Su Yun ignored her, but Qin Zhonghui gave a nod in response.

His hand was injured, but fortunately, their luggage didn’t contain any large, heavy items. It was rather pathetic, really; from this splitting of the household, they had received practically nothing.

If they hadn’t fought hard for the five thousand yuan from when the house was first built, their family of four would probably have had to survive on air.

Of the one thousand yuan they had received previously, three hundred was immediately deducted for child support, counting as this year’s payment.

No matter how displeased Qin Jiqun and Feng Lan were, the move happened anyway. Meanwhile, Mr. Qin sulked in his room, smoking his long-stemmed pipe, while Old Mrs. Qin grumbled beside him.

"Our second son has always been the most sensible one. What’s gotten into him this time?" she lamented with a sigh.

Mr. Qin grew irritated by his wife’s constant sighing and snapped, "Shut up! If you want to sigh, go do it outside!"

Old Mrs. Qin didn’t dare make another sound.

Qin Jiao and her younger sister sat in the cargo bed of the motorized tricycle. Their parents and uncle sat up front, while the two small girls were squeezed in the back with the luggage.

The ride was bumpy, so Qin Jiao held her sister protectively to keep her from hitting her head. The skinny little girl in her arms had exceptionally bright eyes.

"Sis, we’ve really left that house!"

Qin Jiao stroked her sister’s soft, fine hair and nodded. "Yeah."

’There was a large age gap between them, so she hadn’t been particularly close to her sister when they were little. In fact, she sometimes found her annoying.’

’That was why she had overlooked the bullying Xiao Shi had endured in their old home.’

’By the time Qin Jiao realized it, it was already too late. The once lively and adorable little girl had grown timid and distrustful of everyone—even her own parents and older sister.’

’And later... right up until the incident with Xiao Shi...’

Qin Jiao pulled her sister tighter into her embrace and said softly, "Xiao Shi, that old house wasn’t a good home. But trust me, from now on, our family of four will live in a happy one."

Xiao Shi sniffled and hummed in agreement, but then asked uncertainly, "Mom and Dad won’t ever leave us again, right?"

This was a classic sign of the insecurity felt by "left-behind children." Seeing their parents only once or twice a year, the initial anticipation in their hearts had slowly turned to disappointment.

And so, the people who should have been the closest to them had become the most familiar of strangers.

Tears pricked at Qin Jiao’s eyes, but she still said with absolute conviction, "Our family of four will never be separated again!"

The little girl in her arms smiled, satisfied. She leaned into her sister’s embrace, watching the wildflowers and weeds by the roadside as she hummed a little tune.

For a moment, everything felt inexplicably peaceful and right.

The apartment Su Lei had helped them rent was on the sixth floor of a stark building. It was a little over fifty square meters, with a small attic, and cost twenty yuan a month. The furniture was all very old, and a thick cloud of dust greeted them the moment they stepped inside.

Su Lei sighed. "Are you guys sure you want to rent this place? For just a little more money, you could get somewhere better."

But Qin Zhonghui said, "Let’s stay here for now. It’s close to the kids’ school, and it’ll be convenient for us to sell breakfast later on."

"Then you should have at least picked a ground-floor apartment," Su Lei said. "It’s easier to get in and out."

Qin Zhonghui gave a good-natured smile but didn’t say anything. After all, the ground-floor units were more expensive.

The attic wasn’t large, but the good thing was that once it was tidied up, it could be turned into a room for the two sisters.

The only downside was that it would probably get a little cold in the winter. Even so, Xiao Shi was already overjoyed. She leaned against the window, pointing at the railing outside. "Sis, look! There’s a little bird!"

"Mm."