Full House Spring

Chapter 9 Killing and Punishing the Heart

Mrs. Wu didn't even look at Xiangru. She said in a hoarse voice:
"Fuck you, you're hanging out with this bitch, you must be a bad person, get out of here."

Xiangru has been abiding by the rules since entering the mansion. Although she is not as respectable as the head maid, she has never been insulted like this. She held back her tears and stepped aside, looking at Xia Li with worry in her eyes.

Mrs. Wu looked as if she wanted to eat someone, and said sinisterly:
"You are such a heartless girl. I was kind enough to give you a bath, but you turned your kindness into enmity and deliberately hit my leg with a wooden bucket. Do you know your crime?"

Xia Li was not one to be frightened. She smiled at Xiangru and then said calmly:
"My mother-in-law asked me to pour water that day. I am small and weak, so accidents are inevitable. You can't accuse me of anything at random."

Mrs. Wu didn't expect that she would dare to quibble, and said angrily:

"Do you think I'm old and confused, and can't even tell whether it's intentional or not? Don't think you can rest easy with Xie Lan protecting you. Today I'll let you know how powerful this old woman is."

Xia Li was not frightened by her words, but was secretly delighted because her guess was confirmed. She said slowly:

"Aren't you afraid that the old lady will dislike you for your behavior? Since you know that I have my grandma to protect me, if something happens to me today, you will definitely be the one to suffer. Why bother?"

A hint of uncertainty flashed across Wu Pozi's eyes, and then she said viciously:

"Don't try to bluff me. Xie Lan is the old lady's confidant, and so am I. I don't believe that the old lady will listen to her one-sided story."

Xia Li stroked the brocade in his arms, raised his eyebrows and smiled softly:
"I'm afraid that mother-in-law won't even be able to see the old lady. My grandma is always with the old lady. She is the head of Leshou Hall, and you are just a qualified maid..."

This is what it means to kill someone and destroy their heart. Mrs. Wu clenched her fists angrily. The old lady had just beaten her personally, telling her in words not to bully the little girl anymore. She did not dare to disobey the order.

Although she didn't want to admit it, her position in the old lady's heart was indeed not as important as Xie Lan's. It was possible that what this little girl said would come true, and then it would be a waste of time.

Mrs. Wu was so angry that she wanted to eat Xia Li alive. She narrowed her eyes and thought that since she couldn't kill her, she could torture her to vent her anger. She thought the old lady wouldn't ask.

She looked at the cloth in Xia Li's arms with ill intent, curled her lips and said disdainfully:

"You are a new bastard, you haven't even received your monthly salary yet, where did you get the money to buy the cloth? Tell me the truth, where did you steal this brocade from?"

Xia Li's eyes flashed with displeasure, and he retorted calmly: "This brocade belongs to Manager Chai. He asked me to use it to make clothes. If you don't believe it, you can send someone to ask."

Wu Pozi has always been a bully who only dares to show off her power in front of the little maids in Leshou Hall. She would never dare to offend the steward of the outer courtyard. She was so angry that she said:

"You are a young girl who is still wet behind the ears. You don't work hard and just try to get things done. I think you don't have enough work to do. So wash all the curtains in the yard. If you can't wash them clean, I will skin you alive."

If Grandma Wu wasn't given some trouble, she wouldn't stop. Xia Li didn't want to make things difficult for Grandma Xie, so he didn't resist.

Xiangru was a little anxious when she heard this. She mustered up her courage and pleaded:

"Mother-in-law, Xia Li is small, and the curtain is long and big. It will be even more wet and heavy to lift. Please be kind and send a maid to help her."

Granny Wu felt a little happier. She said proudly:

"Then you underestimate her. Fang Xiali is very strong. She can even pry up a wooden bucket filled with water. What's the big deal about washing these curtains? If you sympathize with her, you can help her with the work. I am a very reasonable old woman and will never stop you."

Xia Li winked at Xiangru and said, "No need to help, I can do it alone."

Xia Li doesn't like to owe favors to others. She should clean up the mess she made herself and there is no need to implicate innocent people.

Xiangru bit his lips lightly, and after hesitating for a long time, he walked to her side and said:
"Let me take a shower with you. We are sisters living in the same room. There is no need to be so clear about the differences."

Mai Dong appeared from nowhere and said loudly, "There's me too. There's me too. How can you do without me when you're working?"

She smiled like a flower, rolled up her sleeves and looked very motivated. Xia Li scolded her with a smile: "This is not a good thing, why are you grabbing it?"

Mai Dong said in a clear voice, "Good sisters naturally share hardships. I can't just sit there and watch while you two work. Granny Wu, please have someone bring the curtains over."

