9

Tong Xuelu spent the night at the hospital with Tong Mianmian.

Although she’d called Tong Jiaming the night before to explain, if she didn’t return today, he might just report her missing to the police.

Besides, she couldn’t keep delaying the issues with the job placement and the survivor’s pension. She had to wrap things up with Tong Zhenzhen once and for all—today.

But before dealing with that mess, she needed to settle something far more urgent: her and Mianmian’s growling stomachs.

Hand in hand, she brought the little one to the hospital cafeteria.

She ordered a big bowl of meat porridge, two vegetable buns, and two boiled eggs—costing a total of seven liang in ration tickets and seventy-eight cents.

“Sister… we shouldn’t eat here. We’ll run out of money,” Mianmian said in her soft baby voice, eyes glued to the food while swallowing hard.

Tong Xuelu nearly burst out laughing. “Don’t worry, Mianmian. Your big sister knows how to earn money. As long as you stick with me, I’ll make sure you eat meat every day, alright?”

The little dumpling’s big watery eyes sparkled as she nodded happily. “Okay! I’ll follow Sister and eat meat every day!”

“Hahaha…” Tong Xuelu couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s right—follow me and there’ll always be meat!”

Just then, Fang Wenyuan walked into the cafeteria and caught sight of this scene. He frowned.

This wasn’t the Tong Xuelu he remembered.

The old Tong Xuelu was never this patient or gentle with children—she used to make her two nephews cry on a regular basis with her scolding.

She seemed… different now.

Still, that wasn’t his concern. He wasn’t here to reminisce.

He came to persuade Tong Xuelu to drop the charges against Tong Zhenzhen.

Truthfully, he didn’t want anything to do with Tong Xuelu at all.

But with the longstanding ties between the Fang and Tong families, and especially after Mother Tong personally came to him last night to ask for help, he couldn’t refuse.

He told himself it was just a favor.

But honestly, he was quite confident it would work. After all, Tong Xuelu had always listened to him before. It was practically a sure thing.

With that thought, he took a step forward.

His shadow fell across the table.

Tong Xuelu looked up—right into the smug face of Fang Wenyuan, the two-legged pig.

Internally, she rolled her eyes, then looked back down, cracked open a boiled egg, peeled it, and skewered it with her chopsticks before handing it to Mianmian.

The little one had probably never eaten an egg this way before. Her cheeks flushed with excitement.

Tong Xuelu reminded her to eat slowly and not choke, then calmly tore open a vegetable bun and took a bite.

Fang Wenyuan: ?

Why did it feel like she was… ignoring him?

He cleared his throat and sat down across from her. “Xuelu, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not here because of you, I just wanted to talk about Tong Zhen—”

He’d barely started—eager to clarify that this visit had nothing to do with personal feelings—when Tong Xuelu cut him off without missing a beat.

Tong Xuelu lifted her eyes, clearly impatient. “Can’t you see I’m eating?”

…What?

Fang Wenyuan froze, stunned for a good few seconds.

If he’d been imagining the cold shoulder earlier, then this time her annoyance was written all over her face—undeniable, unmistakable.

Was it because he didn’t help her yesterday?

Sure, he had slowed down after thinking it was just another one of her little tricks. And yeah, he had felt a twinge of guilt when he saw Tong Zhenzhen charging out like a madwoman. But it’s not like Tong Xuelu actually got hurt, right?

Whatever. He decided to be the bigger person. “Alright, I’ll wait until you’re done eating.”

Tong Xuelu didn’t even glance at him.

She slowly chewed on her vegetable bun, all the while daydreaming about delicacies from her past life—crab roe soup dumplings, crystal shrimp dim sum, custard lava buns that burst in your mouth, and buttery bird’s nest egg tarts… Just thinking about them made her mouth water.

As for Fang Wenyuan showing up? She was both surprised and not surprised.

But whatever he was here for, this visit was doomed to fail.

Fang Wenyuan watched her nibble away at her food in dainty bites, checked his watch, and started getting irritated.

He’d planned to finish this in two minutes, tops—quick and clean. But twenty minutes had gone by, and she was still working on her breakfast.

At this rate, he was going to be late for work.

“Can you eat a little faster?”

Tong Xuelu finally raised an eyebrow and looked at him. “Can you get lost a little faster?”

“!!!”

It took a second for Fang Wenyuan to process what she’d just said. When it sank in, his face flushed crimson. “Tong Xuelu, do you even hear yourself? Since when did you become so unreasonable?”

She gave a cold laugh. “Didn’t you always think I was unreasonable? Why ask now?”

