Chapter Twenty-Three: Prelude
When contradictions accumulate to the point where they cannot be tolerated, they will be like a flood that bursts a levee and eats away at the surface of calm.
Li Xiao has been sitting at her desk for a long time, and she is waiting for the return of Wang Xiaomei and Li Yan, or rather, for tonight's confrontation
Just this afternoon, after Li Xiao came out of the game hall, she ran to the post office by the way, because she really didn't understand why it had been two months since the publishing house had not sent the manuscript fee.
If it is the relationship of the change of address, she has already explained with the cover letter of the children's story that she sent out, it is impossible that she was not admitted because the story was not well written, Li Xiao is still very confident in this
When Li Xiao arrived at the post office, she happened to meet the uncle who was in charge of delivering letters to the military compound, and she had already asked if it was not the publishing house that did not send the manuscript fee but was taken away by her family
As for who this family member is, Li Xiao already has a bottom in his heart
It's nothing more than Wang Xiaomei, since Li Gen returned to his hometown and Li Minghui went down to the company, Wang Xiaomei finally couldn't bear it anymore, and she didn't even do superficial work
Every time I cook less rice, I don't have enough to eat, and I don't have enough to eat, so it's not easy to save life, once Li Xiao comes back late, I don't even have food, fortunately, Li Xiao can cook, so I didn't go hungry, if it's just these trivial things
But this incident made Li Xiao decide not to tolerate it anymore, Wang Xiaomei can steal her remittance slip without permission today, and she can hide her important letters tomorrow.
It's unbearable for her!
This incident actually happened to be an opportunity for her, originally thought that it would not be done until the winter vacation at the end of the year, but she didn't expect Wang Xiaomei to dislike her so much that she didn't even want to pretend, without taking into account that they were actually a family
In fact, she really doesn't understand Wang Xiaomei's psychology, the time she and Wang Xiaomei have been together, except for the two years when Wang Xiaomei has not been in the army, it adds up to less than two months, where can there be so much resentment and disgust
Yes! Wang Xiaomei resented her, although she tried her best to hide it, Li Xiao could see it from Wang Xiaomei's eyes
The sound of the door opening with the key inserted into the lock hole interrupted Li Xiao's wandering thoughts.
"Yo, this is really a young lady, I haven't even cooked my meal so late, and I'm still waiting for me to serve it."
Wang Xiaomei looked at Li Xiao who came out of the bedroom, and couldn't help but sneer
"Your requirements are too high, I don't have the ability to meet them, you don't say that I cook too much, or that I cook too little and want to starve you"
Li Xiao will no longer swallow her anger today in order to maintain the superficial family harmony, on the contrary, she plans to make a big fuss today
"What do you mean by this, I said it, but your mother, who is kind enough to discipline you, you actually talk to me like this" Wang Xiaomei was very surprised, you must know that no matter what she has done these days, Li Xiao will not say a word
However, after the surprise, there is a snicker, she has been chatting with the neighbors around her these days, pretending to be inadvertently saying that the stepmother is not good, always hinting at others, this stepdaughter of hers is squeamish, arrogant, lazy, and lazy to make her and her daughter angry all day long.
If there is a fuss today, she must let Li Xiao sit on this name, so that Li Minghui will not always protect Li Xiao, it is best to let Li Xiao be isolated and helpless, and finally she can slowly step Li Xiao into the mud, so that Li Xiao can only look up to her and her daughter for the rest of her life
At this time, Li Yan, who had been sitting in the chair, also opened his mouth
"Sister, I know you don't like me and my mother, but you can't say that, Mom, she really doesn't mean anything else, if you don't want to do things, you don't have to do anything in the future, Mom and I will do it"
Li Xiao looked at the pretense of the mother and daughter and smiled sarcastically.
I'm going to attack her! Wang Xiaomei's small movements behind her back, Li Yan's pretending to be cute and innocent, she didn't know about these, she just watched coldly
Does Wang Xiaomei treat everyone else as a fool? Then she will let Wang Xiaomei take a look, if things go out today, whether to criticize her Li Xiao more or accuse her of Wang Xiaomei, just to make it difficult for her father.
"Heh, since it's here, let's open the skylight and say something bright, what the real situation is, we all know it in our hearts" Li Xiao paused after speaking
"I'm not clinging to those trivial things today, I ask you what about my remittance slip?"
"What nonsense are you talking about, what remittance slip?" Wang Xiaomei replied weakly, but she didn't expect Li Xiao to know about this matter
"You know what remittance slip is, you shouldn't want to confront me at the post office, the uncle who delivered the letter still remembers it clearly."
