“I’m not lying, I really didn’t smell anything.” Mother Song firmly remembered what her daughter had told her and denied it to the end.
Wang Muxiang glared at her angrily. “I don’t have time to waste with a crazy woman like you. Once I find the chicken soup, I’ll drag you in front of the brigade leader and team leader to settle this!”
The reason she was so certain that the hen had been stewed by Zhao Dongxue was twofold: first, she had woken up this morning smelling chicken soup being cooked; second, a neighbor had vaguely seen her hen following Zhao Dongxue into the courtyard.
“What do you mean I’m talking nonsense with my eyes open? I don’t understand. Anyway, I just didn’t smell any chicken soup,” Mother Song said stubbornly, acting completely shameless.
To Wang Muxiang, she looked like she was just being unreasonable, which only made her angrier. She shoved Mother Song aside. “Get out of the way!”
Caught off guard, Mother Song was pushed to the side.
Taking the opportunity, Wang Muxiang quickly rushed toward the main room. Her hen was well-fed, there was no way Zhao Dongxue and Song Yueying could finish an entire pot of chicken soup.
Even if the mother and daughter ate like pigs, once the meat was gone, the bones would still remain.
She was going to find the evidence. Once she did, she’d see how Zhao Dongxue could still argue.
“Damn Zhao Dongxue! You stole my chicken and ate it! You even dared to steal my laying hen, when I find it, I’ll beat you to death!” Wang Muxiang shouted as she stormed into the main room.
And then… she froze.
In the center of the main room, Song Yueying was sitting by the square table. In her hands was a palm-sized, yellow, round object with pumpkin-like patterns, something strange.
The table was completely empty, no chicken soup, no bones, not even a feather.
And yet… and yet, the strong smell of chicken soup still lingered in the room.
From the smell alone, Wang Muxiang was certain that before she arrived, Zhao Dongxue and Song Yueying had been eating chicken soup.
Mother Song followed closely behind and rushed into the room after Wang Muxiang. Seeing the empty table, she finally let out a breath of relief. Fortunately, her daughter had been quick enough to hide everything on the table.
Her attention was immediately drawn to the strange object in Song Yueying’s hand.
“Song Yueying, I really underestimated you,” Wang Muxiang said as she walked to the opposite side of Song Yueying, her finger trembling as she pointed at her. “You’re playing mind games with me now.”
“You got your mother to block me at the gate while you stayed inside destroying the evidence.”
“Fine! Very good! Truly very good! You mother and daughter have quite the scheme going.”
Facing Wang Muxiang’s mockery, Song Yueying didn’t take it seriously at all. She merely glanced at her indifferently and said nothing.
From the original owner’s memories, Wang Muxiang was just like her twin nieces, same kind of behavior. Wang Muxiang took pleasure in bullying Mother Song, while Song Rumei and her sister bullied the original owner.
As expected of a family.
“Where is my hen? I know you’ve hidden my laying hen! Say it, where did you hide it?!” Wang Muxiang demanded sharply.
With the table so clean, it was obvious the chicken soup and bones had already been hidden away.
“Aunt,” Song Yueying had just placed the pumpkin-shaped water cup on the table, her hand still resting on it when another hand suddenly reached in and took it away.
Seeing how fondly Mother Song was holding it, Song Yueying withdrew her gaze.
She stood up slowly and looked at Wang Muxiang. Instead of answering, she asked, “You came looking for a chicken… but why are you searching for your chicken in my house?”
Taking a deep breath to suppress her rising anger, Wang Muxiang said bitterly, “You ate my laying hen, and you still dare ask why I came to your house looking for it?”
“Why I came to your house to look for it, don’t you mother and daughter have any idea in your hearts?”
Of course she knew, but she deliberately chose to act clueless. A faint smile appeared on Song Yueying’s lips. “Sorry, we really don’t have a clue.”
Her attitude… why was she so infuriating? Wang Muxiang stared at Song Yueying in disbelief. It was still that same annoying, coquettish face, but her temperament had become calm and composed.
Not wanting to look at Song Yueying’s infuriating expression any longer, Wang Muxiang began searching the main room on her own.
Unfortunately for her, she was destined to find nothing. The main room was small, sparsely furnished with only a few pieces of furniture. Everything was visible at a glance, there was simply nowhere to hide anything.
She found neither chicken soup nor bones, and even the smell of chicken soup in the room gradually faded, as if it had never existed at all.
Wang Muxiang tried to go into the inner room, but Song Yueying stopped her.
As if she had caught them in wrongdoing, she questioned Song Yueying, “What are you stopping me for? If you won’t let me go inside, that means you’re guilty.”
Song Yueying couldn’t be bothered to waste words with her. “Say whatever you want,” she replied calmly. “But I’ll make this clear first, you can go search the room, I won’t stop you.”
“If you find it, my mother and I will let you deal with us however you want.”
“If you don’t find it, then you’re falsely accusing us and disrupting collective unity. And I don’t want a verbal apology, you’ll have to compensate us in money.”
Wang Muxiang exploded in anger. “Song Yueying, you’re dreaming! You two mother and daughter stole and ate my chicken, and you still want me to pay you? In your dreams!”
She even wanted them to compensate her!
The only problem was, she still hadn’t found any remaining chicken soup or bones.
“Then don’t even think about going into the house to look,” Song Yueying said firmly, refusing to back down. “Letting you look in the main room is already out of consideration for the fact that we’re relatives.”
“You little wretch, you’re going too far! I’m your elder, and you dare speak to me like that? Your crazy mother didn’t teach you how to behave, so I’ll teach you myself!” Wang Muxiang raised her hand to hit Song Yueying.
“Wang Muxiang, I won’t let you bully my daughter!” Mother Song rushed over, knocking Wang Muxiang’s hand aside and shielding her daughter behind her.
“You crazy woman, what do you know about bullying or not bullying, get out of the way!” As usual, Wang Muxiang raised her hand to slap Mother Song.
Before her slap could land, her wrist was firmly grabbed by Song Yueying. Seeing Song Yueying’s expression darken like an approaching storm, an inexplicable sense of unease rose in her heart.
The next moment, Song Yueying gently twisted, her wrist snapped. A sharp, piercing pain shot through her, making her head spin so badly she couldn’t even speak.
Mother Song hurriedly grabbed her daughter’s hand, turning it over again and again. “Does it hurt? Does your hand hurt?”
“Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt,” Song Yueying said with a smile, shaking her head.
“You… you two just wait! I’m not letting this go!” After throwing out the threat, Wang Muxiang clutched her injured wrist with her good hand and ran off.
“I’ll go see if she’s really gone.” With that, Mother Song immediately ran after her.
Song Yueying didn’t stop her. After Mother Song left, she took the chicken soup and boiled sweet potatoes from her spatial experimental vehicle and placed them back on the table.
When Mother Song returned and saw the items on the table, she paused for a moment, but didn’t ask anything.
“Oh right! Where did Xiao Qi go? Why isn’t he here anymore? Did he run away on his own?” Mother Song suddenly remembered the man they had picked up at their courtyard gate.
Panicked, she began searching frantically around the room.