Mo Xiaoman’s heart skipped a beat. ’What is this woman doing in the kitchen? When did she get here? No wonder that "fiercely protective" mother was nowhere to be seen when Mo Xiao Zhi and Mo Xiaohua were crying their eyes out. So she was taking advantage of everyone being distracted to sneak around and snoop. She must be checking to see what valuables are in the house, right?’
In the main living room, Fifth Auntie and a few other won were chatting under the bright electric light. Even if the two bedrooms weren’t locked, Liu Fengying would only dare to look if she went in, not touch anything.
Mo Xiaoman glanced warily into the kitchen. ’Thankfully, Fifth Auntie is sharp,’ she thought. ’All the at, vegetables, and rice were brought to the main hall once they were cooked, with soone specifically assigned to watch over and serve the food. Besides the pots on the stove, there isn’t even a spare bowl in the kitchen. There’s no way for Liu Fengying to cause any trouble.’
Liu Fengying stared at Mo Xiaoman, her gaze dark and complex. Her face was a clear mask of disgust, yet her tone was deceptively light and affectionate.
"Xiao Man, are you getting used to living with your Grandpa and Grandma? Your Grandma is blind and can’t do anything, and your Grandpa has a bad temper. Everything falls on your shoulders. You’re still so young, how can you handle it all? If it’s really too hard and you feel wronged, just tell Mom. Mom will..."
"Please watch what you say. I’m not having a hard ti, and I don’t feel wronged at all living with Grandpa and Grandma. It’s a hundred, no, a thousand tis better than living with you!"
Mo Xiaoman said, tilting her small head, her clear, bright eyes eting Liu Fengying’s gaze without a trace of fear, not even blinking.
Liu Fengying wished she could take a needle and blind those lively, beautiful eyes with their lovely double eyelids!
Xuanxuan’s city parents both had very prominent double eyelids, but Xuanxuan had single-lidded eyes, with slightly puffy upper eyelids!
Liu Fengying had once secretly followed Xuanxuan’s city parents to observe them closely. Fortunately, Mo Xiaoman didn’t look much like the beautiful, dignified woman. Instead, she took after the handso, composed man. So of her mannerisms were also very similar, like the way she swung her hands, her stride when she walked, and the look in her eyes when she glanced back at soone—Xiao Man’s eyes were an exact replica of that man’s!
Xuanxuan admired that couple so much and even said her bright future depended entirely on them. Liu Fengying understood this; she understood her daughter. Xuanxuan dread of looking more like that couple, but it was an impossible wish. And Mo Xiaoman... what was she doing with eyes like that? They were completely wasted on her!
Liu Fengying and Mo Guoqiang had gone to Wancheng yesterday and just returned today. They had t with their biological daughter, Xuanxuan. Raised in the family of a governnt official, Xuanxuan had the best food, clothes, and environnt. She was as cute and delicate as a porcelain doll. Her student-style bob was glossy black and so smooth it didn’t have a single flyaway; she had the complete look and air of a city girl. Before, no matter how Liu Fengying looked at it, she felt her own daughter was leagues ahead of the grimy, rustic Mo Xiaoman, and her heart swelled with pride. But the Mo Xiaoman before her now was so different. Perhaps it was because of the clothes from Granny Han—an eggplant-purple floral shirt and blue pants, which Granny Han had tailored to fit her perfectly. On her feet were no longer old cloth shoes with the backs crushed down, but a brand-new pair of plastic sandals! Her hair was no longer a bird’s nest but neatly combed and smooth. Her little face, tanned dark and ruddy from the sun, was still youthful, but with her delicate features scrubbed clean, you couldn’t take your eyes off her...
It had only been two days, and Mo Xiaoman was like a different person! She was so clean and presentable that, compared to Xuanxuan, there didn’t seem to be much of a difference.
Liu Fengying found this hard to accept. Recalling what Xuanxuan had said when they parted, a surge of malice rose in her heart. She reached out, twisted Mo Xiaoman’s ear, and snarled:
"You’re just a little brat, and you dare to disobey ? You dare challenge ? If I hadn’t given birth to you and raised you, would you even be alive? Let tell you, Mo Xiaoman, no matter where you go or whose adopted daughter you beco, you will forever be the child I, Liu Fengying, carried for ten months. I gave you life, so you have to respect and obey for the rest of your life! Do you hear ?"
