Chapter 152 Chapter 152 Father who favors sons over daughters 1
[Baby, are you okay?]
9972, still terrified, asked Zhuozhuo in a trembling voice. Remembering the last scene, it shuddered. It was incredibly thankful that its hands were quick enough to pull Zhuozhuo out in time, sparing her such agony. But she was definitely frightened!
How could there be such a vicious and disgusting person in the world? Simply because of jealousy towards Shen Qingxian, he cruelly skinned the little cat alive. If you have the guts, go confront Shen Qingxian head-on, you coward! You stinking rat from the gutter!
Worried about leaving a psychological scar on each other, 9972 wanted Zhuozhuo to rest for a while before entering the mission world. [Baby, I'll secretly take you to the main world to play. My dad left me a backdoor. I can return to the main world from the system space at any time without being discovered by the main god and without being punished.]
It will definitely be found out by its father, and it will be taken home to receive loving education from a large group of relatives.
But! He could take this opportunity to introduce Zhuozhuo to his family. Zhuozhuo is so adorable, her family will surely love her and be willing to take care of her. Her future life will surely be incredibly smooth!
Zhuozhuo lay on the ground, dazed, still slumped over from her cat-like state. The pain in her mind gradually faded, and memories surfaced. Zhuozhuo belatedly realized she had escaped the world of punishment. She asked, stunned, "I'm dead. Where's Shen Qingxian?"
[Shen Qingxian, he...]
9972 paused, it received an urgent notification.
Punishment World I-001 was destroyed from within.
Punishment World I-001 has been restored by the Lord God.
Punishment World I-001 was destroyed from within.
…
After scrolling through several pages, the emergency notice finally stopped at: Punishment World I-001 has been restored by the Lord God.
9972 was terrified, feeling like it had been destroyed several times. It was quiet for a while before it could speak normally. [Shen Qingxian is sad, but it doesn't matter. He is the center of that world, he will be fine. Baby, the most important thing now is you. Are you scared?]
Zhuozhuo didn't know what happened to the little cat, and 9972 didn't plan to show it to her. But now, it didn't want to take Zhuozhuo to the main world to play. If Shen Qingxian really broke through the blockade of World I-001 and the Lord God, he would definitely recover his memory and rush to the main world for revenge. What would happen if Zhuozhuo was implicated?
Even though Shen Qingxian acted kind, perhaps just a bit pathological in a way that didn't affect others, those imprisoned and sealed in the Punishment World were all extremely vicious. He was ranked first, so he was definitely the worst. The three years he spent with Zhuozhuo, in the vast river of his memories that might have spanned tens or even hundreds of thousands of years, might not even amount to a tiny drop of water.
What's more, what if Shen Qingxian didn't think it was good and just felt that he was deceived?
Hiss, it’s better to hide in the mission world quickly. Even if Shen Qingxian is still thinking about finding Zhuozhuo, it will take some time to search for him.
Zhuozhuo shook his head, thinking of Shen Qingxian's busy life, and vaguely thought that he might feel more relaxed after she left. However, Zhuozhuo picked at his fingers, feeling a little sad and wronged, and said in a tearful voice: "Will I be able to see Shen Qingxian again?"
Because of the special nature of cats, Zhuozhuo and Shen Qingxian have been almost inseparable for the past three years. He spends more time with his father than in his previous small world, and his dependence on Shen Qingxian is even stronger. After leaving the world, Zhuozhuo's withdrawal symptoms are even more severe.
[Of course.]
9972 said this without a trace of guilt. It might have needed to bring Zhuozhuo to see those fathers before, but there was a 90% chance that Shen Qingxian would appear before Zhuozhuo himself. Even if he didn't come, at worst it could just bring Zhuozhuo to see him secretly.
After receiving a positive response, Zhuozhuo felt much better. She raised her chubby little hands to wipe the wetness from the corners of her eyes and said in a baby voice, "Tongtong, no more playing. I'm on a mission."
9972's mechanical heart softened and whispered softly, "Okay, I'll go through the process now and strip away your memories..."
.
