Chapter 231: Chapter 213: Condition

Prompted by the watchful eyes of the other students in the neighboring beds, Liu Fengying cleaned the vomit from the floor. Then she hoisted Tang Yaxuan onto her back while Mo Xiao Zhi helped pack. Mo Xiaofeng and Mo Xiaohua were laden with bags, carrying them on their shoulders, backs, and in their hands. They took almost every bag of clothes Tang Yaxuan had, both on and under her bed, leaving only a cotton quilt and a mosquito net behind. Mo Xiaohua, taking a liking to Tang Yaxuan’s soft, comfortable pillow with its pretty ruffled edge, snatched it for herself!

Partway there, under a large tree, Liu Fengying put Tang Yaxuan down to catch her breath. When she saw Mo Xiao Zhi and her sisters tearing open the travel bags and rummaging through them, she joined in. She felt a few bills inside the pillowcase Mo Xiaohua had taken, and after pulling them out, she counted forty-five yuan. Liu Fengying was ecstatic. ’This much money will give me some breathing room for a while!’

’Those debt collectors are like grim reapers, showing up every day and leaving me a nervous wreck. I’ll pay back twenty yuan first, then use ten to find a local healer and get some medicine for Mo Xiaoqiang to stop his day-and-night wailing. Ten more for oil and salt, and I’ll keep the last five for myself. As the woman of the house, I can’t afford to be completely broke!’

Tang Yaxuan leaned against the tree roots, utterly drained of strength. She could only watch helplessly as Mo Xiao Zhi and Mo Xiaohua tried on the beautiful clothes she had brought from the provincial city, piece by piece. They didn’t even spare her printed terrycloth blanket; the two sisters each grabbed an end, fighting over it. Her comb, headband, hair clips, ribbons, pocket mirror, coin purse, and even her exquisite little puppets and pretty dolls—everything was divvied up! Mo Xiaofeng opened boxes of cookies and candies, taking a bite of each one. Tang Yaxuan wanted to snatch her things back but was too weak, and her heart burned with hatred.

Seeing Liu Fengying counting the money, she said weakly, "That’s my living allowance. You can’t take it all!"

Liu Fengying glanced at the pretty coin purses in the hands of Mo Xiao Zhi and Mo Xiaohua. Each contained a few yuan and some smaller bills. She snatched them away, confiscated all the yuan notes, and left the girls with only the small change. Only then did she turn to Tang Yaxuan.

"Why do you need so much for a living allowance? When you get better, Mom will give you two yuan. Bring some rice to school, and that’ll be enough for a month. You should be grateful you even get to go to school. The family is in debt, your father isn’t home, and I have to handle everything by myself. You’re the eldest daughter, so you need to be more frugal and considerate of your mother, alright?"

Tang Yaxuan bit her lip. ’I wasn’t even raised by you. Why should I have to be considerate of *you*?’

But no matter how furious she felt, her face only grew pale. She took a deep breath, accepting the reality of being plundered. Her emotions quickly settled, bolstered by a deep-seated confidence. Because of this, she didn’t break down into hysterical sobs and screams as she might have before.

Fragments of a dream surfaced in her mind: her grown-up self, living in a gorgeous, luxurious mansion. She had entire rooms just for her clothes and shoes! She flew in planes, drove her own car, and her wallet was bottomless. The people she associated with were all wealthy or powerful, and she received looks of admiration and respect wherever she went. She was unbelievably noble and dignified!

She had a grand and magnificent wedding, with a tall, handsome groom... Tang Yaxuan felt a sharp pain in her forehead and quickly pressed a hand to it. ’It’s Brother Shaojun!’ she thought rapidly. ’It has to be!’

Although it was a dream, it felt incredibly real! That was completely and truly her future self. ’To have a fate like that, what does it prove?’ Tang Yaxuan was absolutely convinced. ’No matter what Grandma thinks, Mom and Dad truly love me! I will return to Beijing one day, and I will reclaim everything that is rightfully mine!’

This was the source of her confidence and conviction.

’If you’re destined for a good life, you don’t have to struggle for it. What was meant to be mine is just waiting for me. I’m not flustered. There’s no need to fight with Liu Fengying and her daughters over such trivial things. What I need to do right now is protect myself. I absolutely cannot go back to the Mo family’s home! I’m not a fool like Mo Xiaoman. I saw through them long ago—the Mo family is a quagmire, and anyone who steps in gets sucked down! Liu Fengying is the Big Bad Wolf, Mo Xiaoqiang is disgusting, Mo Xiaofeng is a grim reaper, and Mo Xiaoneng, Mo Xiao Zhi, and Mo Xiaohua are like a pack of terrifying, detestable mad dogs... If I fall into that pit, I’ll never escape in one piece!’

Tang Yaxuan said to Liu Fengying, "I have a proposal for you."

Liu Fengying quickly moved closer. "Go on, Big Girl, what is it?"

Tang Yaxuan frowned. "Don’t call me that!"

"Oh... alright, alright! I’ll call you Xuanxuan. Go on."

"You want money, don’t you? My mother gives me twenty yuan a month for my living allowance. I can give you ten of it."

Liu Fengying beamed. "Oh, my... Xuanxuan, you’re such a good girl! But keeping ten yuan a month for yourself is still too much, with the family in debt and all. To help you stay with that family in the city and enjoy your comfortable life, your brother had his hands blown off, your sister went blind, and your father..."

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