I was born and listened to my neighbor's older sister talk about her family of origin.

After discussing it, the two adults bought some fruit that afternoon and took Jiang Ye to their home to meet the former wealthy couple.

I knocked three times and waited quite a while before the door next door opened.

A middle-aged man with a stubble beard and a颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a sense of decadence, listlessness, or dejection) look at the two people with unusually colored hair in front of him.

His voice was hoarse and rough: "What is it?"

Jiang Cheng smiled and handed over the fruit basket in his hand.

"Hello, hello, I'm from next door, my surname is Jiang. I'll be your neighbor from now on, please take care of me!"

Jiang Ye also tilted his head from the swaddling clothes and saw a little girl walking out from behind the man, looking at them timidly.

The girl looked to be about two years old, with fair skin and delicate features. She wore a pink princess dress and held a teddy bear in her arms. She was exquisitely cute, like a porcelain doll, and looked like a real princess.

However, the pink princess dress had several obvious stains, and the girl's hair was a bit messy.

It's obvious that it hasn't been well cared for for some time.

Xu Zhiyu.

Jiang Ye recognized her at a glance.

At this moment, Xu Zhiyu did not have the aloofness of her previous life; her timid appearance was quite adorable.

Xu Zhiyu also saw him. It seemed to be the first time she had seen such a small baby. She opened her eyes wide and looked at him curiously.

Jiang Ye's eyes darted around, and he stretched out a chubby little hand towards Xu Zhiyu.

She kept babbling and a smile appeared on her face.

A baby's smile is always very healing.

Xu Zhiyu's eyes lit up after she had been a little timid.

She could sense Jiang Ye's affection for her, and couldn't help but take a step forward, wanting to get closer.

At this moment, Xu Hai's brows furrowed, and he turned around to glare at her.

Xu Zhiyu froze, tightened her grip on the teddy bear, took a step back, lowered her head, and remained silent.

A cold voice came from behind.

"Who's outside?"

A young woman with exquisite makeup walked out of the small living room, her sharp eyes scanning Jiang Cheng and his wife.

Seeing their brightly colored hair and cheap clothes, a hint of disdain and disgust flashed in his eyes.

Xu Hai said in a hoarse voice, "Nobody."

He turned to the two men in front of him, who looked like hooligans, and said, "There's no need to look after each other. We'll be moving away from here soon."

After saying that, he slammed the door shut without hesitation.

The strong wind that came from the door blew up Jiang Chengcai's fluffy blond hair.

He and Hao Mei exchanged a glance, then turned and walked into their house.

As soon as he closed the door, he ruffled his blond hair and started cursing.

"Holy crap! Who does this person think they are?! A member of a wealthy family, huh?! Don't they have any manners?! Don't they have any politeness?!"

"And that woman, what kind of look is that on us?! We're bankrupt and she still looks down on us, huh?!"

Hao Mei, holding Jiang Ye, frowned: "Alright, don't scare our son!"

"If they don't want to deal with us, we shouldn't try to be friendly. We should just pretend we didn't see them in the future, since they'll be moving away soon anyway."

Although the two usually dress in a flashy manner, their personalities are not as energetic as they appear.

Perhaps he was a bit eccentric back then, but he has become much more stable since getting married and having children.

I only maintain my current hairstyle because of the business at the hair salon.

Hao Mei sat down. "That little girl is really cute. It seems like our Xiao Ye likes her quite a bit too."

Hao Mei's eyes lit up with affection when she spoke of Xu Zhiyu.

Before Jiang Ye was born, she always thought she would give birth to a sweet and soft girl.

Girls are so wonderful, so obedient and gentle, and you can dress them up as different little cakes every day.

Unfortunately, she ended up having a son.

……

The next night, Jiang Ye lay in his crib, kicking the spinning rattle above his head listlessly.

Hao Mei was cooking in the kitchen, while Jiang Cheng was still at the barbershop and hadn't returned yet. The air was filled with the aroma of braised pork ribs and sweet and sour fish.

The TV volume was turned up very high, and it was playing the recently popular drama "Autumn in My Heart".

Jiang Ye couldn't help but swallow hard.

I've been drinking milk all the time, and my mouth is practically tasteless.

I really want to eat braised pork ribs and sweet and sour fish...

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Hao Mei, who had just finished cooking a dish, paused, turned off the stove, wiped her hands, and went to open the door.

Who is it?

An old woman was standing at the door, holding the hand of a girl in a pink princess dress.

"Grandma Liu?"

Hao Mei recognized the person in front of her; it was her upstairs neighbor.

She looked down and was taken aback.

Isn't this the daughter of that "wealthy" family across the street?

At this moment, Xu Zhiyu was no longer hugging her teddy bear. She lowered her head, her fingers tightly gripping the hem of her skirt, and her eyes under her bangs were red, as if she was trying hard not to let her tears fall.

