Lin Yongjia and Lin Yongye had just received their wages.

Each carried a little over ten yuan in their pockets and walked cautiously along the road.

Seeing someone ahead, Lin Yongjia’s first instinct was to take a detour. “They might be targeting our money,” he thought, suspecting ill intentions.

“Second Brother, don’t meddle. Let’s take another path,” Lin Yongjia urged.

Not only did he want to avoid the person himself, but he also worried that Lin Yongye’s interference might bring trouble upon them.

He clutched his pocket tightly.

Lin Yongye, carrying eighteen yuan himself—a significant sum for them—disliked both his brother’s attitude and the implication that he might cause trouble. “You think everyone’s a thief!” he retorted.

Despite his words, he followed his brother to take the detour.

An elderly woman lay on the ground, uncertain how long she had been there.

Night had fallen, and after waiting ages for help, she heard their voices only to see them bypass her.

She panicked.

She had been waiting for so long. If these two left, would she have to spend the night here?

Desperately, she scratched the dirt to show she was still alive.

“Don’t go… help me!”

“Young men, please help me! I’ve broken my leg,” she pleaded weakly, her voice trembling and ethereal in the darkness, making her seem almost ghostly.

The sound sent shivers down Lin Yongjia’s spine.

“That voice… it’s like a wandering spirit,” he muttered.

Lin Yongye hesitated and turned to look at the elderly woman.

She had a bundle on her back, likely returning to town after visiting relatives, now collapsed on this remote path.

The brothers had taken the shortcut to save time on their way home.

If they left her here, could she survive the night?

Despite being strangers, Lin Yongye couldn’t ignore the thought of letting an old woman die on the roadside.

He hesitated.

“Second Brother, don’t get involved!” Lin Yongjia barked, glancing at the woman. “She looks badly hurt. Don’t invite trouble. We earned this money through hard work, and Dad is waiting for us to pay back our debts. Don’t waste it on a stranger.”

His scolding only strengthened Lin Yongye’s resolve to help.

Lin Yongjia had always been cold and heartless. It wouldn’t surprise Lin Yongye if his brother could watch a stranger die without flinching.

Lin Yongye replied curtly, “I’m going to check on her.”

The elderly woman, overhearing their exchange, raised a feeble hand. “Young man, don’t worry. I won’t make trouble for you.”

“We’ll pay the medical bills ourselves—I won’t ask for a penny from you.”

“My son and daughter-in-law are workers and very filial. If you help me, they’ll surely thank you as my saviors.”

“Please, help me…” she begged, her voice frail and desperate.

Even though she was old, the fear of dying alone on the roadside gripped her.

She had been on her way to visit her daughter.

Neither her son nor daughter-in-law knew she was returning today.

If they didn’t hear from her soon, she feared her body might go cold before they found her.

The two young men stood divided—one eager to help, the other insistent on leaving.

Lin Yongye had already made up his mind.

Hearing the elderly woman’s reassurance about medical expenses, he turned and walked toward her. “Auntie, I’ll take you to the hospital!”

“Second Brother, don’t be reckless!” Lin Yongjia shouted, growing anxious. “If you take her to the hospital, it’ll delay us by at least an hour. Don’t you want to get home tonight?”

Without a bicycle, their journey home on foot would take two hours. Adding a hospital trip would extend their travel significantly.

“Go home yourself. What’s a grown man afraid of? Ghosts?” Lin Yongye snapped impatiently, ignoring his brother. He bent down to help the elderly woman.

Her right leg was immobile, though her left could barely manage some support. He helped her sit up first.

“Auntie, hold onto my neck, and I’ll carry you.”

Tears of gratitude welled in the elderly woman’s eyes. “Young man, thank you so much. You’re my savior!”

Having worked the fields for years, Lin Yongye had little else but strength. With care, he hoisted her onto his back and started walking.

The old lady was petite and not heavy, weighing at most around ninety pounds. She clung tightly to his neck, and with a bit of effort, he stood up with her on his back.

“Who doesn’t know how to say nice words? They’ll say you don’t have to pay for medical expenses now, but once you bring her to the hospital, it’ll be a different story,” Lin Yongjia scoffed, clearly unimpressed with Lin Yongye’s act of kindness. He continued pouring cold water on him, adding, “Go ahead and be the good Samaritan if you want. Just don’t blame me if you get taken advantage of later.”

In this day and age, all kinds of people exist.

There were plenty who repaid kindness with ingratitude. As long as it didn’t drag him into trouble, Lin Yongjia didn’t care.

After a pause, Lin Yongjia added, “If you insist on meddling, you’ll bear the consequences yourself. Just don’t involve me or the family.”

With that, he walked off.

Lin Yongye, however, carried the old lady in the opposite direction.