Li Yan sat on the chair and didn't know why, what kind of remittance slip, why was her mother so weak-hearted, could it be that her mother was hiding what she had done
Wang Xiaomei was anxious when she heard that she was going to confront her, and immediately said
"Why are you like this, I received a letter, but I don't know it's a remittance slip, do I still want your money?"
"I don't know if it's going to be, but you shouldn't hide my things, and return the remittance slip and letter to me now"
"Why do you want so much money for a little kid, I'll keep it for you"
Li Xiao looked at Wang Xiaomei's shameless face and laughed happily
"Don't bother with it, my money has always been collected by myself, you better pay it back to me"
Where did Wang Xiaomei get it, she made clothes for herself and her daughter, bought shoes, and sent the rest back to her parents' house
"I, I accidentally lost it, anyway, we are a family, your money is also my money"
Li Xiao believes that she has a ghost, it seems that she can't get the money back, but she is not mainly for money today, so it is no wonder that she is so
Li Xiao burst into tears, and said while crying
"Wang~Aunt Wang, I'm ~ not ~ where to do ~ not good enough, I know you don't like me, but ~ but you~ you can't woo"
Before he could finish speaking, he opened the door and ran out crying
Wang Xiaomei and Li Yan were left stunned to look at the door opened by Li Xiao in a daze
"Mom, can you tell me what's going on with the remittance slip?"
Li Yan came back to his senses and asked with an ugly face
Wang Xiaomei squeaked and refused to say at first, until Li Yan cried
"Do you have to wait for Dad to come back irreparably, now say it and we can find a way to remedy it"
When Wang Xiaomei heard this, she seemed to be a few years older all of a sudden, and she was stunned for a while before telling her daughter what happened
It turned out that this matter was also a coincidence, and on the day when the postman came to deliver the remittance slip, Wang Xiaomei's brother also sent a letter, saying that his daughter-in-law was about to give birth, and there was no money at home, so he asked Wang Xiaomei's sister to lend him some money
In fact, it is said to be borrowed, where does Wang Xiaomei ask him to pay it back, as long as there is a little money left in her hand over the years, Wang Xiaomei will send it back to her parents' house.
Li Minghui now earns 40 yuan a month, and gives her 20 yuan a month for living expenses, no matter how much she uses. She can leave a lot of money every month, unlike the other women in the compound who are tight every month and sometimes have to borrow money
Originally, Wang Xiaomei didn't want to take Li Xiao's money, but she had already promised her daughter to make her a new dress, and if she sent the money back to her hometown, she couldn't do it, but she couldn't send it. It just so happened that Li Xiao's remittance slip was in her hand, so she took it to the city and took it out to use it, she originally looked at what publishing house sent it, Li Xiao didn't receive it, she thought she wasn't hired, how did she know that it was discovered so soon
After Li Yan heard what happened, he was both angry and jealous
She was angry with her mother Wang Xiaomei for doing things without thinking about it, and thinking about her uncompetitive maiden family all day long
She hated her uncle's family like a bloodsucker, and she thought about how to get money and benefits from her family all day long
She was even more jealous that Li Xiaocai was three years older than her and could write stories for publication
But no matter how angry, hateful, or jealous, it is useless, and now the important thing is how to calm Daddy's anger when he finds out about it
"Mom, Dad is coming back tomorrow, we have to start first, and as soon as Dad comes back, I tell him that my uncle's family has an urgent matter to use money, so you will embezzle Li Xiao's first, I originally planned to wait for the living expenses to be returned to Li Xiao, but I didn't expect Li Xiao to know, and ran away angrily without listening to our explanation."
"Can this work, your father listens to Li Xiao's words very much"
Wang Xiaomei hesitated
"Then what do you say, if you hadn't sent money to your uncle all day long, there would be no such thing" Li Yan couldn't control his temper
"That's not your uncle, I don't help him, who will help him" Wang Xiaomei lowered her head and lacked confidence
"Okay, let's say that tomorrow, if Li Xiao talks about anything else, we won't admit it, pretend to be pitiful, do you know?"
Li Yan remembered what he and Wang Xiaomei had done to Li Xiao these days, so he told Wang Xiaomei
Besides, Li Xiao ran while crying, and made sure that many people saw it, so he ran to Qian Xiaoling's house
"Knock Knock"
"Who" Qian Xiaoling's mother Liu Li opened the door
"Aunt Liu, I'm looking for Xiaoling," Li Xiao said in a somewhat nasal voice
"Ouch, Xiaoxiao, what's wrong with you, why are you crying, come in" Liu Li hurriedly let Li Xiao in, and called Qian Xiaoling out in the bedroom
"Li Xiaoxiao laughed at you, what's wrong with you, who bullied you and told my sister, I'll give you anger"
Qian Xiaoling came out and saw Li Xiao's red and swollen eyes explode, in her impression, although Li Xiao is a little delicate, but she is not a person who loves to cry, and if she can make a person who doesn't like to cry like this, it must be a big bully
"Yes, Xiaoxiao has any grievances and told Auntie, Auntie is angry with you, and your father came to Auntie when he left the company, asking Auntie to take care of you more."
