Early the next morning, Su Mian was already up.
Looking at the two children still fast asleep and glancing at the dim morning light filtering in outside, she dressed quickly and headed out.
She figured that as soon as the children woke up, they would have breakfast waiting for them.
Just as she stepped outside, she ran straight into Auntie Niu from next door.
The moment Auntie Niu spotted Su Mian, she turned on her heel to leave, as if she had just seen a plague.
Su Mian sighed helplessly, rubbing her forehead.
It was going to be nearly impossible to turn her reputation around in this neighborhood.
If memory served, she had borrowed grain from Auntie Niu several times without ever paying her back. Auntie Niu had been burned so many times that she now treated Su Mian like a ghost.
Yet, Auntie Niu was a good person at heart. Ever since Su Mian had moved here with the two kids, the older woman had helped her out immensely.
After a moment’s hesitation, Su Mian trotted after her.
“Auntie Niu, Auntie Niu…” Su Mian called out as she gave chase.
Auntie Niu didn’t slow her pace; if anything, she hurried faster.
“Don’t call me. I told you last time, I’m not helping you ever again,” Auntie Niu said coldly.
When Su Mian had first moved in with two small children, Auntie Niu felt deeply sympathetic toward a single mother struggling on her own, taking extra care of Su Mian and the twins.
Over time, however, Auntie Niu saw through Su Mian’s lazy, self-indulgent nature.
To put it bluntly, Su Mian wasn’t her daughter or her daughter-in-law, and she had no obligation to keep supporting her.
Su Mian was so young, and with private trade now allowed, she could easily start a small business. Instead, she lazily stayed home all day doing absolutely nothing.
What was there to be ashamed of? Living in a place like this, who had the luxury to care about saving face?
Auntie Niu simply couldn’t stand someone like Su Mian—someone who refused to put in any effort and relied entirely on borrowing from others to scrape by.
In the end, she had cut ties with the family completely. Though she still felt pity for the two children, Auntie Niu wanted nothing more to do with Su Mian’s messy affairs.
“Auntie, just give me a minute to explain…” Su Mian was already out of breath after just a few steps, her heavy frame weighing her down.
Auntie Niu actually stopped, curious to see what excuse Su Mian was about to pull out of thin air to borrow money this time.
Was a kid sick, or were they out of food again?
Either way, she wasn’t softhearted anymore, and she certainly wasn’t going to help.
“Fine. Speak up, I’m listening,” Auntie Niu said with a cold sneer.
Su Mian let out a soft sigh before speaking genuinely. “Auntie, I know everything before was my fault, and I completely understand why you don’t want anything to do with me. The money and grain you lent me are written on my heart, and I will return every bit to you.”
Hearing this, Auntie Niu let out a dry laugh. “Oh? What kind of favor are you trying to squeeze out of me now? At least draft your lies before speaking! Someone who doesn’t even have a single grain of rice left at home expects me to believe she’ll pay me back? What a joke!”
Auntie Niu practically viewed Su Mian as an enemy now. Refraining from slapping her was already a display of tremendous restraint.
“Auntie, I’m telling the truth. I know you don’t trust me right now. Tell you what—when you come home tonight, I’ll return the money to you, I swear! I didn’t stop you to ask for a favor. I just wanted to say thank you for taking care of me all these years.”
Su Mian spoke with absolute sincerity, leaving Auntie Niu stunned for a moment.
After a long pause, Auntie Niu replied calmly, “Su Mian, I don’t believe a word you say anymore. I have work to do, so don’t waste my time.”
Hearing that, Su Mian didn’t press further, simply nodding her agreement.
She would take it one step at a time. The transmigrator had left behind such an appalling mess in her body that rebuilding her reputation in the eyes of others would take time.
Actions spoke louder than words, after all, and time would prove everything.
Su Mian dropped by a street food stall at the mouth of the alley and picked up a few pork buns. By now, the sun was fully up.
Carefully cradling the hot pork buns wrapped in newspaper, Su Mian hurried back home.
Reaching the front door, she pushed it open gently.
She had expected the two children to still be sleeping, but to her surprise, both were already awake, their faces streaked with tears.
She set the buns down immediately and rushed over to sit by the bed.
“Dabao, Erbao, what’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare? Don’t cry, sweeties…”
She pulled both children into her arms, cradling one on each side.
Her gentle words broke whatever restraint the children had left, and both burst into loud sobs.
“Wah… M-Mama, don’t… don’t go…” Dabao sobbed out.
Erbao couldn’t speak, crying uncontrollably as she clung to her mother. Su Mian felt her heart shatter into pieces.
“Mama isn’t going anywhere. I just went out to buy you breakfast. Look, plump pork buns! Mama just bought them,” Su Mian said, pointing to the table.
These poor kids were so terribly insecure.
She had been gone for barely ten minutes, and they had cried themselves to tears.
“Mama… don’t… don’t turn back into the scary one…” Dabao cried hoarsely, his voice showing he had been sobbing for a long time.
“Sob sob…” Erbao tugged frantically at Su Mian’s clothes, burying her face against her mother’s side.
After a whole day together, their fear of Su Mian had faded considerably.
Seeing that Su Mian hadn’t turned back into their mean, terrifying mother, the children finally felt safe enough to cry and cling to her.
“I won’t change, I promise! I’ll always be like this, and Mama will love you and take good care of you as you grow up,” Su Mian reassured them quickly.
Once she managed to soothe them, Su Mian carried both children over to sit on the wooden stools.
Handing each child a warm pork bun, she said, “Eat up. After breakfast, we’re going out.”
Hearing this, neither child asked any questions, simply holding their buns and nibbling away.
In the past, their mother had often dragged them along to beg for food from wealthy households, so the kids were well used to it.
They naturally assumed that this trip was just another outing to beg for leftovers.
Once they finished their buns, Su Mian led the two children toward the trading market.
The market was quite a distance from the slum, so Su Mian decided to take the bus, which ran directly there.
The kids rarely had the chance to ride a bus, so once aboard, they looked around with bright, curious eyes.
However, because so many people were heading toward the trading market, the bus was packed tightly, with not a single seat left.
Su Mian and the kids had to stand, with Su Mian using her heavy frame as a shield to protect the children from the bustling crowd.
The bus chugged along, stopping frequently before finally arriving at the market an hour later.
A large crowd poured off the bus. Fearing the kids might get lost in the stampede, Su Mian waited until the crowd thinned out before holding their hands and stepping down.
Just as her feet touched the ground, an overly friendly woman behind her called out with enthusiasm.
“Hey there, little sister! What are you here to buy? Brought two such adorable kids with you, too! Oh my, but look at their clothes… they seem a bit worn. Where’s your husband? Didn’t he come along with you?”
In the past, Su Mian might have thought the woman was just being friendly and chatted back.
Now, with two children in her care, alarm bells instantly rang in her head.
Human traffickers were rampant these days, and carrying two small children made her an easy target.