Chapter 12

“Mom, the grain was weighed by both of us. It was just three hundred pounds earlier, and not even a single pound more was taken. Please stop making a scene, alright? Let’s hurry up and go back.” Xu Huaizhi said helplessly, trying to persuade his mother.

“Oldest son, I’m not lying. There really is a shortage of several hundred pounds of grain at home, it’s just that it’s all gone today.” Liu Guifang said urgently, hoping her son would believe her words.

However, Xu Huaizhi thought she was reluctant to part with the grain and was deliberately making trouble.

Gu Qinghuan had calmed the little girl down and stood up, her face cold as she said: “Big brother, is this how you show affection? If I didn’t go to mom to ask for the grain today, would you really just stand by and watch us starve to death?”

“Even now, mom is still trying to find ways to take back the grain. She really doesn’t want to give us any chance to survive.”

She was very clear that arguing with the old woman was useless, and the people with real authority were right beside them, so there was no reason not to use that advantage.

Sure enough, Xu Huaizhi’s face immediately turned red, and he awkwardly scratched his feet, feeling as if he had been slapped in the face.

Just earlier, he had been telling someone that his parents loved Huai’an and hoped she would understand their difficulties. Yet, here was his mother, undermining him and even sparing no one, not even a child.

“What are you two whispering about? Gu Qinghuan, give me my grain back!” Liu Guifang was so angry that she almost rushed over to take action.

Xu Huaizhi felt helpless and hurriedly pulled his mother away, forgetting about the bicycle in the process.

“Little sister-in-law, you go ahead and do your business.”

The mother and son struggled and tugged as they walked further away.

Gu Qinghuan directly moved the grain from Xu Huaizhi’s bicycle onto the one she had borrowed, directing the two children to help move their belongings.

The things from the original household consisted of just a large bundle, containing an old blanket, some daily necessities, tattered clothes, and other items. These were placed on the horizontal bar in front of the bicycle, all of which could be moved at once.

The father and his two children had essentially been driven out of the house. Apart from the clothes they were wearing, they only had a small bundle. There were no other belongings, and their situation was quite pitiful.

The two children carried the “snacks” they had gathered from the mountain today, along with their simple belongings, and they worked hard behind them, trying to help push the bicycle.

Gu Qinghuan pretended to take a few White Rabbit Creamy Candies from her pocket, but in reality, she took them from her space. These were candies she had found in the warehouse of her villa, where she had previously sold a series of White Rabbit products, and the manufacturer had sent several large boxes.

They clearly recognized what it was and looked at her in surprise.

Bei Bei was the first to speak up. “Mom, is this for us?”

Gu Qinghuan hadn’t expected the little girl to naturally call her “Mom.”

She felt a little unaccustomed to it. “Mom”—it was a lifetime responsibility.

She awkwardly nodded and gestured for her to take the candy.

A huge sense of joy swept over the little girl, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Gu Qinghuan. Her eyes were filled with admiration.

It wasn’t just because of the candy, but also because Gu Qinghuan hadn’t rejected her calling her “Mom.”

Children’s perceptions were the most sensitive. Even though Gu Qinghuan hadn’t verbally acknowledged it and they had had proper conversations before, her actions had clearly shown her attitude.

She was a genuinely kind person. In Bei Bei’s heart, she wanted to keep this “Mom.”

The village children had all eaten fruit candies or milk candies at some point, but she and her Big Brother had never received any special treatment, no matter the holiday.

They could only envy others.

From now on, someone would give them candy too.

Bei Bei gently took two White Rabbit candies from her hand, placed one into her Big Brother’s palm, then peeled open her own candy and licked it.

A smile instantly bloomed on her little face.

It was sweet! Sweeter and more fragrant than fruit candy.

“Big Brother, it’s so sweet! You should try it too. Mom should eat some too.” Bei Bei held up her candy in front of Gu Qinghuan, signaling her to have a taste.

Da Bao looked at his little sister, the little traitor, and helplessly shook his head. All the lessons he’d taught her were in vain; at the crucial moment, two pieces of candy had won her over.

He didn’t want to call her mom, at least not for now.

Gu Qinghuan shook her head and stuffed the remaining candy in her hand into Bei Bei’s hands. “I don’t like eating candy. You two keep it and enjoy it.”

She could tell that the older one in front of her still had things weighing on his mind. She would take it slow; time would reveal a person’s true heart.

“What are your names?”

“Mom, my name is Bei Bei. Big Brother’s name is Da Bao.”

---

The three of them walked leisurely, chatting and laughing along the way, finally moving everything into their new home.

By the time they arrived, their bond had grown significantly.

Because of the kindness shown during the previous two meals and the protection just now, the two children naturally regarded her as one of their own.

They let their guard down, answering whatever she asked, behaving obediently.

Time had already reached sunset. After a whole afternoon of nonstop work, they were feeling hungry.

Suddenly, Bei Bei remembered something. She reached into the pocket of her clothes and carefully took out a handful of sweet berries, gently offering them to Gu Qinghuan.

“Mom, these are sweet berries that her Big Brother and I found on the mountain this morning. They’re for you.”

Seeing how much Bei Bei cherished them, Gu Qinghuan quickly took the red berries with both hands. Looking closely, she recognized them as wild berries—she had eaten them as a child. They were quite sweet.

“You’re really willing to give them to me?”

She had only meant to tease the child, but she received an answer that made her heart ache.

Bei Bei’s eyes welled up with tears as she looked at her. “Yes. From now on, whenever I pick sweet berries, I’ll give them all to you. Can you not leave us? Big Brother and I will grow up soon. We can eat less, and we’ll work hard too, okay?”

The child had suffered too much. After finally feeling a bit of warmth, she was already afraid of losing it.

