Mianbao’s small body stiffened, and she slowly turned around.
Qin Yanzhou frowned, his voice stern. “Why are you here? Who told you to run around!”
Mianbao fidgeted with her little hands. Suddenly, she had an idea and lifted her head, saying innocently and cutely, “I came to play with Sister Xiaohong.”
Qin Yanzhou raised an eyebrow. Hah, this “black-hearted” little radish still dared to lie.
Yesterday she had been so scared of Tao Xiaohong—how could she possibly come to play with her?
Qin Yanzhou picked her up and tucked her under his arm.
“I’ll take you to find your Sister Xiaohong.”
Mianbao was held like a rag doll, quietly obedient without making a sound.
Qin Yanzhou knocked on the door. As if they had been prepared, the door opened instantly without making him wait even a second.
Li Juhua’s face bloomed like a chrysanthemum with her smile. “Yanzhou, you’re here.”
But when she saw Mianbao tucked under Qin Yanzhou’s arm, her smile froze for a moment. She quickly recovered and warmly invited them inside.
After entering, Li Juhua exchanged a glance with Tao Xiaohong.
Qin Yanzhou set Mianbao down.
“Well? Didn’t you come to play with your Sister Xiaohong? Go on.”
Mianbao didn’t dare go over. She looked pitifully at Qin Yanzhou and shook her head.
“Mianbao was wrong.”
She shouldn’t have lied.
Tao Xiaohong looked confused.
Qin Yanzhou leisurely looked at Mianbao, ruffling her hair until static made it stand on end.
“Alright. If you dare lie again, I’ll spank you.”
Mianbao pursed her lips and lowered her head. “I won’t do it again.”
Li Juhua walked over with a smile.
“Mianbao, shall Grandma Li take you out to play?”
Mianbao clutched Qin Yanzhou’s clothes and shrank back.
Tao Xiaohong said, “Brother Yanzhou, I have something very important to tell you. Let my mother take the child out to play first.”
Seeing her serious expression, Qin Yanzhou nodded.
“Little radish, behave. I’ll buy you candy later.”
Mianbao didn’t want to, but she wanted Uncle not to dislike her, so she had to be obedient.
Holding back her fear, Mianbao followed Li Juhua out.
As soon as they left, only Qin Yanzhou and Tao Xiaohong remained in the room.
Tao Xiaohong took a bowl, went to the cabinet, and took out some white sugar. While mixing it, she poured in a prepared drug—the powder dissolved instantly upon contact with water.
She handed the prepared sugar water to Qin Yanzhou.
“Brother Yanzhou, have some sugar water first.”
“Go ahead, what’s so important?” Qin Yanzhou frowned, not rushing to drink.
Tao Xiaohong’s eyes immediately reddened. She lowered her head as tears rolled down at just the right moment. She pretended to be stubborn as she wiped them away.
“Brother Yanzhou, I…”
…
Li Juhua led Mianbao through twists and turns to West River Street, a crowded, poor, and disorderly place.
“Mianbao, wait here. Grandma needs to use the toilet,” Li Juhua said, looking urgent.
Without waiting for a reply, she ran off.
It looked like she was going to find a toilet, but in reality, she slipped away.
This was the perfect place to abandon a child.
The little wild brat was only three and a half—she definitely wouldn’t recognize the way and wouldn’t be able to find her way home.
“Who told you to ruin my family’s plans? This time I’ll make you suffer a lesson, you little brat.”
Li Juhua spat viciously, then leisurely planned to find someone to chat with. When things were almost done on Xiaohong’s side, she would bring people to catch them “in the act.”
At that time, everyone would see Qin Yanzhou taking advantage of her daughter, and the Qin family would have no choice but to marry her Xiaohong.
The child in Xiaohong’s belly could also naturally be pinned on Qin Yanzhou.
“Ow.” Li Juhua suddenly felt a stomachache—this time she really needed the toilet.
