Look at that – Old Mrs. Xia didn’t even ask a single question.

In the Xia family, Xia Da Jun was often overlooked, and one would think he should be used to it by now. However, times had changed – Xia Da Jun had transformed from a good-for-nothing into someone who could earn big money for the family. Compared to Xia Zi Yu, Old Mrs. Xia’s indifference toward him became particularly noticeable.

Though he didn’t say anything, his earlier anxiety about Old Mrs. Xia’s stroke had somewhat diminished.

Xia Da Jun hadn’t anticipated Xia Chang Zheng and Zhang Cui Ti’s decision to split from the family. But how could he blame Xia Chang Zheng? At this moment, the person Xia Da Jun felt most guilty about wasn’t the trafficked Xia Hong Bing and his family of three, but rather his eldest brother Xia Chang Zheng with his severed hand!

Reminded by Xia Zi Yu, Old Mrs. Xia’s expression became uncomfortable. She tried to force some concern, but her stroke’s aftereffects made her expression appear grotesque rather than caring:

“Da Jun, why are you in a wheelchair? Are your legs useless now?”

The messenger had said Da Jun had made a fortune in Pengcheng – was this just a trick to get them to come to Pengcheng to take care of him?

Old Mrs. Xia’s words were harsh, and even Xia Da Jun’s decades of filial piety felt strained hearing them. It was fortunate it was Xia Da Jun – if it had been Xia Chang Zheng or Xia Hong Bing, they would have confronted Old Mrs. Xia.

“My legs are fine, I injured my back and I’m still receiving treatment. The doctor says I’ll be able to stand again later. Please don’t blame Big Brother and Sister-in-law, something happened on their end too… Mother, we need to focus on finding Hong Bing and his family right now.”

With Third Brother’s family of three trafficked, there was no point dwelling on family conflicts – how could they not help each other in times like these?

Old Mrs. Xia felt relieved hearing he could stand again.

She reflected on her attitude for a moment, deciding she should treat Da Jun better in the future. The eldest son couldn’t be relied upon anymore, and the third son had been trafficked with uncertain chances of recovery – she could only depend on Da Jun for her livelihood.

“Da Jun-“

Just as Old Mrs. Xia adjusted her attitude and was about to properly show concern for the usually neglected Xia Da Jun, Xia Zi Yu suddenly cut in:

“Second Uncle, you heard what the police officer said. While they’re searching, we can’t just sit idle. We need to think of ways to gather information ourselves. The sooner we find Third Uncle’s family, the less they’ll suffer.”

Xia Zi Yu raised an important point, and Xia Da Jun set aside his conversation with Old Mrs. Xia to ask about her thoughts:

“Zi Yu, what do you suggest we do?”

Xia Zi Yu considered for a moment, “I think we’ll need to trouble Young Master Du again. Our running around won’t accomplish as much as a single word from him.”

Xia Zi Yu wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about finding Xia Hong Bing’s family, but this situation provided an excuse to contact Du Zhao Hui. She had remained in Pengcheng specifically to establish connections with Du Zhao Hui.

However, Du Zhao Hui proved more difficult to approach than she’d anticipated. In retrospect, Xia Zi Yu realized that businesspeople were naturally suspicious, and someone like Young Master Du from a wealthy family would be surrounded by all sorts of sycophants – her initiative to approach him directly had been a mistake.

“Asking Young Master for help…”

Xia Da Jun hesitated.

The Young Master had already helped him so much – providing wages and medical treatment. Would he be angry if they brought family matters to him again?

But without Young Master Du’s help, what could he do? He didn’t even know where to start looking for information.

Thinking about his brother’s family suffering after being trafficked, Xia Da Jun set aside his concerns.

“I’ll go ask Young Master!”

Xia Zi Yu placed her hand on the wheelchair, “Second Uncle, this is our family matter – how can we let you go alone?”

Old Mrs. Xia wiped her tears and mucus with her sleeve, “Hurry and beg the Hong Kong boss to save your brother.”

