CHAPTER 414: CHAPTER 414: LOCKED UP AGAIN

"You think I don’t want to?" Qin Xiangmei spoke, her teeth clenched in anger, "He Juan absolutely wouldn’t give me the screen, claiming it had already been sold overseas. She offered me 1,000 yuan, and I ultimately offered her 5,000 yuan, but she was still unwilling."

Initially, Qin Xiangmei was thinking of settling for 1,000 yuan, no, 500 yuan, but He Juan simply wouldn’t budge. Later on, she gradually increased her offer to 5,000 yuan, hoping to make some profit for herself. However, He Juan was still unwilling. Qin Xiangmei even considered increasing her offer further, but she felt it was a loss and didn’t add more. Instead, she waited for Qin Guohua and his wife to step in, but to no avail. With just a few words, they were frightened by that girl and ran out. Now, Qin Xiangmei’s return to the Siheyuan was still unresolved.

"Who is this shameless cretin trying to cheat our family? Come on, Xiang Mei, come with mom. Let’s get that screen back. Once we have 100,000 yuan, we can buy whatever we want, even a house in the Capital City, and I’ll cook delicious meals for you every day."

Hu Li was resolute, unable to gain an advantage over Qin Xiangyang but certainly not leaving empty-handed.

Not even ten cents worth of cheating would work, let alone 100,000 yuan.

Qin Xiangnuan couldn’t care less about these matters; they were none of her concern. She only knew that Hu Li had found He Juan and spat a storm of curses pointing at her. Perhaps because she had spent so much time cursing Qin Xiangnuan, she thought it okay to curse anyone, lash out on anyone, regardless of whether they came from her womb. Eventually, He Juan’s parents also arrived, bona fide Capital City residents with seemingly good family circumstances. Just the flick of their fingers had already made a mockery of Hu Li.

There’s a saying that even a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake. Moreover, Hu Li and Qin Guohua were far from being powerful dragons. Both families caused a huge ruckus at the school. Hu Li had used every trick she knew since childhood—spitting, rolling on the ground; she used everything. However, He Juan’s mother was even tougher, calling the police directly, which led to police inviting Qin Guohua and Hu Li to the station.

Qin Guohua was terrified. He didn’t feel much the last time Hu Li was taken in because it wasn’t him, but this time they were truly brought in. He desperately begged for mercy, repeatedly asserting that their son was a student at a military academy.

However, when the household registration was checked, there was no son in a military academy—just an irresponsible son who was currently in a village, struggling even to find a hot meal.

So, according to the household registration, he indeed had only one son, Qin Pengfei.

Qin Xiangmei ran to the Siheyuan daily, hoping Qin Xiangyang would get Qin Guohua and Hu Li out. However, Qin Xiangyang went away to study outside, and Qin Xiangmei remained indifferent, no matter how much she cursed or complained. Qin Xiangyang paid her no heed and didn’t even set a dog on her. Regarding the skill of slandering in the streets, sorry, she was a student too and couldn’t stoop that low, nor could she afford to lose face that way.

After detaining them for a few days, Jian Zhiqing asked Qin Xiangmei.

The young lady now seemed quite calm, showing no excessive emotional fluctuations.

Indeed, he guessed right. Qin Xiangnuan truly felt no excess emotion—what fatherly or motherly love? She didn’t know of it, nor did she need it. As for how long Hu Li and Qin Guohua should be detained?

She really hadn’t thought about it.

"How long does Brother Jian think?"

It couldn’t be too long, yet it couldn’t be too short either.

It’s too long, if they cling on to her, what then? Qin Xiangnuan had already experienced in her past life the shameless persistence of those two. It had taken so much effort just to send Qin Xiangmei away, she couldn’t bear the thought of having a family of four constantly under her watch, otherwise, she really feared that one day she might lose control and attack someone with a kitchen knife.

As for too short, that won’t work either, not enough to bear the loss, not enough to remember the pain.

Jian Zhiqing thought for a moment, "Alright, lock them up for seven days. I will have someone take care of them."

Qin Xiangnuan knew what Jian Zhiqing meant by "taking care of them." These two needed to learn a lesson and feel the pain to understand; without experiencing pain, they would never realize that not only are they human, but others are too. Other people’s bodies and reputations are not meant to be tarnished by them.

"And another thing..." Jian Zhiqing seemed to find something quite strange.

"Hmm," Qin Xiangnuan responded with a word, signaling she was listening.

"How did Mr. Song leave so calmly?" Jian Zhiqing recalled the way Mr. Song left and really couldn’t wrap his head around it. Normally, that elderly man was not someone with a particularly good temper, and anger wouldn’t subside so easily. Yet, why, this time when he left, although not exactly beaming with joy, he indeed seemed serene and didn’t show anger toward anyone.

Qin Xiangnuan slightly pursed her lips.

What a great bother she’d gotten herself into.

"I promised to give him a Four Gentlemen Painting as a screen, otherwise how could he possibly leave?"

A Qingming River Painting wouldn’t do, Qin Xiangnuan wasn’t planning on taking another painting out, even if she were to embroider more in the future, it would be as snacks for the system. She wouldn’t let them out, it’s tough; she is not a miracle worker who can produce a painting periodically.

That was the Qingming River Painting, not cabbage that one could simply chop off.

Thus, Qin Xiangnuan switched it to the Four Gentlemen Painting, which is Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum, relatively much simpler than the Qingming Shangsa painting, which would require meticulous embroidery. If she were willing, it would probably take less than a month to prepare it as a greeting gift for Mr. Song.

With Qin Xiangmei, who she despised, gone from the house, it seemed like the atmosphere at home had improved, feeling more like their home instead of how it had been recently, when she didn’t even want to come home because of Qin Xiangmei’s presence. Every time she saw Qin Xiangmei’s face, as arrogant as in her past life, she honestly wanted to scratch her face.

Having fought with the Qin Family for most of the semester, Qin Xiangnuan was almost thrown off her stride, but now things were back to normal. They had returned to a peaceful life. Qin Xiangmei still occasionally wanted to come back, but as she had said before, once she was out, it wasn’t easy to come back in. Having sold someone else’s possessions, it was generous enough not to sue her. Wanting to exploit their influence, she’d have to see if they were willing, and in this case, the "they" referred not to Qin Xiangnuan, nor Qin Xiangyang, but Jian Zhiqing. Qin Xiangnuan didn’t have much affection for the Qin Family, let alone Jian Zhiqing, an outsider. If Qin Xiangmei wanted to come back, putting everything else aside, she first needed to get past Jian Zhiqing.

She knew playing the family card with Qin Xiangmei was useless. For Qin Xiangnuan, it was pure hatred. Whereas Qin Xiangyang might be somewhat more approachable, he would still prioritize his sister. Whatever Qin Xiangnuan said, went. Qin Xiangnuan was truly a little fox, who, when necessary, could lead Qin Xiangyang to places where even he couldn’t find his way back. Not to mention Qin Xiangmei asking Qin Xiangyang for some living expenses or even a meal, Qin Xiangnuan wouldn’t let her sit with Qin Xiangyang at all.

So every time she thought of these things, Qin Xiangmei was filled with a painful hatred.