Chapter Twenty-Six: Ye Nuanxin’s Instigation

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The whole village was buzzing with gossip over the matter, everyone discussing it at length.

Xiang Yu neither knew nor cared about any of it. Her sister had escaped safely, and she was in a fine mood. After breakfast, she was feeding the pigs.

On the road, Ye Nuanxin saw Xiang Fuqiang and his wife approaching with gloomy faces. She took the initiative to greet them. “Uncle Xiang, Auntie Li.”

Seeing the Ye family’s cherished daughter smiling and greeting them, the couple hurriedly returned her smile.

“Nuanxin, have you eaten breakfast?”

If Xiang Yu had not caused such a commotion at school, they would never have wanted to fall out with the Ye family.

They did not mind the things Ye Nuanxin had done. In their hearts, they even felt that Ye Fen, though already an old maid, was far cleverer than Xiang Yu’s stubborn, thick-headed sister. At least she knew how to make money. It was a waste that Xiang Yu had such a beautiful face.

What was a little dignity worth? It was no match for real money in one’s pocket.

After Ye Nuanxin confirmed that Xiang Di had truly run away, she told them everything she had seen in the woods.

She even emphasized, “Sister Xiang Di was crying terribly. It was Xiang Yu who kept comforting her and talking to her.

“Xiang Yu has also grown bolder at school lately, and she has plenty of ideas. So tell me—whose idea do you think it really was for Sister Xiang Di to run away?”

Li Meilan and Xiang Fuqiang recalled Xiang Yu’s behavior over the past few days.

First, at school, in front of the teacher and school administrators, she had insisted on holding Ye Nuanxin accountable and had even cursed Ye Fen to her face.

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At home, she had fought Xiang Hao for the red-braised pork and talked back to Li Meilan. She still did not say much, but that honest, timid air of hers had truly vanished. In its place was a bellyful of schemes, though none showed on her face.

Xiang Di, by contrast, did not seem to have changed much. She was still honest, capable, and submissive by nature. Even when confronted, she could barely get a word out.

Seeing the change in the couple’s expressions, Ye Nuanxin added fuel to the fire.

“If Xiang Yu was the one who gave her the idea, then she must know where Sister Xiang Di went, right?”

Those words completely burned away the couple’s remaining reason.

Regardless of what Ye Nuanxin hoped to achieve by sowing discord, what she said made sense—and struck directly at their sorest spot.

What they wanted most at that moment was to find Xiang Di and make sure they did not lose their chance at the two hundred and sixty thousand yuan.

The couple stormed home in a fury.

Xiang Di was washing clothes by hand at the doorway, cursing Xiang Hao inwardly for being such a filthy monkey and getting his clothes so dirty.

The moment their eyes met, Xiang Yu knew that something was terribly wrong.

The thundercloud in her parents’ eyes was clearly aimed at her.

Her thoughts spun rapidly. Someone must have told them something.

The first person who came to mind was Ye Nuanxin, followed by the Liu family.

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If it was the Liu family, Zhang Xiaoyan’s household would be dragged into it as well. Anxiety began to rise in her heart.

Li Meilan snatched up a firewood club as thick as a man’s arm and roared like a lioness, “Tell me! Where did your sister go?”

Xiang Fuqiang stood to one side, his face dark, watching her menacingly.

Facing Li Meilan and Xiang Fuqiang, Xiang Yu carried hatred for them from both her past and present lives. She could not even pretend to be afraid.

Instead, she looked at them with calm certainty.

“Mom, I don’t know what you’re talking about. What does my sister running away have to do with me? I went out to gather firewood yesterday afternoon.”

Li Meilan was hot-tempered and blunt by nature. She waved the club angrily.

“You’re lying! Ye Nuanxin saw everything. You were the one who egged your sister on.”

Knowing that Zhang Xiaoyan’s family had not been implicated, Xiang Yu felt greatly relieved.

She glared furiously at Li Meilan.

“You know perfectly well what Ye Nuanxin and I are like. We’re sworn enemies at school. You would rather believe her than me? Then why don’t you take her as your daughter, let her earn money for you, and have her look after you in your old age?”

Li Meilan shrieked with rage, raising the club even higher.

“You dare curse back at me? I’ll beat you to death today!”