Chapter 37: Covering Up
Sisi was secretly glad to be locked in her room. Otherwise, she would have had to work, even with her sprained ankle.
Li Yuwei, enjoying her misery, said, “Sister, why are you being stubborn with Dad? A little bit of humility won't hurt. Learn from me, be more forgiving. Someone stole my gold ring, and I forgave them.”
Sisi inwardly scoffed. “You can forgive them because you got your ring back, right?”
Dusk fell, and the sound of laughter from the family of three drifted from the living room to the bedroom, grating on Sisi's nerves. She stuffed cotton in her ears, but it wasn't enough to block out the noise. So she burrowed under the covers, pulled the blanket over her head, and finally found some peace.
~~~~~
She closed her eyes and felt a hotness on her cheeks. She realized she was crying.
She sniffed back a tear.
“Sisi, it's okay,” she silently comforted herself. “You never received much love from your father. Why should you care now? They are a family of three. You're just a tool for them. You have a place to live, food to eat, and water to drink. What more could you ask for? Why do you crave things that don't belong to you?”
“The villagers say, ‘Heaven bestows a great mission upon a person, it must first test his will, exhaust his strength, and starve his body’. Maybe you're that person, the one destined for great things. Your current struggles are just small tests from heaven. You'll grow in strength, and then flowers and applause will await you. This is nothing compared to what you will achieve.”
This pep talk worked, and she calmed down. She sat up and continued knitting her gloves.
~~~~~
Early the next morning, Li Junlu stood at the door. “Kid, have you figured out what you did wrong?”
Silence from inside.
Li Junlu feared something might be wrong. He unlocked the door and went to Sisi's bed. “Sisi?”
Sisi, exhausted from a night of hunger, said weakly, “I won't admit I'm wrong. I know you won't believe me, but I have to say it. Aunt deliberately brought them home to give that man the opportunity to harass me. If I hadn't caused a scene last night, it would have happened again.”
The only way to stop Song Hanmie from trying to get rid of me was to make everyone aware of the situation.
After all, if something happened to me at this critical moment, everyone would immediately suspect her.
And Li Yuwei's reputation would also be ruined.
Li Junlu was annoyed. “Sisi, you're prejudiced against your aunt. What does she have to gain from this?”
“Ask her!”
Li Junlu reprimanded her in a low voice. “What kind of attitude is that? I told you You're stubborn, and you refuse to listen. Think about it carefully. If your aunt really did this, why did everyone see your great-aunt and uncle and not you?”
“You're probably going to say that your great-aunt was sleeping in your room, right? But Aunt Zeng herself explained later. She thought you don't want to sleep in the bedroom, so she called your uncle in. But then you called everyone over, and she was so scared she forgot to explain.”
Sisi sneered. “Really? How come I remember that man saying his mother's mouth was taped shut and they stuffed her next to him?”
There were so many holes in his logic, but her father was choosing to ignore them.
He was clearly covering for Song Hanmei.
Li Junlu said, “Your uncle has sleepwalking problems.”
Sisi said, “Okay, so he sleepwalks.”
“So, have you learned your lesson? Your aunt is waiting for your apology.”
“I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I apologize?”
“You're so stubborn!” Li Junlu stormed off.
(End of Chapter)
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