After the old lady left, Ye Hong finally let out a sigh of relief and glared at Ye Qingyang.
When Ye Qingyang saw her looking over, he instantly switched to an innocent expression, gazing at her with sorrow, looking extremely wronged.
“What are you feeling wronged about? Weren’t the ham and eggs in the refrigerator taken by you?” Ye Hong snapped.
Ye Qingyang spoke pitifully, “Yes, I took them. That’s because I was too hungry. Auntie, you didn’t let me eat dinner last night, and this morning you locked the kitchen. So I had no choice but to find something to eat in the refrigerator.”
“So you took all of them?” Ye Hong shouted irritably. “The eggs were still raw! Were you planning to eat them raw? What are you, a caveman?”
Ye Qingyang frowned slightly and replied obediently, “I gave the eggs to the auntie who sells tomato-and-egg noodles and exchanged them for a bowl of tomato-and-egg noodles. Since I don’t have any money on me right now, I had to use this old-fashioned barter method.”
“One egg is one yuan, and one bowl of noodles is ten yuan, so I took ten eggs. Just right.” After saying that, Ye Qingyang looked at her with a wronged expression.
Ye Hong was so angry she nearly lost her breath.
Ye Qingyang even added fuel to the fire. “So, Auntie, could you give me a little pocket money? I don’t have any money on me right now, so I can’t buy anything. That’s not good for me, and it’s not good for you either.”
“I’ll give you my ass!” Ye Hong roared.
She grabbed the broom from the side and swung it at Ye Qingyang. “I’ll teach you to take things from the house without permission! I’ll teach you to sleep in my bed last night! I’ll teach you to bring some random old lady to anger me! I’ll beat you to death!”
Ye Qingyang dodged nimbly while speaking dramatically, “Auntie, this is our shared home. We are all the masters of this house. I have the right to take those eggs! Your home, my home—this is a socialist harmonious family!”
“To hell with your socialist harmonious family!”
“Auntie, how can you say such a thing!” Ye Qingyang said in shock. “We are all successors of socialism. We must build a harmonious socialist society together.”
As he spoke, he stepped in front of the television. “If you say things like that, it will hurt our politics teacher’s feelings!”
“Why would I care about your politics teacher? I’ll beat you to death!”
Ye Hong swung the broom down again. Ye Qingyang instantly dodged to the side.
With a loud bang, the television took the hit head-on, and the screen shattered instantly.
Ye Hong: !!!
Ye Hong’s eyes widened in shock as she stood frozen in front of the television.
Ye Qingyang added fuel to the flames. “Oh no, Auntie, how did you break the television! That must cost several thousand yuan, right? How could you do this? If you wanted to hit me, that would have been fine, but why hit the TV? How will you and Uncle watch television in the future? I feel so sad, so heartbroken for you both, boo hoo hoo~”
Ye Hong: …
Through clenched teeth she said, “You still have the nerve to talk! If you hadn’t run, would I have hit the television? You’re useless in success and harmful in failure. You’re nothing but a prodigal!”
Hearing this, tears welled in Ye Qingyang’s eyes as he looked thoroughly ashamed. “I’m sorry, Auntie. I won’t dodge anymore. Go ahead and hit me. I’ll let you.”
“Good, good, good,” Ye Hong pointed at him. “Then stand there obediently! Don’t move!”
Ye Qingyang nodded obediently, looking as pure and pitiful as a little white rabbit.
“I won’t move. I just hope that after Auntie hits me and vents her anger, you can give me some pocket money.”
Ye Hong smiled and coaxed him, “Don’t worry. Once Auntie vents her anger, I’ll give you money.”
“Okay.” Ye Qingyang closed his eyes.
Seeing this, Ye Hong swung the broom.
But before it could touch him, Ye Qingyang had already dodged aside again.
With a crash, the glass coffee table lost a corner, shattering into several pieces—broken pieces for good luck.
Ye Hong: !!!
Ye Hong’s vision went black for a moment; she could barely see anything.
Ye Qingyang spoke timidly like a little quail. “Sorry, Auntie. Reflex reaction. I didn’t mean to.”
“You did it on purpose!” Ye Hong glared at him, panting heavily. “Ye Qingyang, are you not satisfied unless you anger me to death?!”
“Of course not.” Ye Qingyang’s eyes were sincere. “It was just a reflex. How could I bear to make you angry? You’re my dearest Auntie.”
“Fine. Stand there. Stand there and don’t move.”
Ye Hong stepped forward, grabbed him, and raised the broom to hit him.
Ye Qingyang grabbed the broom in her hand. “Auntie, if it hits my body, the pain will be in your heart.”
Ye Hong tugged at it but couldn’t pull it free. “Let go.”
“Auntie, I know. Deep down you can’t bear to do it. That’s why you kept hitting other things instead of me.”
Ye Hong laughed in anger. “I can’t bear it? If you’re not beaten for three days you’ll climb onto the roof. You deserve a beating!”
Ye Qingyang stepped forward and “accidentally” stomped hard on Ye Hong’s foot.
She was wearing slippers without socks. The pain made her cry out instantly, and she loosened her grip on the broom. “My foot!”
Taking the opportunity, Ye Qingyang snatched the broom and stepped back in surprise. “Sorry, Auntie. I didn’t notice. I was just too nervous. Are you okay?”
Ye Hong raised her hand to hit him.
