Chapter 109: Bold and Reckless, Zhang Xiaohu is Home

**Chapter 109: Zhang Xiaohu’s Bold Return Home**

“The room orientation is fine too,” said Mrs. Guo, glancing at the rooms.

When Niu Cuihua and her husband moved, Mrs. Guo and others helped them relocate.

“We’ve looked at several places—some apartments, some of these single-level homes. The single-level ones are better,” Niu Cuihua said. “People want to live in apartment buildings now, so they don’t like buying these kinds of houses. That makes them a good deal.”

Niu Cuihua had asked Fan Yani’s husband to check what the local housing prices were, so they wouldn’t overspend.

“True, cheaper is better, but most important is having enough rooms,” Mrs. Guo remarked.

“Back home, we all lived in single-level houses, maybe two stories at most,” Niu Cuihua said. “This place is pretty good—it has enough rooms for everyone. That’s the most important thing. If there aren’t enough rooms, everyone ends up crowded together, which is uncomfortable.”

Niu Cuihua didn’t mind living in an apartment—she wouldn’t mind a high-rise either—but given their financial situation, she didn’t bother thinking about it. As long as the family could be together and live comfortably, that was what mattered most.

“Dad says he’ll come after finishing this year’s rice harvest,” Niu Cuihua added. “Mom can stay here first. It’s not far from Ya Ni’s place—just a quick walk. If Mom wants to visit Ya Ni or Big Sister-in-law, it’s convenient.”

Old Mrs. Guo was alone and couldn’t handle much on her own. Fortunately, Fan Yani’s children were older now, so Mrs. Guo no longer needed to watch them constantly. Once the kids grew up a bit, Fan Yani and the others could manage childcare themselves.

“The bedding and quilts can come from my place—they were originally Mom’s,” Fan Yani said. “Other things can be brought over too.”

“That works,” Niu Cuihua agreed. “Otherwise, we’ll buy new ones. Mom can rest at your place if needed.”

“Mom can rest easily,” Fan Yani said. “The room is still there.”

“No need. I’m alone—I don’t need so many rooms,” Old Mrs. Guo said. “Ya Ni, you can use the room for storage or just leave it empty.”

“It’s fine. We’ll clean it up later and put bedding in it. If no one’s using it, we’ll cover it to keep the dust off,” Fan Yani said. “Mom, just let us know if you need anything. We’ll do whatever we can.”

“That’s more than enough,” Old Mrs. Guo said. “With so much stuff, how could it not be enough? Conditions now are so much better than before. Back then, we didn’t have nearly this much.”

“Now… it’s alright,” Fan Yani said.

In the capital, after Qin Lian returned home, he felt the Qins doted on You Yun’s child even more. Taking advantage of a moment when You Yun wasn’t paying attention, Qin Lian took the child to the train station and left him there, hoping the child’s disappearance would secure his position in the family.

Coincidentally, a police officer saw this and quickly picked up the baby, who stayed quiet and hardly cried.

At the time, there were no surveillance cameras, and Qin Lian had a cloth over his face, so the officer couldn’t identify him. He took the child to the police station.

You Yun never imagined her child would go missing. She had only been gone for a minute—less than ten minutes—and the child was gone. She searched everywhere but couldn’t find him. When Qin Lian returned, the whole family was looking for the child, but he acted as if nothing had happened.

“Did you do it? Someone said you took the child!” You Yun’s eyes were red with anger. She had always suspected Qin Lian but had let her guard down for just a moment—long enough for this to happen. Neighbors said they saw Qin Lian carrying the child.

“Who said that? Have them say it to my face,” Qin Lian snapped. “I was out with friends until now.”

It was already evening—several hours since Qin Lian had taken the child. The city was huge, and people at the train station didn’t know the baby belonged to You Yun. Since the child didn’t cry or fuss, no one knew whose it was and couldn’t just hand it over to anyone.