Hearing his little sister’s words, Da Bao turned his face away, clearly feeling distressed.

Gu Qinghuan pulled Bei Bei into her arms and gently comforted her.

The two children were mature beyond their years—sensitive, pitiful, yet incredibly endearing.

In the end, she let out a soft sigh and said, “I won’t leave. At least, not until you both have the ability to live independently. I will take care of you. You don’t need to eat less. In fact, you should eat more so you can grow up faster.”

Bei Bei looked at her in surprise and quickly wiped away her tears. “Really?”

“More real than pearls! Come on, let’s taste your sweet berries.”

The three of them shared the sweet berries, and their hearts felt even closer than before.

Just eating sweet berries wouldn’t be enough. Gu Qinghuan pretended to take out a few pieces of egg cake from her luggage and shared them with everyone to fill their stomachs a little.  

It was the first time the children had ever tasted such soft and fragrant pastries, and they nearly swallowed their tongues in delight. They ate slowly, cherishing every bite.  

Da Bao didn’t forget to set aside a portion for his father as well.  

After eating, the two children curiously looked around their new home.  

Was this really where they would be living from now on? It seemed… not bad.  

Gu Qinghuan went to the courtyard’s well, drew up half a bucket of water, and carried it inside. Then, she took an old washcloth that had belonged to the original owner and tore it in half, stuffing a piece into each of the children’s hands.  

“Da Bao, take Bei Bei with you. The two of you wipe off the dust from the places you can reach inside the house. I’m going to return the bicycle first. If you complete your task well, the reward tonight will be roasted chicken. Can you do it?”  

Children at their age could start doing simple tasks within their ability, and this chore wasn’t difficult at all.  

From what Gu Qinghuan had observed, Da Bao was the one who took care of the Madman on the kang bed—handling his father’s eating, drinking, and other daily needs.

The fact that he managed to keep his bedridden father so clean showed that he was someone who cared about hygiene.  

Gu Qinghuan never intended to spoil them into useless freeloaders. For household chores, as long as it’s not hard, it had to be shared.  

“We can do it! Mom, you go ahead. Big Brother and I will make sure to clean everything properly!” Bei Bei patted her chest, promising with great seriousness.  

“I’ll clean everything well.” Da Bao also quickly patted his chest to show his commitment.  

Gu Qinghuan nodded. There was still plenty for her to do, so for now, she had to rely on the two of them.

“Bolt the door from the inside. Don’t open it unless I call—just in case that old witch comes to cause trouble again.”

After greeting the children, Gu Qinghuan rode her bicycle out of the village.  

While there was still daylight, she wanted to visit the cattle shed in the neighboring village to check on Grandpa.  

She wasn’t sure if he had been managing on his own these past two days.  

The two villages were close to each other—about a twenty-minute walk or just a few minutes by bike.  

As she neared the cattle shed, she found a hidden spot and discreetly retrieved a bag of supplies from her space.  

She had brought a handful of dried noodles, three pounds of rice, some leftover chicken soup from lunch, two large apples, and a can of fish.  

Most of these items were from the villa, except for the canned fish, which she had bought from a vending machine—less likely to raise suspicion.  

She had also roasted a whole chicken in the villa’s oven. That was for the two children—she had promised them, and she wasn’t going to break her word.  

When she arrived at the cattle shed, Grandpa was nowhere to be seen. She knew he must still be working in the fields.  

Without hesitation, Gu Qinghuan returned to her space, quickly made a bowl of chicken noodle soup, and packed it into a thermal container.  

Following the memories of the original owner, she found the place where he had been working before. Sure enough, she spotted the old man still toiling away in the fields.  

His thin frame, his bent-over back—it was a heartbreaking sight.  

A deep ache welled up in Gu Qinghuan’s heart. Part of it was the residual emotions from the original owner, but another part came from memories of her own grandparents.  

“Grandpa.” Gu Qinghuan handed him the thermal container and, in one swift motion, took the hoe from his hands.  

“Eat something and rest for a bit. I’ll do the digging.”

“Girl, why are you here again?” Zhong Weiqian pressed down on his trembling right hand, not wanting his granddaughter to see his weakness.  

After working in the fields all day, his hands had gone numb from exhaustion, shaking uncontrollably.  

“Do you have to finish digging this whole section today?” Gu Qinghuan asked instead of answering.  

“Yes. You should head back soon. It’s getting late, and a girl shouldn’t be walking alone at night.” Zhong Weiqian struggled to open the thermal container, and the rich aroma of chicken soup immediately filled the air.  

“Is this chicken soup?”  

“Mm. I went to the hospital at noon to see Mom. There was some leftover chicken soup, so I made you a bowl of chicken noodle soup. Eat it while it’s hot—once it gets soggy, it won’t taste as good.” Gu Qinghuan explained while continuing to dig.  

“Then I must thank my daughter and granddaughter for this blessing. Girl, it smells wonderful.”  

Zhong Weiqian spoke with a hint of self-deprecating humor, as if trying to find some joy in hardship. Once upon a time, he would never have imagined that even a sip of chicken soup would become a luxury.  

Hearing his words, Gu Qinghuan felt a tear silently slip from the corner of her eye.  

He should have been enjoying his twilight years—how did it come to this?  

Behind her, the sound of the old man slurping down noodles quickly reached her ears.  

Gu Qinghuan gritted her teeth and swung the hoe with all her strength.  

This was truly backbreaking work. Every strike sent a numbing shock through her palm. At this rate, it would take an eternity to finish.  

And it wasn’t just the fields—there were also the livestock in the cattle shed to take care of every day.  

No, they couldn’t go on like this. If they kept pushing themselves this hard, the whole family would collapse sooner or later.  

She had to come up with a plan.