Chapter 42

Jian Li scolded Wang Shuai, who was spinning his eyes, clearly letting everything go in one ear and out the other.

Jian Li slapped the back of his head: “You silly boy, if you keep doing this, in a few years, you won’t even be able to survive in the village!”

No one was a fool. Right now, the little black eggs were causing small troubles, a few tens of dollars were enough to catch their attention. This was just because the kids didn’t understand the value of money. But the children would grow up, and the county town was not far away. Wang Shuai had taken so much from the middle; no one knew when it would come to light.

Jian Li half-threatened, half-warned him: “At that time, no one will play with you. Even if you sell something, everyone will assume you make a lot of money. You’ll be like a rat crossing the street, everyone will shout and beat you, and anyone who sees you will say you’re heartless.”

Wang Shuai shuddered and half-believed it: “Is that true?”

He thought his actions were foolproof, and no one would know. If it weren’t for today’s accident, his sister wouldn’t have known how much kickbacks he’d taken.

Jian Li slapped the back of his head again: “You think you’re the only smart one in the world?”

Wang Shuai: “Not the whole world, but I can still compete with the whole village, right?”

Jian Li looked at his shameless face and immediately understood why her mother often said she wanted to hit her.

Wang Shuai was asking for it.

But Jian Li was a reasonable person. Before she went to complain, she told Wang Shuai why she had to discipline him.

“A person can’t stand without trust. If your reputation is ruined, you won’t succeed in anything you do in the future. Adults tell you not to lie because, while lying may bring short-term gains, in the long run, it’s not worth it.”

They were all from the same village. Although Jian Li didn’t live in the countryside, her mother had told her many times.

The countryside was a society of relationships.

Wang Shuai’s actions were both big and small, but Jian Li clearly remembered from her past life.

In her previous life, Wang Shuai had been a frequent visitor to the police station since he was in eighth grade. Rumors were like knives, and people in the village pointed fingers at him, each one acting as if they were prophets.

“I knew this kid wasn’t a good person from the start.”

“He’s been crafty and lazy since he was a kid, you could tell from when he was three.”

“It’s the adults’ fault for not teaching him well.”

People found traces in every little thing to prove that Wang Shuai was never a good person.

Uncle Wang Yuedong’s later graying hair mostly came from this. The strange looks and whispers from the villagers made him unable to hold his head up for many years.

Thinking about Uncle Wang’s later depression, Jian Li became more determined.

She immediately went to complain.

So, on the third day of the New Year, Wang Shuai’s howls echoed through the village.

Jian Li watched as Wang Yuedong swung the broom fiercely, and Wang Shuai was crying uncontrollably.

Zhao Chunlan kept shouting: “What kind of sin has he committed! Beating the child during the New Year!”

Sun Cuifang and Wang Mengmei tried to protect him, but Wang Yuedong, in his anger, ignored them.

Watching Wang Shuai take a full round of beating, Sun Cuifang wiped her tears and argued with her husband.

Jian Li stood with her arms crossed in front of Wang Shuai: “Do you know what you did wrong?”

Wang Shuai still had tears on his face and didn’t even want to talk to Jian Li.

Jian Li didn’t care. Whether he knew what was wrong didn’t matter. What mattered was that the broomstick lumps were enough to make him learn.

Wang Shuai was crying as Sun Cuifang held him, while Zhao Chunlan waved her cane, ready to hit Wang Yuedong.

Jian Feng realized the situation wasn’t good and quickly pulled Wang Yuedong away.

Wang Mengmei tried to calm down her mother and younger sister. She felt embarrassed.

“How did we end up with such a troublemaker!”

Zhao Chunlan, clutching her chest and feeling uncomfortable, stared at Wang Mengmei and scolded: “Look at you, why don’t you manage your little Li! Every time she comes back, Wang Shuai gets beaten. If this continues, don’t bring her back!”

Before Wang Mengmei could respond, Sun Cuifang silently pushed away the handkerchief Wang Mengmei handed her.

Clearly, she wasn’t happy with Jian Li’s actions.

