Chapter 32: They Are Lying

Tao Yu stood at the door, and Li Juan, holding the oil lamp, followed her. Before she could even ask who was at the door, a young girl’s voice came from outside.

“Aunt, it’s me! Hongping, hurry and open the door!”

After speaking, the person outside didn’t stop, continuing to knock forcefully on the door.

Hongping?

Tao Hongping?

People from the Chayazi Commune were here again?

Tao Yu and Li Juan exchanged a glance. It wasn’t going to work with someone banging on the door like that.

At this moment, it had just gotten dark, and it was the time when the nearby guards were patrolling around the courtyard. Naturally, they would pass by the door of their little house.

It seems that after the incident with Grandma Mao last time, patrols around the yard have become more frequent.

So, if Tao Yu opened the door and the people from the Chayazi Commune had any improper intentions, they could easily cause a scene by shouting.

After deciding, the two women each grabbed some handy tools. Tao Yu motioned for Li Juan to stay behind.

Then she unlocked the door and swiftly opened it, skillfully stepping aside to avoid being in the way.

Soon, Tao Yu and Li Juan heard two startled “Oh no!” sounds, followed by two dark figures tumbling into the yard.

The two people fell face-first onto the ground, taking a hard tumble.

Unfortunately for them, the yard’s clean blue brick pavement, which Li Juan routinely scrubbed, left them no chance to taste the dirt.

Tao Yu crossed her arms and coldly observed the two people on the ground.

Oh?

One of them was her “aunt” He Saihua.

The other person, carrying a blue and white bundle on her back, was none other than her “younger cousin” Tao Hongping, who was just two months younger than her.

Li Juan’s face turned grim. Before she could speak, He Saihua quickly helped Tao Hongping up, then, with a fawning tone, turned her gaze to Li Juan.

“Juan’er, it’s just us, mother and daughter, here to visit you. Hongping, hurry up and greet her!”

Tao Hongping was given a forceful slap on the back by He Saihua, causing her to reluctantly call out.

“Aunt.”

Li Juan sneered.

“I’ve cut ties with your old Tao family. Don’t go trying to pretend we’re relatives!”

Tao Yu recalled.

He Saihua, this sister-in-law, along with the people from the Chayazi Commune, had never been friendly to Li Juan.

According to some scattered memories, others had said that before Li Juan and her daughter moved to the city, they had endured a lot of hardship in the old Tao family.

In the original memory,

Every year during the New Year, Tao Lijun would take his wife and daughter back to Chayazi.

The old Tao family in the Chayazi Commune, except for showing a good face to Tao Lijun, who had “made something of himself” in the city, never treated Li Juan and her daughter kindly.

Behind their backs, the old house members would cruelly insult the original protagonist, calling her mentally ill, a worthless burden, and so on.

Among them,

He Saihua and Tao Hongping were the most vocal in their insults, so it was no wonder Li Juan despised them so much.

While Tao Yu was lost in thought,

Tao Hongping glanced at her with a sidelong look. Her eyes were practically bloodshot.

Even under the dim light of the oil lamp, Tao Yu’s fair, smooth profile was breathtakingly beautiful.

Tao Hongping couldn’t help but feel stunned.

Goodness, this “crazy” girl has become so beautiful!

Where is the ghostly figure she used to be, hiding under a headscarf a few years ago?

And look at the dress this little madwoman is wearing, the fabric is of such high quality!

She really couldn’t stand looking at her!

Tao Hongping was indeed extremely jealous. When Li Juan took the original protagonist back to the Commune,

Tao Hongping had always been envious of her cousin from the city, and later, when she saw that the original protagonist was someone who could be easily bullied, even Tao Lijun, her father, had said that the original protagonist was mentally ill,

Tao Hongping’s sense of superiority grew, and she began to bully the original protagonist both openly and covertly.

The most vivid memory Tao Yu had

Was when the original protagonist was about 10 years old and returned to Chayazi for the New Year.

Tao Hongping pretended to want to take the original protagonist out to play.

Li Juan, having been worked to exhaustion by the people at the old house, hadn’t had proper rest or food for two to three days, and in the midst of her busyness, she lost track of the original protagonist, who was then taken away by Tao Hongping.

Afterward, Tao Hongping led the original protagonist around the entire Commune.

Although Tao Hongping wasn’t very good-looking,

The original protagonist, coming from the city, covered her face and lowered her head, looking melancholic and weak,

Tao Hongping felt like the original protagonist made her look even more impressive by comparison.

So, she had to drag the original protagonist around, showing off.

Not long after, by the edge of the Commune’s water pond,

A few curious young girls from the Commune, seeing that the original protagonist was silent and wouldn’t respond to any questions,

Ganged up to bully her, and Tao Hongping naturally didn’t care.

Later, no one knew who pushed her,

But in the freezing winter weather, the original protagonist was pushed into the icy pond!

When Tao Hongping saw the trouble she had caused, she quickly ran off.

Later,

The original protagonist, by sheer luck, was rescued by some nearby members of the Commune.

However, the original protagonist fell seriously ill after returning.

Since then, Li Juan had never wanted to take Tao Yu back to the Chayazi Commune.

Every year, no matter how much Tao Lijun cursed and complained about going back to Chayazi,

Li Juan would firmly refuse.

