Free Web NovelChapter 150: Chapter 140: Not Done Playing? Let’s Keep Playing.
After loading all the food Xiao Man had brought onto the car, Zheng Shaolian pulled a toy calico cat from his satchel and handed it to her. "This is compensation from Tang Haohao. It’s imported. See its eyes? You can use it as an alarm clock. It’ll go off at the set time—just a meow sound. Remember to wind it up."
Xiao Man examined it with curiosity but said dismissively, "Who wants his stuff?"
"Why wouldn’t you? Tang Haohao offered this as compensation willingly. He had Secretary Tang bring it from the provincial city and deliver it to me personally! Tang Haohao even called me later. He said he wanted to tell the adults as soon as he got home, but his sister stopped him, afraid Secretary Tang would get angry if he found out."
"So Secretary Tang knows about it now?"
"Of course he does! As soon as my injuries healed enough for me to get around, I immediately called Secretary Tang. I told him straight up that his kids broke my sister’s property and threw their weight around... It’s a good thing I did. Those two little brats were keeping it a secret, thinking they’d gotten away with it. Heh, they wish! And guess what happened? Secretary Tang gave them a harsh lecture and made Hao Hao pay for damages. They’re lucky I didn’t ask for compensation for emotional distress!"
Xiao Man was amused. "They were trying so hard to hide it, and you just had to drag it out into the open. Be careful you don’t make them hate you!"
"Hate me? Who do they think they are? I’m not scared of them!"
Xiao Man: ...
’So arrogant. He never stops to think. If things had gone as planned, Gu Shaojun would marry Tang Haoxuan. Would he still have the gall to go running to Brother Shaojun’s house to cozy up to them?’
But as it turned out, his arrogance wasn’t entirely baseless. In her past life, Tang Yaxuan hadn’t married Gu Shaojun. In this life, with Xiao Man’s interference, she wouldn’t be able to marry him either. So he really had no reason to worry about Tang Yaxuan holding a grudge and seeking revenge.
Xiao Man sneered inwardly. ’That day we met, I laid my cards on the table and made everything crystal clear, but Tang Yaxuan still thought she could get lucky, delusionally hoping to cover the whole thing up!’
’Tang Yaxuan, you kept it so secret in our last life. How did it feel, enjoying that secret all by yourself? Not done playing? Fine. Let’s keep playing in this life. Together. Let’s play a little game of cat and mouse.’
’Go ahead and hide. Go ahead and conceal. Let’s see how well you can hide it, and for how long!’
In the provincial city, Tang Yaxuan was at home practicing the piano. The music was soothing and pleasant, but she suddenly shuddered and let out a huge sneeze. Wu Xiaowen rushed over to check on her, feeling her forehead and fretting, "What is it, what is it? School’s about to start, you can’t catch a cold now. I’ll have the nanny make you some herbal tea as a precaution... Oh, wait, the nanny went to the tailor’s to pick up your new clothes. I’ll make it for you, dear."
Tang Yaxuan agreed absentmindedly. She would be starting eighth grade soon. After moving to the provincial city with her mother last year, she had enrolled directly in the junior high division of the city’s best school. Her mother, with great foresight, had hired tutors for her early on. With help from her genius brother, Hao Hao, and her own hard work, her grades were consistently in the top three of her class. As a class officer known for her excellent grades and character, she was well-liked by both teachers and students.
As she watched Wu Xiaowen turn and walk toward the coffee table, her slender, graceful figure swaying enchantingly in her dress, Tang Yaxuan glanced down at herself. For some reason, her thoughts drifted back to Mo Xiaoman at the hospital.
’Mo Xiaoman’s figure is a lot like Wu Xiaowen’s, but that’s just because she’s thin. If I ate half a bowl less at every meal and slowly lost weight, I could look like that too!’
Recalling the humiliation of that day, Tang Yaxuan bit her lip. ’Mo Xiaoman, don’t you even think about coming back! Mom doesn’t want to see you. And so what if Dad found out? He just scolded Hao Hao and me a little. He didn’t ask any questions or investigate further. It all just blew over!’
