After Wang Siwei and Su Xiaorui returned home.
Xu Xiufen was filled with lingering fear. What if the two precious little ones were lost or met with any accident? She wouldn't be able to atone for such a sin even if she died.
"Grandma, these are the fruits we picked."
"I heard you liked eating them last time, so we picked a lot!"
Su Xiaorui's innocent big eyes blinked, looking at Xu Xiufen. Her clothes were already dirty, but it still couldn't hide her beauty.
Xu Xiufen's eyes welled up with tears, "Good child."
She hugged the two children and said with heartache, "You must never go up the mountain by yourselves again. It's too dangerous."
"Mm-hmm," Su Xiaorui and Wang Siwei nodded obediently.
*Ding dong.*
As Xu Xiufen was about to find clothes for them to change into, her phone suddenly rang.
[Auntie, I'll come back to pick up Xiaorui tomorrow—Su Ding]
It was already eleven o'clock at night, and Su Ding had sent a text message, likely fearing that a phone call might wake them up.
Xu Xiufen recalled the time she had spent with the children day and night, and then thought about them leaving tomorrow, her heart immediately felt a pang of sadness.
After helping the children change their clothes, they lay down on the bed.
Su Xiaorui then noticed her grandmother's emotions, "What's wrong, Grandma?"
The little girl's soft voice sounded particularly warm and caring in the night, making Xu Xiufen feel even more reluctant to part with her.
"Xiaorui, your mother will come to pick you up tomorrow."
"Really!"
Xiaorui's first reaction was surprise, but upon seeing her grandmother's reluctant expression, she hugged her grandmother's arm again, "Grandma, don't worry, I'll come back to see you often."
Xu Xiufen knew the girl was thoughtful and nodded, "Good child."
Once her eyes were closed, Su Xiaorui's mother's image became more vivid in her mind. She couldn't wait to see her mother.
...
In the Southern Territory, in the room of Mr. Jin, the elder, a shocked voice was then suppressed.
"You, why are you back!"
The elder's voice was filled with the vicissitudes of life and longing.
The shadowy figure stood there quietly, "What, shouldn't I be back?"
The elder seemed filled with guilt, "No, it's just that I didn't expect..."
"I'm back this time, and I want to take back everything that belongs to me." The shadowy figure's voice was deep and somewhat hoarse, but it could be discerned as a young man's.
"Are you going to..."
Mr. Jin seemed to realize something and quickly said, "Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. Please don't disturb them, okay? I'm so happy they let you come back, it's wonderful that they let you return..."
He was so excited that he was almost in tears.
"Don't be so disingenuous. I'm only here to tell you that I will reclaim everything that is rightfully mine."
The shadowy figure said coldly, "If you dare to interfere with my plans, I don't mind killing you. You can't imagine everything I've endured over these years!"
As the words fell, a sharp dagger was already pressed against Mr. Jin's back.
But he showed no fear, no dread, only a deep sadness, and old tears flowed uncontrollably, "Did they... hurt you..."
"You're not qualified to know!"
The shadowy figure withdrew the dagger, turned, and walked out of the room.
Mr. Jin watched his disappearing back, crying even harder, not knowing what to make of it.
In the children's room upstairs.
Tang Ran and Jin Xiaoxi lay on the small bed, hugging each other to sleep. Suddenly, a dangerous aura entered the room.
Tang Ran was already feeling anxious about leaving the Southern Territory tomorrow.
Combined with her extraordinary sensitivity, she almost instantly detected something. She held her breath, trying to guess who the intruder was.
The dangerous aura stood at the doorway and paused slightly upon seeing the two children.
It seemed to know it had come to the wrong place.
However, the two little figures on the bed made him linger for a moment.
Suddenly, a gaze caught his attention.
He looked over.
The gaze on the bed looked back.
Through the dim night, two pairs of eyes met in the air, and a similar sense of kinship seemed to engage in a silent standoff.
"Interesting."
The shadowy figure seemed to have an idea and quickly moved closer.