A ragged cub at the beginning

It was definitely too late to make braised meat for lunch, so she made two dishes and a soup, and she and Qiyue ate until their stomachs were swollen. Qiyue had gained weight visibly recently, and her face was rosy. When she took a bath, she could feel the soft tender meat, instead of the distinct ribs.

Tang Xu felt very accomplished and proud. Raising a child was so easy, she could do it easily. She really had some talent.

After dinner, she got busy, blanching the meat until the blood foamed. She fried the pig's trotters, added water and boiled them, and added ginger and various spices, soy sauce, and sugar. Then she simmered them over low heat. It took a long time to stew the pig's trotters until they were tender. She had already cut the pork belly, so she could put it in an hour in time.

"So much meat." July leaned over the stove. The aroma of the frying meat was so good that he couldn't stop drooling.

"Little greedy cat, go to sleep, it will be enough when you wake up." Tang Xu pinched his fair little face, took him to the room, took off his clothes and lay on the bed. Qiyue looked at her with sparkling eyes, waiting for her to tell a story expectantly.

Just as he started, July yawned, and within three minutes, his eyes closed. His curled eyelashes cast a small shadow, and his pink little mouth pouted, which made people feel soft at the sight. Tang Xu kissed his little nose and whispered: Go to sleep, little angel.

Tang Xu looked at his sleeping face and felt a little sleepy. He muttered something about getting up and looking at the meat later, and then fell asleep.

In another room, Tang Ling listened to the two people next door breathing slowly and steadily. She stood up and went outside to get a basin of water. She slowly took off her clothes and saw that she was wrapped in gauze. There were spots of bloodstains, and when the gauze was peeled off, there were puncture wounds and whip wounds everywhere.

She cleaned the blood and residual powder from the wound without changing her expression, and wrapped it with new gauze. However, the wound inevitably broke open while wrapping the gauze, and the blood that had just stopped seeping out again. Tang Ling seemed not to see it, and except for her paler face, her eyes did not fluctuate at all.

She poured the blood into the toilet and took the changed gauze into the kitchen. She didn't know what was cooking in the pot, but a strong smell of meat filled the air. She threw the gauze into the stove and burned it, preparing to go back to her room. She walked to the door and turned back. The pot was bubbling with steam, and a corner of the white pig's trotter was exposed in the black soup. What the hell was this? Was it edible? She put the lid back in disdain and went back to her room, feeling that the smell of meat was all over her body.

Her stomach, which hadn't eaten or drunk anything for two days, made a series of gurgling sounds, but she turned a deaf ear to them, sat on the ground, leaning against the wall facing the door, and closed her eyes.

There was only a small bag in the empty room, placed at the owner's feet, as if it was ready to take the bag and leave at any time.

Tang Xu was thinking about the pig's trotters. When the aroma became stronger, she suddenly woke up. My meat! Is it not burnt? She hurried into the kitchen. There was still a lot of water. She took a chopstick and pierced through the pig's trotters. She poured the pork belly in and continued to stew with the lid on.

The fragrance spread throughout the alley, and many people were salivating with greed. The children at home couldn't stand it and cried for meat. Those who were well-off went out to buy meat. Those who were short of money started scolding their children because their children were crying so much.

But Tang Xu didn't know this. She had nothing to do, so she took a piece of paper and folded it into a small square, cut it on three sides, and made a palm book. Then she drew a short story, which was an idiom story she randomly chose. The characters in the story were all made into three-headed bodies by her, which looked very cute.

Qiyue couldn't put it down after waking up. There were few words in the book, but he could basically guess what was going on by looking at the pictures. He held the book in his hands and read it over and over again, his mouth never stopping: Mom, is this a book for me? Mom, what is this? Mom, what is he doing? Mom, why did he pull up Miaomiao? Mom, is Miaomiao dead? Mom, why did Miaomiao die? Mom... Mom...

Tang Xu had a sweet trouble. July's eyes full of joy and her careful movements in turning the pages of the book made her casual drawings meaningful.

After patiently explaining it to Qiyue three times, he finally stopped being fussy. Because he smelled a very nice smell, his mouth automatically secreted a lot of saliva. He shrugged his little nose and asked, "Mom, is this the meat you cooked? Can I eat it? It smells so good, Qiyue really wants to eat it."

"It should be ready. I'll go take a look." As she walked out of the house, she found two little heads sticking out from the courtyard wall. She was so scared that her legs went weak and she almost fell down.

Fang Zijun didn't realize that he had frightened his beloved Aunt Xu. He waved his hands and shouted, "Aunt Xu, open the door for me."

Zhao Yunniang next to her retracted her head, but stretched it out again after a while.

"Come down quickly, both of you! I'll open the door right away!" Tang Xu knew that Fang Zijun must have moved a stool to use as a footstool, and was worried that they would not stand firmly and fall.

