....

Lin Wan stayed at Mom’s house for a month. When the children’s art class ended, Grandpa insisted on having Little Star come over, saying he could play with Shuoshuo and Yangyang. It was the same last year; this year, Grandpa thought it was rare for the children to have time off, so they could all gather around them for a few days.

Second Aunt had to go to work, so they hired a nanny to take care of the two elderly people’s daily needs. Usually, Big Brother and Saozi would come home early and also help with the children.

In the spring, they had already leveled the piece of land they bought and used the orange tree there to cultivate some seedlings. It might take a few more years for them to bear fruit.

Little Star was also willing to stay there. Mom let the family nanny also go over to Second Aunt’s place. During the day, she would take Tuantuan there too. With several kids together, two nannies could manage, as one nanny couldn’t handle three children alone.

Jiang Hongmei told the nanny to bring Little Star and Tuantuan back at night. In the past, Liang Hongmei had prepared a small tricycle for the nanny. When taking Tuantuan out, the child could sit inside. It was one of those with a cart in the front and pedals in the back, so the child could always be in view. Many grandparents use these to prevent someone from stealing the child.

With someone to care for Little Star here, Lin Wan returned to the courtyard with Dingding.

.....

Fang Qiao, although she sold all the chickens and ducks Ye Rong raised, didn’t dare to take the money. In the past few years, the money Ye Rong earned had amounted to almost ten thousand yuan. The only admirable thing about Ye Rong was that he never spent any money in his pocket. Despite not raising large numbers of chickens and ducks, and spending a lot on feed, he managed to save quite a bit over the years, even though it only added up slowly.

Fang Qiao took leave early in the morning to pick up her mother-in-law, and she ran into Ye Rong’s uncle at the door, who had also come over.

The Big Brother from the Qiu Family did not expect this niece-in-law to still think of his sister. Considering Ye Rong’s character, his wife was much stronger than Ye Rong.

"Uncle."

"Fang Qiao, I heard you’re working at a restaurant here. As a woman working far away, you have to be careful."

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle. I will be careful."

Four years of reformative education had worn away the brightness on Qiu Hualan’s face and added a touch of hardship. Working for over ten hours a day was extremely tiring, but she still had to complete the daily tasks. If not completed, the consequences would be even more severe. She is the only one who can truly understand that suffering.

The place where Qiu Hualan was assigned was a remote and barren farm. Endless rice paddies were spread around the prison area. When she first arrived, the just-harvested rice paddies still had white stubble scattered in the fields. The bundles of rice, yet to be collected, were piled haphazardly all over the place. Besides the rice paddies, there were thick mugworts everywhere, as the place seldom had visitors. The mugwort grew extremely tall, almost above people’s heads. As the wind blew, the withered autumn grass made a rustling noise. Though the wind blew the grass low, no cattle or sheep were in sight.

The trees, near and far, high and low, had few leaves left. The remaining leaves quivered in the breeze, reluctant to leave. The high walls topped with electric wire, with sentry posts at each corner where armed police stood guard day and night, surrounded the area. Inside the walls were rows of pigeonhole-like cells without kangs or beds; sleeping was done on the floor—desolate, absolutely desolate. This was Qiu Hualan’s deepest memory from the past four years. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The moment she stepped out, she took a deep breath, relieved for herself and her daughter’s family. This time, she owed Jiang Hongmei nothing. She had paid the price for her mistakes. She owed no one. From now on, she would live her life well, for herself.

Looking up at those who came to pick her up, besides the family’s Big Brother, there was also a daughter-in-law she had barely met. Seeing her family, she cried. Despite being beaten by Ye Weijun over the years, it was never as grueling as these four years inside. Inside, there were no human rights, only endless work.

"Sis, don’t cry. It’s all in the past, it’s all over. Dad and Mom are waiting for you to come home."

"Yes, Mom, let’s go home." Fang Qiao knew this was not the time to tell her mother-in-law about Ye Rong, so she quickly supported her mother-in-law and comforted her.