Blue sky and white clouds, scorching afternoon, rolling heat waves, and the chirping of cicadas.
A small figure was moving slowly on the village path, dragging a net bag with both hands with great effort. The net bag contained four bottles of soda. The glass bottles were bumping, rubbing and squeezing each other. For some reason, one of the bottle caps was knocked off with a "pop".
The orange soda gushed out instantly and was absorbed by the dry earth, leaving only a wet mark and a sticky sweetness in the hot air.
Zhuozhuo let go of her hand in a daze, looking at the empty glass bottle, her lips pursed, her eyes red. She had gone through so much trouble to get it here from the agency!
9972, already fuming, shouted, "Don't cry, baby! How dare that damn Zhao Hongwei let you go buy soda alone in this hot weather! How dare he have the nerve! We don't want this wicked father anymore. Let's go now! Don't be afraid, baby! I can protect you and I can even earn money to support you!"
Zhuozhuo currently inhabits a small world shaped by period literature. With much to be rebuilt, the people, under the leadership of the nation, enthusiastically work to build a better home. In this land, opportunities abound; anyone with courage can achieve great success. If they're lucky enough to catch the right opportunity, they can soar to the top.
Zhao Hongwei is a typical example. With his immense strength and a bit of courage, he ventured out on his own, starting out as a speculator and then running a factory and a transport team. As he made money, he invested in properties across the country and later ventured into real estate. By middle age, he was already a prominent figure in the provincial capital.
Of course, Zhao Hongwei is still a poor boy now. His parents have died, and he lives with his eldest brother's family in two dilapidated houses at the end of the village, leading a life of idleness, recruiting chickens, fighting dogs, and doing nothing.
Given his reputation as a patriarchal jerk, 9972 deliberately arranged for Zhuozhuo to be his biological daughter. Four years prior, Zhao Hongwei had attended a dance where many people got drunk and lay around, and luckily nothing happened. However, 9972 had Wu Jingqiu pretend to be a stranger at the party. After a drunken encounter with Zhao Hongwei, she quietly left, fearing her reputation would be tarnished. Unexpectedly, she became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter. Now, she's dying of cancer, an orphan, and Zhao Hongwei is the father, so she sent the child to them.
Fearing that Zhao Hongwei was unwilling to raise his daughter, Wu Jingqiu died on the roadside as soon as she left his house.
Zhao Hongwei, struggling to recall what he had done at the ball, was struck by lightning and had to acknowledge Zhuozhuo. People in that era didn't have the concept of paternity testing, but with the help of props, they all thought Zhuozhuo and Zhao Hongwei looked alike. Even if he had a son himself, he probably wouldn't have been able to produce a daughter so similar. So, the identity was confirmed.
Zhao Hongwei truly lived up to his persona. As they got along, his preference for boys over girls became clear. A few days ago, he was busy coming to terms with his own chaotic life and attending to Wu Jingqiu's funeral, so he barely spared a glance for Zhuozhuo. The two of them were relatively peaceful. After Wu Jingqiu's burial yesterday, Zhao Hongwei seemed to have recovered. He picked up Zhuozhuo, who was playing in the mud, and after a few glances, he said, "You're a money-loser."
Zhuozhuo didn't understand at the time, but 9972 angrily reminded him, "He's scolding you."
So Zhuozhuo immediately fought back, "You are the one who loses money!"
He spoke in a baby voice and threw the mud in his hand on Zhao Hongwei's face.
Before Zhao Hongwei raised his hand, Zhuozhuo raised his head and burst into tears.
Zhao Hongwei: “…”
He let go of Zhuo Zhuo and said impatiently, "Why are you crying? I didn't touch a single piece of your skin!"
A passing villager peeked in to watch the excitement and said with a grin, "Hongwei, if you beat the child now, aren't you afraid that he'll run away?"
Zhao Hongwei chased the people away, carried Zhuozhuo into the house, closed the door, and said with a fierce face, "Stop crying!"
Zhuozhuo paused in her crying and took a deep breath, "Ah——!!!"
