Chapter 391: Family Annihilation
I looked at the pile of sunflower seed shells wrapped in my photos, feeling that things weren't quite what I had imagined.
I took the paper and smiled. "Sister-in-law, we've met twice now, but I still don't know your name."
"Yao Jindou," she said. "What do you want?"
"Jindou, huh..." I nodded. "That's a good name."
"Now go throw these shells away. I still want to eat more." My sister-in-law thought for a moment and added, "Oh, right, did you bring the money back?"
"I...?" I frowned. This girl really was different from what I had imagined.
"Would she dare not bring it back?" Chengcai walked over from behind. "Zhang Laidi, did you see the photos in this room? There are plenty more under my bed."
"Not bad at all." I looked around the room, a relieved expression on my face, then turned to my sister-in-law. "Sister-in-law, you're a woman too. Sitting in a room like this, laughing heartily—doesn't it feel a bit awkward to you?"
"Awkward? What's there to be awkward about?" Jindou gave a sneer. "Damn it, those photos are of you, not me. If you hadn't gone to the city and married Old Ma earlier, none of this would be happening now."
"Is that so?" I paused. "So because I went to the city, you all look down on me?"
"City women are just loose," Jindou said, stretching. "You were willing to go to the city to sleep with men for money. I wasn't."
That was an interesting take. So those who never left for the city were seen as "faithful," while those who did were considered promiscuous?
What excuses were you making for your own laziness and incompetence?
"Ah, enough, enough..." The old man walked over with a grin. "Let's stop arguing. Laidi, what your sister-in-law said isn't wrong. It doesn't matter that Old Ma got caught. Stay home, drink more milk. There are plenty of unmarried men in the village. Once your breasts are big enough, I'll find you another family."
"That's right!" my mother said. "It's your second marriage now—can't sell you for as much this time. We'll be burning incense to the gods if we even get fifty thousand!"
Ha ha.
I really wanted to laugh.
"Zhang Laidi, hurry up," Chengcai urged. "Where's the money? Two million and three thousand? I even took out a loan from loan sharks to get married. I'm counting on your two million to pay it back."
Hah. You even remembered the loan shark money, but never once thought about whether I could survive.
"I'll go get it." I snapped back to reality. "I left it outside."
"Outside?" Chengcai was taken aback. "What if someone takes it?"
"Don't worry, I hid it. Wait for me a moment. I'll go get it now." I smiled and pushed past Chengcai.
"I'll come with you?"
"No, I want to give you a surprise."
Everyone stood there dumbfounded as I walked out of the house.
I reached the doorway and paid the taxi fare I had racked up. Then I put away my phone, bent down, and fumbled inside my handbag for a moment. My face turned cold as I looked up. "It's a bit heavy, Chengcai. Come out and help me carry it."
"What? Coming, coming!" Chengcai shouted happily.
I stood at the door holding a multi-purpose hammer. As his figure emerged, I swung it with all my might and smashed it into his temple.
Chengcai didn't even let out a groan—he collapsed on the spot.
I crouched down, watching his eyes slowly roll back. It still wasn't satisfying enough. I grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground and rubbed it into his eyes.
You like to look, don't you? Then look at this.
You bloodsucking demon.
*Intentional injury: punishable by up to three years imprisonment, criminal detention, or surveillance.*
Seeing Chengcai lying in a pool of blood, my body began to tremble.
Was it fear?
No... I didn't feel afraid. I was just extremely excited. I had spent half my life wielding the scales of justice, but I had never felt this alive.
I used all my strength to drag Chengcai aside, then bent down, pulled a compressed gas canister from my backpack, and put on a mask.
"Old man..." I called out again, my voice trembling but controlled, "Chengcai can't carry it. Come help too. There's just too much money."
"Oh! Coming, coming!"
As soon as the old man showed his face, I aimed the canister at him and sprayed.
He was stunned for a moment, then his body swayed.
Too bad this wasn't pepper spray—it was ether.
While he was still disoriented, I raised the hammer and struck him on the forehead. The blow was so hard that he spun halfway around. Seeing his back to me, I swung again, this time hitting the back of his head.
The old man had farmed his whole life and was much stronger than me. If I didn't knock him unconscious, I'd be in danger.
But this blow was too heavy. He might never wake up again.
*Intentional injury causing serious harm: punishable by three to ten years imprisonment.*
The old man collapsed into the house with a dull thud, drawing the attention of the old woman.
She muttered "damn it" under her breath, took two steps forward, and froze.
Before her lay the old man with the back of his head split open, and me, masked and covered in blood.
"Zhang... Zhang Laidi!" she shrieked in a raspy voice. "What are you doing?! What are you doing?!"
"Mom, I just want things to be fair." I said expressionlessly. "You don't want me to live, so I'll make you die."
The moment she heard those words, she plopped down onto the ground. Inside the room, Jindou was still laughing "hahaha."
After all, this woman was always shouting and screaming. Jindou was probably used to it by now.
"You're a woman just like me. Why did you have to hunt me down to the last?" I walked slowly toward her with the hammer and the ether. "I've been doing all the housework since I was six. You've had it easy enough. I washed your underwear and socks, brought you tea and water, cooked for you—why couldn't you just let me go? It wasn't enough that you made ten years of my hard work come to nothing... did you have to ruin my reputation and destroy my life completely?"
"And you're asking me?" she said, trembling. "It's all your fault! If my firstborn had been a boy, I'd be enjoying life by now! Why did you have to reincarnate into my womb of all places?!"
I crouched down, looking at her with icy eyes. "Should girls die then? You were a girl when you were born. Why didn't you die?"
"Zhang... Zhang Laidi! What the hell are you trying to do?" Her voice grew hoarser. Within seconds, she had peed her pants. "If you're crazy, don't take it out on me!"
"I am crazy." I didn't know if I was smiling, but I bared my teeth. "Right now, I'm curing myself. You're the thorns stuck in my flesh. Once you're all dead, I'll be healed."
Under her terrified gaze, I sprayed the ether into her face—an entire canister. I watched as she gasped for air, her eyes slowly rolling back.
When that was done, I walked outside, dragged Chengcai and the old man back in, and pulled out the kerosene I had prepared earlier from my handbag by the door.
Then I went into Chengcai's room. After finding all the photos, I poured the kerosene over his bed.
Next, I took out my lighter, lit one of my photos, and tossed it onto the kerosene-soaked mattress.
Let it all disappear.
Chengcai's room quickly burst into flames. Without hesitation, I poured the remaining kerosene over the bodies of the few people lying in the hall. Then I walked outside and pulled out my final item.
A chain and a padlock.
I locked the door from the outside and watched the flames spread rapidly inside.
*Arson: if no serious consequences are caused, punishable by three to ten years imprisonment. If it causes severe injury, death, or significant damage to public or private property, punishable by ten years to life imprisonment or death.*