C9 Compensation

Shi Xiaoqiu knew Xiaohua's temperament well. Thinking about the situation in the backyard, she guessed, "Did something happen when you went home? Tell your sister?"

Shi Xiaoqiu just shook her head, her eyes filled with terror. Even though she had lived for so long, seeing this scene was shocking. She was just a girl of about thirteen or fourteen, naturally frightened by such a sight.

Gently, she helped Xiaoqiu up and headed toward home, rubbing her arms to help her relax. Before they even reached the door, they heard wailing from the yard. Xiaodong was kneeling in the middle of a crowd, covered in whip marks.

Clearly, Xiaofeng had already told them everything, and it was obvious the blame had been placed on them.

"You murderers dare to come back here? Today, I'm going to beat you to death!" Zhou Guihua, tears streaming down her face, grabbed Xiaoqiu by the hair, ready to hit her.

"Bad luck!" Shi Gaang, with tears in his aged eyes, struck the ground with his cane. Xiaohua was his precious grandchild, and now she was gone in an instant.

With Xiaohua dead, he felt he had no reason to live. His eyes, filled with anger, raised the cane to strike Xiaoqiu.

Shi Xiaoxia quickly stepped in front of Xiaoqiu, taking the blow herself. "Grandpa, you can't hit people before you know the truth!"

"I'm not sure, what is there to be unsure about? Xiaofeng said it himself, when Xiaohua died, Xiaoqiu was with him. If she didn't cause it, then who did? Move aside, I'm going to teach her a lesson!"

Zhaozi had always doted on his youngest son, and now that he had drowned, how could he not be angry, upset, and heartbroken? He raised the whip in his hand, ready to strike.

The two sisters were terrified, instinctively curling up in fear.

But the expected pain never came. Zhaozi paused, surprised to see the whip caught by Xiaoxia, whose eyes were even colder than his own.

Her action only added fuel to the fire. He tried to yank the whip back, but she held on tightly, refusing to let go.

"Uncle, we don't know the whole story yet. Isn't it a bit rash to start hitting people?"

Xiaoqiu was the type to endure quietly, even when bullied, never daring to fight back. The idea that Xiaoqiu could have harmed Xiaohua was something she couldn't believe for a second. If Xiaoqiu had known Xiaohua was in the water, her foolish sister would have probably risked her own life to save him.

That's why, in this family, they were always the ones being bullied.

Zhou Guihua was furious, lunging forward to slap Xiaoqiu. As the hand came down, Xiaoqiu stood her ground, not moving an inch. But just as the slap was about to land, she deftly dodged, avoiding the blow.

"You..." It felt like hitting a pillow, leaving Zhou Guihua frustrated and wanting to tear her apart to vent her anger. "It's clear you sisters conspired against Xiaohua, and you still dare deny it?"

"Second Aunt, if it were true, Xiaoqiu wouldn't have stayed by Xiaohua's body, and we wouldn't be here taking your abuse. We would have been long gone!" Xiaoxia retorted coldly.

"Troublemakers, troublemakers..." Shi Gaang cursed twice, then started coughing violently, his body swaying before he collapsed, causing chaos in the room.

"You've driven Mom to faint, and now Dad too!" Zhou Guihua's curses grew louder.

Fainted? Xiaoxia found it amusing. They were the ones falsely accusing them. "Second Uncle, Second Aunt, you know Xiaohua was mischievous. Why don't you consider that he might have fallen into the water while playing and drowned?"

"Impossible!" Zhou Guihua shot back. Her son was dead, and she was determined to make Xiaoqiu pay, clutching Zhaozi tightly, tears and snot running down her face as she cried uncontrollably.

"You have to make them pay for Xiaohua's life. If Xiaohua's gone, I won't live either. We must avenge him!"

Zhaozi, who always cherished his son, was just as heartbroken as Zhou Guihua. Even without her urging, he wouldn't spare the sisters. He grabbed a wooden stick, clearly intent on beating them to death.

“Big sister...” Xiaodong clung to Xiaoqiu, tears streaming down her face, but she didn’t dare to resist. She just knelt on the ground.

“You ungrateful child, today you’ll join Xiaohua!”

A furious shout accompanied the sight of a wooden stick about to strike down!

With a sudden “crack,” the stick snapped in half, leaving not only the two sisters kneeling on the ground in shock.

How did her sister get such strength?

“I’ve said it before, Xiaohua’s death wasn’t Xiaoqiu’s doing. Second Uncle, you’d better get to the bottom of this. Was it really your son’s bullying that led to his own downfall, or are you falsely accusing others?”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was incredibly sharp, carrying a powerful force that left the scene in momentary silence.