Eldest Brother Qin had no choice but to ask Qin Yizhou for help finding the child.

Qin Yizhou naturally agreed—this was a serious matter. Whether the child had been taken by traffickers or something else, they had to search carefully.

“Have you checked the train station and bus stations?” Qin Yizhou asked.

“We did, but saw no sign of the child,” Eldest Brother Qin said anxiously. “We searched several streets—nothing.”

“Did you check the police station? Maybe someone brought the child there?” Qin Yizhou added.

"The nearby police stations don’t have him," said Eldest Brother Qin.

"Don’t worry, I’ll get people to help look for the child right away," said Qin Yizhou. "Do you have a photo of the child? What was he wearing?"

"There are no recent photos. He was wearing blue clothes," replied Eldest Brother Qin. "His shoes were cloth ones made by his mother, and he had a silver bracelet on his wrist."

"Understood," Qin Yizhou nodded.

Qin Yizhou quickly got people organized to search for the child. After passing on a message to Song Fenglan, he rushed out to join the search.

Eldest Brother Qin had originally thought he could find the child himself and hadn’t asked Qin Yizhou for help. But after failing to find him for so long, he had to ask Qin Yizhou for assistance. He had even worried that Qin Yizhou might refuse, but instead, Qin Yizhou immediately agreed to help.

When Song Fenglan learned about this, she went to Second Brother Song and asked him to help look for the child too.

Although Song Fenglan had issues with the Qin family, the child was still very young—nothing bad should happen to him. Even though she wasn’t the one who lost the child, she still hoped he would be found safely.

Second Brother Song quickly sent people to help. Before Qin Yizhou’s group could find the child, people from Second Brother Song’s side reported that a child had been found at the police station near the train station.

Song Fenglan then called the Qin household, but no one answered. She decided to go personally to the police station near the train station. Having seen You Yun’s child before, she knew it was him right away.

"If your family has multiple children, you need to treat them equally. If you don’t, the older kids might ditch the younger ones," said the police officer.

"This child isn’t Comrade Song’s," one of Song Fenglan’s companions replied.

"If he’s not yours, then—"

"He’s my elder brother-in-law’s," Song Fenglan explained. "They’ve lost their child and are searching everywhere desperately. They’re at their wits’ end."

It was already around 11 p.m., and everyone was still outside looking for the child. Unable to reach them by phone—and since none of them had phones on them—the only thing Song Fenglan could do was come in person to check on the child and then take him back to the Qin family.

As a mother herself, Song Fenglan could understand how anxious You Yun must be feeling.

As she was leaving, Qin Zihang wanted to come with her, but she refused. She told Qin Zihang and Zhang Xiaohu to rest well and not interfere. They were too young—going out to search would only cause more chaos. Fortunately, Qin Zihang was sensible enough to stop Zhang Xiaohu from going; since he didn’t know anyone anyway, they stayed home to rest.

One of Song Fenglan’s companions showed official identification. After checking the documents, the police realized they weren’t dealing with imposters.

The officers accompanied them to the Qin house. Although they trusted Song Fenglan, they had to give the child directly to the parents to make sure everything was in order. When Song Fenglan heard the police say they would bring the child to the Qins, she didn’t go straight home. Instead, she rode to the Qin house and waited until she saw the officer carry the child inside before returning.

Qin Lian, whose health wasn’t good, had searched for a while without success and returned home first. His wife was still outside looking for the child, deeply worried that her grandson might really be gone. She never imagined this incident would involve Qin Li’an—how could her favorite grandson do something so cruel as abandon his own little brother?

"If your family has multiple children, you must treat them equally," the police repeated what they had told Song Fenglan to Qin Lian, unaware of the full situation. They assumed the problem happened because the family favored the youngest boy.

They also mentioned that someone had seen an older child carrying a baby toward the train station, his face half-covered. With such a big city and no clues, the police couldn’t quickly identify who did it. Luckily, thanks to the efforts of the Song family, things moved faster.