She actually took the initiative to urge him on. Mrs. Wu couldn't stand Xia Li's popularity. She was so angry that her face twisted. But words spoken were like water spilled, and could not be taken back. She yelled at the maid beside her:
"Why are you still standing there like an idiot? Hurry up and get the curtains. Take down all the curtains in the yard. If you don't finish washing today, you won't be able to sleep."

Mrs. Wu became angry when she saw Xia Li's calm face, so she decided to turn a blind eye to it. She stood up, leaned on her crutches, and left with the help of the maid.

After Mrs. Wu left, Xia Li's face drooped. She had to spend time and effort on this time-consuming and laborious task again, and the thought of it gave her a headache.

The maids quickly brought the dismantled curtains over. Looking at the pile of curtains, Maidong swallowed her saliva and said in amazement:
"Why are there so many? Mrs. Wu didn't tear down the ones in other yards as well. How long will it take us to finish washing these?"

Xia Li had adjusted her mentality. She said calmly, "It's okay. We will definitely finish washing before dawn. You two can wash for a while and then go to rest. I will do it myself."

Mai Dong pouted and said, "That won't work. I said I'd come to help and I won't back down. The three of us will work together and finish the job quickly."

Xiangru didn't say much. He just bent down and put the curtain into the basin, then went to get hot water. During this time, some maids came to watch the fun, and some couldn't bear to see it and reached out to help.

Manqing and Zifu arrived a little later and saw Xiali pounding his waist out of exhaustion. Zifu gloated beside him and said:
"Hey~ Did you hit a wall and get punished? You usually argue with me with your sharp tongue, why don't you dare to defend yourself with Granny Wu this time?"

Xia Li glanced at her coldly and ignored her. Man Qing did not say anything to stop her. She watched coldly, but was secretly happy in her heart. If Mrs. Wu could suppress Xia Li, she would not have to be too afraid in the future.

Seeing that Xia Li ignored her, Zi Fu became unhappy and walked closer and shouted, "Fang Xia Li, I'm talking to you, are you deaf?"

Xia Li was using soap nuts to scrub the stains off the curtains. Hearing this, he rebuked, "You'd better get out of here so you don't get in the way."

Zi Fu said angrily, "You have fallen to this point, and you still dare to argue with me. Do you believe me, I will call Granny Wu over and report you for being lazy at work."

Xia Li threw the curtain in his hand heavily into the water and said sarcastically:
"Do you think Granny Wu is your servant? Someone who can come when you call her and go when you dismiss her? If you want to take advantage of someone else's power, why don't you take a piss and look in the mirror?"

Zi Fu was the most impatient person. She could get mad at just a few words. She said angrily, "You won't cry until you see the coffin. Wait and see how Granny Wu will punish you later."

Xia Li sneered and said, "Come and see if I got a hole in the sole of my foot from being scared."

Zi Fu was furious, picked up the curtain she had washed and threw it to the ground, and stepped on it twice. She looked smug and looked at Xia Li with provocation in her eyes. Man Qing instinctively knew something bad was going to happen, but before she could stop him, Xia Li had already rushed to Zi Fu and slapped her hard in the face.

She watched Xia Li grab Zi Fu's hair and push her hard into the dirty water used to wash the curtains.

No matter how unruly and arrogant Zi Fu was, she was just a girl of eight or nine years old. She had no power to resist and screamed in fear. Man Qing wanted to step forward to stop her, but Xiangru was quick to stop her, and Maidong also stepped forward to help.

Man Qing couldn't get close, and shouted anxiously: "Fang Xiali, stop it. My sister's crime doesn't deserve death. If you torture her like this, aren't you afraid that Granny Wu will punish her more severely?"

Xia Li was so angry with Mrs. Wu that he had no place to vent his anger. Wang Zifu walked into the trap herself. How could Xia Li let her go?

She lifted Wang Zifu's head and looked at Manqing with a half-smile:
"Do you think I'm afraid of Mrs. Wu because I was punished today? Why don't you think about it? With her cruel and ruthless nature, why didn't she hurt me at all? I was the one who injured her leg. Don't show off your little cleverness in front of me. You are not qualified."

After that, he pushed Zi Fu into the water again. Zi Fu was forced to drink several mouthfuls of dirty water. She kept vomiting with tears and snot. Xia Li's ferocious look shocked the surrounding girls.

Man Qing's face was pale, and she cried, "Fang Xiali, we know we were wrong. If you continue like this, my sister will die... Stop it..."

The evil fire in Fang Xiali's chest was finally vented. She pushed Wang Zifu to the ground and warned the onlookers:

"If anyone dares to mess with me without reason again, your fate will be even worse than hers. Don't mess around, or I'll make you wash this curtain."

