Bullying The Sister-In-Law - Chapter 8.2

Zhang Mingming was holding a small charcoal stove. Auntie Zhang handed her own to Su Zhiluo, “This is for Chengxu. I just fixed it; it can stay warm all day. Roasting an egg in it is quite tasty.”

“Thank you. Our house is so cold inside. I still haven’t managed to buy any coal this year.”

The city control was strict. They checked her area as soon as winter began, and coal dealers didn’t dare to deliver here.

Su Zhiluo led Mingming to sit by the desk. Auntie Zhang went back to get her granddaughter’s textbook, and then brought over two large Chinese cabbages and a bag of eggs.

Su Zhiluo felt she was being too polite. Auntie Zhang said that tutoring was expensive now and felt bad letting Liu Chengxu teach for free.

The two left the building together. Auntie Zhang complained, “Seriously, we’re not the ones causing the environmental pollution; it’s those factories puffing out black smoke. Why do we common folk have to take the blame? We’ll freeze to death indoors if we don’t have a fire.”

Zhang Mingming was ten years old, a very well-behaved little girl who quietly did her homework.

Liu Chengxu moved the charcoal stove to a different spot, took the roasted tangerines, peeled one for Mingming to eat, and ate two herself.

Mingming blew on the steaming tangerine and said, “Sister Chengxu, you have to put the stove near a vent.”

Liu Chengxu said, “You know that?”

“Yes, Sister Zhiluo got poisoned because she didn’t put it near a vent before.”

“Poisoned? When? Why didn’t I know? Was I at school then?”

“No, not now,” Mingming said, “It was when I was in the second grade, about a month after Sister Jinhuan went to the hospital and never came back, Sister Zhiluo was poisoned.”

Liu Chengxu was studying back then. She only learned about it when her parents were chatting at night. Her parents had gone to cause trouble for Su Zhiluo and kept scolding her as if nothing had happened.

It turned out Su Zhiluo wasn’t acting like nothing had happened… Did she try to commit suicide by burning charcoal?

“Do you know how my parents… bullied Sister Zhiluo back then?”

Mingming nodded. She got out of school early and had seen it. She said, “They made Sister Zhiluo kneel, slapped her face, and beat her with a stick. My grandma tried to stop them and got hit too. That thin bamboo stick made my grandma’s body swell for days.”

Liu Chengxu had once hated Su Zhiluo too. Why did her sister die? How could Su Zhiluo act as if nothing happened, go to work every day, and live her life? It was as if her sister was just a fleeting visitor in her life.

Only today did she understand that the knife Su Zhiluo turned on herself was traceless but caused the deepest pain. She didn’t show her wounds because even one look was too painful.

Liu Chengxu asked, “Did she ever do that again later?”

Zhang Mingming shook her head, “Then you came later.”

Su Zhiluo’s love for her sister was a heavy slap across her own face. Su Zhiluo’s love for her, perhaps, perhaps it was mixed with the shadow of her sister.

The annual meeting was at a large hotel. Based on past arrangements, it would take at least three hours. Su Zhiluo looked at the prizes. She really wanted the tablet among them. The event started at 2 p.m., beginning with a speech from the leaders, followed by a couple of rounds of games and a lottery draw. Su Zhiluo first drew a special prize—a three-piece suit set and a cotton quilt.

Their year-end bonus was a month’s salary deposited directly into their bank account. There were many gifts, and the draw went on round after round. Whoever’s name was drawn won a prize. Su Zhiluo kept an eye on the screen and later won a rice cooker.

In the evening, the hotel banquet began, with eight people per table. She and Yang Jie were seated together. After dinner, Su Zhiluo prepared to leave. Yang Jie drove her car over. Su Zhiluo didn’t originally want to get in, but thinking about what happened yesterday, she decided to talk to her again. However, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything in the car. Passing by a computer city, Su Zhiluo asked Yang Jie to stop. She went in and bought a laptop.

Yang Jie saw it and knew who it was for. She said, “You are so good to her?”

Su Zhiluo took the opportunity to talk about yesterday, “Her sister used to be good to me. I’m not being good to her to get anything back; I just want her to study well and graduate. I don’t ask for anything else. Right now, I just want her to focus on school. She doesn’t have many other relatives, just me.”

Yang Jie understood the underlying meaning. She dropped her off downstairs. Liu Chengxu had been waiting downstairs for a while. Seeing Su Zhiluo get out of Yang Jie’s car, her expression immediately changed.

Liu Chengxu turned and walked away. Su Zhiluo didn’t even have a chance to explain. She quickly thanked Yang Jie, grabbed her things, and chased after her.

“Hey.” Su Zhiluo climbed the five flights of stairs in one breath, panting as she looked at Liu Chengxu standing by the door. Liu Chengxu’s eyes were red. Su Zhiluo sighed helplessly and asked her, “You are making me so tired.”

Liu Chengxu didn’t know why she felt aggrieved. She wasn’t angry; she was more scared. Unable to hold it in, she threw a small tantrum, “You were asking me if I felt bad yesterday, and today you…”

She looked pitifully aggrieved but still walked to Su Zhiluo’s side, took the things, and said, “What is it? It’s heavy.”

