Ponytail pursed her lips and said to Chen Fang, "Follow me."

Having said that,

she turned around and walked away.

Following Ponytail, Chen Fang entered an even narrower and deeper alleyway.

Then he pushed open a small wooden door.

What appeared before his eyes was a dark and cramped courtyard.

The little boy he had just seen was sitting on the ground in the courtyard, cheerfully playing with mud.

"Sister Yu, you're here?"

From the cabin, the little girl named Qiqi ran out joyfully.

Ponytail smiled at her and said, "Brother went to buy something for you to eat, he'll be back in a moment."

"Okay!"

Qiqi nodded obediently.

Then she curiously stared at Chen Fang.

Chen Fang stepped into that cabin.

In the musty-smelling room, there were only two bedding arrangements on the floor. It was already very cold in January in Wulan City, but the blankets on the floor were quite thin. Apart from that, there was nothing else.

"Where are their parents?"

Chen Fang turned around and asked Ponytail.

Ponytail answered somberly, "Gone, all gone, leaving only these three children behind."

"You're not their real sister?"

Chen Fang asked in astonishment.

Ponytail shook her head and said, "I'm not, I just take care of them occasionally because I feel sorry for them."

"Big brother, our Sister Yu is so nice, she brings us food every day. Without Sister Yu, we would have starved a long time ago," Qiqi said with her big eyes sparkling.

Chen Fang patted her tangled hair and asked Ponytail, "If the parents are gone, why not send them to the civil affairs office or an orphanage? It's got to be better than living in conditions like this."

"We can't go!"

Suddenly, the voice of the boy from before came from behind.

When Chen Fang turned around, he saw him holding a bag of steamed buns behind him.

Seeing the food,

Qiqi and the younger boy excitedly rushed up, took the steamed buns from the boy's hand, and started nibbling on them.

He spoke solemnly to Chen Fang, "I promised my mom and dad that the three of us would never be separated. If we go to an orphanage, the three of us might not be able to stay together."

"His name is Qiangqiang, and he's the oldest of the three children," Ponytail said to Chen Fang.

The more he observed, the more things seemed off.

Chen Fang let out a long sigh and asked Ponytail, "Can you tell me everything that happened?"

Ponytail looked at Chen Fang for a long time.

Finally, she nodded and said, "Let's go outside to talk."

The two of them went outside to the narrow alleyway of the courtyard.

Ponytail recounted the story of the three children in full detail.

The three children were not locals of Wulan City.

They had come from Guyang City.

Upon hearing the three words "Guyang City," something jolted inside Chen Fang.

The children's father was named Jia Yuanqing, and their mother was named Zhang Meixia.

Their family was originally from Heshou Village in Yongping Town, Guyang City.

Jia Yuanqing worked as a bricklayer.

He worked on construction sites in Wulan City throughout the year.

Zhang Meixia, with the three children, farmed in Heshou Village.

Though life was not rich, they were at least well-fed and content.

There was a village chief in Heshou Village, named Ding Jianmu.

It was at the beginning of last year that Ding Jianmu's father fell ill. After several hospital visits, his condition did not improve.

Thus, the superstitious Ding Jianmu invited a Taoist back to his home.

After putting on a show of surveying the area, the Taoist claimed that the new house built by the Jia Yuanqing's family had destroyed the feng shui of Ding Jianmu's home, and if they did not move away, it wouldn't just be Ding Jianmu's elderly father who would suffer—there was a fear that the entire family would face problems.

Upon hearing this, Ding Jianmu panicked.

He rushed over to the Jia Family's home at once.

He demanded that the Jia Family relocate and rebuild their house elsewhere.

One must know, Jia Yuanqing had worked so hard for so many years and had only just managed to build a two-story building.

He had no intention of moving away.

Therefore, a dispute broke out between Zhang Meixia and Ding Jianmu.

Ding Jianmu, not caring about the consequences, went as far as to strike Zhang Meixia.

He even set a deadline for them to move out; otherwise, he threatened he would not be courteous anymore.

Jia Yuanqing, who was working in Wulan City, heard of this news and rushed back from the city to confront Ding Jianmu at his home. This only infuriated Ding Jianmu, who then had Jia Yuanqing beaten up by some people.

That wasn't the end of it.

A few days later.

Ding Jianmu somehow obtained a demolition notice for Jia Yuanqing's illegal construction.

He promptly delivered it to Jia Yuanqing.

Of course, Jia Yuanqing paid it no heed.

Nobody expected it.

In the middle of that night.

Ding Jianmu led a group of more than a dozen men into the Jia household.

They forcibly removed the family members from their home.

Then the prepared excavator rolled in, ready to forcibly level the Jia Family's house.

Jia Yuanqing, in an attempt to protect his home, broke free and ran into the house, but was crushed to death on the spot by the collapsing building...

At this point.

The voice of the girl with the ponytail, too, began to choke up.

After Jia Yuanqing's death.

Not only did his family receive no compensation, but the village also did not provide a place for the widow and orphans to live.

Zhang Meixia, with her three children, went to the Guyang City government to petition.

The city government not only ignored her but also detained Zhang Meixia for half a month.

Upon her release, Zhang Meixia still did not give up.

She then went to petition in Wulan City.

Although Wulan City officials responded, they still deemed the Jia family's building illegal, and declared Jia Yuanqing's death was unrelated to anyone else, attributing it to him rushing into the collapsing house.

In the end, the matter was left unresolved.

In her despair.

Zhang Meixia chose to end her life.

She jumped from a bridge in Wulan City, and her body has not been recovered to this day.

She left behind three children, who now roam the streets every day. The girl with the ponytail said that when she encountered Qiangqiang and his siblings, they had not eaten in two days and were huddled under the bridge where their mother had jumped into the river, appearing neither human nor ghostlike. Out of compassion, she settled the three of them in this courtyard, which had long been uninhabited.

"What about you? What did you do originally?"

Chen Fang asked.

Upon hearing this question, the girl with the ponytail showed signs of discomfort.

"I..."

She stammered, seemingly reluctant to reveal her identity.

Chen Fang asked, "You were a thief originally, weren't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't have been so adept at it."

The girl with the ponytail paused, then admitted frankly, "Yes, I am a thief. If you must take me to the police station, I will go with you, but please leave them alone."

Just as Chen Fang was hesitating about how to handle the situation.

Suddenly, a voice came from the entrance of the alley, "Good for nothing Xiao Yu, slacking off again, aren't you? Damn it, do I keep you around just for you to freeload? Get over here!"

Chen Fang looked in the direction of the voice.

At the entrance of the alley stood a man known as Bald.

Behind Bald, two young men with a hooligan air about them followed.

They posed with an intimidating and menacing demeanor.

Looking at the girl with the ponytail, her face had now become tense.

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