Mrs. He screamed curses at Gu Yuwei. "You wicked woman, where have you been all these years? Do you have any idea how much effort my son put into finding you? How could you have the heart to just abandon him and his daughter? My son’s family was torn apart because of you, and what did you do? You just up and ran off, taking all the family’s money with you! Have you no conscience? Oh, right, a woman like you wouldn’t have a conscience. My poor son even lost his life because of it! It’s all your fault, all of it! You hussy, you shameless woman! Give me back my son!"

Mrs. He was scratching and clawing at Gu Yuwei, all the while voicing the resentment in her heart. The thought of He Ze brought out all her bitterness, and she ended up crying as she cursed.

This attracted a crowd of onlookers, eager to watch the commotion.

Gu Yuwei tried to break free from Mrs. He’s grip, but she wasn’t nearly as strong. Her arm throbbed from being yanked so hard, and Mrs. He had scratched her face several times. Seeing the surrounding people pointing and whispering, she grew frantic.

"Let go of me."

Mrs. He simply took her grocery basket and slammed it against Gu Yuwei’s head a few times.

"You wicked woman, you caused my son’s death! You owe me his life!"

Gu Yuwei felt dizzy from the blows of the basket. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground. If Mrs. He hadn’t let go quickly, she would have been pulled down as well.

Mrs. He glanced at Gu Yuwei on the ground, then at the surrounding crowd. Feeling utterly embarrassed by the scene, she spat at Gu Yuwei.

"You wicked woman. You deserve it."

Then she turned and walked away. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Gu Yuwei no longer cared about her dizziness. It suddenly occurred to her that if Mrs. He was in Beijing City, then Xiao Yu must be in Beijing City too.

She stood up, unsteady on her feet, and quickly followed Mrs. He.

Mrs. He muttered curses at Gu Yuwei the whole way, completely unaware that Gu Yuwei was following her from a distance. She watched as Mrs. He entered a courtyard.

Gu Yuwei stood at the gate, hesitating for a long time. ’Should I go in and ask about Xiao Yu? Would Mrs. He even tell me? Or would she let me see Xiao Yu?’

She paced back and forth in the alley. In the end, she couldn’t muster the courage to go in. ’If the whole He family is there,’ she thought, ’what chance would I have of seeing my daughter alone? I’d probably just get another beating.’

Just as Gu Yuwei was about to go home and come back tomorrow, she heard footsteps from inside the courtyard. Realizing someone was about to come out, she quickly hid.

Then she saw Mrs. He come out alone, lock the main gate, and head toward the mouth of the alley. She quickly followed again.

When they arrived at their destination, Gu Yuwei realized Mrs. He had come to a school.

A school?

’To pick up the kids.’

At this thought, Gu Yuwei’s heart began to pound in a panic. ’Am I finally going to see my daughter? I wonder what she looks like now. Will she recognize me? What if she won’t acknowledge me?’

A thousand thoughts raced through Gu Yuwei’s mind. She wrung her hands, feeling terribly anxious.

The school bell rang, and the gates finally opened.

Children started walking out, class by class.

Mrs. He craned her neck, looking inside for her grandchildren.

Shiyi came out early. "Grandma."

"Yes," Mrs. He responded, patting his head. "Let’s wait a bit. Your little sister Xiao Yu isn’t out yet."

Shiyi nodded in agreement.

Xiao Yu’s class was one of the last to come out, but as soon as she emerged from the school gate, Mrs. He spotted her and waved.

The teacher saw her and let Xiao Yu go over.

"Grandma."

"There you are. Are you hungry?"

"I’m hungry."

"Let’s go, time to go home and eat."

Just as Mrs. He took each child by the hand and was about to lead them away, a woman suddenly rushed out from behind and grabbed Xiao Yu.

Mrs. He looked. Who else could it be but Gu Yuwei?

Gu Yuwei was already holding onto Xiao Yu, her face streaked with tears. "Xiao Yu, my Xiao Yu. I’m your mother. Do you remember me?"

Xiao Yu was completely bewildered.

’Mom?’

’She knew what that word meant. Was this woman her mother?’

Xiao Yu stared at Gu Yuwei, at a complete loss. Gu Yuwei caressed Xiao Yu’s cheek, looking at her intently.

"You’ve grown up so much. Mommy missed you so much. Did you miss Mommy?"

Mrs. He snapped out of her shock and yanked Xiao Yu back. "How did you find this place? Did you follow me?"

Gu Yuwei didn’t want to deal with her, keeping her eyes fixed on Xiao Yu without blinking.

"Xiao Yu, Mommy had no choice but to leave back then. But now, Mommy can provide for you. Do you want to come live with me?"

Xiao Yu stared blankly at Gu Yuwei.

Mrs. He cursed, "What a load of crap! ’No choice’? You abandoned your child and husband and just ran off! Now you’re regretting it and suddenly remember you have a daughter? Where were you before?"

Gu Yuwei said, "I don’t want to bring up the past, but Xiao Yu is my daughter. I have the right to take her. He Ze is gone, so she can only live with me."

Mrs. He was so furious she could barely breathe. She gasped for air, pointing at Gu Yuwei. "You shameless woman! You want Xiao Yu back? In your dreams! She’s a child of the He Family, and no one is taking her away! You think just because you talk about ’rights’ I’m going to hand her over? You’re daydreaming!"

Gu Yuwei couldn’t win a shouting match against Mrs. He, so she looked at Xiao Yu and said, "Xiao Yu, Mommy has money now. I can give you a good life. Do you want to live with me?"

Xiao Yu bit her lip and looked toward Mrs. He.

Mrs. He pulled Xiao Yu directly behind her and glared at Gu Yuwei. "Don’t bother asking her. She’s just a child, what does she know? If you want to take Xiao Yu, don’t even think about it."

Their commotion grew so loud that it drew out the schoolteachers.

"What are you arguing about at the school gate? If you have a problem, take it home. Don’t disturb everyone here."

Seeing she wouldn’t be able to take Xiao Yu today under these circumstances, Gu Yuwei decided just seeing her was good enough. She looked at Xiao Yu, who was peeking at her from behind Mrs. He, and gave her a small smile. "Xiao Yu, Mommy will come see you again another day." After saying that, she turned and left.

Mrs. He watched Gu Yuwei walk away and finally let out a breath of relief. She turned, took Xiao Yu’s hand, and said, "Don’t you believe a word that wicked woman says. She’s the one who abandoned you and your father and ran away. She didn’t want you back then, and who knows what kind of scheme she’s cooking up by suddenly showing up now."

Xiao Yu just nodded without speaking. She didn’t remember much about her early childhood, especially about her mother. But looking at the woman who claimed to be her mom, she couldn’t shake a strange feeling in her heart.

Mrs. He led her toward home.

Halfway there, Mrs. He suddenly stopped.

She whipped around, looking beside her. "Where’s Shiyi?"

Xiao Yu froze for a moment too. "Yeah, where’s Brother Shiyi?"

Mrs. He remembered that Shiyi had been standing right next to her at the school gate. She had forgotten all about him when she started grappling with Gu Yuwei.

"He must still be at the school gate. Let’s hurry back."

Mrs. He half-walked, half-ran, dragging Xiao Yu back to the school gate.