Liu Meishu sprang to her feet, pulled a long face, stuck out a finger at Ping’an, then suddenly dropped her hand, turned around and strode out.
The movement was too fast. Before May 1st could hop over, she’d already turned and left, and he couldn’t very well chase after her to hit her...
That made May 1st so angry he was grinning through clenched teeth. "This is really fucking interesting, there’s actually someone who dares point at your young master’s nose to his face and give him attitude."
Liu Yi raised his voice at the figure walking away and shouted, "You shameless thing, don’t know a good face when it’s given!"
The twins’ voices were anything but quiet. Liu Meishu’s hurried steps faltered, then she started running. Once she rushed out the door, she gradually slowed to a jog, tears streaming down her face as she wiped at them with her hand.
She ran up to the steps of the old courtyard, and before she even got inside the main door, she burst into loud, wailing sobs.
In the kitchen, Mother Zhang and Huang Cuilan were so startled that their faces changed on the spot. On New Year’s Eve’s eve, who comes to your house wailing like a funeral? Trying to bring bad luck or what.
The mother-in-law and daughters-in-law could no longer care about what they were doing with their hands. They hurriedly told Mai Miao to turn down the fire, while they themselves rushed out of the kitchen and ran toward the gate.
Before they even reached the gate, a figure threw herself at Mother Zhang, clutched her, said nothing, and just cried on and on.
Mother Zhang looked at her in a daze, then looked at her two daughters-in-law, silently mouthing, "Who is this? Neither of you knows her?"
Lin Juhua quickly shook her head, but Huang Cuilan felt the face looked somewhat familiar. She leaned in, stared at that tear-streaked miserable face, and said hesitantly, "Looks like the youngest from Big Aunt’s family."
You couldn’t blame them for almost not recognizing her. Ever since Liu Meishu got married, she hadn’t set foot here in nearly ten years. It was only because Huang Cuilan felt the way she clung to Mother Zhang was a bit familiar, and then compared her face to Father Xiao’s that she figured it was probably her.
Why say that the way she clung to Mother Zhang felt familiar?
Because in Huang Cuilan’s eyes, there really wasn’t anyone like the Liu Meishu sisters, who even treated the way they hugged someone as acting. Every time they cried, they remembered to tilt their faces up at just the right angle—how could she not remember that?
Mother Zhang was jolted awake by her eldest daughter-in-law’s reminder. She craned her neck for a sideways look—sure enough, wasn’t this that ungrateful niece who bites the hand that feeds her! "What’s wrong? Weren’t your parents fine just a few days ago?"
Listen to that... Mother Zhang really thought she’d come to cry about a death.
Qingshan’s wife, who’d come to watch the commotion, followed right in and rushed to Mother Zhang’s side. She craned her neck to look Liu Meishu over, then whispered, "Second Aunt, she ran out from Xiao Wu’s yard crying all the way."
"What?" As soon as Mother Zhang heard that, she stopped caring about the crying niece. She shoved her away with one hand and ran outside. "Heaven help us, she’s got the nerve to cry?"
Qingshan’s wife stared, dumbfounded, as Mother Zhang ran off with surprising agility, followed closely by Huang Cuilan. She hurried to grab the slightly slower Lin Juhua.
"Don’t pull me. Sister-in-law, remember to check if the kids got hit by her."
Liu Meishu, shoved by Mother Zhang, let herself fall onto the ground. "I’ve got no face to live anymore. Being pointed at and scolded by juniors—I might as well be dead..."
"Listen to yourself. What good deed did you do to get scolded by the juniors? If you want to die, then go die. What the hell are you bawling for? Coming to our place to dump bad luck on New Year’s Eve’s eve, is that it?"
Lin Juhua said as she ran to look for a broom. Just as she grabbed it, she was yanked back by Qingshan’s wife. "Don’t hit her. We don’t even know what’s going on yet. If you start swinging, even if you’re in the right, you’ll be in the wrong."
Lin Juhua, persuaded, stopped insisting, but she was so angry she thumped her own chest. "That shrew, that filthy piece of trash, one look and you know she’s here to make trouble..."
Mother Zhang grabbed Xiao Wu and Liu Yi the moment she saw her three grandsons come out, giving them a thorough once-over. She was terrified they’d taken a beating from that white-eyed wolf.
She was just anxious and confused, not thinking at all about how the three brothers had practiced martial arts year in, year out, not to mention the two ’bodyguards’ Zhou Xiaozheng had specially sent. Where would the other side even find a chance to lay a hand on them?
Liu Yi and May 1st exchanged a look, eyes full of confusion. They obediently stood still while Mother Zhang inspected them one by one, patting and feeling them up and down.
"Second Sister-in-law, what..." Aunt Zhang ran in and saw the Ping An Brothers standing there baffled. She froze for a moment, then walked up to them. "What’s going on?"
Ping’an looked everyone over with a puzzled expression and asked in surprise, "I don’t know either, Grandma. We haven’t even gone out today, so how could we be hurt?"
"Ah? Didn’t someone just come to your house? Then she ran off crying from your place. She’s over at the old yard now saying she wants to die."
Ping’an frowned. "You mean that woman who claims to be our aunt? No way. We didn’t agree to anything she said. So she’s running off to make a scene—planning to use her death to threaten us, is that it?"
"Exactly. She says you pointed at her nose and cursed her..."
Aunt Zhang snapped, raising her voice, "Enough, you trying to make sure it’s not messy enough?" Then she turned to the three bewildered brothers, softening her tone. "You really didn’t argue with her?"
How could they not? But who saw it? Ping’an said, "Heh... this is really something. Liu Yi, May 1st, come with your brother and let’s see what kind of trick she’s playing."
May 1st pouted in grievance. "I even kindly set out cakes to treat her, and now this..."
Liu Yi twisted the knife. "Bro, I miss Mom."

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