Chapter 3

Seeing the stunned expressions on Liu Chunhua and her daughter, Xiaohong got out of the car and lightly supported Xue Lingshan as she addressed the two of them. “My madam loves rabbits the most! The little rabbit drawn on the door is so skillful. Anyone can tell it was drawn by a young child. If your family has an even younger girl, hurry and bring her out for Madam to see!” “If they hit it off, Madam will surely take her as her daughter!” Xiaohong thought she had made things clear enough that no normal person would continue hiding anything. At least, that was what she thought. But Liu Chunhua wasn't normal! The moment she heard there was still a chance, Liu Chunhua's eyes darted slyly. She immediately said, “My daughter drew that when she was little!” She grabbed her stepdaughter's hand and began shamelessly boasting about her. “My darling has always loved little rabbits. She's been drawing them since she was a child.” “Quick! Draw one for the distinguished lady right now!” The stepdaughter took the charcoal pencil Liu Chunhua shoved into her hand and stood awkwardly in place. How could she possibly know how to draw a little rabbit? But at a time like this, even if she couldn't, she had to pretend she could. She had barely made a single stroke on the door when Liu Chunhua's anxious voice came from behind her. “Madam, where are you going? Aren't you going to take another look?” The stepdaughter turned around. Xue Lingshan had already turned and gotten back into the car. She held a handkerchief over her nose, her brows tightly furrowed as she gave the girl a look of undisguised disgust from inside the military vehicle. … … DouDou's high fever refused to subside. When she finally woke up, it was already dark. Her ears were buzzing. “Little Sister is awake!! You nearly scared us to death!” In her dazed state, she heard the system's voice again. 【Host DouDou, selected bullet comments are now being read aloud.】 Immediately afterward, several furious voices rang out. “That wretched Liu Chunhua! She hit her so hard she knocked her unconscious!” “She even claimed the rabbit was drawn by her stepdaughter.” “If she hadn't deliberately caused trouble, Little Sister would have already reunited with her new mother.” DouDou felt as though every bone in her body had been shattered. Enduring the excruciating pain, she slowly sat up and lowered her head dejectedly. “Aunties, I'm sorry. DouDou wasn't useful. I wasted the opportunity you earned for me.” “This isn't your fault!!!” The viewers were heartbroken. “There's still time! Little Sister, hurry and chase after her! Your new mother hasn't gone far yet.” “But the woodshed door is locked.” For viewers desperately waiting to see the wealthy family's adoption scene, was something like a locked door really an obstacle? The moment DouDou finished speaking, a wealthy auntie in the livestream made a huge donation. Outside the woodshed, there was a sharp clang. The lock fell to the ground. A gust of wind swept past, and the wooden door creaked open. DouDou staggered out of the woodshed in a daze. The courtyard was empty. She pushed open the farmhouse's main door without obstruction. After walking only a few steps outside, she saw an elderly neighbor driving an ox cart. The old man smiled kindly at her. “Little DouDou, are you leaving the village?” ** In fact, the military convoy had traveled for less than half an hour when the lead vehicle's tires sank deep into a muddy ditch and could go no farther. The narrow country road had blocked all the vehicles behind it as well. Inside the car— Xue Lingshan sat in a daze, clutching the brown envelope. Tears had blurred the ink on the words. What was more terrifying than despair was regaining hope after five years, only to have reality cruelly snatch it away again. Xiaohong couldn't bear to see her like this. “Madam, please don't lose hope. Perhaps we've simply misunderstood what the Master meant.” “Although the envelope says Liu Chunhua's home in Liujia Village, Fifth Miss doesn't necessarily have to be in that house. Perhaps…” Xiaohong couldn't think of a single convincing explanation, so she could only continue with a desperate lie. “Perhaps we'll run into Fifth Miss somewhere along the way!” Even Xiaohong herself didn't believe it. She was only saying it to comfort her. But Xue Lingshan clung to those words like a drowning person grabbing a lifeline. “Really?” Xiaohong was immediately caught in a difficult position. Nodding felt wrong, but shaking her head felt even worse. Cold sweat nearly broke out from her anxiety. Fortunately, a soldier hurried over at that moment and snapped to attention. “Reporting, Madam! The soldiers at the rear have stopped a suspicious ox cart. There's a little girl unconscious on it. The men are questioning the old man now!” “A little girl?” Xue Lingshan seemed to have lost her soul. She could only grasp those three words. Before she could ask anything else, the military vehicle suddenly lurched! The soldiers outside shouted in unison. “Heave-ho—!” The vehicle was pushed free from the mud in one mighty effort. Xiaohong hurriedly poked her head out. “We're out?” The soldier wiped the sweat from his forehead and laughed. “That's right!” Xiaohong was both shocked and amazed. “This is strange! We've been stuck here for three hours, and the moment this little girl arrived, the car suddenly moved!” Then she suddenly thought of something and widened her eyes as she looked at Xue Lingshan. “Madam! Didn't the eminent monk say that Fifth Miss was the reincarnation of a koi fairy and blessed with