Zhao Xiaoling felt that she had guessed correctly—otherwise, her mother wouldn’t have held her while sleeping last night.

Unable to hold it in any longer, Zhao Xiaoling burst into tears with a loud wail.

“Mom, please don’t sell me! I won’t eat meat buns anymore, and I won’t wear this new outfit either,” Zhao Xiaoling cried as she spoke.

Qian Chunhua: “……”

She looked at her daughter in total confusion, not understanding why she would say such a thing or cry so sadly.

Zhao Qingfeng also understood what his sister meant and started crying loudly too.

“Mom! Mom! Don’t sell my sister! I won’t eat meat buns either! I’ll be good—I’ll go cut pig grass right now!”

Zhao Qingsong was stunned.

Was his return home the reason they were selling his sister?

Zhao Qingsong said, “Mom, I can skip the buns too. I don’t need to eat at all—just don’t sell my sister!”

Qian Chunhua was both exasperated and amused.

What on earth had she done to make them think she was planning to sell the children?

“All of you, be quiet! One at a time. Xiaoling, you go first—when did I ever say I was going to sell you?” Qian Chunhua asked with a serious expression.

Zhao Xiaoling sobbed, “You gave me all the things you usually couldn’t bear to eat or wear, and then you held me while sleeping last night. It’s because you want to sell me, right? Mom, is it because you can’t bear to part with me?”

Zhao Qingsong and Zhao Qingfeng both nodded vigorously.

Now they understood why their mother had been acting so unusually—she must have been planning to sell Xiaoling.

Qian Chunhua finally understood: she had treated them too well all of a sudden, which made them feel like it wasn’t real.

They enjoyed the kindness, but were afraid it came with a price.

She sighed.

Children raised in such an environment had no sense of security at all.

It’s okay.

From now on, she would give them that sense of security.

After thinking it through, Qian Chunhua smiled and said, “Xiaoling, I never planned to sell you. I gave you good food and warm clothes because I realized I was wrong before. I wasn’t good to you, and now I want to change that.”

Zhao Xiaoling and Zhao Qingfeng looked at her wide-eyed.

Was that really the reason?

Zhao Qingsong was even more shocked.

Was their mother not good enough before?

Qian Chunhua took out the shoes she bought for the two boys from the bundle she carried yesterday. “Look, I bought these shoes for you two. I truly want to treat you well.”

Zhao Xiaoling said, “But… but we already cut ties with Grandpa and Uncle’s family. We don’t have any silver at home. Sooner or later, we’ll starve to death.”

Qian Chunhua’s heart sank.

It must have been that wretched Li Cuihong who told the children nonsense.

“How could that be? I have hands and feet—I can definitely support you all. Not only that, but I’ll also send Qingsong and Qingfeng to school and Xiaoling too.”

She looked sincerely at Zhao Xiaoling.

Zhao Xiaoling opened her mouth to speak, but she remembered that her aunt had said that her mother only knew how to cook, not farm or do any labor.

Sooner or later, they would eat through everything and be left with nothing.

That thought escaped her lips without meaning to.

Qian Chunhua patiently explained, “I used to cook at home because your father and I had a division of labor. He earned the money outside, and I took care of things at home and looked after you.”

Zhao Xiaoling thought for a moment—it did seem to be that way.

Zhao Xiaoling asked, “Mom, does that mean you can earn money too?”

Qian Chunhua waved her hand confidently. “Of course I can! Don’t worry—I won’t just earn money, I’ll earn lots of it. Before, all the money we earned had to be handed over to your grandfather. From now on, we get to keep it all. I’ll use that money to send you to school, buy you tasty food, and warm clothes.”

Zhao Xiaoling broke into a smile through her tears. “Really?”

The three kids looked full of hope as they imagined the life their mother described.

If only they could eat white steamed buns every day, they wouldn’t even ask for meat buns.

And so, the little morning drama came to a close.

But the incident gave Qian Chunhua a wake-up call—her eldest brother-in-law’s family hadn’t only hurt Zhao Qingsong physically; they had mentally manipulated her children too.

From now on, she had to keep an eye on them.

She wouldn’t give Zhao Yongqiang’s family another chance to approach her children.

