Chapter 2: Someone gave me a big gift as soon as I arrived.
As she drifted off into thought, a rough, large hand, covered in sweat and dirt, with black grime under its fingernails, reached out and tried to grab her soaking wet arm.
Before the hand even touched her arm, Xu Zhili's body reacted.
The instincts formed through countless life-and-death battles in the apocalypse were instantly activated.
She swung her wrist quickly, her five fingers gripping the inside of the other person's wrist like iron clamps, while her thumb pressed down forcefully.
"Awoooooo!!!"
A shrill, distorted scream, like a chicken whose neck had been stepped on!
The middle-aged woman who tried to drag her instantly turned ashen-faced. The excruciating pain caused her body to arch like a shrimp, and cold sweat poured down her forehead!
She felt as if her wrist bones were being clamped tightly by an iron hoop, and that they would shatter at any moment!
The surroundings fell silent instantly; all conversations ceased abruptly.
The neighbors who were watching were dumbfounded, their faces filled with astonishment and disbelief. They looked at Zhang Jiumei, who was gasping for breath in pain, and then at the girl who had been on the verge of death just a second ago, but whose eyes were now as sharp as knives.
Using the reaction force from twisting her wrist, Xu Zhili exerted her strength in her waist and abdomen, flipped herself up, and sat up quickly, displaying explosive power and coordination that did not match her soaking wet and disheveled appearance.
Those eyes, which had been vacant and lifeless from drowning, were now cold and indifferent, carrying a lingering murderous intent and scrutiny as they slowly swept over each terrified face before them.
Zhang Jiumei, whose wrist was being twisted, was still screaming loudly. Several neighbors who wanted to help froze in mid-air, their eyes filled with surprise and fear.
This was completely different from the quiet, submissive Lin Zhili they knew.
"You little bitch, you little whore, you're insane! Let go! I'm your mother! Your bones are going to break! Ah! Let go of me now, or I'll beat you to death!"
Zhang Jiumei's face was contorted in pain. She screamed and cursed wildly while desperately twisting her wrist to try to break free, but the cold hand did not budge and instead tightened its grip.
Lin Zhili? Mom?
A name that is both unfamiliar and familiar.
At this moment, fragmented memories suddenly rushed into her mind. The grievances, fears, and deep-seated hatred that the original owner, Lin Zhili, had accumulated for more than ten years, violently impacted Xu Zhili's consciousness.
The residential compound of the First Machinery Factory in Hunan Province, 1968.
His biological mother was reported by his biological father and sent to the Great Northern Wilderness for reform through labor. Later, he married his current stepmother, Zhang Jiumei.
She has a mean and hypocritical face, withholding food and frequently beating and scolding people. Her stepsister, Lin Wanwan, has seemingly gentle but actually vicious eyes, and she plots and frames people time and time again.
The eternally indifferent and apathetic face of her biological father, Lin Jianguo, and... the deepest blood feud—her biological mother, Xu Nuoyan, was reported by Lin Jianguo himself, convicted with a single piece of paper, and exiled to the arduous Northern Wilderness.
Lin Zhili, at the age of 16, is timid and silent, always doing endless chores and eating the least amount of food.
Ever since my stepmother came into the house, the six-year-old little dumpling who used to chase after me for hugs has gradually lost the light in her eyes. She no longer bounces around and laughs with her dimples showing. Now she just curls up in the shadows and becomes a silent little shadow.
And just now, Lin Wanwan's face, with its sweet smile, leaned close to her ear and spoke the most vicious words in the gentlest voice.
"Fool, your good office job at the machine factory is mine. As for you... what are you doing here in the way? You might as well go to the river and sober up!"
All information is instantly integrated and connected.
This is not a home! It's a snake pit! It's hell! This wasn't an accidental fall into the water, it was murder!
A pair of hands coated with cheap face cream shoved her hard in the back by the water!
The figure that pushed her became clearer—a face feigning panic, with a hint of pleasure in its eyes.
Lin Wanwan, the stepdaughter of the stepmother with children in tow, pushed Lin Zhili into the river, where she died in the icy water.
"Heh..." A chilling laugh escaped from Xu Zhili's lips.