He choked on her words, his expression turning sour like a dried-out cucumber. “I’m not here to argue. I’m here to tell you—drop the charges against Tong Zhenzhen. You should have some conscience. The Tong family raised you for over ten years, and this is how you repay them?”

Tong Mianmian shrank back in fear, her little face going pale. The boiled egg slipped from her hands and hit the floor with a thud.

Tong Xuelu pulled her into her arms and covered her ears, her voice suddenly ice-cold. “And who exactly are you, comrade? What relationship do we have? What right do you have to tell me what to do?”

People nearby turned their heads, their eyes landing squarely on Fang Wenyuan, whispers already starting to spread.

“I—I’m your…” He nearly said fiancé, but stopped himself just in time—after all, he’d never acknowledged that status in public.

“…Anyway, you have to listen to me. You need to go to the police station and withdraw the report. Now!”

Tong Xuelu looked at him like he was an idiot. “Key copies—one dime each, ten for a yuan. You wanna get one?”

“Pfft—hahaha! That girl’s hilarious!”

Laughter erupted around them, and Fang Wenyuan’s face turned darker by the second.

Tong Xuelu ignored him completely. After finishing her food, she scooped Mianmian into her arms and stood up to leave.

Her scornful gaze sent Fang Wenyuan over the edge.

Fueled by frustration, he reached out to grab her arm—only to bump into the table instead.

Crash! Bowls and plates toppled to the floor, shattering into pieces.

Chaos broke out in the cafeteria.

Moments later, the Fang family received a call from the police station—Fang Wenyuan had been arrested.

The Fang Family: ???

Tong Xuelu: ???

To be fair, it wasn’t just the Fang family that was stunned—Tong Xuelu herself was confused too.

All she did was scream, “What are you trying to do?!” and before the words had even fully left her mouth, the cafeteria chef came barreling in like a tornado and tackled Fang Wenyuan to the ground. Moments later, the police arrived.

She had tried to explain that it wasn’t that serious, but the chef thought she was just afraid of retaliation and ended up comforting her instead.

…The whole thing was completely absurd.

Now, as the Fang family escorted Fang Wenyuan out of the police station, everyone’s face was beet red—like a row of baboon bottoms.

Mother Fang grabbed Tong Xuelu’s hand with heartfelt gratitude. “Xuelu, what happened back there was Wenyuan’s fault. Auntie really appreciates you speaking up for him after everything. Please, take this.”

As she spoke, she stuffed a pile of hastily gathered ration tickets and cash into Tong Xuelu’s hands.

Tong Xuelu quickly pushed them back. “Auntie, please take it. I can’t accept this.”

It may have all been a misunderstanding, but it still counted as a favor. You don’t just casually accept repayment for something like that.

Mother Fang was even more impressed by her refusal. She clasped Tong Xuelu’s hand tightly and insisted she come visit their house sometime.

Tong Xuelu smiled politely and agreed, then walked off with Tong Mianmian in tow.

Mother Fang watched her back with a long sigh. “Xuelu used to be a bit headstrong, but she’s a good girl at heart. But Wenyuan—what were you thinking? You were supposed to talk things out, not start a brawl!”

Fang Wenyuan’s face was black as the bottom of a burned pot. “…”

He wanted to explain—really—but who would even believe him?

No one. Absolutely no one.

Fang Jingyuan watched Tong Xuelu walk off, then turned to her brother, wide-eyed. “Bro, did you notice? She didn’t even look at you once.”

“…”

Now Fang Wenyuan’s face was charcoal.

Back at the Tong household, the family had just come home for lunch.

When they saw Tong Xuelu at the door, everyone froze for a moment.

It was eldest sister-in-law Chen Yueling who recovered first. “Xuelu! You’re here—come in, come in!”

The rest finally snapped out of it. Mother Tong looked uneasy and a bit embarrassed. “Why didn’t you let us know you were coming? Have you eaten yet?”

Tong Xuelu shook her head. “Not yet.”

Father Tong immediately turned to the eldest brother. “Go to the canteen and get a bowl of braised pork!”

Tong Xuelu hurriedly tried to decline, but her eldest brother was already out the door.

After sitting down on the sofa, she could feel the eyes of the entire family silently sizing her up, all wondering the same thing—what was she here for?

Father Tong let out a long sigh. “Xuelu, what Zhenzhen did was wrong. As her father, I apologize on her behalf…”

Before Father Tong could even finish, Tong Xuelu suddenly covered her face and burst into tears.

“Dad, how could you say something like that? Aren’t you just trying to make me feel awful? I know I’m not your biological daughter, but you raised me for fifteen years—how could I ever hurt the Tong family?”

