Shen Ruomei walked aimlessly with a blank stare in her eyes.

Xia Juntao simply led her back to his home.

When their son suddenly brought Shen Ruomei back, his parents and grandmother were all shocked. Xia Juntao didn't say anything, but led Shen Ruomei directly into his room and pressed her down onto his bed.

When Xia Juntao turned around to open the door, all three people were standing at the doorway.

Old Liao spoke first. "What happened?"

"This girl is upset by her mother, let her be alone for a while!"

"Is the food ready? Let's eat!" Xia Juntao went to wash his hands, sat down, and started eating.

His mother couldn't help but ask, "There's another girl in the house, aren't you going to let her eat?"

"Let her be by herself for a while, let's eat first!"

The Xia family ate their meal very quickly. In less than 10 minutes, Professor Xia and his wife put down their bowls, and Old Liao did the same.

“We’re full, you can eat slowly!” Professor Xia said.

"I'm going to visit my neighbors," Xia's mother said.

"I'm going for a walk!" Old Liao said.

“Then I’ll go out too!” Professor Xia said.

They had all left, and Xia Juntao ate his meal slowly by himself. Since he had been helping Shen Ruomei sell things, his family had asked if selling things was considered a crime now.

Xia Juntao said it was fine, and his family was very supportive. He knew perfectly well what their plans were.

Shen Ruomei came out of Xia Juntao's room.

"Thank you, I should go now!" Shen Ruomei said.

"It's already this late, let me cook you some noodles before you go!"

"It'll be ready in a minute!" Xia Juntao got up and headed to the kitchen.

Shen Ruomei shook her head, "No need." Her eyes involuntarily reddened. She was especially touched by this concern at this moment.

Xia Juntao: "She's a pretty girl, but if she keeps crying, she won't look good!"

Because of these words, Shen Ruomei grinned, but her eyes welled up with tears, and two large tears rolled down her cheeks.

Xia Juntao couldn't help but wipe away Shen Ruomei's tears, but new tears welled up again.

"Am I heartless and despicable?" Shen Ruomei asked Xia Juntao with a smile, but that smile was particularly heartbreaking.

Shen Ruomei didn't expect Xia Juntao's reply. "Yueyue spent three yuan on something, but Gu San said it was only worth three mao. She was heartbroken, so heartbroken she wanted to cry."

Her fourth sister asked her, "Are you going to cry? If you are, I'll lend you my shoulder!"

I was so envious back then. I wished my mom could lend me a shoulder to lean on.

When I was little, I was very obedient, hoping that my mom would love me.

I will never fantasize again. This time it's real. I will never fantasize again.

Xia Juntao patted his shoulder. "I'll lend you my shoulder!"

Shen Ruomei couldn't possibly let go of everything she had suffered since childhood with just a few words. She couldn't help but bury her face in Xia Juntao's shoulder and burst into tears.

After crying for a while, she realized it wasn't good to be so close to someone of the opposite sex, and she took a step back, feeling embarrassed.

Shen Ruomei kept wiping her tears with a handkerchief, and said indistinctly, "Fourth Sister said that a girl's tears are like pearls, and she shouldn't cry easily. If she cries too much, the pearls will turn into tears and become worthless!"

"What kind of nonsense is this!" Xia Juntao ruffled Ruomei's hair. "I'll cook you noodles!"

"It's getting late. If I don't go back soon, my fourth sister will worry!"

"By the way, where are the rest of your family?" Shen Ruomei suddenly remembered the Xia family.

"They've all gone out!"

"Oh! I'm off then!"

"I'll take you back!" Xia Juntao followed behind Shen Ruomei.

"I know Duan Xueting laughs at me behind my back, saying that we weren't born of the same mother, yet I insist on staying at my half-brother's house."

My dad was always busy when I was little, so it was almost the same whether my mom was there or not. My aunt took good care of me and was kind to me, but I knew it was because she was paid and it was her responsibility.

Of course, I also have feelings for her, but the feelings for my family are different.

I've always been all alone.

"Fourth Sister's place feels more like a home."

“My brother wasn’t born to Aunt Wei, and Chang Xiaohu has no blood relation to them either.”

Even later, Cheng Youfu and his family were just neighbors.

But they were closer to each other than I was to my own mother.

“I’ve had tests done at the hospital where I was born before. I hope I wasn’t born to Wen Shuqin. That way, I can understand why she treated me badly, resented me, and hated me.”

"Do you know why she hates me? Because she feels that all her misfortunes stem from me, that I am not a son and cannot carry on the family line."

"My brother doesn't have much affection for my dad; he respects him more than he cares for him."

His fourth sister was his Achilles' heel.

If my mom causes trouble for my fourth sister, it will definitely implicate my dad…