Chapter 7

Ji Wanqing retracted her slightly cold gaze from the terrified Ji Xiaorou and turned to the Ji family.

“Grandma, Uncle, Second Uncle, Second Aunt, Dad, you’re really something. For such a small matter, you had to trouble the whole family to come and uphold justice. Fine, you came, but Dad had to drag you all in to make a scene! Now, not only is Dad’s reputation as a deputy workshop director gone, but Uncle, you’ll be gossiped about in the textile factory, and Second Uncle, you can’t expect to have a good time in the food factory either.”

In this era, being on record at the police station wasn’t a good reputation!

The eldest brother and the second brother were filled with regret. From now on, they wouldn’t get involved in the third brother’s family matters!

Their niece was right, they were a family, what was the point of interfering? Now they had stirred up a hornet’s nest for no reason!

Ji Jianguo felt like he had been run over by a car. He huddled in the corner and mumbled: “You little bitch, don’t talk nonsense here, I—”

Ji Wanqing picked up the enamel mug, smashed it against Ji Jianguo’s forehead, including the hot water, and said chillingly: “What? Didn’t I beat you enough? Your mouth still hasn’t learned to be careful?”

The freshly brewed tea was at least 80 degrees Celsius, scalding Ji Jianguo, who screamed in pain!

The others in the room shrank their shoulders in fear, afraid of provoking this demon again.

Ji Jianguo had tea leaves on his head and his face was flushed from the burn. The resentment in his eyes flickered several times before he finally dared not speak again.

Ji Wanqing retracted her gaze with satisfaction and said to everyone at the dining table: “So, about our family matters, I advise Uncle and Second Uncle to mind your own business. I remember Brother Dayong is getting married, right? Is Sister Shu looking at someone too? If the in-laws find out that we have such an inharmonious and unpleasant relative, it will definitely lower their impression of us.”

Grandma Ji, with her mouth stuffed with cloth, rolled her eyes and mumbled in protest.

Ji Wanqing ignored her and said with a smile: “If there’s nothing else, we won’t keep Grandma and the others for dinner.”

Being reprimanded by a junior for meddling in their business, and being threatened with their children’s marriage, the eldest brother and the second brother were extremely embarrassed.

But what could they do?

They couldn’t beat her, and she said it was their family matter, they were already separated, and it was unreasonable for them to interfere.

The eldest brother said in a deep voice: “No matter what, you shouldn’t have hit your father.”

Ji Wanqing said nonchalantly, lifting her sleeves: “What, my dad hit me so hard, I can’t fight back?”

The eldest brother wanted to speak again, but Ji Wanqing interrupted him: “Uncle, don’t worry too much. My mother is gone, and my grandfather passed away, now I only have Dad left as my closest relative. Blood is thicker than water!”

“This time, I was just really angry. Before, I always tried to be obedient, hoping that Dad would see how well-behaved I was and favor me a little more.” She looked at Su Xiu and her children, her tone cold: “Later, I was beaten so much that I realized that a stepmother means a stepfather too. Every time I was beaten, it was Aunt Su who was egging Dad on.”

After all, Ji Wanqing was a Ji, and with Su Xiu as the focus of their anger, the Ji family’s dissatisfied and unkind gazes all fell on her.

Especially Grandma Ji, her fierce eyes wished she could skin her alive!

Su Xiu shivered, hugged Ji Xinbao, and said pitifully: “I, I didn’t.”

Grandma Ji’s eyes narrowed: “Ugh ugh ugh!” It wasn’t you, that little bitch, who would it be, my son?!

“Alright, I understand. From now on, no matter what you do, come and untie us!” The eldest brother didn’t want to get involved in his third brother’s family matters anymore, he had to go to work tomorrow!

Ji Wanqing complied: “I was just afraid that Uncle and Second Uncle would fight with a weak woman like me.”

The second brother twitched his mouth.

Actually, according to his eldest brother’s temperament, if he hadn’t been unable to beat his niece, today wouldn’t have been so easy, and he wouldn’t have been so easy to talk to.

Ji Jianguo heard that his eldest brother and second brother were leaving, and despite his stomach ache, he stood up tremblingly: “Mom, you, you really don’t care about me anymore?”

Grandma Ji had just been untied and wanted to slap Ji Wanqing, but she was grabbed by the hair and pulled, making her jump up and down in pain!

The eldest brother, seeing his niece’s ruthlessness, also knew that she had been bullied by the third brother’s family. If she didn’t vent her anger, this wouldn’t be over.

“They say even a wise official can’t settle family matters. Even the police came to mediate and couldn’t resolve it, how can you expect us to?”

In the end, it was Ji Wanqing’s last few words that moved the eldest brother.

Ji Wanqing only had Ji Jianguo as her father. When she got married and had children, she would inevitably need her family’s support. It was estimated that she would vent her anger for a few days and that would be it. Could she really dare to murder her own father?

Ji Jianguo was shocked, his lower lip trembling: “Even, even if the matter of beating me is settled, what about the money? Ji Wanqing, you took all the family’s money!”

If it wasn’t for the two small gold bars that the little wretch had pried out from under the floor tiles, he would have told the police and had her arrested. How dare she be so arrogant!

However, Ji Wanqing said righteously: “Dad, don’t talk nonsense! I can swear on my life that everything I took today was left to me by Grandpa! You can’t secretly take things and then pretend they are yours!”

His third brother’s father-in-law had a lot of money before the Great Revolution, and this was no secret in the Ji family.

Ji Jianguo wanted to say, “You’re full of crap,” but the 5,000 yuan in the passbook had indeed been transferred from Ji Wanqing’s account, and the bank had records, it couldn’t be faked.

The second brother’s wife listened attentively and asked: “Wanqing, when did your father take your money? How much did he take?”

Ji Jianguo’s throat tightened, and he hurriedly signaled Ji Wanqing not to say anything.

Ji Wanqing, who had planned to bluff her way through, saw Ji Jianguo’s expression and said decisively: “He started asking me for money as soon as I arrived. Sometimes it was for repairing my mother’s tomb, sometimes it was for bribing people at work, and even Xinbao’s tutoring classes were paid for by me. Sometimes the family didn’t have money to buy groceries, and I had to pay for living expenses.”

Although she didn’t reveal the specific amount, it was clear that he had taken a lot of money!

The second brother’s wife suddenly looked at Ji Jianguo with resentment, while Ji Jianguo lowered his head in guilt.

Two months ago, it was the time for the three-monthly mobilization meeting for going to the countryside. Her second son had finally found a formal job, and he only needed to buy it to avoid going to the countryside and suffering.

But formal jobs were expensive in this era! It cost 800 yuan!

They borrowed money from all their relatives and only managed to gather over 600 yuan, and they still didn’t have enough.

They didn’t buy the job, and her second son naturally went to the countryside to become an educated youth.

Yesterday, the second brother’s wife received a letter from her son. He had just finished spring planting and was exhausted, making her worry so much that she couldn’t sleep last night.

Who knew that when she came to Ji Jianguo’s house today, she learned that her third brother-in-law clearly didn’t lack that 100 yuan, but he was willing to watch his nephew go to the countryside rather than lend him the money!

Was he afraid that they wouldn’t repay the loan?

A newly hired formal worker earns 22 yuan a month, and her nephew lives at home, so he could repay 15 yuan a month, and it would be paid off in a year or so! Why did he have to go to the countryside to suffer?

The second brother’s wife looked at Ji Jianguo with venomous eyes.