Xu Lin jumped out of bed in a fury and strode quickly to the kitchen. With dark, brooding eyes, she stared at Mother Xu, who was cursing and grumbling.
The stare made Mother Xu's skin crawl. She nervously swallowed, furrowed her brows, and asked weakly, "What… what are you looking at?"
"I'm looking at how ugly you are, how wild you play, how your brain runs straight to your bowels, how you spew filth first thing in the morning,
how black your heart is and how white your face is, how much black smoke your ancestors produced to birth a thing like you,
how you're nothing but cheap skin—skip a day of beating and you itch, skip two days and you go mad. I'm looking at you…"
Having finished her tirade, Xu Lin stepped forward, grabbed Mother Xu by the hair, and laid into her with a flurry of punches. After she was done, she tossed out one sentence:
"I want boiled eggs—ten of them. One short, and I beat your son. Two short, and I beat your son and your man together.
Three short, and I'll pound your whole family."
With that, she raised her head, puffed out her chest, and walked off. Her carefree retreating figure made Mother Xu's eyes blaze with fury as she ground her teeth.
If she could beat that little wretch, she'd show her why the flowers were so red.
Since she was awake anyway, Xu Lin decided to get up. The Educated Youth Office would be sending someone at noon today, and she needed to settle things with her biological parents before going down to the countryside.
Xu Lin wanted to know what her biological parents were thinking. If they didn't want to acknowledge the kinship, then she'd cut ties early.
She didn't want to wait until she became wealthy later, only to have that family shamelessly plaster themselves onto her.
Xu Lin didn't want to give them the chance to disgust her in the future.
She also wanted to know whether, in this life, with her leg not crippled, the Qin family would acknowledge her—
or whether their adopted daughter truly was their precious treasure, and they wouldn't acknowledge her regardless of whether her leg was crippled or not.
Because Xu Lin had beaten Mother Xu the moment she got up, Old Mrs. Xu and the others didn't dare breathe too loudly during the meal.
They were terrified that Xu Lin might take a disliking to them and beat them all up. Most importantly, even if they got beaten, they'd have nowhere to go to seek justice.
Because they'd checked—they'd been beaten so badly last night that their whole bodies ached terribly, yet not a single mark was left on them.
Even now their bones still hurt, but their skin was perfectly intact, not even a bruise or swelling.
This little money-loser was eerily strange. They needed time to scheme properly before making their move.
Rushing forward to court a beating—that was the kind of idiotic thing they wouldn't do.
After the meal, Xu Lin tossed down her chopsticks, stretched out her little hand, and said coldly, "Give me ten yuan. One yuan short, one beating."
She didn't say who she'd beat, but everyone present understood. Old Mrs. Xu flinched, quickly slid down from the kang, and scurried back to her room on her bound feet.
Not content with just returning to her room, she even bolted the door, which made Mother Xu roll her eyes.
That dead old woman—always acting so important, but now she runs?
Pah, an old thing that bullies the weak and fears the strong.
Mother Xu ignored Xu Lin's outstretched hand and shifted her gaze to her husband. In this household, the man had the final say.
Xu Lin's gaze also moved to Father Xu's face.
Father Xu had a square face, an aquiline nose, and eyes that took after Old Mrs. Xu—also triangular. His lips were very thin, giving him an air of venomous ruthlessness. He was also the one in the Xu family with the most schemes and the cruelest methods.
Back then, swapping the children had been Father Xu's idea. But the man was clever—he didn't do it himself.
Instead, he egged on Mother Xu and Old Mrs. Xu to carry out the swap.
After the children were exchanged, it was Father Xu who hid behind the scenes, goading them to abuse the child. Occasionally, Father Xu would jump out and play the good guy.
Even when he'd broken Xu Lin's leg, Father Xu could spin black into white, claiming he'd done it for Xu Lin's own good—
that he couldn't bear to see Xu Lin suffer in the countryside, so he'd had no choice. Everything he did was for Xu Lin's benefit.
