Shen Heng knocked on the door, and the person who came out was just as the old man had described: thin, pale-faced, with thick glasses, clearly someone who had gone blind from reading too much.

The person inside, upon seeing the fierce-looking Shen Heng, immediately slammed the door shut, only to be stopped by Shen Heng.

"Who are you, and what do you want?!"

The man was very flustered, probably because he was frightened by Shen Heng.

Bai Jiaojiao quickly explained, "Comrade, I heard from the old man at the recycling station that someone is selling books, and I want to buy some. Are you the one selling them?"

The man glanced at Bai Jiaojiao, wondering why such an innocent little rabbit was accompanied by such a man.

He was taken aback at first, then became excited: "It's me! Are you buying a book?"

"I want to buy junior high and high school textbooks, do you have any?"

"You wait!"

The man hurriedly ran back into the house and came out carrying a pile of books.

Bai Jiaojiao looked down and saw that the pile of books contained not only textbooks but also some notebooks. She flipped through them at random and found them filled with dense handwriting annotations.

“These books are very important to me. I would not have sold them if I hadn’t really had no other choice.”

The man looked dejected: "A scholar is useless. My mother is sick, and all I have left is this."

Tears welled up in his eyes. At first, he thought Shen Heng had come to collect a debt. He had borrowed from everyone he could, and now he had no choice but to watch helplessly as his mother remained bedridden.

"I'll take them all. How much?"

"You can decide how much to give."

Bai Jiaojiao glanced at Shen Heng, then patted her pocket: "We only have ten yuan left, I'll give it all to you."

"This...this is not right!"

The man was visibly excited. Bai Jiaojiao had already taken out the money: "What you said is wrong. Studying is still useful. Your mother is sick now, but it's just a temporary difficulty. I believe you can get through it."

Just by looking at the book, Bai Jiaojiao knew that this person's grades must be excellent.

Two years from now, the college entrance examination will be the opportunity for a carp to leap over the dragon gate.

"Thank you."

It had been a long time since anyone had spoken to him like that. The man took the money and bowed to Bai Jiaojiao.

In his eyes, his books were worth far more than ten yuan.

But if sold to a scrap metal recycling station, these are just worth a few cents of waste paper.

Bai Jiaojiao was startled by his sudden action and quickly said, "We're leaving now."

Shen Heng followed behind Bai Jiaojiao: "Good heavens, you said you wanted to come to the county with me, but it turns out you're here to recruit laborers."

Shen Heng carried the things he bought at the supply and marketing cooperative on his back, and a thick stack of books in front of him.

"I won't let others do it."

Bai Jiaojiao's words left Shen Heng speechless.

After a long pause, he finally said, "You only become sweet-talking when you need my help."

Bai Jiaojiao smiled at Shen Heng, who was willing to work for her.

There are two options for getting home. One is to head out of the city and hitch a ride if you happen to find one going the same way. It's a matter of luck, but it's convenient.

The other option was to go to the bus station to catch the only bus that went to town at night, and then walk back to the village.

They were heading towards the bus station when they heard a sharp, piercing cry.

Bai Jiaojiao couldn't help but look over and saw a woman who looked dazed, probably around thirty years old. She had bumped her face, and there was still some mud on the bloody mark.

She was in a daze, like a madwoman, asking everyone she met, "Have you seen my son?"

Bai Jiaojiao heard someone shake their head and say, "It's so pitiful. It's been three days, and the child has long since been taken away."

Bai Jiaojiao inquired, "Did she lose her child?"

"Yes, we don't know where they live. They've come here several times. We helped look for them at first, but we couldn't find them after a whole day. We heard there are flower sellers nearby, and they only have a son, so they must have been taken."

The crazy woman had already approached Bai Jiaojiao and was gesturing: "Sister, have you seen my son? He's this big, wearing a little yellow jacket."

Bai Jiaojiao saw the woman's face clearly; her eyes were red, swollen, and bloodshot, indicating she had cried countless times.

Bai Jiaojiao bit her lower lip and shook her head reluctantly, but the woman continued walking forward.

"How pitiful."

Those around her looked at the woman's retreating figure and shook their heads with a sigh.

"It's been so many days, and we still can't find it."

"Those who steal children deserve to go to the deepest levels of hell for committing such a sin!"

The woman staggered and collapsed to the ground with a thud, as if all her strength had been drained away. She lay on the ground and began to sob.

Bai Jiaojiao felt sorry for her, but there was nothing she could do.

She tugged at Shen Heng's sleeve: "Brother Heng, let's go."

She couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she hardened her heart and left with Shen Heng.

The bus station was packed with people, and minibuses were a rarity at that time, as one bus had to serve several nearby towns.

Bai Jiaojiao, jostled by the crowd, finally snapped out of her daze and let out a heavy sigh.

"Everyone has their own destiny, there's nothing we can do about it. If even their own family can't do anything about it, there's even less we outsiders can do to help."

Shen Heng comforted him.

"Um."

With Chen Heng protecting her, Bai Jiaojiao was the first to squeeze onto the bus when it arrived.

Others crammed in like sardines. Those who managed to squeeze in breathed a sigh of relief, while those who didn't were filled with disappointment, and some even started swearing.

Standing next to Bai Jiaojiao was a couple holding a child. The child was quite big, but the mother was holding him tightly.

The woman was covered in sweat from exhaustion, so the man next to her took the child from her.

Bai Jiaojiao glanced at the child during their handover. The child's eyes were tightly closed, and he seemed to be in great discomfort. He must have been sick and was sleeping.

Parents' hearts are always full of love and compassion. Bai Jiaojiao thought of the mother from earlier and felt a pang of sympathy. She stood up and offered her seat: "Sister, please put your child in my seat."

Logically, if someone offers you their seat, the person who receives it should be overjoyed.

To everyone's surprise, the man said, "No need, thank you. We can hold the child ourselves."

Bai Jiaojiao was completely taken aback by this turn of events.

“I didn’t mean anything by it. The child is so sick, it’s uncomfortable for him to be held like this.”

"Really, you don't need to."

The man was very indifferent, and seemed somewhat impatient with Bai Jiaojiao's meddling.

Bai Jiaojiao's good intentions were wasted, and she cursed herself inwardly for meddling in such matters; she deserved it.

Shen Heng was furious: "Don't you know what's good for you? You've got too much credit for me!"

His shout drew the attention of everyone on the bus.

Seeing this, the woman quickly apologized: "Brother, I'm really sorry, that's just my personality. Sister, thank you for your kindness, it's not easy for you to have a seat. We'll get off once we leave the city, so don't worry about us."

Bai Jiaojiao hummed in agreement and didn't say anything more.

Isn't it enough to offer a warm welcome only once and receive a cold shoulder?