That voice... it's Zhao Xiaoxiao!
Huo Hua and Ming Zhao both looked at the courtyard gate at the same time, their brows furrowing.
Howard, supporting himself on the armrest and enduring the discomfort of his shoulder injury, managed to stand up.
Mingzhao moved even faster, taking a few steps to the courtyard gate and unlatching it.
The door had barely opened a crack when Zhao Xiaoxiao burst in like a cannonball! Her eyes were red and swollen, her face was streaked with tears, and her hair was disheveled. When she saw Mingzhao, her resentful gaze was like a poisoned needle, piercing straight at him!
"Mingzhao! You heartless ingrate!" Zhao Xiaoxiao pointed at Mingzhao's nose, her voice so shrill it almost cracked. "You've made Grandma sick! She's bedridden and can't get up! It's all because of you!"
Mingzhao looked at her calmly, her eyes showing no anger, only a hint of impatience at being disturbed.
She remembered this so-called "cousin," and she also remembered the old lady, Wang Caifeng, who had rudely snatched her meat bun in the cafeteria.
"Illness from anger?" Mingzhao's voice was flat, as if he were confirming a fact.
"Yes! It's all because of you!" Zhao Xiaoxiao cried out, spitting almost onto Mingzhao's face. "Grandma only ate one of your meat buns at the cafeteria last time, did you have to be so petty and hold a grudge until now? She got angrier and angrier when she got back! She said you were disrespectful to your elders! Heartless! She started having chest pains yesterday, and this morning she couldn't even get out of bed! She kept muttering your name! It's all your fault!"
She became more and more agitated as she spoke, reaching out to grab Mingzhao's arm: "You're coming with me right now! Go and kowtow to Grandma to apologize! If anything happens to Grandma, I'll never forgive you!"
Howard's face darkened. Enduring the pain in his shoulder, he stepped in front of Mingzhao and blocked Zhao Xiaoxiao's hand.
He was tall and imposing, and even though he was injured, his battle-hardened aura instantly made Zhao Xiaoxiao pause.
"Comrade Zhao Xiaoxiao, let's talk this out!" Huo Hua's voice was deep and carried an undeniable authority. "What kind of behavior is this, resorting to violence? The old lady is sick; she should be taken to the hospital or a doctor! What's the point of crying and making a scene here?"
Zhao Xiaoxiao was intimidated by Huo Hua's imposing presence and withdrew her hand, but she continued to sob, glaring venomously at Ming Zhao: "Commander Huo! Don't protect her! It was her who angered her! Grandma said it was because of the way she looked like a dead person in the cafeteria that day! Now Grandma just wants to see her! She just wants to hear her admit her mistake! Otherwise... otherwise she won't be able to swallow this anger! Waaah..."
She cried so earnestly, as if Wang Caifeng were truly on the verge of death.
Howard frowned. He knew all too well how mean and difficult Wang Caifeng was, and he had heard about the incident where she snatched steamed buns in the cafeteria last time.
But Zhao Xiaoxiao was crying so hard, and kept saying that the old lady was made sick by Mingzhao, and specifically asked to see Mingzhao by name...
This matter is suspicious, yet it's impossible to completely ignore. After all, she's Mingzhao's nominal grandmother.
"If you don't want to go, then we won't go!"
He looked at Mingzhao.
Mingzhao stood behind him, her face still expressionless, as if Zhao Xiaoxiao wasn't the one crying to.
But Howard noticed that for the first time, a cold, extremely subtle... annoyance clearly flashed across her usually calm and unwavering eyes.
It's like precision instruments being forcibly injected with interference signals.
“Mingzhao,” Howard said carefully, his voice softening, “You see… the old lady is getting on in years, and she specifically asked to see you… If you want to go, I can go with you to see her? If she’s really not feeling well, we can take her to the hospital. If it’s a misunderstanding, it’s good to clear things up.”
His main concern was that Mingzhao would suffer losses if she went alone.
When Zhao Xiaoxiao heard that Huo Hua was going, her eyes flickered and she cried even harder.
"Commander Huo, you can go! But Grandma just wants to hear Mingzhao admit her mistake in person! If she doesn't go, Grandma's illness won't get better!"
Hearing the commotion, the neighbors all came out to see what was happening. At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on Mingzhao, waiting for her decision.
Mingzhao's gaze swept over Zhao Xiaoxiao, who was crying and wailing, and then seemed to penetrate the courtyard wall, landing in the direction of the mean and greedy old woman she remembered.
Her mind raced, calculating the time and effort required to visit someone who was hostile towards her and most likely faking illness, as well as the potential trouble that might follow...
The conclusion is clear: it's worthless and carries a high risk.
Under Zhao Xiaoxiao's hopeful, or rather threatening, gaze, and under Howard's reassuring and inquiring look, Mingzhao slowly raised her head.
Her eyes regained their deep, calm state, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, and she clearly uttered two words:
"I'm busy."
The name Mingzhao was like two cold steel nails, driven deep into Zhao Xiaoxiao's already collapsing nerves!
The string of "reason" in her mind snapped completely under the weight of immense resentment, grievance, and the pent-up frustration of days!
"No time?! You actually said you're no time?!" Zhao Xiaoxiao's scream suddenly rose in pitch, like a rusty saw scraping against the eardrums, so piercing it made one's heart pound.
She suddenly shoved Howard away, who was trying to stop her. Howard was caught off guard and aggravated his injury, groaning as he took a half step back.
Zhao Xiaoxiao's bloodshot eyes stared intently at Ming Zhao, her once pretty face twisted and deformed by extreme anger and grievance!
"Mingzhao! You heartless beast! You ingrate! What right do you have? What right do you have to be so self-righteous?!"
Zhao Xiaoxiao's voice was choked with sobs, yet filled with hysterical accusation, "Do you know how I've been these past few days?! It's all because of you! It's all because of you!!"
She pointed at Mingzhao, her fingers trembling violently with emotion: "Ever since that day in the cafeteria, when you embarrassed Grandma! She didn't dare to cause trouble for you, so she took all her anger out on me! At home, she made veiled insults, smashed dishes and bowls! She complained that my cooking wasn't good! She complained that my husband came home late! She complained that I couldn't give birth to a son! Her mouth... her mouth is like a poisoned knife! It stabs my heart day and night!"
Zhao Xiaoxiao's tears flowed freely, mixed with snot, covering her face and making her look utterly disheveled.
As if she had found an outlet, she screamed and let out all the bitterness that had been suppressed for days:
"That's not all! My husband... my husband is fed up with me now! He says I've brought a tyrant into the house! He says there's never been a moment of peace at home! This morning... this morning he confronted me directly! He told me to quickly find a way to get rid of this big Buddha! Send him back to the countryside! Otherwise... otherwise I can't live like this anymore!"
She cried her heart out, her body swaying precariously.
"Do you know why, Mingzhao!" Zhao Xiaoxiao suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with resentment mixed with blood and tears. "It's all because you're unfilial to your grandmother!"
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