Bai Xiaoyue wanted to bandage Cui Yu, but Yan Ci wouldn't allow it.

He removed the bandages from Cui Yu himself; the wound was so deep that bone was visible. He sprinkled medicine powder on Cui Yu and re-bandaged it.

Everyone sat casually in the carriage. There were a few old cushions that Bai Wenyi had placed there, but they weren't enough. Bai Xiaoyue saw an old quilt and pulled it over for everyone to sit on.

Yan Ci said to Bai Xiaoyue, "I'll go get the car. Let Lin Xiao rest in the back."

Chang Le said, "Uncle Yan, I'll go to the passenger seat so that Second Uncle can also come and rest in the back."

Seeing Lin Xiao and Bai Wenyi's faces, Bai Xiaoyue felt an indescribable sadness. Why did she always run into bad people? Why was it so difficult to get anything done?

She asked Bai Wenyi, "Second Brother, are you alright?"

Bai Wenli stopped crying and quickly replied, "Something happened; all the money was stolen."

Everyone was shocked.

Li Mingyue exclaimed in shock: "What? More than 20,000 yuan has been stolen?"

Bai Wenli said dejectedly, "Yeah, it was stolen. We're so unlucky. Xiao Cui even got injured."

With red eyes, Xiaobai said, "Brother Cui got hurt while protecting me."

It turned out that they were driving home, and before they had gone far, Lin Xiao noticed a person lying in the middle of the road, making it impossible for the car to pass by.

Lin Xiao got out of the car to take a look. Just as he walked up to the person, a group of young children, about a dozen or so, rushed over.

They were all around fifteen or sixteen years old, and they surrounded Lin Xiao.

Bai Wenli, Bai Wenyi, Cui Yu, and Xiao Bai had no choice but to get out of the car.

The group of children demanded that they hand over their money, saying they knew the children had a lot of money.

Bai Wenyi said no, but the group of children didn't believe him and started fighting.

They were all teenagers, seemingly willing to risk their lives for money; some were carrying iron bars, others were carrying knives.

Two fists can't beat four hands; the opponent outnumbers them and is fearless, making them very difficult to deal with.

Xiao Bai didn't pay attention to his back; someone almost hurt him with a knife, but Cui Yu blocked it with his arm.

Bai Wenyi had no choice but to give them the bag containing the money.

The group had just received the bags when a large bus arrived behind them, and they ran away in fright.

Everyone was stunned; the money had really been stolen.

Bai Xiaoyue felt a lingering fear and rubbed her son's head: "Xiaobai, were you scared?" Xiaobai shook his head.

She then said to Cui Yu, "Cui Yu, thank you for saving Xiaobai."

A blush crept across Cui Yu's pale face: "Auntie, you're too kind. My life was saved by Uncle."

Bai Xiaoyue extended an invitation to her son's savior:

“Cui Yu, your hand is injured and you can’t do anything. Come to my house and rest for a few days. Let Xiao Bai take care of you.”

Xiao Bai nodded vigorously: "Brother Cui, I'll take care of you."

Although Cui Yu was very willing, he still politely said, "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?"

Xiao Bai quickly replied, "No trouble at all, no trouble at all."

Everyone was feeling down, and it wasn't just because they had put in so much effort to sell the clothes.

This money is the village's collective property, and it concerns everyone. No wonder Bai Wenli, a grown man, cried so bitterly.

Bai Wenli scolded his younger brother: "Wenyi, I clearly caught someone, but you insisted that I release him."

Everyone turned to look at Bai Wenyi.

Bai Wenyi explained, "Brother, I'm just worried about you getting hurt. Cui Yu is already injured. Besides, with so many people surrounding us, I'm afraid they might do something desperate."

Bai Xiaoyue felt that her second brother was not in a good mood. Logically speaking, as the person in charge of the factory, he should be the one crying his eyes out after losing such a large sum of money.

