Free Web NovelChapter 253: Chapter 253: An Unhappy Parting
’Li Aiguo seethed with regret. If he had known Su Qing would turn out like this, he never would have let that wretched spawn live.’
’He’d kept that little menace around, but then the Old Su Family had failed to keep her in line, allowing Su Qing to break free of their control. Now she was this defiant and unyielding. Looking back, he had really just shot himself in the foot.’
The regret gnawing at Li Aiguo was immense.
But regret was useless. The priority now was to smooth things over.
Li Aiguo quickly said, "Qingqing, you’ve misunderstood. I’m your own uncle, how could I possibly harm you? Who have you been listening to? They’re clearly trying to drive a wedge between us."
"Heh." Su Qing gave a cold laugh. "What feelings are there between us to begin with?"
Li Aiguo choked, unsure how to respond. In all these years, his trip to the Northeast was, in fact, only the second time he had ever met Su Qing. To talk about feelings was complete nonsense. frёewebnoѵēl.com
Beside him, Li Xiaojuan exploded, "Su Qing, what’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying our family harmed you? Ptooey! What good would harming you do us? Do you really think you’re some priceless treasure? That harming you would make our family rich? Take a look at yourself! You’re just a country bumpkin, and you think you’re some kind of golden phoenix."
Su Qing wasn’t angered by Li Xiaojuan’s words. She could tell that this cousin of hers was a firecracker—not only did she have a short fuse, but she was also prone to blowing up on herself. ’It’s likely there’s a lot she doesn’t actually know.’
As for Li Xiaodong, Su Qing narrowed her eyes slightly. ’The way he looks at me isn’t the normal way a cousin should look at his cousin. Now that’s interesting.’
"Whether there’s any benefit or not, someone here knows the truth." Su Qing’s calm words made Li Aiguo and Zhao Li’e’s hearts skip a beat. They had a nagging feeling that she knew something.
"Qingqing, don’t make wild guesses. I’m your uncle. Why would I harm you and your mother?" Li Aiguo said hurriedly.
Su Qing smiled faintly, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. "Who knows."
Zhao Li’e’s eyes darted around. She quickly changed the subject, "Qingqing, you did just hit your cousins, so I was a little agitated and spoke without thinking. But we’re family, after all. No matter what, we should get along. You and your cousins are still blood relatives; ’even if the bones are broken, the tendons remain connected.’ We’re all one family. You’re still young, so I won’t hold it against you. I know you were just speaking out of anger. Why don’t we all calm down? There’s no reason for family to hold overnight grudges, right?"
Su Qing shot Zhao Li’e a cold look. "Aunt, you don’t have to swallow your anger to talk to me. If you’re angry, be angry. I did beat up your son and daughter, after all. And now that it’s done, I actually think I went too easy on them. In any case, my mother isn’t at your house anymore. If you don’t want to see me, I won’t overstay my welcome. There are plenty of guesthouses and hotels for me to stay at."
With that, she turned to go back to her room to pack her things and leave.
How could Li Aiguo possibly let Su Qing leave? He had gone to so much trouble to bring her here. He rushed forward to block her path. "Qingqing, don’t take today’s events to heart. It was your cousin’s fault. I’ll scold her later, so don’t be angry, okay? And don’t let other people’s words stir up trouble. Your mother and I are siblings. Why would I harm either of you? If I wanted to harm you, why would I have gone to all the effort to find you and bring you back to see your mother? Right?"
Su Qing looked at Li Aiguo. She wanted to see what other tricks he had up his sleeve. Besides, the plants in the courtyard hadn’t yet reported back on their search for Li Wan. So, Su Qing decided to stay at the Li family’s home for another day or two to see how things unfolded.
"Fine, Uncle. I won’t hold today’s incident against my cousin and aunt," Su Qing said to Li Aiguo, forcing a smile. "But with all this commotion, I’ve lost my appetite. Let’s just leave it at that. I’m going back to my room."
Without another word, and ignoring the ugly expressions on the faces of Zhao Li’e and the others, Su Qing went straight back to her room.
Li Xiaojuan’s face was beet-red with anger. "Dad, are you just going to stand there and watch her bully us? You..."
Before Li Xiaojuan could finish, Li Aiguo snapped, "Shut up. You were the one who was in the wrong today."
Li Xiaojuan fumed, "Look at what she did to my brother!"
Su Qing had thrown Li Xiaodong to the ground with an over-the-shoulder throw, and he still hadn’t recovered. He’d never been thrown like that in his entire life and was still in a bit of a daze.
Li Aiguo looked at Li Xiaodong and asked, "Xiao Dong, how do you feel?"
Hearing Li Aiguo’s question, Li Xiaodong pursed his lips. "My back really hurts, Dad."
"See!" Li Xiaojuan fumed. "What if she seriously injured my brother?"
Li Aiguo hurried over to help check on Li Xiaodong. He found nothing more than a large bruise on his back and relaxed. "Qingqing grew up in the countryside, so she’s strong," he said. "Don’t go picking fights with her for no reason. Understand?"
Seeing how Li Aiguo was siding with Su Qing at every turn, Li Xiaojuan grew even more incensed. Just as she was about to say something else, Zhao Li’e stopped her. She flung her arm in frustration. "I’m not eating! I’m too full of anger to eat!"
With that, she also ran back to her room.
After being thrown by Su Qing, Li Xiaodong was in too much pain to sit, so he had no choice but to return to his room as well.
Li Aiguo looked at the untouched food on the table and sighed. He said to Zhao Li’e, "Divide up the food and take a portion to each of their rooms."
"Fine." Zhao Li’e was fuming inside, but she knew what was important and that she had to consider the bigger picture. So, she suppressed her anger, divided the food, and delivered a portion to every room, not forgetting Su Qing’s.
When Zhao Li’e brought the food, Su Qing had her take it back untouched. From her storage space, she took out a portion of sweet-and-sour crispy pork and a stir-fry of potato, pepper, and eggplant. She enjoyed a delicious meal, then turned her interested gaze to the vase of flowers on the table.
Whether in her past life or this one, Su Qing had never seen this type of flower before.
When she first arrived today and saw the vase, she’d felt there was more to it than just a simple bouquet. Now that she had a moment, Su Qing gently touched the petals with her consciousness. A moment later, the corners of her lips curved into a smile.
She might not have recognized the flower, but there was no way Li Aiguo and the others could have imagined that she possessed a Wood Ability. In this world, under the influence of her Wood Ability, all plants had no choice but to bow their heads and submit to her.
’And this vase of flowers... it’s truly fascinating.’
