"Chuxia, Chuxia..." Zhao Yulan staggered into the room and steadied the dazed Chuxia, looking her over, "Where are you hurt? Let mother see, where are you hurt?"
"Oh..." Zheng Sanqiao gave an ironic laugh and waved her bloody hand in front of Zhao Yulan, "Fat Aunt, the injury is here."
"What?" Zhao Yulan stared blankly at the blood-stained palm of Zheng Sanqiao. "Did Chuxia do this? No... it can't be, right?"
"Her Fat Aunt..." Zheng Sanqiao moved her palm in front of Fat Aunt, "Look at this, look at this, she wounded me like this, and Zhao Yulan didn't even ask, still thinking about denying it. Everyone thinks Laoer's Home couple is honest, but now, you see, honest people, they love doing dishonest things."
No matter how many questions she had in her heart, it wasn't right to voice them in front of outsiders, Lin Chuxia gently patted Zhao Yulan's hand, "Mom, I'm fine..." Then, she reiterated the events without any deviation from what she had said before, and after she finished, Fat Aunt immediately tried to smooth things over, "Yulan, that's exactly what happened. We can't blame the kid, and we can't blame Sanqiao either. In my opinion, let it be."
What she meant was, let Zhao Yulan not dwell on the fact that Zheng Sanqiao nearly hit Lin Chuxia, and at the same time, that Zheng Sanqiao shouldn't dwell on Lin Chuxia having injured her.
However, since the sympathy seemed to have already shifted towards her side, Zheng Sanqiao couldn't just let it go, immediately extending her again bleeding hand, "Her Fat Aunt, look at my hand, how many days will I lose earning work points? This whole family depends on it."
'You deliberately picked at it until it bled?" Chuxia assessed Zheng Sanqiao's palm with a deadpan tone, "Eldest Uncle's Wife, what grudge do you hold against me? To frame me, you would stab your own hand with scissors, even pick at a wound until it bleeds—someone who can be so cruel to oneself can... well... I better not say it."
"I can't continue this way, it's really impossible to live under the same roof anymore..." Zheng Sanqiao started wailing loudly, "I'm bullied by this young brat all day, who would respect me? Her Fat Aunt, all these incidents happened right before your eyes, am I making this up? Just look at what they have done? This life, it's unbearable."
"Eldest Uncle's Wife, you don't need to act so pitiable..."
"Smack!"
A red handprint instantly appeared on Chuxia's pale face; the word she wanted to say stuck in her throat, unspeakable. She just stared straight at Zhao Yulan, her face full of disbelief.
Zhao Yulan averted her gaze, looking towards Zheng Sanqiao, "Sister-in-law, I have hit the child, calm down, it's all mine and Baohe's fault. We didn't raise our child properly, sister-in-law, we are a family, and we'll have to continue living under the same roof in the future."
"Alright, let's continue living under the same roof, for now," said Zheng Sanqiao, standing up and sighing deeply at the still bewildered Chuxia, "Chuxia, after being hit by your mother, do you resent your Eldest Uncle's Wife? Oh, this child... never mind, you will understand it in a couple of years."
"Yulan, see if you can talk some sense into Chuxia," sighed Fat Aunt as she stood up, patted Zhao Yulan, and then rubbed Chuxia's head and walked out the door.
In the small courtyard stood a quietly dense crowd, and Fat Aunt snorted coldly, "It seems you folks aren't tired, I'll have a word with Luo Gangshun later..."
As soon as the conversation reached that point, everyone started laughing and heading outside. They loved watching the excitement, but compared to doing more work? They'd rather not watch the commotion.
Fat Aunt glanced back at the windows of Chuxia's family's house and faintly heard Zhao Yulan's sobbing. She couldn't help but sigh again and hurried home. "Mom, is Chuxia okay?" Luo Xiaoqiong asked as soon as she entered.
"Her mother slapped her." Fat Aunt shook her head, "That temper of Chuxia's, sigh..." She then looked her daughter up and down, "It's rare for you to be so obedient and not join the commotion. Tell me, are you plotting something bad again? I'm telling you, sometimes helping too much actually harms Chuxia. Don't foolishly offer yourself up for others to take advantage of."
"Am I that kind of person?" Luo Xiaoqiong rolled her eyes at her mother, "I'm not stupid. If we both went, people would only say we're bullying others with our power. Ah, if I hadn't already had a fight with Liu Meiqing, this wouldn't even be your concern."
Fat Aunt felt overwhelmed: "Meiying, can't you act more like a lady? Just look at you, who would dare to marry you..."
"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Luo Xiaoqiong took a step back and struck a formal pose, "My name is Luo Xiaoqiong, Mom, if you keep getting it wrong, I will never marry in this lifetime! I mean what I say!"
"Alright, alright, Xiaoqiong..." Fat Aunt frowned helplessly, a look of resignation on her face, "You as my daughter, really think it's good to be poor? Even a little poverty isn't good, people are better off richer, just look at what Chuxia's family tells us..."
Luo Xiaoqiong stomped her feet in frustration: "Mom, what are you even talking about? It's Xiaoqiong, not Xiaoqiu, I tell you, every one of you, why do you all get it wrong? If it's not Xiaoqiu, it's being poor. Is getting my name right that hard?"
"Meiying sounds so nice..." Fat Aunt muttered under her breath, seeing her daughter's expression darken, she quickly plastered on a smile, "Okay, okay, Xiaoqiong, I'll talk to your father and your brother too, they can't get it wrong anymore."
"That's more like it." Luo Xiaoqiong snapped her big eyes, "Mom, are you nice to Chuxia because I am close to her, or because you like her? I always feel there's something off about your kindness to her."
A flicker of discomfort crossed Fat Aunt's face, then it returned to normal: "What's off about it? Clearly, you're just jealous, unable to stand me being as nice to others as I am to you. Since you were little, you've competed with your brother for affection. Go around the village, which family's daughter lives as comfortably as you?"
"You're starting to nag again..." Luo Xiaoqiong swiftly took the opportunity to slip away, "I'm going to check on Chuxia."
"Come back!" Fat Aunt grabbed her daughter, "Why are you so thoughtless? Chuxia just got slapped by her mom, right now, your aunt must be comforting her. You know what kind of person Chuxia is. If she can't release her feelings and runs away from home again, what then?"
The originally defiant Luo Xiaoqiong promptly stopped in her tracks, fear apparent on her face. Following that, a tinge of sadness flickered through her eyes... Ever since that time, her relationship with Chuxia had never been as close as before! If time could be reversed, she would never change her name first!
At this moment, the atmosphere in Chuxia's home was naturally not going to be any better...