Wang Mengmei had no words. Angrily, she went to grab the broomstick to hit Jian Li.

Jian Li had expected this. After Wang Shuai finished his beating, she grabbed Wang Yunyun and ran out.

The two girls wandered outside, and Jian Li spoke more in detail, telling Wang Yunyun everything Wang Shuai had done.

Wang Yunyun couldn’t believe that Wang Shuai had been taking money from the middle!

“He deserved the beating!”

Wang Yunyun’s face flushed with anger, fully supporting Jian Li’s actions.

Jian Li sat on a large stone by the road, swinging her legs: “I couldn’t help it. You see, with Wang Shuai, if no one else does something, he’ll never listen.”

This kid was too slick, always pretending one thing while doing another.

Jian Li sometimes truly understood her uncle’s frustration. With someone like Wang Shuai, not beating him was not an option.

Wang Yunyun sat beside Jian Li: “Yeah.”

Sometimes, Wang Yunyun also thought that the problems in her family were an unsolvable dilemma. Wang Shuai deserved the punishment, but sometimes her father beat him too harshly, and her mother was too protective.

Wang Yunyun: “Sometimes I want to persuade them. Beating him like this doesn’t really serve as a punishment. Protection doesn’t help, and I don’t know what’s the point of always ending up with nothing.”

Sometimes, Wang Yunyun even felt that Wang Shuai was also troubled, torn between two completely different styles of education.

Jian Li joked: “Do you know how to solve your family’s problem? The best way would be for someone to hit him exactly where it hurts every time.”

The best person to take on this role is actually Zhao Chunlan.

She could keep Wang Yuedong from being too harsh and, from the perspective of an elder, ensure that Sun Cuifang doesn’t go overboard in her protective ways.

Unfortunately, Zhao Chunlan is even more protective than Sun Cuifang.

Jian Li silently complained in her heart. In such an environment, it’s no surprise that Wang Shuai might turn out like he did in his previous life.

After saying that, Jian Li dragged Wang Yunyun to the small shop, completely unaware of the thoughtful look flashing across Wang Yunyun’s eyes.

—-

Originally, Jian Li’s family planned to stay a few more days. Jian Feng could leave on the fourth day of the new year, and Wang Mengmei would stay with her daughter until the eighth. However, due to Wang Shuai’s beating, Wang Mengmei had no face to stay longer.

On the fourth day, the family of three directly packed up and went home.

Wang Mengmei tugged at Jian Li’s ear and scolded her, turning her ear bright red.

“Why did you go and complain? During the New Year, you even asked your uncle to beat your brother!”

Jian Li retorted, “Do you think he deserved the beating?”

Wang Mengmei: …

If Wang Shuai were her child, that beating would have been deserved.

It was just like the time Jian Li secretly took Qian Ping to the city. She thought her intentions were good, but good intentions sometimes lead to bad outcomes. Moreover, Wang Shuai was the type who knew the law but chose to break it. How could he not know how much his sister asked him to give to others? Jian Li said he took half of it for himself.

As an adult, if you can’t correct a child’s wrong behavior on the spot, what kind of parent are you?

But Wang Shuai wasn’t her own child, and Wang Mengmei couldn’t bring herself to say that as an aunt, she didn’t want to offend her sister-in-law.

“…Stop making excuses!”

Jian Li pouted. Adults always do that—when they can’t argue, they start making excuses.

Wang Mengmei was somewhat deflated by her daughter’s remark, and in the end, just wrapped things up.

As the family of three was about to leave, Wang Shuai had already started limping from house to house to pay back the money.

Thankfully, he had developed a habit of keeping records, so every transaction was clear.

What made Jian Li laugh most was that Wang Shuai had already mastered the ways of bureaucracy.

This kid had kept two sets of accounts, one true and one false!

Watching Wang Shuai pull out the real ledger from a hidden spot, Jian Li almost laughed herself to death.

She patted Wang Shuai’s forehead, which was full of resentment: “I’m not scamming you. You’ll understand the benefits of this beating in the future. Study well, and I’ll come back during the summer.”

