??26: Chapter 26: Sharp_1
26: Chapter 26: Sharp_1
After calming his emotions, Li Qiao returned to his mother’s ho with Qin Jin.
From a distance, they could see a crowd of onlookers gathered at the door, Dong Lai’s affected scolding and Li Jinhua’s cries carried far and wide.
Qin Jin looked unfazed, “What are you all doing standing around here?”
The neighbors wore indulgent smiles, “You young people, isn’t it enough to stay inside?
You just have to seek thrills outside.”
Li Qiao felt utterly mortified, his face swiftly flushed red, and his pace involuntarily slowed, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
“It’s not like you’re being bothered,” Qin Jin grumbled and reached out to knock on the door, “Li Jinhua!
Get out here and apologize to your sister.”
Li Jinhua’s face, which had been injured by him earlier, had just healed, but today it was swollen again, and her nose even seed a bit crooked.
Would she lose a layer of skin if encountered head-on?
Terrified, she ran into the room without looking back.
“You shaless girl, you still have the face to hide!” Dong Lai scolded while opening the door for Qin Jin, “Jin, it’s Jinhua who’s in the wrong here.
Your dad and I have already punished her.”
Li Shengcai echoed, “If she dares to spout nonsense again, I won’t let her off.”
The eldest sister and the second sister were very dissatisfied.
Your attitude towards Qiaoqiao was not like this before.
Especially dad.
He was ready to beat her to death just on Li Jinhua’s say-so.
Now that Li Jinhua is the one who made the mistake, he’s trying to gloss over it with a careless remark.
The favoritism was all too evident.
Indeed, with a stepmother cos a stepfather.
Qin Jin wasn’t about to let it go.
He had already shown restraint for the sake of his in-laws by not pursuing the first incident when she touched him.
This was the second ti.
If he continued to endure, wouldn’t others think he was easy to bully?
But he wasn’t planning to make a spectacle of it either, so he casually locked the door behind him.
Standing in the center of the courtyard, he spoke bluntly, “It may be hard for you to believe, but Li Jinhua touched
on the eve of the Lunar New Year.
She also said that Li Qiao wasn’t a virgin, but she was very pure, and told
to take her.”
He was confused and unable to comprehend what she ant by ‘want’.
All he knew was that her behavior was inappropriate, and it wasn’t until today’s incident with Li Qiao in the hayloft that he understood Li Jinhua’s intentions.
It sickened him.
The freak dared to harbor such thoughts about him.
The noise in the courtyard abruptly ceased.
Everyone was in disbelief that Li Jinhua could do such a thing, not to ntion that Qin Jin was already married to Li Qiao.
Even if he were single, no decent family’s daughter would be willing to marry him.
Furthermore, Li Jinhua was still a high school student.
Several potential suitors had better conditions than Qin Jin.
“Jinhua fancies you?
Are you trying to ruin our reputation?” Dong Lai exploded, her face full of disdain, “No offense, but with your family’s situation, your reputation, what does Jinhua see in you?
If it weren’t for Qiaoqiao being seen after you pulled her out of the river causing a huge stir, I would never have allowed her father to marry her to you.”
In just a few sentences, she not only questioned Qin Jin’s account but also belittled him as utterly worthless.
At the sa ti, she set herself up as a model good mother.
Qin Jin’s anger flared, “Wasn’t it you who ca to propose first?”
She made it sound as if he was begging to marry her, when in fact, based on Li Qiao’s prior behavior, he looked down on her completely.
Dong Lai was at a loss for words, but quickly changed her tune, “Qiaoqiao, do you believe it?
Speak justice, do you think your sister would seduce your man?”
Li Qiao’s earlier suspicions had been confird by Qin Jin, and he wasn’t very surprised.
But based solely on his guess and Qin Jin’s words, it wasn’t enough to convince anyone.But she had to demand an explanation for the saring of her reputation, “She knows best whether she’s seduced Jin or not, whether she’s said I’m not a pure maiden or not.
What I want to ask is, why did she spread rumors about
and Cai Hechuan getting into the hayloft?
And even brought along the entire family, young and old, to go there.
