“Bastard!” Jiang Yao gritted his teeth and cursed viciously, pressing Xu Luyuan’s head down before delivering two more heavy punches.
Xu Luyuan gasped and wheezed, completely drained of strength to struggle, and collapsed onto the curb.
Over an hour earlier, Jiang Yao had been about to leave the Xu household when he spotted a suspicious figure loitering on the nearby road, wearing a hat and looking flustered as if afraid of being discovered.
After observing for a while, he realized it was Xu Luyuan, whom he had met once before.
Remembering the neighbors’ gossip, he made an excuse for his comrade to leave first and kept watch nearby.
Not long after nightfall, he saw Xu Luyuan rush out in panic from the other side of the road, half his face scalded bright red.
A local ruffian acquainted with Xu Luyuan approached and chatted with him for a moment. Jiang Yao vaguely overheard that Xu Luyuan had been caught peeping at someone bathing and got splashed with boiling water.
Xu Luyuan’s friend chuckled and asked, “Was it your sister you were peeping at when you got splashed?”
The fleeting look of embarrassment and viciousness on Xu Luyuan’s face did not escape Jiang Yao’s notice.
He understood immediately.
In today’s society, public opinion could be a devouring mouth. If not for Xu Changxia’s reputation, he wouldn’t have wanted to make a scene—he would have beaten Xu Luyuan half to death right there in the alley!
Only when Xu Luyuan quieted down did Jiang Yao drag him up from the ground and toss him into a nearby abandoned, dilapidated shopfront.
Xu Luyuan groaned in pain and regained consciousness.
“Who the hell are you?!” The light was too dim for Xu Luyuan to see clearly who had beaten him. Struggling to get up from the ground, he shouted, “You believe I can get someone to kill you?!”
“I believe it,” Jiang Yao replied with a low, cold laugh.
As he spoke, he kicked Xu Luyuan again, sending him flying two or three meters away.
Xu Luyuan clutched his ribs and wailed, “My bones are broken…”
Watching Jiang Yao approach step by step, seeing his face gradually illuminated by a sliver of light from the streetlamp outside, the viciousness in Xu Luyuan’s eyes instantly turned to terror.
“Jiang… Jiang Yao… Why is it you?” he stammered, instinctively inching backward.
Jiang Yao crouched down in front of him, staring straight into his eyes.
“Brother-in-law! There must be some misunderstanding between us, right?! How… how could you hit your own brother-in-law so hard?” Xu Luyuan, feeling guilty, stammered as he tried to appeal to their familial connection.
“Brother-in-law?” Jiang Yao couldn’t help but sneer, as if hearing a ridiculous joke.
As he spoke, he picked up a brick from the ground and lightly tapped Xu Luyuan’s face with it. “Came back to get your things and run away?”
“No! I… I haven’t done anything wrong. Why would I run?” he mumbled in defense.
Xu Luyuan had learned from his disreputable friends that Zhou Yun had been arrested.
Fearing the police might follow the clues and discover he had instigated Zhou Yun to swindle money for kickbacks, he risked returning, intending to steal some money and flee for a while until the heat died down.
Little did he expect that just as he reached the back door of the Xu house, he would hear Xu Changxia say she was going to take a bath.
Earlier, Xu Changxia had nailed wooden planks over the bathroom window to prevent him from peeping. He could only hear the sounds but couldn’t see anything, leaving him frustrated and anxious. However, he had just discovered a crack through which he could clearly see inside!
Who would have thought that this little girl Xu Changxia, who used to be as timid as a mouse and wouldn’t even dare to speak up or fight back when he secretly touched her hands, would douse him with boiling water before he could see anything!
Otherwise, he would have already boarded the train to North City by now!
Thinking of this, he deeply regretted his actions. All for that one glance, he might end up paying the price here today!
“Fine, you won’t admit it.” Jiang Yao smiled faintly at him.
But Xu Luyuan felt that this smile chilled him to the bone, making him tremble uncontrollably. “What are you going to do?”
“Peeping at a female comrade while she’s bathing is enough to have you arrested,” Jiang Yao smiled again.
He stood up and directly stepped on Xu Luyuan’s ankle bone, grinding it heavily a few times.
Xu Luyuan screamed in agony once more. “You’re lying! I didn’t do it!!”
Jiang Yao looked down at his face, drenched in cold sweat under the moonlight, his eyes filled with disdain and disgust as if he were merely looking at a disgusting bug.
“Get this straight.” He leaned down slightly, locking eyes with Xu Luyuan.
“I’m not from the Public Security Bureau. When I do things, I don’t need evidence.”
With that, he expressionlessly smashed a brick down with force.
Xu Luyuan’s blood splattered high, staining his face.
He remained expressionless, raising his hand to gently wipe away the blood with his thumb.
Then, he smashed another brick down.
…
Early the next morning, before dawn, Xu Fangfei was already busy in the kitchen.
Hearing the noise, Xu Changxia threw on her clothes and walked to the kitchen door to take a look.
“Did I wake you?” Xu Fangfei turned around and glanced at her, asking gently.
“No, I was already awake thinking about leaving for Haicheng early today.” Xu Changxia watched as Xu Fangfei deftly kneaded the dough, feeling an indescribable sense of contentment.
Xu Fangfei’s dough was always perfect—the steamed buns were fluffy yet chewy. Since her passing, Xu Changxia had never tasted anything quite like it again.
“What filling are we making today?” Xu Changxia said as she rolled up her sleeves and walked in. “Let me help.”
It was only a little past five, still early. She had already prepared everything for the trip to Haicheng last night.
“No need, go back to sleep for a while longer!” Xu Fangfei wasn’t the best with words, but her love for her daughter was no less than anyone else’s.
Today, Xu Changxia and Xu Jin were going to Haicheng, and it would be exhausting.
“Once I’m awake, I can’t fall back asleep.” Xu Changxia smiled, dodging Xu Fangfei’s hand as she tried to push her away.
Xu Fangfei had no choice but to relent. “Go wash your hands first.”
After a pause of two seconds, she added, “After you’re done washing, come back. Mom has some good news to tell you!”