"If it weren’t for little sister getting diarrhea, how could she have received no score in foreign language? How could she have failed to get into college?"
Xu Nian’an’s heart seethed with anger. He had thought that maybe it was due to not having eaten much oily food usually, and then suddenly eating meat-filled buns, or perhaps her stomach wasn’t accustomed to it, which then led to Xu Nianhua getting diarrhea.
But, he never expected that it was because Xu Jiaojiao had tampered with the buns.
Xu Jiaojiao was scared out of her wits, wearing her new green dress today, which had been splashed with mung bean jelly, and now, Xu Nian’an was about to hit her.
When Ji Ying learned that her daughter had not been admitted to college, all because of Xu Jiaojiao, and considering the incident in the back hill last time when she almost lost her daughter, Ji Ying, too, became frenzied and pounced toward Xu Jiaojiao.
The scene quickly descended into chaos.
Xu Jiaojiao, trembling with fear, hid behind Zhao Juxiang. Ji Ying was usually gentle and easy to talk to, but with her daughter’s future at stake, Ji Ying didn’t care about gentleness—she just wished she could tear the person into pieces. Unable to catch Xu Jiaojiao, she turned her wrath on Zhao Juxiang.
Xu Nianhua stepped forward to help, and did not miss the chance to vent for herself.
"Stop it, all this shouting and brawling, what a disgrace!"
Xu Zhong hadn’t expected this situation, and it had happened so suddenly that they all were too late to react. The four women had already started fighting, while Xu Nian’an, who had initially intended to start the altercation, stood to the side, clenching his hands tightly, wishing he could vent for Xu Nianhua.
Liu Sanmei had positioned herself behind Xu Zhong as soon as the fight started—her old bones did not need to get involved.
"Elder brother, second brother, what are you waiting for?"
Xu Zhong looked at Xu Qinghe and Xu Qingjiang standing aside and chastised, "Aren’t you going to pull your wives apart?"
"Zhao Juxiang, this is far from over between us."
"My Jiaojiao didn’t do this thing, you better not slander my daughter," retorted Zhao Juxiang.
"Pah, Xu Jiaojiao just admitted it."
"Your son Zhiyuan didn’t make it to college, and you want my Nianhua to fail too. How can you and your daughter have such dark hearts?"
Today, during the day, Zhao Juxiang grabbed the postman, insisting on finding that notice—she knew all about it.
She was already distraught over Xu Zhiyuan’s failure to get into college, and now Ji Ying was twisting the knife in her heart!
Xu Nianhua supported Ji Ying and moved her back, worryingly examining Ji Ying. Aside from a few scratch marks on her arm, she was okay.
In the courtyard, amidst the disarray, Xu Zhong barked, "Xu Jiaojiao, get out here."
Zhao Juxiang wanted to speak up for her daughter, but looking up at Xu Zhong’s dark, pot-bottomed face, she dare not say anything and just gently patted Xu Jiaojiao’s hand.
Xu Jiaojiao, shaking, stood before Xu Zhong, and with Xu Zhong’s questioning on top of having just admitted to her deed publicly, Xu Jiaojiao dared not deny it.
Xu Zhong raised his hand and slapped her, saying with a face full of disappointment, "Is this how your mother taught you? Is this how you treat your elder cousin? Go back to your room and don’t step foot outside until school starts."
"Grandpa, I..." Xu Jiaojiao, with tears in her eyes, looked at Xu Zhong, but Xu Zhong ignored her completely, and she cried as she ran back to her room.
"Nianhua." Xu Zhong was about to speak when Xu Nianhua, with red-rimmed eyes, said, "Grandpa, failing to get into college is not the end of the world, it’s just, I have to study for another year, and it’s not easy for dad and mom to make money, so I’m going back home first."
Xu Nianhua turned and ran away, looking as if she had suffered the greatest of injustices.
Xu Nian’an immediately followed her.
Chasing her outside, many neighbors had heard the Xu family’s commotion. Xu Nianhua, with a choked voice, talked about her experience of getting diarrhea during the college entrance exams. She didn’t explicitly say Xu Jiaojiao had used Badou, but it was implied by her words.