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

Song Yulu walked out quickly.

Under the stone lions outside the temple gate, there was a worn-out bamboo basket.

The basket was lined with several old cotton-padded jackets, and inside lay a baby less than a month old.

Her little face was purple from the cold, and she cried at the top of her lungs.

Song Yulu quickly bent down, picked up the child, and pulled open the swaddling clothes to check.

She has all her limbs intact, without any deformities, and is an extremely healthy baby girl.

The Golden Cicada Master followed from behind.

Looking at the child in her arms.

"Another one," sighed Master Jinchan. "In recent years, there have been more and more healthy babies being abandoned at the temple gate."

"Why throw her away if she's not sick or injured?" Song Yulu pressed her hand against the child's cold face, warming her with her own body heat.

She doesn't understand these parents.

If it were her, she would definitely love her child very much.

"Because it's a girl." Master Jinchan looked down at the village. "The family planning policy was very strict. Many families, in order to have a son to carry on the family line, would simply abandon their daughters after they were born, making room for another child."

Song Yulu's hand froze.

She looked at the tiny face in the swaddling clothes.

This life, deprived of the right to family affection simply because of its gender, completely shattered the last barrier in her heart at this moment.

She was once mistreated by her in-laws and ridiculed and even pitied by those around her because she couldn't have children.

She felt like a failure.

But now, there are abandoned baby girls, and children with cerebral palsy in wooden tubs.

They don't even have the right to be near their parents.

Song Yulu wrapped the child up tightly.

She can no longer stay here to wash diapers and chop wood.

Money is needed here.

The children here, and countless others like them, need real money to survive, to study, and to change their fate.

She has to leave.

Go and make lots of money.

When I arrived.

She was an empty shell.

When I left, my heart was completely full.

She knew it was time to say goodbye to her master, Jin Chan.

……

The roar of motorcycles grew louder as it approached the alleyways of Xiaoquan Village.

Song Xianglan applied the brakes.

Supporting himself on one leg.

Outside the gate of the Song family compound, Song Yulu was sitting on a stone pier.

There was a black travel bag next to it.

Song Xianglan turned the key and pulled it out.

"Yu Lu?" Song Xianglan got out of the carriage. "Why are you sitting here? Didn't you go to the flower shop first?"

Song Yulu stood up.

She has lost weight, and the flesh on her cheeks has tightened.

Her back was ramrod straight, and her spirit was completely different from that of the lifeless, resentful woman she used to be.

"I just arrived too. I thought you'd be back soon, so I waited here."

"I went to Songjiazhuang to bring some tonics for your uncle." Song Xianglan pushed open the courtyard gate. "You come in first. I'll push the motorcycle in."

Song Xianglan pushed the motorcycle into the yard.

I picked up the thermos and poured two cups of hot water.

"You look great, but you've lost weight," Song Xianglan said, pushing the water glass towards her.

"I'm going back to Xincheng tomorrow," Song Yulu said, holding her cup. "The day after tomorrow I'm going to Gangcheng. I'll study the language for two months, and then I'll fly to Milan."

"Once you've made a decision, just do it. Study hard."

Song Yulu nodded. "Aunt, I've been at the temple these past few days, washing diapers and chopping firewood every day. I've seen too many abandoned baby girls, and children with cerebral palsy, heart disease, and albinism stuffed in wooden tubs. Even many healthy baby girls have been abandoned."

Song Yulu looked down at the white steam rising from the cup.

"It breaks my heart to see this."

Song Yulu's eyes reddened. "Just feeling bad won't help. I have to go make money. You can't just keep focusing on the mess in front of you all your life. There's still so much I can do."

"I can't have children myself, but I want to do something for these children."

Song Xianglan leaned back in her chair.

Looking at his niece across from him.

"The fact that you think this way shows you've gained a lot." Song Xianglan took a sip of water. "I'll have the factory's finance department send a sum of money to the temple there every month. I'll do my best to ensure those children can have food, medical treatment, and education."

