After The Coquettish Fake Master Was Driven Away - Chapter 37

At Tian Lao’er’s house.

The man stood unsteadily in the courtyard, burly and broad-shouldered, face flushed red, his whole body reeking of sharp, pungent alcohol.

On the ground lay shards of broken pottery bowls. Thin rice water seeped into the dirt, spreading into a muddy stain, grains scattered pitifully across the soil like tiny white flowers blooming in the earth.

Facing him—

Tian Xiaohua’s hair was disheveled, a bright red slap mark burned across her left cheek, her lips split and bleeding. Fear and hatred filled her face. Her frail body trembled uncontrollably, yet she shielded her equally shivering younger sister, Xiaozhi, behind her.

The wind blew, making Tian Lao’er stumble a few steps before he regained his balance. He sniffled loudly, baring his yellow teeth in a grin, and shouted curses at the two sisters:

“Cry, cry, cry—every damn day all you know is crying! You two money-wasting pests! I bust my back earning money outside, feed you and clothe you, and what do I get? Coming home to drink rice-wash water! Did your consciences get eaten by dogs?!”

The man’s broad arms were covered in greasy stains, his fingernails packed with unwashed grime and scraps of meat.

By contrast, the two sisters in their ragged clothes were gaunt, cheeks sunken. Five-year-old Xiaozhi was no bigger than a kitten, and nine-year-old Xiaohua was so thin and stunted that she wasn’t even as tall and sturdy as six-year-old Niu Xiaoya.

Well-fed?

Tian Xiaohua sneered. “All the money in the house goes to your drink. You don’t farm, so where’s there any money left for food?!”

Her sharp, piercing voice dripped with undisguised hatred. To her, the man before her wasn’t a father at all but a sworn enemy.

And in truth—she hated Tian Lao’er.

She hated how he drank himself senseless, raising his fists at the slightest displeasure. First he beat their mother. Then he beat her and her sister.

She hated how it was clearly him who beat their mother to death, yet he went around claiming she had run off with another man, smearing her name and severing their ties with their maternal grandfather’s family.

She hated how, when she tried to report him to the authorities, he brushed it off with: “This girl was abandoned by her mother, she’s crazy and spouting nonsense.” The officials dismissed it, and when they got home, he beat her so badly she couldn’t get out of bed for days.

Xiaohua knew he wanted to kill her too. The only reason she was still alive was because she had no evidence. He needed her to keep the house running, and once she was a little older, he planned to sell her to a brothel for cash.

Many times in the dead of night, she had crept into his room, brick or sickle in hand, ready to smash his skull or slash his throat and let him bleed out like a chicken.

But in the end—she always held back.

The villagers’ charity wasn’t endless. She and her sister barely survived on the scraps he let fall through his fingers. She had to endure for now. When she was older, she’d take her sister and run.

In the past six months, she’d saved twenty-one copper coins. Just nine more, and she could afford passage on an ox cart to Eshan Village, over a hundred miles away, to seek refuge with their grandparents.

She believed her grandparents wouldn’t abandon them.

“Bullshit!” Tian Lao’er spat through his teeth and onto the ground. “Didn’t I give you five coins just last time? How could they be gone already? You must be hiding them!”

At that, Xiaohua’s eyelids flickered. She was still a child, not good at masking her emotions. Panic flashed in her large hollow eyes.

Clenching her fists, she quickly denied it. “I didn’t!”

But that brief hesitation didn’t escape Tian Lao’er’s notice. He snorted coldly and staggered toward the sisters’ room.

“I’ll search myself. If I find you little bastards hiding money, I’ll beat you to death.”

“I—I really didn’t!”

In truth, Xiaohua had hidden the coins in a clay jar under the bed, carefully weighed down and never touched except to add more.

Even so, just the thought of him finding it made her bl00d run cold. She rushed ahead, spread her arms in the doorway. “This is my and my sister’s room. You can’t go in!”

“Outta my way!” Tian Lao’er shoved her down. “Yours, mine? The whole damn yard is mine! You’re nothing!”

“Jiejie!” Xiaozhi cried.

He kicked the door open and began ransacking.

The wobbly table was overturned, little toys of stone and sticks clattered to the floor, patched clothes strewn about. The bedding ripped open, spilling yellowed cotton.

Within minutes, their shabby but tidy room was wrecked.

Finding nothing, Tian Lao’er’s bloodshot eyes flared. Breathing hard, he glared back at the sisters, malice gleaming.

“Hand it over!”

“You already searched! Where’s the money?” Xiaohua shot back through clenched teeth. “You only ever bring home a few coins, half of which you waste on drink. What’s left isn’t even enough for me and my sister to live on!”

Whenever he came home with wages, most was squandered before he returned. Then half of the remainder went to liquor. Only after he stuffed himself could the girls eat scraps.

To save money, and to keep Xiaozhi growing, Xiaohua often gave her food to her sister, lying awake hungry at night.