She slowly released Zhang Jiumei's wrist.
Zhang Jiumei immediately withdrew her hand, covered her swollen wrist, and stepped back.
She cried out in terror, "This is outrageous! She dares to hit her elders just because she got a little waterlogged! Everyone, look at this little slut! Just like her mother who was sent to the countryside, they're both ungrateful wretches! They're so vicious..."
Xu Zhili ignored her.
River water dripped into her neck, and she trembled slightly. She raised her hand and wiped the mud and dirt off her face with the back of her hand.
As she moved, her gaze pierced through the crowd and landed on the old locust tree not far away.
A girl stood under the tree, wearing a brand-new floral blouse and with her hair styled in shiny braids.
She pretended to be worried and anxious, wringing her hands.
When Xu Zhili's icy gaze swept over her, her body stiffened, and panic and resentment flashed in her eyes.
Lin Wanwan, the one who pushed her into the water.
Xu Zhili licked the sharp canine teeth with her tongue, the lingering taste of blood making her lips curl into a chilling smile.
interesting.
As soon as I arrived, someone gave me a "big gift".
Xu Zhili fixed her gaze on Lin Wanwan's face, and without saying a word, punched her, sending her flying several meters away.
This body is so weak, it only sends people flying a few meters when you hit them.
Lin Wanwan was hit and sent flying several meters, completely bewildered and unconscious.
Xu Zhili sneered and ignored her. She propped up her soaked and heavy body, wanting to leave. Her body was weak, and her bones ached and felt cold.
The robust body from the apocalypse is gone, replaced by the malnourished body of a young girl.
This frailty fueled the murderous intent to surge even more fiercely.
Just then.
"Little Pear, are you alright? You scared us to death!" A kind-looking aunt carefully approached and reached out to help her up.
Xu Zhili paused, her body tensing.
Her apocalyptic instincts nearly led her to attack.
She suppressed her guard and stiffly avoided the outstretched hand.
"No...it's nothing."
Her voice was hoarse, weak, and cold. She no longer looked at anyone, including Lin Wanwan.
Xu Zhili's wet clothes clung to her body, feeling cold. She looked down, her wet hair sticking to her face. She needed to find a place to take a proper shower; this was uncomfortable. Her wet trouser legs dragged, leaving watermarks. Step by step, she staggered towards "home."
Behind her were Zhang Jiumei's curses, the neighbors' whispers, and Lin Wanwan's venomous gaze.
"Pah! Look at her dead body, she should be drowned! What a jinx, she brought misfortune to her own mother and then to her own sister, why isn't she completely dead yet?"
Zhang Jiumei spat angrily at Xu Zhili's retreating figure, rubbing her aching wrist.
Lin Wanwan immediately put on a tearful expression, but unfortunately, her swollen cheeks made her look terrible. Had she just been punched by the soft-hearted Lin Zhili?
Lin Wanwan touched her face, tightly gripped Zhang Jiumei's arm, and her voice was trembling with tears.
"Mom! Please stop talking. Little Pear just suffered a lot, she must be feeling terrible... It was just an accident, let's go back and make her some ginger soup to warm her up..."
As she spoke, she kept her eyes glued to Xu Zhili's back.
Since that brat dared to hit her, good riddance. Just wait and see, I'll get my father to deal with her.
Xu Zhili didn't stop walking.
Step out of the crowd's sight and into the low red brick bungalows of the First Machinery Factory's residential compound.
Following her memory, she walked to the room in the far corner, pushed open the peeling wooden door, and was greeted by a whiff of mold, dust, and cheap cooking fumes.
She didn't linger, but went straight to the narrow wooden stairs leading to the attic.
The so-called "room" is a cramped space under the stairs, partitioned off by a sloping roof. It is less than half a meter high, and people can only crawl around in it.
The roof was low and oppressive, and the only source of light was a small, dusty vent window that let in very little light.
The corner was piled with junk and tattered bedding, emitting a damp and musty smell.
This place is more like a storage room than a daughter's room at home.
Xu Zhili bent over and crawled inside, her wet clothes clinging to her skin, and she shivered from the cold.
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