She hurriedly asked someone and went into a dry latrine.
Mianbao was still standing where she was, looking around in confusion. People came and went, and in this unfamiliar place, she felt a bit scared.
“Your grandma doesn’t want you anymore.”
A little boy in patched clothes walked over mischievously, making a face at her.
“She’s not my grandma!” Mianbao retorted loudly.
“Your grandma doesn’t want you anymore—bleh bleh bleh…”
“She’s not my grandma!” Mianbao grew angry, her eyes turning red.
Seeing she was about to cry, the boy panicked and scratched his head.
“Hey, don’t cry.”
Mianbao pouted, holding back her tears. “I’m not crying.”
“If the grandma who abandons you is bad, I’ll help you beat the bad grandma. You’re not allowed to cry anymore.”
Mianbao blinked and nodded.
That was a bad person—she deserved to be beaten!
The boy took Mianbao’s hand. It was soft, chubby, and nice to hold.
Such a sweet, soft little sister—he really wanted one.
“Come with me.”
Soon, the boy led Mianbao to the latrine where Li Juhua was squatting.
He made a “shh” gesture, then took out a firecracker from his clothes, struck a match, lit it, and threw it into the roofless latrine.
“Ah—!” Li Juhua’s scream rang out the next second.
“Which damned person threw a firecracker and blew me full of filth!”
“Run!” the boy shouted.
Mianbao reacted quickly and ran with him.
By the time Li Juhua came out, they had already disappeared. She searched everywhere for the culprit but found no one. Passersby covered their noses in disgust.
Li Juhua was on the verge of collapse. Covering her face, she fled in embarrassment.
The boy escorted Mianbao out of West River Street.
“Go home quickly. Don’t go out with bad grandmas anymore,” he instructed like a little adult.
Mianbao smiled sweetly. “Thank you, big brother.”
Hearing her soft, cute voice call him “big brother,” his heart bubbled with happiness.
Did this mean he had a little sister now?
Mianbao was still anxious to stop Uncle from being framed, so she didn’t stay to play with the boy.
This place wasn’t far from the Tao family. She remembered the way and soon returned.
Inside the house, Tao Xiaohong had been crying bitterly. Her eyes were red and swollen, as if she carried countless grievances, appearing fragile and pitiful.
She wiped her tears.
“I’m sorry, Brother Yanzhou, for making you laugh. Have some sugar water.”
She once again urged him to drink.
Qin Yanzhou was indeed thirsty. He picked up the bowl and was just about to drink.
“Uncle!”
To make it easier for Li Juhua to bring people to catch them, Tao Xiaohong hadn’t tightly closed the door. Mianbao burst in like a little cannon.
Qin Yanzhou paused.
Mianbao’s eyes were red, as if she had just cried.
He frowned.
“Who bullied you?”
Mianbao threw herself into Qin Yanzhou’s arms.
“Waa—” she burst into loud sobs.
She had been so afraid she wouldn’t make it in time—so afraid Uncle had already drunk the sugar water and been framed by the bad woman.
Qin Yanzhou froze.
Mianbao’s sudden closeness made him a bit at a loss. His large hands didn’t know where to go.
Tao Xiaohong, standing nearby, was grinding her teeth in anger. Just a little more! This little brat must have come on purpose to ruin her plan!
“Brother Yanzhou, let me comfort Mianbao.”
As Tao Xiaohong tried to approach, Mianbao clung tightly to Qin Yanzhou’s neck, refusing to let go.
Qin Yanzhou frowned.
“Forget it. I’ll take her home first.”
He stood up.
“No!” Tao Xiaohong blurted out instinctively.
Qin Yanzhou paused slightly and looked at her strangely.
Tao Xiaohong’s eyes darted around as she tried to think of a reason to keep him, hating Mianbao—the troublemaker—to the core.
“Sis, brother-in-law, I’m here!”
A rough voice came from outside the door.