Yu Chengci said: “We’re going fishing this afternoon. We have a competition where the team that catches the most fish wins and gets to keep the fish caught by other teams. How about joining our team?”

Er Bao couldn’t decide on his own and looked at Yi Bao: “Brother, come here.”

Yi Bao came over: “What’s up?”

Er Bao explained to Yu Chengci: “Tell my brother what you just told me.”

So, Yu Chengci repeated: “We’re going fishing this afternoon and have a competition. Each team tries to catch the most fish. We think you’re good at fishing, so would you join our team?”

Yi Bao thought for a moment: “You don’t know our fishing skills. How about you take us fishing this afternoon, and if you think we’re good, we can join your team next time. This way, if we’re not good, we won’t affect your team.”

Yu Chengci agreed: “That sounds reasonable. We’ll take you fishing this afternoon and see how you do.”

Yi Bao nodded: “Okay.”

Yu Chengci added: “You’re new to the capital, so if you need anything, ask me. By the way, there’s a place near the market that sells meat buns without tickets. They’re very good and have a lot of meat. Do you want to go?”

Er Bao: “No thanks, we already bought meat buns from the state-run restaurant.” He also warned: “There might be human traffickers near the market. Be careful.”

Yu Chengci was surprised: “Human traffickers? How bold! If I see them… Did you encounter them?”

Er Bao: “Yes, we caught them with the security guard and sent them to the police station.”

Yu Chengci’s eyes lit up: “You’re impressive.”

Er Bao: “It was nothing special.” He smiled shyly.

Yi Bao: “We won’t keep you. Stay safe, we’re going home to have breakfast.”

“Okay, goodbye,” Yu Chengci waved.

As the twins left, Zhang Mingcheng said quietly: “It seems their stepmother isn’t so bad. She must be different from Han Hongling’s stepmother.”

“Ah?” Yu Chengci didn’t understand why his friend said that.

Zhang Mingcheng said, “Look at their clothes—they’re all made of corduroy and the style is quite new. If they had a bad stepmother, would she buy them such clothes? Also, they went to the state-run restaurant to buy meat buns. Would a bad stepmother give them meat buns to eat?”

Yu Chengci thought for a moment and replied, “My mother says you can’t always assume someone is a stepmother without proof. We’ll ask them this afternoon when we go fishing. By the way, their clothes do look nice. I’ll ask them where they bought them. If I wear something like that, I’m sure Xu Xiaoxian would like it.”

Zhang Mingcheng said, “…Well, give it a try.”

At the Police Station

“Will you reveal where your accomplices are?” The police officer looked at the pale old woman, who was handcuffed.

The old woman looked despondent and said, “I’m not a trafficker. I don’t have any accomplices.”

She was feeling unlucky, as her first attempt at business had led her to the police station.

“Why did you offer meat buns without tickets to the children?” The police officer pressed on. “Were you trying to use the meat buns to lure the children away and then abduct them?”

The old woman remained silent.

She wasn’t giving away meat buns for free; she was selling them.

But… admitting to any illegal activities like trafficking or black-market dealing was not an option for her.

“Since you won’t speak, we’ll just put you in jail. You can tell us when you’re ready. And remember, there won’t be any food in jail, so don’t blame us if you starve,” the police officer said, standing up, not willing to waste more time.

At a Nearby House in the Vegetable Market

“What? My mother-in-law was taken to the police station? What happened?” The woman was stunned upon hearing the news from her neighbor.

The elderly neighbor said, “Yes, this morning I saw your mother-in-law walking with two kids at the market. Out of curiosity, I followed them and then saw two men coming and taking her away to the police station.”

The woman hurriedly asked, “Do you know why?”

The elderly neighbor shook her head, “I don’t know. It’s the police station; I wouldn’t dare to ask.”

The woman swallowed nervously.

She was also scared of the police station, but her mother-in-law was a decent person and wouldn’t do anything bad.

Even when neighbors said unpleasant things, she would just smile and ignore them.

How could she end up at the police station?

Thinking this, the woman didn’t hesitate: “Thank you, Auntie. I have to go to the police station now.”

She went back inside the house.

Inside, a man was lying in bed.

Seeing her come in, he asked, “Did the neighbor come by again with more gossip?”

The man’s face was pale, a result of being bedridden for years due to illness. His skin was not only pale but also unhealthy-looking.

The woman replied, “No, she mentioned seeing a recruitment notice in the compound and said she’d go check it out.”

The man was surprised, “She’s that kind?”

The woman said, “Although she likes to gossip, she’s not a bad person at heart. You stay here and rest. I’m going out.”

The man wanted to say more, but given his condition and the family’s financial situation, he could only say, “Alright, be careful.”

“Okay, I’m closing the door now.” The woman closed the door and left.

Watching his wife’s disappearing figure, the man sighed.

He had been a factory worker, but a few years ago, he had his leg broken by Red Guards.

The injury was severe, requiring immediate surgery, but the family didn’t have enough money.

To afford the surgery, they had to sell his job.