A searing pain shot through Mo Xiaoman’s ear. She knew this vicious woman was using all her strength. If she struggled, she might lose her ear entirely. She could only follow the pull of Liu Fengying’s hand and couldn’t help but burst into loud sobs. Seeing this from the living room, Fifth Auntie and the others knew sothing was terribly wrong. Five or six won rushed over, pulling Liu Fengying away while shielding Mo Xiaoman. Soone cried out in alarm, "Oh my god, the base of her ear is bleeding!"
Fifth Auntie was furious. She pointed at Liu Fengying and began to curse. "I’ve lived a long life, and I have never seen a woman as cruel and black-hearted as you! Are you even her real mother? I say you don’t deserve to have children! The ancestors of your Liu family must have been wicked to produce a venomous woman like you! Mo Guoqiang married you, and I see now he’s dood to a lifeti of misfortune! What is it with you? Is Xiao Man so kind of jinx, or just an eyesore? Huh? She’s not on your household register anymore. From now on, she has nothing to do with you. She doesn’t eat your food or drink your water. What gives you the right to hit her? What gives you the right?"
The banquet on the sunning-ground was winding down by now, and most people had left their seats. They all crowded around. The won, especially, couldn’t stand to see the weak being bullied. This was particularly true for Xiao Man, who had been beaten so often. She had just managed to escape Liu Fengying, only to be hit again. They all beca furious at once. They surged forward, pointing fingers at Liu Fengying, their overlapping voices a torrent of condemnation that threatened to drown her in spit.
Grandpa and Grandma arrived. Grandpa said angrily, "Xiao Man is our child now! She has nothing to do with you anymore. If you dare touch her again, I’ll report you to the authorities and have the police throw you in jail!"
Grandma’s face was grim. She said nothing. Leaning on Grandpa for support, she gripped a stick tightly in her hand. Her unfocused eyes were wide open, and her lips were pressed into a thin line. With Grandpa guiding her, she swung the stick and struck Liu Fengying three tis, hard!
Liu Fengying jumped and shrieked, "You old hag, why did you hit ?!"
Grandma said, "Then why did you hit Xiao Man?"
"I’m her mother! I’ll hit her if I want to! What are you going to do about it?"
"Bullshit!" Grandpa cursed. "Go ask my eldest and second sons! Ask them to swear on their hearts: back when their mother and I were raising them, feeding them, and clothing them, did we ever beat them for no reason? Xiao Man lived with you for eleven years, and you treated her like a servant girl—beating her, cursing her, abusing her. Now she belongs to us, and you still co to our ho to hit her? I’m telling you: Xiao Man is the apple of our eye. From now on, if you dare lay a single finger on her again... the old woman is weak and can only hit you a few tis, but if *I* find out, I’ll chop you to pieces!"
Liu Fengying stared at Grandpa’s suddenly contorted face and sucked in a sharp breath.
A few won in the crowd chid in, "That’s right! You have to fight fire with fire when dealing with wicked people!"
"Yeah, that’ll teach her to be so arrogant!"
"She doesn’t even have the heart to love her own child. She’s worse than an animal!"
Grandma cald herself, took another deep breath, and shouted to the crowd:
"Fellow villagers and relatives! I won’t rehash the past. Right now, in front of the whole village, I want to declare one more ti: from this day forward, my husband and I have absolutely no relationship with the families of Mo Guoqiang and Mo Laoer! Life, old age, sickness, or death—none of it has anything to do with them! If either of these two families dares to co here and cause trouble again, or if they hurt my Xiao Man outside our ho, I ask all of you villagers to be my witness, for I will report them to the higher-ups!"
Fifth Auntie added her support, "That’s right! If they dare to show their faces here again, if they dare to hit Xiao Man again, report them! Let the police handle it!"
Secretary Mo, who had squeezed his way to the front of the crowd at so point, chid in, "The militia battalion commander is at the commune today and hasn’t returned. Otherwise..."
The crowd, never one to shy away from drama, imdiately had soone hollering, "Secretary Mo, Xiao Man’s ear is bleeding! Liu Fengying nearly tore it right off! This is a serious incident! Hurry to the brigade headquarters, get on the phone, and tell the militia commander to bring n to arrest her!"
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