The child's shrill voice echoed in the room, all drilling into Zhao Hongwei's ears, making his face twist. He didn't dare to provoke Zhuozhuo again. He opened the door and ran out, grabbing Xiaofang, the daughter of his eldest brother, and said, "Go and stop your cousin from crying!"
Xiaofang, only seven years old, already had plenty of experience raising children. After scrubbing the pot clean, she pulled some dogtail grass and made two little rabbits, one for her brother and one for Zhuozhuo. She held Zhuozhuo's dirty little hand, made her sit on a brick while she sobbed, and expertly coaxed her, "Sister, watch me pick beans."
The beans were freshly picked from the vegetable patch, very tender. Summer beans are so sparsely infested with insects that it's almost impossible to pick anything. To Zhuozhuo, Xiaofang's picking felt like interacting with the air. She stared, eager to see what Xiaofang had picked. She unconsciously drew closer, forgetting to cry.
It was a hot day, and the family, returning from weeding in the fields, felt even hotter after a hot meal. Zhao Hongwei paid for Zhuozhuo to buy soda from the village outlet. There were four bottles of soda: one for Zhao Hongwei, one for his eldest brother, two for his nephew, and nothing for his sister-in-law, Xiaofang, or Zhuozhuo.
9972 had been holding it in for the entire trip, but when he saw the soda spill, his temper exploded. "That idiot Zhao Hongwei is unfit to be Zhuozhuo's father! I'm taking Zhuozhuo away with me now!" Anyway, in this small world, his system store and points inventory were working normally again, and he could easily give Zhuozhuo a life of luxury!
Zhuozhuo shook his head, dragging his net bag behind a roadside tree, and covering it with a handful of grass. Then he trotted back and peeked through the doorway. Everyone else was fast asleep in bed, but Xiaofang had just finished washing the pot and was doing her homework. She was restless, looking up from time to time. Finally, she put down her pen and walked out. She caught sight of Zhuozhuo and opened her mouth in surprise.
"Shh-"
Zhuozhuo put her finger in front of her chubby little mouth, blew her saliva all over her hand, and whispered, "Sister, come here."
Xiaofang thought Zhuozhuo was scared and didn't dare to go buy soda. He wandered outside for a long time and came to her for help. Xiaofang wiped Zhuozhuo's dirty face and hands with a wet towel, squatted in front of her, and put her hands behind her back, "Come up."
Xiaofang was seven years old, but skinny and tiny, looking like she was five or six. She often walked unsteadily, carrying her four-year-old brother on her back. Zhuozhuo, feeling it was too tiring and exhausting for her, refused to let her carry him. The little fellow took Xiaofang's hand and dragged her outside, soon reaching the soda storage area.
Xiaofang saw that the bottle was empty and understood, "It's okay if it spilled. Uncle doesn't beat children."
She picked up the net bag and prepared to help Zhuozhuo take it back.
Zhuozhuo held onto the net bag and refused to give it to her, saying childishly, "Sister, drink it, Zhuozhuo drinks it, don't give it to anyone else."
"ah?"
Hearing this for the first time, Xiaofang was stunned. She glanced at the orange soda, swaying in its glass bottle, like a warm sunset encapsulated within. She swallowed unconsciously, her mind reminiscing about the taste she'd once tasted. Around this time last year, Zhao Hongwei also bought four bottles of soda. When he asked Xiaofang to return the bottles, she secretly licked the two remaining drops from the bottle's lip.
It was very sweet, sweeter than anything she had ever tasted.
Xiaofang shook her head firmly and earnestly warned Zhuozhuo, "This is for Dad, my uncle, and my brother. We are girls and can't drink it."
Zhuozhuo tilted his head, finding it hard to understand the meaning, "Why can't girls drink?"
"Because girls are money-losing goods."
Zhuozhuo shouted, "Zhao Hongwei is the money-loser!"
Xiaofang quickly covered Zhuozhuo's mouth, hugged her and tried to take her away by force.
Zhuozhuo was unwilling and squatted on the ground with her butt sticking out. She had the body of a healthy three-year-old and struggled with all her might. Xiaofang was no match for her and was dragged to the ground with her.
