Upon learning that her father was in trouble, Xu Chunyan was in no mood to work. She imdiately took ti off and went ho to settle the score with Qin i.
Xu Chunyan ran to the door of Jie Jingchen and Qin i’s room. Seeing it was locked, Xu Chunyan raised an eyebrow and started pounding and kicking the door. "Qin i, get your ass out here! I know you’re in there."
Hearing Xu Chunyan’s enraged shouts, Aunt Zhang ca out of her room. "Second Daughter-in-law Jing, don’t waste your energy. Qin i isn’t ho."
"If she’s not ho, where did she go?" Xu Chunyan asked. The door was locked, so she already knew Qin i wasn’t there.
"She took Jing Qi out to lunch." Aunt Zhang thought for a mont, then complained, "That Qin i is such a wasteful woman. The kitchen is finished, but as soon as Jing Si isn’t ho, she and Jing Qi go out to eat. Even when Jing Si is ho, she doesn’t cook—he does all of it. Qin i is greedy and lazy. I really don’t know what Jing Si sees in her."
Xu Chunyan didn’t agree, but instead declared, "Aunt Zhang, this ti Qin i has really gone too far."
Aunt Zhang paused, stunned. ’Where is Second Daughter-in-law Jing coming from with this? Did she find out about my fight with Qin i? Based on what I know about her, she wouldn’t co storming ho in a rage to settle scores with Qin i over sothing like that.’
"Second Daughter-in-law Jing, did sothing happen?" Aunt Zhang asked tentatively. Xu Chunyan didn’t answer, so Aunt Zhang continued, "This morning, so people from the machinery factory ca to the house looking for Qin i, saying Jing Si was injured. I was secretly gloating, hoping his injuries were serious. But who would have thought? Right before noon, Jing Si brought Qin i back himself. It looks like he wasn’t badly hurt at all."
Aunt Zhang was blunt in front of Xu Chunyan. She hoped Qin i and Jie Jingchen would have a miserable life, and Xu Chunyan wished for the couple to live in utter hell.
"Jing Si wasn’t injured. My dad hired people to lure her out," Xu Chunyan admitted without hesitation.
"Your dad?" Aunt Zhang exclaid. She had heard from Jing Er that Qiao Yanqiu had crippled Xu Chunwang, cutting off the Xu Family’s line. Then Qin i had dislocated Xu Chunwang’s jaw, using the opportunity to swindle two thousand from Second Daughter-in-law Jing and win another two thousand from Jing Wu. The speed at which Qin i made money left Aunt Zhang dumbfounded.
She herself had toiled away in the Jie Family for years, and it was nothing compared to Qin i. When she skimd money from Qiao Yanqiu and her own brother-in-law, she had to be incredibly careful, keeping ticulous records, terrified they’d find the smallest discrepancy. Qin i, on the other hand, swindled people right out in the open.
"Qiao Yanqiu crippled my brother, ending the Xu Family’s line. Then we fell for Jing Si and Qin i’s tricks. Especially Qin i—she scamd two thousand out of just to put my brother’s jaw back in place. I can swallow that insult, but my dad can’t," Xu Chunyan said viciously.
Aunt Zhang expressed deep sympathy for the Xu Family’s plight and asked eagerly, "And then what happened?"
’Thinking about how Jing Si brought Qin i ho safe and sound, it’s obvious Xu Anshan failed,’ Aunt Zhang thought. ’The Xu family is truly useless. They can’t afford to provoke Qiao Yanqiu, and they don’t dare to provoke Jie Jingchen. They couldn’t even harm a hair on Qin i’s head when she was all alone. What are they if not useless?’
’Then again, rembering how ferociously Qin i had beaten her, it was understandable that she couldn’t win. But Xu Anshan? Setting aside how capable he might be, he’s a man. Can’t a man beat a woman in a fight?’
"My dad got thrown in the police station," Xu Chunyan said, her voice full of indignation and rage.
"Thrown in the police station *again*?" Aunt Zhang deliberately stressed the word "again," her intent to sow discord palpable.
Xu Chunyan didn’t know the details either. When she went to the police station, she wasn’t allowed to see her father, only her weeping mother. She first took her mother back to the Xu family ho, then imdiately rushed back here to settle things with Qin i.
"I’m going to find Qin i," Xu Chunyan said, turning to leave.
"Stop," Aunt Zhang called out to Xu Chunyan. "Qin i is too cunning. Your dad is locked up in the police station while she’s out enjoying herself. If you go after her like this, you’ll only be asking for humiliation."
"Then what should I do?" Xu Chunyan’s face contorted. In her several clashes with Qin i, she had never once co out on top.
