A Bitter Homecoming

In this season that had fully plunged into the bitter cold of winter,

the once gentle breeze had shed its former mildness,

transformed into a bone-piercing chill and desolation.

The icy wind lashed against Mo Tongxi’s frail and thin frame,

the biting cold cutting straight through her tattered clothes,

which had long lost any ability to ward off the cold.

“Hehe… I finally got in… hmph hmph…”

But this seemed to have no effect on Mo Tongxi’s excellent mood.

The excitement in her heart had persisted until now,

showing just how happy she was.

And this might be the first time in her life

that she had ever felt genuine joy from the bottom of her heart…

She walked along the street,

completely ignoring the strange looks from passersby.

At this moment, she was immersed in her own happiness,

unconcerned with the gazes or opinions of others.

“Hmm? Looks like it’s going to rain?”

Raising her bright and clear eyes, like a lake,

she glanced at the dark sky that had become overcast without her noticing.

Clutching her hands, already red from the cold wind,

she hugged the admission letter in her arms even tighter.

Just like when she protected the flowers while selling them,

she carefully cradled it against her chest.

“I’d better go back… I can tell her later.”

Seeing the dwindling pedestrians on the street,

she worried about a sudden downpour and decided to head back.

She had originally planned to visit the street where she often sold flowers,

thinking she might run into Wan Yu there.

But the weather seemed to deliberately hinder her,

forcing her to abandon that idea.

Tightening her thin and ragged clothes,

she turned and quickened her pace toward the other direction of the street.

In truth, if she could, she didn’t want to return so early—

not to that place full of broken ruins, darkness, and pain.

But reality was that she had nowhere else to go but there.

Before long, as the clouds in the sky grew heavier

and the dimness deepened,

Mo Tongxi finally arrived in front of the abandoned residential building,

still filled with a rotting, damp smell.

Standing before this ruin, made even darker and more terrifying by the gloomy sky,

she felt, for the first time, a hint of disgust toward this place

where she had lived for so long…

Rather than disgust for the place itself,

it was more accurate to say she loathed the people living inside.

After all, not a single one of those people was decent.

She stepped through the rubble, following the path forward,

and walked straight into the dark building.

Climbing the rickety, dilapidated stairs that looked extremely dangerous,

she reached her dwelling.

Knock, knock, knock.

After a moment’s hesitation, having hidden the admission letter securely in her arms,

she knocked on the door.

Creak…

After a brief moment,

the old door before Mo Tongxi was opened from inside.

The door, seemingly burdened beyond its capacity, let out its usual strange noise.

“So you finally remember to come back? What were you running around for all day? Get the hell in here!”

As the door opened, the fat woman standing in the room saw it was Mo Tongxi

and immediately started yelling at the top of her lungs.

Hearing the woman’s particularly shrill voice,

Mo Tongxi was momentarily stunned, then stepped into the room.

Somehow, she felt that today, this person’s attitude seemed different from usual…

Although the tone sounded the same as before,

the perceptive Mo Tongxi still sensed something off.

Bang!!!

After Mo Tongxi entered the room,

the fat woman slammed the door shut with force.

Then, without saying a word, she turned and walked past Mo Tongxi,

heading toward the inner room.

“I… I didn’t earn any money today either…”

Just as the fat woman passed by Mo Tongxi,

Mo Tongxi spoke up honestly.

She hadn’t gone out to sell flowers today,

so of course she had no money on her.

Although she didn’t know why this person hadn’t asked,

she still chose to state the outcome.

Either way, she was bound to get beaten in the end,

so it was better to get it over with quickly.

“Didn’t earn any? Fine! I never expected a useless thing like you to earn anything! And you still have the nerve to say it?”

Hearing Mo Tongxi’s words,

the fat woman turned around and immediately started cursing her.

She hadn’t planned to bring it up,

but Mo Tongxi just had to mention it—it was practically asking for a scolding…

“You… you’re not going to hit me?”

Hearing this, Mo Tongxi lowered her head,

bracing herself for a beating.

But the expected blow never came.

Confused, she stammered out the question cautiously.

It wasn’t that she was satisfied only after being beaten;

but in all her years of growing up,

she had been subjected to one or even several severe beatings almost every day.

Under such long-term torment,

Mo Tongxi had gradually formed a habit:

she expected to be beaten every time she came home.

The reason she asked was to get this person to act quickly,

to finish the day’s beating,

so she could rest in peace…

Otherwise, she would be on edge,

fearing that this person might suddenly attack her while she was asleep

or at some other unguarded moment…

“Hit you? I’d love to! But you’re basically none of my business anymore!”

“Let me tell you! From now on, whatever you do, wherever you go, whether you earn money or not, it has nothing to do with me!”

Hearing Mo Tongxi’s question,

the fat woman continued to yell.

“But I’m warning you! Don’t think that just because I said that, you can naively believe I won’t beat you!”

“In the next few days, you’d better stay put at home and not run around! Otherwise, see how I deal with you!”

Having said that,

the fat woman cast a vicious glare and threw out this threat,

then went into the inner room, ignoring Mo Tongxi.

Hearing this, Mo Tongxi stood there, stunned.

This was the first time

she had come back without earning a single cent

and yet not been beaten.

And the only reason the fat woman stopped hitting Mo Tongxi now

was to sell her for a good price.

If she beat Mo Tongxi during this period

and caused something to happen,

then when the buyer saw her and didn’t want to pay,

wouldn’t those hundreds of thousands be lost?

So for now, she would leave her alone.

Once the money was in hand,

she would find a chance to kidnap another orphan.

Then she could beat them as much as she wanted,

and no one could stop her.

For now, she just needed to make sure Mo Tongxi didn’t starve to death

and stayed alive until she reached the buyer’s hands—

then everything would be secure.