If only they could move away and stay far from them.

Qian Chunhua sighed.

Take it slow—things would definitely get better.

After getting dressed, she locked the doors to both rooms.

Holding Zhao Xiaoling’s hand, and with Zhao Qingsong holding Zhao Qingfeng’s, the four of them headed to the Qian family’s home.

Qian’s mother had already prepared breakfast and was standing at the front gate, craning her neck to look out for her daughter and grandchildren.

It had been nearly ten years since mother and daughter had had a close relationship.

She barely saw her grandchildren.

To say she didn’t miss them would be a lie, but she could only bury that longing in her heart.

Now, Qian’s mother only hoped that her daughter wouldn’t push away her natal family after all that had happened.

On the table in the main room of the Qian family, breakfast was already set.

There was millet porridge, four boiled eggs, four big meat buns, four cornmeal steamed buns, and a dish of pickled vegetables.

Qian Chunhua felt deeply touched.

Even though she wasn’t the original soul, she still had the original’s memories.

The Qian family wasn’t wealthy, and such a hearty breakfast was clearly because of her and the children’s visit.

The eggs were ones Qian’s mother had been saving to sell for money, and she boiled them specially for the kids this morning.

The meat buns were brought back yesterday by her brother—her mother hadn’t had the heart to eat them herself.

Comparing her husband’s family to her own natal family, Qian Chunhua once again lamented the foolishness of her former self.

How could she have pushed away such a good family?

Now that she was here, she would make up for it on the original’s behalf—she made up her mind.

“Hurry, come sit while it’s hot,” Qian’s mother happily called out when she saw her daughter and grandchildren arrive.

Qian Xingshan followed behind, grinning like a fool.

He picked up Zhao Qingfeng and set him on a stool in front of the table, but the child was too short. Once he sat, he couldn’t reach the table, so he had to kneel on the stool to get to the right height.

Qian’s mother took the eggs and placed three in front of Qian Chunhua, Zhao Qingsong, and Zhao Xiaoling. “Eat up!”

Then she picked up the last egg, cracked and peeled it, and prepared to feed Zhao Qingfeng.

The three kids froze, staring at Qian Chunhua as if to ask—Are we allowed to eat the eggs? At the Zhao household, eggs were never for them.

Qian Chunhua nodded with a smile, signaling that they could eat.

She then carefully peeled the egg in front of her and placed it in her mother’s bowl.

“Mom, you eat it.”

Qian’s mother beamed.

Her daughter—the one she remembered—had come back.

At Qian Chunhua’s insistence, her mother finally ate one meat bun and one egg.

The remaining buns and eggs were divided among the three children.

Everyone enjoyed a happy breakfast together.

“Chunhua, what are your plans for today?” her mother asked cautiously.

Qian Chunhua replied, “Mom, I’m taking Qingsong to the Zhao ancestral hall today to change the genealogy record. Then I’m going into town to buy some supplies we’re missing at home.”

She smiled a little awkwardly. “Mom, I’ll need to trouble you to watch the three kids today. And Xingshan, could you help keep an eye on the wall repairs?”

Qian’s mother quickly said, “It’s no trouble, no trouble at all.”

She was overjoyed inside—she wished her daughter would need her help more often.

Qian Xingshan asked, “Sis, after the wall is fixed, do you want to build a kitchen too?”

Qian Chunhua smacked her forehead. She had almost forgotten!

She nodded quickly. “Yes, we should. I also want to build a heated brick bed. Do you know anyone in the village who can do that?”

Both Qian’s mother and Qian Xingshan were surprised—very few villagers were willing to install such beds.

Firewood from Lion Mountain was typically carried into town to exchange for money. No one wanted to use it themselves.

“Are you really building a brick bed?” Qian Xingshan asked again to confirm.

He hadn’t expected that, once her husband was gone, his once frugal sister would change so much.

Qian Chunhua nodded firmly. “Yes, we’re building one.”

She knew from the original owner’s memories that Huanghualing was covered in snow all winter.

That meant temperatures dropped below freezing, and without a heated bed, she wasn’t sure she’d survive the winter.

Qian Xingshan said, “Alright, Uncle Ding knows how to do all that. I’ll find him later and we can do it together.”