After seeing off the plague, Yuan Doudou exhaled a breath of stale air.

I must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to run into this family of oddballs.

Seeing his mother's displeasure, Anji quickly comforted her, "Mother, don't be sad. When I grow up, I'll take you away from here and let you live a carefree life."

A hint of surprise flashed in Yuan Doudou's eyes: "Anji, who taught you to say that?"

"Nobody taught me," Angie said as she went inside, looking for Xiaobai.

The next moment, he ran out of the house: "Mother, something bad has happened! Little White is missing!"

Yuan Doudou was preparing a meal in the kitchen when she heard the noise. She rushed out and searched the whole house, but there was no sign of Xiaobai.

"Mother, has Little White been stolen?" Angie asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

Yuan Doudou thought to herself, Xiaobai is very smart. Even if someone tries to steal from him, he can handle it and won't let the other party succeed. There is only one possibility for his disappearance: he left on his own.

A cat wanted to leave, and even a high wall couldn't stop it.

"Anji, don't worry. Xiaobai might just have gone out to play. It'll be bored if it's home alone."

Tears streamed down Angie's face as he hoped that, as his mother had said, Little White would return.

Xiaobai didn't come back, and neither of them had an appetite. They made scrambled eggs with tomatoes, but Anji couldn't eat a single bite.

I guess they were full from eating sesame seed cakes.

Yuan Doudou was anxious, waiting for Xiaobai to return. She only ate a few bites before feeling full.

After lunch, Anji lay down on the bed, looking sullen.

"Angie, take a nap. Maybe when you wake up, Xiaobai will be back." She could only try her best to comfort her.

But she had a feeling that Xiaobai wouldn't come back.

Sure enough, when night fell, Xiaobai still hadn't returned. Angie sat by the door, looking out into the pitch-black darkness, hoping it would appear.

In a daze, Angie heard a cat meow. He looked around and found that it was just the chirping of insects in the field.

"Angie, go inside and go to sleep." She wanted to say that Xiaobai wouldn't be coming back.

Watching Angie's small figure from behind, her heart couldn't help but clench.

"Mommy, wait a little longer, I'm not sleepy." He really wanted to go out and find Little White. Maybe it was waiting for him outside, and they could play hide-and-seek with it.

My mother will definitely not agree.

"Okay, Mommy will stay with you. Lean against me." Yuan Doudou sat down next to Anji, stretched out her arms, and hugged him.

They sat quietly, staring blankly outside.

"Mommy, do you think Little White is homesick and has gone back to find its family?" Angie began to let his imagination run wild.

In his mind, he saw a picture of Xiaobai reuniting with her family, a house full of colorful cats.

They held Little White in their arms, excited and thrilled by his return.

Little White, with its eyes half-closed, enjoys the love and care from its family.

He completely forgot that he and his mother were waiting for it to come back at home.

Yuan Doudou agreed with his guess: "Anji has a mother, and Xiaobai has a mother too. It's normal for it to miss home after being separated from its mother for a while. So, Anji, do you want it to come back or do you want it to stay with its family forever?"

Angie was caught in a dilemma. He wanted Little White to come back, but he didn't want its family to be sad because of its departure.

What should I do?

"Mother, can we take in its family?" The yard is big enough to accommodate Little White and its family.

Yuan Doudou smiled and said, "Even if Mother is willing to take them in, they might not come. The outside world is wider and freer. What is more important than freedom?"

Her goal was simple: to achieve financial freedom and reach the pinnacle of life.

Xiaobai made the right choice. She also wanted to leave this place, see the outside world, find a beautiful place to settle down, and retire.

"Mother, Little White will definitely come back, I believe it." They had been through danger together, and it was Little White who helped him and his mother.

It's been so good to them, it won't abandon them.

Anji was lost in thought, and after a while, his mind became hazy. He leaned against his mother's chest and fell asleep.

Yuan Doudou looked down at his peaceful sleeping face, her heart melting.

She picked up Angie, gently placed him on the bed, and pulled a thin blanket over his stomach.

She had to set up her stall tomorrow, so she couldn't stay up any longer. After washing up, she fell asleep next to Anji.

In the dead of night, at Anjia Courtyard.

Xiao Bai tiptoed into the room and looked at the beautiful woman on the bed; his heart pounded.

Please forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye. For your own good, I cannot stay here any longer.

He stared blankly for a long while until he heard a cat meowing: "Your Highness, hurry up and leave. If the Queen finds out, I'll be struck by lightning."

Last time, because the Queen failed to keep an eye on His Highness, he escaped. The Queen summoned three bolts of lightning, which almost killed him. Fortunately, after striking him, the Queen gave him a revival pill.

That's how one cat was saved.

In her sleep, Yuan Doudou seemed to hear a cat's meow, which sounded very familiar.

She opened her eyes, her voice hoarse: "Xiaobai, is that you?"

The house was very quiet.

She continued lying there, forcing a bitter smile. She was still hallucinating.

Outside, Little White stood on the courtyard wall, looking at her through the window.

She's gone, woman.

Then, they disappeared into the night.

The next day, the village suddenly became lively.

Yuan Doudou was in the kitchen, making pancakes on a griddle. The batter was just right, not too thick or too thin, and it should be able to coat the surface when lifted with chopsticks.

Scoop it up with a spoon and pour it into the center of the griddle, forming a circle about the size of a rice cracker. Use the bamboo handle to spread it outwards from the center in a circular motion. The bamboo handle is shaped like a bamboo dragonfly.

Pancakes made this way are thin, round, and quick to prepare.

Yuan Doudou had just finished spreading a large bowl of batter when she heard a commotion outside: "The flower thief really is here?"

Flower thief? I've heard Brother Wang mention him before.

Could they really have come to their village? These days, flower thieves aren't picky at all. They don't pick rich girls in town anymore, but come to this remote village to pick wildflowers.

"DouDou, are you home?" Zhang Aiju knocked on the door.

Yuan Doudou put down the bamboo handle and hurriedly went out to open the door: "Godmother, why are you covered in sweat?"

Zhang Aiju's face flushed red, and she was still a little out of breath: "It's terrible! The flower thief came last night, and some people in the village have been harmed."

"Who?" Yuan Doudou couldn't help but feel nervous.

Zhang Aiju exhaled through her nose: "Wang Cuihua's daughter, Xueqing."

She had never liked that girl; she was always up to no good in the village. Now that she was in such a sorry state, she was looking for a husband, and the wedding was tomorrow. Who knew that she would be targeted by thieves?

"How is she?" Upon hearing that it was Li Xueqing, she felt no emotion.

Zhang Aiju frowned: "I didn't go to see him. I heard from them that he has gone mad."

The fact that this thief could drive Li Xueqing crazy shows that his methods are extraordinary.

"I came here to tell you that you must be extra careful tonight and make sure all the doors and windows are locked." Zhang Aiju was anxious. Dou Dou was as beautiful as a fairy, and if she were targeted by thieves, she would be in big trouble.