In the chaos, Zhuozhuo took out a bottle of soda and knocked it hard on the ground. After knocking the bottle cap off, she put the bottle mouth to Xiaofang's mouth. Xiaofang dodged back a little, and some soda spilled out and splashed into her mouth. It was so sweet, even sweeter than she remembered.
Zhuozhuo thrust the bottle forward again, and this time Xiaofang, for some reason, didn't dodge. She took a sip, then another, then, with a determined heart, snatched the bottle from Zhuozhuo's hand, sat on the ground, and drank it all in one gulp.
The glass bottle was lifted high, and the last drop of soda dripped into her mouth. Xiaofang looked at the bright, round sun, her eyes burned by the dazzling light, and tears flowed from the corners of her eyes, which she wiped away immediately.
Xiaofang heard a grunting sound and turned her head to see Zhuozhuo holding a bottle of soda and trying hard to knock the cap off. "Let me help you."
Xiaofang rubbed the bottle against the tree trunk and the cap fell off. She handed it to Zhuozhuo, holding the bottom of the bottle with her hand and letting her drink slowly.
Zhuozhuo gulped down several mouthfuls, and when she was full, she pushed the bottle to Xiaofang and said milkily, "Sister, have some."
Hot air drifted over with the wind, and Xiaofang could smell the sweetness in Zhuozhuo's mouth, making her voice sound sweet. After confirming that Zhuozhuo really couldn't finish it, Xiaofang drank the remaining half bottle. After finishing, she put the empty bottle into her net bag, stood up with it, and went to hold Zhuozhuo's hand, "I drank all the soda. I was too thirsty and couldn't help it. I told my uncle."
She paused and looked back at Zhuozhuo who was standing still. "What's wrong?"
Zhuozhuo pointed at the last bottle of soda and said, "Sister, have some."
"This is for Dabao."
Zhuozhuo frowned and said, "I didn't give it to Dabao. Dabao is a bad boy. He pulled Zhuozhuo's hair."
Of course, Zhuozhuo immediately took revenge and kicked Dabao to the ground. At that time, there was no adult around, Xiaofang took Dabao to play in the water, so Dabao forgot about it and did not complain to the adults.
Xiaofang said patiently, "Dabao is going to cry if he can't get soda."
Zhuozhuo blinked innocently. What did that have to do with her? "Let him cry."
Xiaofang suddenly smiled. She pinched Zhuozhuo's fair, tender, and soft face and said, "Zhuozhuo, I wish your mother were still alive."
Don't come here to suffer.
Zhuozhuo didn't understand Xiaofang's unspoken meaning, but she felt her sadness. She hugged Xiaofang and patted her back gently with her small hands, "Hug sister, be happy, smile."
Xiaofang laughed out loud, thinking Zhuozhuo was like the fairy beside the gods in the New Year paintings, cute, beautiful and particularly lovable. She bent her legs, picked up Zhuozhuo, and took two quick steps, "Let's go home——"
Zhuozhuo chuckled, but worried that Xiaofang was exhausted, he quickly kicked his legs to get down. Finally, the two of them chased each other on the path, returning home with laughter and joy. They immediately saw Zhao Hongwei holding Dabao and throwing him into the air.
Throwing and catching, the two laughed even louder than Zhuozhuo Xiaofang.
Xiaofang's smile faded, and she whispered, "Uncle!" Zhuozhuo, acting as if he hadn't noticed them, ran back inside. These past few days, she and Xiaofang had been sleeping together on a small wooden bed in the corner, a bed that rocked and creaked with every movement. Observing Brother Zhao and Sister-in-law, who were snoring loudly, Zhuozhuo carefully pulled a coin from his pocket and slipped it under the torn sheets.
The owner of the agency store saw that Zhuozhuo was cute, so she gave Xiaofang a dime less for four bottles of soda. She forgot to tell Xiaofang about it just now.
