Gu Xi had stayed at the Shen residence all day, playing with Shen Mingrong and helping him check his homework.
In the evening, when Shen Zhongshan and Feng Min came home from work, they were both happy to see her.
“Xi Xi’s here!”
Feng Min immediately took her by the hand to take a look, then suddenly frowned.
“Have you not been eating or resting well these past few days? You look so pale.”
Just by looking at her, it seemed like she hadn’t fully recovered from a serious illness, which was worrying.
They thought to themselves that next time she rested, they should take her to the hospital for a check-up.
Gu Xi replied, “I’ve been eating and resting well. It’s just that the weather’s too hot—it’s a bit of the bitter summer.”
“Really?”
Feng Min thought about how the weather was indeed extremely hot now and people often lost their appetite. She reluctantly believed her and then asked, “Is everything alright at your home?”
Seeing Gu Xi’s poor complexion, she was still worried about the people in the Gu Family, fearing they might take advantage of Gu Xi’s gentle temperament and bully her, especially that Gu Yuanhui.
She truly didn’t understand how Gu Maowen and his wife had raised their children—how could they have raised such a spiteful and hateful little brat who bullied his own sister without mercy, as if she were his enemy?
Although Gu Xi never complained about these things, she had eyes and a mouth. Every time she visited the Gu Family, Gu Yuanhui would sarcastically belittle her in front of her, showing how much he bullied her behind her back.
Gu Maowen and his wife verbally scolded Gu Yuanhui only because they were present; if Gu Xi wasn’t around, they probably wouldn’t care and would just dismiss it as sibling quarrels, forcing Gu Xi to endure it rather than making a fuss.
Gu Xi smiled softly, her voice gentle.
“It’s fine. It’s just that my father accidentally strained his waist, and it’s a bit serious, so he’s resting at home today.”
“Strained his waist?”
Both Feng Min and Shen Zhongshan looked puzzled.
Gu Xi’s expression didn’t change as she skirted the issue lightly.
“He strained it while helping Gu Yuanxiang move a cabinet. The cabinet in Gu Yuanxiang’s room is pretty heavy.”
She wasn’t afraid that the Gu Family would come running to tell Shen Zhongshan and Feng Min anything; Gu Maowen and his wife had too much pride to lose face like that.
Having lived with them for years, she knew exactly how much they cared about their reputation. No matter how much they disliked her, they would never spread rumors about her outside.
This was also why she dared to openly confront them. She didn’t even know how long she would live in this lifetime, so why bother holding back?
Only those who held back lived a suffocated life.
The Gu Family’s obsession with saving face at the cost of their own suffering was quite laughable.
Shen Zhongshan and Feng Min didn’t think much of it, assuming that Gu Maowen was just old and prone to straining his waist when moving furniture, and after a sigh, they dropped the topic.
At dinner, they learned that Gu Xi’s foster family’s younger sisters had sent some local specialties from the countryside, which made them quite happy.
They thought that although the Xu Family’s two younger sisters came from such a family background, they were good girls and hadn’t wasted Gu Xi’s efforts in arranging things for them.
Feng Min looked at the clothes and shoes made for her and said, “Xu Yuansheng really has skillful hands. The clothes fit perfectly and make you look spirited.”
These days, clothing styles weren’t many, but the details could showcase a tailor’s ingenuity.
When Xu Yuansheng made clothes, she deliberately took in the waistline, making the clothes especially flattering and giving people a lively look.
Gu Xi smiled.
“My second younger sister has loved watching clothes being made since she was little. She learned from the Old Tailor in the commune and even helped him out.”
That was before she had returned to the Gu Family.
In her free time, Xu Yuansheng shamelessly helped the Old Tailor. Sometimes, he would give her some food as a thank-you, which Xu Yuansheng would secretly bring back.
The three sisters would then huddle together in the Chai Room to quietly share the treats.
After dinner, it was already late. Gu Xi got up to leave.
Feng Min saw her out and said, “Xi Xi, why don’t you stay here tonight? It’s summer vacation anyway, and you don’t have anything to do. As for work, there’s no rush—you should recover your health first before looking for a job.”
Since Gu Xi didn’t want to continue studying, she indeed needed to find a job. But seeing her poor complexion, there was no hurry—she should recuperate first.
Gu Xi said, “I have some things to take care of recently. I’ll come over when I’m done. Even if you try to send me away then, I won’t leave.”
“What things?”
Feng Min asked curiously, then playfully scolded, “If you come over, I’ll be happy. Why would I send you away?”
Gu Xi only smiled and bid her farewell before leaving.
