The Second Snowflake

The village chief... why is he here... the money...

Liao Xue's heart pounded violently. If her mother found out she had gone to pick up the guest for free...

The village chief looked at Liao Xue sternly. Seeing her guilty, caught-in-the-act expression, he softened his voice. "Xiaoxue, is your mother home?"

Looking for Mother...

Liao Xue nervously picked at the weather-beaten wooden door, staring at the village chief's dark face. She knew that whatever he wanted with her mother couldn't be good.

"My mom... she went out."

The village chief leaned in to glance into the yard, frowning. "Someone said she came home from the snack shop. How is she not here?"

Liao Xue hated lying, but at the thought of her mother...

Liao Xue bit her lower lip hard, planted her feet apart to block most of the yard behind her, and insisted, "My mom just stepped out. Yeah, just missed her."

Why did this kid seem even timider than usual today, so shifty-eyed...

The village chief eyed Liao Xue suspiciously. Liao Xue had always been sensible and never lied. But her evasive gaze and awkward posture now screamed that she was hiding something.

Old Shen's woman knew she was in trouble and hid herself, sending a child out to lie and deceive.

The village chief raised his hand to push the door open. "Xiaoxue, open the gate. Let me go in and wait for your mother."

Before his hand touched the door, a powerful leg sent it flying open. With a loud creak, the door tore from its frame and "accomplished its mission" by crashing to the ground.

Liao Xue stepped back, the village chief shocked.

Shen Qiancheng curled her leg back contemptuously. "What's all the talk for? Just go in and see if she's home or not."

Liao Xue was still trying to patch things up. "My mom really isn't home. She won't be back until evening. My mom..."

Before Liao Xue could finish, the loud crash of the fallen door startled Mother Liao inside. A string of curses followed before she even appeared. "Which bastard kicked my door down?!"

A bastard was still better than a jinx.

Shen Qiancheng stepped onto the fallen door, looking down as Mother Liao shot out like the wind. Her brows lowered, her face cold, she asked, "Who are you calling a bastard?"

Seeing the broken door at Shen Qiancheng's feet, Mother Liao's ferocious expression shifted from thunderstorm to sunny skies.

"Oh, if it isn't President Shen. Must be my door that wasn't sturdy enough. Did it hurt your foot? Tell you what—why don't you buy me a new one? An iron one would do..."

Shen Qiancheng: ...Never have I seen such a brazen person...

Shen Qiancheng looked around at everyone present. Seeing no one offered to speak, she stepped forward and said to the village chief in a flat tone, "Truly, a harsh land breeds ruthless people, Village Chief."

Village Chief: Ah... well...

The village chief shot a helpless glare at Mother Liao and cleared his throat. "Ahem, ahem, Old Shen's wife, you've got quite a mouth on you."

Mother Liao said shamelessly, "Not bad, not bad. Are you asking me to curse someone for you, Village Chief?"

Could another three thousand be coming her way?

But judging by the village chief's tone, he might not have three thousand. One thousand would do.

Unaware of Mother Liao's little scheme, seeing her gloating without a clue how much trouble she was in, the village chief's anger flared. "Old Shen's wife, you know President Shen is here specifically to inspect our village's basic situation. In the future, she plans to invest heavily in building up our village."

Mother Liao dismissed it. "Let her build. I'm not stopping her. Don't tell me she's asking me to invest? I've got no money. Not a single cent. Don't even think about it."

Despite her bold words, Mother Liao started worrying inside. She hadn't told a soul about the three thousand. Who leaked it? Who would stand in the way of money? Was the village chief here to blackmail her after finding out?

Mother Liao sneaked a glance at Shen Qiancheng. Was it Shen Qiancheng who said something?

The village chief looked at Mother Liao's stubborn face and let out a long sigh. Reasoning clearly wasn't working. Better skip straight to the final step.

"Apologize to President Shen, and we'll let this go."

At the word "apologize," Mother Liao blew her top. So this was the dirty trick for failing to get money? What had she done to deserve an apology?

"Apologize? For what? Village Chief, if you're sick, better quit this job and let my old Shen take over. You're like a drunk eating poison. What did I do to apologize? I should be demanding an apology from you. You brought people to break my door. You owe me money."

The village chief's eyes nearly popped with fury at her nonsense. He pointed a shaking finger at Mother Liao.

"You're just asking for it until you're in the coffin. I don't care who you cursed before—it's not my business. But how dare you curse Chairman Shi in front of President Shen? Who gave you the guts? President Shen is kind-hearted and won't bother with you, but you're just being unreasonable. Absolutely impossible to deal with!"

The scene had reached a climax. Shen Qiancheng was perfectly satisfied. Casually, she played the recording, and Mother Liao's impassioned voice rang out, clear and unbearably foul.

Mother Liao froze for a moment, staring in disbelief at Shen Qiancheng, who had a playful smirk at the corner of her mouth.

It was Shen Qiancheng toying with her. Mother Liao didn't hold grudges overnight. Whether she was President Shen or President Liu, she'd settle it with fists first.

