Сhарtеr 4: Did I Sаy Somеthing Wrоng?
Li Zhаn’s mоnthlу allowanсе was five thоusand yuаn.
Еvеn during hоlidауs, this monеу wоuldn’t stоp, totаling sixty thousand а уeаr.
Li Мusi hаd еvеn cаllеd his grаndparеnts, unсles, аunts… and anyоne еlse who might seсretlу slip him mоnеy right in front оf him.
Anyonе whо dаrеd to give him mоnеу bеhind his back wоuld be gоing against Li Мusi.
Li Musi was аn oddity аmong the Li familу еldеrs.
Hе bоre the status оf an еldеr, had the уoungest fаcе, уеt lived likе a stubborn, оld-fashionеd mаn. Еven Grandfather and Grandmother wеrе wary of this yоungеst son.
To sum it uр in оne sentence, he seemed like the father of everyone in the Li family.
Ready to discipline them at any moment.
“Uncle!” Li Zhan protested angrily, “How am I supposed to live then?”
“Use your savings, go work for it, or sell your golf clubs, bicycles, or sports cars,” Li Musi said calmly. “Go experience for yourself how hard it is to earn those four thousand.”
Li Zhan pressed his lips into a thin line.
Of course, he knew how hard it was.
But it was precisely this hard-earned money that Jing Ge had spent four thousand of in one go!
To buy a gift for Li Musi.
Li Zhan stormed out, slamming the door with a dark expression.
Jing Ge hadn’t said a word the entire time.
The girl sat under the light, her eyelids and the tip of her nose flushed like spilled strawberry milk, porcelain-white skin tinged with pink.
“The allowance deducted from Li Zhan,” Li Musi said fairly, “will be managed by you.”
“Managed by her” was a polite way of putting it—what he really meant was that it was hers.
Jing Ge lowered her eyelashes slightly. “No need, Uncle. Thank you, and I’m sorry for taking up your time tonight.”
With that, Jing Ge nodded and went upstairs.
She had grown up in the Li household, visiting often, and was familiar with everything here. But right now, she still wanted to go back to her own home.
Leaning back in his chair, Li Musi thought for a moment before looking at Zhang Ma. “Did I say something wrong?”
“…Probably not?”
“Was it the punishment I gave Li Zhan? Was she dissatisfied?”
“……” Zhang Ma shook her head hurriedly. “That can’t be. The punishment was quite severe. Don’t overthink it.”
Li Musi: “She didn’t even take the sugarcane.”
Zhang Ma: “…”
Your oddness is even more unsettling than hers.
As soon as Jing Ge returned to her bedroom, she received a call from Li’s Dad and Li’s Mom.
First, they scolded their son without even asking for the reason, then gently coaxed her to tell them what had happened, promising to stand up for her.
Jing Ge couldn’t bring herself to mention wanting to go home.
After hanging up, Li’s Mom transferred her a large red envelope, telling her to go shopping for clothes and spend it however she pleased to make herself happy.
The two families were close, and red envelopes for Jing Ge were always directly transferred to her bank card or Alipay, leaving her no room to refuse.
Fine.
For the sake of Li’s Dad and Li’s Mom, Jing Ge was willing to put up with that jerk Li Zhan a little longer.
After her shower, Li Ying sneaked in, looking pitiful. “Sis~”
Jing Ge’s gaze drifted downward, then she closed her eyes. “I won’t sign it!”
“Don’t be like that,” Li Ying pouted. “The teacher said a parent has to sign it and write ‘Reviewed.’”
Jing Ge cracked open an eye. “What did you score?”
Li Ying stammered, “Eight points.”
Jing Ge was incredulous. “How much? Out of a hundred or ten?”
Li Ying whispered, “A hundred.”
“I didn’t mean to,” Li Ying quickly added before Jing Ge could respond. “The test was super hard.”
Jing Ge was almost defeated by her. “Your brother and your uncle are both here. Ask them to sign it.”Li Ying waved her test paper with a rustling sound, agitated: “My brother would just yell at me, saying he could pass by stepping on the paper with his shoe soles, then tell me to get lost. And you know my uncle—he always got perfect scores in every subject. If he saw my grades, he’d get a corn in his eye!”