***
Returning to the Gu Family, night had fully fallen. Everyone had finished dinner and was chatting leisurely in the living room.
Gu Yuanxiang carried a fruit plate over and asked her proactively, “Xi Xi, have you eaten? We saved some food for you.”
“I’ve eaten.”
Gu Xi replied casually, ignoring the others in the living room and heading straight to her room.
The faces of Gu Maowen and his wife darkened.
They were angry that their daughter was disobedient, but even more upset that she treated them with such disregard, thinking she had no manners and didn’t respect her parents.
Gu Maowen grumbled, “She really was spoiled by that pair of country bumpkins.”
Gu Yuanxiang’s expression stiffened upon hearing this because the “country bumpkins” he referred to were her biological parents. Although she always regarded herself as a Gu Family daughter and refused to acknowledge the Xu Family as her blood relatives, she knew in her heart that blood ties could never be broken.
Gu Yuanzheng noticed her displeased expression and changed the subject.
“Dad, Gu Xi has already graduated high school. What are her plans now?”
In the past, he wouldn’t have brought this up. Since her parents were arranging things for her, he was only the second brother and didn’t need to get involved.
But now his mindset had somewhat changed. He realized he couldn’t remain indifferent, or else the family would only get worse.
Jiang Huijun sighed.
“I asked Xi Xi the same thing last night.”
“What did she say?”
Everyone looked at her, eager to know Gu Xi’s thoughts, hoping to find her something to do soon; otherwise, it would be unbearable if she caused trouble at home every day.
“She said she wanted to study and asked us to get her a Gongnongbing University Recommendation Quota.”
At these words, the room fell silent.
Gu Maowen frowned.
“Why doesn’t she go to the Shen Family?”
Hearing this, Jiang Huijun looked embarrassed, recalling what Gu Xi had said last night and the mocking expression she had worn. Every time she thought about it, she felt ashamed beyond words.
Seeing her reaction, Gu Maowen and Gu Yuanzheng understood without asking further—it definitely wasn’t anything pleasant.
“Why not just get her married off?”
Gu Yuanhui muttered.
“She has a Marriage Contract with the Shen Family, right? I heard Shen Mingrong is already twenty-seven or twenty-eight. If he doesn’t marry soon, he’s getting old.”
To a sixteen-year-old boy, a man in his late twenties who wasn’t married yet was considered old.
It was lucky Shen Mingrong had a Marriage Contract and was in the Army; otherwise, people might suspect something was wrong with him for not marrying this late.
Gu Maowen and Jiang Huijun exchanged a glance and fell silent.
This Marriage Contract was clearly controlled by the Shen Family. The Gu Family couldn’t make decisions about it.
When they would marry was decided by the Shen Family. If they mentioned it, the Shen Family might say Shen Mingrong was busy with his military duties and had no time to return and marry, which would be embarrassing. They didn’t want to lose face in front of the Shen Family.
“Indeed, this matter should be brought up,” Jiang Huijun said.
“Xi Xi is already twenty. If she’s not going to university, she might as well get married first and find a job after marriage.”
Once married, she’d be someone else’s daughter. She wouldn’t be able to keep coming back home and causing trouble.
Thinking this way, Jiang Huijun immediately felt relieved.
Gu Maowen agreed, nodding his head, deciding to find time to send word to the Shen Family about this.
***
Gu Maowen rested at home for two days. Feeling his waist was less painful, he returned to work.
In the following days, the Gu Family remained restless, with disturbances occurring every day.
Perhaps having forgotten past pain, Gu Yuanhui’s facial injuries hadn’t fully healed, but his arrogance returned. He even dared to throw Gu Xi’s clothes drying in the yard onto the ground.
In the past, Gu Xi would silently pick them up and wash them again.
Now, she wouldn’t tolerate him at all. She beat him up, then forced him to wash the clothes properly, adding that from now on, he would be responsible for washing the family’s dirty clothes.
Gu Yuanxiang hesitated about whether to intervene but fell silent after hearing Gu Xi’s decision.
Recently, all the housework had fallen to her, and she realized just how much work there was at home and how exhausting it was. She wondered how Gu Xi had managed everything so neatly and effortlessly before, especially when washing all the family’s clothes, which always left her with a sore back and aching waist.
This summer vacation was really hard to endure—she couldn’t wait for school to start again to escape and avoid these chores.
Gu Yuanhui had a temperament that didn’t keep count of how many times he got beaten, but even he finally learned his lesson after so many beatings.
The commotion became so well-known that even the entire Residential Compound was aware of the Gu Family’s unrest, especially because a nosy neighbor, Huang Old Lady, loved to spy on everyone. Whenever there was the slightest stir, she would spread rumors everywhere.
