Qiao Qiao forced out a smile that looked worse than a grimace, then dragged the heavy bundle with difficulty and walked heavily toward Xia Wan's room.
With each step she took, she felt as if her heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand. Although she had a difficult time in the Xia family before, she had never been treated like this.
She secretly planned to find an opportunity to visit Xia Jianguo's house later.
Xia Wan has been inside for so long and hasn't come out yet. Could it be that she's inside talking badly about me to Xia Jianguo? Thinking of this, Qiao Qiao quickened her pace, wanting to settle her things as soon as possible.
Li Cao looked at her mother-in-law with a blank expression, her eyes filled with doubt and confusion.
She hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "Mother, are you really planning to let her stay in Xia Wan's room? That stubborn girl is so headstrong, do you think she'll agree?"
Grandma Xia glared at her useless daughter-in-law and said irritably, "Hmph! I don't care if she agrees or not. Let them fight it out. Maybe Xia Wan will hit someone again in the middle of the night, and then she'll be in the police station."
After saying that, Grandma Xia laughed triumphantly, as if she could already see Xia Wan's unfortunate fate.
Afterwards, Old Mrs. Xia muttered a few words under her breath, then turned around and sat down at the table, hands on her hips, and shouted, "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and cook! Do you expect me to serve you?"
Meanwhile, inside Xia Jianguo's house, the father and daughter heard everything that was happening in the yard.
Once it quieted down outside, Xia Jianguo sighed, "Aren't you going to check on your room?"
Xia Wan shook her head and handed him the prepared milk powder: "I'm not going. If she's not afraid of getting beaten up, let her move in. I'll just remind her later."
If Qiao Qiao really wanted to stay, she'd be happy, because she could earn another batch of points in the middle of the night! Over a hundred points, what was a little overtime work compared to that?
"Sigh... Qiao Qiao isn't as easy to deal with as Xia Chunxi and her sister. Be careful." Xia Jianguo knew his adopted daughter quite well. Although she wasn't particularly smart, she had some tricky little schemes.
"It's nothing, I was worried she was too naive." Xia Wan shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. "Why is it so quiet today? Everyone else is at work and hasn't come back yet?"
She glanced outside a few times; it was already getting dark. It wasn't the busy farming season, so there was no need to get off work so late, right?
“Your uncle took Shitou to the hospital. I heard he was badly injured by your brother. Your brother was worried they might cause trouble, so he went along too.” Xia Jianguo’s brows were tightly furrowed, and he seemed to be worried about his son as well.
Xia Wan raised an eyebrow, thinking that Xia Shitou had taken the beating for nothing, but he reacted quite quickly and sent him to the hospital in the afternoon.
It's obvious what these people are up to; they're still up to no good!
"Who came up with this brilliant idea? Did they want to use my brother to exchange for Old Man Xia? Why aren't Xia Jiandang's family here?" Did her attempt to sow discord at the dinner table fail, or did she misjudge people?
After observing for the past few days, Xia Jiandang must be an egoist. After knowing that Old Lady Xia is so biased, he must be on guard, right?
Normally, they shouldn't continue like this; they should be going to join forces with Xia Jianjun and his cronies.
Sure enough, just as she was frowning and thinking, she heard her father say, "Your third uncle's family has gone into hiding. I heard they went back to your third aunt's house."
Xia Wan revealed an expression that said, "I knew it: Uncle San wouldn't be that stupid."
The father and daughter chatted for a few more minutes before they heard a noise at the door. Qiao Qiao pushed the door open and came in.
"Father..." Qiao Qiao murmured, her voice barely audible.
She, who could speak confidently and righteously in front of others, was filled with trepidation and unease when standing in front of Xia Jianguo.
In fact, Qiao Qiao had not forgotten the arrogant and haughty manner she had when she left.
At that time, her face was filled with pride and disdain, and she was full of contempt and disgust for this poor and backward little village.
She also clearly remembers the embarrassment and numbness on Xia Jianguo's face as he watched her leave.
At that time, she was convinced that she would never come back to that godforsaken place again.
However, fate always likes to play tricks on people. Who could have predicted that she would now return to this poor, remote place she once considered a "god's den"? And she would have to be subservient to others.
She also considered going to other places to work in the countryside, but she gave up when she thought of those unfamiliar environments and the heavy farm work.
After all, although she grew up in the countryside, she had never done farm work, and she had even done very little housework.
In the end, she had no choice but to listen to Zhao Jiaojiao's advice and come to Huaihua Brigade together. Although she was still very reluctant, at least there were familiar people and a relatively stable life here.
At the same time, she secretly resolved to do everything she could to please Xia Jianguo and make him forgive her past mistakes so that she could return to her carefree life.
Only in this way can she avoid hard farm work and free up more time for studying.
That way, when the college entrance examination is reinstated, she will be able to take the exam.
Xia Wan turned to look at the doorway and said jokingly, "Oh dear, Qiao Zhiqing is here."
"I...I came to see Father. Father...how have you been these days?" Qiao Qiao looked at Xia Jianguo with hopeful eyes, wanting him to respond.
Unfortunately, Xia Jianguo's gaze was fixed on the teacup he was holding, and he didn't even glance at her.
Qiao Qiao hesitated at the door for a long time before gritting her teeth and going straight into the house.
She had expected the house to smell bad as before, but when she came in, she found that not only was the house free of those unpleasant odors, but it was also free of them.
Even standing next to Xia Jianguo's bed, I didn't smell anything unpleasant.
No wonder Xia Wan stayed in this room for so long; it must have been Xia Tao who cleaned it up.
Previously, Xia Tao would clean his father's house during his vacation. Thinking about this, Qiao Qiao became more and more puzzled. Why is Xia Tao still able to stay at home properly now?
Did she get the time wrong? Wasn't Xia Tao demoted around this time in his previous life for failing to protect state property?
“Qiao Zhiqing called me by the wrong name. I only have this one daughter.” Xia Jianguo pointed to Xia Wan sitting by the bed, his tone indifferent and devoid of emotion.
Qiao Qiao lowered her head, a ruthless glint in her eyes, but her voice was full of grievance: "Father, I know I was wrong. I was bewitched before, and I just wanted to go see my biological parents. Actually, I've been worried about you ever since I left..."
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