“Huh?” Director Zhao thought his ears were playing tricks on him. He turned around and saw Huo Ying. “…Me, what do I need to find her for?”
“If your hearing is bad, get it treated early. Someone intends to commit a crime against their children at home, and the female cadre has already gone to inform the neighbors. Aren’t you supposed to be here, given your responsibilities?”
Director Zhao almost fell to the ground.
Why was he still thinking about that girl?
“…I’ll go right now.”
By the time the female cadre finished informing the neighbors of the Shi family and left, it was already dinnertime.
Shi Hongxing came out of his room and issued an order like a master: “I’m hungry.”
Shi Ronggui showed a rare, genuine smile: “Son, go back to your room and sleep a little longer, dinner will be ready soon.”
He then looked at Jiang Yan. Jiang Yan hadn’t seen anything and turned to enter the small room temporarily set up for her in the living room.
Shi Ronggui couldn’t swallow his anger and yelled at Liu Manli, “Aren’t you going to cook yet?”
“Yes!” Liu Manli turned to call Shi Hongmei, “Aren’t you going to cook? Do you want me to get the feather duster and hit you?”
Shi Hongmei was so angry she wanted to cry.
Since Jiang Yan came to the Shi family, cooking and cleaning had all been done by Jiang Yan. She had grown accustomed to the good life of having food served to her. Why should she cook again? Didn’t she know that it’s hard to go from luxury to frugality?
But Shi Hongmei dared not say more. Feeling wronged like a little bride, she could only go to cook.
“You, come with me.” Shi Ronggui called Liu Manli back into the room and closed the door. They didn’t come out until Shi Hongmei had finished cooking and knocked on the door.
In the kitchen, Shi Ronggui asked, “Why didn’t you call your sister to eat?”
Shi Hongmei, who was serving Shi Hongxing, paused.
She had to cook, and then she had to call that little bitch to eat? Shi Hongmei really couldn’t swallow this. “Dad, you said, when eating, think of brother first, then you, and if others don’t come to eat themselves, they deserve to starve.”
He kicked her in the stomach: “Just call her when I tell you to, why so much nonsense?”
Shi Ronggui was full of anger today. He didn’t dare to vent it on Jiang Yan, but he could still vent it on his own daughter!
Jiang Yan appeared at the kitchen door uninvited.
She truly admired Shi Ronggui’s ability to force a smile that seemed perfectly natural: “I was just telling your sister to call you to eat. You’re here just in time, sit down and eat.”
Jiang Yan walked over and directly took the bowl of rice from Shi Hongmei’s hand.
Shi Hongxing shouted, “That’s my rice!”
Jiang Yan acted as if she hadn’t heard him. She grabbed a stool, sat down at the dining table, and reached for the only bowl of meat with her chopsticks.
Shi Hongxing shouted even louder, “That’s my meat!” He glared at his father, his meaning clear: Aren’t you going to hit her?
Shi Ronggui’s eyes were full of hatred for Jiang Yan, but he forced a smile, “She’s your sister, let her eat meat, don’t say anything more. Come, Dad will give you some meat.”
“What sister is she to me?” Shi Hongxing puffed out his cheeks. “Mom said she’s a little bastard raised by demons and monsters. Once her value is squeezed dry, she’ll be kicked out. Why should we give her meat?”
“Don’t talk nonsense!” Shi Ronggui’s eyes flickered as he reprimanded her. Shi Hongxing slammed his chopsticks down and got up to go back to his room, slamming the door shut.
“My son.” Liu Manli quickly put a lot of meat on top of Shi Hongxing’s rice and went to persuade him.
“Your brother is young and speaks without thinking. Jiang Yan, don’t take it to heart.” Shi Ronggui gave Jiang Yan some meat, “Eat more.”
He then gave Shi Hongmei a fierce glare.
Shi Hongmei, who was about to pick up some meat, quickly retracted her hand. With tears in her eyes, she picked up a mouthful of green vegetables. She glanced at Jiang Yan, her hatred like a monstrous flood, but she dared not let it show.
Jiang Yan ate her meat without a word.