Xia Zi Yu’s steps faltered, and even the slow-witted Xia Da Jun knew Du Zhao Hui’s personality. Old Mrs. Xia wasn’t just disheveled – as a rural elder who wasn’t particularly conscious about hygiene, she had dirt under her fingernails and clothes that emitted an odd odor. Rural areas lacked urban amenities like bathrooms and bathhouses, and washing in winter could lead to catching a cold, so many elderly people would bathe once before winter and wait until spring’s warm weather to bathe again.

Bringing such an unkempt Old Mrs. Xia before Du Zhao Hui would surely disgust Young Master Du.

Xia Da Jun’s face reddened: “Mother, the guesthouse has hot water. Please take a bath and change clothes first, then rest in your room. Zi Yu and I will go.”

Yunan was cold, while Yangcheng and Pengcheng were warm. Old Mrs. Xia still wore the thick cotton jacket she’d worn on the train, now permeated with a sour odor. Additionally, she’d been abandoned near garbage bins, making her current smell indescribable.

The elderly’s sense of smell wasn’t keen, so she hadn’t noticed herself. Xia Da Jun thought about how his elderly mother’s first long-distance journey had resulted in such a frightening experience, all because she was coming to Pengcheng to find him. His earlier displeasure had completely vanished.

“Just stay at the guesthouse, and order whatever food you’d like from them.”

Xia Da Jun took out several hundred yuan from his pocket and gave it all to Old Mrs. Xia.

Old Mrs. Xia clutched the money tightly. She had spent some of her savings, and the rest had been stolen. This money from Xia Da Jun hit the right spot.

Had Da Jun made his fortune?

Old Mrs. Xia finally felt the reality of it.

The money in her hands was more convincing than anything else, and she stopped insisting on meeting the Hong Kong boss.

“Come back quickly then, I don’t know anyone at this guesthouse.”

Though domineering at home, she was timid outside. Old Mrs. Xia was truly afraid of city people – they seemed so kind at first, yet had managed to deceive all four family members in an instant.

…

The troublemakers of the Xia family were almost all gathered now.

Xia Xiao Lan still didn’t know about this.

Even if she knew, there was no need to worry. When the Xia family troublemakers gathered, they would just hinder each other, and Xia Xiao Lan could simply watch the show. She and Guan Hui E had sent Zhou Cheng to the fishing village, and Zhou Cheng had promised to inform her as soon as his mission was complete.

Seeing her low spirits, Guan Hui E also sighed quietly.

Just to see her son Zhou Cheng once, she had gotten herself injured all over. Guan Hui E found it difficult to maintain her hard stance.

Her feelings toward Xia Xiao Lan were now conflicted, with occasional bursts of emotion stemming from a mother-in-law’s natural pickiness. But more often, she admired Xia Xiao Lan’s excellence and would feel personally offended if anyone bullied her. Unconsciously, she had started considering Xia Xiao Lan as one of her own, feeling protective of her.

“Xia Da Jun’s side probably won’t trouble you anymore. You should focus on recovering – I don’t believe the Xia family can turn the world upside down!”

“Aunt Guan, thank you…”

It was fortunate that the Zhou family was reasonable and didn’t abuse their power.

If it were others, dealing with a family of farmers would be effortless. They wouldn’t even need to act directly – just a word to the authorities in Anqing County would keep the Xia family quietly farming in their village.

Then there was Xiao Lan’s constantly troublesome cousin. Guan Hui E suspected Xia Zi Yu had been stirring up trouble during the previous English competition incident. She wanted to teach Xia Zi Yu a lesson, but Zhou Guo Bin had stopped her. Zhou Guo Bin said it wouldn’t look good for them to bully a younger person, and questioned how much trouble the daughter-in-law of Wang Guang Ping could cause, given that Wang Guang Ping was now in the Party History Office.

Guan Hui E wasn’t as optimistic as Zhou Guo Bin – that Xia Zi Yu was truly not a good person.