"We need to think about this from a long-term perspective," Aunt Zhang advised. "Second Daughter-in-law Jing, listen to . You can’t make a scene with Qin i over what happened to your father. It’s best for you to stay out of their conflict with the Xu Family. Believe , if you get involved, it will only hurt you. There’s absolutely no benefit. If you anger Qiao Yanqiu, she’ll kick your family of three right out of this house."
A flicker of panic crossed Xu Chunyan’s eyes, but she imdiately roared, "She wouldn’t dare!"
She had lived here ever since marrying Jing Er, and she loved this courtyard. It had its own toilet, and it was clean. She couldn’t bear the thought of queuing for a public one. Jing Er was the eldest son of the Jie Family. ’What does that an? If this were a few decades ago, the eldest son would have been the one to inherit the entire family estate. Qiao Yanqiu wants to kick us out? In her dreams.’
’Never mind that Father-in-law wouldn’t agree. Even if Qiao Yanqiu managed to persuade him, I would never move out. Not even if it killed .’
"Don’t forget, this courtyard was a gift to Qiao Yanqiu from her own family. It’s *her* property," Aunt Zhang reminded her.
Xu Chunyan froze for a second, then said shalessly, "Qiao Yanqiu married Dad, so this courtyard is Dad’s. That ans it belongs to the Jie Family. And if it belongs to the Jie Family, Jing Er has a right to it."
Aunt Zhang fell silent. She had made her point.
"Aunt Zhang, tell , am I wrong?" Xu Chunyan demanded, grabbing Aunt Zhang’s arm in agitation.
Aunt Zhang put on a troubled expression. "Well, that’s one way to look at it, but..."
"Aunt Zhang, you’re our blood-related aunt! You’re not going to side with an outsider, are you?" Xu Chunyan cut her off.
"Of course not! Do you think I’m the kind of person who doesn’t know who her real family is?" Aunt Zhang retorted.
"Well, you are, a little," Xu Chunyan said bluntly, then added with a complaint, "You’re way better to Jing Qi than you are to us."
Aunt Zhang fell silent. She couldn’t refute what Xu Chunyan said. In the past, she truly had been good to Jing Qi. Of course, that kindness ca with a selfish motive. The better she treated Jing Qi, the closer he grew to her, and he would share everything with her—especially money. He was never stingy with her.
Ever since Jing Qi’s incident, he hadn’t given her any more money, and her own finances had beco tight. ’Sotis I wonder, why did Jing Qi have to have that accident?’ she would think. ’If he hadn’t, I would have had a limitless supply of cash.’
Back then, her affection had been genuine, but as soon as that affection stopped yielding a return, she grew resentful and would complain nonstop.
"Co inside with ." Aunt Zhang pulled Xu Chunyan into her room. As Xu Chunyan watched in confusion, Aunt Zhang took off her shirt and pants, and even her undershirt. Her once-fair skin was covered in purple bruises from being pinched and grabbed, all in awkward, private areas.
"Aunt Zhang, you..." Xu Chunyan was shocked, stunned, and full of suspicion.
"This was all Qin i’s doing." Aunt Zhang put her clothes back on.
Snapping out of her shock, Xu Chunyan asked, filled with righteous indignation, "Qin i did this to you?"
Aunt Zhang said nothing, which was a silent admission.
"Why would she do that?" Xu Chunyan was both heartbroken and furious. ’That Qin i is really too much! So arrogant!’
"I got her drying dicinal herbs wet when I was hanging up laundry," Aunt Zhang said casually, relaying the facts without any embellishnt.
"What?" Xu Chunyan was aghast. "She did that to you over sothing so minor? That’s outrageous! Aunt Zhang, you’re her elder! She attacks you, and you just let her?"
Aunt Zhang remained silent. She had wanted to fight back, but Qin i was too fierce. She didn’t know what the woman had done to her, but she hadn’t been able to summon any strength. She could only lie there and let Qin i sit on top of her, doing whatever she wanted.
A tide of rage surged in Xu Chunyan’s eyes. "Tell Father-in-law! Aunt Zhang, you have to tell him about this!"
"And how would I do that?" Aunt Zhang asked, dejected.
"Just tell him the truth," Xu Chunyan said.
"The truth?" Aunt Zhang gave a bitter smile. "Words alone are no proof."
"Who says there’s no proof, Aunt Zhang? The bruises on your body are the best evidence there is!" Xu Chunyan declared righteously. "Show your injuries to Father-in-law! Aunt Zhang, believe , he will get justice for you!"
Aunt Zhang didn’t say a word, just stared at Xu Chunyan. ’No wonder she’s no match for Qin i,’ she thought. ’Her brain is a real liability.’
Holding her key, Qin i listened to their conversation as she slowly and silently drew near.
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