Chapter 648 - 558

Liu Fengying started wailing at the same time. She didn’t notice that her booming voice completely drowned out Wu Qin’s. Just as Xiao Man had predicted, Wu Qin’s efforts were once again in vain. "Dad, Guo Qiang respected you like his own father! This is your very own granddaughter! You can’t do this..."

Secretary Mo strode over, jabbed a finger at Wu Qin, and roared at Liu Fengying, "Shut your mouth! Take a look at where you are! Who’s your dad? What are you caterwauling for? We heard everything crystal clear at the gate just now. It’s all about the ’good deeds’ your precious daughter did in Beijing! Since she’s no good, isn’t it what she deserves to have her limbs broken? What’s the point of coming here to cause a scene? No one here is obligated to clean up your mess. If you want compensation, go to Beijing and find it. If you don’t have the guts for that, then take your darling daughter and go straight home. You can raise as much hell as you want in your own house!"

Liu Fengying paused for a moment. Before her mother could start wailing again, Wu Qin cried out, "This was all Xiao Man’s fault! Because of her, my parents’ relationship fell apart and they ended up divorcing. A perfectly good family was destroyed, my mother’s temper soured, and I was forced to bear all the consequences and ended up like this! She’s the one who ruined me! She’s the culprit, and she has to compensate me!"

She nearly shrieked the last sentence, her voice cracking. Xiao Man scoffed. "I’ve said it before: take your evidence and sue me in court. But Wu Qin, here I am, being so kind as to not disturb you while you hide out and enjoy some peace and quiet in this tranquil village, and you’re ungrateful. Wu Xiaowen is still waiting to bring you to justice, you know. If you keep lashing out and biting like a mad dog, are you really not afraid I’ll make one phone call and bring the police down on you?"

Wu Qin was filled with both hatred and fear. She gritted her teeth and glared at Xiao Man. "Don’t push me too far! One day... you’ll get what’s coming to you!"

"I appreciate your concern. As for the future, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For today, you should worry about yourself first. I know your mother misses her biological daughter, and Mo Xiaoqiang, Mo Xiaofeng, Mo Xiao Neng, Mo Xiao Zhi, and Mo Xiaohua must miss their big sister dearly. They’re all hoping you’ll come back and live with them. Honestly, I would love to see your family happily reunited, all lovey-dovey. So, I won’t call the police on you. You can rest easy and live peacefully right here in the Mo Family Courtyard!"

"No, no! I don’t want to go back to that Mo house!"

Xiao Man’s words sent a chill down Wu Qin’s spine. She shrieked and lunged to the side to grab someone, but her hand clutched at empty air. It turned out Liu Fengying had gotten into a shouting match with Yu Wumei and was now being dragged out the gate by the collar.

Wu Qin reacted quickly, scrambling toward Grandpa. "Grandpa! Grandpa, I’m begging you, please have pity on your granddaughter! I won’t go anywhere else, I just want to live here with you..."

Before she had crawled two steps, Guan Ailan and Mo Shuixia flanked her, easily lifting her up and carrying her out. Xinghua and Qiuyan picked up the two backpacks and a cloth bag the mother and daughter had dropped on the ground and tossed them out the door.

Secretary Mo said to Grandpa, "With her daughter back, Liu Fengying will probably use this as an excuse to stir up more trouble. We definitely won’t agree to any unreasonable demands. Don’t indulge her. If she comes back, just throw her out!"

A village cadre chimed in, "That’s right, that’s how you deal with an unreasonable scoundrel like her. No problem! We understand the situation now, so we’re not afraid of them making baseless accusations."

Grandpa invited the men to sit under the pear tree. Mo Jiabao quickly set out a table and chairs, and Xiao Man brewed large bowls of tea. They talked as they drank, while the others in the courtyard, young and old, went out the gate to continue watching the spectacle.

Liu Fengying had some strength to struggle, so Yu Wumei just dragged her to the courtyard gate and dropped her. Guan Ailan and Mo Shuixia, who already detested Wu Qin, wanted to give her a good scare. They dragged her right into the middle of the road and laid her there. Mo Shuixia said, "You keep saying Xiao Man ruined you, but you can’t produce any evidence. Fine, we’ll give you a chance now. All these people can be your witnesses. We’ll let a car run you over. If you die, we’ll confess and pay with our lives!"

Wu Qin was truly terrified. With her limbs useless, she could only use all her might to inch her body along the ground like a worm, wailing and crying for help. Her antics made a group of children clap and laugh out loud.

Liu Fengying hurried to gather their bags. Seeing her daughter being tormented, she ran over, cursing and trying to pummel Mo Shuixia and Guan Ailan. When she couldn’t catch them, she turned back to help Wu Qin up and move her to a rock by the roadside. Wu Qin didn’t even bother wiping her tears, immediately complaining in front of everyone that Liu Fengying couldn’t get her priorities straight and hadn’t followed her instructions. She said her mother had muddled the sequence of their plan, thrown everything into chaos, and completely botched it all!

Seeing that Grandpa’s gate was still open, Wu Qin was about to push Liu Fengying to go back inside. But then she heard Yu Wumei call out. Only Guan Ailan and Mo Shuixia went back into the courtyard; the other adults and children waved, indicating they were heading home. Then, with a loud CLANG, Yu Wumei slammed the gate shut. A distinct CLICK followed as she slid the bolt into place.

Wu Qin froze, then cried out at Liu Fengying, "Look at you! You’re more of a hindrance than a help! What are we going to do now? We failed to get Grandpa’s sympathy, and if I can’t get the herbs within two weeks, I won’t have the follow-up ointment for my face. The scar will be permanent! I’ll die, you know that?"

