CHAPTER 55: CHAPTER 55: CAUGHT (HAPPY NEW YEAR)

Yan Xiaomai’s appearance clearly showed she had been in a fight.

Tian Xiang sensed something was off.

Yan Xiaomai wiped her face and said, "Just now a wild cat came and knocked over the bamboo basket, I accidentally got scratched."

So, was the wild cat the one she fought with?

Tian Xiang: "Sister-in-law, is it serious?"

Yan Xiaomai: "No problem, it already ran away."

Tian Xiang: "Okay. Sister-in-law Yan, I’m heading back now."

"Thank you, Mr. Tian."

Yan Xiaomai thanked Tian Xiang again while holding her son’s hand.

Tian Xiang smiled slightly and rode away on her bike.

Once she turned out of the alley ahead, Yan Xiaomai pulled her son’s hand and quickly turned to leave from the other side.

But the straw mat was lifted by someone, and Huang Wenbiao rushed out from inside, grabbing Yan Xiaomai’s shoulder and dragging her inside.

Yan Xiaomai struggled, telling her son, "Xiao Dong, go, go, hurry up!"

How could Huang Qidong go? He didn’t know anything, only saw his mother being bullied, and cried while trying to grab Yan Xiaomai’s hand. The candy in his mouth fell out, rolled onto the muddy ground, and got stepped on.

Huang Qidong’s crying made Huang Wenbiao a bit irritated.

Although nobody lived in this row of dilapidated houses behind the school, there was still a yard next to them, and people often passed by outside.

Huang Wenbiao cursed under his breath, and tossed the mother and son into the room.

Huang Wenbiao’s face was full of malice, "You little brat, stop crying."

Huang Qidong wasn’t scared by Huang Wenbiao’s appearance, instead he got fierce, charging at Huang Wenbiao’s hand to bite it.

He was only a five-year-old kid, couldn’t possibly fight an adult, and was quickly caught by Huang Wenbiao. He then slapped him, making Huang Qidong’s mouth bleed and fall to the ground.

Yan Xiaomai covered her head, struggling to get up, saw her son being hit just now, and got a shock in her brain. Turning around, she tried to reach for the knife under the pillow, only to find it had been taken away.

The hatchet placed at the bedside, though a knife, was already damaged beyond recognition and wasn’t sharp; it was merely her scare tactic.

But now...

Yan Xiaomai made up her mind, turning around to grab the vegetable knife she’d sharpened two days ago from the kitchen cabinet.

To hell with it, rather than muddling through like this, it’s better to die together!!!

Yan Xiaomai was ready to risk everything, reputation and her son didn’t matter anymore; today she wanted to kill Huang Wenbiao, that disgraceful hooligan.

But her movements were slow, and before she could reach the vegetable knife, Huang Wenbiao had already grabbed her.

Huang Wenbiao pushed her onto the bed, pressing his whole body on her.

"Yan Xiaomai, sister-in-law, my good sister-in-law, just give in to me, anyway, we’ve both had sons, why resist? My brother is dead, good riddance! Otherwise, we’d never have the chance to be together in this life. You don’t know, the first time I saw you, I wanted you, couldn’t sleep because of it.

Do you know why my brother married you? To carry on the family line and take care of him in old age! But he couldn’t, I can..."

Huang Wenbiao was pulling at Yan Xiaomai’s clothes as he spoke, so focused that he didn’t notice someone had arrived outside, holding a large brick.

Tian Xiang quickly went to the bedside, swinging the brick forcefully, Huang Wenbiao’s head started bleeding, and drops fell onto Yan Xiaomai’s face.

"Damn it, who, who the hell hit me?"

Huang Wenbiao didn’t finish his sentence; his eyes rolled back, and he fell down.

"Ah, ah!!!"

Yan Xiaomai started screaming again, not out of fear, but from sheer disgust, goosebumps breaking out on her arms.

