Bai Jiaojiao went to the woodshed and found some nylon rope: "Brother Heng, let's just tie them up!"

When she returned, she saw Shen Heng kneeling Su Yahu to the ground, while Su Yalong, who had been kicked, lay on the ground yelling.

Seeing her come in, he tried to get up and rush towards her, but Shen Heng raised her eyes, stood up, and kicked him again, which made him behave.

Shen Heng took the rope from Bai Jiaojiao's hand, but Su Yangang said, "Isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to kidnap someone in private like this?"

Shen Heng glanced at him, but didn't respond, continuing what he was doing.

Su Yangang was a little embarrassed: "I didn't mean anything by it..."

"You saw it just now, Heng was guarding against two people all by himself. It's too hard for him. This way, it's safer for us," Bai Jiaojiao explained.

Su Yangang thought for a moment, then limped out of the door and helped Shen Heng tie up Su Yahu.

"Big brother, big brother, you can't do this to me! I'm your own brother!" Su Yahu now knew that Su Yangang was really not dead, but something even more terrible was waiting for him.

The skinny boy he found was indeed a child trafficker. He had traveled from the southwest region down the Yangtze River to the sea, and then secretly followed cargo ships all the way here. He had made several trips back and forth, and was very familiar with the route. His business was buying and selling children.

They're not human traffickers; they've all made arrangements with the biological parents. In general, these kinds of things aren't investigated unless the public reports it. Although buying and selling people is a crime, nobody complains, so as long as you're careful, you can keep doing this business.

Su Yahu's attitude of begging for mercy from Su Yangang further revealed his guilty conscience.

How could Su Yangang possibly have any pity for Su Yahu?

When he and Shen Heng were tying up Su Yahu, he grabbed Su Yahu by the collar and took the opportunity to punch him a few more times.

Bai Jiaojiao clicked her tongue in amazement.

They were just saying it wasn't good to tie each other up in private.

The skinny monkey was pressed against the wall, sneaking away cautiously, but was grabbed by Shen Heng, who had freed his hand: "Where are you going?"

"This is a family matter, you should handle it yourselves! I'm an outsider, I don't know anything. I only came because they said they had a child for me. I'm a victim too!"

Skinny Monkey covered his left eye, which was bruised and swollen from Su Yangang's beating, and hunched over, looking extremely disheveled.

"Then you've really had a terrible day."

Shen Heng lowered his head and smiled at the skinny monkey.

The skinny monkey chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes, I'm also full of grievances!"

"If you have any grievances, go to the police station and tell them. My house isn't a temple of saints!"

Shen Heng grabbed the skinny monkey and tied them up together. When Su Yangang's guards came to find him, they saw the three of them tied back to back, sitting on the ground with bruises and swelling on their faces.

"Xiao Guan, after we finish eating, you drive me to the town's police station!"

Xiao Guan also brought Su Yangang the cane that Su Yangang had left at the Su family's old house, and helped Su Yangang stand up: "What happened?"

"It's a bit of a family scandal." Su Yangang sighed deeply.

They say you shouldn't wash your dirty linen in public, but theirs is so ugly that it can't be hidden even if you don't expose it.

Xiao Guan didn't ask any further questions.

Soon, a delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen. There wasn't much to eat in winter, so the radishes and cabbages distributed by the brigade could be stored in the cellar. But Bai Jiaojiao was a skilled cook, and she used some pork belly to create a unique flavor.

After a busy morning, Xiao Guan's stomach immediately rumbled.

"By the way, sir, look at this."

The Su family's kang (heated brick bed) only had one stompable section. When Xiao Guan was tidying up the straw mat on the kang, he saw this thing pressed under the mat.

"This is……"

Su Yan just took it and saw a white envelope.

"I don't know what it is, but it was pressed on the kang (heated brick bed) with several yuan. Maybe it's an old lady's keepsake. I was in a hurry, so I brought it over for you to see!"

Su Yangang took the envelope and immediately opened it, finding inside was a will written by Old Madam Su.

Grandma Su never went to school, but a few years ago a literacy campaign was launched, and everyone was forced to learn to read and go to school. Her will contained several misspelled words, but the gist was that the old lady was afraid that her grandson would have nowhere to go after she died, so she wanted Su Zhigao to inherit her house.

As soon as Su Yan saw it, tears streamed down his face.

He heard everything Bai Jiaojiao said.

During the years he was away, his mother, in order to help him raise this child, refused to bow down to his two younger brothers. Life was hard, but she also made plans for Su Zhigao.

Bai Jiaojiao called Shen Heng in to serve the dishes. There were many people today, so Bai Jiaojiao cooked a pot of cabbage and served it in a stainless steel basin.

"There aren't many good dishes at this time of year, and you came in such a hurry that we didn't have time to prepare anything. Just make do with this."

Su Yangang was a native of Shili Village, and he knew that it was already quite generous of them to cook such a large pot of food to entertain guests.

The brigade only gets a few cabbages a year, so they usually eat them by counting the leaves.

Su Yangang sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), his leg pain subsided a little, and as he ate the hot cabbage, he felt a bit more at ease: "Thanks to you all for taking care of Zhigao these past few days."

"You're welcome. Zhigao doesn't cry or make a fuss, and he doesn't take up much of our energy."

"If there's anything you can do to help in the future, just let me know."

Su Yangang raised his glass to Shen Heng, and Shen Heng politely clinked glasses with him.

The topic didn't continue; Su Yangang asked how Grandma Su had been living in the village all these years.

Bai Jiaojiao said, "Back then, everyone was saying you had sacrificed your life, and the government issued a pension, but your two younger brothers took it all. The old lady must have had some savings before, but it certainly wasn't much. Do you think raising a child is such an easy thing?"

Bai Jiaojiao made Su Yangang cry. It wasn't that what Bai Jiaojiao said was particularly touching, but rather that Su Yangang himself felt guilty.

However, Bai Jiaojiao said to Su Yangang, "You don't need to blame yourself. At least you've saved Zhigao now. No matter what, he's your own son, and you also have to bear some responsibility for the suffering he's endured over the years."

Xiao Guan was displeased: "How can you say that? Our commander was on a mission, serving the country and the people. What did he do wrong?"

Su Yangang said, "Xiao Guan, stop talking."

Bai Jiaojiao explained, "I didn't say he did anything wrong. It's just that Zhigao has been without parents for so many years, which is indirectly caused by your leader's choice."

Bai Jiaojiao just wanted Su Yangang to feel more guilty towards Su Zhigao, otherwise, given Su Yangang's current status and position, he would definitely find a second wife.

While we can't condemn all stepmothers, what if Su Yangang really does find someone who doesn't care about Su Zhigao? As the saying goes, with a stepmother comes a stepfather. If Su Yangang goes with her, her material life will certainly be fine, but we should also pay attention to her emotional well-being.

Moreover, Su Yangang is still young. With a new wife, he will definitely have more children. If he can't treat them equally, then Su Zhigao will be truly pitiful.