After sending off Old Bachelor Liu and his mother, Xu Laidi smugly glanced in Song Wei’s direction and let out a cold snort.
Song Wei and the old ladies all turned to look at her in unison.
“What are you snorting at? Is your throat uncomfortable or your conscience?”
The old ladies weren’t ones to tolerate such behavior.
“What, only you can look down your nose at people? Like we can’t do the same!”
Saying this, a few old ladies stood up, put their hands on their hips, tilted their heads back, and looked at Xu Laidi with their nostrils flaring, giving her the same disdainful look.
“Oh dear, my neck hurts already. I don’t know how Xu Zhiqing does it—always holding her head so high. Isn’t she afraid she won’t be able to straighten it later? What an ugly pose.”
Xu Laidi’s face flushed red with anger.
Song Wei didn’t say a word, simply laughing uncontrollably until her stomach hurt.
Hahaha… These old ladies are just too adorable!
Xu Laidi stomped her foot. “You all just wait and see—you’ll be jealous of me soon enough!”
She stormed back to her room.
The old ladies resumed their seats, their expressions still full of amusement.
“That Xu Zhiqing really hasn’t changed a bit. I don’t see her family sending her anything valuable. Why does she always look down on us, calling us country bumpkins? What have we done to her? We’re honest and good farmers!”
“Exactly! She didn’t even get to eat meat during New Year’s, living off sweet potatoes every day. How does she still have the nerve to look down on us? Disgusting.”
Su Fang chimed in with a mocking tone, “Just because she thinks she’s from the city.”
“Being from the city is so impressive, huh? Still eating the same sweet potatoes and coarse grains as we are.”
Song Wei nodded as she munched on a snack. “Exactly. There’s nothing to brag about. City housing is cramped. My whole family had to squeeze into a room no bigger than this, with several people living together.”
The old ladies perked up with curiosity.
“Aren’t people in the city supposed to live in tall buildings? I heard they’re much taller and fancier than our houses.”
“Well, the buildings are taller, but they’re packed with people. Some get big apartments, some get small ones. If you have money, you live in a big one. If you don’t, you make do with a small one. Big families with lots of kids are crammed together in tiny spaces…”
The old ladies nodded thoughtfully. “Sounds like those places aren’t even as spacious as our houses. They don’t even have a yard to grow vegetables in. They must rely entirely on money and ration tickets for food!”
“I’d love to see what it’s like inside one of those tall buildings. Too bad my family doesn’t have anyone working as an official. If we did and got assigned an apartment, I’d brag about it for years! Look at Old Lady Lin—her son’s just a temp worker, and she’s still showing off.”
The group continued chatting enthusiastically, but as they were about to disperse, a sharp scream pierced the air.
The shrill sound, loud enough to rival a soprano, instantly drew everyone’s attention.
Xu Laidi stormed out, clutching a box in her hands.
Oh? Wasn’t that the box Old Lady Liu had given her?
“Who went into my room? Was it you?!”
Xu Laidi’s eyes were red with fury as she glared at Su Fang, looking like she wanted to bite someone.
Su Fang frowned but hadn’t spoken before Liu Linlin snapped, “Are you out of your mind? Who went into your room?”
“It wasn’t you? Then why is my family heirloom missing?!”
Panicked and enraged, Xu Laidi, not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, immediately assumed someone had stolen her precious heirloom.
“Xu Laidi, are you crazy? Who would steal that so-called heirloom of yours? We’ve all been sitting right here!”
But Xu Laidi didn’t listen. She stormed over, looking as though she was ready to accuse everyone present.
She wasn’t just suspicious of Su Fang—she suspected everyone.
“Have you all been sitting here the whole time? Someone must have sneaked in while I was seeing off Liu’s family. Who did it? If the heirloom isn’t returned, I’ll report this to the Public Security Bureau!”
Liu Linlin put her hands on her hips and retorted, “Go ahead and report it! Let the Public Security Bureau decide. You can’t just accuse us out of nowhere. How shameless can you be?”
Xu Laidi, already furious, was further provoked and seemed on the verge of lashing out physically.
“Slap!”
The sound was crisp and clear. But the slap didn’t land on Liu Linlin—it was Song Wei who stepped forward and delivered a resounding slap to Xu Laidi’s face.
She had been itching to teach this fool a lesson for a long time. Now that Xu Laidi had practically begged for it, how could she hold back?
One slap wasn’t enough. Song Wei immediately followed up with another on the other side of Xu Laidi’s face.
“What are you doing? Song Wei, how dare you hit me? Is it because you stole the heirloom?!”
Before she could finish her sentence, another slap landed.
Red marks in the shape of fingers quickly appeared on Xu Laidi’s face.
“You…”
“Slap!”
Another slap silenced her entirely.
The scene fell silent.
The old ladies gawked, their mouths wide open, the sunflower seeds in their hands forgotten. Their eyes sparkled with admiration.
Wow, Song Zhiqing was incredible! She didn’t hesitate at all!
“Feeling clear-headed yet?”
Satisfied, Song Wei dusted her hands. “Nobody touched your room. Get that through your thick skull!”
“That’s impossible! If nobody went in, how could my heirloom be gone? Someone here must have stolen it!”
All the youths present scowled at the accusation. Being wrongly accused of theft was infuriating.
“Slap!”
Song Wei gave her another slap.
“Why are you hitting me again?!”
Xu Laidi clutched her face, glaring at Song Wei with resentment.
Raising her hand again, Song Wei sneered. Xu Laidi, fearful, scrambled backward.
“I hit you because it felt good. I enjoy slapping idiots.”
“You…”
Before she could say more, Song Wei cut her off.
“You think you’re the only clever one in the world? You’re dumb, mean-spirited, and blind to your own faults. You tried to mess with my brother, but I let it slide. And now you’re asking for it? I’ve held back all day—be thankful I didn’t punch you!”
Taking a deep breath, Song Wei exhaled in satisfaction. “Ah, much better. Holding in anger isn’t good for your health. It’s more fun to let it out.”
The others stared, dumbfounded.
Well… she made a valid point.
Su Fang’s eyes sparkled as she watched Song Wei, silently taking notes.
Even Bai Yunjiao, who had been stunned into silence, stood up. “Xu Zhiqing, nobody went into your room while you were gone.”
Gao Le snorted, “Who cares about your lousy heirloom?”
Song Wei crossed her arms. “What were you drinking earlier? Has it gone to your head? You’re the only one who knows where you hid the box. How could anyone else find it in such a short time?”
Xu Laidi froze, staring blankly at the box. Right… She was the only one who knew where it had been hidden. How could someone have stolen it so quickly?
Then… what on earth had happened?
Leave a Reply