He would redden his eyes and beg Xu Lin to forgive him, and even if she couldn't forgive him, at least not to hate him.
He was just a father—a father who wanted to keep his child by his side and protect her.
Xu Lin recalled her past life. Back then, she'd actually believed him, weeping tears of gratitude as she gazed at Father Xu…
Ugh. The very image made Xu Lin want to gouge out her own eyes. In her past life, she'd been both blind and stupid. She really had died of her own stupidity.
Xu Lin felt her fists hardening. She wanted to smash that hypocritical face to pieces.
Sensing the killing intent radiating from Xu Lin, the highly pragmatic Father Xu immediately put on a stern face and barked at Mother Xu:
"Give it to her."
After yelling at Mother Xu, he turned to look directly into Xu Lin's eyes and said in an especially gentle voice:
"Linlin, you've worked hard all these years. Everything you've contributed to this family, your father remembers in his heart.
Don't worry—when you get married, your father will definitely prepare a generous dowry for you. I won't shortchange you.
As for this money, take it to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and buy yourself some snacks."
When he saw Xu Lin narrow her peach-blossom eyes, Father Xu immediately felt his skin tighten. He remembered the scene yesterday of Xu Lin straddling him and beating him.
At that time, Xu Lin had narrowed her peach-blossom eyes, swung her little fists, punch after punch after punch, each one landing solidly on flesh.
He hadn't recovered for a long time, and even now his whole body still ached in flesh and bone.
Father Xu swallowed nervously and quickly shouted, "Woman! Give the child a cloth coupon too, so she can get some fabric for new clothes."
His words had barely left his mouth when Xu Nuan, who had been sitting nearby watching the show, suddenly went red-eyed. Why should they spend money on new clothes for that worthless girl?
She hadn't even gotten new clothes this year.
Xu Kun was also unhappy, opening his mouth to wail, but a sharp glare from Xu Lin made him shrink back and clamp his mouth shut.
Mother Xu, who hated to part with money, hesitated and dawdled, not wanting to go. A fierce look from Father Xu made her flinch, and she scurried off toward the bedroom.
Noticing the subtle exchange between Father Xu and Mother Xu, Xu Lin raised a delicate eyebrow. This was a small detail she had overlooked in her past life.
In her previous life, Xu Lin had always believed that Father Xu was henpecked and a pushover. Now, it seemed that wasn't the case at all.
Indeed, she had been terribly blind in her past life.
Soon, Mother Xu rushed back into the living room and, without a word, shoved the money and ration tickets into Xu Lin's hands, as if afraid even a second's delay would be too late.
Xu Lin pocketed the money and tickets, let out two cold, mocking laughs at Father Xu, then turned and left.
That gesture made a layer of venom coat Father Xu's triangular eyes. He watched until Xu Lin disappeared from sight, then gritted his teeth and cursed:
"That little bitch has grown wings and wants to turn the world upside down."
"Kun's father, what—what are we going to do? Even all of us together can't beat her. Do you think that little bitch might have some filthy thing possessing her?"
Mother Xu finished speaking and rubbed her arms. God, that was too terrifying.
Father Xu didn't respond, but kept staring until Xu Lin's figure vanished beyond the courtyard gate. Only then did he retract his gaze and say in a sinister tone:
"Whether she's human or ghost, I won't let her have an easy time."
With that, Father Xu beckoned. Mother Xu immediately leaned in with her ear, and Xu Nuan and Xu Kun also crowded their heads in, full of curiosity.
Unfortunately, the two children didn't get to hear what Father Xu said—they were shooed off to school instead.
After leaving the Xu family's courtyard, Xu Lin turned back to look at the compound, a flicker of contemplation in her eyes.
Father Xu and Mother Xu were both ordinary workers. By all rights, they shouldn't have qualified for a house with a courtyard in the machinery factory.
Yet somehow, they had gotten one!