He's usually such a stingy person, but when someone tried to steal his money, he didn't even fight back. That's not like him at all!

She asked Bai Wenyi, "Second Brother, is the money really lost?"

Everyone turned to look at Bai Wenyi.

Bai Wenli said urgently, "Xiaoyue, don't you believe me? We saw it clearly, the bag was snatched away."

Lin Xiao, Cui Yu, and Xiao Bai nodded in unison.

Bai Wenyi scratched his head and said, "The money is still there; it wasn't stolen."

Now, everyone stared at him wide-eyed, afraid they were hallucinating.

He chuckled:

"They stole a bag, but there was no money in it; it contained comic books that the children had bought. I exchanged them with Yan Ci before I got on the bus."

Bai Xiaoyue remembered the bag that Yan Ci had asked her to keep an eye on before he got out of the car.

He got up, found it, and quickly opened it; it was full of money.

She showed everyone, saying, "The money is all here, so don't be sad."

Everyone was overjoyed to have their money back.

Bai Wenli, in particular, started wiping away tears again.

Lin Xiao shouted, "Brother Wen, you should have said so earlier! You scared me to death!"

Li Mingyue clasped her hands together and murmured, "Thank God for protecting us."

Bai Xiaoyue was also very relieved that the money was still there; otherwise, the New Year would have been chaotic.

She asked, "Second Brother, why did you suddenly decide to switch bags with Yan Ci?"

Bai Wenyi: "Xiaoyue, don't laugh at me, but I felt guilty that Yan Ci wasn't with us."

I asked Yan Ci to come with me, but he said he was worried about you.

I told him I was afraid of encountering thieves on the road, so he gave me a bag to exchange.

Thank goodness, thank goodness, otherwise, even if my second brother sold himself, he couldn't afford to compensate for it!

He didn't mention the disdainful look Yan Ci gave him at the time.

Bai Xiaoyue said, "How did those people know you were rich?"

Bai Wenyi: "Judging from their tone, it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. They probably knew we were selling clothes and had been keeping an eye on us for a while."

Bai Xiaoyue: "You all need to be careful in the future, this is so dangerous! Especially for teenagers like these who are most fearless of death."

Bai Wenyi said, "I won't be coming to the provincial capital for the time being. I'll focus on developing the department store in the county town. This money is hard to earn; my second brother is terrified."

Bai Wenli: "That's for the best. It's too chaotic outside. The village is much better."

Everyone nodded in unison.

Although it was cold, everyone sat huddled together and didn't feel much of a chill.

Yan Ci stopped the car and asked everyone to get off; it turned out they had arrived at the health center.

Cui Yu's wound was deep and long. The doctor disinfected, sutured, and bandaged it.

Bai Xiaoyue then asked the doctor to examine the beaten men. Fortunately, except for Cui Yu, the others only had superficial injuries that could be treated with some ointment.

Back in the village, everyone went home, but Cui Yu was pulled back to the Yan family by Xiao Bai.

Bai Xiaoyue made a big pot of noodle soup for everyone to eat.

After drinking two bowls, I felt warm all over.

The journey was cold and bumpy, and we were all frightened. Everyone was exhausted, both physically and mentally.

After dinner, Bai Xiaoyue told everyone to heat up the kang (heated brick bed) and go to rest, while Cui Yu and Xiaoyue could stay together.

He and Yan Ci went back to their room to sleep.

After tidying herself up, Bai Xiaoyue lay down on the heated kang and sighed comfortably, "Home is still the most comfortable place. There's no place like home."

Yan Ci chuckled, "Wife, you like sleeping in a doghouse?"

Bai Xiaoyue snuggled into Yan Ci's arms: "I like it here."

Yan Ci hugged his wife tightly. He was really not used to sleeping outside. His wife slept with a group of women, while he slept with a bunch of men. Home was the best place.

The couple had a wonderful afternoon nap, and Bai Xiaoyue got up refreshed to prepare dinner.