“Your passbook?” Mu Jingzhe asked for confirmation, afraid that she had heard wrong.

  “Mm.” Xiao Wu nodded. “Didn’t you always say that you would save all the money we earned and give it to us in the future? Give it to me now then. I need to use the money.”

  Xiao Wu said the most unfamiliar words in a voice Mu Jingzhe found very familiar.

  “Are you sure?” Mu Jingzhe tried to confirm it again.

  “I’m very sure.” Xiao Wu seemed a little impatient. “When can you give it to me? I can go back with you and get it now.”

  “Xiao Wu, why would a child like you go out at this time? It’s late at night. I’ll go with you to get it.” Shao Qiyun’s voice was heard. She had been listening to their conversation all along.

  “It’s cold. Mom, you don’t have to go back with me. You don’t want to catch a cold.” Xiao Wu turned around and rejected her offer. Although he turned it down, his voice was filled with concern.

  Mu Jingzhe couldn’t help but take a step back, feeling like she couldn’t breathe.

  She was no stranger to such concern. Xiao Wu had cared for her countless times in the past. This concern had originally been meant for her, but now it had all been transferred to Shao Qiyun, as if she and Shao Qiyun had swapped places.

  Everything was completely absurd. How could their mother-and-son relationship end just like that?

  “If you want the passbook, I’ll give it to you. But Xiao Wu, do you really want to do this? I can tell you clearly that even if you have a reason for doing this, it still hurts. That’s why I’m so sad right now. This is the first time I know how it feels to bleed from your heart. Xiao Wu, are you sure you want to hurt me like this? Are you sure you have to treat me this way?”

  Mu Jingzhe’s voice trembled as she stared at Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu’s eyelashes quivered. “I’m sorry if you’re hurt by this. If you find it painful, please don’t come again in the future.” After he said that, he asked, “Can I come get my passbook tomorrow?”

  He had asked about the passbook again. The topic had been switched back to the passbook as if there was only a passbook between them.

  Mu Jingzhe smiled bitterly, still not believing this. She suddenly thought of something and squatted down to grab Xiao Wu’s hand.

  \r \r \r

  “What are you doing?” As Xiao Wu shouted, Mu Jingzhe pulled Xiao Wu’s hand out of his sleeve.

  Xiao Wu’s hands would always clench into fists when he was feeling upset. If he used too much strength, there would always be crescent marks there left by his fingernails. If he said something against his will, his hands would also reveal his true emotions.

  Mu Jingzhe’s gaze and actions were determined. She felt that Xiao Wu’s hand would definitely betray his true emotions. However, Mu Jingzhe’s expression froze quickly. Xiao Wu’s hand wasn’t clenched into a fist. Refusing to give up, she pried open his palm. There were no crescent-shaped marks either.

  Staring at Xiao Wu’s hand in a daze, Mu Jingzhe sat on the cold ground weakly and didn’t move for a long time. Xiao Wu took the opportunity to retract his hand. “It’s settled then. I’ll come get the passbook tomorrow after school.”

  After saying that, he turned around and walked back in. From start to end, he had never once called her mom. It was as if the scenes filled with him calling her Mommy in the past had all been a dream.

  The sound of the television playing and the conversation between the mother and son could be heard intermittently from the room. “This television is really nice. It’s even colored. I’ve never seen one before. Thanks to my son, I can watch TV now.”

  “It’s just a television. Mom, come eat some fruit. These strawberries are the best.”

  Strawberries…

  Mu Jingzhe’s body and mind felt cold. She finally gave up and got up to walk back home.

  She walked aimlessly while Shao Dong followed her silently.

  He had stopped his siblings from coming, but because he was worried, he had followed her over. Due to the distance between them, he hadn’t heard what Mu Jingzhe and Xiao Wu had said, but he could roughly guess.

  Who would have thought that Xiao Wu would do such a strange thing? If they had known that keeping Shao Qiyun around would have spelled trouble, they really wouldn’t have let her live back then.

  On the way back, Mu Jingzhe even fell because she was in a daze. Before Shao Dong could run up to her, she got to her feet by herself again.

  Seeing that Mu Jingzhe had returned alone, Shao Xi and the others could guess what had happened. This night was destined to be a sleepless one.

  Mu Jingzhe basically didn’t fall asleep. The next day, Xiao Wu came to get the passbook as promised. Shao Qiyun also came with him.

  “Give me the passbook.”

  Mu Jingzhe didn’t look at Xiao Wu and walked up to Shao Qiyun. “What did you threaten Xiao Wu with? What did you do to him!”

  She reached out to grab Shao Qiyun, but Xiao Wu blocked her, standing in front of Shao Qiyun. “What are you doing? Give me my passbook!”

  Shao Qiyun smiled as she saw Mu Jingzhe’s expression as if she was looking at a delightful scene. She couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh. “Mu Jingzhe, look at what you’re saying. He’s my son to begin with. Is there a problem with that? If you want to say that I did something to him, then there’s only one thing I did: I gave birth to him.”

  Shao Qiyun admired Mu Jingzhe’s expression. “I’ve always said that biological children are different. Blood is thicker than water. He’s only acting like this because he is aware of this fact.”

  Xiao Wu urged her impatiently. “Hurry up and give me the passbook. Didn’t you say that you wouldn’t take our money?”

  Shao Qiyun chimed in, “Xiao Wu has earned a lot of money. Don’t be greedy.”

  After what had happened last night, Mu Jingzhe thought that she would calm down, but even now, she was still furious. “If you want the passbook, watch your words!” At that moment, Mu Jingzhe even thought of not giving it to her. ‘Since you’re angering me, I’ll anger you back!’

  Shao Qiyun’s expression changed. “Look, you made it sound very nice previously. Now you’ve revealed your foxy tail, haven’t you? I knew you didn’t have good intentions.”

  Xiao Wu’s expression also changed. It seemed like he was really afraid that she would greedily hold on to his money. Looking at his expression, Mu Jingzhe suddenly felt that this was pointless.

  Just as she was about to say something, Shao Dong returned. “It’s just a passbook, isn’t it? Here, take it.”

  Shao Dong knew where their passbooks were kept, as Mu Jingzhe had specifically told him about it. He had gone in to retrieve the book for Xiao Wu. “If this is what you want, take it. I only hope you don’t regret it.”

  Xiao Wu glanced at the passbook and, without saying whether he regretted it or not, turned around and left. Meanwhile, Shao Qiyun heaved a sigh of relief when she saw this. “I thought she was going to be greedy…”

  After saying that, she smiled and waved at Shao Dong. “Shao Dong, you’re so generous. Let’s eat together when you have the time. No matter what, I’m still your aunt. You’ve also helped me take care of Xiao Wu for so long. I’ll treat you to a meal to show my gratitude.”

  Shao Qiyun hadn’t expected this little stutterer to become so capable either. She knew when to yield and when to stand tall. She greeted him with a smile and even tried to build a good relationship with him, thinking that it would be even better if she could snatch Shao Dong and the rest.

  Shao Qiyun was full of smiles, but Shao Dong only felt disgusted. “Shao Qiyun, if you want to die, you can just say it.”

  Shao Qiyun hadn’t expected him to be so rude. “Is this how you speak to…”

  “Mom, ignore him. Let’s go back quickly.” Xiao Wu took Shao Qiyun’s hand.

  Shao Qiyun looked at Xiao Wu and scoffed at Shao Dong. “Forget it. I won’t embarrass you, Xiao Wu.”