extraordinary good fortune? Could the girl on that ox cart be…?” Xue Lingshan's heart pounded wildly. How could she care about the mud anymore? She practically stumbled as she rushed toward the rear of the convoy. Muddy water splashed all over the hem of her expensive dress, but she didn't notice at all. The first thing she saw was a skinny old man kneeling on the ground and repeatedly begging for mercy. “Please spare me, military officer! I'm really not a kidnapper! I was just giving the little girl a ride out of the village!” Xue Lingshan hurried past him, anxiously looking around. Her eyes swept across the hay piled on the ox cart before suddenly freezing. A little girl was curled up inside the hay. Her tiny face was burning red with fever, her lips dry and cracked, and her breathing so faint that her chest barely seemed to rise. It was her! An inexplicable, heart-wrenching physical pain suddenly seized Xue Lingshan's heart, making it almost impossible for her to breathe. It was as though some kind-hearted immortal in the heavens were reminding her— Your daughter has suffered terribly. Hurry and save her! At the same time, the livestream erupted in wild celebration. “Ahhh! Mother and daughter have finally reunited!” “All that money we spent to unlock the wealthy-family adoption route was worth it! It's just a shame Little Sister is unconscious. I really want her to experience what it's like to have a mother who loves her.” Under the viewers' fervent attention, Xue Lingshan rushed to the cart and tremblingly took the little girl's burning hand. The heat radiating from her fingertips made Xue Lingshan's heart ache with panic. She desperately wanted to confirm something. Her fingers carefully searched along the edge of the child's sleeve, but the moment they touched it, she froze. “Xiaohong.” Xue Lingshan's voice trembled uncontrollably. “Help… help me roll it up and take a look… My hand… it's shaking too badly…” Xiaohong's heart had risen into her throat as well. Holding her breath, she carefully rolled up the filthy sleeve little by little. The air around them seemed to have been sucked away. Everyone held their breath, exchanging astonished glances. On the inside of the little girl's slender, frail forearm was a clearly visible birthmark shaped like a little rabbit! “Ah…” A short, broken sob escaped Xue Lingshan's throat. For five years, she had prayed for her daughter. Countless nights, she had lain awake, unable to get over her grief. Every time she thought of her child, her nose would sting with tears. This was a miracle that science and common sense could never explain. Heaven had taken pity on her and allowed her to find her daughter again! Xue Lingshan could no longer control herself. She pulled DouDou tightly into her arms. “Baby, wake up. Ma has come to take you home.” She was crying and laughing at the same time, gently stroking DouDou's cheek. The old man was completely bewildered by the scene. He muttered in confusion, “Isn't DouDou Liu Chunhua's youngest daughter? How'd she suddenly become someone else's daughter…?” “What did you say?” Xiaohong looked at the old man in confusion. “Liu Chunhua has two daughters?” The old man found the whole situation absurd. Like beans spilling from a bamboo tube, he poured out everything he knew. “Of course! DouDou is her biological daughter, but Liu Chunhua doesn't like her at all. She gets beaten and scolded all the time. Poor little thing. The other girl is her older stepdaughter. Liu Chunhua treats her like a precious treasure and raises her like a princess.” “…” Xiaohong stared at him in disbelief. “How could that be? How can a mother in this world love her stepdaughter more than her own biological child?” The old man became anxious and stuck out his neck. “If you don't believe me, honored lady, lift the child's clothes and look at her back. Liu Chunhua beat the child just this afternoon. She beat her so badly that two rattan switches were broken.” The livestream comments began flying by at lightning speed. “Exactly! Liu Chunhua is absolutely inhuman.” “She has to pay for this! Every injustice Little Sister suffered must be repaid!” “Poor Little Sister, she's covered in injuries. Ma, hurry and look! 555” With every word the old man spoke, the viewers couldn't help cheering. They wanted him to tell them even more—to expose every grievance DouDou had endured over the years. But to Xue Lingshan, every word was like a sharp knife descending from heaven and carving into her heart again and again. She carefully lifted the hem of DouDou's clothes, touching her as gently as though she were made of fragile glass. The moment she saw what was beneath— Her body was covered in crisscrossing purple bruises and swollen marks. The sight was horrifying. A thunderous explosion seemed to go off inside Xue Lingshan's head, and her vision went black. She nearly collapsed. After a brief moment of suffocation, overwhelming rage surged through her mind. Xue Lingshan had been born a privileged young lady and had been pampered since childhood. After marrying into the Governor's Mansion, her status had risen even higher. The powerful families throughout Shanghai feared her husband, and by extension, everyone had learned to watch her expression carefully. When had anyone ever dared to trample all over her like this? “Liu Chunhua…” Xue Lingshan held DouDou tightly and let out a cold laugh. “What incredible nerve!” Anyone who dared bully her daughter was declaring themselves an enemy of her own. They had better prepare themselves to face the Governor's Mansion's thunderous wrath!