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墨書 Inktalez
This farewell left Liu Qingxi uncertain of when they would meet again, and she felt that there would be no further connection between them. What she could not foresee was the intricate ties they would have in the future, leading to more entanglements.
It even nearly cost her life, but that is a story for later.
On the third day since Tian visited the Liu Family, which was also the final deadline she had given, the family anxiously awaited her response. At that moment, Wang was also worried about whether Tian would truly act as she had claimed.
No, they couldn't wait any longer! The love for her grandson overcame the last shred of rationality within her, and Qin Family hurriedly stood up and rushed out.
The old lady quickened her pace, fearing that any delay might lead to unforeseen circumstances.
At Liu Qingxi's home, they had just seen off Dugu Hao, who had stayed for several days, and were preparing to go out with Zhang Wuliang to check on the planting of their fields when the old lady rushed in.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, tears filled her eyes as she looked at Liu Qingxi. Such a pitiful gaze brought sorrow to those who witnessed it, while Liu Qingxi felt nothing but helplessness inside.
This nominal grandmother had initially treated her well, but subsequent events proved her perspective wrong; they hadn't communicated in a long time.
Even during the earthquake, she showed no concern for the siblings and acted no better than an ordinary neighbor. Now she came in like this—wasn't it just putting Liu Qingxi in a difficult position?
"Grandma, is there something you need? Why don't you wait at home? I’ll handle some matters and come back."
To be honest, seeing this old lady gave her a headache.
However, Qin Family suddenly stepped forward to block Liu Qingxi's path: "Girl, you can't leave. This time you must help your grandmother no matter what."
"You don't understand; this isn't entirely your cousin's fault. Zhang Erdan and his family are demanding one hundred taels. Even if the whole family sold themselves, it wouldn't be worth that much! But if we don’t comply, they will take your cousin to court today."
"So you have to help, Grandma, I'm begging you."
The old woman's withered hands tightly clutched Liu Qingxi's sleeve, her slightly bent body appearing shorter than Liu Qingxi. She knelt partially, her knees bent.
Liu Qingxi quickly pulled her up: "Grandma, it's not that I don't want to help, but I don't have any money!"
The news about Liu Qingshu had spread everywhere; no one was unaware of it. However, Liu Qingxi would not show mercy to someone so ungrateful.
"Qingxi, Grandma knows you have money. Just help your elder cousin. Look at your business; it's doing so well, and you even have the emperor's rewards. If nothing else, you could give me a portion of the reward money."
The words from the Qin Family's heart slipped out before she could stop them, and she suddenly regretted it.
She had come here with good intentions, but how did it end up like this? She was too anxious.
Liu Qingxi rolled her eyes in exasperation: "Grandma, that is reward money; it can't be spent carelessly. I've already dedicated it to the Buddha. It must be offered in multiples of ninety-one. I can't take any money out right now."
The Qin Family suddenly became anxious, her gaze toward Liu Qingxi shifting slightly: "How can you be so heartless? That's your elder brother! You can't just stand by and do nothing."
"Grandma, I call you 'Grandma' out of respect, but don't forget that I've been kicked out of the Liu Family and my household registration has been revoked by you all. What gives you the right to make me a fool? Did my money just fall from the sky?"
It was always like this; it was always like this!
Liu Qingxi was furious. Why did the Qin Family always act so entitled and biased?
"But girl, one hundred taels is not much for you; it's just one hundred taels."
"Wow! What a big talk, just a hundred taels. Do you think the silver will just appear by itself?"
Liu Qingxi was too exhausted to explain so much: "Grandma, you should leave. I absolutely won't give you this silver. Alright, I have things to do, so you should hurry back."
Every time it was like this, the Qin Family was truly more difficult to deal with than the Wang family. With someone like Wang, you could curse at them or give them a good beating.
But the Qin Family was different; in people's minds, she was a gentle and kind old lady. If one were too rude, the villagers would look down on them.
Liu Qingxi steeled her heart and absolutely could not compromise; otherwise, if there was a first time, there would be a second, third, fourth time, or even more.
The village chief, Zhang Wuliang, couldn't stand it anymore; this old lady was being unreasonable: "Aunt, you can't do this. Isn't this bullying the girl?"
The Qin Family's face flushed with embarrassment; she had no strength to refute him. Upon reflection, she realized she was indeed in the wrong but felt compelled to continue.
"Girl."
"No need. Anyway, I don't have any money. You should hurry back."
Seeing that Liu Qingxi was resolute and not giving in, the Qin Family became furious: "Am I not your elder? After all this time talking to you, what do you want me to do?"
What do I want to do? Liu Qingxi was almost driven mad; was this person really that funny? Was everyone from the Liu Family so self-righteous?
"Grandma? I'm calling you that one last time. Do you also think it's natural for me to take out money like Wang does? Why should I? What did you do when I was starving? What were you doing when we were alone and had nowhere to stay?"
"Since you didn't do any of these things, why do you demand that I act as if it's only natural?"
With each sentence, the faces of the Qin Family turned paler. Those distant memories of Liu Qingxi and Liu Qingyan, the thin Aunt, appearing in her mind, struggling to eat and stay warm.
It seemed that as Liu Qingxi's life improved, she gradually forgot the hardships the two children had endured, or perhaps she intentionally buried those memories to justify her own demands.
The feeling of guilt made her lower her head, tears welling up in her eyes, spilling over uncontrollably.
She was wrong; she had made a mistake. The Third Son, his wife, and their two children had all paid a heavy price for her errors, even their lives.
Zhang Wuliang, an outsider, felt suffocated: "Old Aunt, if you keep this up, I might have to gather the villagers to judge this. I was present when you all split up; it was supposed to be each to their own. What you're doing now goes against that promise!"
"I've never seen such favoritism. They are all grandchildren; why treat them so differently? And that Wang family is too noisy. If this continues, I'll have to take action. If it comes to it, you should move out of Ten Li Pu."
The Qin Family's faces were pale; the words of Liu Qingxi and Zhang Wuliang struck her like harsh slaps, leaving her utterly humiliated.
Her aged face was lined with deep creases, and her drooping eyelids were red from crying over the past few days.
The old woman's hunched back seemed to bend even more, as if she had aged ten years in an instant: "Well then? I’ll take my leave!"
She could no longer bear to stay there or force Liu Qingxi to contribute money or effort for such matters.
Yet deep down, there remained a sense of restraint because it was inconvenient to vent her frustrations with Zhang Wuliang present.
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