An Hao dodged his slap by turning her face away, her gaze fearlessly fixed on Li Wangfu, "Don’t do too many despicable things! My family may be poor, but that doesn’t give you the right to insult us ! Let me tell you, Lun Wangfu, today I only used thirty percent of my strength to hit you, but if I encounter you again, it won’t be just a bump on your forehead; I’ll definitely make it bloom and show its colors! Don’t think your threats can scare me!"
"You... you motherf... you!!" Li Wangfu wished he could pin An Hao to the ground and give her a good beating, but he dared not, since everyone must have seen her come to deliver food.
If everyone found out he had hit An Hao, the secret would be out.
This girl might be young, but she was certainly not short on schemes!
"You just wait and see! An Hao, you’ll get yours!" Li Wangfu spat out the threat, swearing to himself that he would deal with An Hao severely the moment he got the chance.
"Fine, I’ll just wait and see! As if I’d be scared of you! You’re like a dog that can’t stop eating its own crap!" An Hao picked up her basket and turned to head back.
She found it embarrassing to walk back the same way she came and thus took a different route.
The moment she stepped inside, An Shuchao was sitting at home. Seeing that An Hao looked upset, he asked her, "An Hao, what’s the matter? Did something unpleasant happen again?"
An Hao considered telling An Shuchao about what had happened, but when she saw his leg, she swallowed her words again.
She decided not to speak. She would wait for the right moment to strike a fatal blow and drive Bai Yanjiao and her daughter Bai Xue out of the family for good!
"Dad, I’m fine, my stomach just feels a little upset from walking too quickly," An Hao fabricated an excuse on the spot.
"Are you sure it’s nothing serious? Should we go to the clinic to have it checked out?"
"No need, I’ll feel better after lying down for a bit."
That day, Bai Xue waited until dusk to return from the fields. She went straight into the kitchen to light the stove, as she needed a good bath to rid herself of the strong smell of vegetables clinging to her.
Once the water was heating up in the big iron pot, she stepped quietly into Bai Yanjiao’s room, pulled out two articles of her daughter’s clothing from the large wooden chest to change into, and then went to the northern room to see An Shuchao.
Upon entering the room, she saw that the family had already started their meal. Seeing An Shuchao’s usual expression and tone, she realized that An Hao hadn’t told him. She let out a sigh of relief and tried to conjure up a smile uglier than crying, "You’ve started eating?"
"Why are you so late? I was in the room and heard everyone else from the fields coming back. Why were you the only one late?" An Shuchao took a sip of his porridge and said with concern, "Was it because there was too much and too strenuous work in the fields that you couldn’t finish?"
Bai Xue saw that An Shuchao’s demeanor was normal, and he didn’t seem to be aware of anything, which made her quietly breathe a sigh of relief, "Yes, there was a bit more work, but it’s fine. I can manage!"
Right after she said this, An Hao let out a scoff, "You can manage! And manage quite well indeed! Effortlessly without lifting a finger..."
An Hao hadn’t finished her sentence when Bai Xue broke out in a cold sweat. Seeing that An Hao’s rice bowl was empty, she quickly took it from her hands, deflecting the topic, "Have another bowl, An Hao. I’ll go get you some more rice. You need to eat well when you’re studying hard!"
"No thanks, your hands are dirty. If my bowl gets dirty, I won’t be able to eat!" retorted An Hao, before getting herself another bowl of rice.
"What are you all talking about? I don’t understand," An Shuchao felt the atmosphere at the dinner table to be unusual and couldn’t help feeling puzzled.
"It’s nothing. Let’s eat, Old An!" Bai Xue handed him a bun, quickly silencing him.
The meal was eaten in suspense, and it was only after An Hao returned to her room that Bai Xue brought the water into the northern room and locked the door to take her bath.