Chapter 33: Crying and Begging

Tao Hongping, seeing that her lies had been exposed, locked eyes with Tao Yu, whose cold, perceptive gaze seemed to see right through her. Lacking experience, she immediately began to panic.

“You… you’re trying to trick me!” she stammered.

Li Juan, standing beside them, seemed to realize something after hearing this. She stepped forward and stopped Tao Hongping, who was retreating in fear, her voice filled with anger.

“Did Tao Lijun sell the house and start living in the Chayazi Commune?”

Tao Hongping’s eyes widened in fear as she tried to escape Li Juan’s tight grip. She stubbornly continued to argue.

“No, no! How could my uncle be living in the commune? He… he doesn’t live in the old house!”

The moment she spoke these words, it hit her that Tao Lijun didn’t live in the Tao family’s old house. This meant that during his disappearance, he had indeed been hiding in the Chayazi Commune!

Li Juan watched Tao Hongping’s frightened and guilty expression, and she understood everything.

She let go of Tao Hongping’s arm, and her face suddenly darkened to the extreme. She lowered her hand and turned away, no longer looking at Tao Hongping, as though all her strength had been drained from her body.

Then, in a voice devoid of emotion, she spoke.

“Yu’er, I’ll listen to you. Whatever you say, we’ll do. We don’t owe those heartless people from the Tao family anything.”

Seeing Li Juan’s state, Tao Yu had some suspicions in her mind. But she took Li Juan’s hand, which had been hanging limp, and didn’t ask further.

Tao Yu’s cold eyes focused on Tao Hongping, who was now trembling in fear, and she spoke half-jokingly, half-seriously.

“Do you think you can fool us with what Tao Lijun has done?”

She sneered, her voice light and mocking.

“Tao Hongping, you and your family still want to stay in my house? Are you dreaming?”

After Tao Yu’s dismissive words, Tao Hongping looked up at her emotionless face.

For some reason, in that moment, she clearly understood—there was no way she would be allowed to stay tonight!

It was only then that Tao Hongping realized.

Li Juan and that little lunatic had already changed. They were no longer as easy to talk to or as easy to bully as before.

No matter how much she pretended to be pitiful or played dirty tricks, it wouldn’t work!

With these thoughts clear in her mind, Tao Hongping quickly abandoned her earlier defiant attitude. She suddenly became desperate and softened her tone, like a sick person desperately seeking a cure.

“I can’t leave! Then… then tell me, what do I have to do to stay?”

She didn’t want to go back to the Chayazi Commune!

If she went back to the commune, her grandmother would marry her off to the old bachelors there, the ones who were as old as pigs!

“Those are three nearly forty-year-old old bachelors!”

“She, Tao Hongping, is only eighteen! Even if she dies, she can’t marry into that family!”

Tao Yu didn’t respond to her but directly grabbed Li Juan and returned home.

Tao Hongping saw that Tao Yu didn’t say a word and was about to leave. As the gate was about to close, she stopped being arrogant and rushed up to hold onto the edge of the gate, begging them.

“Aunt, sis, don’t close the door! You can’t just leave me out here!”

“I beg you! Just let me stay for one night, just one night, please don’t close the door…”

Hearing Tao Hongping’s pleading, Tao Yu showed no sign of softening. She still slammed the gate shut.

Li Juan also helped pry Tao Hongping’s fingers off the door and helped her daughter close the gate.

Tao Hongping, with no strength to compete against the two of them, saw the gate closing and suddenly kneeled down in front of them. She forcefully knocked her head on the ground twice.

“Aunt, sis, I beg you, let me in, save me, I have difficulties!”

She continued to bang her head on the ground, knocking three times with each motion.

Li Juan was surprised to see Tao Hongping, usually arrogant and proud, kneeling and banging her head, but since her daughter didn’t speak, she didn’t either, just moved to avoid Tao Hongping’s bowing direction.

Even if Tao Hongping, or even the entire Tao family, kneeled and begged her and her daughter, they would never accept it! They didn’t deserve it!

Tao Yu looked at Tao Hongping, kneeling on the ground, with no reaction in her heart. Her gaze was as cold as ever.

She just let Tao Hongping keep knocking her head on the ground. After a while, Tao Hongping finally spoke in a softer tone.

“You can stay.”

Tao Hongping immediately looked up. Her forehead was bruised from the knocks, and her face was covered in tears and snot. It was clear that the gate closing earlier had frightened her, and each knock was genuine.

Tao Hongping’s eyes lit up, and she eagerly approached Tao Yu.

“Sis, whatever you say, I’ll do it!”

At that moment, Tao Hongping no longer cared about anything else. She had completely abandoned the warnings her mother, grandmother, father, and uncle gave her before coming here.

Tao Yu looked at Tao Hongping, kneeling on the ground, her heart filled with mockery.

You see, the once arrogant bully was now begging for help.

After all, there is no such thing as someone always being in the right in this world.

Tao Yu slowly lost her patience, and her desire to deal with Tao Hongping faded.

She reluctantly gave her conditions.

“I’ll let you stay, but if I find out you’ve lied even once…”

Before Tao Yu could finish, Tao Hongping immediately swore that she would do whatever Tao Yu said, and everything she said would be the truth.

Tao Yu’s expression was cold as she turned and went back to the main hall.

After Tao Hongping entered the yard, Li Juan had her back turned, standing by the sewing machine, lost in thought.

But Tao Yu knew Li Juan was listening. She leaned back in her chair and coldly spoke, continuing to test Tao Hongping.

After all, this was the moment when Tao Hongping’s mental defenses were the weakest, and it was the easiest time to get the truth out of her.

“Speak, tell me everything Tao Lijun has done, from beginning to end.”

“I will verify what you say with what I’ve heard…”

In the hall, Tao Hongping, standing awkwardly, had long wiped away her tears and snot.

She hesitated, clutching her rough cloth clothes, before finally speaking.

As expected, Tao Hongping knew a lot and answered everything in detail. Every question Tao Yu asked, she answered truthfully.

And Tao Yu, sitting in the chair, grew colder and colder with each answer she received.

Finally, an hour later, Tao Hongping finished. Tao Yu couldn’t help but glance at Li Juan’s stiff figure.

Li Juan’s hands were gripping the sewing machine tightly, her back rigid.

Throughout the whole process, Li Juan never turned around or said a word.

Tao Yu knew that everything Tao Hongping said, Li Juan had heard.

The hall suddenly fell into a terrifying silence.

Tao Hongping lowered her head, too afraid to speak, as everything she had just said was not something anyone could boast about…

Tao Yu’s fingers tapped slowly on the armrest of her chair, and her gaze turned cold, with mockery flashing in her eyes.

Tao Lijun couldn’t stay any longer.

The people from the old Tao family couldn’t live freely anymore.

Otherwise, she and Li Juan would never live in peace again…