Was it to catch an adulterer in the act?”
Dong Lai choked again.
The eldest sister and the second sister demanded that Li Jinhua co out and face Li Qiao to give an explanation.
Li Jinhua was so frightened that she dared not utter a sound; she couldn’t comprehend how the situation had escalated to this point.
But avoiding the issue was not a solution either, so she thought up an excuse and said weakly, “I, I saw you eting with Cai Hechuan near the small shop.
I was worried you would make a mistake with him, so I went ho and told our parents.
My intention was to have them persuade you to reconsider and live a stable life.
I didn’t expect it to blow up like this.”
Li Qiao laughed dryly, “Is that so?
But weren’t you the one who always encouraged
to pursue true love bravely?
If I were together with Cai Hechuan, wouldn’t you have normally covered for
given your past behavior?
Why did you go back and tell our parents then?
Could it be that you’ve always disliked
and set
up deliberately?
Or did you want to tell Jin so that he could catch us himself?
Jin can’t stand flaws in his eye.
If he had caught
and Cai Hechuan in the hayloft today, he would certainly divorce .
Being soone who has divorced twice, with a bad reputation on top of that, as our mother says, who would want him?
If at that ti, a high school student who was dead set on him…”
Li Qiao didn’t finish her sentence.
Everyone else understood clearly.
Dong Lai was stunned.
Li Qiao was brought up by her since she was five and knew her personality like the back of her hand.
She was timid yet prideful, and Dong Lai was confident she could manipulate her.
Hadn’t Li Qiao followed her advice, even though hesitantly, in marrying Qin Jin?
So how had her words beco so sharp now?
Every word and sentence hit where it hurt the most.
Compared to her daughter, she seed like a fool.
Dong Lai cursed Li Jinhua in her heart a thousand tis, but with a pained and troubled face, she said, “Qiaoqiao, Jinhua is your sister, how could you disparage her like this?”
The eldest sister and the second sister grew furious:
“How did we disparage her?
Jin is handso, tall, and well-built.
Which young woman or bride wouldn’t take another look at him when passing by on the road?
Jinhua must be drawn to his good looks.”
“Exactly, Jin is such a handso and generous man.
How many in the entire commune can match his handso figure?
And he never visits his mother’s ho empty-handed, always bringing tobacco, alcohol, at, and eggs.
“Mother, didn’t you just say today that out of all your sons-in-law, Jin is the most filial?
Why have you changed your mind now?”
Li Qiao nodded in agreent, right?
Before the New Year’s, Dong Lai had praised Qin Jin for his thoughtfulness when he brought fish.
Dong Lai choked up again, and it took her a long ti to force out, “Anyway, Jinhua could never be interested in Jin.”
Qin Jin said darkly, “Not interested yet she reached into my bed to grope around?
I’ve never seen a woman more wanton than her!
A female hooligan!”
Listening to Qin Jin’s insults from outside, Li Jinhua was overwheld with sha and grief, sobbing continuously.
She was a chaste young woman, devoted to him wholeheartedly.
What was there for him, a poor man, to be so arrogant about?
Did he have no conscience?
“You wretch, don’t talk nonsense.
If this gets out and affects Jinhua’s reputation, I won’t let you off,” Dong Lai’s old face turned red with sha.
If these words spread, her daughter might never marry.
She absolutely could not allow this to happen.
Li Qiao took over the conversation, “What about my reputation then?
Every ti I return to my mother’s ho in the future, how many people will ridicule
saying I throw myself at n?”
And what about Li Jinhua?
Did she think that just because Qin Jin didn’t speak up, her reputation wouldn’t be affected?
The entire village already knew about her sche to harm her sister.
How could such a page be easily turned?
Through the gossip of those old ladies, Li Jinhua was already scandalized.
And she still hopes for redemption?
Dong Lai cursed Li Qiao in her heart.
She, a senior family mber, had lowered her voice, yet Li Qiao was still aggressively pressing the matter.
But for the sake of maintaining her image as a good stepmother, she gritted her teeth and banged on the door violently, “Jinhua, co out this instant and apologize to your elder sister.”
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