Chapter 391: Destroying the Entire Family

I looked at that pile of sunflower seed shells wrapped in my photos, and I felt that things weren't quite as I had imagined.

I took the paper, then smiled and asked:"Di mei, we've met twice now, and I still don't know your name?"

"Yao Jin Dou," she said. "What about it?"

"Jin Dou..." I nodded. "That's a good name."

"Go throw away those sunflower seed shells for me; I still want to eat more," Di mei thought for a moment and added, "Oh, right, did you bring the money back?"

"I...?" I furrowed my brow; this girl was definitely not what I had expected.

"She wouldn't dare not bring it back, would she?" Cheng Cai walked up from behind. "Zhang Lai Di, have you seen the photos in this house? I have a lot more under my bed."

"That's really something." I glanced around the room, a look of relief crossing my face, then I lowered my head and said to Di mei, "Di mei, you're a woman too, so don't you feel a bit awkward sitting in a room like this and laughing so freely?"

"Awkward? What's awkward about it?" Jin Dou showed a hint of mockery. "You son of a bitch, those photos are of you, not me. If you hadn't gone to the city, you could've married Lao Ma earlier, and none of this would've happened."

"Is that so?" I paused. "So, in other words, because I went to the city, you all look down on me?"

"Women from the city are just loose," Jin Dou said, stretching lazily. "If you want to go to the city and sleep around for money, that's your choice, but not mine."

That was an interesting point—apparently, those who don't go to the city are seen as "faithful," while those who do are all promiscuous?

What excuses are you making for your own laziness and incompetence?

"Ah, alright, alright..." The old man came over with a smile. "Don't argue. Lai Di, your di mei isn't entirely wrong. Lao Ma getting arrested isn't a big issue; you just stay home and drink more milk. There are plenty of unmarried men in the village. Once your... assets grow, this old man will help you find a good match."

"That's right!" my mother said. "It's a second marriage, so it won't fetch a good price. If we can get fifty thousand yuan, we'll be lucky..."

Ha.

I really felt like laughing.

"Zhang Lai Di, hurry up," Cheng Cai urged. "Where's the money? The two million and three thousand yuan? I went out and borrowed from loan sharks for the wedding, and now I'm counting on your two million to pay it back."

Hah, you all worry about the loan shark money, but you've never once thought about whether I can survive.

"I'll go get it," I snapped back to reality and said. "I left it outside."

"Outside?" Cheng Cai was stunned. "What? What if someone takes it?"

"It won't happen; I hid it. Wait for me a bit; I'll go get it for you now." I smiled and pushed Cheng Cai aside.

"Shall I 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, paid the taxi fare I had just taken, put away my phone, and bent down to rummage in my handbag for a moment. My expression turned cold as I looked up and said, "It's a bit heavy, Cheng Cai. Come out and help me carry it."

"What? Coming, coming!" Cheng Cai shouted excitedly.

I stood in the doorway holding a multi-tool hammer, waiting for that figure to emerge. As soon as he did, I swung the hammer hard at his temple.

Cheng Cai didn't even make a sound before collapsing.

I crouched down, watching as his eyes slowly rolled back, but that didn't satisfy me. I grabbed a handful of sand from the ground and rubbed it into his eyes.

You like to look, so I'll let you look.

You bloodsucking demon.

Intentional injury crime: punishable by up to three years in prison, detention, or control.

Seeing Cheng Cai lying in a pool of blood, my body started to tremble.

Was it fear?

No... I didn't feel afraid, just incredibly excited. I'd spent half my life fighting with the scales of the law, but I'd never felt this excited before.

I used all my strength to drag Cheng Cai aside, then leaned down to pull a compressed canister from my backpack and put on a mask.

"Old man..." I called out, suppressing the tremble in my voice, "Cheng Cai can't carry it alone. Come help out; there's just too much money."

"Oh! Coming, coming!"

As soon as the old man showed his face, I sprayed the canister directly at him.

He froze for a moment, then his body swayed.

Too bad this wasn't pepper spray; it was ether.

While he was dazed, I picked up the hammer and struck his forehead. I put a lot of force into it, making him spin halfway around on the spot. Seeing his back to me, I swung the hammer again at 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 out, I'd be in danger.

But I hit him too hard; he might never wake up.

Intentional injury crime: if causing serious injury, punishable by three to ten years in prison.

The old man thudded to the floor inside the house, the sound drawing the attention of that old woman.

Muttering "you son of a bitch," she took a couple of steps outside and froze in place.

Before her was the old man with his skull cracked open, and me, covered in blood and wearing a mask.

"Zhang... Zhang Lai Di!!" she croaked. "What are you doing?! What on earth are you doing!?"

"Mom, I just want things to be fair," I said expressionlessly. "If you don't want me to live, then I'll make sure you die."

After hearing that, she collapsed to the ground with a thud, while inside, Jin Dou was still laughing "ha ha ha."

After all, this woman was always yelling, so Jin Dou was probably used to it.

"You're a woman too; why do you have to drive me to total ruin?" I slowly approached her with the hammer and the ether. "I've been handling all the household chores since I was six. You've had it easy enough—I washed your underwear, your socks, served you tea, cooked your meals. Why couldn't you just let me be? Wasn't it enough to destroy ten years of my hard work? You had to ruin my reputation completely?"

"You're asking me...?" she trembled. "It's all because of you! If my first child had been a boy, I'd be living the good life by now!! You son of a bitch, why did you have to be born to me?!"

I crouched down and looked at her with cold eyes: "So girls deserve to die? You were a girl when you were born—why didn't you die?"

"Zhang... Zhang Lai Di! What exactly are you doing?!" Her voice grew hoarser by the second, and soon she wet her pants. "If you're sick, don't take it out on me!!"

"I am sick." I wasn't sure if I was smiling, but I bared my teeth. "I'm curing my own sickness right now. You're all the thorns in my side. Once you're all dead, I'll be cured."

Under her terrified gaze, I sprayed the ether in her face, emptying the entire canister, and watched as she gasped for air and her eyes rolled back.

Once that was done, I dragged Cheng Cai and the old man back inside, then grabbed the kerosene I'd prepared from my handbag at the door.

Next, I went to Cheng Cai's room, found those photos, and poured all the kerosene onto his bed.

Then, I took out my lighter, lit one of my photos, and threw it onto the kerosene-soaked bed.

Let it all disappear.

Cheng Cai's room quickly burst into flames, and without hesitation, I poured the remaining kerosene over the people in the living room. I walked out, pulled out my last items.

The iron chain and the lock.

I locked the door from outside and watched as the flames spread rapidly inside.

Arson crime: if not yet causing serious consequences, punishable by three to ten years in prison; if causing serious injury, death, or major loss of public or private property, punishable by ten years or more in prison, life imprisonment, or the death penalty.