“Eighth Brother, even if Ninth Sister wanted to prank the new sister, she wasn’t actually splashed. Besides, Ninth Sister already apologized. Why can’t that settle things?”
Li Yixuan spoke with a face full of anxiety, her voice trembling slightly, clearly frightened by Huo Yunxuan’s demeanor.
“Tenth Sister, this doesn’t concern you. Go inside quickly. Ninth Sister’s attitude is wrong, and I must report it truthfully to Grandpa.”
Seeing that her usually doting Eighth Brother was so angry he wanted to report her, Huo Mingzhu felt a bit scared, but she was even more aggrieved!
She clearly hadn’t done anything. To appease Eighth Brother’s anger, she had already lowered her head and apologized. Why wouldn’t he forgive her?
Even a clay figure has its temper!
She asked angrily, “What’s wrong with my attitude? Did a single drop of water get on her?
I apologized to her only because Eighth Brother was angry, just to smooth things over.
If Eighth Brother insists on telling Grandpa, then go ahead and report me. I haven’t done anything wrong, so I’m not afraid of you tattling.”
“Ninth Sister, when did you become so unreasonable? You splashed water all over me, and you still think you’re in the right?” Huo Yunxuan demanded angrily.
Seeing Huo Yunxuan’s eyes red with anger, looking as if he was determined to make a scene, Li Yixuan was terrified.
She was the one who had done this. If Grandpa Huo found out, would her father drive her out of the Huo family?!
Five years ago, when her father brought her to the Huo family, it felt like leaping from hell into heaven.
She never wanted to return to the countryside, to be ground down by her grandmother and aunts who favored boys over girls.
So in the Huo family, she was cautious and careful, afraid that offending anyone would lead to her being expelled.
Although the Huo family members were all upright and honorable, with a good family atmosphere, she always felt like an outsider.
Her half-brother, though not a Huo by blood, was the biological son of the Huo family’s eldest daughter-in-law, sharing blood ties with his step-siblings.
Two days ago, she overheard her brothers discussing that Third Uncle’s new wife was a capitalist’s abandoned woman, bringing a young lady to the Huo family.
She wanted to make the young lady look drenched and miserable, so the Huo brothers would dislike her, making her the lowest in the Huo family.
Not only did she fail, but Eighth Cousin was now fiercely protecting the girl. Li Yixuan was burning with jealousy but could only force a smile.
She hurried over to Wen Chuxia, acting like a caring older sister, but her hands tightly gripped Wen Chuxia’s wrists.
“New sister, please talk to Eighth Brother. Tell him not to be angry and not to report this to Grandpa. I apologize on behalf of Ninth Sister.”
“Tenth Sister, why are you apologizing to her? We haven’t wronged her,” Huo Mingzhu said indignantly.
Wen Chuxia said timidly, “Eighth Brother, please don’t be angry, and don’t report this to Grandpa. This sister is pinching my wrist so hard it hurts.”
Even though she was holding things in both hands, knocking down the girl in front of her would be as easy as turning her hand.
At their first meeting, this girl dared to pinch her so hard, betting that she was desperate to enter the Huo family and wouldn’t dare to make a scene by reporting it.
Unfortunately, this girl miscalculated!
She was no longer a naive seventeen-year-old girl who would smooth things over and swallow her anger just to enter the Huo family, draining herself internally.
Nor would she be moved by a stranger’s seemingly well-intentioned words and let herself be led by the nose.
Since Huo Yunxuan was willing to charge into battle for her, why should she do it herself?
Sure enough, upon hearing Wen Chuxia’s words, Huo Yunxuan immediately rushed to her side and pulled Li Yixuan’s hand away.
He saw a large bruise on Wen Chuxia’s wrist, faintly marked with nail imprints.
He roared, “Li Yixuan—look at how you’ve bruised Xiaxia’s wrist!”
“Wah… Eighth Brother, how could you accuse me like this… Wah, I was only trying to persuade you both with good intentions.”
Li Yixuan’s pitiful and helpless demeanor made Wen Chuxia’s hands itch with irritation.
But Wen Chuxia could guarantee that if she dared to raise her voice, let alone lay a hand on her, the other girl would immediately put on a performance of fainting from fright.
Wen Chuxia licked her sharp teeth. Come on, she had been reborn—how could she back down now?
Not only did she dare to speak loudly, but she also dared to hit where it hurt. “Sister, you don’t think crying loudly makes you right, do you?
Everyone saw me carrying things with both hands. The bruises and nail marks on my wrist are from you pinching me. Don’t even think about pretending to faint to avoid Eighth Brother’s questions.”
“You… how could you be so… vicious?” Li Yixuan, who had originally planned to fake a faint, blurted out angrily.
“You pinched her like this and still call her vicious? Ninth Sister, Tenth Sister, are you really so unwelcoming toward her?” Huo Yunxuan asked with deep disappointment.
“……” Huo Mingzhu stared blankly at the ring of bruises on Wen Chuxia’s fair wrist, swallowing back a thousand words with a gulp.
“What’s all the commotion at the door?”
“What’s going on? What’s all the arguing about?”
Huo’s eldest aunt hurried out from inside the house upon hearing the noise, just as Huo Tieniu arrived at the door holding Liu Cuihua’s hand. They asked in unison.
The younger generation, who had been arguing fiercely just moments before, instantly fell silent. No one answered, unsure where to begin.
Seeing the younger ones silent, Huo’s eldest aunt didn’t press further. Instead, she quickly walked over and closed the door.
Wen Chuxia didn’t speak up either, idly surveying the Huo family’s small courtyard house.
The path from the main gate to the central hall was paved with blue bricks and crushed stones, and the courtyard was clean and tidy.
On the right side stood a hand-pump well, with a square pool built from red bricks beneath it.
The extra open space had been cultivated into neat, evenly sized vegetable plots, a testament to Huo’s eldest aunt’s skillful household management.
“Yunxuan, you explain. Why are you all wet?” Huo Tieniu asked, his eyes carrying a warning.
“Ninth Sister and Tenth Sister wanted to give Xiaxia a warning. They hung a bucket of cold water over the door…”
Before Huo Yunxuan could finish, Li Yibao’s tearful voice chimed in, “Mom, Third Uncle, it’s all my fault. It has nothing to do with Ninth Sister.”
“Eldest Aunt, Third Uncle, we didn’t know it was Wen Chuxia coming. We thought it was that lazy freeloader, so we wanted to play a trick on her.”
Huo Mingzhu declared with an air of taking responsibility, though it was unclear whether she was too angry to think clearly or simply too overconfident.
She never noticed that Li Yixuan’s words, while seemingly defending her, actually confirmed that she was the one behind the prank.
“Mingzhu, Li Yixuan, you’ve gone too far. Apologize to Xiaxia immediately,” Huo Tieniu said in a low, icy tone.
“Listen to Third Uncle and apologize to Chuxia right away. No matter who comes to our home, you shouldn’t think of playing tricks. This time, you two were truly in the wrong!”
Aunt Huo stepped forward to take the things from Wen Chuxia’s hands as she spoke, “Chuxia, could you forgive your two thoughtless sisters?”
“Of course. It was Eighth Brother who took the blame for me, so I have no right to hold it against them,” Wen Chuxia replied, her expression flustered and tense.
She understood perfectly well that the beginning of any relationship required adjustment. As long as things didn’t go too far, the elders would only try to smooth things over.
People—you can’t rely on anyone but yourself.