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墨書 Inktalez
I boldly took a seat in the empty spot, and everyone looked at me in surprise.
Chen Qi seemed to seize the opportunity and immediately began to criticize me.
"Su Yuan, you really have no manners. Hurry up and get up to give your seat to Third Uncle."
Feigning confusion, I glanced at the man who had already taken a seat beside Manman.
"Then where are my sister and I supposed to sit?"
Silence fell over the room.
"Just stand. If there's anything that needs doing, you and Manman can help out."
"Oh."
I offered no resistance, grabbing Manman and heading toward the kitchen.
Manman cast a disappointed glance back at Chen Qi, following me with a puzzled expression. In the past, I would never have accepted such treatment; she was curious about why I had suddenly changed my demeanor.
As I fanned away the greasy smoke, I pointed at the "dishwashing sink" filled with murky water.
"Look how efficiently Second Aunt is working. You should learn from her; once you get married, you'll be doing this for decades."
As I spoke, I pulled her hand toward the water, claiming it was good practice for her future.
To my surprise, as soon as she dipped her hand in, she felt something brown and screamed, jumping back.
In our household, we always had maids, so she had never done any heavy chores growing up—let alone deal with dirty water and disgusting bugs.
Second Aunt was cooking while trying to reassure her.
"Those are just bugs that fell from the roof; they're not poisonous. Sometimes they even land on the bed. You'll get used to it."
Manman glanced at her hands, which were red from the cold water, and shook off the droplets in disdain. Just as she was about to ask me for a tissue, she let out a sharp scream.
I turned around to see Xiong Xiong, that mischievous kid, tugging at Manman's skirt before quickly letting go and running away.
Chen Qi witnessed this scene but showed no signs of anger; instead, he wore an expression of amusement.
To look good, Manman had worn a plaid skirt with thigh-high stockings, making it appear as though she wasn't wearing any long pants underneath.
Xiong Xiong did this to embarrass Manman in front of everyone.
Without saying a word, I strode into the dining hall.
"Oh, I just remembered I haven't given Xiong Xiong his red envelope yet. Come here so Auntie can give you some money for the New Year."
As soon as Xiong Xiong heard there was money involved, he eagerly ran over to me, egged on by his parents.
Before he could steady himself, I slapped him across the face with a loud "smack," causing a large red mark to swell up on his cheek.
Everyone paused their eating, and Chen Qi seized the opportunity. Before Xiong Xiong's parents could say anything, he stepped forward.
"Su Yuan, what grudge do you have against our family? First you ask for snacks, then money, and now you’re hitting our child. Are you trying to make sure we have an unhappy year?"
I widened my eyes innocently; meanwhile, Xiong Xiong's nose had already started to bleed.
I thought he looked chubby and healthy, not realizing that my light slap would cause him to bleed.
Chen Qi rushed forward and hugged him tightly, as if he were his own child.
"What if this little kid ends up with a lingering illness? And you hit him in public like that; he’ll definitely be left with psychological scars. Su Yuan, you need to pay for his medical expenses and emotional damages—at least ten thousand yuan."
Oh, so this is an attempt to recover all the blood money at once.
I was about to speak when Manman, who had been silent until now, stepped forward.
"Chen Qi, don’t go too far. It was Xiong Xiong who lifted my skirt first, and Yuan Yuan only acted afterward."
Chen Qi's eyes widened, seemingly realizing that Manman would no longer be easily manipulated by him. His tone grew harsher, revealing his true nature.
Greedy and hypocritical.
Manman, you better see this clearly.
Just moments ago, when he and Xiong Xiong's parents were beating Xiong Xiong, they didn’t seem worried about any psychological impact on him.
"Xiong Xiong, come here. Aunty wants to ask you something."
I waved him over. The little troublemaker looked at me timidly, afraid I might slap him again.
"Don’t scare the child. Xiong Xiong, be brave and tell the truth—did you lift Manman's skirt just now?"
Manman took a deep breath, and the last glimmer of hope in her eyes faded away.
Chen Qi clearly saw everything but still encouraged Xiong Xiong to lie for the sake of ten thousand yuan.
I placed a red envelope into Xiong Xiong's hand, and he immediately stopped crying.
"Xiong Xiong, knowing your mistakes and correcting them makes you a good child. If you tell the truth, Auntie will save all the snacks for you."
Xiong Xiong sniffled; no one could resist the temptation of the cream puffs.
I leaned closer to his ear, appearing to comfort him while actually coaxing him.
"Xiong Xiong, if you admit your mistake, all the money and snacks in this Red Envelope will be yours. If you don't confess, that ten thousand yuan will be split between Chen Qi and your parents, and you won't get a single cent. Plus, if Auntie can't leave, you'll have to spend your whole life with that learning machine..."
Xiong Xiong immediately took several steps back in fright, crying out.
"I was wrong! Dad taught me to lift skirts! He said I was too young to be blamed for lifting anyone's skirt!"
