The trip from Ming City back to Mingxi County wasn’t very far; in later years, it would take just an hour to travel using high-speed trains. However, transportation right now was still in the middle of development, with even buses being scarce. Holding Xiao Feng, Xia Mian sat on a shaky red bus that stopped frequently along the national highway.
As soon as they arrived at Mingxi County station, Xia Mian and Xiao Feng were eager to disembark from the bus. The grueling five or six-hour journey had put them on the verge of collapse. Stepping onto solid ground, Xia Mian took two deep breaths and felt revitalized. Xiao Feng was wilted too; the poor kid got carsick and had thrown up even the apple he had eaten halfway through the trip. After getting off the bus, Xia Mian hired a tricycle for two yuan and headed straight to her home.
Xia Mian’s family house was ideally located, right next to Mingxi County Junior High School. The house was built by Xia Mian’s father and grandfather, back when they were both still alive. Originally, it had been a large courtyard with six separate buildings, but following her grandfather’s death and her father’s illness, Second Uncle Xia unscrupulously took the chance to snatch four, leaving only two for the mother and daughter.
Now, even those two buildings were greedily coveted after Xia Mian’s mother’s death.
The courtyard gate was just an ordinary wooden one with a simple iron handle. The wall surrounding the courtyard was relatively low, featuring a section where the bricks were indented, making it obviously easy to climb over. However, no one but the members of the second branch of the Xia family, who considered the house their own, would have done this.
Upon opening the gate, Xia Mian found the courtyard unnaturally clean — it was not just ordinary tidy, but entirely barren, as if bandits had swept through. She remembered when the original ‘Xia Mian’ last left, the corner of the yard still had some coal, firewood, some old bricks from a dismantled stove, empty bottles, and other miscellaneous items any rural household would have. Now, it was so bare that not even a twig was left, as if the thieves had swept even the dirt from the brick crevices to take home for farming.
Xia Mian laughed angrily, but she didn’t have the energy to pursue it at the moment. Fortunately, the doors and windows of the main building were still securely locked — the perpetrators clearly didn’t dare go further. After all, ‘borrowing’ things over when the owner was absent was one thing, but breaking into an empty house was a clear criminal offense, even between family, and the clansmen of the Xia family would not tolerate it.
Xia Mian quickly went to work. She opened the windows for ventilation, uncovered the dust sheets from the furniture, filled a basin of water, and then meticulously wiped down the wooden bed and bamboo mat. She then put Xiao Feng to bed. “Sleep for a while. Are you hungry?”
Xiao Feng’s face was still pale, and he weakly replied, “Not hungry.”
Xia Mian went to the corner store to get some hot water anyway, made up two bowls of milk powder, and they both drank before falling asleep.
…
Half asleep and half awake, Xia Mian suddenly sensed movement at the bedside. She was startled, thinking that a thief had broken in—despite having locked the front door before sleep. She opened her eyes slightly and saw a short, chubby figure rifling through her luggage.
Instantly, she recognized him—it was Xia Bao, the youngest son of Second Uncle Xia.
Xia Mian sneered coldly. Not wanting to frighten Xiao Feng, she gently nudged the boy awake. A light sleeper, Xiao Feng woke immediately. Before he could utter a sound, Xia Mian motioned for him to be quiet, and he obediently covered his mouth.
Xia Mian then quickly snatched the blue-checked sheet that was conveniently placed nearby, swiftly threw it over the intruder, and aggressively attacked him with a broom while shouting at the top of her lungs, “Thief! Catch the thief! Daylight robbery!”
Caught off guard by the sudden, violent assault, the intruder began to struggle and scream under the cloth, “It’s me, it’s me, I’m Xia Bao! Xia Mian, have you gone mad?!”
Ignoring his pleas, Xia Mian kicked the bastard down, threw aside the broom, and switched to a feather duster, targeting his face and backside for a more focused attack.
This area was home to many relatives of the Xia family. Hearing Xia Mian’s shouts, they quickly gathered around. They saw the gate was bolted from the inside, but there was a loud commotion inside. “Mianmian, is that you inside?!” a concerned voice shouted out, full of worry.
“It’s me!” Xia Mian shouted back, not bothering to stop her attack. “Is that you, Eldest Uncle? I’ve caught a thief, and I dare not let go!”
“Hurry up, Xiao He, Xiao Chuan, go in and check!” Eldest Uncle Xia urgently arranged.
Immediately, two young men climbed over the wall; one went to open the gate to let others in, while the other rushed into the house to help.
Upon entering the house, Xia Chuan was momentarily stunned to see a pretty young girl in a beautiful skirt holding down a figure covered by a blue sheet. The figure under the sheet was quite large and struggling fiercely.
Xia Chuan didn’t pause to marvel at Xia Mian’s transformation and hurried forward to help. These days, people generally wouldn’t call the police. When catching thieves, the response was simple: beat them!
Xia Chuan, a vigorous young man in his twenties, didn’t hold back. As the assault doubled, the figure under the cloth howled in pain: “It’s me, it’s me! Xia Mian, are you deaf?!”
Xia Chuan paused when he recognized Xia Bao’s voice, but when he saw Xia Mian treating Xia Bao as just a thief, he chuckled and resumed the beating, not showing any mercy.
Mainly because Xia Bao was too detestable. From a young age, he had completely picked up all his parents’ worst traits, such as exploiting others and stealing, and eventually even surpassed them. Unfortunately, Second Aunt-in-law Xia, Xia Bao’s mother, was unreasonable — whenever relatives and neighbors wronged by their family came to confront, she would respond unreasonably, leaving the victims with no option but to accept their losses.
Of course, the ones who suffered the most were Xia Mian’s family, who lacked a male head of household. Xia Chuan didn’t expect that after a trip to the city, his little cousin had become much sharper.
Xia Mian looked around, grabbed a rope from the corner, and through the sheet, she swiftly tied it around Xia Bao’s mouth as he began to scream. The coarse hemp rope pressed against his lips, even forcing his tongue down. Now, he could only emit muffled sounds.
Xia Chuan noticed two indentations in the sheet caused by Xia Bao’s frantic breathing. Worried that this kid might suffocate himself, he quickly pinched the fabric and pulled it up to create some space for breathing. Xia Mian caught his eye, and they exchanged a knowing glance.
Soon, a crowd followed in, shouting loudly. Seeing Xia Mian tying someone up, they came forward to help, and the young men in particular rushed forward to kick and punch the figure under the clothes, eliciting more muffled screams and pained groans.
A dark-skinned, thin, tall man in his fifties with a powerful, authoritative presence entered, “What’s going on?”
This man was Xia Mian’s father’s cousin, the eldest in their generation, hence Xia Mian also referred to him as eldest uncle. He was one of the closest relatives to their family.
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Despicable people everywhere…
Thank you for the chapter!
Great novel! 😃 😍
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