Chapter 110 No one is allowed to touch my things
Xu Guihua was taken aback, then raised her voice: "What did you say?"
Xu Nuo looked at her coldly and repeated, "I asked you if you touched my cabinet?"
What kind of question is that?
Xu Guihua felt that Xu Nuo was blatantly humiliating her. She thought that if she confronted Xu Nuo, Xu Nuo would apologize or at least deny it, but she never expected Xu Nuo to speak like that.
"That damn good-for-nothing!" Xu Guihua was so angry that her hands and feet trembled, and her dusty trouser legs looked like they were filled with wind.
Xu Guihua was a notorious shrew in Baici Village, but she was always a bully who preyed on the weak. Having bullied Xu Jin'an for so long, she naturally assumed that Xu Jin'an's family should also obey her.
But now that she's met the more assertive Xu Nuo, Xu Guihua's confidence has deflated like a punctured balloon.
She stiffened her neck and blushed, saying, "You scoundrel, talking nonsense! How dare you wrong your grandmother? You, you are unfilial! I...I didn't touch your cabinet!"
This blatant attempt to cover up the truth exhausted Xu Nuo's last bit of patience. Too lazy to argue with Xu Guihua, she turned and walked towards the kitchen.
When Xu Guihua saw her go to the kitchen, she became anxious and shouted at her, "Stop right there!"
Xu Nuo acted as if she hadn't heard him, turning her head without looking back and walking into the kitchen.
The kitchen was filled with the aroma of noodles. Xu Nuo didn't even glance at the noodles in the pot, and went straight to the innermost cabinet.
She flung open the cabinet door.
The snacks Li Xian bought for her included two cans of malted milk powder alone, not to mention countless other candies and biscuits.
The cabinet is now completely empty.
No, I left behind a White Rabbit milk candy wrapper.
Xu Yan walked in and saw a rare hint of anger on Xu Nuo's delicate and beautiful face, so he tugged at her sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Nuonuo, did you take all the milk?"
Is there even a question?
Without saying a word, Xu Nuo walked into the room that originally belonged to Xu Jin'an and Xue Ping and pushed the door open.
Xu Jinan and Xue Ping's room was small, containing only a bed and a small wardrobe for clothes, and originally some winter quilts and other miscellaneous items.
Because Xu Guihua was given the room to live in, Xu Jin'an and Xue Ping emptied the house of all their belongings, so Xu Nuo could see everything in the room at a glance.
Xu Yan followed Xu Jiangjiang in, her gaze falling on the half-filled basin of things beside Xu Jiangjiang. She frowned and said, "This..."
Xu Guihua favored sons over daughters, and since Xu Jiangjiang was the only grandson in the Xu family, she doted on him immensely. Despite their hard life, Xu Jiangjiang never went hungry, and the best things in the house always went to him.
Just now, Xu Yunyun wanted a piece of candy from him, and he cried his heart out, which made Xu Guihua so angry that she dragged Xu Yunyun out and scolded him.
The arrival of Xu Nuo and Xu Yan.
This instilled a strong sense of crisis in Xu Jiangjiang.
He felt that Xu Nuo must have come to take his candy, and he found her utterly repulsive.
His dark little face scrunched up, and his small, slanted eyes, just like Xu Guihua's, burned with anger. He bared his teeth and charged at Xu Yan, who was closer.
Afraid of hurting him, Xu Yan only grabbed his collar, but Xu Jiangjiang kicked and screamed, "I'll beat you to death, you old hag!"
Xu Yan had no choice but to put his hands together and lift him up.
Xu Guihua ran over as soon as she heard Xu Jiangjiang's voice, afraid that her precious grandson had been bullied. When she saw Xu Yan daring to treat Xu Jiangjiang like that, she rushed up and slapped her on the back, then hugged Xu Jiangjiang tightly in her arms with heartache.
"Damn it, how dare you treat Jiang Jiang like this? I'll beat you to death!"
Xu Guihua put Xu Jiangjiang behind her and picked up a slipper to hit Xu Yan, but Xu Nuo quickly pulled Xu Yan over and shouted at Xu Guihua, "You dare?"
Xu Guihua actually stopped.
Xu Nuo pulled Xu Yan back a few steps, away from Xu Guihua, and turned to ask Xu Yan, "Are you alright?"
She heard the dull, heavy sound of Xu Guihua striking Xu Yan's back.
Xu Yan's back was a little sore, but fearing that the conflict would escalate, Liang quickly pulled Xu Nuo aside and whispered, "I'm fine, Nuo Nuo, don't be angry."
Seeing that her expression was normal, Xu Nuo turned her head and said coldly to Xu Guihua, "If you didn't touch my cabinet, then what is this?"
While Xu Jiangjiang was distracted by Xu Yan, Xu Nuo had already taken the basin of things into her arms.