As soon as the courtyard door opened, Fang Zijun pulled Zhao Yunniang in and ran straight to Qiyue. Qiyue was very happy to see Fang Zijun and couldn't wait to show him her little book. "Brother Dandan, look, this is a book my mother made for me. Adults read big books, and we children should read small books like this. This book is very interesting. Let me tell you about it. This story is called "Pulling up the seedlings to help them grow", which tells the story of a farmer..."

Tang Xu looked at the meat in the pot. It was already very soft. The pig's trotters were trembling and the bones fell off with a flick of the chopsticks. She took a large bowl, scooped some and sent it to the next room.

Dong Wanwan didn't bother to be polite with her. She took the bowl and tasted a small piece. It was salty, fragrant, soft and tender, and there was no smell of meat at all. She kept praising her cooking skills.

"As long as you like it, I'll go back first. The kids can't wait."

"Ask Dandan to come back and eat. There are so many."

In the yard, the three children could no longer concentrate on reading. The lid of the pot was opened, and the aroma burst out. The aroma of meat filled the nose. July stood at the kitchen door and looked inside.

Tang Xu walked over with a smile, served a bowl of meat, and told the children to wash their hands and eat the meat. Unexpectedly, Zhao Yunniang waved her hands repeatedly, picked up her skirt and ran away.

"Hey, what happened? Why did Yunniang run away?" Tang Xu asked Fang Zijun.

"Is that so?" Fang Zijun didn't hear clearly what Tang Xu asked. The only thing on his mind was the meat. He was used to eating here and didn't remember his mother's instructions not to eat other people's food. He picked up a piece with chopsticks and put it in his mouth. It was soft and sticky. Before he could chew it, the meat slid into his throat. "Hmm, it's so delicious! It doesn't get stuck in my teeth!"

"Dandan! Put it down! Come back with me to eat. Your aunt Xu sent a bowl of rice. It's at home. Why are you eating here?" Dong Wanwan came over to return the bowl. Seeing her son holding the bowl and squinting his eyes at the sight of him being so attracted by the pig's trotters, she felt disgusted and annoyed.

Tang Xu stopped Dong Wanwan from holding Fang Zijun's hand and said, "Sister Wan, I made a lot, so let him help eat some. I'll keep that bowl for you and your brother-in-law. It's more delicious when two children fight over it."

"Hey!" Dong Wanwan stamped her feet. "Eating and taking at the same time, what nonsense!"

"Okay, okay, it's just a few pieces of meat. Go back and eat your own food. Don't worry about him." Tang Xu took the bowl and pushed Dong Wanwan out. After walking a few steps, she thought of Zhao Yunniang and said, "I asked Yunniang to eat meat just now, but she ran away. Isn't she embarrassed? I'll add some more and you can bring it to her?"

"I gave it to her, so don't worry about it. I'll be back first." Dong Wanwan said, and then said to Fang Zijun: "You little bastard, eat less!"

Fang Zijun hummed twice, and seeing that his mother had gone back, he huddled his head together with July's, eating and chattering.

Tang Xu added two more pieces for himself, and after a few bites he thought of Tang Ling. He hesitated for a moment, filled a bowl and knocked on the door, "Sister, I stewed some meat, would you like some?"

Tang Ling opened her eyes. She had originally planned not to respond, but the smell had been irritating her all afternoon, and her stomach had been growling all afternoon. She was so annoyed. The food didn't look very good in the afternoon, but she didn't expect the smell to whet her appetite. "Put it at the door."

Put it at the door. Tang Xu opened her mouth and silently imitated Tang Ling's expressionless way of speaking, which amused herself. She put down the bowl and continued to eat her own food.

After Tang Ling and the others left, she opened the door a crack and brought the bowl in. There were pig's trotters and pork belly in the bowl, which were brown and shiny, and the aroma was stronger than before. She took a small bite, and it was soft, salty and fragrant, and melted in her mouth. She didn't expect that her sister's skill in stewing meat was so unique, and she finished it quickly. Her stomach was finally quiet, and there was a warm feeling of satisfaction, and the pain from the wounds on her body seemed to be relieved.

This feeling reminded her of her mother. Every time she was hurt, she would go home. Her mother would treat her wounds and cook delicious food for her. At that time, she felt no pain. When she missed her mother, she would deliberately get hurt. Once her mother found out and gave her a severe lesson.

But it was just kneeling and being scolded, which was nothing compared to the injuries and punishments for her mistakes. After that, she learned her lesson and was no longer injured so often. Otherwise, why would those noobs in the sect hurt her?

Since her mother passed away, she never went back. No one healed her wounds, no one washed her hands or cooked soup for her. But it didn't matter, this time she went back to avenge her mother. She also destroyed all the information about her and her sister, so that no one could find them anymore.

She looked up at the window that was not closed tightly. The sunlight squeezed in through the gap and sprinkled generously on the floor. She slowly moved over and let the sunlight shine on herself.

Not long after eating the meat, Zhao Yunniang peeked outside the door. Tang Xu waved at her and she ran in.

