An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

"Look at how cold this child is. Leave her here and we'll help you look after her."

Old Madam Jing couldn't bear to see them in such a pitiful state, and she also knew that Lin was a timid person, so she said to Zhuang: "See if there are any black flour buns left. Give them two. They are so pitiful."

Tonight, each of them only ate one extra steamed bun, and the frosting was used to make porridge, of which each person ate half a bowl. The rest could be used for breakfast tomorrow by adding some fire. Of course, there would be some leftover black flour steamed buns.

These days, seeing that the mother and daughter were always being robbed of their food by the two old women, they must not have had enough to eat. Everyone couldn't help but feel sympathy for them, but kept silent, which was considered as tacit agreement.

After a few days, it seemed that Lin was a good person. At least she was not the kind of person who would cause trouble, and she was also quite sensible. She didn't come over when they were eating porridge just now. Maybe she saw that they had finished eating and was really worried that her daughter could not bear the cold at night, so she came over to them.

If such young children are exiled, they may die on the road even if they have good food and drink. Anyone with a little compassion will help them. It is not a bad idea if they are sensible enough to lend a hand.

However, it was impossible to get them to give up their quilt and bed, but Aunt Zhao still couldn't bear it and took out a thin jacket that Tuanzi had changed into. The cotton-padded jacket that Second Uncle had bought was useless and had been returned this morning. "Let Qiaoqiao wear it first. Return it when you don't need it anymore."

She didn't intend to give it away for free. Her daughter had already changed into a thick cotton-padded coat, and she would have to change it back when spring came. Although she didn't know if she would still be able to wear it next year, she could still make a padded jacket out of it.

Lin thanked her profusely and put the clothes on her daughter first, not even bothering to button them. She then stuffed a black steamed bun directly into Qiaoqiao's hands and made her sit on a small space the size of a palm at the very edge of the oilcloth. Suddenly, she ran away. She still insisted on continuing to look for firewood, mainly because she was not used to the gazes of so many people looking at her.

In fact, the firewood Dalang and the others had chopped back was enough for tonight, but no one stopped her. The extra firewood could be saved for tomorrow night. A little bit of kindness is repaid with a big bit of grudge. Everything given for free is worthless. Exchanging effort for benefit is the correct way to give.

As Lin left, she whispered something to Qiaoqiao. The little girl lowered her head timidly, still not daring to look at anyone. She held the steamed bun blankly, not daring to eat, wanting to cry but unable to. But you could still see her big eyes, prominent on her thin face, staring at the flames.

Tuanzi looked at Qiaoqiao curiously. She was so small that he didn't know if she was an older sister or a younger sister. However, he didn't dare to come forward to greet her. He could only scratch his ears and cheeks like a curious kitten, sitting down and lying down again, but he stared at Qiaoqiao without blinking, as if he was worried about making her cry.

In the end, she was able to crawl over after being gently pushed by her aunt. However, she was reluctant to take out the last candy in her pocket. Instead, she broke off a small piece of steamed bun for her and fed it directly into Qiaoqiao's little mouth, staring at her mouth as if to confirm whether she would move.

Finally, Qiaoqiao's mouth moved. Still afraid to look at her, she stopped staring at the fire and turned her gaze back to the thin jacket she had just put on. It was unclear what she was thinking. At least there was some movement, which made Tuanzi breathe a sigh of relief. Qiaoqiao felt the food in her mouth and finally chewed a few times, unwilling to swallow it. She just kept chewing, and it was enough to make people cry.

Madam Jing sighed, "As long as the mother-in-law and old lady Wang don't come over to make trouble, let her go. She's pitiful."

Then she asked Zhuang to find them a water bag with a few drops of water left in it. Seeing that Qiaoqiao's lips were cracked and bleeding, she was afraid that the water bag she had bought during the day would not be able to reach them.

Lin had to find two large armfuls of dry firewood before bringing it back in two batches. She didn't even eat the steamed bun after returning, but instead kicked it into her arms. Finally, after everyone else had laid down, she lay down beside Qiaoqiao, fully clothed, half lying on the oilcloth. The floor was dry and close to the fire, which was much better than where the clan leader and the others were.

Late at night, Mrs. Lin, who was lying next to the fire, was suddenly awakened. When she touched over, her daughter was gone. Startled, she quickly sat up. A piece of clothing, whose owner she didn't know, fell from her body, warming her cold and dull heart.

Looking around at the oilcloth where the women slept, she found Qiaoqiao also burrowed into the quilt. She should be snuggled up to Jing Mingzhu. Only a little bit of her hair was visible to show her presence. She didn't know if she was carried over or crawled in by herself. She was sleeping very soundly. Lin couldn't help but burst into tears. Her shoulders kept twitching and she began to sob softly.

If it weren't for her daughter's desire to die during this period of torture, she would have thought that her tear ducts, which had been dry from crying, were blocked. But who would have thought that the tears would burst out again after she felt a little warmth.

Starting from the next day, Lin and Qiaoqiao walked with them. The team was already very close, and people from several families sometimes mixed together, so no one found it strange.

Su was really not a human being. After being instigated by Old Lady Wang during breakfast, she wanted to come over and snatch Qiaoqiao's black-faced steamed bun. Silang scared her away with a stick, and then the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law started cursing at each other behind her back.

"You unfilial bastard, I'll divorce you."

"Divorcing her would be a great bargain for this bitch. She killed my son and should be sold to a brothel."

"Maybe I can get a few taels of silver if I sell it. There's no point in keeping that little loser."

Hearing this, Lin remained silent, and the others naturally responded. Lin was used to it, and did not refute or look at them. But when Su came up to grab it just now, she looked like she was ready to die and wanted to fight her to the death.

Only Qiaoqiao was so scared that she just wanted to cry. She kept holding her mother and refused to let go. She gently touched her daughter's head, comforting her and telling her not to be afraid.

Lin was busy all day long, helping to push the cart from the back. When she was not needed, she would occasionally pick up some firewood for use at night. Although Qiaoqiao was young, she was quite capable except for being timid. She didn't need her mother to carry her for a long distance, and she also helped to pick up firewood.

Qiaoqiao and her own black-flour steamed buns were all given to Lin for three meals a day. Occasionally, Zhuang and others would help feed Qiaoqiao some steamed buns and saliva, so Qiaoqiao didn't feel hungry even if she didn't eat many bites of black-flour steamed buns in a day, and basically half of her food rations were left.

When the Jings were eating, Lin would drag Qiaoqiao along to dig for wild vegetables and gather firewood, refusing to take advantage of them. Zhuang reminded her that they were given steamed buns every day and urged her to eat all the black flour steamed buns, but she was probably too hungry to save anything and only ate one at a time. So, at the end of the day, Lin had three extra steamed buns.

Having food lifted everyone's spirits. After all, she had no money or surplus food. Three steamed buns a day was something she had never experienced before. Even back home in the capital, mother and daughter could only eat leftovers, and had never experienced such treatment. This only strengthened her determination to stay with the people in the General's Mansion.

She didn't talk much, perhaps because she wasn't used to it or because she had an inferiority complex, but she just rushed to do everything. However, out of fear of Old Lady Wang and the others, she didn't dare to bring the black flour steamed bun with her. In the end, she wrapped it in a handkerchief and hid it in an inconspicuous corner of the cart. No one noticed, but they didn't care, anyway, no one would steal it.