Now that everything has been found, Xu Guihua is still trying to argue. She reached out to take it, but Xu Nuo stepped back and hid the bowl of candy behind her back.
Xu Guihua said without batting an eye, "I bought it. I bought it from the supply and marketing cooperative."
"Yeah?"
Xu Nuo's face was expressionless as she stared at Xu Guihua.
Xu Guihua felt a little uneasy, unsure whether Xu Nuo believed her or not. She then saw Xu Nuo shake her head: "I don't believe it. It's a small matter that the things are missing, but the hundred yuan I put in the cabinet is also gone."
One hundred dollars?
Xu Yunyun and Xu Guihua's eyes widened immediately, and they exchanged a knowing glance.
Xu Yunyun shook her head like a rattle drum: "You're talking nonsense, there's no hundred yuan."
She could see clearly that there was only food.
Xu Guihua shook her head. How could she miss a hundred yuan? She could see even a penny. She stomped her foot angrily: "That's right, you're talking nonsense. There's no hundred yuan at all."
Xu Nuo smiled, her eyes clear, and stared at Xu Yunyun: "No? Did it grow legs and run away? Did you take it?"
Xu Yunyun had come here hoping to build a good relationship with Xu Nuo, but she never expected to be interrogated by her. She was so anxious that she was about to cry and shook her head, saying, "I didn't. There are only these candies in the cabinet."
Upon hearing this, Xu Guihua's expression changed.
Her eyelids blinked a little too quickly. She pretended to be calm and looked at Xu Nuo, only to see her annoying granddaughter staring at her with a mocking expression.
Xu Guihua wasn't entirely shameless; she understood embarrassment and shame. However, these emotions turned into anger and resentment. She yelled at Xu Nuo, "I'm your grandmother! So what if I touched her?"
These words were rude and domineering, and Xu Jiangjiang had already broken free from Xu Guihua and rushed up to snatch the things from Xu Nuo's hands.
He was small, but his fingernails were long and sharp, covered in black dirt. Xu Nuo looked down on him and took a few steps back.
Xu Jiangjiang was still relentless and was about to pounce on Xu Nuo again when Xu Yan firmly grabbed her hand.
"Let go! Let go of Jiang Jiang!" Xu Guihua shouted hoarsely, as if she were the one being beaten.
Although she didn't care about Xu Jin'an, she knew about his family situation. Xu Jin'an and Xue Ping cared about Xu Nuo, but not about Xu Yan. Therefore, Xu Guihua was particularly rude to Xu Yan.
"Waaaaah, Grandma, that bad woman stole my candy!"
Xu Jiangjiang howled like a pig being slaughtered in Xu Guihua's arms. Xu Guihua felt both sorry for him and helpless, and glared at Xu Nuo: "Give me the things, give them to me right now."
Seeing that Xu Nuo didn't move, Xu Guihua said, "So what if I touch your cabinet? Is there anything in this house that I can't touch? I'm your grandmother."
Xu Nuo looked at Xu Guihua, her eyes bright and stubborn. Her voice was sweet, but it carried a sharp edge: "So what if you're my grandma?"
Xu Yunyun stood outside, her eyes wide with shock.
This cousin actually dared to talk to my grandmother like that.
Xu Guihua has a bad temper and inherited her deceased husband's house, so Xu Jinhong's family listens to her. The only person who dares to disobey her is Xu Jiangjiang.
Xu Yunyun wouldn't dare. Once, when her grandmother asked her to wash Xu Jiangjiang's clothes, she complained a little and showed a reluctant expression, and Xu Guihua whipped her with a rattan cane.
From then on, Xu Yunyun dared not utter a single word of dissent in front of her grandmother.
The clear sound was like a pebble splashing in the pool.
"Listen carefully, my things, not to mention you, even if your son comes, he can't touch them if I don't want him to!"
Xu Yunyun was not only surprised, she even genuinely admired her cousin, but she was afraid that her grandmother's anger would affect her, so she took a step back.
Xu Guihua's face was flushed, and her hand pointing at Xu Nuo trembled uncontrollably, as if she were having a seizure.
Xu Jinan had never dared to talk back to her like this before, and this good-for-nothing actually dared to! She actually dared to!
Xu Guihua's voice trembled: "You...you..."
She wanted to call Xu Nuo a beast, but for some reason, looking into Xu Nuo's bright yet cold eyes, she just couldn't bring herself to say it. So she changed her words and threatened, "Well, you little brat, when your father comes back, I'll tell him and see if he beats you to death or kicks you out of the house."
Xu Yan was startled, fearing things would escalate, and tugged at Xu Nuo's sleeve, only to be flung away by Xu Nuo.
Xu Nuo stepped forward and sneered, "Fine, then you better remember to tell him to kick me out."
Xu Guihua screamed, "You think I wouldn't dare?"
“I’m afraid you won’t dare. I’d like to see if my dad will kick me out or kick you out.”
