Chương 18: An Eye For An Eye
Biên tập viên: Atlas Studios
Halfway home, Xiao Bei woke up.
Mu Jingzhe could clearly feel her trembling, and there was something wrong with her breathing too.
"It's okay, Little Bei. It's me."
Upon hearing Mu Jingzhe's voice, Little Bei heaved a sigh of relief and wrapped her arms around her neck. "Auntie…"
Her voice was full of attachment.
"I'm here, it's fine."
Little Bei had cried and called her 'Mommy' before, but she hadn't called her that again. It was as if she had called her that by accident before. Mu Jingzhe didn't mind. She wasn't her mother and wasn't used to it. She was more used to her calling her 'Auntie'.
To her, the term 'Mommy' was too special.
However, after this incident, Little Bei had gotten much closer to her.
"Auntie, I want to pee."
"Okay."
When Little Bei was done, she quickly ran back and grabbed Mu Jingzhe's clothes with her little hands.
She was still traumatized by what had happened.
"Don't be afraid."
Mu Jingzhe tidied up her clothes and pants. "This won't happen again. Your grandmother and those people won't dare do anything to you again."
She wouldn't let them do it again.
Little Bei nodded obediently. "Mm."
Mu Jingzhe caressed Little Bei's face, which seemed to have lost its roundness overnight. She tidied the little girl's messy hair and squatted down with her back facing her. "Let's go."
"I'll walk myself." Little Bei declined to ride her back.
On the way back, Mu Jingzhe told Little Bei that they had been looking for her last night.
She knew that she was tired.
"It's alright. I can carry you. Just don't get sick. Let's get home quickly. Your brothers and the rest are anxiously waiting for you."
Mu Jingzhe hoisted Little Bei onto her back.
"Thank you, Auntie. You've worked hard."
Little Bei hugged Mu Jingzhe and couldn't help but rub against her. Then, she made up her mind and said, "Auntie, I'll repay you in the future. I'll support you in your old age."
She had always heard that a child had to be filial when they grew up. That was why she made this promise.
"Thank you, but I didn't do much. I just did what needed to be done. You don't have to think too much about it. Auntie will take care of herself."
Mu Jingzhe hadn't expected to hear such words.
In the original book, the five children had said the same thing twice. One of the people they had said this to was Mu Xue, and they had been true to their word.
These children had suffered too much, seen too much evil, and had no one to teach them properly. Hence, they'd eventually become villains.
However, apart from bearing grudges, they would also remember kindness.
Mu Xue had given them food and spoken up for them a few times on account of their pitiful state. Unfortunately, it hadn't been of much use to them. Life had still been difficult for them.
However, even though this had happened only a few times, they'd remembered this great favor. Later on, when they met Mu Xue, they remembered this kindness and secretly helped repay her, becoming Mu Xue's greatest gold finger.
No one would have thought that the children they despised would have such a grateful side to them.
Ultimately, they had suffered too much and no one had treated them well. Therefore, they considered this little bit of light and kindness extremely important.
Upon hearing Little Bei say that she wasn't lying, Mu Jingzhe praised her.
"Little Bei, you are a good child. We have to make sure you stay this way in the future. You have to distinguish between good and evil."
Mu Jingzhe had never expected the children to repay the kindness. The important thing was that they were fine.
She remembered that Little Bei had not encountered this incident in the book because she had been deaf.
This time, Little Bei's ears hadn't been damaged from the high fever. She hadn't expected that because she'd ended up fine, Zhao Lan would plot against her and she would suffer this fate instead.
Before nightfall, Mu Jingzhe hurried back to the village with Little Bei on her back.
From afar, she saw Shao Dong and his brothers waiting at the village entrance.
When they saw Mu Jingzhe, they ran over to them.
"Little Bei."
"Sister."
Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan quickly ran over. When they saw that Shao Bei was back, they heaved a big sigh of relief.
When Little Bei saw her brothers, she recalled the frightening incident and couldn't help but burst into tears.
"I thought I'd never see you guys again. Boohoo…"
The four siblings hugged each other. Little Bei cried while her three brothers comforted her. All their eyes turned red as they cried.
Mu Jingzhe took a few steps forward and lifted Shao Zhong up from the ground.
Shao Zhong was too young and always fell behind the rest. His short legs couldn't run fast or steadily, so he'd kept falling on his way there.
Other kids might have cried their hearts out, but he'd gritted his teeth, gotten up, and continued running over.
"Next time, don't run."
Mu Jingzhe dusted off Shao Zhong's clothes and asked the children to go home.
Along the way, she briefly explained what had happened.
When they heard that, a gloomy expression that did not match their age appeared on the children's faces.
"The main reason I'm telling you is to keep you all on your toes from now on. Don't trust anyone easily. I'll talk to your grandmother."
Along the way, she met people from the village who asked about the situation. Mu Jingzhe didn't hide anything. Other than the fact that Little Bei had almost been sent to a fool, she told them what Zhao Lan had done, that she had given her granddaughter away just for some benefits.
Rather than saying she had given her granddaughter away, it would be more accurate to say that she had sold her.
She hadn't cared if that family were good people or not, nor had she cared if her granddaughter was dead or alive.
Mu Jingzhe purposely let everyone know so that Zhao Lan couldn't use her status as their grandmother to torment the children anymore.
Zhao Lan had already found out by the time Mu Jingzhe returned to the Mu Residence.
The person who had told Zhao Lan the news hadn't done so out of goodwill. They'd blatantly looked down on her for selling her granddaughter for some benefits.
Zhao Lan was furious. She glared at Mu Jingzhe and Shao Bei as if she wanted to swallow them whole.
"Mu Jingzhe, it's easy for you to just stand there and talk. You're just a stepmother. You could simply wash your hands off of them at any moment and remarry. Why are you pretending to be a good person now? If you're that capable, you can take care of them forever."
When the children heard this, their eyes flickered as they looked at Mu Jingzhe.
Mu Jingzhe chuckled. "So, as their grandmother, you are taking care of them by selling them?"
Zhao Lan fell to the ground in anger.
Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao frowned. "Mu Jingzhe, don't say the word 'sell' repeatedly. Mother-in-law wanted Little Bei not to starve or freeze, which is why she gave her away. It was out of kindness. Seeing that the family even had a car, she thought that they weren't poor and Little Bei could live a good life."
Zhao Lan nodded. "That's right."
"Even if Mom didn't judge their characters well, you shouldn't have scolded her like that. She did that because she wanted Little Bei to lead a good life…"
"If that was really the case, why didn't you send Shao Xǐ?" Mu Jingzhe interrupted her. "What an eloquent but completely untruthful excuse.
"I found Little Bei today, so I won't bother talking to you. However, this was the last straw.
"If you dare have any wicked ideas again, I won't be polite anymore."
Mu Jingzhe stared at Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xǐ, who were watching the show from the side. "If you dare touch Shao Dong or his siblings again, I'll touch these four."
Zhao Lan's expression changed drastically. "How dare you!"
"You'll see if I dare or not. I'm telling you right now. If you give a child away, I'll give away one of yours. If you do something to one of them, I'll do the same to two of yours. Let's see if you'll dare to take that gamble."
Mu Jingzhe's principle was an eye for an eye, and she believed in paying people back twice as much as she owed them.
Zhao Lan's face turned pale. She didn't dare gamble anymore.
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