Chapter 7: Is This Girl Slandering Me?

Qin Bogang, the eldest son, married Sun Li, a woman from the county town who used her connections to get him a job as a factory worker. In those days, earning more than 50 yuan a month was considered quite good.

The second son, Qin Zhonghui, married Su Yun, his childhood sweetheart. Both were hardworking and down-to-earth. Once their children were a little older, they left to work and earn money.

Qin Ju's aunt, Qin Na, had married and moved to the neighboring village of Shangshan. Now, Qin Ju lived in the old family house with her sister Qin Shi, her grandparents, and her uncle Qin Jiqun's family of three.

The old house was divided into two connected sections. The front part consisted of three large tiled houses, while the back had two rooms separated by a courtyard. The old couple lived in the two east rooms at the back. The larger room was where Qin Ju and her sister Qin Shi slept on the kang. When Qin Zhonghui and Su Yun returned from work, the four of them squeezed into the small kang in the west room.

As for the three large tiled houses at the front, they were given to Qin Jiqun's family. The west room next to them was supposedly kept empty for Qin Bogang's family when they visited during the New Year and other holidays. However, in reality, Qin Jiqun and his wife had filled it with their belongings, essentially claiming the entire front section for themselves.

Sun Li, the eldest son's wife, disliked the countryside and rarely visited, even during the holidays.

When Qin Ju arrived home, she found her Third Aunt, Feng Lan, leaning against the gate, chatting with a neighbor and munching on peanuts. "Well, well, look who's back—Xiao Jiu, home for the holidays to eat free food again," Feng Lan sneered.

Qin Ju responded coolly, "My name is Jiao, not Jiu. It's not a big deal if Third Aunt is uneducated; you can still learn."

Feng Lan's expression darkened. "You little brat, getting cocky just because you've studied for a few years. You won't get into college anyway, so your parents should stop wasting their money. It'd be better to marry you off early and get some bride price money."

The neighbor chimed in, "They're all girls. What's the point of a bride price?"

Feng Lan laughed triumphantly. "Why wouldn't it be useful? They don't have a son, but we do. My Xiao Tao is the only precious one among the three brothers. When he gets married, his uncles won't be able to ignore him."

Qin Ju suddenly asked, "Third Aunt, how many peanuts have you eaten?"

"What?" Feng Lan replied, confused.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that it's still daylight, so don't rush to start dreaming." Qin Ju said, walking past her with the bag slung over her shoulder. Feng Lan turned to the neighbor and asked, "Is this girl slandering me?"

Qin Ju had already stepped into the yard, leaving the imposing front tiled house behind. The contrast between the grand structure in the front and the shabby mud house in the back was stark.

Later, Qin Ju discovered that half of the money used to build that grand house had come from her parents' hard-earned wages. She felt a wave of frustration.

Her parents were too soft-hearted. They had made so much money and built a big house, yet their two daughters were left to live in a cramped, mud-walled room at the back.

Just as these thoughts crossed her mind, a shrill cry pierced the air. A mud-covered child, looking more like a mischievous monkey than a seven-year-old boy, suddenly rushed towards Qin Ju.

Reacting instinctively, Qin Ju swiftly dodged. The child, not expecting her to move, couldn't stop in time and crashed headfirst into the door. He was momentarily stunned before bursting into loud, wailing sobs that echoed around the yard.

This was Qin Xiaotao, her uncle's spoiled son, who would be starting primary school in September. He was a typical brat, a little tyrant among naughty children.

Qin Ju had no patience for crying kids. She ignored him and looked past his tantrum to see a little girl sitting on the ground, her face pale and streaked with tears.

The girl bore a striking resemblance to Qin Ju, though her expression was far more timid. She clutched a half-broken piece of chalk in her hand, looking up at Qin Ju with wide, pleading eyes.

This was Qin Ju's younger sister, Qin Shi.

Qin Shi was nine years old, but she was half a head shorter than Qin Xiaotao and still hadn't started school.

Seeing her sister now, memories of the hardships Qin Shi had endured in their previous life flooded Qin Ju's mind. She was about to comfort her when a sharp voice rang out from behind her, "Oh, my baby! Why are you crying? Who bullied you? Tell me, and I'll scratch her face!"

It was their aunt, Feng Lan. Hearing her mother's voice, Qin Xiaotao wailed even louder.

Qin Ju quickly walked over to Qin Shi and whispered, "Cry louder! Cry louder than him! Don't worry, I'll take care of you!"

Qin Shi was confused but obeyed her sister. If Qin Ju said to cry, then she would cry! Tears had already been welling up in Qin Shi's eyes when Qin Xiaotao bullied her earlier. Like most children, she had a natural talent for crying, but she hadn't done so before because she knew no one would comfort her.

There was no point in crying if no one was there to console you.

But now, with her sister standing up for her, Qin Shi let all her pent-up grievances pour out. She cried so hard that she started gasping for breath.

Girls' voices are naturally sharper than boys', and Qin Shi's crying quickly drowned out Qin Xiaotao's. He was left dumbfounded, completely forgetting about his own fake tears.

How could she cry louder than him?

Feng Lan had just entered the room. Before she could say anything, Qin Ju shouted, "Xiao Shi, who did this to you? Who broke all your chalk? Who tore up the books I gave you?"

Qin Shi sniffled and sobbed, "Xiao Tao."

Qin Ju immediately turned to Feng Lan, her voice filled with anger. "Aunt, how could you let this happen? Xiao Tao might not know better, but why did you just stand by and watch him bully Xiao Shi? Before my parents left for work, didn't you promise to take good care of us? It seems your words were empty! When my parents return, we'll have a serious talk about this!"

At that moment, Old Master Qin walked in, holding his pipe. He had overheard part of the conversation and understood that Xiao Tao had been bullying Xiao Shi.

He knocked his pipe against his hand and said, "Enough, enough, no need to make a fuss over something so small. Xiao Jiao, you just got home for the holidays—why are you stirring up trouble?"

(End of this chapter)

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