As soon as she finished speaking, the maids and servants who were watching scattered immediately. Xia Li was not taller than them, but his aura was terrifying.

Man Qing also wanted to run away, but she couldn't ignore Zi Fu, so she had to run quickly to Zi Fu and help her walk. Wang Zifu was so bitter that she was about to vomit, so she had no time to challenge Xia Li.

After everyone left, Xiangru's eyes lit up and he said, "It feels so good to let out this sigh of relief. I guarantee those two sisters won't dare to do anything weird again in the future."

Mai Dong didn't think Xia Li did anything wrong. She consoled him, "Xia Li, don't get angry with those two sisters. They only bully others by taking advantage of their power."

Xia Li curled the corners of her mouth and smiled. She was filled with a sense of powerlessness as she was unable to escape from the predicament. She was in no mood to say anything more, so she just turned around and continued to work.

Xiangru noticed that something was wrong with her and signaled Maidong to keep quiet and let her be alone.

Xia Li turned her grief and anger into motivation and worked desperately, and finally finished washing all the curtains at 15:30 at 11:30. During this time, Cyperus rotundus and Ophiopogon japonicus did not back down and stayed with her until the end.

Xia Li swung his sore arms and said in a tired voice, "Thank you for your hard work. Let's go find something to eat first and then go back to the house to rest later."

Wu Pozi didn't let them have dinner, and now the three of them were starving. Mai Dong said weakly:

"The main kitchen won't give us food, and now it's locked, where else can we find food?"

Xiangru rubbed his stomach and said considerately, "Forget it. It will be dawn soon. Eat more for breakfast tomorrow."

Xia Li couldn't bear to see them sleeping hungry, so he smiled and said, "The little sister who came into the mansion with me is working in the kitchen. Let's go find her and we'll definitely be able to get some food."

Mai Dong's eyes lit up, and he said impatiently: "Then what are we waiting for, let's go quickly."

Xiangru couldn't help laughing, and the three of them supported each other and went to the small kitchen.

At this hour, except for the servants on duty, everyone else was asleep, and they didn't meet anyone on the way.

Xia Li was still worried. If Qiao He was not in the small kitchen, where would he find her? They had not met each other since they entered the house, and they didn't know where the other lived.

However, when I arrived at the small kitchen, I saw Qiao He squatting in the yard washing dishes. There was a pile of greasy dishes, and some of them were still being washed.

Xia Li frowned and looked at Qiao He. She was wearing coarse cloth clothes. Although the color was not bright, it was not worn out. Her face looked a little haggard, but there were no other external injuries on her body.

Xia Li called softly: "Qiao He..."

Qiao He was startled by the sudden voice. She looked up and was pleasantly surprised to see Xia Li. She quickly stood up and wiped the water stains on her hands, and said happily, "Xia Li? Why are you here so late? What do you want from me?"

Xia Li said lazily, "My two sisters and I didn't have dinner, so we wanted to come to your place to find some food. Is there anything left?"

Qiao He smiled when she heard that. "I don't have anything else here, but I do have food to fill your stomach. There's also beef bone soup simmering in the pot. Although the amount is not much, it's enough for a bowl of noodles. I'll also go and cook a chicken for each of you."

Xia Li thanked him and said, "I won't eat the eggs. I'm so sorry for causing you trouble so late at night."

Qiao He's eyes and eyebrows were all smiling. She said angrily, "Why should we be so formal? I'll go and roll noodles for you. You sit down and take a rest."

Xiangru said gently, "We are sorry to have interrupted your work. Let us wash the dishes in the yard. We promise to wash them thoroughly."

Mai Dong also agreed, "Yes, yes, yes, we can't delay your work while we wash the dishes."

Qiao He hurried forward to stop her, but Xia Li pulled her aside and said:

"Let them wash it, you don't have to worry too much, come on, let's go in and roll the noodles."

Qiao He had no choice but to follow her strength and go into the kitchen with her. The two of them worked in harmony. Xia Li asked casually:
"How about you staying in this small kitchen? Has Madam Lu ever been harsh to you?"

Qiao He paused for a moment and said with a forced smile:

"It's better than staying at Jiang Yapo's place. At least I can have enough food to eat and don't have to worry all day long. Everything else is just so-so."

Xia Li frowned and said coldly, "But did Madam Lu beat you?"

Qiao He's eyes were slightly red, and she choked up and said:
"Don't ask. We servants have lives worthless. You've also been abused to this extent. Otherwise, why are you still hungry? Just bear it slowly. You'll be fine when you grow up..."

(End of this chapter)