They look so pitiful.

Hao Mei: "Grandma Liu, what's wrong? This is the child from across the street, not my child."

"Of course I know it's not yours."

"I just came back from a walk outside and saw her sitting on the stairs crying. She said her parents kicked her out, saying she was naughty and made her reflect on her behavior at the door."

Grandma Liu frowned deeply, her face full of heartache.

"I knocked on the door, but that family wouldn't let her in!"

"Tell me, what kind of parents are these? This child is only two years old! What if he gets kidnapped?"

Hao Mei immediately frowned as well.

At this moment, Xu Zhiyu gripped Grandma Liu's hand tightly and whispered, "Grandma, it's not Mom and Dad's fault, it's because... I made a fuss about wanting Häagen-Dazs, and that's why Mom and Dad got angry..."

In reality, she was just craving it and casually mentioned wanting to eat it.

But that sentence seemed to have triggered some kind of switch in her mother's body. She felt that she had been disobedient and hysterically made herself reflect on her actions outside.

Xu Zhiyu didn't understand.

Her mother used to be dignified and elegant, and she would always smile at her.

But now, she hasn't seen her mother smile in a long time.

Hearing her childish voice, Grandma Liu couldn't help but squat down and wipe away her tears.

As people get older, they can't bear to see such young children being so well-behaved even when they've been wronged.

"Oh, alright, alright, what's Häagen-Dazs? Grandma will buy it for you!"

Jiang Ye heard what they were saying.

Two-year-old Xu Zhiyu had no idea that her family had gone bankrupt and that her parents were burdened with huge debts.

In the past, if Xu Zhiyu wanted to eat something, she only had to say so, and whatever delicious or fun things she wanted to eat would be delivered to her immediately.

But now, let alone Häagen-Dazs, even a regular ice cream can exacerbate a family's already heavy debt burden.

In fact, Häagen-Dazs is the cheapest ice cream in Xu Zhiyu's current knowledge.

Hao Mei said to Grandma Liu, "That Häagen-Dazs, such a small ball costs 50 yuan."

She silently made a circle with her fingers.

Grandma Liu paused.

Those who can afford to live in this old, dilapidated house are all poor people.

Grandma Liu now lives alone, with her son and daughter working away from home. She lives frugally, and fifty yuan is enough for her to eat for several days.

Buy Häagen-Dazs for Xu Zhiyu?

just forget it.

Grandma Liu got up and changed the subject.

"Anyway, Xiao Hao, it's not good to leave this child in the stairwell like this. If he gets kidnapped, then something really bad will happen."

"Look, let her stay at your house for a while, and let her out after the neighbors let her go home."

Hao Mei hesitated for a moment, glancing at Xu Zhiyu's pitiful yet obedient and soft face as she cried.

She really liked the little girl, but when she thought about the attitude of the adults across the street before, she hesitated.

Jiang Ye peered through the gaps in the crib railing and took in everything at the doorway.

Seeing Hao Mei hesitate, he immediately became anxious.

It has been a full three months since the system released the task.

Now that he finally has a chance to get close to Xu Zhiyu, he absolutely cannot let it go.

Then, Jiang Ye suddenly spat out the pacifier from his mouth and made a soft, babbling sound, which, though not loud, clearly reached the ears of the two adults and one child at the door.

Jiang Ye's house wasn't big, so they could clearly see Jiang Ye in the crib from the doorway.

The chubby little baby turned its head towards the door, its bright eyes appearing amber under the warm yellow light.

Those eyes met Xu Zhiyu's, and her small, lotus-root-like arms stretched out from the gap in the fence, reaching out to grab at Xu Zhiyu.

He made halting, stumbling sounds.

"Ah...ah..."

Hao Mei immediately noticed his movements.

She looked at Jiang Ye in surprise.

This baby is only three months old and already recognizes people like this? And he seems to like them so much.

At this moment, Xu Zhiyu, who had been looking miserable, saw Jiang Ye's obedient and adorable appearance, and her bright red eyes blinked, her whole expression turning visibly happy.

It seems... I've been healed.

"Brother...is my brother calling me?"

Xu Zhiyu's eyes were bright, and she happily showed her two rows of small teeth.

This was the first time she had ever felt needed...

Grandma Liu also came to her senses and laughed heartily.

"Xiao Hao, your son really likes this girl. What a coincidence!"

Hao Mei also looked at Xu Zhiyu with a complicated expression.

Oh well, since my son likes her so much.

"Then come in and have some fun. But let's make it clear first, I have to take you back before 9 o'clock."

Jiang Ye glanced at the clock on the wall; it was 7 p.m.

Two hours left.

He was determined to make Xu Zhiyu cry!