C18 The Trick Was Not Great

Bai Qiaoqiao felt a pang of regret. Mrs. Mao, such a straightforward and strong woman, had been mistreated by Shen Heming and Bai Xiuxiu in her past life...

Then, a sudden realization hit her!

Ha!

With her small, chubby hands, Qiaoqiao grabbed Shen Heqiu's collar, her big, childlike eyes trying to look fierce.

"Brother Heqiu, why are you always against my family's Third Branch?!"

In her past life, Zhao Xiaohong was the mother-in-law and Bai Xiuxiu's mastermind, always directing Bai Xiuxiu to cause trouble in the family. So, if Shen Heqiu had been reborn, he must have come with a grudge against Bai Yuanchao's family!

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and besides, he and Bai Feng were good friends in their past life! That's why he was so interested in this matter!

Caught the big shot red-handed!

Cue the detective music!

Shen Heqiu looked down at the two small, chubby hands.

Then, suddenly let go.

"Ow!"

Qiaoqiao slid off him, almost scaring her to death!

Luckily, Shen Heqiu caught her just in time.

He seemed a bit surprised and said, "Qiaoqiao, I didn't realize you were so close to your Third Uncle and Aunt."

Qiaoqiao: "..."

Shen Heqiu lifted her a bit more and said, "Did I meddle too much and make you upset?"

Qiaoqiao: "..."

Mr. Heqiu said, "I was just trying to help your big brother. But I didn't realize our Qiaoqiao was so generous and forgiving."

Alright, alright, enough with the flattery!

Qiaoqiao, on the verge of tears, clung to him and said, "Mr. Heqiu, I'm not angry. I just can't stand that family. Thank you for helping."

She realized her earlier words might have been misunderstood.

What was that... "Why are you against my family?"

She was just excited to finally have something on the big guy, and her tone was a bit confrontational, like she was interrogating him.

Mr. Heqiu sighed, "Maybe I shouldn't meddle."

...That was a slip of the tongue, and today wasn't the day to push further.

Qiaoqiao decided to give up trying: "I'm just a kid, I don't understand anything."

Mr. Heqiu replied, "Hmm."

He actually started laughing again.

Qiaoqiao couldn't quite figure out what he was thinking, so she stayed quietly in his arms, not daring to provoke him.

...

After Bai Yuanchao and Zhao Xiaohong ran back home, Zhao Xiaohong looked in the mirror and started crying.

Lin Yuefen hadn't hit Zhao Xiaohong too hard; she just wanted to keep her from fighting Bai Shengli. But Qiaoqiao had bitten her on the face, and in the heat of the moment, Zhao Xiaohong hadn't paid attention because she was worried about the money.

Now, seeing her disheveled hair and the deep bite mark on her face in the mirror, Zhao Xiaohong, who always prided herself on her looks, was crying and cursing, almost ready to smash the mirror!

"Yuanchao, go teach them a lesson! Especially that girl! Look at what she did to me!" Bai Yuanchao was already beaten up pretty badly, his face looking like a painter's palette, and he was both angry and scared.

"The boss has lost it, sending five of them over. Can they even afford that?" In truth, he was more worried about his wallet than his wife's face.

"You two idiots!" Zhao Weizu stormed in, furious. Bai Yuanchao, who relied on his father-in-law for support, quickly stood up, "Dad..."

Zhao Xiaohong cried out, "Dad, look at my face! I don't care, you have to stand up for me! I want Lin Yuefen to be a nobody in this village!"

Zhao Weizu comforted his daughter, saying, "Don't worry, in this village, no one dares to treat my daughter like this!" But they would have to wait a few days, leaving Lin Yuefen with nowhere to turn.

Then he pointed at his son-in-law and scolded, "Didn't I tell you to make them come to you? Now look, you've pushed them to the edge!"

Bai Yuanchao was puzzled, "I didn't think my brother would be so stubborn..."

Daring to claim he could support five kids!

Zhao Weizu snapped, "They work hard from dawn till dusk, why wouldn't they make some money? Unlike you, doing nothing and living off others! I must have been out of my mind to deal with you all!"

Bai Yuanchao acted like a loyal dog around his father-in-law, eagerly trying to please him. "Dad, it's not like I do nothing. I help you run errands all the time, don't I? With more people leaving the village for work and coming back to build houses, we're on the brink of making big money. I can't just be a laborer or make a few pairs of shoes. Where's the future in that? Xiaohong would be the one suffering."

Zhao Xiaohong chimed in, "Exactly, there's no future in being a laborer or making shoes!"

However, Zhao Weizu was sharp and frowned, "I heard the other day that your older brother's family made some money."

Bai Yuanchao retorted, "My brother? What kind of money could he possibly make? He’s never been successful in his life."

Zhao Weizu replied, "Even if he doesn’t have much, he wouldn’t dare take on such big responsibilities without some income. If you have nothing better to do, why don't you find out if they've discovered some new opportunity?"

With that, he scolded his son-in-law a bit more, calling him unambitious and lacking direction. But in the end, he softened and promised his daughter he would help her settle this matter.

...

The Third Branch lived in a newly built stone house, constructed earlier this year. In the village, only the wealthy lived in such houses; most people lived in old wooden homes. This is why, despite Bai Yuanchao's lack of skills and empty pockets, people still said his family was well-off.

At this moment, Bai Shengli's biggest wish was to save enough money to build a stone house. However, after taking on the responsibility of raising his five nephews and ensuring they got an education, he felt this dream was likely out of reach.

Outside the house, clothes were hanging to dry: men's polyester shirts and women's floral skirts fluttered in the sunlight, looking quite lovely.

Bai Qiaoqiao crouched by the field, picking up leftover glass pieces from their house construction, adjusting them at just the right angle, and half-burying them in the ground. Shen Heqiu watched her with an amused expression.

Blushing, Bai Qiaoqiao said, "I'm just a kid. I thought it was fun."

Shen Heqiu wasn't sure whether to point out that real kids don't usually insist, "I'm just a kid."

He replied, "Oh. Ready to head home for dinner?"

Bai Qiaoqiao nodded, "Sure."

She dusted off her hands and stood up. After just a couple of steps, Shen Heqiu scooped her up.

"...I can walk on my own."

Shen Heqiu glanced down at the glass pieces she had buried and smiled, "You are a kid, after all."

Bai Qiaoqiao thought he was too sharp... He probably figured out the simple principle of light reflection. Anyway, from that day on, whenever the sun was out, the clothes hanging outside the house would mysteriously end up with a few burn holes by the time they were brought in.

Zhao Xiaohong was convinced someone had burned her with a cigarette butt. She was so frustrated that she went around the village every day, cursing and swearing, but she could never find the culprit.