Different Fates

Zhao He pondered for a moment and nodded. "Fadian is still the one who thinks things through."

As Hu Jie walked out the door, she glanced back at Gu Fadian, thinking to ourselves that this brat, through sheer luck, had actually done exactly what she wanted.

...Once the two women left, Zhao He couldn't leave. She called home to say she would stay here for the night.

She couldn't leave the two children alone.

Since they had a guest, Gu Fadian went to tidy up the bedding, while Zhao He went to help Ban Xia bathe.

The old building had no shower. In the summer, they still had to boil hot water for a bath, using a plastic hose to pour water over her body, then applying some body wash. After bathing, she felt cool, comfortable, and fragrant all over.

Although Zhao He had checked Ban Xia's injuries during the day, she still couldn't help but gasp when she took off the girl's pants. "Why are there blue and purple bruises all over your thighs?"

Ban Xia lowered her eyes and bit her lip. "Xiao Long likes to pinch me."

She was afraid of pain. The first time Xiao Long pinched her, she cried, thinking that if she cried, he would stop.

But who would have thought that Xiao Long would only become more enthusiastic, always chasing her to pinch her. At first, Qin Xiu cared a little, but later she simply ignored it. Sometimes when Xiao Long was being noisy and annoying her, she would even deliberately say, "Go on, go pinch your sister for fun."

Ban Xia was in agonizing pain, but in Qin Xiu's eyes, it was just children playing around.

Ban Xia had never understood why her mother was so biased. It wasn't until after she died and heard Qin Xiu say, "She's not my biological child anyway," that she suddenly understood: Mother Qin Xiu was so good to Xiao Long, yet always called her stupid and useless. Perhaps, just as Brother Fadian said, she was indeed stolen by her mother.

Such wicked deeds were not uncommon. In Ban Xia's hometown, some people would quietly steal other people's children to raise.

Although Ban Xia was young, she had heard of such things quite a few times.

Zhao He couldn't help but say, "My daughter at home is treated like an ancestor. Fadian also had a younger sister around your age. Lin Jun cherished her like the apple of her eye, and her three older brothers took turns carrying her. But looking at you, it really is a case of different fates."

Ban Xia could only see things that would happen in the future; she didn't know what had happened in the past.

But she had seen the little wooden horse of the Gu family's daughter, and many beautiful little dresses. She couldn't help but think: *If only I were the daughter of Mother Lin Jun, how wonderful would that be?*

Of course, she was still too young to think too deeply.

She only knew that today, her brother had exerted a lot of effort to keep her here, and she was already extremely satisfied.