Chapter 32

Watching Qiao Yougen and the other two couples eat watery porridge with plain boiled cabbage, Qiao Xinyi grinned from ear to ear, showing all her teeth. The free food in her bowl instantly tasted even more delicious.

The happier Qiao Xinyi smiled, the more vicious the curses brewing in Qiao Yougen’s group’s hearts. But all they could do was silently fume.

The dinner table was now clearly divided—Qiao Xinyi’s side was all smiles, while the other side was grinding their teeth in anger.

But say what you will—being the eldest really counted for something. Even in this situation, Qiao Yougen managed to suppress his temper and put on the image of a kind and friendly eldest uncle.

“Baihe, didn’t you already go back to the He family yesterday? Why are you back again today? How are things over there? How are your biological parents’ jobs?” Qiao Yougen asked.

Qian Chunhua was even more direct: “Your real dad’s an officer and your mom’s a teacher, right? How much do they make a month? Probably not little, huh? What about your real grandparents and relatives on both sides—where do they all work?”

“This is Qiao Baihe’s home,” Chen Yubing replied coldly. “She can come back whenever she wants. Why do you need a reason? As for how much her family earns and what her relatives do—she only went back for a day. How’s she supposed to know all that? And even if she did—what business is it of yours? Why are you asking so many questions?”

“No wonder Mom never liked you,” Qian Chunhua shot her a glare. “You don’t even know how to make small talk. We were her family for nineteen years—what’s wrong with showing a little concern?”

Chen Ju nodded in agreement. “Out of all my daughters-in-law, I dislike Chen Yubing the most. Always looks like someone owes her money. Her tone can kill a person.”

After criticizing Chen Yubing, Chen Ju turned to Qiao Baihe and asked, “So you went back—your real parents didn’t give you any money to spend? Didn’t say they’d come over to show some appreciation or anything?”

Before Qiao Baihe could answer, Qiao Xinyi cut in. “Chen Ju, if you don’t like my mom, then go live with whoever you *do* like. Stop eating my mom’s cooking, stop living in the house assigned by her workplace. You say you look down on her but still won’t leave—constantly complaining with your mouth full. You ever hear the saying ‘biting the hand that feeds you’?”

“And as for you, Qiao Yougen, since you all care so much about Qiao Baihe, let me tell you why she came back,” Qiao Xinyi said. “She was bullied by the He family. Her so-called real parents have water for brains. Since we’ve all been her family for nineteen years and care so much about her, how about this—I’ll take all of you to the military base tomorrow to confront the He family together. Let’s band together and stand up for her—how about that?”

The moment she said this, the whole Qiao family fell silent.

Qiao Xinyi scoffed, then turned back to Chen Ju and continued, “Qiao Baihe called you ‘Grandma’ for nineteen years. When she left, every penny she had was taken by you. Her brain-dead biological parents only know how to upset her—you think they’d give her money?”

Then Qiao Xinyi held out her hand toward Chen Ju. “I’m your real granddaughter. I’ve been back a week already. How about giving me some spending money?”

Chen Ju was so angry she nearly smashed her bowl, but not wanting to go hungry, she just held onto it tightly instead.

“Qiao Xinyi! Grown-ups are talking—what are you butting in for?!” Qiao Chengda shouted angrily.

“I’m rude and uncultured, so I like to butt in,” Qiao Xinyi smiled sweetly at him. “Oh? Getting worked up already? I haven’t even insulted you and you’re already losing it?”

She shook her head. “Qiao Chengda, that won’t do. People with bad tempers don’t live long. Die early, you know.”

Qiao Chengda stood up, ready to strike, but Qiao Yougen shouted, “Qiao Chengda, sit back down! You’re a grown man arguing with a kid—what are you, a kid too?!”

After yelling at Qiao Chengda, Qiao Yougen finally turned to look at Qiao Xinyi.

“We all have to work tomorrow—we can’t just take time off. Besides, the He family lives in a military compound. If a whole group of us showed up causing trouble, we’d be arrested before we even got past the gate,” Qiao Yougen said with a smile. “That’s why I say—you’re still a child. You act purely on impulse and don’t think things through the way us adults do.”

“Big Brother!” Qiao Chengda was fuming. She’d cursed him to an early grave, and he was still being called a child?

Zhao Xiaoyan tugged discreetly at her husband’s sleeve under the table, signaling him not to go against the eldest brother in front of the old lady.

“You’re older, you’re always right,” Qiao Chengda muttered and sat back down. Naturally, Qiao Xinyi sat back down too, casually brushing off Qiao Yougen’s words.

Qiao Yougen felt a twinge in his chest, but still pressed on. “Xinyi, what about you? The Chen family beat you like that—did your temper not get you any compensation? You just came back without asking them for any money?”

So, Qiao Xinyi thought, you didn’t come to see how I’m doing. You just want to know if I’ve got money in my hands.

“My bad temper is a recent thing,” Qiao Xinyi replied. “Back when I didn’t have to deal with all you messed-up people and your crap, I was actually really sweet-tempered.”

She looked at Qiao Yougen with a half-smile, half-smirk. “What the Chen family did—stealing a child—is a serious crime. Beating me to death would’ve been another one. I reported it to the police. They were all arrested. The officers told me privately that the Chen couple could get the death penalty. If it were you in their shoes, you’d be facing death too. Would you give me money then?”

“What?!” Chen Ju suddenly dropped her bowl and shouted. “Stealing a child is a serious crime? How could that deserve the death penalty?!”

“How is it not a serious crime?” Chen Yubing’s face turned cold. “What’s the difference between them and human traffickers? Tearing apart a child from their real family—if it were up to me, the Chen family could die a thousand times and it still wouldn’t be enough. They deserve to be cut to pieces!”

Qiao Yunbai asked, “Grandma, why are you reacting so strongly?”

It wasn’t just Chen Ju who reacted strongly—everyone at the table, except the second branch of the family, looked grim.

“Mom!” Qiao Yougen raised his voice. “The Chen family stole someone else’s child and tried to beat Xinyi to death. That’s why they’re facing such a severe punishment!”

“Exactly, exactly!” Qiao Chengda nodded furiously. “The child-stealing wasn’t the main issue—it’s because they tried to kill Xinyi that they’re in big trouble!”

“That’s not true,” Qiao Xinyi corrected. “Right now, the government’s cracking down hard—just the child-stealing charge alone is enough for the death penalty. The Chen family only gets shot once because they’ve only got one life. If people had seven or eight lives, they’d be shot that many times.”

“You’re just a stupid illiterate who’s never been to school—what the hell do you know?!” Qiao Chengda roared. “You can’t even read! Stop trying to scare people!”

“Why are you all arguing again?” Lin Jianye, ever the peacemaker, tried to calm things down. “What does the Chen family stealing a child and getting punished have to do with us? Why are we fighting over someone else’s business? It’s just hurting our own family harmony.”

“Brother-in-law’s right,” Zhao Xiaoyan chimed in. “Xinyi’s right too. If the Chen family’s facing death, they clearly won’t be giving her any money. Big Brother, you really didn’t need to ask.”

Qian Chunhua, finally coming back to her senses, also spoke up. “Let’s not talk about the Chen family anymore—let’s talk about our own family.”

She looked at Qiao Xinyi. “Xinyi, you’re already nineteen, never been to school, came back from some rural backwater… You don’t have classmates or friends here in the provincial capital, no connections to rely on.”