Liu Fengying was unconcerned. "It’s just a scar. How could you die from that?"

"You!" Wu Qin was both furious and frantic, thinking her mother was hopelessly stupid. "If I have this scar on my face, what’s the point of even being alive? Besides, if I don’t get the herbs, they won’t heal my hand and foot. I’ll be a cripple! Can you support me? Can you afford the life I need?"

Liu Fengying was stunned for a moment. She looked around as the crowd gradually dispersed and people headed home. She asked hesitantly, "Da Ni’er..."

"Don’t call me that! I have a name!"

"Oh, Xuanxuan, right. Um, what Xiao Man said earlier... did you... did you really stab that Wu Xiaowen’s mother?"

A sinister look flashed across Wu Qin’s face. "Don’t ask. That’s none of your business!"

Liu Fengying was dumbfounded. "So it’s true? What are we going to do? I was counting on Wu Xiaowen taking you back to Beijing! If you can’t go back to Beijing, how are you going to send me money? If I don’t have money for your aunt next month, she’ll stop looking after Xiaoqiang and Xiaofeng and send them back. I’d have to work and take care of them all by myself! I can’t manage that!"

Wu Qin gritted her teeth. "Money, money, money! Is there anything else you talk to me about besides money?"

"Money is what we need right now! Without money, I can’t get anything done!" Liu Fengying had her own convictions. Without money, she was helpless!

’Is this really my own mother? I’ve ended up like this, and she hasn’t asked a single thing about it. The moment we met in the city, all she cared about was how much money I had in my pocket. She only cracked a smile after I gave her all the change I had—a few dozen yuan. And now, she still can’t say three sentences without bringing up money!’

She found herself thinking of Wu Xiaowen. As cold and ruthless as Wu Xiaowen was, at least she never hounded her for money like a creditor. Wu Xiaowen would only go after Tang Qingyun and Bai Lihua. Her own mother, Liu Fengying, however, was a true Zhou Bapi—a total bloodsucker!

But she had no time to dwell on this now. She desperately needed the herbs. Several members of the Gongsun Clan had personally and repeatedly instructed her that she absolutely had to obtain them. Besides, she wanted to set a portion aside to bring to her Brother Junfan; she knew he needed these herbs too.

Fortunately, the Gongsun Clan was generous enough. They had given her a sum of money for expenses upfront and had made it clear that as long as she could obtain a sufficient quantity of the herbs, more "funding" would be wired to her continuously—as much as she needed!

Wu Qin lifted her outer shirt and pulled a crimson bankbook from a small pocket in her undershirt. She opened it and held it in front of Liu Fengying’s eyes. "See this? The account is in my name, and only I know the password. So just go ahead and do what needs to be done. When we need money, we can go to the bank in the city and withdraw it."

Liu Fengying peered at it closely and became incredibly excited. "Oh my, ten thousand yuan! That’s so much! Da Ni’er... I mean, Xuanxuan, why don’t you let Mom keep this safe for you? It would be terrible if you lost it!"

"I won’t lose it." Wu Qin frowned and put the bankbook away. "Hurry up and knock on the gate. Let’s go back in and beg Grandpa some more!"

Liu Fengying quickly stopped her. "Not now. Didn’t you see Secretary Mo is still in there? He hates it when people cry and make a scene; he’ll just have us thrown out again. Besides, that damned girl Xiao Man is in the way. I heard them say she’s going back to Beijing in a couple of days. As soon as that girl is gone, I’ll have a way to get the herbs!"

"Really?"

Liu Fengying puffed out her chest. "Don’t you worry, my girl. Mom gives you her word!"

By now, Wu Qin was feeling exhausted. She looked up at the sky and said, "But I want to stay at Grandpa’s house!"

"I’m afraid that’s not possible. Ever since Mo Jiabao’s family of six was found and came back, plus a new son-in-law, your Grandpa’s house is very crowded. And with Xiao Man there, where would they find a place for you? On the other hand, at our place, Xiaoqiang and Xiaofeng have been sent to your aunt’s. Xiao Zhi and Xiaohua sleep upstairs, and Xiao Neng sleeps in the room next to mine. I just tidied up the best room behind the main hall, waiting for you to come back and live in it."

Wu Qin shook her head like a pellet drum. She had only spent one night at the Mo Family Courtyard a few years ago, but it had felt like being in hell. She never wanted to have that experience again. "That broken-down courtyard? I absolutely refuse to go there!"

"Hey! Our courtyard isn’t run-down anymore. Your uncle’s daughter, Mo Xiaosu, is about your age and just came back not long ago. Your aunt and uncle specifically discussed it with me, and we all pooled our money to get a new gate. We even patched up several holes in the wall... The room I prepared for you has tiled floors! The bed frame is brand new, and the mattress and bedding are all new and clean. Mo Xiaosu asked me for it several times, but I refused to let her have it. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied when you see it! I even bought a new lock. You can lock the door whenever you come and go. Here are the two keys, you keep them yourself, so no one can get in!"

Liu Fengying’s praise was wildly exaggerated, and Wu Qin couldn’t shake the feeling that her mother was trying to trick her. Her intuition was actually quite sharp. The truth was that the new lock came with four keys, not the two Liu Fengying had claimed.

The weather was sweltering, and the sun was making her feel faint. Wu Qin was also hungry and thirsty, so she had no choice but to go with Liu Fengying. Besides, she still needed to discuss the matter of the herb plantation with her mother, and living separately would be inconvenient. And with those two little demons, Xiaoqiang and Xiaofeng, gone, the Mo Family Courtyard didn’t seem quite so terrifying. ’I’ll just put up with it for one night and see how it goes,’ she thought.