Jinbao felt like he was about to die.

It is now October, and the cold air is mixed with drizzle. Jinbao is wearing a thin short-sleeved shirt and kneeling in the rain outside the door, explaining humbly.

"Mom, I didn't steal..."

"You still dare to quibble?"

Xu Yuan gritted her teeth and hit Jinbao with the stick in her hand without mercy, not caring at all whether Jinbao's eight-year-old body could withstand such a beating.

Seeing that his mother was beating him harder and harder, Jinbao cleverly gritted his teeth and stopped making any sound, letting the stick fall on him again and again.

She really didn't steal it. She just saw a drop of yogurt on the ground and dipped her finger in it to see what it tasted like.

Who knew that as soon as I tasted the sour and sweet taste, my younger brother Jiang Tian found it and told my mother.

"Even if it fell on the ground, it's not for you. A dog eating it would be more useful than you."

"You don't sweep the floor or wash the dishes. What else do you do all day besides eating?"

"Why was I so blind to bring you back? You are such an unlucky star!

Jinbao shivered from the cold and seemed to have no feeling in his body. Even the hitting of the stick on his back didn't hurt as much.

"Mom, Jinbao is not a jinx..."

She wanted to explain that she was not a jinx but a little devil, but her mother beat her even harder, grabbing her ears and forcing her to kneel straight.

"Are you going to say that you are the Little King of Hell, who burned the Book of Life and Death and came here to look for evil spirits? Bah!"

"If you are the little king of hell, I am the Queen Mother in heaven!"

The younger brother Jiang Tian, ​​wearing a newly bought wool sweater, leaned against the window to look out, clapping his hands as he looked, with a look of naive malice in his eyes: "Good job, Mom, beat this money-loser to death! Little bitch!"

Xu Yuan always said these words on weekdays, and Jiang Tian learned them from her. When she saw Jin Bao being beaten, she didn't feel scared, but found it interesting.

The courtyard door was opened, and Dad Jiang Jianren came back from outside, drunk. When he walked to Jinbao, he kicked Jinbao hard on the head.

"Go away, you're in the way. Can't you see I'm unhappy?"

Jinbao didn't have much strength to begin with, and after being kicked like that he fell directly to the ground, with water choking on his nose and mouth, but no one cared.

Jiang Jianren spat, ignored everything that happened in the yard, and went into the house wrapped in clothes, cursing.

"Damn it, give me some more money tomorrow, and then we can have another gamble after we finish drinking. I don't believe I can't beat them!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan became furious. All the money in the family had been taken away by Jiang Jianren for drinking and gambling, but she couldn't say anything, so she could only vent her anger on Jinbao.

Xu Yuan hit him twice more and threw the stick aside: "If you want to play dead, just lie here."

Jinbao lay in the rain, her body growing colder and colder, her vision becoming increasingly blurred. She wondered if she was about to die, and if she died she would not be beaten.

But before she died, she still didn't understand why her mother had changed.

When her mother brought her back home, she gave her a hot meal and did not let her kneel.

But ever since her younger brother was born, her mother stopped giving her food and asked her to clean the floor at home every day. If she was not satisfied with anything, her mother would beat her severely to vent her anger.

Jinbao wanted to say that she was neither a burden nor a jinx, and as long as her parents loved her, things would get better and better at home.

She thought that if she was obedient, her mother would become the same as before, but now her mother hates her more and more.

The sky gradually darkened, and it seemed as if some monster would jump out of the darkness at any time.

The night wind was bitingly cold, Jinbao's head was becoming more and more dizzy, and his strength was gradually draining away.

Before he lost consciousness, Jinbao took a last look at the warm light in the house. His brother was held in his mother's arms...

[Mom, I'm sorry. Jinbao's body hurts so much. I don't think I can hold on any longer.]

…

On the road not far from the old town, a man was sitting in a black Volkswagen. His face was cold and indifferent, and he had a ferocious feeling that said "keep away from strangers".

There was a hint of impatience between Gu Yu's brows. He placed one hand casually on the steering wheel and rubbed his temple lightly with the other hand.

He had stood on the operating table for two hours today and was already physically and mentally exhausted. Now he was stuck in a traffic jam and felt a little panicky, which made him a little irritable.

The moment the red light turned green, a little girl's voice sounded in Gu Yu's ears.

[Jinbao doesn't want to die yet. Jinbao has already obeyed.]

Gu Yu stepped on the brakes urgently. The little girl's voice seemed to be right next to his ears, and the feeling of panic became more and more intense.

[Is there anyone who can save Jinbao? Jinbao is cold and in pain...]

Somehow, Gu Yu felt that this little girl named "Jinbao" seemed very important. Could she be his younger sister?

Thinking of his sister, Gu Yu felt heartbroken and blamed himself. He had clearly promised his sister that he would accompany her to buy candy, but he broke his promise.

Before leaving, my sister left a note with the words written crookedly on it: Dad and brother, I'm going to buy the most beautiful candy for Mom!

Since that day, my sister never came back.

Subconsciously, Gu Yu turned the car around and drove towards the dirty and dilapidated old town. His intuition told him that Jinbao was there.

The closer they got to the old town, the stronger the feeling became. Before the car even stopped, Gu Yu jumped out and started searching door to door.

Until he looked through the gap in a big iron gate and saw a little girl lying in the snow. The little girl was curled up in a small ball, as if she would be swallowed by the darkness at any time.

Gu Yu's pupils shrank and he kicked the big iron door open. The little girl in short sleeves revealed her skinny arms, which were covered with purple marks.

Jinbao's dull hair was tucked behind his ears, revealing a pale little face. The blood at the corner of his mouth formed a sharp contrast with his pale complexion.

Looking at the face that was 70% similar to his mother, Gu Yu felt even more guilty. If he hadn't broken his promise, Jin Bao would have lived a life of luxury...

Gu Yu carefully took off his coat and put it on Jinbao, fearing that if he used too much force, Jinbao would be broken.

It picked up Jinbao with trembling body. The child was soft and seemed to have no strength at all.

"Don't be afraid, Jinbao. Third brother is here to take you home."

"Jinbao, can you hear what Third Brother is saying? Can you please reply to him?"

Jinbao didn’t know who the third brother was, she only knew that she fell into a warm embrace, which made her feel at ease.

[It's the Third Brother who is hugging Jinbao. The Third Brother's embrace is so warm. ]

Hearing Jinbao's voice, Gu Yu felt a little relieved. He tried to keep Jinbao steady while placing him on the back seat, then drove to the Children's Hospital as fast as possible.

…

In the children's hospital, all the medical staff were busy all the time. The only sounds they could hear were hurried footsteps and the beeping sounds of machines.

Even though Gu Yu was used to hearing this kind of voice, he felt a little annoyed at this moment. He pulled a passing nurse and asked, "How is Jinbao?"

Just now he sent Jinbao here and went straight to the emergency room, and he hasn't come out yet.

"The child has multiple fractures, bruises all over his back, burn marks on his arms, and a mild concussion**. He is still being rescued."

Hearing the nurse's words, Gu Yu was slightly stunned. Such an injury would be terrifying even if it happened to an adult, let alone Jinbao was only an eight-year-old child.

He didn't dare to think about what kind of life Jinbao had been living during the years he was missing.

Gu Yu was silent for a while, opened the group chat on his phone, and took a photo of the emergency room.

[Old Three: @Dad, @Big Brother, @Second Brother, @Fourth Brother, I found my sister. ]