Thinking of what Wang Shuai loved most, Jian Li took ten yuan from her pocket and stuffed it into his hand. “Are you not angry now?”

The day before, Wang Shuai was thinking he would never be good to Jian Li again, but now he remembered her kindness. Sniffling, he asked Jian Li why she wasn’t staying longer.

“Sis, I’m not mad at you. Stay a few more days.”

Jian Li smiled. “How could I stay? Your aunt and uncle argued all night last night.”

“Take care of yourself, and I’ll come back later and help you make money.”

When Jian Li’s family was on the bus, Wang Shuai started crying.

Sun Cuifang felt guilty. She knew that Wang Mengmei was rushing to leave because of her own embarrassment.

But wasn’t she just feeling sorry for her son?

Sun Cuifang was indeed protective, but upon reflection, she also felt guilty.

Wang Mengmei truly cared about her family. If they weren’t especially close, would someone have bothered to report this complaint?

She patted her son. “Stop crying. Your sister will come back during the summer.”

Wang Shuai wiped his tears, putting the ten yuan Jian Li gave him into his pocket. He had suffered a significant loss today, giving away a small portion of his little savings, which made his heart ache.

Once the money was gone, some families were happy thinking they had gotten free money and even let their kids play with the little black eggs. Other families, however, thought Wang Shuai was up to no good and didn’t let their kids hang out with him.

But the little black eggs all had the same reaction.

Wang Shuai was a good person.

The money he gave them during the summer was already enough, and now he gave even more.

Children didn’t know much. All they knew was that Wang Shuai was kind and clung to him.

After returning home, Wang Shuai finally started to think things through. He carefully considered everything. Although he hadn’t fully understood what his sister meant, Wang Shuai now knew that making money shouldn’t be done by taking it from business partners.

One wrong move, and he’d get beaten.

Starting from the fourth day, more families went visiting relatives, and with the children’s red envelopes and the money Wang Shuai had just given, the kids started buying things.

Wang Shuai thought, he had to make up for the loss somehow.

So, he didn’t rest at home and took the little black eggs into the city to stock up.

He planned to sell around the nearby villages during the New Year and buy some more expensive goods.

Wang Shuai thought it was a great idea, but he overlooked one thing.

The New Year was also the peak time for child abductions.

There were so many people visiting relatives, and many unfamiliar faces passing through the villages. Normally, if a stranger entered the village, everyone would pay attention. But now, every village was filled with relatives visiting once a year, making it easy for human traffickers to blend in.

Wang Shuai had taken five or six little black eggs with him, and the village had already gone crazy looking for them.

By the time Wang Shuai returned from the county, he was met with his mother’s tears, his father’s stern face, and his grandmother’s relief.

Wang Yuedong’s face was as black as a griddle, and it was clear that this time, Wang Shuai had started the trouble again.

He was really at a loss.

Wang Shuai seemed to have two minds—whatever he was willing to listen to, he would, but when he didn’t want to listen, he never followed through with a single honest instruction.

This kind of thing—taking other people’s children out to have fun—had already happened three times in recent years.

The first time, he took them to the riverbank, claiming they wanted to swim by the river. That river, several meters deep, made Wang Yuedong’s legs go weak when he realized the kids were fine.

The second time, he took the kids to a place seven or eight miles away to watch a play. So far, and he didn’t even tell the family; he just took a group of kids and wandered off.

The third time was now, on a big holiday, just dropping off six kids.

The villagers suspected that someone with a truck must have entered the village; otherwise, why would they grab six kids? A truck could just fit six kids.

“…Kneel down!”

Wang Yuedong was so furious, he wanted to ask Heaven why it had sent Wang Shuai to torture him.

At less than forty years old, he already felt like his useless son was going to be the death of him!

Wang Yuedong was looking around for something to use as a weapon to teach Wang Shuai a lesson.

Just then, he suddenly heard a young voice shouting.

“Do you know what you did wrong!”

He turned around to see his sweet daughter, holding a feather duster, scolding and hitting Wang Shuai, who was kneeling on the ground.

Wang Yuedong: …