The three children can always find interesting things to do together. Even if they just squat in the corner and study ant nests, they can play for half an hour. They take care of each other and basically don't need adults to supervise them.

Tang Xu began to draw for Madam Zhou. She first drew a rough draft on inferior paper, mainly to deepen her impression of the faces of the two elderly people. To put it bluntly, she didn't want to waste such expensive paper. If she drew it wrong, she couldn't change it. She recently tried to draw lines with a very fine brush, but after all, she had never practiced before, so the painting was not very smooth.

When she finished painting and looked up, she felt something was wrong. The yard was too quiet and she couldn't see the child through the window. She called July, but no one answered.

The yard was empty, and the doors of the Fang and Zhao families were locked. Where did the child go?

Her chest was filled with panic, and she walked out of the alley while shouting. Du Jiarui was not at home either. Seeing her anxious, Mrs. Du said that the children had agreed to play under the banyan tree at the back. After that, she picked up a small teapot and closed the door, "Come on, I'm going to bring them some water, let's go together."

The banyan tree was very close, and she could see it from the door of the Du family. She could vaguely hear the noises of children. But she did not see Qiyue, but saw two children standing there, seemingly looking at something.

The banyan tree was so thick that it blocked her view. She went around to the other side and saw Fang Zijun wrestling with a child, Du Jiarui sitting on the ground crying, and Qiyue and Zhao Yunniang were nowhere to be seen.

Tang Xu felt a palpitation in his heart. He walked over and pulled Fang Zijun away, and asked anxiously, "Dandan! Where's Qiyue? Where's Yunniang?"

Fang Zijun was sweating profusely, with a bruise on his forehead. When he saw Tang Xu, he pouted and burst into tears, "He, he brought three bad guys to capture Qiyue and Yunniang!"

"Jiarui, good boy, don't cry. Tell grandma where sister Yunniang and brother Qiyue have gone?" Old Madam Du was shocked and hugged Du Jiarui to coax him to talk.

“Over there, go…over there, I…I can’t catch up…kick me…I fell down…my legs hurt so much…Uncle…kick me…it hurts so much…” Du Jiarui didn’t know if it was because of the pain or what was going on, his crying was usually loud, but today his voice was thin and weak.

"They were kidnapped by bad guys. They seemed to be from the Zhu family. I saw them living with Young Master Zhu. They said they would take July to eat something delicious. July didn't want to go, so they ran away with her in their arms. Yunniang screamed and was also kidnapped by them. Dandan was stopped by Xiaobei, and Jiarui went to chase him and was kicked." The child who had been standing nearby spoke clearly.

"Hurry up and report to the police!" Madam Du picked up Du Jiarui, "Tang Xu, hurry up and report to the police. Dandan, go to the academy to find your uncle Du Yun and come back quickly. I'll take Jiarui to see a doctor. There's something wrong with him."

"Okay, okay." Tang Xu pinched his palm to calm himself down. It was Zhu Tou again! Why did he take Qiyue away? Did he want to force him to surrender? If that was the case, Qiyue would not be in danger for the time being. So what should he do? How could he escape unscathed?

Report to the official, the county magistrate is not here, there are only a few yamen runners and clerks in the town. Can anyone control the Zhu family? If they can, why would he be so arrogant?

The Zhu family must go, and Qiyue Yunniang must be rescued, but they cannot go quietly. They must make a big splash! Yes! It would be best if everyone in the city knows about it. Let everyone know that the Zhu family has robbed two children, and the last time the Zhu family abducted women and children to make a fortune has spread. Many people just want to have fun, and may not believe it. What if she comes to the door this time? There is no county magistrate in the town, so there must be some official to take care of it, right? If the public is outraged, can he just sit back and do nothing?

As for how to make a big noise, she bought a big gong and stood at the door of Zhu's house and banged it. While banging it, she cried that the Zhu family had robbed her child. With such a big commotion, was there no one watching? She didn't believe it. People sympathized with the weak, so how could she, a woman who had lost her child, not be weak?

Thinking of this, Tang Xu looked at the logically organized kid. He looked quite old, at least ten years old. His clothes were old and full of patches, but they were clean. He looked at Tang Xu, who was holding a little girl who was about July's age. She came closer, squatted down, and asked, "What's your name? Thank you."

He calmly replied, "My name is Jiang Xiaodong, and this is my sister Xiaonan."

Jiang Xiaodong? Jiang Xiaobei? Tang Xu glanced at the fat boy lying on the ground howling like a ghost, and the skinny brother and sister in front of him. "Is that your brother?"

"It was just brought by my stepmother." Jiang Xiaodong didn't even look at Jiang Xiaobei. He lowered his head and found that his sister was biting her fingers again. He said softly, "Don't bite your fingers." Then he took out a yellow handkerchief from his body and wiped his sister's saliva.

His sister looked dazed, staring straight ahead, and did not react when her brother took her hand away. She did not even glance at Tang Xu who was talking to her brother.

Autism?