Song Yulu put down her cup.

She walked over to Song Xianglan and squatted down.

He held Song Xianglan's hands in both of his and pressed his face against the back of her hands.

"Auntie, thank you."

Song Yulu's voice tightened, "I'm so lucky to have you as my aunt. If you hadn't pulled me out of it, I would still be being fooled by Cai Youde's family. They might have taken advantage of me and I would still feel guilty towards them."

Song Xianglan raised her hand and touched Song Yulu's hair.

"You have to walk your own path to succeed."

Song Xianglan said calmly, "You've learned your lesson the hard way, but from now on, it's all your own path in life. Don't be afraid, move forward boldly. Even if the sky falls, the Song family will still support you."

Song Yulu nodded emphatically.

We had dinner at Song Xianglan's house that evening.

Song Yulu carried her bag back to Songjiazhuang; she had to stay with her parents for the night.

The days push forward along the shadows cast by the wall.

Before we knew it, it was December.

Beijing.

The cold wind, carrying snowflakes, stung my face.

Song Tingting, wrapped in a down jacket, ran into her family's clothing store.

The store is doing brisk business.

The shop assistants were so busy they barely had time to breathe.

After the customers left, Song Tingting took out several thick envelopes from her bag.

"Chang Ping, Mao Qiaozhen, Tong Xiaoqing. Your salaries and bonuses are paid." Song Tingting placed the envelopes on the counter.

Several shop assistants gathered around.

Each envelope had its own name on it, and when they opened it, their eyes lit up.

"Sister Tingting, this bonus is way too much."

"Take it, everyone's worked hard this year." Song Tingting waved her hand. "Close early today. It's almost Chinese New Year, hurry up and buy some things to go home and rest."

Chang Ping stuffed the envelope into her pocket.

"We're not in a hurry to go back," Chang Ping replied while folding clothes. "Anyway, we're all locals and live nearby. But Tingting, didn't you say yesterday you were going to queue up at the train station to buy tickets? You should go back and pack your things."

"Yeah, let's not waste time here."

Mao Qiaozhen also said with a smile, "When you go back and see Aunt Song, please give her our regards. It's been so long since we've seen Aunt Song, we really miss her."

"OK."

Song Tingting zipped up her down jacket. "Then come back early when you're done."

Song Tingting pushed open the glass door.

A black Jeep was parked on the side.

Lei Li, wearing a coat, leaned against the car door.

He was tall and had a straight posture.

She looks exceptionally good in the coat.

Seeing Song Tingting come out, he strode across the road.

"Did you get the tickets?" Lei Li asked.

Song Tingting was taken aback: "Brother Lei? How did you know I was here?"

Lei Li has been serving in the military for many years.

Skin tone is wheat-colored.

Upon hearing this, his eyes darted away.

"I'll call your school." Lei Li opened the car door. "Your classmate said you went to the train station to queue for tickets, so I thought I'd try my luck at your shop."

Song Tingting has been spending most of her time in the lab and running the shop lately.

Lei Li also frequently has missions.

The two hadn't seen each other for several months.

Song Tingting looked Lei Li up and down a few times.

I'm almost thirty and I still haven't found a partner.

While other kids his age are already running errands, he's managed to become the most troublesome person in the compound.

"Is it urgent?" Song Tingting asked. "Is it Grandpa Lei who wants to see me?"

Lei Li's Adam's apple bobbed.

He wanted to tell her that he wanted to see her.

I want to ask her which day's train ticket she has.

But when he met Song Tingting's bright eyes, he swallowed the words back.

"Ah...right." Lei Li went along with it, "My grandpa said you'll be on vacation soon, so he asked me to invite you to my house for dinner."

Song Tingting chuckled.

"Brother Lei, it's rare to see someone your age still listen to their elders like this. But I'm going back tomorrow, so I won't be able to come to your house for dinner."

Lei Li: ...