“Stop pretending to be shy in front of me—you’re obviously shameless,” Yu Qiaoqiao said, dumping an entire basin of water onto Zhao Lijie.
“Yu Qiaoqiao, what exactly do you want!” Zhao Lijie was angry—if he pushed her too far, he might lose all future benefits; but if he didn’t get angry, he was already suffocating with frustration.
“What do I want? Pay me back!” She put her hands on her hips, looking like she wouldn’t leave until she got her money.
“I already told you I don’t have money right now. Can’t you give me a few more days? Do you really have the heart to watch me starve?” Zhao Lijie tried to appeal to her emotions and reason.
“Whether you have money or not has nothing to do with me. Am I your mother or are you my father? Do you think the whole world has to spoil you like your mom does? Enough nonsense—if you don’t pay me back by tonight, I’ll expose you and Yu Shanshan’s little affair to the production brigade!”
After washing her clothes, she picked up the basin and left. It was getting late, and she still needed to go back and think about what to make for Qin Jizhi.
That family of people ate others without leaving any bones—they definitely wouldn’t leave any food for the two of them.
Zhao Lijie watched her leave without the slightest hesitation, feeling as if his world had collapsed. He couldn’t believe Yu Qiaoqiao’s behavior had changed so drastically. He didn’t believe a person could suddenly fall out of love overnight.
So either Yu Qiaoqiao was possessed, or she was deliberately trying to spite him.
Women, after all, liked to be dramatic.
Thinking of this, Zhao Lijie felt a bit better. Worst case, he would pick some wild flowers from the roadside tonight and coax her. He didn’t believe a “educated youth” like him could lose to a disabled man lying in bed.
Thinking of that, he became irritated again. He had been courting Yu Qiaoqiao for so long and still hadn’t even held her hand. Although she usually acted carefree, whenever Zhao Lijie hinted at something, she would shyly say she wanted to save the most important thing for marriage.
Who would have thought that before he could even have her, that disabled man had gotten there first.
But maybe that wasn’t entirely bad—the thrill of an affair was kind of exciting.
He had heard that the disabled man received quite a lot of subsidies. If he could coax Yu Qiaoqiao properly, maybe she would hand those subsidies over to him. Then he could enjoy both the affair and the money—killing two birds with one stone.
Perfect.
As for her earlier warning, he didn’t take it seriously at all. To him, it sounded more like playful flirting.
Meanwhile, Yu Qiaoqiao returned home with her freshly washed bedsheets and covers. She had planned to hang them out to dry while the sun was still out and the wind was strong.
But as soon as she entered the courtyard, she was startled by two unruly children running around.
They were holding slingshots, and the moment they saw her, they aimed and shot at her.
While attacking, they laughed loudly.
“Stinky woman, we’ll beat you to death!”
“Brother, aim for her face—make it ugly!”
This was the first time Yu Qiaoqiao had encountered children this malicious.
She had always believed children were naturally kind, just a little mischievous. Now she took that back completely—bad people existed at any age.
She dropped her basin, walked angrily toward the little boy, snatched the slingshot from his hand, and started hitting his backside.
“If your parents don’t know how to teach you, then as your aunt, I’ll teach you myself.”
These were the nephew and niece of Qin Jizhi—Qin Xiaolong and Qin Xiaohuan.
“You bitch, how dare you hit me!” Qin Xiaolong shouted.
Even though he was just a child, he struggled fiercely, but couldn’t break free.
He kept shouting insults. Yu Qiaoqiao narrowed her eyes—looks like this kid needed a proper lesson.
With a “crack,” Qin Xiaolong burst into loud crying.
“What did you do to me?!”
Hearing the commotion, the adults rushed out. Yu Qiaoqiao immediately put on a concerned expression.
“Oh dear, Xiaolong, what happened?”
Clutching his arm, Qin Xiaolong pointed at her. “Grandma! Mom! This bitch broke my arm!”
His arm was indeed broken—Yu Qiaoqiao knew exactly where to apply force; as someone with medical knowledge, she knew how to dislocate or fracture bones easily.
But she acted completely innocent.
“Kid, you were just shooting me with a slingshot. I only took it away so you wouldn’t hurt yourself. How could I possibly break your arm? Breaking an arm takes a lot of strength—look at my wrist, it’s thinner than your arm.”
Her innocent expression made even the rushing adults doubt Qin Xiaolong’s claim.
“Jizhi’s wife, he’s just a child—why argue with him?” his sister-in-law said, rolling her eyes while massaging the boy’s arm.
Yu Qiaoqiao smiled. “You’re right, sister-in-law. Children are always right.”
Inside, she sneered.
Don’t worry—I’ll make sure your children grow up completely lawless.
Qin Xiaolong kept crying, insisting his arm was broken and demanding to go to the hospital.
Reluctantly, the adults decided to take him.
Before they left, Yu Qiaoqiao casually handed him the slingshot back, guiding his hand.
“Here, Auntie was wrong. Take it back.”
Qin Xiaolong quickly pulled his arm away in fear. “You evil woman, stay away from me!”
Yu Qiaoqiao shrugged and hung the washed sheets in the yard.
Once the others left, she finally felt satisfied and went back inside.
But just as she entered, she met Qin Jizhi’s gaze.
She cleared her throat awkwardly. “You’re awake?”
He nodded. He had heard everything that happened outside. He knew exactly how mischievous those children were.
Even when he was bedridden, they used to stuff bugs into his blankets. Compared to that, what she experienced was nothing.
Feeling guilty, he said softly, “Sorry… you got wronged.”
The slingshot must have hurt.
Yu Qiaoqiao hadn’t expected him to apologize first. Her heart softened instantly.
She walked up to him, rolled up her sleeve, revealing a bruised patch on her arm, and held it right up to his lips.
“Then blow on it for me, and it’ll be fine.”