Before he could finish shouting, Xiong Xiong received another slap on the face, this time from Uncle.
Uncle coughed awkwardly, his face flushed with anger.
"At such a young age, talking nonsense like that deserves a beating. But Xiong Xiong is our child; it's not for outsiders to educate him. He’s still a child; if there's an issue, take it up with the adults. How can you resort to violence..."
I swiftly slapped him across the face as well; after all, he had said it himself.
Chen Qi was furious. Hitting his elder in front of him was even more humiliating than hitting him directly.
He rolled up his sleeves in a flash, ready to unleash all his anger at me for Manman's "betrayal."
Manman was completely stunned; she thought Chen Qi just had a bad temper but didn’t realize he had violent tendencies.
I wasn't intimidated at all; did he think my years of training were for nothing?
Just as a major confrontation seemed imminent, a delicate voice with a hint of tears floated over.
"Honey, where are you?"
In the snow, my friend Queer Two Teeth was holding a little boy's hand, accompanied by a beautiful yet haggard girl who appeared at the door.
Queer Two Teeth was the unfortunate kid who lost his canine tooth after stealing my snacks, but he had now grown into a handsome young man.
He was from the same hometown as Chen Qi. All the stories about Chen Qi were ones he had shared with me after returning home for the New Year.
The girl shivered, crying and glancing around as she gathered her emotions.
She rushed forward and hugged Chen Qi, starting to wail.
"Honey! How could you abandon us?"
Chen Qi pushed her away in shock.
"Qian Qian, what are you...?"
Qian Qian continued to cry loudly, completely oblivious to the astonished gazes of those around them.
"You heartless person! We promised to go to vocational school together; you said you would make a lot of money for me. But as soon as I got pregnant, you vanished! You made me get expelled from school while you transferred and repeated a year! You're so cold-blooded!"
Manman glared at Chen Qi in anger, her small hands, red from the cold, finally couldn't take it anymore and slapped him across the face.
"Smack!"
Well done! I had wanted to do that for a long time.
"Bah! Chen Qi, I really misjudged you. From today on, we're breaking up. Come on, girl, let's go."
Unexpectedly, Qian Qian sat down on the spot, and the child hugged her tightly, bursting into tears.
"Wah, I won't leave! How can I take care of a child all by myself?"
"Wah, I won't leave! I won't go without my red envelope!"
Chen Qi was so annoyed by the situation that he was on the verge of losing his temper again.
But I quickly subdued him in the snow with just a few moves.
He was no match for me at all; to avoid further pain, he immediately knelt down obediently.
"What should we do, Brother Chen Qi? Should we call the police?"
Chen Qi was sweating in the cold weather. He had clearly seen Qian Qian on the operating table back then; he had run away then, so how could there suddenly be a child?
However, this child's age matched up, and their appearance resembled Qian Qian's. How could there be any mistake?
If they really called the police, he would have to pay a hefty amount in child support, which would only add to his troubles!
After thinking for a long time, Chen Qi finally resigned himself to his fate.
"On New Year's Day, what's going on here? Hey, I'll give this child a red envelope, but you all must not come looking for me again."
Was he trying to settle this privately?
While crying, Qian Qian took out her phone.
"Why is my life so miserable?"
Chen Qi transferred two thousand, noting it as New Year's money.
"I can't succeed in school, and my boyfriend is gone."
Chen Qi transferred another three thousand.
"Ah, I can't go on living!"
With gritted teeth, Chen Qi transferred five thousand more.
Qian Qian's cries abruptly stopped as she grabbed the child and climbed onto the ox cart brought by Queer Two Teeth.
The cart driver shouted from the side.
"Come on, darling! We've got the New Year's money! Anyone who wants to go back will lose eighty years off their life. No worries, since we're moving anyway, he won't even know where to find the money!"
Chen Qi was so furious he nearly had a heart attack. Manman looked at him coldly, like a pitying beggar.
"Manman, let me explain..."
Manman kicked him hard; it was a self-defense move I had taught her. She had only learned one move, but it was quite effective.
Chen Qi immediately fell to the ground, and as soon as he did, he received a harsh blow from a cane on his back.
Old Man, despite his unsteady legs, was still hitting him with all his might.
"You wretched child! Your parents work away from home every year, and your aunt has fallen ill trying to support you. Yet you go out and do such disgraceful things while keeping it a secret from me! I swear I'll beat you to death today!"
Others tried to mediate as Manman and I hurriedly loaded our belongings onto Queer Two Teeth's ox cart.
With a crack of the whip, the old ox quickly took us away from this place of troubles.
Behind the ox cart, chaos erupted.
"Hey, Old Master, let it go! He's just a child."
"On New Year's, hitting him will only make him suffer all year long!"
"Don't hit him in the face; the kid is only good-looking. If he gets disfigured, he'll be worthless!"
...
I hummed a cheerful tune, comforting Manman while chatting with Queer Two Teeth.
"Thanks for this!"
Queer Two Teeth smiled.
"You should thank Qian Qian."
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