Chapter 8 This maggot nest smells terrible
Xu Zhili held the enamel mug in her hand, her gaze falling lightly on Zhang Zhaodi in front of her.
Zhang Zhaodi was nervously fidgeting with the hem of her dress, her expression full of unease.
The herbal tea went down his throat, and a cold, amused look lingered in his eyes.
Xu Zhili turned and left, inwardly scoffing. She wondered what consequences Zhang Zhaodi's choice would bring, but could only respect her fate.
The conflict between her, Zhang Jiumei, and Lin Jinguo is likely to become even more heated because Zhang Zhaodi stayed behind, which is something to look forward to.
Go ahead and crash into it; getting bloodied and battered is just the beginning of the real show.
He secretly thought to himself that it was best to mind one's own business and not meddle in other people's affairs in order to truly enjoy freedom.
Xu Zhili's principle in life is to respect the fate of others, not to be a wind that cuts into your path, and not to be a ruler that imposes judgment.
For the village girls, the city's prosperity is like a huge, alluring vortex.
After Zhang Zhaodi decided to stay, she seemed like a different person.
Every day, she would stroll proudly in the courtyard, wearing the beautiful clothes Zhang Jiumei had bought for her and holding sweet pastries in her hand.
Looking at her refreshed self in the mirror, her eyes were filled with anticipation for the future.
Even though she vaguely felt that she was being used by her aunt's family, she didn't care at all because she wanted to live a good life.
————
Xu Zhili entered her younger brother Lin Zhian's room and said softly, "An'an, I know you can understand me. No matter what happens or what noises you hear, just stay in your room and happily play with your toys, okay?"
As she spoke, Xu Zhili quickly took out a simple airplane model from her spatial storage and handed it to Lin Zhian.
Lin Zhian, who had been expressionless, suddenly lit up when she saw the airplane model. Her attention was immediately drawn to it, and she didn't pay any attention to what her sister had just said.
As Xu Zhili came downstairs, she heard laughter and shouting coming from the front hall. Her stepmother, Zhang Jiumei, was holding her father's arm, while her stepsister, Lin Wanwan, was leaning against her fiancé, Lu Jiahao, with almost half her body pressed against him. They were affectionately feeding Lu Jiahao fruit.
Her voice was so sweet and cloying that it made people feel uneasy.
Xu Zhili couldn't help but reach out and touch her arm. Goodness, she was covered in goosebumps.
"Huh..."
She couldn't help but gasp softly, a chill running down her spine, "No, no."
This situation was truly overwhelming, and she secretly thought that she had to get away from these people as soon as possible.
I've endured the nauseating stench of zombies before, but this scene before me, just hearing those sickening sounds and seeing that nauseating sight, gives me goosebumps all over. It's simply unbearable.
It's better to face zombies.
"My son-in-law Jiahao went through a lot of trouble!"
Zhang Jiumei raised her voice, afraid that Xu Zhili, who was in the corner, wouldn't hear her as she prepared to go upstairs.
"I just got you a job at that textile factory that lets you return to the city! You can come back after you've worked in the countryside for six months. Little Pear, hurry up and thank your brother-in-law! This is much more respectable than your office at the machinery factory!"
Xu Zhili scoffed. One works in a textile factory doing needlework, the other works in an office in a machinery factory. How can they be compared?
"You unfilial daughter, you should thank your stepmother! She's doing all this for your own good!"
Xu Zhili's father's face darkened, his brows furrowed, and he pointed at Xu Zhili with a finger, his tone full of reproach.
Xu Zhili stopped at the corner of the stairs, shadows covering half of her face.
Instead of being angry, she slowly and eerily laughed.
That smile was devoid of warmth, like an ice blade scraping against glass, instantly freezing the false liveliness of the front hall.
All eyes were on her.
"Thank him?"
Xu Zhili's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a poisoned needle.
She didn't look at Lu Jiahao and Zhang Jiumei; her cold pupils locked onto Lin Jinguo, and the curve of her lips was cruel and smug.
