticket counter.

Ling Heping also stood up: "I'll go with you."

The two walked to the ticket counter.

The man selling candied hawthorns was an old man, wrapped in a military overcoat and wearing a cotton hat, dozing off against the wall.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up, squinting, and asked, "What do you want?"

"How much are the candied hawthorns?" Qi Weiwei asked.

"Five cents a string," the old man pointed to the bundle of straw. "One cent for each stick of syrup."

"I want ten skewers of candied hawthorns, and give me the whole box of syrup," Qi Weiwei said.

The old man paused for a moment, looked at her, then at Ling Heping behind her, and without asking any questions, began counting the candied hawthorns.

Ling Heping took out his money and paid.

Qi Weiwei carried ten strings of bright red candied hawthorns, while Ling Heping took the box of syrup and returned to the picnic area.

"Wow--!"

The children cheered.

Qi Weiwei gave each child a string of candied hawthorns, and the rest were distributed to the adults.

The candied hawthorns are made from freshly harvested hawthorns from the mountains in autumn. They are not very big, but they are coated with a thick layer of sugar. When you take a bite, they are both sour and sweet, and the sugar coating is crunchy.

The syrup is made from maltose, and it comes in a small tin box; it's golden yellow and viscous.

Chen Hongli brought over some small wooden sticks and taught the children how to play—using the sticks to pick up a little sugar syrup, spinning it in the air, and pulling out long threads, seeing who could pull the longest.

The children were immediately captivated, each grabbing two small sticks and having a great time.

Dandan and Xixi also joined.

They had never played this before, and they were clumsy, always spilling the syrup. They hurriedly caught it with their little hands and put it in their mouths.

The children were all laughing very happily.

Qi Weiwei sat beside her, watching, her heart filled with warmth.

This is life.

There is sunshine, lake water, laughter, and family.

Instead of being treated like a slave in that cold little courtyard, being deceived and humiliated.

"Mommy, look how long I've stretched it!" Sisi finally succeeded. She held up the little stick with a thin strand of sugar hanging from it, sparkling in the sunlight.

"It's long, really long," Qi Weiwei praised her with a smile.

Sisi smiled smugly, her eyes curving into crescents.

Just then, a person ran over from a distance.

He walked quickly, panting heavily.

It's Wang Dong.

He was wearing a military uniform, but no hat, and his hair was disheveled by the wind.

When he reached the crowd, he first saluted Liang Bing, then turned to Qi Weiwei, his face grim.

"Comrade Qi, may I speak to you in private?"

Qi Weiwei's heart sank.

She stood up and followed Wang Dong to a place a little further away.

Ling Heping followed and stood beside her.

Wang Dong took a few breaths, lowered his voice, but his tone was filled with suppressed anger:

"Comrade Qi, they...they say that the guarantee...was accidentally lost. They asked me to ask you...is there any other evidence?"

Qi Weiwei's eyes turned cold.

Lost?

really.

She remained calm and asked, "Who said that?"

"People from the military security department." Wang Dong clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. "They said the guarantee was accidentally lost during the handover. They can't find it now, and they're asking if you have any other evidence that can prove... Tang Aijun's relationship with Tang Tiantian."

Qi Weiwei sneered inwardly.

Lost it by accident?

That's a lie.

It seems that the guarantee was indeed written by Tang Qu, with the aim of completely exonerating Tang Aijun.

Once the guarantee is lost, the evidence of Tang Aijun's adultery with Tang Tiantian will be reduced, and Tang Tiantian will take full responsibility in her confession, allowing Tang Aijun to completely escape unscathed.

What a clever scheme!