Father Tong panicked. “No, no, that’s not what I meant. I didn’t mean to blame you at all…”

Chen Yueling quickly added, “Xuelu, don’t cry! Look, you’re scaring your little sister.”

Tong Mianmian was clinging to Tong Xuelu, her big eyes shimmering with tears, her face scrunched in an almost-crying expression—it was heartbreakingly pitiful.

Only Cai Chunlan rolled her eyes and muttered, “Xuelu, quit trying to manipulate Dad with that act. Since yesterday it’s been crying this, shouting that—the whole Tong family is revolving around you. What exactly are you scheming?”

Tong Xuelu cried even harder, her voice full of grief. “Second Sister-in-law… so that’s what you think of me? I’m really… really heartbroken!”

Second Brother Tong shot Cai Chunlan a glare. “Why must you always be like this? Can’t you shut up for once?”

Cai Chunlan was so angry she nearly coughed up blood on the spot.

Tong Xuelu, oozing classic green-tea charm, added gently, “Second Brother, don’t argue with Second Sister-in-law. I don’t want to be the reason you two fight.”

That one line of self-sacrificing sweetness almost made Tong Xuelu gag on her own words.

Second Brother Tong sighed, “Look at her. At her age, she’s more mature than you.”

“…”

Cai Chunlan felt like she’d just taken an arrow to the heart—dozens of them.

Tong Xuelu looked at their parents with sincere eyes. “Dad, Mom… the one who abused a child was Tong Zhenzhen. The one who screamed she wanted to kill someone in broad daylight? Also her. That all happened in public view. I might be willing to forgive her for your sakes—but what about everyone else?”

The whole Tong family was stumped.

What would people think?

Tong Xuelu’s tone grew serious. “They’ll think the Tong family is abusing power for personal gain! Dad, Mom—sure, you’re retiring in a few years, this won’t affect you much. But what about my brothers and sisters-in-law? They’re still young. If word gets around that your daughter can beat people up in public and face zero consequences, do you think your children will still get promotions?”

Now they understood.

The Tong family might all be government employees, but compared to others, they didn’t have real backing—especially with Father Tong about to retire, and the two brothers not particularly outstanding. If their reputation took a hit, they might never move up again. Worse, they could even be demoted!

Cai Chunlan instantly flipped like a switch. “Oh my god, Xuelu, please don’t drop the charges!”

She might dislike both versions of her sister-in-law, but with her and her husband’s future on the line, sacrificing Tong Zhenzhen was an easy choice.

Second Brother Tong and Chen Yueling were thinking the same thing, even if they didn’t say it out loud.

Father Tong and Mother Tong exchanged a look, their hearts sinking with heavy, complicated emotions.

The living room fell into an awkward silence.

Tong Xuelu ignored Cai Chunlan and didn’t say anything else. She’d made her point. Anything more would just be excessive.

She could understand Tong Zhenzhen holding resentment toward the original host. If she’d only targeted her, Tong Xuelu would’ve just given her a good slap and left it at that.

But the moment she laid hands on Tong Mianmian—she’d crossed a line.

Hurting a child… there’s no such thing as doing it just once.

Tong Zhenzhen was a danger, and she couldn’t be allowed to stay. Who knew when she might snap again and go after the three siblings?

So Tong Xuelu had made up her mind—Tong Zhenzhen had to be sent to the labor farm.

After having lunch at the Tong house, she packed up with Tong Mianmian and prepared to return to Yanqing County, taking with them a bunch of “compensation” from the family for the little girl.

Just as they stepped out of the compound—

Two familiar figures came walking straight toward them.

Talk about enemies meeting on a narrow road.

The two people walking toward them were none other than the siblings Fang Wenyuan and Fang Jingyuan.

The moment Fang Wenyuan saw Tong Xuelu, his brow instinctively furrowed.

Just thinking about the humiliation he suffered that morning made him wish he’d never have to see this woman again for the rest of his life.

But his mother had reminded him again and again: no matter what, he had to thank Tong Xuelu in person.

With that in mind, he took a deep breath and started, “Tong—”

Before he could finish, Tong Xuelu walked right past him.

As if he didn’t even exist.

Fang Wenyuan: “…”

Fang Jingyuan: “See, big brother? I told you! She didn’t even spare you a glance. She walked right by you like you were… I don’t know, a pile of dog poop or something.”

Fang Wenyuan: “…………”

=^_^=

Author has something to say: Tong Xuelu: Why do some men look so average… yet carry so much confidence? (Credit to Yang Li for this line)