Zhuozhuo had made up her mind. She would run errands for Zhao Hongwei to earn money. When she had earned enough, she would take Xiaofang and buy a house outside and no longer live with Zhao Hongwei and the others.
After hiding the money, Zhuozhuo came out and saw Xiaofang washing clothes. Zhao Hongwei was using his teeth to open a bottle cap and was giving a soda to Dabao. She ran over with a bowl in her arms and called out in a baby voice, "Zhao Hongwei!"
"What?" Zhao Hongwei glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "You want to drink too? Don't think I don't know you drank secretly on the way. Xiaofang is very well behaved. If it wasn't your evil idea, she wouldn't drink secretly at all."
As he said this, perhaps because Zhuozhuo's little face, looking up with eager eyes, was too pitiful, Zhao Hongwei casually nudged the bowl with the mouth of the bottle and poured out a shallow bowl of soda. "Drink it, little greedy boy."
Dabao saw that his food had been divided up. Even though the amount of soda he was given was so small that it didn't even appear orange in the bowl, but was a pale white, he was still unhappy and started crying.
Zhao Hongwei blocked his mouth with the bottle, "Don't cry, I don't need you. I'll buy you more after you finish drinking!"
Zhuozhuo pretended not to hear what the two people were saying. He walked over to Xiaofang with the bowl in his hand and said softly, "Sister, drink."
Xiaofang wiped her hands on herself, held the bowl, and whispered, "You drink it, I drank a lot and I'm full."
"But, I want to drink." Zhuozhuo tried to express her thoughts, "Look at Zhao Hongwei and feed Dabao. I want to drink the soda that Zhao Hongwei is holding."
Xiaofang understood, and her eyes instantly turned red. She quickly lowered her head to wipe away her tears, and said to Zhuozhuo with a forced smile, "I, I was just taking a look."
Just now, she'd been crouching by the water basin, listening to Zhao Hongwei tease Dabao. Then, looking up and seeing him feeding Dabao soda, she felt an indescribable mixture of envy and numbness. She'd thought she'd hidden her emotions well, but Zhuozhuo had seen through them. But she didn't want to drink the soda Zhao Hongwei was holding; she longed to be loved by Dabao, like his parents and uncle.
Zhuozhuo stared at Xiaofang, stubbornly pushing the bowl towards her mouth, and said childishly: "Drink it, sister. Drink whatever you want. Drink even if you are full. As long as you like it."
Xiaofang's eyes welled up, and she snatched the bowl with almost unbearable force. She lowered her head into the bowl, tears dripping into it, diluting the soda into a salty and astringent taste. But after drinking it, Xiaofang felt that this was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted in her life, and nothing would ever surpass it.
In the afternoon, the adults went to work in the fields, and Xiaofang stayed home to look after her younger siblings and do some housework. Zhuozhuo didn't want to play with Dabao, so he squatted in the shade of a tree, playing with pebbles and catching a cicada that couldn't fly. She used a leaf as a bowl, placed the cicada on top, sprinkled it with dirt and grass seeds, and decorated it with two small wildflowers. She brought it to Xiaofang and said happily, "Sister, eat some meat!"
Xiaofang played along, pretending to eat a few bites and praising Zhuozhuo's cooking skills for being so delicious. Dabao also came over to try some, but when Zhuozhuo refused, he flipped the leaves over and yelled, "It's all ruined! I'll tell Mom and Dad and Uncle, and I'll beat you for not playing with me! I'll throw you to the wolves!"
Dabao waved his dark fist and was about to beat Zhuozhuo ferociously. Xiaofang quickly stood between the two of them, and her fists didn't fall on Zhuozhuo, but hit her instead.
Zhuozhuo was so angry that he rushed over, pushed Dabao to the ground, sat on his stomach, and beat him with his little fists.
Zhuozhuo was not as strong as Dabao, but her aura was so strong that Dabao was scared and didn't dare to fight back. He covered his head and cried loudly.
Xiaofang was afraid that Zhuozhuo would hurt Dabao, so she frantically tried to pick her up. As the chaos was going on, a loud shout suddenly rang out, "What are you doing!"
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