Old Mrs. Song is reborn; get out of here, you scumbag husband and illegitimate child!

Zhou Fang's new apartment is not big, with two bedrooms and one living room.

Da Bao and Er Bao share a room, while Zhou Fang has her own room.

Da Bao deftly pushed open the master bedroom door and took out clean sheets and blankets from the closet.

He frowned as he shook off the sheets.

The gray stripes matched the gray bed sheet.

"What did Dad buy?" Da Bao muttered softly. "I need to go to the mall in a couple of days to pick out a set, and I'll buy a bright color."

Cong Ying leaned against the door frame.

Watching this young man struggle to put on the duvet cover.

"There's no need for all this trouble," Cong Ying said. "I used to be a battlefield medic, and I've even slept in mud pits before. I'll just lay out a bed here."

"How can that be?" Da Bao straightened the corner of the blanket. "I can't let you make do."

"Okay, whatever you say." Cong Ying smiled. "Do you have any extra toothbrushes at home?"

"Yes. Auntie, you still have some of those you bought last time. I'll get them for you."

A short while later, Da Bao ran back with a new toothbrush and a dry towel.

He handed it over with both hands.

Cong Ying took it and looked at the thin layer of sweat on the child's forehead.

If it were any other boy, he would have been a complete troublemaker by now.

This child is quite something; he manages everything inside and out like a little adult.

He's such a wonderful son, it warms my heart just looking at him.

"Alright, Da Bao, go to sleep." Cong Ying patted his shoulder.

Da Bao nodded. He looked exactly like Zhou Fang, almost like they were cut from the same mold. His eyes exuded composure.

After washing up, Cong Ying quietly pushed open the door to the second bedroom.

Erbao lay sprawled out, the thin blanket on his body long since kicked up to his heels.

Cong Ying went over, pinched the corner of the blanket and covered him up tightly again, then tucked the one hand that was sticking out of the blanket back under the covers.

After doing all that, she pressed the switch on the wall.

With a click, the door closed.

The room was plunged into complete darkness.

A few seconds later, Erbao suddenly turned over and faced Dabao.

"Brother," Erbao said softly.

"You're not asleep?" Da Bao turned over as well.

"I can't sleep." Erbao pulled the blanket up higher, leaving only his eyes showing. "Brother, do you think Mom is like Aunt Congying?"

Da Bao fell silent.

Ever since Anxi went to study in Haishi, the two brothers have seen her only a handful of times.

After her parents divorced, An Xiyang went to the United States and never saw them again. They felt increasingly detached from the word "Mom."

Da Bao is afraid that his memory of his mother is becoming blurry.

"That should be it," Da Bao said softly.

Da Bao is already in the third year of junior high school, which is the age when he is concerned about his image and is becoming more thoughtful.

But he couldn't care less about those so-called troubles.

My dad is always out doing business, and my younger brother is still in elementary school.

He not only had to be a good son, but also a good older brother to take care of his vulnerable second child.

Tonight, the sounds of Cong Ying chopping vegetables and frying eggs in the kitchen, and the footsteps moving around the house, made Da Bao feel that the house had finally come alive.

"It's so nice to have Auntie at home," Da Bao muttered.

"Yeah," Erbao agreed wholeheartedly. "I'm actually a little grateful to the classmate who hit me. If it weren't for him, Aunt Cong definitely wouldn't have let me stay tonight. It's usually just the two of us at home, so it's really cold. It's only when Dad comes home that it gets a bit lively."

"Don't talk nonsense. Go to sleep. You have to get up for school tomorrow. What's the name of the classmate who hit you? I'll talk to them about it later."

"Jiang Yi, Fang Jie, Di Jie, Ma Qinglong."

Erbao shut his mouth after he finished speaking.

A few minutes later, steady breathing resumed.

Outside.

Cong Ying leaned against the wall.

She heard everything that was being said inside the room.

My nose suddenly felt sore, and my eyes welled up with tears.

She quickly tilted her head back, forcefully suppressing the sour feeling.

That heartless brat.

He got a good beating but actually thought it was worth it.

Cong Ying sighed and turned to walk into Zhou Fang's room.

The warm-colored incandescent light overhead illuminated the room.

The room was furnished in a very minimalist style.

A bed, a wardrobe, and a desk by the window.

Apart from these, there was no other miscellaneous items.

Cong Ying walked to the desk and sat down.

There were two picture frames on the table.

Cong Ying picked up the one on the left.

That was a photo taken when Song Xiangdong was visiting his family in a crisp old military uniform.