As Qin Lian listened, he felt a chill run through him—Qin Li’an!

Yes, it must have been him. The neighbors had all said they saw Qin Li’an holding the child, but he kept denying it.

And now the police were saying the same thing—who else could it be?

This time, Qin Li’an had gone too far.

Qin Lian didn’t tell the police everything about Qin Li’an, only saying the family would deal with it themselves. Family matters shouldn’t be made public.

"The child’s aunt came forward and confirmed he was yours. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have known," said the officer. "Honestly, your family’s search efforts were nowhere near as active as hers."

The officer truly felt the family hadn’t paid enough attention to the child. Qin Lian could only reply, "Yes, we haven’t been careful enough."

After the police left, Qin’s father looked at his little grandson and felt much more at ease.

Song Second Brother sent someone to fetch Qin Yizhou back and told the others to return as well. As for Qin Eldest Brother’s side, that wasn’t Song Second Brother’s concern.

By the time Qin Yizhou returned home, it was already past two in the morning. They had been searching everywhere for the child, and it hadn’t been easy for Song Second Brother’s men to find them, which was why it dragged on until then. When Qin Yizhou got back, Song Fenglan was already asleep.

Qin Yizhou didn’t dare make too much noise, tiptoeing onto the bed before lying down to rest.

The next morning, Qin Yizhou woke up early again. During breakfast, he said to Song Fenglan, “Thank you.”

“What for? What matters is we found the kid,” Song Fenglan replied. “Such a small child… How old is he? I think he was born after your eldest brother divorced Tian Keshu, so now he must be about five or six? That child just sat there frozen at the police station. When they asked him questions—asked for his name—he wouldn’t say a word. He’s not a baby—if he didn’t speak, the police just assumed he was scared. And who’d think his own flesh-and-blood brother would take him away and dump him at the train station? His brother probably even told him it was a game and made him promise not to talk.”

The whole thing made Song Fenglan’s stomach turn. A child that young could easily be frightened or convinced by his brother’s words. If such a kid were trafficked, he’d quickly forget everything from his early years and wouldn’t remember who his parents were.

Just like Song Fenglan suspected, Qin Li’an had terrified his younger brother. You Yun had always been too lenient with Qin Li’an, and she had also taught the child not to talk to strangers. With all these factors combined, the child probably thought his parents would come for him, which was why he refused to speak.

“This isn’t our circus, not our monkeys,” Qin Yizhou said. “Eldest Brother and his family didn’t take good care of the child, and this happened.”

“Mom, was cousin found?” Qin Zi’han asked.

“He was found, found. Don’t worry,” Song Fenglan reassured him. “Your second uncle’s men found him.”

Qin Yizhou was grateful to Song Fenglan. He hadn’t asked the Song family for help—he had only told his wife he was going out to search for the child. He hadn’t expected her to involve the Songs.

“Quit staring at me like that—you’re creeping me out,” Song Fenglan said, placing a fried egg on Qin Yizhou’s plate. “Eat up. You searched all night. Didn’t any of you think to check the police station?”

“Eldest Brother said they checked the train and bus stations but didn’t see him,” Qin Yizhou explained. “They were terrified the kid might’ve already been snatched up. The chances seemed slim, but they still had to keep looking.”

The child hadn’t been missing for long, and some neighbors had seen Qin Li’an carrying him away. The Qins had even wondered if Qin Li’an had hidden the child. But Qin Li’an insisted he had gone to see a friend and hadn’t taken his little brother out, so nobody could call his bluff.

After this incident, the Qins saw Qin Li’an in a new light. They might not dare spoil him recklessly anymore.

Qin Li’an wasn’t just a failure—he was a menace.

“You still have to go to work later?” Qin Yizhou asked.

“I do. There’s still a lot to do,” Song Fenglan said. “Last night, I rang the Qins—no pickup—so I went straight to the police station. It’s good the cops took the child over.”

