Severed ties and living in a dilapidated house? No worries, the poor thing has a space.

She forced back her tears, her eyes red as she gazed at the petite child before her.

Awan deftly arranged the pastries neatly in front of the grave, then whispered in a clear but slightly choked voice, "Mother, these pastries were bought for you by Sister Fangxin. She's such a kind person, and Awan loves her very much!"

Fang Xin slowly reached out her slightly trembling hand and gently stroked Awan's little head. Her throat felt like it was blocked by something, and she couldn't even utter a simple word of comfort.

Because at this moment, she could truly feel that this seemingly young and ignorant little fellow clearly understood the meaning behind the mound of earth covered with lush green grass.

The little one who was crying so hard just moments ago, making our hearts ache, is now acting as if nothing happened.

A moment later, Awan raised her head, looked at Fang Xin with her big, watery eyes, and whispered, "Sister, let's go home."

As the two figures walked further and further away from the lonely grave, Awan, who had been suppressing her grief, finally could no longer control herself.

With a pout, she burst into tears.

Fang Xin quickly squatted down and hugged Awan tightly, gently patting her back while softly comforting her, "Awan, don't cry... I'm here."

Nestled in Fang Xin's warm embrace, Awan sobbed intermittently, saying:

"Father is always so busy, I haven't seen him in a long time. I always come to see Mother by myself. My sister is the kindest person to Awan besides Grandmother. Awan loves her sister so much!"

Looking at the person crying incessantly before her, Fang Xin felt as if her heart was being gnawed at by a million ants, the pain unbearable.

She gently raised her hand and carefully wiped away the crystal-clear tears on Awan's cheeks. Then she held Awan's slightly cold and trembling little hand tightly and slowly walked towards home.

They hadn't gone far when several figures came into view not far ahead.

From a distance, those people appeared to be dressed as maids and servants.

At the very front of the line was an older woman who looked a bit older.

Upon spotting Fang Xin and the other two, the old woman noticeably quickened her pace and moved rapidly toward them.

Before they even got close, the old woman started yelling at the top of her lungs, "Oh my! My fourth young lady! We servants have been looking for you everywhere! What are you doing here again? Come back to the manor with me at once!"

As she shouted, the old woman impatiently stretched out her hands, trying to grab Awan.

Seeing this, Awan nimbly turned to the side, cleverly avoiding the old woman's outstretched hand. Her face was full of resistance, clearly unwilling to let the old woman touch her even slightly.

Fang Xin reacted quickly, gently pulling Awan behind her. Then, she stared directly at the old woman and coldly questioned, "Who are you? Awan doesn't want to go with you."

The old woman's smiling face froze instantly.

After a long while, she finally turned her gaze to Fang Xin, forcing a blatantly fake smile, and said:

"Young lady, this is my fourth young lady! I've come here on the orders of the old lady to bring her back to the manor. The old lady has been extremely anxious since she learned that the fourth young lady has gone missing!"

Fang Xin didn't listen to a word the old woman said. She quickly turned around, squatted down, looked at Awan with gentle eyes, and asked softly, "Awan, tell your sister, do you know them?"

Ah Wan blinked her big, bright eyes, nodded obediently, and made a clear "Mmm".

After receiving an affirmative answer, Fang Xin finally felt relieved: "It's getting late, Awan should go home. I promise you, I'll take you to eat your favorite pastries again next time, okay?"

Awan nodded again, and stretched out her chubby little finger, looking at Fang Xin with expectant eyes, indicating that she wanted to pinky swear with her.

Fang Xin naturally cooperated with great joy. She gently reached out and hooked her slender little finger with A Wan's little finger, and said with a smile, "Okay, then A Wan, hurry home."

Awan moved slowly, and with each small step she couldn't help but turn back to look at Fang Xin, her eyes filled with reluctance.

Nevertheless, the sensible girl knew she had to go home.

The old woman who had been standing to the side stepped forward, nodded slightly to Fang Xin to express her gratitude.

She stretched out an arm and gently embraced Awan's small body, leading her slowly towards home.

However, the moment the old woman turned around, the kind smile she had shown when facing Fang Xin vanished without a trace, replaced by a chilling and sinister look.

At this point, Fang Xin could no longer see the changes in the old woman's expression.

This seemingly kind old woman, taking advantage of Fang Xin's inability to see, suddenly reached out her right hand and mercilessly pinched Awan's thin back hard.

Awan's face turned pale with pain, but she dared not cry out or do anything unnecessary. She could only bite her lip and silently endure the pain.

Fang Xin, who was standing still, clearly saw Awan's body suddenly stiffen, as if she had been struck by an invisible lightning bolt.

But only for a moment, Awan returned to normal, lifted her foot without looking back, and continued walking forward with firm steps.

Watching Awan's receding figure, Fang Xin felt an indescribable sense of loss welling up inside her, and her original interest in shopping had long since vanished.

In addition, it was already quite late and night was about to fall, so Fang Xin sighed helplessly and turned to go home.

Fang Yu's side, however, presented a completely different picture.

As soon as she arrived at the village, she couldn't wait to head straight for the wasteland that she had asked Granny Shou to cultivate the day before.

The people in the village did not slack off or try to cheat; they have already turned over a large area of ​​land.

When Fang Yu appeared, the busy old woman's face immediately lit up with a joyful smile. She ran forward to greet her warmly, saying, "Young lady, you've come."

Fang Yu ignored the old woman's greetings and quickly passed by her without looking at her, without pausing at all.

Xin Jiyan was neatly stacking a pile of seeds on the ground, and he was methodically instructing the old woman, "Plant all these seeds quickly."

Granny Shou was taken aback. She stared wide-eyed in disbelief, wondering if she had misheard. She couldn't help but ask Xin Jiyan for confirmation again, and even subconsciously cast her questioning gaze slowly toward Fang Yu in the distance.