Cheng Xiangxiang has been counting down the days, this is the New Year she has been looking forward to the most since she was old enough to understand. Since her mother came to Pingyang County, her spirits have improved a lot, and her appearance has also changed from the old look caused by mental exhaustion. At first, her mother was unwilling to take her to live in the red-light district.

Because of the name and its bad connotation, the mother and daughter argued for several days. Later, after her maternal grandmother took her mother to a brothel, her mother asked the housekeeper to bring over the luggage that night.

Plum blossom ointment works instantly; who could resist such temptation? Besides, brothels usually require advance booking, but being close by makes it easier to get a table. She lives next door; I don't believe I can't book a table every day.

The little girl thought to herself, "So this is how easy it is for my mother to leave her father."

I don’t know if the message she sent to Beining County has arrived. There are only two or three familiar people in Hou Xiangxiang’s county magistrate’s mansion. Besides the maid who serves her, the only other one is her mother’s wet nurse, whom everyone calls Granny Hou.

According to Granny Hou, her mother was raised well from a young age and never had any experience with the power struggles within the household. It's clear that her mother was indeed not good at fighting; she had time to embroider and cry at the same time.

But a master wouldn't do that; only a servant would.

Granny Hou is no pushover. Everyone in the prefectural governor's mansion, from top to bottom, respects her. You might ask why a servant of an unfavored first wife could have such power?

She has her mother! Although her mother isn't good at fighting, she's good at managing money.

Even if her father gave Granny Hou a hard time, her mother would cut off his allowance for a few days.

The little girl has been asking Huo Xiaolong to call her Hou Xiangxiang these past few days. Changing her name was inevitable, so it's good for her to get used to it in advance.

Just as the two sisters were causing trouble for the bear cubs again, the door of the Huo family rang.

—Knock knock knock

—Brother Wen, is anyone home?

Hearing the familiar voice and hearing the urgent tone, Huo Xiaolong quickly went to the door, unlocked it, and poked his head out to say...

"Here! Uncle Scarface"

Huo Xiaolong was still short, and at first he could only see the man's thighs. It wasn't until he looked up that he could see that the man was carrying someone on his back.

She was an elderly woman in her fifties, and standing next to her was a young woman in her twenties. The young woman had her hair up, and there were several cuts on her face and body that were bleeding.

"Mom, what's going on? Come in quickly, Uncle!"

Scarface, seeing that it was Huo Xiaolong who opened the door, was a little embarrassed to go inside and said to her...

"Long'er, could you please talk to your father for me?"

"Why are you talking to my dad! Just come in already! Look at the state of things, why are you being so polite?"

Huo Xiaolong and Hou Xiangxiang pushed the doors open from either side, and the little girl eagerly urged them to go inside. At this moment, Huo Shuwen also heard Scarface's voice and came out of the house. Looking at the bloodstains on the floor, the man frowned and said...

"What happened?"

Scarface knew he was a scoundrel, so he almost never came to see Huo Shuwen unless he had something to do. Huo Shuwen was a respectable man with a wife and children, and it wouldn't be good for him to keep visiting him; it would damage his reputation.

They came to my door today because they had no other choice.

"Brother Wen"

The man suddenly knelt on the ground, carrying the old woman on his back, and said in a tearful voice...

"Brother Wen, I only came here because I was truly desperate. It's really... bad luck to bring misfortune to your family right before the New Year."

The ground behind him was stained with blood, and the old woman he was carrying on his back was also injured. Bringing blood to someone's house during the New Year—if you weren't familiar with them, you'd kick them out long ago. Isn't that just bringing bad luck?

"Get to the point!"

Huo Shuwen hates people who don't get straight to the point. It's obvious something's wrong, just say it directly. He'll help if he can, and there's nothing he can do if he can't.

"A group of human traffickers found my house and injured my mother and wife. My wife carried my mother away. Before they left, they burned down my house."

He Yi also heard the commotion outside and stood at the door to look. When she heard that it was human traffickers doing this, she quickly came forward and asked...

"Weren't those people arrested? Are there still human traffickers in Pingyang County?"

She was referring to the group of people who abducted Hou Xiangxiang some time ago. Moreover, Wang Zheng has recently intensified his efforts to crack down on human traffickers, so there shouldn't be any human traffickers in Pingyang County acting so brazenly.

The man shook his head and said...

"I don't know, but I'm sure they're not from the border town; their accents don't sound like it."

Huo Shuwen stood still, looking deep in thought. In reality, Xiong Ying was wondering if there was any room left at home for his few friends. Would it be inconvenient if Scarface moved in? Should he ask his wife for some money so they could stay at a guesthouse?

"Get up now, Scarface!"

He Yi nudged Huo Shuwen with her elbow and winked at him, "Help him up! What are you standing there for?"

Huo Shuwen quickly helped the kneeling man in front of him up, and He Yi arranged for Erhei to find Doctor Gu.

"Brother Wen..."

Scarface was so moved he didn't know what to say, and Master Huo wasn't much of a talker either, so they just stared at each other.

After settling her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in, He Yi came out and said...

"Scarface, we owe you a great deal of help when we redeemed Long'er. Don't mention thanking us; Long'er's return to us owes a debt to your efforts."

The seven-foot-tall young man, his eyes red, could only nod and wipe away his tears as he uttered a single sentence.

"Hey! Thank you, sister-in-law."

Huo Xiaolong and Hou Xiangxiang heard that they disappeared halfway there. One ran to Fengyue Tower to find Cen Ang, and the other went home to find her mother.

The little dumpling asked Cen's mother to come over because He Yi probably had to follow Dr. Gu around and run errands, leaving Huo Shuwen and Uncle Scarface alone would definitely be awkward, and they probably wouldn't even get a meal. Asking the godmother to come over could at least help out, since they couldn't just come to the house and not even get a sip of hot water or a bowl of hot food.

Hou Xiangxiang is also nagging her mother and grandmother.

"Mom, can you give me some money?"

What do you need money for?

Since this child went to his maternal grandparents' house, his personality has become more and more outgoing. He would never have so brazenly asked for money before.

"The person who saved me that day wasn't just Long'er, but also her uncle and others. And I just heard that his house was burned down by human traffickers. Mom, that's what you taught me—to be grateful and repay kindness."

Madam Hou patted her daughter's head and said...

"How do you want to report it? Just tell me."

"Why don't you buy him a house?"

Where can I buy it?

Actually, houses in Pingyang County aren't expensive; it's only a few months' worth of Xiangxiang's monthly allowance. But since the girl brought it up, she has to make the decision herself.

Hou Xiangxiang shook her head, and Hou continued to ask.

"Do you want this money back, or are you borrowing it?"

If she borrows the money, the girl will not receive her monthly allowance for the next few months. If she accepts it, it will be her mother repaying the favor, not her own.

Hou Xiangxiang gritted her teeth and said

"I'll borrow it!"

At worst, I can just mooch some snacks from Long'er and pay her back after these few months are over! Besides, there aren't many places to spend money in Pingyang County; the girl spends most of her money on clothes and jewelry.

"Alright, Mom has your eye on you!"

After saying this, Madam Hou stood up, took her daughter's hand, and continued speaking.

"Come on, take me to see your savior. He saved my daughter, so I'm partly to repay his kindness."

The little girl nodded firmly and said...

"Yes! Mother is the best!"