Song Fenglan didn’t want to face the Qins in person—who knew if Qin’s mother might accuse her of stealing the child? She thought Qin’s mother was acting unhinged lately, capable of anything for her precious eldest grandson, Qin Li’an.

“Don’t go over there,” Qin Yizhou warned. “They’re a total disaster zone over there.”

At the Qin household, You Yun had already learned of Qin Li’an’s actions, and he had admitted to them.

“I only looked away for ten minutes—I was doing something else! What the hell were you thinking?!” You Yun didn’t get back until early morning, frantic from searching desperately for the child.

When she returned and saw the child, she wanted to know who was responsible—and even considered calling the police. But Qin’s father stopped her; since it was done by Qin Li’an, just sibling squabbles, no need to drag the law into it.

“How could you?!” You Yun shook Qin Li’an by the shoulders. “He’s your *own* brother!”

“He’s *your* son, not mine,” Qin Li’an retorted. “You baby him 24/7. *You* ignore *me*. You’re gonna kick me out and hand everything in this house to him!”

“Who told you everything here will go to him? Your grandparents are still alive. Your dad is still alive!” You Yun scoffed. “I wouldn’t even dare think that way, yet here you are believing it? Was it your birth mom who put that idea in your head? That woman’s trash—a family of traitors, how could anyone from there be decent? Look at you now—a damn disgrace. Do you really think you’ll amount to anything? Keep dreaming!”

You Yun realized she had been too lenient with the Qins before. She never wanted to cross Qin Li’an, and that was why he’d gotten this bold.

“With your lousy grades, what do you think you’ll do after middle school?” You Yun snapped. “Think we’ll bankroll high school for you? Or send you overseas? You’d sell out the country in a heartbeat!”

Eldest Brother Qin had been holding You Yun back, but when he heard “sell out,” he let go. He was genuinely afraid Qin Li’an might pull something like that—if he did, he’d drag the entire Qin family down with him.

They must not let Qin Lian study abroad—absolutely not!

Brother Qin couldn't let Qin Lian destroy himself. He was completely worn out; he and his wife had only returned home early that morning.

"Coddling and spoiling him like this will ruin him—and you too!" You Yun shouted, pointing at Qin Lian.

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Qin Lian snapped. "My grandma always said everything in this family should be mine. It's you—you had the nerve to marry my father and have a kid with him. You—"

*Smack!* Brother Qin slapped Qin Lian hard across the face.

"What are you saying?" Brother Qin demanded.

"She’s not my mother!" Qin Lian glared hatefully at You Yun. "Hit me a hundred times—it won’t change the truth. She’s not my mother!"

"That’s right, I’m not your mother," You Yun sneered. "I never raised a son like you. Back then, you were the ones scared of being dragged down by your birth mother, so you started calling me 'Mom.' From now on, call me 'Auntie'—don’t call me 'Mom' anymore. You think I wanted you or your sister to call me that? You have a real mother who’s a monster, and you’re no better."

You Yun was sickened by Qin Lian. She used to give him some respect, but now she saw no reason to. They weren’t family.

And that Tian Keshu wasn’t any better—You Yun would deal with her too.

"Enough, the child has been found," Qin’s mother tried to calm things down.

"Found?" You Yun scoffed. "Yes, he was found—because my son was lucky. He wasn’t taken by a stranger, but was taken out of the police station. And it was the Song family who helped find him. What good were any of you? The child was right there at the train station police station, and none of you could find him."

You Yun blamed herself too for not finding her son sooner.

"Mom, you always say Sister-in-law is no good, but I think she’s far better than you," You Yun said. "After how you’ve treated her, she still had her family help look for the child."

You Yun had long known Song Fenglan was a decent person, but after her own child was found by the Song family, she became even more convinced they didn’t get rich by chance. The Songs always knew right from wrong and did the right thing when it mattered most.

