After finishing the noodles, Xiao Feng, now relaxed, grew sleepy. Xia Mian carried him to bed and then joined the adults in the living room to discuss serious matters. She recounted what had happened, omitting only the most dangerous part of the fire. Even so, the eldest uncle and the others were filled with lingering fear.
When they heard the police’s theory about Zhang Qiming’s motive for murder, their fear turned to anger and hatred. “How could such a monster exist!” Xia Chuan exclaimed. “We should have hit him harder last time. He deserves to be beaten to death!”
Eldest Uncle Xia interjected, “Dr. Ning has saved you and Xiao Feng. If there is a chance, we must go and thank him in person.”
Second Uncle Xia started to speak, “About the house…”
“Let’s discuss thanking Dr. Ning later,” Xia Mian interrupted, not wanting to hear from Second Uncle Xia. She then outlined her plans, “I intend to move my sister’s grave back here. Xiao Feng won’t be going back there for memorials anymore.”
Second Uncle Xia was quickly distracted. No longer thinking about the house, he frowned, “Xia Chun has left the family to get married, and she also died unnaturally. She can’t be buried in the ancestral grave.”
Grandma Xia added, “Having someone who died unnaturally in the ancestral grave would affect our family’s Feng Shui, which isn’t good for both the ancestors and descendants.”
But Eldest Uncle Xia immediately understood Xia Mian’s intent, “Your sister cannot enter the ancestral grave, but we can buy a plot of land for her.”
Xia Mian didn’t care about the ancestral grave; she just didn’t want her sister’s grave to remain with the Zhang family.
Second Uncle Xia glared, “A plot of land costs several hundred yuan. Who will pay for it?”
Xia Mian wasn’t in the mood to argue with the like of him. “I’ll cover all the expenses, but I don’t know much about the ceremonies and processes, so I’ll need your help, uncles.”
Second Uncle Xia looked pained. “This will cost at least two thousand yuan…”
“Why don’t you give me the money? I’ll find someone to arrange it for you. It would save a few hundred yuan at least.”
Xia Mian ignored him and only addressed her eldest uncle, “I’ll need your help with this, Uncle.”
Second Uncle Xia protested, “What’s wrong with you, Mianmian? I’m your father’s younger brother. I should handle this for you. How can you hand it over to the other branch and make us look like a joke to outsiders?”
Xia Mian really detested his noisiness, but before she could silence him, a sharp, clear female voice cut in, “You still have the gall to worry about your reputation?!”
Both Second Uncle Xia and Grandma Xia turned pale in an instant, while the eldest uncle and his wife looked pleased and hurried out to greet the visitor.
“Wenyue, you’re back?” Eldest Aunt-in-law called.
A thin woman, looking a bit haggard and weary from a long travel, stepped in. There was a remarkable likeness between her and a younger Grandma Xia, but while the latter had an elegant aura, she possessed bright, sharp eyes that exuded intelligence and boldness.
Xia Mian stood up in surprise, “Second Aunt.”
This woman was the younger sister of Xia Mian’s father. When Second Aunt Xia saw Xia Mian, she immediately rushed forward and hugged her, bursting into tears. “Mianmian, my poor child… you’ve suffered so much…”
Held in Xia Wenyue’s not-so-broad embrace and feeling her genuine concern, Xia Mian felt like a child again, an inexplicable sense of grievance rising within her. “Second Aunt…”
“It’s okay, it’s okay, your aunt is here,” Xia Wenyue said, crying and patting her back. “Leave this to Second Aunt. You’re still a child, just focus on your studies.”
She finally noticed Xia Mian’s head and couldn’t help but cry again, “Oh no, you’ve lost your hair too… Poor child, you’ve suffered so much… Brother, Sister-in-law… How could you rest in peace seeing your daughter like this?”
The eldest uncle and his wife hurriedly consoled Xia Wenyue. After calming down, she began cursing Zhang Qiming. “That bastard deserves to be skinned alive! We need to bring Chunchun back home immediately!”