Every time Gu Maowen and his wife heard gossip about their family, they would flush red with embarrassment and anger.
What frustrated them the most were the rumors that they liked raising other people’s children, even saying they abused their biological daughter, making Gu Xi work like a beast to serve the whole family…
They always came home with sour faces.
Back home, seeing the culprit Gu Xi, they grew even angrier. They wanted to scold her but couldn’t out-argue her because she really knew how to hit where it hurt—the truth.
Although Gu Xi thought she was just speaking honestly, often the truth was the most painful.
They certainly couldn’t hit her; the Gu Family had no tradition of corporal punishment. Even if they wanted to hit her, Gu Xi wouldn’t stand there and take it—she would hit back immediately.
Can’t hit her, can’t scold her—what then?
Knowing that Gu Xi counted on their vanity and relentlessly provoked them, they could never spread her deeds outside. The Gu Family simply couldn’t lose face and had to endure the pain, which was miserable beyond words.
One day, Gu Xi was drinking water in the kitchen when she heard a knock on the door. She opened it and saw a group of half-grown boys standing outside—Gu Yuanhui’s close friends from the Residential Compound.
Seeing them, Gu Xi’s eyes flickered slightly.
The boys smiled and greeted her, “Hui Zi’s sister, we’re here looking for Hui Zi. Is he home?”
Gu Xi’s gaze scanned their faces one by one. Something welled quietly in her eyes as she calmly said, “He’s here.”
She stepped aside to let them in.
These boys were close to Gu Yuanhui and often came to the Gu Family uninvited, treating themselves like family. Upon entering, they went straight to knock on Gu Yuanhui’s door.
Soon, a series of exclamations rang out.
“Wow, Hui Zi, what happened to your face? Who hit you?”
“He definitely got hit, and it’s a good one too!”
“Hui Zi, why didn’t you call us when you got into a fight? If you just shouted, we would’ve grabbed our weapons and come—let’s see who dares bully our brother!”
“…”
Gu Xi sat calmly on the sofa drinking water, listening to Gu Yuanhui upstairs stubbornly insisting he wasn’t beaten but had accidentally bumped into something.
Teenage boys prized face and pride above all else. How could he admit he was hit, especially by the sister he despised most? He’d rather proclaim to the world that he fell or bumped himself.
A while later, Gu Yuanhui came downstairs with the group of boys. Seeing Gu Xi sitting quietly in the living room, he was so startled he nearly had a panic attack.
The boys didn’t notice his subtle reaction. When Gu Xi turned to look at them, her fair, delicate face struck them directly, making these boys—who rarely interacted with such a beautiful girl—blush.
Gu Xi seldom looked at people so straightforwardly. Most of the time, she avoided others and was silent.
This was the first time these boys clearly realized that Gu Yuanhui’s sister was truly very beautiful—an uncommon sight.
One boy said, “Hui Zi, it’s so hot out. Let’s go boating.”
“Yeah, yeah! Ask your sister to come too!”
The boys called out enthusiastically, some winking and making faces at Gu Yuanhui, clearly scheming.
They were close with Gu Yuanhui and knew how he felt about this half-adopted sister in the Gu Family.
Honestly, they didn’t understand why Gu Yuanhui hated her so much. To them, Gu Xi was stunningly beautiful—much prettier than Gu Yuanxiang, the fake rich girl.
If they had such a beautiful sister, they’d brag to their friends and protect her fiercely. How could they hate her?
But Gu Xi’s personality made her easy to bully. They had often seen Gu Yuanhui pick on her.
Even the military boy close to Gu Yuanhui helped plan ways to torment her—catching caterpillars and snakes to scare her, chasing dogs after her on her way home from school… He would laugh and tell them about how he bullied her, enjoying seeing her eyes turn red with fear.
When the boys suggested the outing, Gu Yuanhui’s heart nearly jumped out of his throat, his face full of terror.
They actually wanted to invite her? What if she hit someone?
If it were before, Gu Yuanhui would have agreed immediately. Seeing the military boy’s sly gestures, he knew they were up to no good and might have a good show coming.
But now, he just wanted to punch that military boy’s ugly face.
Just as Gu Yuanhui panicked and was about to refuse, Gu Xi spoke up, “Sure.”
“Su–sure? Sure what?”
Gu Yuanhui looked at her in horror, sensing her ill intentions.
Gu Xi stood up, looked at Gu Yuanhui’s sullen face, and suddenly smiled at him.
To Gu Yuanhui, that smile was scarier than a ghost.
What was she planning to do?