Su Zhiluo didn’t speak until they went inside. After closing the door, she said, “A laptop.”

“You bought it?”

“I won it in a draw.”

Liu Chengxu was shocked, “Really? You didn’t buy it, did you?”

“Don’t I have that kind of luck?” Su Zhiluo retorted. Then, Liu Chengxu’s eyes lit up. She was practically about to jump up and down in front of Su Zhiluo.

“No, I was just surprised.”

“It’s for you. Take it and use it. Aren’t you short of a laptop?” Su Zhiluo unpacked the rice cooker. It was a good item, but it was too big and they wouldn’t use it. They only cooked for two, and the other person wasn’t always home. She should have seen if she could swap it with someone for a flat electric frying pan.

Su Zhiluo’s phone vibrated. She took it out to check. It was a message from Yang Jie, asking if she was coming back down. Su Zhiluo felt quite embarrassed and guilty. She held her phone and went to the balcony. Seeing that Yang Jie was still there, she finally replied: I’m sorry, I won’t be coming down tonight.

Yang Jie: It’s okay.

Yang Jie’s car left. Su Zhiluo turned back to see Liu Chengxu tinkering with the new computer. “Have you eaten?”

Liu Chengxu shook her head, smiling, “We don’t have to buy a computer now. I was originally thinking of buying a second-hand one.”

Su Zhiluo smiled.

“This computer is very expensive. It’s worth a lot of money.”

Su Zhiluo bought it for over five thousand yuan. Liu Chengxu said, “Your company is very generous.”

Su Zhiluo just smiled, sitting beside Liu Chengxu, watching her complete all the setup until it reached the home screen. There was no Wi-Fi at home, so Liu Chengxu connected using her phone’s mobile data, but it wasn’t enough after a short while. Su Zhiluo thought she could get broadband later.

Liu Chengxu moved the computer into the bedroom. A little Wi-Fi from the business hall occasionally drifted in. Liu Chengxu connected, found the browser, and clicked on it. Su Zhiluo said, “Let’s watch a movie.”

The network wasn’t very good, stalling occasionally. The corner by the wall was the most stable, so she placed the laptop where Su Zhiluo usually slept to buffer.

Liu Chengxu brought out peanuts and sunflower seeds. Su Zhiluo ate the peanuts she shelled. “When did you buy these?”

“I bought the raw ones at the market with Auntie Zhang. I fried them with salt and star anise. Don’t they smell good?” Liu Chengxu then went to get a wine bottle. “Auntie Zhang also gave me this. She won it in a supermarket draw, and no one at home drinks, so she gave it to me, afraid Mingming would drink it like juice.”

The door was tightly shut, keeping the cold air out. The two sat around the stove, placing a small pot on it. The pot was bubbling with heat. Both wanted to try the red wine, so they opened it and poured half a glass each to warm their bodies.

After a few sips, Su Zhiluo’s cheeks were already slightly flushed. She looked at Liu Chengxu, her eyes soft, and quietly asked, “Are you okay? Can you handle it?”

“I’ll try and see. If I don’t know my limit at a club gathering or something later, I’ll be embarrassed if I get drunk.”

Su Zhiluo was puzzled, “Clubs drink? Can you drink in college?”

“Yes. There are many people in the clubs, mostly based on hobbies. When the school has events, the clubs organize participation, and they also have internal events, often organizing meals.”

Liu Chengxu joined the photography club. Personally, she wasn’t very fond of club activities. She preferred to work part-time and read at the library so she could make life better for Su Zhiluo sooner.

Su Zhiluo watched her drink, frowning and sticking out her tongue, and couldn’t help but laugh. Liu Chengxu said, “Sister-in-law, this doesn’t taste good at all.”

“Then don’t drink it.”

“I’ll try again.”

Su Zhiluo followed her lead in trying and said, “I won’t abandon you. If you don’t like him, then don’t talk to him. Sometimes, family support is still important. You can listen to what he says.”

Liu Chengxu still had a mouthful of wine. After swallowing it with difficulty, she was about to speak, but saw Su Zhiluo pour herself another glass without prompting. She didn’t want to admit that Liu Jinhuan had left her with a psychological shadow. She just lowered her head, sipping the wine, and quietly said, “You are more important.”

Liu Chengxu felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing this, but a faint sourness arose too.

The two quietly drank almost a third of the red wine. The movie was halfway through, but neither of them was paying attention anymore.

Both of them were dizzy from the alcohol. Su Zhiluo’s tolerance was not as good as Liu Chengxu’s. She lay on the table for a while, about to fall asleep.

Liu Chengxu was about to help her into the bathroom, but couldn’t help but ask, “Su Zhiluo, am I your excuse? Are you afraid of remembering my sister and feeling sad, or do you genuinely value me?”

She asked this, her heart aching dully. Su Zhiluo opened her beautiful eyes, placed her hands on Liu Chengxu’s shoulders, and pulled her forward forcefully, saying, “Kiss me.”

Without waiting for Liu Chengxu, she kissed her, covering Liu Chengxu’s lips and letting out a soft moan.