So, for many years, it had been just the two of them, mother and daughter, spending the New Year alone and in peace.

Now,

Tao Yu had become even more stunning, and compared to the original protagonist, their temperaments had become worlds apart.

Tao Hongping was deeply shocked, feeling a bigger sense of inferiority than ever before.

Seeing Tao Hongping’s unfriendly gaze up and down, Tao Yu, with a strong aura, gave her a cold glance.

Tao Hongping couldn’t even hold eye contact with Tao Yu for a few seconds before she immediately lost her composure and quickly turned her gaze away.

Goodness, how is this little madwoman so intimidating now?

Meanwhile, Li Juan had no interest in continuing the argument with He Saihua. Before He Saihua could finish speaking,

Li Juan directly took action, grabbing He Saihua and pulling her outside.

As He Saihua stubbornly dragged her feet on the ground, she tried to convince Li Juan.

“Juan’er, Juan’er, I’m not finished yet, we’re here to help you!”

“Your ready-made clothing business is doing so well, we’re just trying to help, even your child’s grandmother thinks the same way!”

When Li Juan heard “child’s grandmother,” her brows furrowed tighter, and she increased the force pulling He Saihua outside.

Tao Hongping, clearly intimidated by Li Juan’s stance,

Stretched out her hand but dared not say a word, nor did she dare to help.

After all, it was someone else’s territory, and she could only timidly follow behind.

Seeing that she couldn’t argue with Li Juan, and Li Juan wasn’t even replying to her,

He Saihua’s little eyes darted around.

As they neared the door, she suddenly broke free from Li Juan’s grip and ran out on her own!

While running, He Saihua smugly shouted,

“Li Juan, you’re ungrateful! If you don’t want me to help, then leave our Hongping here!”

“As night fell, you better not send her, a girl, out into the street! If something happens, the Tao family won’t let you off the hook!”

After speaking, as if expecting Li Juan’s soft heart to give in, He Saihua dashed away like a puff of smoke, disappearing into the dark.

Only Tao Hongping stood dazed at the door, not even having a chance to call out, “Mom, wait for me…”

Li Juan stood with her hands on her hips, staring at He Saihua running away like a rascal. She remembered that only Tao Hongping was carrying a burden while He Saihua had nothing on her.

Then she came to her senses.

It turned out that He Saihua had planned this all along, trying to pass Tao Hongping onto her!

Li Juan, still standing with her hands on her hips, glared at Tao Hongping, her face a bit hesitant.

At this moment, Tao Hongping recalled what her mother had told her earlier.

Right, Li Juan was soft-hearted; if she begged a little, she would definitely not send her away!

Tao Hongping quickly glanced at the new clothes on Tao Yu, feeling pleased with herself.

As long as she could stay in this house, she would definitely live a prosperous life with riches and jewels!

But before Tao Hongping could begin her act of pretending to be pitiful,

Tao Yu seemed to see through her. With a cold look, she observed Tao Hongping and spoke before Li Juan could.

“Do you want to stay?”

Tao Hongping thought she had disguised herself well and immediately nodded furiously.

Tao Yu stood on the steps in front of the door, looking down at her.

“You really want to stay?”

Tao Hongping wasn’t so confident now, and she curled her lip, speaking uncomfortably.

“Yes, I really want to stay! Is that okay?”

Tao Yu, with a cold face, blocked the door, slowly leading her on.

“Then I’ll ask you something, and you better answer honestly. Otherwise, you’ll be sleeping on the street tonight. I have no kind heart to take you in.”

Tao Hongping’s face turned sour. She glanced nervously at the door behind Tao Yu, then looked back at Tao Yu, but didn’t dare to meet her eyes directly from the steps.

Clearly, she didn’t doubt for a second that Tao Yu could actually make her sleep on the street.

Frightened, she quickly agreed.

“Okay, okay, ask!”

Tao Yu studied Tao Hongping’s dodging eyes.

“Did Tao Lijun go south to do business? Did he come back last month or last week?”

Tao Hongping’s eyes flickered as she hesitated, not answering immediately.

Last week?

Or was it last month?

Her mother hadn’t explained this clearly to her before she left.

She was just told to say he had gone south for business. How was she supposed to know when he returned?

She decided not to think too much about it.

In order to stay, and not anger Tao Yu, Tao Hongping answered vaguely.

“I think… it was the week before last. I don’t really remember.”

“Don’t remember?” Tao Yu sneered and asked another question.

“Why didn’t you bring the fabric he bought for us from the south?”

Tao Hongping was confused again. What fabric? Why didn’t her mother mention this? Was she being set up?

Without thinking, Tao Hongping immediately lied.

“Well, that… the fabric is with Grandma. You… you can’t really go back and fight with Grandma over it, can you?”

After speaking, Tao Hongping looked at Tao Yu smugly, thinking she had gotten away with it.

Little did she know, Tao Yu had already seen through her lies.

Tao Hongping was no match for Tao Yu’s sharpness.

Tao Yu coldly spoke.

“There was no fabric… Tao Lijun never went south, did he?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Tao Yu’s expression grew even colder, stepping down a step with an imposing aura that immediately made Tao Hongping retreat in fear.

Then, Tao Yu gave her judgment.

“And you, all of you, are lying together…”