To be honest, she quite admired Shi Hongxing for speaking so directly. It was better than Shi Ronggui hiding his malice in his heart.
To deal with such a person, one must conserve strength and fight them!
Liu Manli coaxed Shi Hongxing to finish his meal like she was chasing a child. Only the leftover soup and dregs remained on the table. Jiang Yan had already returned to her room, and only Shi Hongmei was left cleaning up miserably.
“Don’t you know I haven’t eaten yet? Where’s the meat?” Liu Manli was furious and went to pinch and hit Shi Hongmei.
“Jiang Yan ate all the meat.” Shi Hongmei cried uncontrollably, but this only earned her more severe kicks and blows from Liu Manli. “Who are you putting on this pathetic act for?”
Shi Hongmei didn’t want this either. In the past, she also did all the housework, and being beaten and scolded was a common occurrence.
But after Jiang Yan arrived, all of that was shifted to Jiang Yan.
Therefore, Shi Hongmei was crying about not having a few good days.
“What are you arguing about?” Shi Ronggui opened the door and roared, “Don’t you know Hongxing still has homework to do?”
Nowadays, parents don’t pay much attention to their children’s studies, but Shi Ronggui was different. He had struggled from the bottom since he was young and understood the principle that knowledge changes destiny.
No one dared to make a scene anymore. Shi Hongmei washed the dishes, and Liu Manli returned to her room, closing the door and complaining in a low voice:
“I think that little bitch Jiang Yan will never let us live in peace. If she doesn’t behave, we have plenty of ways to deal with her. That female cadre, no matter how capable, is just from the neighborhood committee. Why do you have to pander to that little bitch everywhere?”
Having grown up in the entertainment industry, she knew all sorts of insidious tricks to deal with women.
“You, shut up!” Shi Ronggui’s face darkened, and he gestured for his wife to come to the window. He gently lifted a corner.
“What?” Liu Manli leaned over and saw, and was so scared that she immediately shrank her neck and lowered herself, “What are the police doing lurking around here?” Director Zhao was among them.
“How should I know?”
Shi Ronggui lowered the curtain and said irritably, “We’ll proceed according to the plan tomorrow. Hurry up and send that dead girl to the countryside, consider it sending away a plague. If she can’t curry favor with Director Zhu, at least we still have Hongmei. Don’t let her be sent to the countryside too, or we’ll have raised her for nothing.”
The next morning, Liu Manli, uncharacteristically, made stuffed egg pancakes. She placed one in front of Jiang Yan first: “Yanyan, you’re too thin, you need to eat and sleep more. Your brother has to go to school, and your sister has to work, so she got up so early. Why do you have to get up so early? Eat first and then go back to sleep.”
Jiang Yan picked up the pancake and took a big bite, ignoring Shi Hongxing’s angry glare and Shi Hongmei’s wronged gaze, and said calmly, “I’m not sleeping anymore. You guys take your household registration booklet, and after eating, take me to sign up for going to the countryside at Aunt Zhang’s.”
“Isn’t there three days? No need to rush today.” Shi Ronggui said kindly, “Besides, going to the countryside is a big deal. We have to call and inform your adoptive parents. Otherwise, if they come looking for us later, we won’t be able to explain.”
As expected, when her adoptive parents were mentioned, Jiang Yan’s expression softened: “Okay, you go make the call.” After eating and drinking well, she stretched and returned to her room, “I’ll go back to sleep for a bit.”
“Sleep well.” Watching Jiang Yan’s retreating back, Liu Manli’s eyes were full of resentment, but her voice was gentle, “I’ll come back to cook lunch for you.”
After Jiang Yan closed the door, Liu Manli whispered to Shi Hongmei, “Hurry up and pack, you’ll be going out with us later.”
Shi Hongmei only had dry steamed buns to gnaw on: “I agreed with the hospital today to take care of a tuberculosis patient. They’re paying double the usual amount.”
Before she could finish, Liu Manli grabbed her hair, “Since it’s tuberculosis, you’ll definitely have to care for them at night too, and they’ll pay even more. How dare you choose the day shift?”