Ye Qingyang dodged slightly and looked at her with tearful eyes. “I knew it. Auntie really loves me and can’t bear to hit me. Since hitting me hurts your heart, and I can’t bear to see your heart ache, and you can’t bear to hit me… then how about this—let it hit you so that my heart will ache instead!”
Ye Hong: ???
Ye Qingyang looked at her with deep emotion in his eyes. “I understand. This is called taking punishment on behalf of the child. When a child is not taught well, it’s the father’s fault. But my father is no longer here, so as his sister you must take the punishment for me in his place, so that my heart aches and I learn my lesson.”
“I understand everything! Thank you for your hard work, Auntie!”
After saying that, Ye Qingyang raised the broom with tears in his eyes and swung it at Ye Hong.
Ye Hong could not even figure out how things had developed to this point!
She stared at Ye Qingyang in shock. Only when the broom in his hand landed on her body and she cried out in pain did she react.
“Ye Qingyang, what are you doing? Are you crazy?!”
Ye Qingyang looked at her sadly, his eyes full of tears, but his hands kept moving—faster and harder with every strike.
“Auntie, I’m sorry! At my age I still need you to take punishment for me. I really shouldn’t have done this. Boo hoo hoo~”
Ye Hong tried to grab the broom from his hands, but he struck her hand unexpectedly. The pain made her withdraw immediately as she dodged the broom.
“This is outrageous! A nephew daring to hit his aunt—you think you can reach the heavens?!”
“I can’t bear it either,” Ye Qingyang said in a tearful voice. “If it hits Auntie’s body, the pain is in Yangyang’s heart! But I have no choice. Boo hoo hoo… Now I finally understand the sorrow and helplessness of Zhuge Liang shedding tears as he executed Ma Su. My heart hurts so much, Auntie!”
Ye Hong was practically dying from anger.
Seeing that her bedroom was not far away, she turned and ran toward it.
Ye Qingyang chased after her and smacked her hard on the butt several times. After all, there was plenty of flesh there; even if it hurt, it probably would not leave marks. Other people would not notice, and it would not affect his ability to play the victim.
Watching Ye Hong run into the room, Ye Qingyang smiled, picked up his schoolbag, and shouted toward the door:
“Auntie, I now understand your good intentions! Your education has succeeded! To punish myself, I have decided to shut myself in and reflect on my mistakes. I will not eat dinner tonight either! I’m going to reflect right now!”
After saying that, he turned and walked toward Wang Hui’s room, pushed the door open, and went inside.
Wang Hui’s room was not locked—he had already noticed that this morning.
Not only was it unlocked, the cabinet was filled with snacks and several bottles of Fu Zai milk.
Ye Qingyang locked the door, opened the cabinet, took a bottle of Fu Zai milk and a pack of cookies, and leisurely began eating.
The wire bed on the balcony, the photos in the original owner’s phone, Ye Hong’s note, and the torn books could all serve as physical evidence that Ye Hong had not treated him well.
The old lady from apartment 802 would serve as a witness.
With both witness testimony and physical evidence, when he became an adult and demanded the house back—kicking Ye Hong’s family out—no one would be able to say anything.
Ye Qingyang was very satisfied. What he wanted was not only to reclaim the house, but also to make sure that when the house was returned, everyone would stand on his side.
He did not want to hear things like:
“Qingyang, she’s still your aunt. She took care of you for so many years—how can you drive her out?”
“She may not have done much, but she still worked hard for you. Aren’t you being an ungrateful ingrate?”
Comments like those.
Didn’t Ye Hong care so much about her reputation?
Then he would tear that reputation to shreds—not only make her leave, but make her leave while everyone condemned her.
Thinking this, Ye Qingyang happily opened another bag of small bread.
By the time Ye Hong noticed that it had become quiet outside and came out of her room, she realized Ye Qingyang was gone.
She checked the balcony but did not see him.
Remembering that he said he would shut himself in to reflect, she went to the security door and looked outside. No one was there.
“Ye Qingyang,” Ye Hong called. “Where are you?”
“I’m reflecting behind closed doors.”
Ye Hong realized the voice was coming from Wang Hui’s room. Startled, she walked over and twisted the doorknob, but it would not open.
“Open the door!” Ye Hong knocked.
Ye Qingyang drank his milk calmly and replied, “Auntie, before I cleanse myself of my sins, I will not come out.”
“This is your sister’s room! Not yours!” Ye Hong shouted.
Ye Qingyang remained calm. “We’re all family. Why divide things between yours and mine?”
“Open the door!”
“Amitabha, benefactor, you should leave.”
Ye Hong knocked furiously, but Ye Qingyang ignored her completely.
Just as she was getting anxious, Wang Hui came home.
The moment Wang Hui entered and saw the situation, she asked in confusion, “What’s going on?”
“Ye Qingyang went into your room and won’t come out.”
“Why?” Wang Hui asked, puzzled.
“He says he’s reflecting behind closed doors.”
Wang Hui: ???
She walked over and knocked on the door. “Ye Qingyang, come out right now! Who allowed you to enter my room? Get out here!”
Ye Qingyang answered in a tearful voice, “I can’t, Sister. I’m scared. Auntie wants to beat me.”
Ye Hong was so angry she almost kicked the door.
Who beat whom???
Who beat whom!!!
Wasn’t it Ye Qingyang, this unfilial brat, who beat her?!
Her back was still hurting!
“You’re talking nonsense!” Ye Hong roared.
Wang Hui did not care what had happened between Ye Hong and Ye Qingyang. She only wanted her bedroom back.
“Even if my mom beats you, you still can’t stay in my room! Get out right now!”