Unlike the Qins, who just made everything worse. None of them bothered to discipline Qin Lian—they all just felt sorry for him because his parents divorced.

You Yun, as a stepmother, had never mistreated her stepchildren, yet they mistook her kindness for weakness.

"Keep it up, keep babying Qin Lian," You Yun said bitterly. "Thank your lucky stars we’re not in the old days where one person’s crime could wipe out an entire family. Even if he commits a capital offense, you won’t have to die for it."

"Just stop! Stop!" Qin’s mother sighed. "The child is back. Let’s focus on him—what’s the point of all this?"

"If I don’t speak up, Qin Lian might try again," You Yun said. "He’s a damn monster."

"There won’t be a next time," Qin’s father said coldly. He wouldn’t allow it.

Qin Lian was too old now—even if they sent him away, he’d find his way back. All they could do was watch him like a hawk and hope he changed.

You Yun fed her son and had her daughter watch over him. Then she grabbed a megaphone and went to Tian Keshu’s doorstep and the surrounding streets, determined to expose how Tian Keshu had raised her son.

"Tian Keshu! All you taught your son was how to fight for the family fortune! Qin Lian’s little brother is just a child, and he abandoned him at the train station!"

"Heartless! No wonder your family breeds traitors!"

"Filth! Scum! The whole lot of you are rotten!"

...

You Yun was furious. That was *her* child—*her* flesh and blood. Even if this had happened to someone else, she would have been devastated.

How could Qin Lian do something so vile?

She just couldn’t wrap her head around how anyone had raised him to be this way.

Tian Keshu heard You Yun’s words and lunged for the loudspeaker, trying to stop her from continuing.

Last night, Tian Keshu had already learned that You Yun’s child was missing. She’d even hoped You Yun would never find her child. She thought if You Yun lost her child, Eldest Brother Qin and the others would go easy on Qin Lian, since he’s their only grandson—their only son’s boy.

“Is my son back? Are you disappointed?” You Yun shoved Tian Keshu away.

You Yun was originally a widow with a daughter. If she didn’t stand her ground, people would walk all over her. She wouldn’t be easily fooled by Tian Keshu—she knew Tian Keshu had been whispering in Qin Lian’s ear.

"Tian Keshu, you really have no shame," You Yun said. "No wonder your family spawned a traitor. Your son will be ruined sooner or later. He’s just a kid now, hasn’t broken any laws, but who knows about the future?"

This time, You Yun knew calling the cops wouldn’t do any good. At most, they’d scold Qin Lian and pin it on the Qins for raising him wrong. So after a few persuasive words from Qin Lian’s father, You Yun gave up on reporting—but she wasn’t about to let Tian Keshu slide.

“I’ve gone too easy on your kids,” You Yun gritted her teeth. “Let me tell you, I never thought of making my son compete with yours before, but now I will. The family’s assets shouldn’t go to your son. He’s the child of a traitor’s family, carrying the blood of the Tians. He’ll never be worth a damn in his life, and he doesn’t deserve to waste the Qin family’s fortune.”

“You Yun!” Tian Keshu widened her eyes. “Have you lost your mind?”

“Lost my mind? If I have, it’s because you drove me to it!” You Yun snapped. “My child—a perfectly good child—and your son dared to abandon him. The nerve of that boy! If you hadn’t taught him to do this, would he have done it?”

“He was with you all along. How would I know he’d do such a thing?” Tian Keshu said.

“You don’t know? Then who does?” You Yun sneered. “Tian Keshu, don’t take everyone for fools. You’ve been slinking around to spy on them, haven’t you? Especially in the last two years—you’ve been watching them more often. You think I didn’t know? People have heard what you’ve said. Did you think my son had to fight for the Qin family’s wealth? Well, now he must.”

“If a kid does something wrong, just scold him a little. Why make such a big deal?” Tian Keshu argued. “I didn’t teach him to do that!”