Xu Guihua laughed angrily: "Of course I'll kick you out. You're just a money-losing commodity that will be sold to someone else in the future. Is your father an idiot who would kick out his own mother? I raised him with great difficulty and sent him to school. He should be filial to me."
Xu Nuo laughed: "You seem to have forgotten that you were the one who kicked my father out of the house back then. Why? Were you afraid that my father would fight with your eldest son for the inheritance?"
...
Xu Guihua kicked Xu Jinan out of the house mainly because of two things.
After Xu Jin'an's father passed away, the housing allocated by his work unit went to Xu Guihua. At that time, Xu Jin'an was already much more outstanding than Xu Jinhong. Xu Guihua was afraid that Xu Jin'an would take the housing, so she suppressed him in every way and even thought of making Xu Jinhong take over Xu Jin'an's assigned position.
Unfortunately, Xu Jinhong was hopeless and incompetent, while Xu Jinan had an incredibly successful career.
Xu Jinan's first marriage was arranged by Xu Guihua. She had her eye on Liu Yan, Xu Yan's biological mother, thinking that she was fertile and would definitely give him a big, healthy son.
However, Liu Yan gave birth to a daughter, but died from postpartum hemorrhage.
Xu Guihua felt extremely unlucky, and her dislike for Xu Jin'an grew even stronger. Not long after, she found another candidate, the daughter of her maternal uncle. Not only was she ugly, but she was also just as shrewish as Xu Guihua.
Moreover, Xu Jin'an had already started working at that time and was in contact with young women who were educated like him. Why would he still be willing to marry a rural woman who couldn't even write her own resume?
Xu Jinan refused no matter what.
Xu Guihua couldn't get through scolding or hitting him, so she angrily kicked Xu Jin'an out of the house.
They even said things like "we'll never see each other again."
But Xu Guihua wouldn't have it if they really never saw each other again.
Because Xu Jin'an would hand over his entire monthly salary to her. He only kept a few dollars for himself. After Xu Jin'an left, the little money Xu Guihua and Xu Jinhong earned wasn't even enough to eat their fill.
So Xu Guihua went to Xu Jin'an's house again and asked him for her salary for that month.
Xu Jin'an was flattered to see his mother come to his door, and he obediently handed over his salary. However, this time he did not hand it over completely because he lived alone and had many expenses.
Later, Xu Jin'an married Xue Ping, and Xu Guihua caused another scene, which chilled Xu Jin'an's heart. Xu Jin'an then only gave her some money periodically, but it was enough for Xu Guihua's daily expenses.
When these past events were brought up, Xu Guihua not only didn't feel that she had gone too far, but instead thought that Xue Ping was a jinx, and that Xu Jin'an had become estranged from her because he married Xue Ping.
After that, she gave birth to this money-losing brat, Xu Nuo, who dared to disobey her.
Xu Guihua wished Xu Jin'an could get rid of Xue Ping and this good-for-nothing as soon as possible: "Anyway, he is my son, so he has to be filial to me. I have to live in his house. If your mother protects you, I will make him divorce your mother and kick you and your mother out."
Xu Nuo actually nodded: "Yes, he is your son, but what if this isn't my dad's house?"
"Are you kidding me? Whose house is this if not your dad's? Could it be your mom's?"
Xu Nuo smiled and said, "That's right, this house belongs to my mother, Xue Ping, not your son."
Xu Guihua didn't believe her: "You're talking nonsense. This is clearly a house that your father was allocated by his work unit. You must be lying to me. Do you think I'm stupid?"
"You're really not smart. Why don't you think about it? My grandfather worked hard for most of his life to get such a small apartment. My dad has only been working for a few years. How could he possibly get such an apartment?"
That's true.
But Xue Ping was younger than Xu Jin'an and had been transferred from the countryside. Xu Guihua felt something was wrong: "Your mother has only been working for a few years. Does she think she can get a share?"
Xu Nuo gently rubbed the edge of the plastic basin with her fingertips: "Of course my mom couldn't divide it, but my maternal grandfather did."
Xu Nuo's maternal grandfather was the director of a winery, and her maternal grandmother was from Shanghai, so her family background was naturally much better than Xu Jin'an's.
In this era, housing was allocated to employees by their work units, with seniority and marital status serving as the criteria for housing allocation.
Moreover, there was a long line of people waiting to be allocated each apartment. Even the small one-bedroom apartments were in high demand, let alone the small three-bedroom apartments in this central location.
Some people work most of their lives before they can barely get a room, like Xu Jinan's father, who was over forty years old when he finally applied for a staff housing unit.
Given their seniority at that time, it was impossible for Xu Jinan and Xue Ping not to receive a share.
Xu Guihua frowned: "Then what about this house?"
“It belongs to my maternal grandfather.”
It was Xu Nuo's maternal grandfather who applied for the house in his own name. Since they had another place to live, they gave this house to their daughter, Xue Ping.
...
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