Zhou Jiasheng was happy to go to school in town, but he was worried about his younger sister. When he was home, his cousins, Zhou Jiaqin and Zhou Miaomiao, often bullied him and his sister. His younger sister was a softie, so after being beaten, she just cried and didn't fight back. She even held Zhou Jiasheng's hand, asking him not to tell their mother.
Zhou Jiasheng knew that his grandparents didn't like them and his mother. When his father was not at home, his mother had to do a lot of things every day, and sometimes she was so tired that she couldn't even straighten her back.
Zhou Jiasheng didn't want to worry his mother, so whenever he got beaten, he and his sister would hide it from her. Even if they couldn't hide it, they would try to downplay it. After all, sometimes the bruises on their faces and bodies couldn't be hidden from a caring mother.
Whenever this happened, Zhao Yunxiang would hug them and cry silently. The day after Zhao Yunxiang's heartbreak, Zhou Jiasheng would always find a way to retaliate. Zhou Jiaqin was three years older than him and much stronger than him, so he couldn't beat him. However, dealing with Zhou Miaomiao was still a piece of cake.
Zhou Miaomiao is a fool. She doesn't even realize she's being punished. If she steps on dog poop, she thinks it's because she's careless. If she falls down, she thinks it's because the road is uneven.
Unbeknownst to Zhou Miaomiao, both the dog poop and the pothole were deliberately created by Zhou Jiasheng. He sprinkled mud on top of the dog poop so that Zhou Miaomiao couldn't see it, and he dug the pothole specifically on the side where Zhou Miaomiao liked to walk, so she would fall every time.
"Little bitch, next time I'll let you taste something else!" Zhou Jiasheng pondered as he walked.
Xu Liqin glanced at Zhou Jiasheng, who had a stern face, and thought this nephew was adorable. She and Guohui wished they could have a son like Jiasheng someday.
Zhou Yuanyuan was playing the beard-tying game with Zhao Qingshan, laughing loudly.
"Sister, sister." Zhou Jiasheng's voice rang out from the corridor.
"Brother, here, here." Zhou Yuanyuan called out.
"Sister, sister, this is for you." Zhou Jiasheng jogged all the way, panting, but carefully protecting the earthenware jar in his hand.
Zhou Yuanyuan stopped playing with her grandfather and called out with a smile, "Brother."
"Hey!" Zhou Jiasheng responded loudly. My sister likes him the most. Look! As soon as my sister sees him, she even ignores grandpa.
Zhou Jiasheng straightened his thin chest and felt that he had instantly become much taller.
Zhao Qingshan saw that the two siblings were chatting happily, and saw his daughter-in-law Xu Liqin standing aside, so he motioned for her to go out and talk.
Yuanyuan had suffered so much this time, and the Zhao family would definitely stand up for Yunxiang and her son. Zhao Qingshan knew his son, Zhao Guohui, must have the same thoughts as him. As for his daughter-in-law, Xu Liqin, he wanted to ask her opinion. After all, if the two families didn't fall out, Yunxiang and her son might have to live with her parents for the rest of their lives.
Xu Liqin's parents were factory workers in Sanhe Town, and her family was well off. Xu Liqin herself worked at the counter at the supply and marketing cooperative and was a forthright woman.
However, even the most straightforward person will weigh their own interests carefully. Although Zhao Qingshan trusted his son's judgment, he still needed to get the facts straight before he could feel at ease. He absolutely would not allow his daughter and grandson to face the cold shoulder of his daughter-in-law in his own home.
Zhao Qingshan knew that no matter whether his daughter-in-law was right or wrong, it would not change his decision. However, he wanted to try and see if his daughter-in-law was on the same page with their Zhao family.
Xu Liqin put down the food in her hand and walked out of the room with Zhao Qingshan.
Xu Liqin knew her father-in-law had something to ask her. She couldn't bring up her sister-in-law's affairs in front of the children. Guohui had told her that she had suffered a lot in the Zhou family over the years, and the Zhao family was bound to stand up for her. Her father-in-law, Zhao Qingshan, would decide what to do next, whether to break off relations with the Zhou family or just teach them a lesson.
Zhou Yuanyuan glanced at her grandfather and aunt's backs, her mind lost in thought. She knew that her grandfather and uncle would definitely help them. Blood is thicker than water. No matter in past lives or this life, her mother, Zhao Yunxiang, was always a liability to her grandfather and uncle.
Aunt Xu Liqin was a good person at heart, but she had a confused father at home. In her previous life, when Zhao Guohui got into trouble, Father Xu immediately forced Xu Liqin and Zhao Guohui to divorce.
In this life, she would remind her uncle to try not to repeat the same mistakes he made in his previous life. Zhao Guohui had become a director at such a young age, so there were bound to be some people who were dissatisfied with him, and it was not surprising that some of them would do bad things.
Xu Liqin is a good person, and it's nice to be Zhou Yuanyuan's aunt.
"Sister." Zhou Jiasheng saw Zhou Yuanyuan staring at her grandfather's back, and thought that his sister was reluctant to leave her grandfather, so he hurried to show his presence.
Looking at Zhou Jiasheng's fawning face, Zhou Yuanyuan turned her attention back to her brother. She was still a child, and couldn't openly interfere in adult affairs. However, it should still be okay for her to do something secretly, right?
"Sister, look, I just caught it yesterday. I was planning to bring it back for you to play with on Saturday." Zhou Jiasheng raised the clay pot in his hand, trying to take credit for it like presenting a treasure to his sister.
"Brother, what is it?" When Zhou Yuanyuan saw the familiar earthenware jar in Zhou Jiasheng's hand, her heart ached and she almost shed tears.
In a previous life, Zhou Jiasheng had also given Zhou Yuanyuan a similar earthenware jar. If Yuanyuan guessed correctly, the jar contained some clear water and a few live shrimps.
Yes, they were live shrimp. At this time of year, the shrimps living in the river were all listless, not to mention the shrimps Zhou Jiasheng kept in the jar. It was a feat for him to keep them alive for two days; it was impossible for them to be alive and kicking.
The world of children is so strange. Zhou Jiasheng likes small animals such as cats, dogs, small fish and shrimps. In his heart, he thought that giving his favorite shrimp to his sister would definitely make her happy. He went to school in town, and his sister was alone at home, feeling very lonely.
Zhou Yuanyuan breathed softly against the edge of the clay pot, as if afraid her breath would startle the shrimp inside. Zhou Jiasheng was a good brother; if it was something Zhou Yuanyuan liked, he would do everything in his power to get it for her.
Zhou Yuanyuan used to like shrimps. Watching the shrimps swimming around in the water, her heart was filled with yearning for the sea.
However, after that incident, Zhou Yuanyuan began to hate Xiaoxia. In fact, she hated herself even more.
If it weren't for her, if it weren't for this can of shrimp, her brother's tragedy might not have happened. In her previous life, Zhou Yuanyuan would think this every time she woke up from a nightmare.
Zhou Yuanyuan clearly remembered that in her previous life, Zhou Jiasheng had a scuffle with her cousin Zhou Jiaqin over protecting the clay pot and the river shrimp. In the end, the clay pot broke, and Zhou Jiaqin maliciously pushed her brother onto the broken pieces of the pot, leaving two long cuts on his face.
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