Zhou Fang stood to the side, grinning broadly to reveal her pearly white teeth, one hand casually draped over Song Xiangdong's shoulder. Liu Yukun held onto Zhou Fang's arm, while Huang Ronghua and Wang Zhihe stood on Song Xiangdong's other side.

The photo on the right was taken in the last two years.

The background is a street scene in the new city.

Song Xiangdong was wearing a Zhongshan suit, and Zhou Fang still had that same smiling face.

Cong Ying rubbed the glass of the picture frame with her fingertips.

She herself couldn't understand how someone who had never even been to Xincheng before had become so closely connected with these people. From Zhou Fang to those two dim-witted kids outside.

Looking at Zhou Fang's silly grin in the photo, Cong Ying couldn't help but chuckle softly.

She put down the photo frame and turned off the desk lamp.

She slept very soundly.

the next day.

As soon as it was dawn, Cong Ying got up.

There was still some flour in the kitchen.

She deftly kneaded the dough, cracked two eggs, and made three large, golden, crispy egg pancakes.

Two kinds of rice porridge were cooking on the stove next to it.

She rummaged through the cupboard, but there were no other dishes. She took out a jar of fermented bean curd, picked out two pieces, and placed them on a small plate. Then she grabbed a handful of dried radishes from the jar, chopped them up, stir-fried them in a pan, added a few drops of sesame oil, and the aroma immediately filled the air.

Da Bao yawned and pushed open the door, sniffing the room hard.

The sound of spatulas clattering came from the kitchen.

As Da Bao watched Cong Ying's back as she busied herself at the stove in her apron, a sudden sense of disorientation washed over him.

This is what it looks like when Mom cooks in the kitchen.

"Dabao." Cong Ying turned around and casually placed a plate of egg pancakes on the table. "Go wash up quickly and eat while it's hot. Is Erbao up yet?"

Da Bao snapped out of his daze and quickly nodded, "He's still sleeping. I'll go wake him."

Cong Ying took off her apron and followed Da Bao into the second bedroom.

"Erbao, you overslept." Cong Ying patted the ball in the quilt.

Erbao poked half his head out, his eyes tightly closed, his brows furrowed.

"I can't get up..." Erbao's voice trailed off. "I'm dizzy."

"Your fever has gone down, and you're not dizzy anymore." Cong Ying touched his forehead; his temperature was normal.

"My body aches and I have no strength." Erbao started rolling around in the blankets. "Auntie, I have a fever and I'm injured. Should I take a day off? If I go to school looking like this, they'll definitely laugh at me again."

Cong Ying saw through the kid's trick at a glance.

The external injuries were all treated with medicine, and the high fever subsided.

This is clearly an attempt to use the excuse of staying in bed and acting spoiled.

"Alright." Cong Ying sat on the edge of the bed. "You don't have to go to school today. Hurry up and get dressed and eat."

Erbao threw off the covers, climbed up, and grabbed Congying's arm, shaking it.

"Auntie, I really have no strength left."

"So what do you want?" Cong Ying asked sternly.

"If you promise me one thing, I'll get up and eat obediently."

"What is it? Speak."

"Will you come to my house again tonight and cook dinner for us?" Erbao's eyes lit up. "I don't want to eat the plain noodles that Dabao cooks anymore."

Cong Ying looked at the face that was still red and swollen.

"OK."

"You have to make breakfast tomorrow too," Erbao said, seizing the opportunity.

"Can."

"Then Auntie, why don't you just stay at our house?" Erbao finally made his final request, "If you stay here, my brother and I won't be afraid."

Cong Ying opened her mouth, intending to refuse outright.

But when he saw the child's expectant eyes, he swallowed the words back down.

"Okay." Cong Ying sighed. She herself found it unbelievable.

"Yay!"

Erbao suddenly jumped out of bed, hugged Congying, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hahaha." Erbao was so happy his eyes almost disappeared. "I'm going to thank classmate Jiang Yi."

Cong Ying was taken aback: "Why thank him?"

"If he hadn't yelled at and hit me, why would you be living in my house?" Erbao said smugly while putting on his socks. "That beating was totally worth it!"

Cong Ying remained silent for a moment.

"What kind of twisted logic is going on in your little head all day long?" Cong Ying stood up. "Hurry up and wash your face and eat. After you finish eating, I'll go to your school."

Da Bao's expression changed when he heard this.

"Auntie, what are you doing at school? I'll go find those classmates later."

Cong Ying snorted coldly, "I'm going to find the teacher and arrange a meeting with Jiang Yi's parents. This fight isn't over yet; I need to have a serious talk with them about it. Do you really think you're all untouchable?"

Erbao stopped putting on his shoes.

This was the first time someone had stood in front of him and stood up for him.