You Must Be Good 28p1

Chapter 28 p1

Qiao Xiaoxiao cried her heart out, as if to shed all the tears she had accumulated over the years. She cried until her whole body trembled, until she couldn’t control herself. In the end, even her breathing became ragged, as if she wanted to turn all the grievances rooted in the most secret corners of her heart into tears and pour them out.

Tears blurred her vision, but they washed a clear path in her heart. As she slowly got up on her numb legs, the long-dormant pain spread through her nerves. She gritted her teeth and straightened her back bit by bit. In her gradually rising field of vision, the light and shadow of her childhood intertwined with the scenery of reality.

When she finally stood up completely, the oncoming wind brushed against her wet cheeks, lifting her long, waterfall-like hair.

She stood at the highest point of the valley and took a deep breath. The wrinkles that had been on her brow for years were gently smoothed away by the wind.

Qiao Xiaoxiao walked back slowly, her steps unhurried, as if she had shed all her burdens. She was prepared to face a storm, and had even imagined the scene of police sirens wailing and neighbors gathering to watch.

But the courtyard gate was still ajar, and it was quiet outside. There were no glaring police lights, no pointing onlookers, only the rustling of the wind through the treetops. She stood at the door for a moment, stunned, before pushing it open.

Huang Sulan’s sobs could be faintly heard from inside, while Nuonuo’s small figure was curled up in the courtyard, clutching her sister’s phone tightly, her little face tense.

Qiao Xiaoxiao’s gaze fell on her sister. Her heart softened, and a sourness welled up. She felt sorry for this sister caught in the middle, but she didn’t know what to do with her.

The moment Nuonuo saw her sister, she immediately jumped up and ran over, stuffing the phone, which was warm from being held, into her hand.

Qiao Xiaoxiao took the phone, was silent for a moment, and then asked in a low voice, “Where’s your mom?”

Nuonuo pointed to the inner room and signed with her hands.

—After you left, she’s been crying. I heard her call Daddy.

Qiao Xiaoxiao nodded. This was what she had expected. “Where’s Uncle? Hasn’t he come back?”

Nuonuo scratched her head in confusion. Usually, when her mother threw a tantrum like this, her father would have rushed back in a panic. But today, the courtyard gate was still quiet, with no one in sight.

After Qiao Xiaoxiao had run off, Huang Sulan had lain on the ground for a long time before she could barely move. She didn’t know who this little brat had learned from, but her moves were both ruthless and cunning. She hadn’t even seen how Qiao Xiaoxiao had struck. Now, there wasn’t a single part of her body that didn’t hurt, especially her stomach, but she couldn’t even find a bruise.

“Nuonuo… Nuonuo…”

Hearing her mother’s weak call, Nuonuo timidly moved into the inner room and peeked from behind the doorframe.

Huang Sulan said, her voice as faint as a thread, “Give me the phone.”

She had meant for her daughter to hand her her own phone, but Nuonuo had misunderstood, thinking her mother wanted to snatch her sister’s phone. The little one immediately shook her head and hugged the phone in her arms even tighter.

No! This is my sister’s!

Not only did she not give it to her, but she also retreated to the outer room with her short legs, like a little hedgehog with its quills up, staring warily at her mother.

Huang Sulan felt the world spin, and a rush of blood went to her head. She gritted her back teeth, supported herself against the mottled wall, and stood up, glaring at Nuonuo.

The screen of the phone on the kang was still lit. She dialed Qiao Banshan’s number with a trembling hand. The thought of calling the police had crossed her mind three times, but in the end, she had swallowed it back. The lesson from last time was still fresh in her mind. There were no surveillance cameras in this room, she had locked the door herself, and the scattered feathers and the bare duster handle on the floor were all evidence that she had struck first. What was worse, she couldn’t even find a bruise on her body, and the only witness was that ungrateful little brat who had sided with an outsider.

The memories of those dark days in the detention center flooded her mind, like a basin of ice water extinguishing her anger. Huang Sulan took a deep breath and turned all her curses into a roar on the phone.

Beep—

The phone was answered after just one ring. The sound of pigs squealing could be heard in the background.

“Hello!” Qiao Banshan’s tone was rushed. He had answered the moment it rang. The moment Huang Sulan heard his voice, she flew into a rage.

“Where the hell have you been?! Your niece hit me! Are you coming back or not?!”

Qiao Banshan had answered quickly because he thought something had happened to Xiaoxiao. After hearing Huang Sulan say she had been hit, he looked at the pig that had just been tied up by everyone, a little dazed.

Wait… Xiaoxiao hit her? Did I hear that right?

“She beat me so badly there isn’t a single good spot on my body?!” Huang Sulan’s voice was hoarse and muffled from shouting. “If you don’t come back and beat her into submission, I won’t be able to stay in this house anymore!!!”

She had run away so many times. Besides being angry, she also wanted to make Qiao Banshan aware of her presence. It didn’t seem like much when she was at home, but after being away for a few days, Huang Sulan would always return to a satisfyingly messy house.

This time, Qiao Banshan really understood. His grip on the phone tightened. He asked, “Does it hurt?”

Huang Sulan’s eyes widened. She couldn’t imagine why Qiao Banshan would say that. She shouted, her spittle flying.

“Are you fucking human? Of course it hurts! Are you coming back or not? If you don’t, I’ll call the police right away and make sure she can’t even go to school. She can rot in jail!”

For some reason, hearing this, Qiao Banshan’s furrowed brow suddenly relaxed. He nodded. “Okay, if it hurts that much, you should call the police right away.”

With a click, the phone was hung up. Qiao Banshan grinned for a long time. The neighbor who was helping him looked at him, a little stunned. “What’s wrong? Weren’t you in a hurry to go home? Let’s go.”

Qiao Banshan rolled up his sleeves. “Come on, I’m not in a hurry today. Where’s the knife? Give it to me. I’m going to slaughter this old sow myself.”

At this moment, Huang Sulan truly had no one to turn to. The click of the lock turning made her tremble, and a shiver ran down her spine.

Bang—

The force of Qiao Xiaoxiao pushing open the door stirred up a cloud of dust. She stood against the light, her thin figure casting a long shadow on the floor. She was still the same child, just a few inches taller, but everything had been turned upside down.

The power dynamic between them had been completely reversed at this moment.

Qiao Xiaoxiao looked coldly at the tear-streaked Huang Sulan on the bed, her voice terrifyingly calm. “Why don’t you call the police?”

“I’ll fuck your ancestors! Raising an ungrateful wretch!” Huang Sulan squeezed this sentence from between her teeth.

Qiao Xiaoxiao pointed to the thick, worn-out law book on the kang. “It seems you haven’t studied it thoroughly enough. You need to continue your research.”

Her tone was light, but as sharp as a knife.

Huang Sulan only felt a rush of hot blood to her head. Her vision went black, and her chest was so tight she could barely breathe.

Qiao Xiaoxiao’s gaze slowly moved to the bare feather duster on the floor, a chilling smile on her lips.

Huang Sulan followed her gaze. When she looked up again, she met Qiao Xiaoxiao’s bottomless eyes, and a shiver ran down her spine.

In the end, this one-sided output ended with Qiao Xiaoxiao’s sentence, “I’m not you. I will consider Nuonuo and Uncle. I’m not that filthy.”

Huang Sulan was completely at a loss.

She couldn’t beat Qiao Xiaoxiao, she couldn’t out-argue her, and she couldn’t even find legal loopholes as well as the other girl. She might as well just bang her head against a wall and die.

…