I Got Rich in Period Fiction-Chapter 535 - 531

Jiao Jiao entered her room without looking at anyone, her schoolbag in tow.

Sitting on the chair, she thought that liberation was nearly at hand; she had to score well enough to leave this place forever and never return home.

But then she wondered, what about her little brother?

When Liu Ying came into their lives, her little brother was still too young to understand. In his heart, she was his real mother, but where was their actual mother?

Why hadn’t she contacted them in so many years?

Moreover, every time she asked about their mother, their father would roar in fury.

Her mother’s name was also taboo at home.

She didn’t dare to ask anymore, but that didn’t mean she harbored no resentment deep down.

Having grown up, she now understood some things: the absence of their real mother was because their stepmother, keen on marrying their father, ousted her and took her place, so naturally, their mother must despise their father.

Did that hatred extend even to the children she bore him?

Staring blankly at the bed, Jiao Jiao reflected on everything Aunt Qiao had told her, and only then did she notice that the quilt on her bed was too thin. She had never paid attention, and her father never bothered to check.

Liu Ying was their stepmother; wasn’t it normal for her to not care? She’d never beaten or scolded her; maybe that already made her a good stepmother.

After changing her sanitary pad at Aunt Qiao’s house, she sat on the warm kang.

It was so comfortable on Aunt Qiao’s kang; she wished she could live there.

He Xuerong reported to Qiao Qingyu after school that the teacher had reorganized the duty groups that day; originally, she, Xiao Hu, and Zhou Ruoruo were in the same group, but now they were scattered into different groups.

"So what you mean is Zhou Ruoruo doesn’t do duty with you guys anymore?" Qiao Qingyu asked.

"It’s not us; even Xiao Hu and I are separated now," He Xuerong pouted. "The final exam is approaching, and it’s really boring to bother with this. It must be Aunt Liu who went to talk to the teacher."

Qiao Qingyu and He Xiuyu exchanged a glance; neither of them took this matter seriously, but clearly Liu Ying did.

He Xiuyu then asked, "Do you want to start ninth grade when school opens and then directly take the high school entrance exam?"

He Xuerong had guidance from both He Xiuyu and Qiao Qingyu, and with her natural intelligence, she honestly had almost mastered the middle school curriculum. Taking the high school entrance exam wouldn’t be a problem.

Staying in seventh grade was extremely easy for her.

He Xuerong shook her head.

At that moment, Little Chaoxuan rested his head on her shoulder and stuffed the candy in his hand into her mouth. She pinched Little Chaoxuan’s chubby hand, "I don’t want to go to school so soon. If I keep skipping grades, I’ll be several years younger than everyone when I enter university. I don’t think it’s necessary; I started school early enough as it is."

Actually, Qiao Qingyu felt the same way.

So, she had stayed silent on this topic.

Now, she agreed, saying, "Just follow the normal course of things. When you go to university, you’ll be two years younger than your classmates."

That was already the maximum age difference possible; any younger wouldn’t do.

Holding Little Chaoxuan, He Xuerong smiled, "Actually, I just can’t bear to leave my little brother."

Little Chaoxuan understood, "Sister, let’s play together... always play together..."

He Xuerong wiped his drool, feigning disgust, "Who’s going to play with you? You’re always stealing my treats..."

Little Chaoxuan threw himself into her arms, giggling merrily.

When it was just the two of them that evening, Qiao Qingyu said to He Xiuyu, "... Sometimes I’m really good at counseling, I’ve talked to Ruoruo several times, and I’ve given her plenty of little favours and tasty treats, yet although she’s clearly so smart, she just doesn’t listen to anyone. She seems to think that everyone should please her, everyone should suck up to her, that she’s a high and mighty princess, and then my little kindnesses make her feel even more entitled, to the point where I now hesitate to give her any treats."

He Xiuyu remained noncommittal about these matters, stroking Qiao Qingyu’s back every now and then, murmuring nonchalantly.

"Just let nature take its course; this little girl is as tough to handle as a scientific research problem," he said helplessly.

"Right, I’ve never seen such a difficult child. I could persuade Xiao Hu and Rongrong to take the initiative to get close to her, to coddle and play with her, but if we really did that, not only would our two kids be upset, but wouldn’t it make Ruoruo even more arrogant and demanding?"

He Xiuyu also found it incredible. "Zhou Hai is such a sensible person. Does he know what kind of temperament his little daughter has?"

Qiao Qingyu sighed, "Liu Ying might seem to be skilled in dealing with people, humble and approachable, but she completely lacks perspective when it comes to Ruoruo."

Thinking of Jiao Jiao, who had suffered such stomach pain, and Zhou Pengcheng, who consistently ranked dead last in every exam, Qiao Qingyu thought to herself that indeed, when you get a stepmother, you truly get a stepfather too.

...

Zhang Zening stood at the prison gate, holding his clothes and toiletries. frёewebηovel.cѳm

Ten years felt like a fleeting moment yet also as if he had walked through a lifetime.

He moved slowly forward.

Then he saw a figure standing not far away by the roadside.

These past few years, it had been him visiting the prison.

His big brother was only two years older than him, but already his temples were gray, and Zhang Zening himself was no better off.

In fact, his brother was thirty-one this year, and he was twenty-nine.

Both seemingly carried the vicissitudes of old age.

Zhang Zeshan silently took his brother’s bag, and the two walked quietly, boarding a public bus parked by the roadside a few minutes later.

The bus was crowded, with family visiting inmates and others picking up released prisoners.

The seats were full, and many people stood in the aisle.

Packed together, they reached the bus station, and Zhang Zening, after some thought, said in a low voice, "Big brother, I want to go see Xiu Zhi..."

At the outskirts of the capital, in a mental hospital.

Xiu Zhi sat dully under a tree, seated on a bench, her expression unchanged and her gaze vacant and lost, even as her fiancé stood before her, resembling a walking corpse.

Ten years ago, he was a passionate nineteen-year-old, Xiu Zhi two years his junior, the charming little sister of the compound.

The two grew up together like childhood sweethearts, and their families had arranged their marriage.

They discussed holding the wedding once Xiu Zhi’s parents returned from the farm.

But who could have anticipated that such an ordinary night would change so many people’s lives?

Zhang Zening wept like a child, head bowed on Xiu Zhi’s unmoving knees.

His voice choked, "Xiu Zhi, wait for me, I’ll soon take you out of here, we’ll never be apart again in this lifetime..."

Zhang Zeshan watched his brother and Xiu Zhi with a heavy gaze, his hand by his side clenched tightly, looking up at the slightly overcast sky with a cold sneer in his heart. People say that heaven is just, but in truth, heaven is unfair.