Chapter 8 That would be awesome!

The moment Su Qing left, Wan Chunhua couldn’t wait to follow. Zhang Xiu watched coldly, saying nothing. Wan Chunhua looked like a wild dog sniffing out a bone—she had recognized her biological daughter and was chasing after benefits.

Ji Xiaoxi, tired from holding her son, put Lu Qi’an down and rubbed her arms. Du Yushu walked over, patted Lu Qi’an’s head, and smiled. “Xiaoxi, how’s your body?”
Ji Xiaoxi looked up and smiled. “Thanks for your concern, uncle. I’m fine now.”
Du Yushu nodded. “Good. Your body can’t take shocks. In the future, verify news before drawing conclusions—don’t just believe everything you hear.”
Ji Xiaoxi nodded. “Got it.”
Du Yushu: “Alright, take An’an home early.”
Ji Xiaoxi: “Okay.”

After talking with Ji Xiaoxi, Du Yushu looked at Zhang Xiu. “You too, go home if nothing’s wrong. Be more careful in the future—don’t fall for someone else’s tricks like today. Luckily someone saw it. If no one had, even the police might have had a hard time sorting it out.”
Zhang Xiu: “Okay, thank you, captain.”

Ji Xiaoxi held Lu Qi’an’s hand as they prepared to leave. The little boy was thoughtful, constantly trying to rub her arms.
“Mom, I’m grown up now. Don’t carry me anymore, I’m heavy.”
Ji Xiaoxi laughed and pinched his face. “Little one, you’re worried about me, huh? Don’t worry, if I can’t lift you, I won’t.”
Lu Qi’an obediently let her pinch his face and blinked his big eyes. “But if you carry me a little, you have to put me down. I’m really heavy.”
Ji Xiaoxi: “Okay, I know you’re heavy.”

“Thanks for earlier,” Zhang Xiu approached Ji Xiaoxi.
Ji Xiaoxi looked up, a bit confused. “I didn’t really help.”
“You did just now…” Zhang Xiu realized she couldn’t finish the sentence. Could it be that her ability to hear Ji Xiaoxi’s thoughts must remain a secret? Even Ji Xiaoxi herself didn’t know. So she changed the topic: “Earlier, most people were talking about me. Only you weren’t, so I really appreciate that.” She smiled slightly and held out her hand. “I hope we can be friends.”

Ji Xiaoxi shook her hand. “Sure. But be careful when you go home. I think your mother might hit or scold you.” She still didn’t fully trust Zhang Xiu and felt she had to warn her.
“I know what to do. Just wait for good news from me.”
“Ah?”
“Let’s go~”
“Okay.”

Ji Xiaoxi watched Zhang Xiu’s retreating figure, feeling that she seemed a little happy.

—Did Zhang Xiu really tear things apart with Wan Chunhua today? Is she planning total destruction at home?
—No way. She looks fierce, but she’s not reckless.
—Can you monitor what’s happening at Zhang Xiu’s house?
—Yes.
—Then tell me later. By the way, where’s my “melon-eating” reward for today?
—The melon-eating isn’t over; the reward is still being calculated and not yet displayed.
—…

Ji Xiaoxi angrily went home, holding her son.

—When Zhang Xiu returned home, no one was there. She went to the kitchen looking for something to eat, only to find that Wan Chunhua had locked the cabinets. Normally, Wan Chunhua wouldn’t let her in the kitchen, but now that the house was empty, Zhang Xiu wanted to see what goodies Wan Chunhua was hiding.

She found a hammer and broke the lock. Inside the cabinet, she found half a cooked chicken, a piece of pork belly, and eight eggs. She took everything. The chicken was still warm; she hadn’t had lunch, and it would be her meal. She hadn’t eaten meat in so long that the smell made her salivate. She put everything into a bag.

Then she went to Wan Chunhua’s room and rummaged through the cabinet, finding a clean cotton quilt. But she accidentally knocked over a wrapped object. Opening it, she found money—328 yuan, 5 jiao, 6 fen. She rolled it up and put it in her pocket.

Seeing Wan Chunhua’s bed, she smirked mischievously. She spat on her shoes, rubbed them, and stepped on the bed—pillow, sheets, quilt—all of it. As she stomped, she cursed: “—Old hag! You never fed me properly or beat me, so tonight, sleep on my spit! Hah!”

She didn’t take Wan Chunhua’s money; she wasn’t a thief, at least not morally. But she had hidden some of the money in Zhang Lang’s room, in such a secret spot that even Zhang Lang might not find it.

Finally, she returned to her small room, tidied up, changed clothes, and went up the mountain. She had a secret base in a small cave. When Wan Chunhua had beaten her before, she would hide there. Even though she’d eventually get punished, those few moments of hiding were the safest she felt.

Zhang Xiu placed the quilt in the cave and sat against the wall, eating the chicken, her heart racing with excitement.

—Today had been so thrilling! She, normally gentle, had never dared resist Wan Chunhua. Today, she had stood up to her, stolen her chicken, and done a series of “bad” deeds. It was amazing! She couldn’t wait to see Wan Chunhua’s reaction when she returned to a trashed room.

Even more satisfying was the money—it was Wan Chunhua’s lifeblood! Since the room was already in chaos, whether the money was lost or not, Wan Chunhua would definitely blame her. But Zhang Xiu hadn’t stolen it, keeping her moral high ground. She had avoided taking the “dirty reputation,” but still angered Wan Chunhua.

And Zhang Lang, the disgusting cockroach! He wouldn’t have it easy either. He had previously slandered her, claiming she seduced him. Now she’d let him taste being falsely accused. Zhang Lang had learned to manipulate people, fabricating the story to boost his image, even tricking a pretty girl from the neighboring village, accountant Chen Hong’s daughter. They’d been married two years with no children. Wan Chunhua constantly scolded Chen Hong for not laying eggs, while Zhang Lang pretended to defend her. One played the “red face,” the other the “white face,” making Chen Hong feel guilty and keep bringing supplies from her family. Zhang Xiu had seen all this, but she had her own problems. Even if she reminded Chen Hong, Chen Hong would likely tell Zhang Lang immediately, resulting in another beating for Zhang Xiu. There was no need to get involved.