“You may not have taught him directly, but you’ve said plenty of other things in front of him!” You Yun shot back. “Tian Keshu, you’re his real mother—this is on you.”

“I—”

“Someone like you—your stepson won’t even respect you in the future,” You Yun said coldly. “You’re downright vile!”

“Can’t you just stop talking?” Tian Keshu pleaded, her head pounding at the sight of that loudspeaker.

“I won’t stop! Tian Keshu is a traitor, and the son she bore is a little traitor!” You Yun shouted loudly.

Furious, Tian Keshu tried again to grab the loudspeaker but failed. You Yun wouldn’t let her succeed—she was determined to speak out and make damn sure everyone knew exactly what kind of person Tian Keshu was.

Seeing no way out, Tian Keshu could only follow You Yun, waiting to see how long she would keep this up. Tian Keshu’s background was indeed problematic, and she recalled Song Fenglan from the past. Back then, she had despised Song Fenglan, believing her to be no good, and often gossiped to neighbors about her, saying Song Fenglan acted like a spoiled noblewoman who needed to be waited on.

Now, with You Yun using a loudspeaker to humiliate her, Tian Keshu was stuck. She knew if You Yun dared to make such a scene today, she might actually march to the station tomorrow.

Tian Keshu couldn’t escalate the situation and had no choice but to let You Yun have her say.

By evening, Weng Guoqiang returned home and learned of You Yun’s actions. He, too, was helpless—Tian Keshu’s background was indeed problematic, and it was all Qin Lian’s fault for doing such things.

At dinner, Weng Guoqiang’s face was like ice. “Butt out of your son’s life from now on.”

“I—I really didn’t tell him to abandon his brother,” Tian Keshu stammered. “He’s grown now, doesn’t take orders from me anymore, I—”

“If he doesn’t listen, talk less. Don’t say things you shouldn’t,” Weng Guoqiang said sharply. “Give folks an inch, they’ll take a mile.”

“I—” Tian Keshu’s chest tightened.

“Dad, that’s her own son. How could she not care about him?”

“What others said isn’t wrong—a birth child is a birth child.”

“If she can’t even manage her own son, how’s she gonna handle us?”

……

Tian Keshu’s two stepsons were snide, and they’d always treated her poorly. People told them Tian had a questionable background—she might even be hiding money from them.

Tian bad-mouthed You Yun in front of Qin Lian, and naturally, others did the same to Tian in front of her stepsons.

Karma’s a bitch. The heavens show no mercy.

Tian felt blocked up inside but could only let the two stepsons talk trash about her.

“They ain’t wrong,” Weng Guoqiang said. “You, as his real mom, didn’t do right by him. That stepmom never mistreated your kid, so why you gotta run your mouth? We haven’t accused *you* of hurting the kids, so how ‘bout you shut it for once.”

“Mm.” Tian shoveled rice into her mouth.

After You Yun kicked up a fuss, Qin Lian got moved to a room in the back corner.

Qin’s dad and older brother were both fed up with him. Even though his mom still wanted to protect him, neither his father nor his older brother would ever treat him the same way again.

Qin Lian was failing school, and his older brother gave up on him completely—no more tutors. If he wanted to go out and play, he could just go ahead. Go, go, play, go nuts.

People who knew what Qin Lian had done kept their kids away from him.

Qin’s father was old and hadn’t been back to his hometown in years. There weren’t any close kin left back home. They couldn’t just ship Qin Lian off there—they couldn’t burden distant relatives like that, so he had to stay put.

Qin Lian clearly noticed the night-and-day difference in how his family treated him—it wasn’t just slightly worse. His mom was still somewhat decent to him, but even she worried he might act out again.

“Li An, you can’t take your little brother out anymore,” his mom warned.

“I won’t,” Qin Lian snapped. “Granny, give it a rest already! I said I wouldn’t do it again—don’t you get it or something?”