’Who would want you anyway? Just stay put in the countryside. You like it there, don’t you? As you wish! I’ve already written to Liu Fengying and sent a large sum of money. I demanded that they use every means at their disposal to ruin you and make sure you stay in that godforsaken place forever!’
’You think you’re safe just because you latched onto Zheng Shaolian? Heh! He’s just a minor officer who relies on my Brother Shaojun for protection. He has no power of his own!’
’You’re completely clueless, Mo Xiaoman. You’ve backed the wrong horse!’
’Your doom is coming soon, Mo Xiaoman. I’ll be waiting for the good news!’
While Tang Yaxuan was silently cursing her, Mo Xiaoman had returned to Gongdao Village from Wancheng. She began packing, preparing to attend middle school in the county seat. The town was a three-hour drive away, so she could come home every Sunday. Furthermore, Mo Chengfu had moved into a room at the Youth Corps Courtyard to make it easier to learn acupuncture, practice his martial arts, and tend to the medicinal herbs. Since he would also be there to look after Grandpa and Grandma, there shouldn’t be any major issues.
That evening, she led Grandpa and Mo Chengfu through the Five Animals Qigong a few more times. Even though it was a simplified version, it was still quite difficult. Grandma gave up after learning just the first small section, but Grandpa and Mo Chengfu seemed to be feeling the benefits and stuck with it.
Late that night, the three of them—young and old—practiced in the dark. Each took a corner of the courtyard, silently going through the motions under the faint starlight. By now, Xiao Man’s senses were far sharper than an ordinary person’s; she could detect any movement within thirty paces. And at that very moment, she could sense someone moving on the road outside, deliberately trying to be quiet. And on the back wall, near the house and directly opposite her bedroom, someone was about to climb over!
Xiao Man sneered. ’Go on, climb. Whatever happens next is on you.’
As the thought crossed her mind, she was the first to conclude her practice, focusing on her Breathing Regulation.
Seeing this, Grandpa and Mo Chengfu also finished their practice.
Just as Xiao Man predicted, trouble started in the dead of night. However, what happened next was completely beyond her expectations. When an explosion ripped through the air from beyond the wall, Mo Xiaoman couldn’t help but sigh. ’My imagination is no match for Liu Fengying and her family. No wonder they looked down on me in two lifetimes and completely shut me out!’
Since she was leaving for school in the county seat, she had worried that her family might not be careful enough. So, she had used a ready-made Defense Talisman from her storage space to set up a simple Array around the courtyard. She’d expected that if someone tried to climb the wall, she’d just get to watch them take a nasty fall. She never, ever imagined they would bring dynamite to blow up her house!
As a result, the Defense Talisman activated. Since the attacker was at close range, the force of the blast was reflected back at them threefold...
The massive explosion startled everyone, and nearly half the village ran over to see what was happening.
Three sticks of dynamite had been tied together. The moment they were lit on top of the wall, they were thrown back. The stone wall was tall and thick—so how much damage could the flying shrapnel cause? One look at the bloody, mangled figures of Mo Xiaoqiang and the two thugs he’d hired was all the answer needed.
Mo Xiaoqiang had been the one to climb the wall and place the dynamite. Both of his hands were blown off instantly, and his legs were broken. His two hired thugs had been standing below; one acting as a lookout while the other supported Mo Xiaoqiang. They were both injured to varying degrees. The lookout’s injuries were relatively minor, and he was still able to wail in pain. The one who had been holding Mo Xiaoqiang, however, was unconscious, just like Mo Xiaoqiang himself.
Xiao Man was certain that the faint footsteps she’d heard on the road belonged to two other people who had escaped the blast and fled.
In the aftermath, the police came to Gongdao Village every day to investigate and gather evidence. Mo Xiaoqiang was still in the hospital, while Mo Guoqiang and Liu Fengying were taken into custody as his legal guardians. Xiao Man had no idea what the final verdict from the police would be. Her school term had begun, and without allowing any argument, Grandpa sent her off to school.
