Chapter 9: Could She Really Be His Biological Daughter?

Zeng Yan wasn’t afraid of him being suspicious. The main ingredient in pepper spray was capsaicin, which was easy to get from peppers in the summer. Although it wasn’t as potent, creating this thing wasn’t an impossible feat. What did it matter if others were suspicious? With the space, who could find the evidence? Capsaicin could cause temporary blindness, and she knew Zeng Fugui was currently unable to see from his panicked expression. Once a person’s psychological defenses collapse, they can’t keep secrets.

Zeng Yan wouldn’t miss this opportunity. She decided to ask the question that was on her mind. “You don’t deserve the title of a father. Tell me! Am I your biological child or not?”

Zeng Yan’s gaze was burning, and she didn’t miss a single change in Zeng Fugui’s expression. To her disappointment, he was unresponsive and showed no reaction at all. Was she wrong? Was she really a child of the Zeng family? If she were truly his biological child, Zeng Yan felt even more sorrow for the original owner.

She kicked the man on the floor hard. Zeng Yan scolded him, “You treat your own daughter like an enemy. You’re a damn animal who deserves to be cut into a thousand pieces! Why? Because your biological mother hates me, you dutiful son, you followed suit and hated me too? Hu Sifeng also hates Sun Jiazhi, so why don’t you touch a single hair on her head?”

When Sun Jiazhi was mentioned, Zeng Fugui immediately became agitated. A hint of understanding flashed in Zeng Yan’s eyes. The answer was truly unbelievable, yet it had a basis.

“The reason you hate me has nothing to do with Hu Sifeng. It’s just because Sun Jiazhi suffered greatly when she was pregnant with me and almost died. Because I made Sun Jiazhi’s life difficult, you decided to make my life difficult?” Zeng Yan couldn’t control the anger in her heart, and her tone unconsciously rose.

Did he bully his daughter for this absurd reason? Was the animal lying on the floor, snot and tears flowing, an absolute sentimentalist? There was no way to reason with that. She officially concluded that no one in the Zeng family was normal; they were all crazy!

Zeng Fugui’s closed eyes only showed the pain caused by the capsaicin, with no sign of guilt. Spraying him with pepper spray was too good for this animal. The scissors she had borrowed from Li Haixia last night were still there. Zeng Yan picked up the scissors and, without hesitation, plunged them into the back of Zeng Fugui’s hand. Damn it, if I don’t draw some blood from you, I don’t deserve to live in the original owner’s body. Unfortunately, the scissors were too dull to go all the way through the back of Zeng Fugui’s hand.

“You only dare to take your anger out on a child. What kind of man are you? You’re a coward, a perfect match for a scorpion like Sun Jiazhi.”

Before one pain subsided, another began. Zeng Fugui was in so much pain that he almost wet his pants. The pain made him fearful. Was this girl trying to die with him? The more he thought, the more afraid he became. Zeng Fugui twisted his body and struggled violently, but Zeng Yan stepped on his face, cutting off his air. He almost suffocated.

“The sins you’ve committed against me, it wouldn’t be too much for me to kill you ten times over. But I’m not killing you now. It’s not because I’m afraid to kill you. Death is easy. Living is an endless punishment. From now on, if you’re obedient and don’t provoke me, I might consider giving you a lighter sentence. But if you continue to provoke me…” Zeng Yan leaned close to Zeng Fugui’s ear and, without emotion, enunciated every single word. “I will return the pain you inflicted on me, with interest, little by little. I have a hundred ways to make sure you have no corpse, and a thousand ways to kill your whole family. Don’t believe me? Try me.”

The girl’s cold breath brushed against his face. Zeng Fugui was stunned by her ruthless tone. He began to believe that this girl wasn’t just trying to scare him; she would definitely follow through.

After a short delay, the sky was already bright, and there were movements in the hallway. Zeng Yan wiped the blood from the scissors onto Zeng Fugui’s body, glanced at him, and sneered. “If you know what’s good for you, get out now. If you want to fight back, feel free to try. If I can take you down once, I can do it a second time.”

Now that she’d used the pepper spray and said her piece, she wanted to get rid of him. She was exhausted from the morning’s ordeal and hungry.

The hospital room door suddenly knocked. Fortunately, there was a glass window on the door, and Zeng Yan saw the brigade leader, Zeng Fumao, peeking through it. She didn’t hesitate and immediately opened the door. After sorting out the brigade’s relief efforts, Zeng Fumao had come early to check on the injured. “Big niece, is your head injury feeling any better?!”

With a large person lying on the floor, Zeng Fumao’s eyes were not blind; they were working just fine. He was so surprised that he forgot to speak. A person who had been in the army reacted quickly. Family shame should not be made public. Zeng Fumao turned, closed the door, and bolted it in one smooth motion.

Zeng Yan said angrily, “Uncle Fumao, do you think my dad is like my grandma? Mentally unstable. He ran over here before dawn and insisted that I go home with him. When I refused, he threatened me with scissors. And while we were fighting, he even hurt his own hand.”

“This…” Zeng Fumao was utterly speechless.

Zeng Yan’s expression was even more complex. “He’s truly getting worse with age. When he saw blood, he started acting crazy. I’ve never seen him like this before. He was crying and yelling. I was afraid he’d wake everyone up, so I gagged him. I was afraid he’d hurt himself, so I used all my strength to tie him up. He has been a handful all morning.”

I don’t believe a word you’re saying, Zeng Fumao thought to himself. He sniffed and asked suspiciously, “Why does it smell so much like chili peppers in here?”

“My dad’s sweat smells spicy.”

Zeng Fumao: “…”

He saw through her lies but didn’t say anything. Zeng Fugui must have tried to attack Yan’er and was pepper-sprayed in return by the girl. He had been given a good beating, and there was even blood on him. This second son of Old Zeng was a real piece of work. He was ruthless when hitting his daughter, and outsiders were too slow to stop him. The girl had been beaten countless times since she was a child. He deserved to be taught a lesson!

With this in mind, Zeng Fumao’s expression toward his cousin became even more sour. He tore off the bedsheet and reprimanded him, “You’re making a fool of yourself all the way out here at the gold mine. Get back home now. If I see you hitting your daughter again, I’ll take away all your work points this year.”

His mouth was finally ungagged, and Zeng Fugui immediately started to complain. “This girl pepper-sprayed me and used scissors…”

Zeng Yan pursed her lips and interrupted, “Uncle Fumao, didn’t you know? My grandma, my aunt, and my big brother’s son, Yuejin, came to cause a scene two days ago and even brought the Red Guards from the mine. I wonder if this will be reported to the commune?”

“What! That happened too?!” Zeng Fumao’s eyebrows shot up. He cared most about the collective honor of the Xiangyang Brigade. It wasn’t just a verbal reward. They wanted a steel-hulled boat, which was both safe and advanced, but every brigade wanted one. You could only apply for one after being named an advanced collective for three consecutive years.

The Xiangyang Brigade had been an advanced collective for two years. If those trouble-making stir-sticks ruined this year’s evaluation, they would have to start all over again. Three years and then three more years… who the hell had time to wait!

Zeng Fumao grabbed Zeng Fugui, who was fuming. “Get going! Go back and explain everything clearly in front of the whole brigade!” Zeng Fugui couldn’t break free from the brigade leader’s strong grip, which was used to pulling fishing nets. There was no time to complain. He was dragged out of the room in the blink of an eye.

The brigade leader’s instructions came from the hallway, “Big niece, stay here for two more days. I’ll come pick you up the day after.”