Song Fenglan didn’t pay much attention to the Qins. After hearing from Qin Yizhou about the family drama, she just sighed.

“So they threw a tantrum and called it a day?” Song asked.

“There’s no one close back in their hometown, so Qin Lian has to stay with Eldest Brother,” Qin Yizhou replied.

“Good. Let him stay where he is—why should someone else suffer because of Eldest Brother’s kid? He’s already like this at his age—imagine what he’ll be like later. I don’t think he’ll ever learn. Switching rooms as ‘punishment’ is bullshit.”

“I’m not getting involved,” Qin Yizhou said. “They won’t realize how bad it is until something serious happens. Butting in now won’t do squat.”

His stance was clear: as long as Qin Lian didn’t drag them into his mess, they’d keep out of it. He had no interest in meddling with the Qins—what mattered was taking care of his own family.

He knew the Qins too well. If he stepped in too much, people would blame him. If he stayed quiet, they’d know it wasn’t his fault—it was all on Qin Lian.

“They probably won’t come crawling back to us again,” Qin Yizhou said.

“Mm,” Song Fenglan nodded.

The day before, You Yun had brought gifts to thank Song Fenglan, but Song blew her off.

You Yun *was* Eldest Brother Qin’s wife after all—Song preferred to keep things short and sweet.

You Yun came back without holding a grudge. She understood why Song Fenglan kept her distance from the Qins—it wasn’t her fault.

Before long, it was time for Zhang Xiaohu to leave. Song Fenglan packed his bags for him. He even pulled out some money, saying his mom had told him to give it to her.

“Keep it. Don’t even try sneaking it back—we’ll trash it without a second thought,” Song said. “Take all the clothes we bought you, and some snacks too. They’ll see you onto the train—just remember where your stuff is. Hide the cash in the lining of your clothes and keep it on the down-low. And on the train—don’t wander off with randos.”

“I know the drill,” Zhang Xiaohu said.

"The two pieces of fabric are for your mom to make clothes, and another piece is for your brother," said Song Fenglan. "This watch—you should hide it in an inside pocket. It's a little old, not brand new, but still works. Give it to your brother. He's starting teacher's college soon, and he'll need one when he graduates. It's perfect for him."

Song Fenglan also brought some of her nephew's old clothes for Zhang Xiaohu—none of them were bad, and all fit him.

"When you get home, call us to let us know you arrived safely," Song Fenglan said. "Take these snacks with you on the train. If you get hungry, you can eat them or buy food from the attendants. Don’t take anything from strangers."

Keep the important stuff on you—the rest doesn’t matter as much. If you lose it, it’s no big deal.

Clothes and stuff—everyone knows big items aren’t worth much. People always carry valuable things on them.

It was warm now, but nights were getting cooler. The difference between day and night temperatures was growing.

"There's someone going back with you—a veteran," Song Fenglan said. "He's also from Nancheng. On the day you leave, he’ll come along and go with you to the station."

Song Fenglan bought Zhang Xiaohu a sleeper berth, unlike Auntie Fatty who had gotten him a seat ticket. Sitting the whole way is tiring—much better to have a sleeper.

Qin Zihang didn’t want Zhang Xiaohu to leave. "Brother Xiao Hu, I wish you lived in the capital."

"My home is in Nancheng. I have to go back," Zhang Xiaohu said. He felt the same way, but there was nothing he could do—his family wasn’t here. "I’ve been here a long time—more than a month. I saw so much."

"You can always come back," Qin Zihang said.

"I will," Zhang Xiaohu replied. "Zi Hang, I’ll work hard."

"I’ll work hard too," Qin Zihang nodded. "Pack your stuff tight and watch it on the train."

The next day, Zhang Xiaohu went to the train station, and Qin Zihang went with him.

The car had enough room for everyone.

Qin Yizhou went with Qin Zihang, while Song Fenglan stayed behind. Plus a veteran Qin Yizhou knew and the driver, they all fit into the car.