The old woman, having been under intense mental strain, coupled with exhaustion, hunger, and pain, finally felt safe.

Overwhelmed, she fell asleep on Lin Yongye’s shoulder.

Although the old lady was only about ninety pounds, carrying her for a long distance was exhausting. Lin Yongye had overestimated his stamina; carrying an elderly person was far more tiring than hauling a sack of grain.

At least with a sack of grain, he could stop and rest. But with the old lady, how could he just put her down?

At most, he paused briefly to catch his breath, but the weight was still on his back.

It was unclear how long he walked before reaching the hospital. Just as expected, the old lady had a fractured femur in her right leg. Surgery was necessary. Lin Yongye felt he had done his duty by bringing her to the hospital. He still had to rush home tonight and couldn’t stay to accompany her.

The old lady had woken up by then.

True to her word, she didn’t ask him to pay for the medical expenses. From the lining of her clothes, she retrieved a cloth pouch with over twenty yuan in it.

Seeing this, Lin Yongye let out a sigh of relief.

If she had tried to exploit him, Lin Yongjia would have mocked him for a lifetime.

He helped her pay the surgery fee and returned the remaining money to her.

“Auntie, you’re safe now that you’re at the hospital. I need to head home and can’t stay to accompany you. Take care of yourself. I’ll be leaving now!”

“Young man, you’ve had a hard time. What’s your name? Where do you work? I’ll have my son thank you later,” the old lady said anxiously.

There was no need for thanks.

As long as she didn’t ask him for money or let Lin Yongjia have the last laugh, he was content.

In a hurry to leave, he casually said, “I’m a temporary worker with the loading team at the mine. My surname is Lin. No need for thanks—it’s not a big deal.”

He hadn’t spent any money, only exerted some effort.

He didn’t save her for gratitude.

If he hadn’t helped, he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself. Besides, his parents often claimed Lin Yongjia was the most filial son. But in reality? It was just self-praise.

The old lady said her son and daughter-in-law were very filial, but he simply took it as idle talk.

Watching his decisive departure, the old lady told the doctor, “This young man is a good person. I fell and broke my leg, waiting a long time before he and another man passed by. The other man kept telling him not to get involved, but this young man still helped me.”

---

After the fruit incident, little Zisu finally realized her mistake under Lin Yongcheng’s guidance. Afraid of losing her sister, she immediately became obedient.

She even went to apologize to Bai Ji and little Baiguo.

“Mom, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have fed my sister random things. I shouldn’t have said you were mean, and I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you. I know I was wrong, and I won’t do it again.”

She then ran to little Baiguo and showered her with kisses.

“Sis, I’m sorry. I almost lost you.”

Baiji softened instantly and patted her head. “As long as you know your mistake and correct it, Mom won’t blame you, and neither will your sister.”

Little Baiguo blew bubbles.

Sigh… I wish I could grow up quickly!

Being a child was so frustrating.

She couldn’t eat anything she wanted.

She wanted to eat fruit!

But then she thought about how growing up meant fewer chances to lounge around like a salted fish, and she didn’t want to grow up anymore.

Life was so conflicting.

Being a salted fish was better.

When she was just a little salted fish, she had no worries.

If she had troubles, lying down would cheer her up.

Now that she was human, even lying down as a salted fish wasn’t free anymore.

That night, little Baiguo had a nightmare.

She dreamed she had grown up—not very big, just around the same age as little Zisu.

Every day, her grandfather made her sit on a small stool to memorize medical books, and her grandmother forced her to learn to read and write.

Her father constantly gave her lectures, saying she couldn’t be lazy or lounge around like a salted fish all day—it would ruin her.

Little Baiguo panicked.

What was wrong with being a salted fish?

Her villainous father was the bad guy.

How could he say being a salted fish was bad?

Struggling, she woke up from her dream.

Sitting up in the dark, she remembered that at just under seven months old, she was supposed to be too young to sit up.

But she was a little salted fish!

With some effort, she could manage it.

The first thing she did upon sitting up was lean over and punch Lin Yongcheng.

The punch landed squarely on his face. After doing her mischief, she lay back down immediately.

Hmph!

That’ll teach him to badmouth salted fish in her dream!

Lin Yongcheng woke up alert, only to find his wife and child sleeping peacefully beside him.

The room was silent.

What could he do?

He just had to accept it.

Once again, Bai Ji took the blame.

Lin Yongcheng assumed it was Bai Ji who hit him in her sleep.

It wasn’t the first time—it had happened back at their old home in the Shanglin brigade.

There were only three people in the room.

It couldn’t possibly have been little Baiguo, right?

So, naturally, Bai Ji had to take the fall.

Just as he lay back down to sleep, little Zisu’s crying came from the next room.