Hearing Cen's mother say this, the woman suddenly felt a little awkward.

"Madam, please don't say that. We're hardly honored guests. It's already kind of you that you don't think we're here to freeload."

The woman held the little girl's hand tightly the whole time.

Her hands were a bit rough; when she held them, you could feel the calluses covering them. There were more men than women there; they were living a very hard life.

Cen's mother also knew this.

She just wanted the couple to know that although Fengyue Tower was a brothel, the little girl was much better off staying there than living with them.

Food was scarce in the border town during winter. Every day, all we had was meat, cabbage, and radishes, which were vegetables we had stocked up on in the fall.

Today we had sauerkraut stewed with pork bones. The meat on the bones was stewed until it fell off the bone, and the marrow inside was also stewed out. Blood sausage was also added. When the whole dish was served, the aroma immediately filled the hall.

We have guests today, and the table is laden with sixteen dishes.

It sounds like a lot, but most of the girls in the building came down to eat together. The waiters put the tables together, and everyone gathered around them.

Almost every girl in the building had a maid, except for the newly arrived girls. Their maids ate with the waiters in the back.

After the man returned, dinner was served in the building; the round trip took no more than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Rent is very cheap near brothels. Most people consider it unlucky to be near such places and are afraid that their family members will be corrupted.

The couple had never seen such a large meal for guests in their lives. Each dish was served in a large bowl. Were all the girls in the border town such big eaters?

That's the truth. There will definitely be leftovers, but not many. It's probably just enough for the kitchen staff for one meal.

It's cold in the border town, and these girls do a lot of hard work at night.

There were girls who could play music and dance, paint and write poetry, and one who could even wield a sword! It would take too much energy to pretend to be friendly and joke around with those men, so Madam Cen never skimped on the girls' meals.

Cen's mother started eating first, picking out a large bone for her little girl.

The meat on the bone was jiggling when picked up; it was a perfect mix of lean and fat.

"Come on, let our little one gnaw on a bone first. Eat more so you can grow strong."

Cen's mother used almost the same excuse every day. Huo Xiaolong looked at the bones in the bowl; she was actually getting a little tired of them.

Aunt Zhang in the kitchen does cook delicious food, but even that can't keep up with eating meat at every meal except breakfast.

But seeing the way Cen's mother looked at her, the little dumpling pursed her lips, picked up the bone and started gnawing on it!

Seeing the little girl eating, the two women beside her smiled kindly, just like the maternal glow described in the book of a past life.

If light could be visualized, the light behind them would definitely be blindingly bright.

Since Long'er was abducted, their family hadn't eaten anything oily or greasy. In addition, being in a brothel made the couple a little reserved.

It was Cen's mother who had the maid serve them more dishes several times.

After finishing the meal, the woman held the little girl for a while and whispered some sweet nothings to her.

"Long'er, are you doing well here?"

Huo Xiaolong nodded. "Great. Everyone in the building treats her well; there's no one who treats her badly."

"Okay, everyone is very kind to me."

"My son was just lucky."

Yes, it's really lucky that Long'er was able to come here.

Cen's mother said that at the time she just wanted to see if there were any new girls with good looks. Those kidnappers were very familiar with the people in their brothel and claimed to be brokers.

As soon as she stepped through the door, she saw a cripple carrying the little girl out of a basket. She didn't want to get involved, but for some reason, her legs just wouldn't move that day.

After a morning of haggling with the human traffickers, they bought Huo Xiaolong back for one hundred taels of silver.

This price is already the most expensive among all the girls in the building.

She didn't know what to do with such a young girl. The girls in the brothel were all around fifteen or sixteen years old when they came, with the youngest being twelve or thirteen. They generally knew what a brothel was and what they did there.

Three days later, the little girl woke up and saw Ya Dan sitting on the bed, motionless, staring at her longingly.

She thought she had to make money so that the girl wouldn't have to do anything in the future. She could find an obedient son-in-law who would live with her family, the kind who wouldn't dare to go west if she told him to go east, and who would be filial. She could go a little further south, buy a big house, bring a few maids, and let the girl take care of her in her old age, treating her like her daughter.

That's what Cen's mother thought, and that's what she did. For almost a year, her little girl slept with her every night.

"Our little girl is so lovable!"

Chunying came over after digesting her food and pinched her cheek.

"It's getting late, Madam. Here's the household registration."

The man presented his family register with both hands, and the maid took it and handed it to Mother Cen.

Cen's mother nodded

"Then my husband and I will take our leave for today, and we'll come to see Long'er again tomorrow."

They've already entrusted their household registration to you; they're sincere. But the brothel needs to make money at night, so the couple took their leave, even though the mother was reluctant to part with her daughter.

The woman gently touched the little girl's cheek.

"Mom will come to see you again tomorrow, and I'll bring you some sweets."

Huo Xiaolong nodded

"good"

After the couple left, Cen's mother picked up the little dumpling and said...

"Your parents have come to find you, little one. You're going to have a home soon."

Mother Cen was heartbroken. She didn't want the little girl to be taken away, but if the couple were doing well, it would definitely be better than her being in a brothel. Even if life was tough, she would still be there for the girl, and she could give her more money.

"Mom! I'm not leaving!"

The little girl buried her head in Cen's mother's neck and said...

I can't bear to part with you.

In her past life, she felt that many parents' love was reserved, and children's love for their parents was also reserved, too shy to express it. People might never hear a single heartfelt word from their children in their entire lives.

She's different; she says whatever comes to mind.

She thought that if God gave her a second chance to learn how to love, then she must express all her feelings so that she would have no regrets.

"Oh, my child," Mrs. Cen said, her eyes reddening.

"Come and see what your parents' names are, so you don't end up clueless and know nothing."

The woman, draped in a black robe, opened the household register, pointed to the names on it, and said...

"Head of household, Huo Shuwen, eight feet tall, this is your father, understand?"

The little girl nodded, and Cen's mother continued reading.

"His wife, He Yi, is six feet tall. This one is your mother."

"You also have an older brother, Huo Xiaocheng. His height and physical characteristics can only be registered when he turns twenty."

Cen's mother continued reading.

"His daughter, Huo Xiaolong, suffers from a brain disorder and is mentally challenged..."

She stopped reading halfway through. This rubbish was too hurtful. Why write it in so much detail? She'd have Little Girl's father go to the county government in a few days and get the clerk to revise it. She'd find someone to help. What a piece of junk.

The little girl herself doesn't really care; it's all in the past anyway.