Dong Feiyan knew that Baobao suffered deeply and lived in pain. Each time Baobao went mad, she caused her parents and younger siblings to be covered in bruises and wounds. After each incident, she would repeatedly blame herself; she even hated herself. She even thought of running away or ending her life. But Dong Feiyan couldn’t bear to part with her. How could she leave, and how could she die? Baobao, Baobao, that was her treasure! She had exhausted all her efforts just to keep Baobao with her, even if the methods were despicable, even if she stooped low, even... even if Baobao would end up hating her, she had no regrets. She only hoped that Baobao could be well, that she could survive! In the end, Baobao still succumbed, but as a result, she seemed to have grown estranged from her family. To describe it as ’estrangement’ might seem a bit inappropriate since she was probably just too tired. When familial love became a heavy burden, wanting to die but not daring to, she grew weary of life and living. She knew all the pressure came from her parents’ love, but this love made it hard for her to breathe. To this, Dong Feiyan was acutely aware. She was afraid that Baobao would be upset to see her; so ever since Baobao went to live with the Liang family, she never dared to show herself in front of Baobao again. And because of the deception in the marriage, Dong Feiyan also felt guilty towards the Liang family. Perhaps to compensate the Liang family, or perhaps out of fear that Baobao would not have enough to eat or warm clothes to wear at the Liang’s, she almost took up residence in the mountains. Whenever she hunted game and exchanged it for silver, she would immediately buy grain, oil, rice, flour, medicinal herbs, cloth, and, of course, never skimped on fats and pork. She quietly packed these items in a basket and sneaked them to the Liang family, never daring to stay long. She was terrified of being seen by Baobao, and even more afraid that seeing her would make Baobao feel worse. Thus, a year passed by, and Baobao turned eighteen. During this time, the nun had built a small house in Daliu Village, as if intending to settle down in the mountains. However, a few months back, suddenly one day, while the nun was divining the will of heaven, she vomited blood and fell into a coma. Upon hearing the news, Dong Feiyan hurried back to Daliu Village, only to find the nun packing up as if ready to embark on a long journey. "Heaven’s will is difficult to defy. Defeated Army has, after all, fallen, and the prophecy of human calamity has also been fulfilled. Now that everything here is concluded, the life-saving debt I owed you, I have tried my best to repay. With mountains high and rivers long, it seems we’re not destined to meet again, so let’s part ways here!" The nun left, and Dong Feiyan was filled with dread. Defeated Army has fallen? Doesn’t that mean Baobao... Dong Feiyan was shaking with fear. She immediately made her way to Kaoshan Village, only to learn that Baobao had been caught in a mudslide and was buried underneath it. It seemed that this was what the nun referred to as the third calamity, the human calamity. But Baobao was lucky; she was saved and miraculously didn’t die. Dong Feiyan was puzzled. The nun’s divinations had never been wrong, so why was this time an exception? But since she couldn’t figure it out, she decided not to dwell on it any longer. All she needed to know was that it had been a false alarm and that her Baobao was still alive, and that was enough! Dong Feiyan was relieved. She immediately returned to the mountains and hunted with even more vigor, intent on securing more meat to help Baobao recover her strength. Time flashed by, and soon it was just a few days ago. As usual, she was preparing to deliver food to the Liang family, when she saw Baobao with a small bundle, seemingly having run away from home? Dong Feiyan wondered why Baobao would do such a thing, so she followed her quietly. Unexpectedly, she was lured out by Baobao, and when White Tiger attacked Baobao, she revealed herself in shock, only to fall into her own daughter’s trap... But what on earth was going on with Baobao? Why did she look at her with such unfamiliar eyes, why didn’t she recognize her own mother!?
