Aunt Chu sat in the shade and waited. After a while, she saw two children carrying school bags walking over from afar.
She immediately stood up and waited for the two children to come closer. When she saw them clearly, she immediately pretended to be anxious and ran over.
"Oh no, Su Bing, Su Li, I finally found you. Please hurry back home!" Aunt Chu panted, her face filled with anxiety and worry.
Su Bing and Su Li, upon hearing Aunt Chu's words, turned pale in an instant.
Su Li was in a state of panic, not knowing what to do, and nervously looked at Su Bing.
Su Bing, being the older brother, managed to keep his composure for now. He furrowed his brow and asked, "Aunt Chu, what happened?"
"Since you were both at school, you have no idea what happened at home!" As Aunt Chu said this, tears welled up in her eyes. She wailed, "That woman is so bad. She abused Lele at home. Lele was still so young. Yet, she purposely pinched Lele hard. Lele cried in pain, and I wanted to carry Lele out of there, but she pushed me out. She wouldn't let me back into the house, so I could only wait for you here."
Aunt Chu sniffed sadly.
"Quick, we must hurry back home!" Su Bing didn't doubt Aunt Chu's words at all and immediately pulled Su Li towards home.
Aunt Chu hurriedly held them both back, seeing their puzzled expressions. She frowned and said, "You two can't rush back home like this. That woman is really good at pretending."
"She definitely knows you've finished school by now, and she will be extra nice to Lele. If Lele behaves well, we won't have any evidence of her mistreating your sister. If you tell your dad, she might even turn it around and accuse you of framing her."
Aunt Chu made a suggestion, "So, you must remain calm for now. Don't confront her. That woman is as cunning as a fox, and she probably has plans to get rid of you. We need to play it smart."
Su Bing and Su Li were trembling with anger, their faces turning pale.
Su Bing, being older, thought more about the situation. He knew Aunt Chu was right; that woman wouldn't show any mercy. But he didn't know what to do.
"What should we do then?" Su Li looked helpless as he asked Aunt Chu.
Aunt Chu thought for a moment upon hearing Su Bing's concerns. She had an idea and said seriously, "Su Bing, I have never laid a hand on you two, despite my bad temper. You know that, right?"
Su Bing lowered his eyelids, his long eyelashes hiding the complexity in his eyes. After some thought, he nodded.
Aunt Chu had a hunch that these two kids would stand with her on this.
"I initially thought it would be a good thing if your father had a new wife to take care of you, but that woman can't be Gu Zi.
"Gu Zi is young and beautiful. One look and you can tell that she's a rich lady from the city. Your father might not like her at first, but a vixen has many ways to seduce people!
"If your father really falls in love with her, she will definitely chase you out of the house. By then, you will really be at your wit's end. You won't be able to eat or wear warm clothes, let alone go to school.
"I really can't stand to see that vixen bullying you, so let's chase her out together. Just do as I say..."
..
In the afternoon, after almost finishing cleaning the entire second floor, Gu Zi took Lele downstairs to the living room to watch TV.
Gu Zi was concerned that Lele might get hungry, so she placed the egg cakes she had bought earlier at the cooperative store on the coffee table for the little baby to enjoy while watching cartoons. She then went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
It was about time for the other two children to come back from school, so it was the perfect time to prepare dinner.
Gu Zi had been busy all day and was feeling a bit tired. She decided to make a simple dish of beef noodles since it was convenient and could be cooked quickly when the kids returned home.
She rolled out the noodles on the dining table and had just finished cutting them when she sensed an unfriendly gaze fixed on her. She looked up and saw Su Bing glaring at her with a sinister expression.
Gu Zi had goosebumps all over her body from being stared at. The noodles in her hand fell onto the cutting board, but she quickly recovered and smiled at Su Bing.
"School's over, huh? You guys can start your homework, and I'll call you when dinner's ready," Gu Zi said before lowering her head to collect the already cut noodles into a large bowl.