Although the surgery saved his leg, the injury had damaged his internal organs, requiring years of bed rest.

Even occasionally getting out of bed would lead to severe coughing, needing constant medication.

To save money, he avoided getting out of bed as much as possible.

Now that the country was improving and the Red Guards were less aggressive, he still couldn’t return to his former self.

After leaving home, the woman went straight to the police station.

The officers at the station were struggling to get information from the old woman when a woman rushed in.

“Comrade, is there something wrong?” Seeing the woman’s anxious face and sweat despite the cold weather, the officer immediately approached her.

The woman said, “Officer, I heard from my neighbor that my mother-in-law was taken to the police station. Can you tell me what crime she committed?”

“Your mother-in-law?” The officer was taken aback.

He recalled the old woman who had been brought in earlier and asked with a serious expression, “What’s your name, and where do you live? And what do you mean by saying your mother-in-law was taken to the police station? Are you involved in this somehow?”

The woman quickly explained, “Police officer, my name is Liu Qingdi, and I live on Baiyang Alley. A neighbor said she saw my mother-in-law following two kids, and then…”

The police officer listened as Liu Qingdi continued.

She looked stunned—she hadn’t expected this.

Her mother-in-law had left early in the morning, as usual, to check out leftover vegetables at the market.

Liu Qingdi thought it was just another ordinary day.

“Officer, my mother-in-law wouldn’t trick children. Let me go see if it’s really her and find out what happened,” Liu Qingdi suggested.

The officer agreed, though he remained stern: “Okay, you can wait in the interrogation room. I’ll bring your mother-in-law.”

As Liu Qingdi entered the interrogation room, her heart raced with anxiety.

She licked her lips and rubbed her hands together to warm them.

Before she could get her hands warm, the door opened, and her pale mother-in-law, handcuffed, was brought in by the police.

“Mom…” Liu Qingdi called out.

“Qingdi, why are you here?” Her mother-in-law looked confused and worried, “Qingdi, what’s going on? Did I cause you trouble? And what about your husband? What will happen at home?”

“Mom, I’m not here because I was caught. Don’t worry,” Liu Qingdi comforted her mother-in-law with a hug.

The officer, seeing this, gave Liu Qingdi a look and quietly stepped out, leaving the door slightly ajar to listen in.

Her mother-in-law, still uneasy, asked: “How did you end up here?”

Liu Qingdi explained: “I heard from the neighbor…” and recounted what had happened. “Mom, why were you brought to the police station? They said you were a human trafficker. But you’re not, right? Why did you try to sell buns without tickets to kids? Even if not for me, you should consider your son. You need to explain what happened.”

Liu Qingdi couldn’t understand why her mother-in-law would do this.

Despite their hard life, they were a small family with only two members.

Her mother-in-law had been good to her, especially since her husband had been in no condition to have children after an accident.

They had planned to adopt a child when they could afford it.

Liu Qingdi suddenly wondered if her mother-in-law might have been trying to trick kids into bringing one to their home.

Her mother-in-law didn’t understand Liu Qingdi’s thoughts.

She leaned in and whispered: “Qingdi, I was just selling buns. If I sold them, I would earn money. I thought this was a no-risk business. This morning, I heard the two kids say that buns without tickets were fine, so I asked if they wanted some. I didn’t know they would bring adults to the police station. I just wanted to help a little. I didn’t want all the burden to fall on you, and we need money to adopt a child in the future.”

Hearing this, Liu Qingdi’s eyes welled up.

She hadn’t expected this reason.

Her mother-in-law had always felt guilty for not supporting her husband properly.

Liu Qingdi had refused to divorce despite the challenges because she valued her current family over the uncertain future.

“So, Mom, even if it was a risky scheme, you didn’t succeed, and it’s not as severe as human trafficking,” Liu Qingdi said with a sad smile. “Traffickers face serious penalties.”

“But… even risky schemes can get you in trouble. The Red Guards are harsh on such things. I’m afraid of causing trouble for you,” her mother-in-law said, reflecting on past experiences with the Red Guards.

“Mom, we’re at the police station now, and this isn’t under the Red Guards’ control. We need to explain everything to the police to resolve this,” Liu Qingdi said. “Wait here, I’ll find the officer.”

“Qingdi…” Her mother-in-law grabbed her hand, worried.

“Don’t worry, trust me,” Liu Qingdi reassured her and went to find the officer.

When she opened the door, she saw the officer waiting outside and explained everything.

“Yes, yes, that’s what happened. I… I made a mistake and accept the punishment,” her mother-in-law admitted, still trembling.

The officer, having overheard, found the situation a bit of a mix-up.

He praised the children for their composure. “I understand. Sit tight; I’ll be back shortly.”

He wrote up the report and took the mother-in-law’s fingerprint before leaving.

Just then, another officer arrived: “We’ve confirmed that these two are indeed mother-in-law and daughter-in-law living on Baiyang Alley. Their identities are valid. They have a man who is bedridden and they live very modestly. They often collect leftover food from the market, and neighbors sometimes give them surplus food.”