It was eight o’clock on Monday morning. Workers had already started, and the county town was bustling with activity.  The occasional bicycle bell could be heard, along with the chatter and greetings of neighbors.

Standing at the entrance of her grandmother’s house, Mu Xiaoqi’s feet felt rooted to the spot.

She remembered the year her grandmother passed away.  Her grandmother had insisted on waiting until she arrived at the hospital, telling her, “Grandma will always love you,” before she passed away.

Mu Xiaoqi’s heart ached. In her past life, she had let down so many people who loved her.  Looking back, she had ruined her own life.

As if telepathically connected, a window on the second floor of the building opened.

An elderly woman with gray hair looked down. Her voice trembled, “Xiaoqi, is that you? You finally came to see Grandma.”

Mu Xiaoqi couldn’t hold back any longer. She rushed upstairs and hugged her grandmother, crying.  With her tears came the guilt she had been suppressing.  She thanked heaven for giving her a second chance.

“Xiaoqi, Grandma’s heart and liver!”

The old woman had three sons and a daughter, and she loved her youngest daughter the most.

Losing her daughter had nearly broken her.  Her love for Mu Xiaoqi was no less than her love for her daughter.

When the old woman saw the slap marks on her granddaughter’s face, her face changed with anger.

“Your father hit you?”

Mu Xiaoqi didn’t want to mention it.  She hadn’t come to get her grandmother to take her side. She was too tired living in that house; seeing Jiang Xueqin and Mu Sisi’s faces made her want to tear them apart.

“Grandma, I want to move in with you,” Mu Xiaoqi said, clinging to her grandmother.

The nearly seventy-year-old woman had seen it all. She and her three sons had long seen through Jiang Xueqin’s hypocrisy. As long as that woman was there, Xiaoqi would never have a good time.  And Mu Yuehui was a fool; she didn’t even bother with him.

“Okay, Grandma is so happy,” the old woman said affectionately, fixing her granddaughter’s hair and personally boiling eggs to apply to her face to reduce the swelling.

At noon, Xu Yingyong, Mu Xiaoqi’s eldest maternal uncle, heard that his niece was back and rushed home with a bag of pastries.

Learning that Xiaoqi would be staying, he didn’t hesitate to settle her in the room next to his mother’s. This four-story building belonged to the Xu family; the three brothers each had a floor, maintaining both proximity and privacy.

“Is there anything else over there? Uncle will help you move it.” Xu Yingyong’s eager tone showed how much he hoped his niece would leave the Mu family.

As a police officer, he could see the slight remaining marks on his niece’s face, even though they were much better.

To avoid upsetting Xiaoqi, this burly but considerate uncle didn’t mention it or ask why she suddenly decided to reconnect with the Xu family.  In the Xu family’s eyes, Mu Xiaoqi was more precious than their own eyes.

Mu Xiaoqi thought for a moment, “Except for the books my mother left me, I’ve brought everything else that belongs to me.”

“Alright, leave this to your Uncle,” Xu Yingyong slapped his thigh, indicating that he would arrange a separate study for Xiaoqi.

True family never speaks in platitudes.

Xu Yingyong had to go to work in the afternoon. He quickly ate lunch and rode his bicycle straight to the county No. 1 Middle School. He had to tell his second brother about Xiaoqi’s return. His third brother was out of town; he would call him later from the office.

Xu Yingcai, Mu Xiaoqi’s second maternal uncle, who taught at County No. 1 Middle School, rushed out of his office when he heard his older brother was looking for him.

By then, Xu Yingyong had reached the playground. The students were in class, and the playground was empty.

“What? Xiaoqi is back! That’s great!” Xu Yingcai rubbed his hands, eager to see Xiaoqi. The three brothers loved their younger sister dearly. Now that their younger sister was gone, Xiaoqi received double the love.

Xu Yingyong took out a cigarette and offered it to his second brother. His voice was filled with suppressed anger.

“That dog Mu Yuehui hit Xiaoqi.”

Xu Yingcai didn’t even light his cigarette. His hand holding the cigarette trembled slightly, a sign of extreme anger.

Thinking of their deceased younger sister and poor Xiaoqi, the two brothers wanted to grab Mu Yuehui and beat him up.

However, they knew that ignoring him would be more painful for Mu Yuehui than beating him. They didn’t want to dirty their hands.

“Xiaoqi is a Xu family child!”  Xu Yingcai’s statement clearly showed his stance.

In the afternoon, Xu Yingyong told the third brother, Xu Yingjun, who was in Guangzhou, about Xiaoqi.  Xu Yingjun immediately said he would buy a ticket to come back. Nothing was more important than Xiaoqi!

When Xu Yingyong knocked on the Mu family’s door, Jiang Xueqin instinctively took a step back.

Xu Yingyong’s police uniform and his nearly six-foot height put invisible pressure on Jiang Xueqin.

“Is that dog Mu Yuehui here?”  Behind Xu Yingyong, a military green small trailer was parked at the gate.

Hearing this address, Jiang Xueqin’s eyebrows twitched. Could such a person be a policeman? It seemed he had come to support Mu Xiaoqi.

“He’s not here!” Jiang Xueqin said and tried to close the door, but Xu Yingyong propped it open with one hand.

“What? Guilty conscience? You don’t get to call the shots in this house. Mu Yuehui, get your ass out here!”  The last sentence was shouted with all his might.  It was already off-duty time; was this vicious woman playing games with him?

Mu Yuehui heard the commotion and quickly ran out.

“Brother…”

“Dog, who’s your brother!”

Xu Yingyong was furious and showed no mercy.  His towering figure entered the house and went straight to Xiaoqi’s room.

Being insulted by Jiayun’s brother, Mu Yuehui just thought he was venting for Xiaoqi. He only found out that morning that Xiaoqi had run away from home.