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nThe Shao Family had been gloomy in the past few days.

nThe earlier laughter and joy had disappeared completely, leaving only a depressing atmosphere and oppression behind. It couldn’t even compare to what it had been like before Mu Jingzhe had arrived.

nJust as Shao Dong had thought, who could stand to return to the darkness all of a sudden after living such a good life and seeing the light?

nThough Shao Qiyang wanted to take care of them, his job required him to leave the house early and return only late at night, so he simply wasn’t able to do that.

nShao Dong tried his best to take care of them, but they all remained listless. Little Bei and Xiao Wu kept crying and saying that they missed their mother.

nThey thought about her while eating, listening to the radio, and even while sleeping. They missed her all the time.

nPreviously, when writing essays, Shao Xi used to feel awkward and shy, so whenever there was an essay about his mother, he would always avoid it because he felt that he didn’t have a mother.

nHe had never written about Mu Jingzhe because he was afraid she would get proud, but now he regretted it. He actually had a lot to write about.

nWhen she had still been living with the Shao Family, he hadn’t cherished her and had kept suspecting her intentions. Now that she had gone back home, it was too late for regrets.

nHe was writing about her, but she couldn’t see it anymore. Ever since she had left, there had been no one there to encourage him and praise him for his writing skills.

nHe knew that it was too late, but he still wanted to write about her and give the essay to Mu Jingzhe.

nShe liked his essays very much, so if she was willing to accept it, he would give it to her.

nShao Nan was very silent. He didn’t speak and was always in a daze.

nHe also regretted not treating Mu Jingzhe well enough.

nHe could have done better, but he had been too stingy to do it.

nXiao Wu was still playing the flute, but his melodies no longer sounded happy. Instead, they invoked sad feelings in those who heard them, making them feel an urge to cry.

nXiao Wu never finished playing an entire song again, for he would start to cry toward the end.

nAccording to the plan, they should have gone to the county art school to continue learning foreign languages and reading books, but her departure had disrupted those plans.

nThey had secretly gone to see Mu Jingzhe, but they had never seen her. They didn’t dare let Mu Jingzhe see them either.

nLittle Bei had plucked some flowers and secretly placed them at the Mu Residence, wanting to give them to Mu Jingzhe to cheer her up.

nEvery night, Little Bei and Xiao Wu would cry and say they wanted to look for Mu Jingzhe, but Shao Dong would stop them.

nShao Dong didn’t allow them to go. If they went, it would only make things difficult for Mu Jingzhe.

nThey endured three days like this. When they woke up the next day, it was still the same. There was no laughter and no eggs. The children were listless. Alas, they hadn’t expected that things could get worse.

nBecause of Shao Qiyun and Zhao Lan, the fellows next door had been depressed and had hidden away, not daring to face anyone. Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xǐ were also despised.

nThey pinned the blame on Shao Dong and his siblings. Knowing that Mu Jingzhe wasn’t around and she had abandoned them for good, those brats couldn’t help but come over to mock them.

nThis was just like rubbing salt into the wounds of the children. Little Bei and Xiao Wu cried whenever they heard that. Seeing their reaction, Shao Fu got smug and even wanted to continue bullying them and snatch what they had taken a fancy to but couldn’t snatch previously when Mu Jingzhe was around.

nHowever, as soon as they made a move, the weeping Little Bei and Little Wu exploded. They stepped forward and snatched what was theirs back, then scolded them loudly.

n“Mommy bought this for me. No way am I letting you snatch it!”

n“Mommy? Mu Jingzhe doesn’t want you anymore. Give it to me!”

nHis words completely angered the five children, and in the end, Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xǐ were all beaten up.

nThis was the first time. In the past, they had been no match for Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xǐ. After all, they were too young.

nHowever, during this period of time, because of Mu Jingzhe, they had grown taller and stronger. They had also become bolder and observed people’s weaknesses. They specifically targeted their weaknesses and hit them wherever it hurt.

nIn the end, Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xǐ were beaten until they started crying and ran away.

