Liu Fengying's face drained of color. She lunged forward, but the militia captain blocked her, preventing her from getting any closer.
Mo Xiaoman pressed her psychological advantage. "Secretary Mo, why don't you look at the pages in the back? There might be more!"
Liu Fengying felt an overwhelming urge to wail. The back pages contained the name and address of her precious biological daughter, her school and class, the names of the girl's adoptive parents, the full name of the residential compound where they lived, and even a few heartfelt passages Liu Fengying had written when she missed her!
She clawed at the account book, screaming at Mo Xiaoman, "Mo Xiaoman! You little thief! You wretched thing, you deserve to be sliced into a thousand pieces! I'll kill you!"
Then she turned and pleaded desperately with the official. "Secretary Mo! Please, Secretary Mo! Stop reading, please! I beg you! I agree! I'll agree to anything! Let her go to Grandpa and Grandma! She's theirs! As of today, she's theirs!"
Only then did Mo Xiaoman let out a heartfelt sigh of relief, her face breaking into a wide, joyous smile.
But she couldn't relax just yet. She quickly reminded Grandpa Mo, "They'll go back on their word! While Secretary Mo and Captain Guan are still here, Grandpa, you have to get a formal agreement written up and make them sign it and add their thumbprints! That's the only way we can get the household registration changed tomorrow. We also need to get my grain rations and private plot officially transferred!"
Secretary Mo couldn't help but be impressed by Mo Xiaoman. He gave her head a gentle pat. "You're a clever one! You even know it's not official without signatures and thumbprints. You know quite a bit for a little girl!"
Mo Xiaoman chuckled. "I saw it in a movie, didn't I? The one where Yang Bailao sells his daughter!"
"Oh, so we're watching a scene from *The White-Haired Girl* today, and our Xiao Man is playing Xi'er? HAHAHAHA!"
The women teased, and peals of laughter filled the courtyard.
Others were still curious about the notebook and wanted to know what Mo Guoqiang and Liu Fengying had written inside. They urged Secretary Mo to read a few passages aloud, which sent Liu Fengying into a frenzy. She lunged for the book again, and Mo Guoqiang rushed to help her. The militia captain could barely hold them back. "Enough!" Secretary Mo boomed. He snapped the account book shut and clutched it tightly in his hand. Only then did the couple quiet down, though they continued to watch his every move with anxious eyes.
Since it was still early, Grandpa Mo asked Secretary Mo and Captain Guan to handle the official business right then and there. They sorted out most of the details regarding the family division and the official adoption of his granddaughter, Mo Xiaoman. They even drew up a certificate and stamped it with the production brigade's official seal. All that was left was a trip to the commune police station the next day to settle the household registration for their new family of three, and everything would be complete.
A brilliant, radiant smile returned to Mo Xiaoman's face. She looked up and her eyes met the dark, resentful glares of Mo Guoqiang and Liu Fengying. Although she had escaped her adoptive parents, she still had to live in the same village with them. She didn't dare provoke them too much, so she lowered her head, pretending she hadn't seen a thing.
After the papers were signed and thumbprinted, Liu Fengying finally got her account book back, but a deep sense of unease settled in her heart. 'Mo Xiaoman grew up right under my nose. I know her temperament inside and out. I thought I had that damn girl wrapped so tightly around my finger that she could never escape my grasp. I never imagined that a moment of carelessness on my part would let her steal the notebook and pull a stunt like this!'
'Just moments ago, while signing, I was gritting my teeth and thinking, so what if I let her go to Grandpa and Grandma's? With the authority I've built up as her mother, I can still keep her in line. I can control her whenever I want!'
But just a moment ago, when she had met Mo Xiaoman's clear eyes and bright, innocent smile, she suddenly felt that the girl's behavior today was highly unusual.
'No, it was *too* unusual!'
A small knot of unease began to form in the pit of her stomach. It felt like a knot that would only grow tighter, leaving her feeling deeply uncomfortable, and profoundly… unsettled.