Since Xia Wenyue’s arrival, Second Uncle Xia had quietly retreated to a corner and hadn’t uttered a word.
With Xia Wenyue present, the troublemakers became too afraid to speak up, and thus things were swiftly arranged. The funeral rites observed by the Xia family were straightforward, but the complicated part was retrieving Xia Chun’s remains from the Zhang family in Daliang Mountain.
“I’m afraid the Zhang family won’t agree.” Grandma Xia said softly, “If that surnamed Zhang was executed, the woman he currently marries will definitely remarry sooner or later. If we take Chunchun back, his grave would become a lone grave.”
Second Uncle Xia chimed in, “Yes, if we bring Chunchun back, the Zhangs will have to spend money on a ghost marriage. They definitely won’t agree.”
Xia Mian couldn’t help but feel amazed at Second Uncle Xia’s ability to relate everything to money.
“Bah!!” Xia Wenyue exclaimed disdainfully. Although she didn’t look at Grandma Xia, she didn’t mince her words. “That kind of scum should be grateful to have a grave at all. Who cares if he’s lonely or not? He’s going to hell! We are already showing mercy here by not grinding his bones to dust!”
“Anyone who thinks it’s too much trouble or too costly doesn’t need to worry about it!” Xia Wenyue said angrily. “I’ll handle this. Just watch if I can bring her back. A damn murderer still has the nerve to face us?!”
Second Uncle Xia and Grandma Xia fell silent immediately.
Xia Wenyue was too lazy to pay attention to them and turned to Xia Mian. “Mianmian, don’t worry. Second Aunt will go to the Zhang family and make sure we bring your sister back…” At this point, she couldn’t help but start crying again. “My poor Chunchun… Our family’s university graduate, such a good child…”
Her tears were so contagious that everyone in the room soon turned red eyes. Eldest Aunt-in-law wiped her tears. They were all relatives who had watched Xia Chun grow up. How could they not feel heartbroken when they suddenly heard that the girl had actually been murdered?
It wasn’t until Xiao Feng woke up that Xia Wenyue stopped crying. Xia Mian brought him out, and upon seeing him, Xia Wenyue’s eyes filled with tears again. She quickly rummaged through her bag and pulled out a few small trinkets, mostly made from scrap wood and straw, and handed them to him. “Your Second Great-Aunt doesn’t have much to give Xiao Feng, take these to play with.”
Leaning against Xia Mian, Xiao Feng held the toys. He remembered seeing his cousin playing with similar toys back when he was still living with his grandmother. “Thank you, Second Great-Aunt,” he softly said.
Xia Wenyue turned away to wipe her tears again.
Despite her tendency to cry, Xia Wenyue provided a great sense of security. Xia Mian felt as if she had someone to rely on and didn’t need to worry about anything.
After returning to Xia Mian’s home from Uncle Xia’s, Xia Wenyue didn’t rest for a moment. She rolled up her sleeves, grabbed a broom, and started cleaning from top to bottom.
When Xia Mian tried to help, she was gently pushed aside. “Oh, my child, just take care of Xiao Feng. Don’t worry about anything else.”
“Aren’t you starting school soon? Go study and review. If you get into a good school, that will be enough to make your Second Aunt happy.”
By the end of the night, the two buildings in Xia Mian’s home were spotless. The windows gleamed, and the clay stove and kitchen were tidied up neatly.
The next morning, when Xia Mian and Xiao Feng woke up, they were greeted with fragrant pancakes and millet porridge.
Even Xiao Feng, who was usually slow to warm up, was already following Xia Wenyue around by the second day. Every time she saw him, she would smile and pat his little head. “Why is our Xiao Feng so well-behaved?”
Xiao Feng would smile shyly in response.
Looking at it this way, it’s really hard to imagine that Xia Wenyue had such a miserable life.
Watching her from behind, some thoughts formed in Xia Mian’s mind.
< Previous | TOC | Advanced TOC | Next >
Wants more chapters?
Click this page for the status of sponsored chapters.
Click this page for advanced chapters TOC.
Thanks for the chapter ❣️
THANKS FOR THE CHAPTER