I started out with seven husbands, and I worked hard to support my family while crying.

Chapter 416: Children are meant to be loved.

Fang Xiaoxiao stood her ground, looking directly into the burly man's eyes, and said, "Even if she's your niece, you can't treat her so roughly! Children are meant to be loved, not for you to vent your anger on!"

At this moment, people gathered around, watching the conflict with curiosity.

"Is this girl stupid? How dare she meddle in other people's family affairs?" someone said sarcastically in the crowd.

“Exactly, maybe this kid is really naughty and deserves a beating!” another person chimed in.

Upon hearing these words, Fang Xiaoxiao's anger flared up instantly. She shouted, "No matter the reason, you can't treat a child with violence! Don't you have any compassion at all!"

The burly man sneered, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and said, "What do you know, you little brat? This disobedient girl is always running around. If I don't teach her a lesson, will she ever learn her lesson?"

Fang Xiaoxiao put her hands on her hips and said, "Can't we just talk things out? Why do you have to resort to physical violence!"

The burly man waved his hand impatiently and said, "Stop babbling and get out of here!"

As he spoke, the big man dragged the little girl forcefully again, and the little girl screamed in pain.

Fang Xiaoxiao rushed forward and grabbed the big man's arm tightly, preventing him from taking the little girl away.

The burly man was enraged and raised his other hand, as if to strike Fang Xiaoxiao.

Just then, Li Wan'er ran over and shouted, "Stop! How dare you hit someone!"

Upon seeing Li Wan'er's luxurious attire and extraordinary demeanor, the burly man felt somewhat guilty and stopped what he was doing.

Li Wan'er raised her eyebrows and said, "No matter what the reason, you can't treat an innocent child like this. If you dare to do anything reckless again, we'll report you to the authorities!"

Upon hearing the words "report to the authorities," the burly man's face turned deathly pale, and his voice trembled as he cried out, "No, no, no, I... I dare not do it again."

Those around him also criticized the big man for going too far.

The big man had no choice but to let go of the little girl's hand.

Fang Xiaoxiao quickly pulled the little girl behind her and gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid, little sister, with your big sister here, no one can hurt you."

The little girl hugged Fang Xiaoxiao tightly around the waist, sobbing, "Sister, I don't want to go with him. He always hits and scolds me. I'm so scared."

Fang Xiaoxiao gently patted the little girl's back and said with heartache, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I will protect you from now on."

Li Wan'er stepped forward, gently patted the little girl's head, and said, "Little sister, tell your older sister what happened?"

The little girl choked up and said, "My name is Xiaohua. After my parents passed away, my uncle often beat and scolded me, made me do a lot of heavy work, and didn't give me any food."

Fang Xiaoxiao and Li Wan'er felt a pang of sorrow upon hearing this.

Li Wan'er said, "Xiao Hua, no one will bully you anymore."

Fang Xiaoxiao looked at the big man and said sternly, "If you dare to bully Xiaohua again, I will never let you get away with it!"

The burly man nodded meekly and slunk away.

Fang Xiaoxiao and Li Wan'er led the little girl back to the tofu pudding and glutinous rice ball stall and helped her sit down. The stall owner kindly served the little girl another bowl of tofu pudding and glutinous rice balls.

Little Flower wolfed down her food, clearly starving.

Fang Xiaoxiao and Li Wan'er looked at Xiaohua with pity in their eyes.

Looking at Xiaohua's pitiful appearance, Li Wan'er felt even more pity for her. She gently stroked Xiaohua's head and asked softly, "Xiaohua, where is the money bag you stole before?"

Xiaohua raised her head, her eyes filled with fear, and whispered, "I...I gave it to my uncle."

Li Wan'er and Fang Xiaoxiao exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly, and decided to take Xiaohua to find her uncle to get to the bottom of things.

The group arrived at Xiaohua's uncle's house, and before they even stepped inside, a pungent smell of alcohol assaulted their nostrils. The room was dark and damp, and a disheveled man was lying drunk on the bed, snoring loudly and muttering incoherently.

Fang Xiaoxiao frowned, quickly walked to the bedside, reached out and nudged the man, calling out, "Wake up, don't sleep!"

Uncle Xiaohua rolled over impatiently, muttering under his breath, "Don't bother me, get out of here!"

Fang Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth, turned around, picked up a basin of cold water, and splashed it at him without hesitation.

"Ah!" Startled by the cold water, Uncle Xiaohua sat up abruptly, his eyes still blurry with drunkenness, and roared angrily, "Who dares to splash me like that!"

Li Wan'er stepped forward, looked down at him, and said coldly, "Wake up, we have something to ask you."

Xiao Hua's uncle rubbed his eyes. After seeing the person in front of him clearly, a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, and he unconsciously lowered his head.

Li Wan'er asked bluntly, "Where is the purse that Xiao Hua stole?"

Xiao Hua's uncle's eyes flickered, and he stammered, "This...this..."

Seeing his expression, Fang Xiaoxiao was furious. She stepped forward, grabbed his collar, and said sternly, "Tell the truth, or you'll be sorry!"

Uncle Xiaohua trembled with fear at Fang Xiaoxiao's imposing manner and stammered, "The money... I took the money to gamble, and I lost it. The money bag... the money bag was also lost to the gambling den."

Upon hearing this, Li Wan'er turned ashen with rage and pointed at his nose, cursing, "You ungrateful wretch! That's my purse! How dare you gamble with it!"

Fang Xiaoxiao pulled back the angry Li Wan'er and comforted her, "Princess, don't get angry. It's not worth hurting yourself. Let's go to the gambling house and get the money bag back."

Li Wan'er gritted her teeth, nodded fiercely, and said, "Fine, I'll get the money pouch back today!"

So, Fang Xiaoxiao led Li Wan'er and Xiao Hua, heading aggressively towards the gambling den.

The gambling den was filled with smoke and deafening noise. Gamblers, their eyes bloodshot, shouted at the top of their lungs, and the air was thick with tension and madness.

As soon as Fang Xiaoxiao and her group entered, a shifty-eyed waiter greeted them with a forced smile, "Gentlemen, want to try your luck?"

Fang Xiaoxiao said expressionlessly, "We're not gambling, we're here to retrieve a money pouch."

The waiter's expression changed instantly, and he waved his hand impatiently: "What money pouch? I don't know. Don't cause trouble here, get out of here!"

Fang Xiaoxiao took a step forward and raised her voice, saying, "Stop pretending! Uncle Xiaohua lost a money pouch to you. It's not his. Give it back to us right now!"

At this moment, a fat, burly man with a menacing face came out, glanced at them from head to toe, and sneered, "In my gambling den, a loss is a loss. There's no reason to take it back."

Fang Xiaoxiao glared at him and said loudly, "That money bag isn't his. You're robbing him by force. This is unreasonable!"