At the station, Qin Yizhou bought more food for Zhang Xiaohu.

"Brother Xiao Hu, you must study hard," Qin Zihang said. "If you don’t, by the time I visit you in Nancheng, you won’t even afford the train back."

"Yeah," Zhang Xiaohu nodded firmly. "I will—I’ll definitely study hard and won’t slack off. Zi Hang, believe me, I’ll make it happen."

"I believe you," Qin Zihang said. "I’ll wait for you so we can play basketball, badminton, run together—we’ll have fun and study together."

"Okay," Zhang Xiaohu agreed.

Qin Yizhou and his son walked Zhang Xiaohu to the platform, staying until he got onto the train before stepping off.

Qin Zihang stood beside his father as they watched the train pull out, hearing it rumble away and seeing Zhang Xiaohu leave. Zhang Xiaohu waved from the window, and Qin Zihang waved back.

"Dad, time goes by so fast," Qin Zihang sighed, watching the train disappear. "Feels like Brother Xiao Hu just got here yesterday, and now he’s already gone."

"If you had a good time, then it’s a good thing that it felt short," Qin Yizhou said. "If it felt slow, that’d be miserable."

"Yeah," Qin Zihang murmured. "Brother Xiao Hu on the train…"

"He’s gone back," Qin Yizhou said.

Qin Zihang looked once more in the direction the train had gone, reluctant to part with Zhang Xiaohu.

After Zhang Xiaohu left, Sun Mei tidied up the guest room, taking the sheets off to wash. Zhang Xiaohu listened to Song Fenglan and didn’t sneak any money into the room. He knew she wasn’t just being polite—the bit of money he had wasn’t enough anyway. Since his aunt told him to take it back, he did. Zhang Xiaohu thought that when he grew up, he would be good to Qin Zihang’s parents.

In the evening, Song Fenglan returned home and noticed Qin Zihang looked kinda sad.

"What's the matter? Missing your Xiao Hu gege?" Song Fenglan asked.

"Yes, I do miss him," Qin Zihang replied. "I miss him a lot. It would be great if he could live here."

"Everyone has their own home," Song Fenglan said. "Not everyone can relocate to the capital. Zhang Xiao Hu might not do badly in Nancheng either—we'll see how things turn out."

Song Fenglan knew that Qin Zihang wasn't actually asking them to bring Zhang Xiao Hu's family to the capital, but she still explained it this way. Pushing too hard wouldn't help—if they really did bring Zhang Xiao Hu's family to the capital, they might not end up better off than they were in Nancheng. Moreover, Song Fenglan and Qin Yi Zhou couldn't pull strings for personal favors. There were too many powerful people in the capital; Zhang Cheng Hai might actually do better in Nancheng.

"Alright," Qin Zihang said.

Qin Li An knew that Zhang Xiao Hu had left, so he didn’t dare provoke Qin Zihang. He knew Qin Zihang wouldn’t give him any face—he might just get beaten again. Without Zhang Xiao Hu, Qin Zihang still had his cousins and other playmates.

Because of Qin Li An’s misbehavior, Qin Li An’s mother became even more reluctant to speak in front of You Yun. If she wanted to protect her son, she needed to keep quiet. After her earlier outburst, You Yun now barely hid her dislike toward her stepchildren, often rolling her eyes at them. No one in the Qin family dared to criticize You Yun. At mealtimes, she would place the meat dishes directly in front of her own children or in front of Qin Fu and Da Ge Qin, never in front of Qin Li An.

Time quickly passed, and soon it was the day when Zhang Xiao Hu returned to Nancheng. Fat Aunt specially went to the train station to pick him up. Seeing Zhang Xiao Hu arriving laden with big and small packages, she couldn’t help wondering whether he had gone shopping.

"Why are you carrying so much stuff? Did you raid your Auntie Feng Lan’s house?" Fat Aunt joked.