"Lin Jinguo, your confession about selling your niece for personal gain is still fresh with bloodstains. What, you wanted to feed Lin Wanwan with the office job I got in exchange for my 'suicide,' and now you want to shut me up with some random 'return-to-the-city quota' so that you, you dog of a man, can get promoted?"
She suddenly pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and slammed it onto the table piled high with pastries.
The cups and plates bounced wildly.
Unfolding a corner of the paper, one could clearly see Lin Jinguo's crooked handwriting and glaring dark red fingerprints!
"Or perhaps..."
Xu Zhili's gaze swept over Lin Jinguo and Zhang Jiumei, whose faces had turned deathly pale, and finally landed on Lin Wanwan's pale face.
"You want my brother-in-law to also see how his future father-in-law almost sent his niece to his mentally challenged son's bed for his sister-in-law's future, and how he was kicked in the wrist by his own daughter?"
Dead silence!
You could hear a pin drop!
Lu Jiahao's smile froze as he looked at the freshly printed handprint on the table, then at Lin Wanwan's pale face, his eyes filled with suspicion and uncertainty.
Xu Zhili savored the spectacular display of fear and embarrassment in the room, then slowly picked up Lin Wanwan's unfinished cup of tea from the table and spilled it on the floor.
"dirty."
Lin Jinguo slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "Lin Zhili, stop right there! How can you be so insensible!"
“Your sister-in-law has a wide network of connections, and it’s a blessing that she can help you. Look at you, you’re always going against your family.”
Xu Zhili didn't even bother to lift her eyelids, toying with a rusty nut between her fingertips.
"Extensive connections? So extensive that you used them to scheme against your fiancée, steal her job, and then turn around and fawn over her stepsister?"
She lifted her eyelids, her cold gaze locking onto Lu Jiahao's face, which froze instantly. "Comrade Lu, you've put on this 'mutual affection' act so convincingly that you've even started to believe it yourself?"
"Shut up! I'm your father, don't you care about family ties at all?" Lin Jinguo was trembling with anger.
"It can't be closed."
Xu Zhili flicked the nut onto the table with a "clink," stood up, and looked Lin Jinguo in the eye, but her eyes seemed to be looking at the mud under her feet.
"Lin Jinguo, put your hand on your conscience, which has long been chewed up by dogs, and ask yourself, do you even deserve to mention the word 'father'? Now you want to use this rotten 'return to the city quota' as a dog leash to tie me down?"
She scoffed, "You think you're qualified to play chess? You're nothing but maggots scrambling for food in the gutter."
"Get out! Get out of this house!" Lin Jinguo roared, his finger almost poking her nose.
"I couldn't have gotten it."
Xu Zhili's smile was bright, but devoid of any warmth. "I can't stand the stench of this maggot den for even a second longer."
Zhang Jiumei seized the opportunity and, like a slippery snake, clung to Xu Zhili's hand, her icy hand covering the back of Xu Zhili's hand, feigning a pat.
“Little Pear, we’re all family, how can there be any grudges that last overnight? The fault lies entirely with your sister; she’s soft-hearted, like a parasitic vine.”
She suddenly pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it hard against the corner of her eye, squeezing out two crocodile tears.
"If you were sent to the countryside, wouldn't you be devoured alive? You're young, strong, and capable; you can settle down anywhere."
"This job...how about your sister? Mom promises, I'll send you money every month and I'll make sure you don't suffer any hardship in the countryside!"
She stole a glance at Xu Zhili, the triumphant smile on her lips almost impossible to suppress.
"OK."
Xu Zhili tilted her head and suddenly smiled.
The smile was eerily sweet, the corners of her eyes curved into crescents, and her voice became soft and sweet, which made Zhang Jiumei's heart leap with joy.
"However..."
Xu Zhili drew out her words, and just as Zhang Jiumei relaxed her guard and leaned closer, she suddenly raised her hand!
"Smack—!!!"
A vicious slap landed hard on Zhang Jiumei's face, which was plastered with a fake smile. The force of the slap sent her staggering and crashing into the corner of the table!
"ah--!"
Zhang Jiumei screamed in agony, half of her face instantly swollen and bruised, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
"Zhang Jiumei".
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com