Liu Li is also a little distressed, this child has been in the compound for a month, she can see that this is a good child, very sensible, and her naughty girl also plays very well, you must know that her family is not a girl in the compound to be friends
Li Xiao saw that Aunt Liu and Qian Xiaoling were so nervous, and her heart was warm and a little uneasy, but she still had to let Aunt Liu know about this matter, and then borrow Aunt Liu's mouth to help
"Aunt Liu, I shouldn't have said anything about Xiaoling, after all, family ugliness can't be publicized, but I really can't bear it"
Li Xiao told Liu Li and Qian Xiaoling everything that happened recently
"What? This old pious woman is so vicious" Qian Xiaoling jumped up after hearing this
"What are you talking about, where did you learn these nonsense words," Liu Li patted her daughter and said to Li Xiao
"It's really hard for you, to be honest, I haven't liked your stepmother very much, I think she has too many eyes, especially when you come these days, she is always in the compound with those gossip people, I also vaguely hear her talking bad things about you, of course I don't believe it"
"Aunt Liu, thank you for believing in me, in fact, I also know what she says about me outside, but she is my elder, what can I do, if she hadn't gone too far this time, I wouldn't have quarreled with her"
After Li Xiao finished speaking, he pretended to be uncontrollable and shed a few tears
"Aren't you quite capable in front of me, a set of big truths, how come you don't dare to speak up when you meet someone who really bullies you, you only know how to shed tears"
Qian Xiaoling cried again when she saw Li Xiao, she was really angry!
"What's the matter with you dead girl, don't talk if you can't speak, smile and don't be like her, in fact, she also feels sorry for you"
Liu Li is really powerless against her daughter, and she is so embarrassed that Li Xiao doesn't have the same knowledge as her, and she is still friends with her
"Auntie, I know, Xiaoling, she just cares about me"
Li Xiao secretly rolled her eyes, isn't it to find guilt for herself by scheming with this teaser?
Qian Xiaoling listened to it and didn't speak angrily
Liu Li thought about it and said to Li Xiao, "Xiaoxiao, you will sleep in a room with Xiaoling at your aunt's house tonight, your father will come back tomorrow, and I will go back then."
She thinks so, the child has suffered such a big grievance and endured it for so long, if she waits to go back and quarrel again, she doesn't know what will happen if she is alone, and it is safer to stay at her own house for one night
Li Xiao breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Liu Li say this, in fact, she was also about to bring it up
"Then I'll trouble Auntie and Xiaoling, when my father comes back, I'll invite you to dinner"
As soon as Qian Xiaoling heard Li Xiao say this, she immediately shouted unhappily
"Don't you treat me as a sister, do you know that you have blessings and hardships?"
"That's it, Xiaoxiao, you are too outward, Auntie is going to be sad," Liu Li said unhappily
Li Xiao immediately begged for mercy when he saw it
"Auntie, Xiaoling, it was my mistake, I won't say it again. Don't be angry, I won't tell you these things if I treat you as outsiders."
Qian Xiaoling and Liu Li were happy when they saw Li Xiao say this, and then the two of them went to dinner with Li Xiao. When Li Xiao came, they had already eaten, because there was no leftover food in the evening, and finally at Li Xiao's request, Liu Li cooked a bowl of noodles for her to eat
After washing, Li Xiao and Qian Xiaoling went to bed, and after lying down for a while, Li Xiaozheng was a little surprised that Qian Xiaoling, who is usually energetic and a little chatty, why was it so quiet tonight, Qian Xiaoling spoke
"Hey, Li Xiaoxiao, cry if you want to, I won't laugh at you, don't worry, if Uncle Li doesn't help you get angry tomorrow, I'll call Lin Chengwu and them to set Wang Xiaomei's sack"
Li Xiao believes that if others can see it, they will definitely find that the expression on her face is very exciting, it turns out that this person is thinking about this for a long time without speaking, but in the midst of crying and laughing, he feels so fortunate in his heart!
God not only gave her a chance to start over, but also gave her the family who loved her so much and the teenager who regarded her as a brother, and now she has such a good friend.
It's enough to have a friend like this for the rest of your life!