Chiang Caijiao bit her lower lip and pulled up her sleeves.
"Sister Xiao, it hurts so much."
On her slender arm, there was a large area of bruising, shocking to behold.
Chiang Xiao was taken aback, "How did this happen to you?"
With red eyes brimming with tears, Chiang Caijiao turned to glance at her front door and whispered, "Sister Xiao, can I talk about it inside your house?"
After all, she was just a nine-year-old child.
Chiang Xiao opened the door to let her in.
In recent days, Ge Liutao and Chiang Songhai had gone to town early in the morning. Her bed and desk chair were ready, and they had gone to tidy things up. Chiang Songhai was also going to follow up the mountain, while after Ge Liutao had finished, she would join Liu Pei and Ge Xiaotong in doing crafts.
Originally, they were not at ease leaving Chiang Xiao home alone. However, Chiang Xiao had school during the day and only had to fend for herself at noon.
Chiang Xiao’s behavior had been so mature and steady during this time that she simply said she could cook some noodles for herself at noon, and they did not need to stay at home, which reassured Chiang Songhai and Ge Liutao.
After school in the afternoon, she only had to cook rice. Liu Pei would cook extra dishes, which she’d pack for Chiang Songhai and Ge Liutao to bring back, and they could be reheated for eating.
So at this time, only Chiang Xiao was at home.
As soon as she entered, Chiang Caijiao burst into tears, pleading pitifully to Chiang Xiao, "Sister Xiao, save me, please!"
Chiang Xiao was at a loss. Save her? Was it that serious?
"Don’t cry, first tell me clearly, who hit you?"
Chiang Caijiao sobbed as she said, "It was Second Uncle who hit me! There’s more on my back!" Turning her back to Chiang Xiao, who lifted her shirt, indeed, there was a swath of purplish bruise that looked like it had been whipped by some long, thin object.
Now, with this fuss she was making, he probably grew even madder.
"Keep your distance from him."
Chiang Xiao had no intention of finding out exactly what happened. When Chiang Baohe beat someone, sometimes there was no reason at all.
"But my grandma and mom both want me to serve food to Second Uncle. He was in a bad mood yesterday, smashed a bowl, and when I went in to clean up, just one look at his foot, and he said even I was laughing at him for being a cripple, then he whipped me with a rattan cane."
"Where did he get a rattan cane?"
Chiang Caijiao uttered a sound, glancing at her somewhat timidly, not daring to speak.
"It has something to do with me?" Chiang Xiao raised an eyebrow.
"Grandma said... that Second Uncle was driven mad, needed to vent, so she found him a rattan cane, told him if he was angry he should whip the chair, pretend the chair was that demoness or... you."
Heh, to take the chair for her, to lash out at it to vent on her, is that it?
Whip away then, as if real harm could come to her from a cane.
For someone like Chiang Baohe, if he truly ended up disabled and housebound in the future, he’d have his own torment to deal with. He’d become increasingly irascible, more stifled, and all the more insane.
But she definitely wouldn’t feel the slightest bit of guilt.
"Just stay away from him, have your mom bring him meals or let your dad or grandma do it," suggested Chiang Xiao.
"At home, I do all these chores. Grandma says if I don’t work, I don’t get to eat. Sister Xiao, I’m scared, Second Uncle hit me so hard it hurts, can you help me? You’re so formidable, even grandma doesn’t dare to hit you now, and you’ve found yourself such a good-looking brother-in-law. Can you help me? Otherwise, Second Uncle will beat me to death sooner or later," Chiang Caijiao wept convulsively.
Chiang Xiao frowned, "I can’t help you, you should talk to your dad."
With her own grandparents and parents around, what use was it to come to her cousin for help?
"My dad hasn’t been home lately, he definitely won’t care about me, they all only like Dongdong!"