Neighbor 012

Fang Zaozao ripped away the facade Li Juan had maintained for years in a single breath.

Li Juan’s face alternated between a ghastly pale and a sickly green.

"I’ve suspected it for ages. She gets beaten every day, so why hasn’t she called the police?"

"She actually watched her son get beaten by the mistress? Is she even his biological mother?"

"Using her son as a human shield against domestic violence? Seriously?"

"My mother-in-law tried to advise her once. She turned right around and told that wife-beater, and he cornered my mother-in-law in the stairwell and cursed her out for ages."

"I used to feel a bit sorry for her, but now it looks like she asked for it!"

"Right, she asked for it!"

The crowd’s whispers made Li Juan want to find a hole to crawl into. She glared resentfully at the two sisters before her, and then at her own son.

The boy, whom she thought would speak up for her, just shrank into the corner, causing a pang of bitterness in her heart.

Was she wrong?

Beaten and spat upon by everyone, Li Juan fled back to her own home. Her mind was a chaotic mess—these people were just meddling! Spreading rumors!

They just wanted to steal her son, steal her husband!

All her emotions curdled into resentment. There were too many people to hate, so she focused it all on the sisters next door! If only they would just die.

Why did she have to work so hard to make money while they lived such peaceful, stable lives?

When her husband pushed the door open, Li Juan stared straight at him.

Zhang Xi was startled by her gaze. Recovering, he started cursing, "You crazy hag, trying to scare me to death?"

This time, Li Juan didn't whisper an apology. Instead, she said, "Hubby, go get our son back."

Zhang Xi was impatient. "Get him back for what? They have a signed agreement!"

Li Juan continued, "It’s all because of that woman. She’s the one who called the police. She ruined our reputation!"

Zhang Xi paused. "She called the police?" He had been wondering about that.

For once, the couple didn't quarrel. Instead, they conspired in low voices. Zhang Xi found an opening in Li Juan’s words.

The two women next door definitely had money. After all, she hadn't even blinked when paying off the debt earlier. No matter how tough she was, she was just a woman! As long as the door was opened...

Zhang Xi imagined a beautiful life ahead. "Not bad, not bad at all!"

Li Juan, hearing the praise, perked up. "Xiaoli is our son after all. I'll tell him to open the door... and then we'll go in."

Zhang Xi nodded repeatedly. "You... you actually have some brains, woman."

The next day, Li Juan knocked on the neighbor's door again. Facing a fierce-looking Fang Zaozao, she lowered her eyes and apologized meekly, saying she wanted to have a few words with her son.

Fang Zaozao didn't refuse; after all, she was his biological mother.

Li Juan pulled Zhang Xiaoli aside to whisper, while Fang Zaozao stood at the door watching.

When Zhang Xiaoli returned, Li Juan actually waved at her somewhat happily before leaving. This uncharacteristic behavior surprised Fang Zaozao.

Zhang Xiaoli seemed distracted, glancing out the window at the sky from time to time, lost in thought.

"You're not going to act yet?" Little Hei reported the situation to Fang Zhiyi.

Fang Zhiyi fell into deep thought for a moment. "If this villain can't even make a decision like this clearly... then there's no point in him trying to make it in this world."

"Villain or not, he's still a child."

"What’s the situation around them?"

Little Hei looked around and leaned close to Fang Zhiyi’s ear. "Those guys are still there. At least five of them."

"Pretty high risk, then." Fang Zhiyi gazed into the distance.

Night fell, and everyone was fast asleep. The door to Li Juan’s home opened. Two figures tiptoed to the neighbor's door. Li Juan reached out and pushed, pleasantly surprised to find it unlocked.

"That's my son for you!"

Zhang Xi was even more excited. The thought of trampling that crazy woman under his feet gave him a rush.

Strangely, when they opened the door, it was pitch black inside.

"Nobody?" The pair looked around in confusion. Li Juan called her son's name, but there was no response.

Zhang Xi’s gaze was drawn to something on the table.

Several stacks of banknotes.

Thinking he shouldn't leave empty-handed, he pocketed the money. Although he found it odd, holding the cash made him happy.

Li Juan had a bad feeling, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

That feeling lasted until the police knocked on their door the next day, and the couple was taken away.

Due to burglary and the substantial amount involved, Li Juan was sentenced to two years of re-education through labor, while Zhang Xi was sentenced to five years.

Fang Wanwan remained completely bewildered. Her sister had suddenly suggested they stay elsewhere, so she went along with it. As soon as they returned home, her sister called the police, and then Xiaoli’s parents were arrested. Everything happened so naturally.

She suspected her sister had planned it, but upon reflection, this wasn't really her sister's style.

Upon learning his parents had gone to prison, Zhang Xiaoli remained silent for a few days. Although there was much he didn't understand, he could distinguish between good and bad. In the end, he had chosen to tell his godmother what his mother had told him to do.

And that action had successfully saved his life.

Just as Fang Zaozao was sharpening her knife, Fang Zhiyi called. She had carried out the subsequent operations according to her dad's instructions.

After the couple was locked up, Fang Zhiyi transferred money to them again, telling the sisters to move house. Strangely, he still didn't show his face. If it weren't for the frequent messages and calls, Fang Zaozao would have suspected her dad had kicked the bucket.

Zhang Xiaoli gradually grew to look like a normal child, though his eyes would forever hide more than those of his peers.

The first thing Li Juan did upon her release was find her son. Seeing the boy, who had changed so much, she was overjoyed. "Xiaoli, come here to Mommy, quick!"

Zhang Xiaoli looked at her, his expression cold.

Li Juan kept smiling. "Come on, come home with Mommy. When your dad gets out in two years, our family will be together again."

Zhang Xiaoli looked at this mother with disappointment. "I'm not going home with you. I'm living with my godmother."

The smile on Li Juan’s face dimmed. "Godmother? That slut who kept our family apart! You are not allowed to call her Godmother!"

Zhang Xiaoli looked at Li Juan, then suddenly turned and ran, ignoring Li Juan’s shouts.

Unable to catch her son, Li Juan tried to go home, but because the rent hadn't been paid for a long time, the landlord had cleared the place out ages ago. Furiously, she pounded on the neighbor's door.

A burly man opened it, scaring her out of her wits.

Only then did she realize the two sisters had moved away as well.

For a moment, a massive sense of loss engulfed Li Juan.

But soon, she pulled herself together again. She still had her husband! Her husband would be out soon!

During the three years she waited for Zhang Xi, she hit walls everywhere looking for work and never found her son. She could only survive by doing odd jobs. Her resentment toward Fang Wanwan and her sister didn't decrease; instead, it grew constantly.

However, when Zhang Xi was finally released, she couldn't believe her eyes. Zhang Xi’s leg had been broken by someone on the inside, and he now needed a crutch to walk.