Tian Xiang dropped the brick in her hand, grabbed Huang Wenbiao’s collar, and tossed him to the ground.

Yan Xiaomai finally stopped screaming, clutching her torn clothes and huddling in the corner of the wall.

Tian Xiang: "You better come down and clean up; I’ve already asked someone to report to the police station..."

Half an hour later, at the factory workers’ hospital.

Tian Xiang was watching the doctor treat the little guy’s mouth injury. Chairman Jiang, Director Li, and several important factory committee and department leaders hurriedly arrived.

The group inquired about the trio’s injuries and went into the hospital office with the police station to discuss follow-up matters.

Shortly after they arrived, Huang Hongyun, who had heard the news, came, shouting loudly that his son was no hooligan, and if anyone dared arrest him, he’d hang himself at their home.

Hearing Huang Hongyun’s voice, little Huang Qidong was terrified, clinging tightly to Tian Xiang.

Tian Xiang patted him, "Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid."

At this moment, Jiang Qin came over, said a few words to Tian Xiang, advised her to take the child and leave, as it was almost noon; go have a meal, calm down, and rest.

Jiang Qin spoke, handing Tian Xiang some cafeteria meal tickets, "This incident was quite an effort for you, order two meat dishes for lunch, it’s on the company."

Tian Xiang didn’t hold back, "Got it."

Jiang Qin: "Go on. Her father-in-law is causing a scene in the office right now, but there are people from the station there, it’s fine."

Tian Xiang pulled Huang Qidong and left.

The little guy was still reluctant, "Sister Xiangxiang, where’s my mom?"

"Your mom is hurt, the doctor is giving her an injection and medicine. Let’s go have lunch first, we’ll see her later."

"Okay..."

Tian Xiang took him downstairs and ran into Chen Yong at the entrance.

Chen Yong heard about the incident and came specifically to check on the situation. Knowing Chairman Jiang and others were there, he didn’t go up, instead, he picked them up to go back to the factory together.

On the way, Chen Yong asked about the general situation of the incident, and Tian Xiang told him.

Upon hearing how she knocked Huang Wenbiao out with a brick, Chen Yong remarked, "You’re quite capable."

Huang Wenbiao was twenty-three, right at the pinnacle of his physical strength.

Tian Xiang sighed, "Let’s not talk about this."

Chen Yong: "Why, you did a great deed and aren’t happy?"

Seeing a fellow woman like Yan Xiaomai being pinned down on a bed almost getting hurt, what’s there to be happy about?

The two of them brought the child back to the office, originally intending to take the lunch box to the cafeteria; however, upon entering, the interior affairs office was like a vegetable market, with quite a few people from other departments present.

Everyone saw Tian Xiang and Chen Yong, and crowded around them.

What’s going on?

Did Huang Wenbiao commit a crime?

Heard he went to the hospital, how are his injuries?

Tian Xiang raised her hand, motioning the crowd to quiet down.

"The police station hasn’t decided yet, so we can’t spread rumors. If you have time, care more for women and children in need, don’t just focus on gossip, there’s a child here."

Child?

Everyone then noticed a little boy beside Tian Xiang.

"Who’s this?" Huang Qidong looked scared as everyone stared at him, clinging tightly to Tian Xiang’s clothes.

Tian Xiang: "Sister-in-law Yan’s son; Chairman asked me to bring him back to care for him."

In front of the child’s face, it indeed wasn’t appropriate to discuss those things.

The crowd chuckled, but still praised Tian Xiang; thanks to her, things didn’t get worse.

At the window at the back of the office, Tao Huilan watched Tian Xiang being surrounded by everyone, silently gritting her teeth.

Just as soon as she made achievements, Tian Xiang was right up there, not only establishing a new paper bag group but also encountering such an opportunity to gain merit.

Her luck was indeed great.

Tao Huilan secretly felt anxious, a sense of crisis brewing in her heart.