nShao Dong and his siblings had won. However, they didn’t feel any joy at all. Instead, they felt even worse when they saw the things Mu Jingzhe had bought for them.

nShao Dong felt awful seeing them like this, but he had to endure it.

n“Stop crying. Since we already beat them, we can protect ourselves better in the future. Stop crying.”

nForget about looking for Mu Jingzhe.

nShao Dong led them to the kitchen and was about to make them something to eat. However, just as he entered, he heard a voice come from the door.

n“Little Bei, Xiao Wu, I’m back. Where are you?”

nFor a moment, they thought that their ears were playing tricks on them and didn’t move.

nIn the past few days, they would always have this kind of hallucination, the feeling that Mu Jingzhe was back, but every time they went out to take a look, it would turn out that they were imagining things.

n“Shao Dong?” Then, they heard another voice. Furthermore, there were footsteps this time, which added to the realness.

nXiao Wu was the first to run out and see Mu Jingzhe.

n“Mommy!” Xiao Wu shouted and rushed over.

nLittle Bei followed him closely. “Mommy! It’s really Mommy! Mommy is back!”

nThe few older brothers could no longer sit still and rushed out too.

nShao Xi charged over too quickly and staggered, almost falling.

nLittle Bei and Xiao Wu hugged Mu Jingzhe and burst into tears of joy. “Mommy, you’re finally back.”

n“Boohoo. We thought you didn’t want us anymore. That you had left for good.”

nMu Jingzhe’s eyes were also red as she hugged them. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault for leaving.”

n“It’s not Mommy’s fault. It’s Grandma and Aunt’s fault. They are the ones who bullied you.”

nAfter saying that, Little Bei rephrased her words. “No, I should correct myself. They’re no longer our Grandma and Aunt. They treated you really badly. We’ve already severed ties with them and won’t acknowledge them anymore.”

n“Yes, we only want Mommy. We don’t want them.” Xiao Wu nodded. The boy, who had bravely fought back just now, complained to Mu Jingzhe with a teary little face.

n“They’re all bad people. They even came to snatch our things just now.”

nNow that the person who doted on them was back, Xiao Wu and Little Bei couldn’t wait to share their thoughts and grievances with Mu Jingzhe.

n“Mommy, I missed you so much. I missed you every day and dreamed of you at night.”

n“I missed you too. I missed you every day in my dreams. I missed you so much that I cried.”

n“I missed you guys too. Even in my dreams.”

nThe three of them hugged and cried. Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan’s eyes reddened against their will, but they held themselves back and stood aside, staring at her.

nMu Jingzhe pulled them over. “Why do you look so thin? Haven’t you been eating properly?”

nThey had originally been holding back, but now that Mu Jingzhe had pulled them back and asked them this question, their eyes couldn’t help but turn red.

n“How can we eat properly when you’re not even here? How could we not lose weight?”

nAs they said this, they couldn’t stop the tears flowing down their cheeks. In the end, all six of them huddled together and cried.

nMu Jingzhe’s heart was sour, bitter, and sweet. When her emotions calmed down, she hurriedly coaxed them.

n“Alright, hush, hush. I’ll nourish you guys well now that I’m back. I’ll help you make up for all that lost weight.”

nShe took out a handkerchief and wiped their tears. “If you continue crying, your eyes will swell. Stop crying. The way we’re huddled together and crying, one might think this is a scene out of a television drama. If you continue crying, the villagers are going to start coming over. Hush, hush.”

nWhen she heard this, Little Bei’s tears turned into a smile.

nLittle Bei and Xiao Wu clung to Mu Jingzhe and refused to let go. Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan, on the other hand, were a little embarrassed.

nShao Nan looked at her. “You won’t leave again, will you? You won’t leave us like you did this time, will you?”

nThere was a stubborn look on his face, but his eyes were filled with caution.

nMu Jingzhe nodded. “If nothing goes wrong, I won’t leave again. I’ll leave when you guys grow up and don’t need me anymore.”

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