He’d probably look at her with the kind of gaze humans reserve for cockroaches—confused, bewildered, questioning how anyone could score an 8, an inhuman result.
“……” Jing Ge covered her face with a pillow, pretending to cry, “If we get caught, we’ll both be punished together.”
Li Ying shook her arm, pleading: “We won’t, I promise this is the last time!”
Jing Ge tossed the pillow aside and stared at her: “Is your promise worth anything?”
Li Ying nodded emphatically.
Jing Ge: “I don’t believe in promises, only in improved grades.”
“……”
“Starting tomorrow,” Jing Ge said seriously, “20 minutes of reciting Chinese in the morning, 30 minutes of English listening during breakfast, and one sheet of mental math after school. Can you agree to that?”
Li Ying’s little face fell.
Jing Ge: “Then I won’t sign.”
“Okay, okay, okay,” Li Ying was on the verge of tears, “Why are you just like my uncle? He loves winning without shedding blood…”
Jing Ge took the test paper and signed her name.
“Want to sleep with me?”
Li Ying’s eyes lit up: “Really?”
Jing Ge: “Consider it compensation for my bloodless victory.”
Li Ying was a restless sleeper; no matter how big the bed, she could roll around in a full circle. Over time, her parents strictly forbade her from squeezing into Jing Ge’s bed, fearing it would disturb Jing Ge’s rest.
Being young after all, she fell asleep as soon as she lay down.
Jing Ge stared at the ceiling in the darkness until around one in the morning, faintly hearing someone coming upstairs.
Only she, Li Ying, and Li Zhan lived on the second floor.
It was Li Zhan returning.
But the footsteps grew closer, seemingly stopping right outside her door.
Jing Ge tilted her head toward the door.
The footsteps lingered for two seconds, then moved away, followed by the sound of the neighboring door opening and closing.
That night, Jing Ge had a nightmare.
She dreamed Li Zhan was holding a knife, gripping her long hair with his left hand, looking fierce and menacing: “Why do I have to be engaged to you? Why should I be the unlucky one!”
Jing Ge winced in pain: “You think I’m not unlucky too!”
Li Zhan: “How dare you talk back!”
Then, with a snap, he severed her head.
Blood cascaded like a waterfall, flooding the floor.
Her shoes were completely soaked.
Jing Ge jolted awake with a sharp gasp.
Her hair was pulled taut against her scalp, the pain making her grimace.
Li Ying had slept right on top of her head.
The sky was faintly light, and the Li residence was quiet.
Jing Ge quietly pulled her hair free, added some water to the dried-out humidifier, then went to the bathroom to shower and change, washing away the cold sweat from the nightmare.
The blood-stained shoes were tossed by the door.
Worried the smell of blood would fill the room, Jing Ge picked up the shoes and tiptoed downstairs, planning to wash them in the courtyard’s mop-cleaning basin.
The first-floor living room was lit.
Li Musi sat under the light, writing on a document. Zhang Ma brought over a cup of coffee, and the man politely thanked her, asking her to set it aside for now.
Both people in the living room noticed her at the same time.
Jing Ge whispered: “Good morning, Uncle, Zhang Ma.”
“Why are you up so early?” Zhang Ma exclaimed in surprise, “You slept so late last night, you should rest more.”
Jing Ge shook her head: “I don’t want to sleep anymore.”
Li Musi set down the document, his gaze crossing the tables and chairs, lingering subtly on her face: “Did you have a nightmare?”
“……”Li Musi: “Do you need psychological counseling?”
Jing Ge still shook her head, murmuring her thanks, and went into the yard holding the shoes.
“She must have been frightened,” Zhang Ma sighed. “Last night, when the young master returned, he also seemed off. Perhaps he knew that Gege’s call was a cry for help, and he’s probably regretting it now.”
Li Musi did not comment on this, saying calmly, “Steam the sugarcane until it’s warm before letting her eat it.”