Chapter 188: Chapter 188: Mischievous Little Lin Xue

When Fu Xiaoxiao received Li Cuihua’s reply, it was already seven days later. Li Cuihua did not disappoint her expectations, the Fu Family’s reputation had already gone sour in the residential compound. She expected Fu Minghua’s scheming, but didn’t think he would be so shameless.

The original character was deeply neglected by the Fu Family, extremely lacking in love, that any hint of warmth she received made her willing to do anything.

It’s not that she couldn’t distinguish between right and wrong, but that she was too afraid that the hard-earned warmth would vanish again.

In the eyes of someone unloved, the world lacks color, and any dash of warmth becomes magnified.

Fu Minghua was the one maliciously creating this predicament for the original character; gradually taming her bit by bit, like a stray cat, forgetting about the pain of past kicks if someone opens a can of food.

Did he think Fu Xiaoxiao would be moved by his ’family letter’ like the original character?

She only felt disgusted.

If not for her arrival changing the trajectory of the original character, marrying Lu Feng and gaining value in his eyes, he wouldn’t care a bit about the original character’s life or death, not even remember her existence.

Seeing so much hypocrisy, it’s rare to find someone who can play nice even after things have fallen apart—truly shameless.

Sly, poisonous, and selfish.

Thankfully, Liu Hongjun had already done a background check, and Lu Feng had informed him about her, rendering Fu Minghua’s schemes useless, and he couldn’t possibly affect Lu Feng.

Fu Xiaoxiao sneered, turned around, and wrote a letter to send to Fu Minghua’s arch-nemesis.

In the years living with the Fu Family, Fu Minghua would occasionally reveal his true emotions at home, never shying from the original character, colluding with Mrs. Fu to achieve his goals. He’s done plenty of wicked and deceitful things, and Mrs. Fu, as his accomplice, didn’t hesitate to spread waves outside.

If he wanted to play dirty, she’d play along, testing whether Fu Minghua could handle her counterattack.

"Mommy, the vegetables are all washed." A soft, cute voice called out, and Fu Xiaoxiao put aside thoughts of Fu Minghua, turned, and greeted him with a smile.

"Thank you, my little man." Fu Xiaoxiao ruffled Lu Chen’s hair, leading him by hand to the kitchen.

It’s been half a month since Lu Feng left for the rescue mission. The school decided to close for the holidays due to the blizzard.

Fu Xiaoxiao was a bit worried about Lu Feng, with Wang Lu providing updates every few days to reassure her not to worry.

Now she knew Lu Feng was involved in a rescue mission in the neighboring county, whether he’d return before the New Year was uncertain.

"Xiao Xiao, the sugar candy sticks are ready, take a look, is this enough?" Lin Qiu entered holding the prepared sugar candy sticks and asked Fu Xiaoxiao with a smile.

"It should be enough." Fu Xiaoxiao looked at the large bowl of sugar candy sticks Lin Qiu made.

"Better make a bit more! I’m worried it won’t be enough for everyone!" Lin Xue looked at the sugar candy sticks, her lips tempting with suspicious gleam.

"You’re just craving them!" Lin Qiu laughed, lightly tapping Lin Xue’s forehead. "Look at Xiao Lin and Xiao Chen, you’re not even as grown-up as these kids."

"Hehe." Lin Xue laughed joyfully. "Of course! I haven’t had your sugar candy sticks in years, besides, this year we’re celebrating the New Year together for the first time."

Lin Xue couldn’t be happier, being able to celebrate New Year with Lin Qiu, something she’s wished for years, and now would finally be realized.

Hearing Lin Xue’s words, Lin Qiu paused, tears welling in her eyes.

It’s not just Lin Xue, she also wanted to celebrate the New Year together.

"On the twenty-third, sugar candy sticks; twenty-fourth, cleaning the house; twenty-fifth, grinding tofu; twenty-sixth, stewing meat; twenty-seventh, slaughtering chicken; twenty-eighth, leavening dough; twenty-ninth, steaming buns; staying up all night on New Year’s Eve—the first day of the New Year, twisting around!" Lin Xue sang the childhood rhyme, every New Year she’d hear the familiar melody.

"Tomorrow we’ll come over to help you clean the house." Lin Qiu looked at Fu Xiaoxiao, smiling.

"Okay." Fu Xiaoxiao replied with a smile.

Fu Xiaoxiao followed Lin Qiu and Lin Xue to the kitchen, sitting together to continue making sugar candy sticks.

Beside the prepared sugar candy sticks, a small hand sneakily reached over, carefully picked one up; seeing no one discovered him, joyfully reached out again.

Fu Xiaoxiao deliberately placed her sugar candy stick before his little hand, letting him succeed.

Successfully grabbing two sugar candy sticks, Lu Chen smiled like a cat stealing prey, took his ’loot’ to share with Lu Lin.

"He’s adorable, look how smug he’s smiling." Lin Xue didn’t expect Fu Xiaoxiao to deliberately let him succeed, laughing.

"Aren’t you worried his teeth will rot?" Lin Xue glanced at Fu Xiaoxiao and asked. "I remember as a kid, I did this too, secretly wanting to grab one, but when mom found out, she scared me saying I’d get black teeth, and I didn’t dare eat the whole year."

"Eating a little won’t hurt." Fu Xiaoxiao chuckled, New Year is a paradise for children, how could she take away their little joy?

"So nice, no wonder the kids love you. If I were them, I’d want you as my mom too." Lin Xue longingly said; as a child, getting her hands slapped for sneak-eating could feel so unjust.

With so many treats before her, what child could resist?

She merely made the mistake every child makes.

"You weren’t just taking one, you kept taking more and more." Lin Qiu laughed, "Mom spanked your hand because you secretly ate ten pieces, outpaced her making speed."

"...Is that so?" Lin Xue’s smile stiffened, realizing she deserved the spanking.

"I was watching beside! You took one or two, mom noticed ages ago, but then you kept taking more nonstop, mom was amused and exasperated, so spanked you." Lin Qiu had started learning to make pastries from mom by then, vividly recalling her sister’s mischievous behavior.

"You can say every spanking you got as a kid wasn’t unwarranted." Lin Qiu looked at Lin Xue, teasingly.

"No way..." Lin Xue said, a bit guilty about being that naughty?

"Remember one year, on the twenty-fourth of lunar December, we were all cleaning, you wanted to help but mom thought you were disrupting, told you to play aside. Then, you found a little firecracker somewhere, threw it in the latrine, blasting Uncle Wang next door in poop." Lin Qiu reminisced about Uncle Wang bringing Lin Xue to complain that day, irresistibly amused.

"Mom picked up a broom to spank your behind, dad and I couldn’t stop her. You were bedridden for three days."

Lin Qiu’s words triggered Lin Xue’s memories.

"So unfair, Uncle Wang said bad things about dad and mom; I heard him while passing by, don’t remember what exactly, but it wasn’t nice. So, I waited for him to enter the latrine before throwing the firecracker. Who told him to badmouth?" Lin Xue grumbled disagreed.

At that time, she felt beaten unjustly; clearly, Uncle Wang was conniving, she only threw the firecracker because he badmouthed her parents.

"Was there such a thing? Then you were really wronged." Lin Qiu hadn’t realized the twist; thought sister was simply mischievous, but she was avenging her parents.

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