Luckily, the apricot tree in their yard had recently ripened. She picked as many as she could, sour enough to make her stomach churn, but better than gnawing hunger.

Dried apricots were sweeter—they saved those as treats, and sometimes traded them. Just the other day, Brother Yan traded half a rabbit for them; she and Xiaozhi feasted and even made bone soup.

“Still mouthing off, eh? Fine, I’ll find it myself.” Tian Lao’er gripped the bedframe, sneering. With one heave, the wooden bed lifted easily.

Xiaohua’s heart lurched. She darted forward, clinging desperately to his arm. But he grabbed her collar, hauling her up like a chick.

“Troublesome brat! Want me to throw you out too?!”

Her feet dangled, collar choking her windpipe. She wheezed, face reddening, thrashing helplessly.

Seeing her sister in danger, timid Xiaozhi suddenly summoned courage. She rushed forward, pounding his leg with her fists, crying: “You bad man! Let go of my sister!”

“You ungrateful little brat! Dare hit your own father?!”

Her blows were light, weaker than mosquito bites, but her defiance enraged him. With a roar, he dragged both girls outside.

“You dare defy me? I’ll beat you till you remember your place!”

…

“Huff… huff…”

Xie Jinning sprinted toward the village as fast as he could, chest heaving, vision swimming. At last, before his legs gave out, he reached Tian Lao’er’s gate.

Even before stepping inside, he heard the girls’ shrill cries. Alarmed, he pushed the door open.

A red-faced brute stood in the yard, one thin girl raised high in his hand, about to smash her down. Nearby, Xiaohua curled on the ground, bl00d spreading from her waist.

“Stop!”

Who the hell—?

Tian Lao’er looked up, eyes flashing. He lowered his arm, sizing up the newcomer with a predatory grin.

“And who the hell are you?”

Xie Jinning stiffened under his greasy gaze, revulsion crawling over him. He rushed forward to help Xiaohua, but the man blocked him.

“So pretty—shame you’re a boy,” Tian Lao’er leered, eyes glued to his face. He licked his lips. “Bet you’d fetch a good price, though.”

He reached out a hand toward Xie Jinning’s cheek.

“What are you doing?!”

“Don’t touch gege!”

Still dangling in his grip, Xiaozhi’s tear-streaked face hardened. Her black eyes blazed like a little beast’s. She sank her teeth into his hand.

Her teeth, hardened from years of rough food, were razor sharp—bl00d instantly welled.

She wanted to protect her sister, and her gege. She wanted to learn, to study, to live a good life with her sister.

“You little b1tch—!”

Tian Lao’er roared in pain, flinging her away. The tiny body flew like a bird with broken wings—straight toward a heavy stone.

Xiaohua shrieked, eyes tearing. “Meimei!”

But Xie Jinning had been watching closely. He lunged, arms outstretched, catching her just in time. She was light, but the impact drove him staggering back, nearly toppling.

Her frail shoulder slammed into his chest. Pain shot through him, face drained of color. He swallowed back the bl00d rising in his throat, forcing a smile. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

Xiaozhi stared blankly, stunned. Only when he set her gently down and patted her head did she burst out wailing.

“Xie-gege, wuuu…”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing into him. The sheer panic and grievance in her cries made his nose sting—he almost wept too.

Relieved, Xiaohua collapsed again.

Xie Jinning stroked Xiaozhi’s bony back, then glared at Tian Lao’er. “If she’d been hurt, what then?! They’re your daughters! How can you commit such… such beastly, inhuman acts?!”

“Me, a beast?”

Tian Lao’er cackled, kicking Xiaohua’s limp body. “Without me, these two little bastards would’ve died long ago. They should be grateful they’re still breathing!”

The girl didn’t lift her head, expression hidden.

Xie Jinning glanced around—the yard remained empty. No help was coming. He steadied his mind.

He couldn’t fight Tian Lao’er. Not head-on. Xiaohua was still at his feet, in danger. He had to stall for time.

“Xiaozhi, be good. Let go now.”

He gently pried her loose, stood up, shielding her behind him. He met Tian Lao’er’s eyes squarely.

“Even a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs. If you have grievances, speak them out. Why resort to violence?”

Trying—actually trying—to reason with such a brute.

Tian Lao’er dug in his ear, eyeing the boy.

He hadn’t seen him before. Young, tender-skinned, face pale and fine-boned, pretty enough to not look like a man at all.

Sell him to some pervert, and he’d fetch a fortune.

But his bearing… Though plainly dressed, he carried himself more impressively than any rich townsman. If he was some pampered young master out slumming, that could spell trouble.

Tian Lao’er’s beady eyes rolled, then he put on a straight face. “Fine. We’ll talk nicely.”

He kicked Xiaohua again, ignoring the bl00d. “Get up. Close the gate. Boil some water.”

“I’ve got to have a little chat with this young brother.”