Fang Qiao watched Xiao Jing ride away on her bicycle before leading Xiao Long to the bus stop to wait for the bus.

Xiaolong's feet were firmly planted on the ground, his buttocks were sticking out desperately, and he cried and shouted but refused to move.

Five or six-year-old children are already quite strong, not to mention Xiaolong, who eats like a meatball. He deliberately threw a tantrum and lay down on the ground. Fang Qiao couldn't hold him back, and her hand slipped. The little meatball fell backward with a 'splat' on his bottom.

As a result, the child cried even harder.

The pig-like wailing was deafening, making it seem as if Fang Qiao was a child trafficker, attracting strange looks from many passersby.

There was also a kind-hearted older woman who took the initiative to ask the two what their relationship was.

Fang Qiao patiently explained, which dispelled the concerns of the kind-hearted woman.

However, when she turned around, Xiaolong was still throwing a tantrum on the ground. Fang Qiao was exhausted: "Are you going or not?"

Next to the bus stop on the street corner, there was a state-run newsstand, which also served as a small shop selling daily necessities and snacks. Outside, there was a long straw stick with bright red candied hawthorns stuck on it.

When Xiaolong cries, his eyes always sneakily glance at the candied hawthorns.

With tears streaming down his face and hiccuping from crying, Xiaolong still managed to bargain with Fang Qiao: "Auntie, I'll go with you obediently, can you buy me a candied hawthorn?"

Fang Qiao was speechless: "..."

Good grief, what time is it and you're still thinking about candied hawthorns? Your mom's in the hospital, aren't you worried at all?

Children the same age as Tian Tian are already talking, so why is this child still only thinking about food?

Fang Qiao shook her head helplessly, but in order to make her behave, she still bought him a string of candied hawthorns from the shop window.

I'll spend five cents to get some peace and quiet, so I don't have to argue with her on the bus later and be made a fool of. That would be so embarrassing.

After buying the candied hawthorns, Xiaolong indeed quieted down.

The bus heading south of the city arrived shortly afterward, and Fang Qiao led Xiao Long onto the bus.

Because of the Spring Festival, many people went to the city to buy New Year's goods, and the bus was crowded with people, almost without room to move. Fang Qiao helped Xiao Long onto the bus and heard the ticket seller standing on the platform above the fuel tank at the front shouting: "Move to the back, everyone move to the back, there's more space in the back, don't all crowd in the front."

Fang Qiao also wanted to move to the back, but there were just too many people, and she couldn't move forward at all.

She tugged at Xiaolong's arm and said, "Stay close to me, don't fall behind."

Xiao Long was protecting the candied hawthorn in his arms when he heard this, and gave a perfunctory reply.

The bus started moving, and after a while, the ticket seller came over to collect the tickets and at the same time cleared the crowd that was packed together, and the surrounding area finally became a little more spacious.

Fortunately, the most crowded section of the bus wasn't very long. Fang Qiao stood for two stops before most of the passengers got off. She was quick-witted and nimble-fingered, and as soon as some people got off, she quickly grabbed a seat and sat down with Xiao Long, each of them sharing a seat.

Xiao Long shifted uncomfortably in his seat and said, "Auntie, I think it's a bit cramped for the two of us to sit together."

The kid couldn't hide his intentions; Fang Qiao knew exactly what he was going to say the moment he opened his mouth.

But Fang Qiao wasn't his parent and wouldn't tolerate his bad temper, so she directly asked him, "What do you want to do?"

Xiao Long whispered, "Auntie, could you stand up and let me sit down by myself?"

Fang Qiao glanced at him sideways: "Let the elders stand while you sit? Do you think that's appropriate?"

Her voice was cold, and her gaze towards him was not as loving as her aunt's.

Children are naturally perceptive; they know perfectly well who will indulge them and who won't. So when he saw Fang Qiao's expression, he shrank back and became obedient, not daring to make any more unreasonable demands on the rest of the way.

The child was quiet, which made Fang Qiao happy to have some peace and quiet.

The bus stopped at a stop near Fang Qiao's parents' home, and she got off with Xiao Long. Just as they turned into the alley, they ran into a neighbor.

"Xiao Qiao has gone back to her parents' home."

"Yes." Fang Qiao smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries, then led Xiao Long forward.

Tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve, and many families in the alley are preparing food for the New Year, including Fang Qiao's family.

Her mother, Yang Fengxia, moved the kitchen items outside and set up a large pot in the yard. The pot was filled with hot oil, and at that moment she was frying meatballs with a strainer.

Her older sister, Fang Xue, was also there. She moved a small stool and sat in front of the stove, watching the fire. She was holding a bowl with freshly fried meatballs in it and was eating them.

"Grandma!" As soon as they arrived at the door, Xiaolong immediately broke free from Fang Qiao's hand and rushed into Yang Fengxia's arms like a little cannonball.

Yang Fengxia was jolted off balance by his sudden charge and almost dropped the strainer in her hand.

She turned pale with fright, pulling Xiaolong backward while saying, "Oh dear, my little darling, you can't rush like that! There's a frying pan of oil up ahead, it's scalding hot, it could burn your skin off, it's terrible!"

Little Long ignored all of that and tiptoed into the pot, asking, "Grandma, Grandma, what kind of meatballs are you frying? I want to eat some."

The youngest son and eldest grandson are the old lady's lifeblood.

Yang Fengxia couldn't bear to lose her temper with her eldest grandson, so she turned to her daughter-in-law, wanting to cause trouble for her: "Xiaoping, how can you take care of the child? Didn't you see there's a frying pan in front of me? How dangerous..." Before she could finish the word "dangerous," she saw Fang Qiao.

Her expression changed slightly: "Xiao Qiao, what brings you here? Where are your older brother and sister-in-law? Didn't they take Xiao Long to the department store to buy New Year's goods?"

Fang Qiao called out "Mom," greeted Fang Xue, and then replied, "I met your older brother and sister-in-law near the department store."

Before she could finish speaking, Xiaolong started tugging at Yang Fengxia's clothes, wanting to eat a meatball. Yang Fengxia, no longer in the mood to listen to Fang Qiao, bent down, picked up a meatball with her hand, and stuffed it into Xiaolong's mouth, saying, "Eat up, it's your favorite radish filling."

After saying that, she grabbed a small handful, stuffed it into his hand, and pushed him aside: "Take it, go eat over there, Grandma will talk to your aunt for a while."

Xiao Long reached out to take it.

Seeing this, Fang Qiao frowned and said, "Wait."

Yang Fengxia was puzzled: "What's wrong?"

Fang Qiao pointed at Xiao Long and said, "He didn't wash his hands."

They were throwing a tantrum and rolling around on the ground outside, their hands were filthy.

Upon hearing this, Yang Fengxia let out a soft "Oh," her nonchalant expression seeming to say, "Is that all? I thought you were going to say something else."

"It's alright, raising children doesn't require such meticulous care. A little dirt won't hurt you."

As she spoke, Yang Fengxia took Xiaolong's hand and placed the fried meatballs in his hand.

Fang Qiao frowned, seemingly wanting to say something but stopping herself.

"..."

Never mind, it's not her child anyway.

Xiao Long, on the other hand, happily grabbed a handful of meatballs and ate them as he walked away.