It wasn’t a secret in the compound that Mrs. Zhao wanted to introduce her niece to Pei Yanshen.
Many people shared the same idea, hoping to use this opportunity to match a suitable girl from their own or their husband’s family with Pei Yanshen.
After all, Captain Pei had excellent qualities and loved children—anyone who married in would have a comfortable life.
But Mrs. Zhao was the first to try—and also the only one to leave embarrassed.
A few women were chatting by the gate while picking vegetables when a small figure suddenly darted past.
“Hey! Isn’t that Xiao An? Running so fast—where are you going?”
Since Zhong Qing didn’t cook, Pei Yanshen would often ask the neighboring wives to make extra food for her to collect, of course giving them money for it.
That made the local families familiar with Xiao Yu and Xiao An.
If it weren’t for the fact that Xiao Yu and Xiao An needed to eat regularly to grow, they wouldn’t have bothered caring about whether Zhong Qing got meals.
Xiao An had run out impulsively, but now he realized—he had no idea where his father worked.
When someone called to him, he hurriedly asked, “Do you know where my dad is?”
The women, seeing his worry, quickly pointed him in the right direction and asked, “He’s at work now. Is it urgent? If there’s anything we can do to help, just tell us.”
The other wives gathered around, faces full of concern.
Poor Xiao Yu and Xiao An—they had such a mother.
The neighbors, for the most part, were willing to help however they could.
Xiao An opened his mouth—he almost shouted, “That woman wants to abandon my sister!”
But he stopped himself.
…What if she hadn’t abandoned Xiao Yu?
Although he hated and resented Zhong Qing, spreading the rumor that she would abandon her daughter could bring gossip that would affect his father.
…He just didn’t want his father to be influenced.
Gritting his teeth, Xiao An darted off in the direction they had indicated, without looking back.
The wives exchanged glances, stunned: “This child… running so fast—what’s going on?”
Just then, Mrs. Zhao arrived carrying a basket of vegetables. Seeing the scene, she pursed her lips and muttered mockingly:
“What else could it be? Apart from that living ancestor in his family, what could push a child to run like this?”
Mrs. Zhao had been frustrated earlier, having her plans to introduce her niece interrupted by Zhong Qing.
She had also seen her niece crying, claiming Zhong Qing caused her to be temporarily suspended, and that her original bonus was gone.
Now, she was seething with anger.
“Oh, you know?” The other wives leaned in eagerly, curious.
Mrs. Zhao raised her chin, signaling them to come closer, then sighed: “What else could it be? I heard for sure—Zhong Qing wants to take Xiao Yu out and abandon her!”
A collective gasp rose from the women.
“Oh my God!”
“What?! That can’t be! She’s the child’s mother—how could she do such a thing?”
“You don’t believe me?” Mrs. Zhao’s eyes widened, her voice rising. “I live right behind them. The walls aren’t soundproof. This was shouted by Xiao An himself—can a child just lie about his own mother?”
True enough.
They had all seen how desperate Xiao An had looked.
“No wonder he ran to find Captain Pei in such a hurry. With a mother so cold-hearted, what is going on here?”
“Shouldn’t we report this to the police? If we’re late, what if the child really gets abandoned?”
Instinctively wanting to intervene, Mrs. Zhao’s eyes lit up, and she declared: “Yes! Report this to the police, protect the child! We can’t let anything happen!”
With Mrs. Zhao egging them on, the group abandoned their vegetables and rushed to the police station.
…
Meanwhile, Zhong Qing’s trip had yielded quite a haul.
Pei Leyu was sensible, no longer letting Zhong Qing carry her, even trying to help with some of the load.
Zhong Qing felt both warm and amused.
“If Xiao Yu wants to help Mommy, she needs to eat more meals.” She handed Pei Leyu the lightest seeds. “For now, your only job is to safely deliver these seeds home.”
Pei Leyu, naturally curious about seeds, was easily coaxed.
Mother and daughter shared a rare, peaceful moment—until someone called out behind them.
Zhong Qing turned to see Ye Guxue approaching.
Ye Guxue waved and quickly stepped forward, confidently taking some of the packages from Zhong Qing.
“I told my sister everything that happened on the train. She insisted I come thank you first!”
Then she curiously studied Pei Leyu, who looked like a miniature version of Zhong Qing.
Ye Guxue had thought Zhong Qing looked too young to be a mother of two—but seeing Pei Leyu, she couldn’t deny it.
Just as Ye Guxue reached into her pocket for snacks to entertain the child, a commotion erupted ahead.
“The police! It’s her!”
“Look, look! She’s really selling her child! Such cruelty—arrest this heartless woman!”
Ye Guxue froze.
Glancing at Pei Leyu’s wide eyes and her own snacks in hand—selling a child? Her? This made no sense!
A crowd quickly surrounded Zhong Qing and her daughter. At the center, the police officer frowned, scanning them sharply.
“Comrade, we received a report accusing you of child abandonment. Please come with us to the station to assist in the investigation.”
Pei Leyu, frightened by the sudden crowd, instinctively hid behind Zhong Qing.
Xiao An, frantic, grabbed Pei Yanshen and Pei’s father, who had finally caught up, just in time to witness the scene.
Police and neighbors had formed a circle around Zhong Qing and Pei Leyu.
Xiao An’s face went pale.
She—she really was going to sell Xiao Yu!
Taking advantage of his small size, Xiao An squeezed into the crowd and placed Pei Leyu behind himself, glaring at Zhong Qing with reddened eyes.
“What are you trying to do to Xiao Yu?!”