"I don't know, I don't know anyone. Tell me?" Qin Xiaoyu took two oranges, peeled one open, and placed them in front of Yao Mei.

"Section Chief Bai from Building 3 has run into trouble." Yao Mei said politely for a moment, then picked up an orange, peeled off a segment, and took a small bite.

"What happened to him?" Qin Xiaoyu's heart sank, and she had already forgotten to deny knowing Section Chief Bai. What she feared most was that Qi Si would be angry and retaliate, which would only add another stain to Qi Si's reputation, and that would not be a good thing.

"They've been arrested," Yao Mei said with a smile.

"Why? Isn't he from the Public Security Bureau?" Qin Xiaoyu was even more puzzled.

“Even police officers make mistakes. He raped a woman and was reported to the police. The woman had been enduring it for a while, but eventually she couldn’t take it anymore and reported him. That woman was ruthless; she preserved the evidence very well and brought him down in no time.”

"What karma!" Qin Xiaoyu blurted out, but then realized that something seemed off.

Are you curious why I came to talk to you about this?

"Yes, how did you know I know him?"

"You should thank me for saving you once," Yao Mei said with a wry smile.

"What do you mean?"

“This balcony isn’t soundproof at all. I heard everything you said on the balcony last time. I was peeling scallions there, and I was terrified. I thought I’d come knocking on the door. Just then, your family came over. They knocked a few times and were about to leave, thinking no one was home. I kept assuring them that someone was inside, and that’s why they kept knocking. I was so scared my legs went weak, and I didn’t even get a chance to say anything.” Yao Mei, being a woman herself, was still shaken and pale as she recalled the incident.

"Thank you, sister." Qin Xiaoyu then realized that she hadn't been fighting alone that day.

“I’ve heard about what happened to you. At first, I wondered what kind of person this was and was wary of you. But seeing you taking your child in and out, I knew they were wrong. That’s not what you did. You’re a good person,” Yao Mei said earnestly.

"With your words, sister, I feel at ease. Let those who don't understand me think what they want. Isn't there someone who understands me?" Qin Xiaoyu had already truly regarded Yao Mei as a friend.

Later, she learned that Yao Mei was indeed a school teacher, and coincidentally, she taught at Hanhan's school. This put her at ease. However, the good news also brought bad news. It turned out that Section Chief Bai's wife, Yang Liu, was Yao Mei's colleague. Qin Xiaoyu didn't know how much Yang Liu knew about Section Chief Bai, and she became somewhat wary of her.

Hanhan is about to start school, and Qin Xiaoyu prepared two new outfits for him and bought a dress for her little sister. Autumn is almost here, so the dress isn't necessary, but the little sister is vain and won't leave the children's clothing section once she's there. Qin Xiaoyu, worried about her getting upset, spoils her and, of course, buys her something.

After returning from shopping, it was still early, so Qin Xiaoyu let them play in the neighborhood for a while.

Having learned from her previous experience, Qin Xiaoyu dared not leave her side for even a moment.

"Hanhan, come here!" Jia Nannan was already digging in the sand with some other children, and she called out loudly to Hanhan to come over.

"Go ahead." Qin Xiaoyu knew that this was a breakthrough.

"Is that Xiaoyu?" someone suddenly called her from behind.

When Qin Xiaoyu brought Hanhan and the others over, she felt a gaze following her. Now that she was used to living under the gaze of others, she glanced at the old lady out of the corner of her eye and didn't pay any attention. But when she heard her call out, she turned around.

"Grandma Zhang?" Qin Xiaoyu was stunned for a moment before blurting it out.

"It really is you! You've moved here?" Grandma Zhang was still wearing her blue cotton jacket, clean and tidy, looking different from the other old ladies around her.

"Yes, what are you doing here?" Qin Xiaoyu thought of Zhou Xing when she saw her, and felt an extraordinary sense of kinship.

“My son lives nearby and insisted on bringing me here to spend the winter,” Grandma Zhang said, pointing in that direction.

Qin Xiaoyu guessed that with the Zhou family's connections, Grandma Zhang's son couldn't be doing too badly.

“It’s great that we’re neighbors now. Come visit me sometime.”

“I have time now, I’ll go up and take a look.” Grandma Zhang really didn’t stand on ceremony.

Qin Xiaoyu was a little flustered. She hadn't cleaned up much when she left home, and she didn't want Grandma Zhang to laugh at her. But she had already spoken, and she couldn't very well stop them from going. So she reluctantly led them upstairs.

Grandma Zhang, like a hygiene inspection team, walked around the place, even checking the restrooms, before nodding and saying, "You young people are all lazy; it's not bad that you've done this well."

"Please have a seat, I'll make you some tea," Qin Xiaoyu said, busily greeting her guest.

"I'm not sitting down. I just came to get acquainted with the place. You young people are always so busy, always running around. If there's no one to look after the kids, you come to me." Grandma Zhang said casually, and Qin Xiaoyu didn't quite catch what she meant.

"No need, I can bring more."

"Stop being stubborn. How could you manage to raise two children without the help of grandparents?" Grandma Zhang always spoke like this, directly contradicting Qin Xiaoyu. Qin Xiaoyu chuckled, unable to refute her.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony. I'll be troubling Grandma Zhang a lot in the future."

"You cook, I'll take them downstairs to play for a while, and then I'll bring it up to you."

Without a word, Grandma Zhang took one child in each hand and led them downstairs. The two children were obedient and didn't struggle.

"Grandma Zhang, be careful. Some of the neighbors aren't very reasonable. The other day they even..." Qin Xiaoyu didn't know how to explain.

"What neighbors? They're all spoiled. Only someone as cowardly as you would let your child suffer. Who would dare to do that in front of me!" Grandma Zhang was still protective of her child, and Qin Xiaoyu was finally free.

I took Hanhan to the opening ceremony and returned around noon. Qi Si had promised to treat them to lunch, and Qin Xiaoyu had driven to the school to pick him up.

Private cars are scarce, making Qin Xiaoyu's car particularly eye-catching parked at the school gate.

"Mom!" Hanhan jumped out, followed by several children of similar age.

"Is this your classmate?" Qin Xiaoyu was quite satisfied with Hanhan's ability to make friends; she had already made a few little followers in such a short time.

"Yes, Mom, I have a friend!" Hanhan jumped up and down with joy.

"Goodbye to our friends, we're leaving." Qin Xiaoyu shoved her younger sister, who had slipped out of the car, back into the car.

Along the way, Hanhan kept talking excitedly, but only Qin Xiaoyu noticed the loneliness in her younger sister's eyes. This child had something on her mind; she was probably thinking about her future.

As autumn rains bring chills, and with late autumn approaching, Qin Xiaoyu, now living in an apartment building, no longer worries about heating. However, she still thinks about her cousin's family and wants to find them an apartment to move out of.

She inquired and found that the rent wasn't high, and she could still afford it.

My cousin's wife has a quick temper. She had already made cotton-padded clothes for the three of them and had Fengqin push her bicycle over with a large bag of things.