Tangtang’s words were filled with urgency and hope.

They didn’t want to stay here.

Tangtang’s mother smiled faintly and gave a slight nod.

As expected, the little girl, Tangtang, jumped for joy, then quickly composed herself and helped the woman to her feet.

The rest was much simpler. The four of them headed to the housing authority office.

In and out. The sale was reasonable, both parties were willing, and the paperwork was legal. The process went quickly.

"The homeowner’s name is An Ning. Here’s her ID number and the brigade’s proof of residence."

An Guoming handed a piece of paper to the clerk handling the paperwork. An Ning glanced at him from the side.

"Second Brother gave it to me. Just accept it."

"Okay."

An Ning accepted without any hesitation, agreeing crisply.

Once the paperwork was finished, the four of them walked out of the property exchange office together.

"My daughter and I can leave today. You can come back in two hours to take possession of the house."

"We’re not in a hurry. Take your time."

The woman, Tangtang’s mother, just smiled faintly without a word and walked away slowly, supported by Xiao Tangtang.

Seeing An Ning wasn’t moving with him, An Guoming called out.

"Let’s go, Little Sister."

"Second Brother, why are they selling? Why are they leaving?"

"That ex-husband of Tangtang’s mother is a real piece of work. They’re divorced, but he keeps coming around to cause trouble. They can’t live here anymore, so they have to leave."

’So that’s how it is.’

An Ning caught up to An Guoming. "So the matter she mentioned earlier, this was it?"

"Yes. She’s a good person, didn’t hide anything about the house. But in this neck of the woods, I’m really not afraid of that ex-husband of hers."

An Guoming wasn’t just bluffing. He had Sanhe Town completely figured out.

Another formidable group of heavies were on very good terms with him, so he didn’t give a damn about the ex-husband.

An Ning caught up with An Guoming. Now that she understood the situation, she made no comment.

The two of them found a place to eat, planning to go take possession of the house in two hours.

An Guoming took An Ning to a small eatery for some lamb soup. Paired with a few baked flatbreads, the meal warmed them from head to toe.

A little over an hour later, they headed toward Tangtang’s house. After taking possession, they planned to leave for another destination.

Before they even reached the front door, they sensed something was wrong.

The main gate was wide open, and a constant stream of roars, cries, and curses spilled out. A crowd had gathered outside, but astonishingly, no one was intervening.

"You stinking bitch! Where do you think you’re going?"

"Still trying to run? Where can you possibly run to!"

"Let me tell you something! I’ve slept with you, so you’ll be my woman for the rest of your life!"

An Ning didn’t care about any of that. She pushed aside the people at the entrance and rushed in.

"Careful, he has a knife!"

"Don’t fight him, he’s unhinged!"

It wasn’t that the neighbors at the gate didn’t want to help, but that the man inside would actually attack someone.

Besides, Tangtang’s mother didn’t want them to help either, fearing the man would hold a grudge against them.

"Little Sister!"

An Guoming ran in right after An Ning.

Already inside, An Ning saw a man with a crazed expression holding a kitchen cleaver. He was relentlessly kicking Tangtang’s mother on the ground, his knife poised to fall at any moment.

Xiao Tangtang threw herself over her mother’s body, her small frame shielding her. She glared defiantly at the man, the hatred in her eyes surging like a torrential river.

"Tangtang, get up!"

The woman desperately tried to push Tangtang away, but in her weakened state, she was even weaker than the seven or eight-year-old child.

"Tangtang—"

The woman let out a heart-wrenching scream. She shielded Tangtang’s back with both hands and desperately rammed her head toward the man.

The man brought his cleaver down without a second thought, not caring in the slightest that his own daughter was beneath it.

"You little bitch—die!"

"Fuck you!"

An Ning cursed, landing a flying kick that sent the man, cleaver and all, flying back three meters until he crashed into a woodpile.

CRASH—

The wood from the top of the pile collapsed, tumbling down onto the man’s face and body.

But the man was drunk and seemed to feel no pain. He stood up, brandished his cleaver, and charged at An Ning.

"Run!"

The woman shrieked, scrambling to her feet. She pushed Tangtang aside and shielded An Ning, shutting her eyes tightly.

"Mom—"

Shoved away, Xiao Tangtang scrambled back over and once again stood in front of her mother.

Standing behind them, An Ning was thoroughly infuriated. She reached out, grabbed the woman, and tossed her aside with practiced ease.

"Don’t get in the way!"

The moment Xiao Tangtang saw her mom being tossed aside by An Ning, she smartly sidestepped out of the way, raised a small fist, and yelled, "Sister, beat him up!"

"Don’t worry!"

As the words left her mouth, An Ning stomped her foot on the end of a piece of wood on the ground, sending it flying up into her waiting hand.

BANG!

The cleaver was knocked to the ground by the wooden stick.

Xiao Tangtang, off to the side, was incredibly sharp.

She quickly ran over, snatched the cleaver, and dashed to the side of the well. Holding the cleaver steady, she glared fiercely at the man.

An Ning was incredibly impressed by Tangtang’s series of actions.

She just loved smart, tough little girls who were people of few words and decisive action. The girl could toss the knife into the well at any moment—she had an escape route and a clear assessment of her own capabilities.

At that moment, An Ning held a wooden stick in each hand.

She attacked from both sides, WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! Every blow landed with a meaty thud. The arrogant man opposite her was beaten into a crumpled heap, howling and spewing curses.

"Still have the strength to curse? Guess I went too easy on you!"

WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!

After a few more blows, the man’s mouth was swollen and bleeding.

Not a single person pleaded for the man. An Guoming watched quietly from the doorway, keeping a close eye on the situation outside.

The neighbors at the gate all had looks of vindictive satisfaction in their eyes, muttering resentfully.

Xiao Tangtang’s gaze never left An Ning. She wanted to remember this.

’So girls can protect themselves, too.’

She would become someone who could protect others, just like this Sister Anning.

"Little Sister, someone’s coming."

An Guoming, still at the doorway, saw two people in police uniforms approaching. The neighbors saw them too.

Spontaneously, the crowd moved forward and started talking to the police officers.

"You’ve worked hard."

"Would you like some water?"

"I have tea at my place."

One after another, the neighbors blocked the officers’ path, insisting they come in for a drink of water.

The two officers often handled this family’s affairs. A neighbor had called them today, too. But usually, everyone was rushing them to go inside. Why were they being offered tea today?

"No, no, we can’t."

"It’s against regulations."

The two officers slowed their pace slightly, continuing to talk with the enthusiastic crowd.

In the courtyard, the two sticks An Ning had used for the beating had already vanished. She had crushed them into dust with one hand and stuffed the remains into the stove.

As for the man who had been beaten, An Ning had roughly shoved him into the woodpile and buried him under the logs.

At that same moment, the two officers finally entered the courtyard.

A single glance was enough for them to understand most of the situation. They felt no sympathy for the man under the woodpile.

They had arrested this man countless times. Every time he was released, he would come back to cause trouble a day or two later.

A grown man, beating his ex-wife so brutally every time—no one could stand to watch it.

Most importantly, the woman was never in the wrong.

An officer asked, "What happened here?"

An Ning stood obediently to the side, pointed a finger at the woodpile, and said, "He drank too much and insisted on picking a fight with the firewood."