She lunged at Shen Qiancheng on the spot, but the village chief blocked her with quick eyes and hands.

"Old Shen's wife, we all live in the same village, see each other every day. Apologize now, or next spring..." The rest was whispered in Mother Liao's ear, too low for Shen Qiancheng to hear. She didn't care to know.

A man who became village chief had his ways.

Sure enough, Mother Liao's face changed. She lowered her head and, however reluctantly, apologized to Shen Qiancheng.

"I'm sorry, President Shen. I shouldn't have cursed Shi Jianren."

Seeing Mother Liao submit outwardly while stewing inside, Shen Qiancheng was in high spirits. She loved that look—you hate me but can't do a thing about it. So she assumed a gentle, magnanimous air. "It's fine."

The village chief sighed with relief, thinking this was over. He was about to offer to walk Shen Qiancheng out when she added in the most casual, venomous tone, a remark that would ignite Mother Liao.

"Just return the ten thousand you took from me."

Ten thousand?!

Mother Liao: Wasn't it three thousand?!

Village Chief: There's a ten-thousand thing too?!

Shen Qiancheng said graciously, "Ten thousand has long since met the threshold for filing a case. My coming to the village may upset some villagers, but since I'm new here, I'd like to get along with everyone. Just give me back the money, and I'll let bygones be bygones. I'm easygoing."

Shen Qiancheng had always retaliated for every slight. She remembered every curse Mother Liao had flung.

Ten thousand was letting her off cheap.

The village chief glared fiercely at Mother Liao. You really can stir up trouble.

Mother Liao came to her senses and started screaming. "Ten thousand? Why not say a million?! I only took three thousand from you. You just flap your lips and it becomes ten thousand?!"

The village chief held Mother Liao back, keeping her from charging into Shen Qiancheng. Shen Qiancheng remained nonchalant, turning to the village chief. "What do you think, Village Chief? Ten thousand or three thousand?"

No one in Liao Family Village could produce a million, but ten thousand was exactly what Mother Liao could scrape together—and it would cut her to the bone.

Shen Qiancheng was a master of killing with a borrowed knife.

The village chief hesitated. "Are you sure it's ten thousand, President Shen?"

Shen Qiancheng sneered inwardly. So, he planned to shield her.

Mother Liao was fuming, her nostrils flaring. Spotting Liao Xue standing silently in the corner, hope sparkled across her face. "Liao Xue was there too! She must know it was three thousand, not ten thousand. Say something!"

Liao Xue, who had kept quiet the whole time under the eaves, was praying her mother wouldn't ask the village chief about the money. Suddenly thrust into the spotlight, she bit her lip, extremely uncomfortable.

Shen Qiancheng raised an eyebrow. Ah, Liao Xue. Finally, the crux of the matter. She was genuinely eager to see Liao Xue's reaction.

Mother Liao shoved Liao Xue, pushing her right next to Shen Qiancheng. Liao Xue looked up at Shen Qiancheng, who was watching her with smiling, alluring eyes.

Mother Liao urged her on. "Speak up! Are you trying to kill me with worry?"

The village chief coaxed her. "Was it three thousand?"

Suddenly, Liao Xue's hearing went silent, everything fading except the image of Shen Qiancheng's eyes—bewitching yet radiating a kind, gentle smile.

"It was... ten thousand. Mother took ten thousand from President Shen."

Liao Xue spoke as if using the last ounce of her strength, and the next second, all sounds surged back into her ears like a tide.

"You ungrateful brat!" Mother Liao cursed, grabbing Liao Xue's hair and yanking her head up to meet her vicious glare. "I won't kill you, you wolf who bites the hand that feeds you!"

Liao Xue was yanked like a willow leaf drifting in the wind—no support, no anchor.

Mother Liao raised her hand high and swung in a wide arc, leaving a bright red slap mark on Liao Xue's cheek.

The village chief objected, "We're still here. Don't hit the child."

Shen Qiancheng sneered inwardly. Meaning, wait until they leave?

"Enough, enough," Shen Qiancheng said impatiently. "I'm not getting my ten thousand today anyway. This is an apple Liao Xue dropped; I was kind enough to bring it back. The child is young and doesn't know better—stop hitting her."

Liao Xue had been keeping her head down, but at this she looked up, giving Shen Qiancheng a perfect view of the handprint on her face. Even Shen Qiancheng felt a jolt. How much force had she used?

"Apple?! Liao Xue, where did you get the money to buy apples!" Mother Liao's brows shot up. She snatched the apple from Shen Qiancheng's hand, suddenly understanding. "Liao Xue, you're getting bolder by the day—spending money on apples! Are you that greedy?!"

Liao Xue's shoulders trembled as she shrank. Head bowed, expression unreadable, she stayed silent.

Shen Qiancheng found the farce dull now. Curling her lips, she said, "Have the village chief send me the money. Village Chief, aren't we leaving? We shouldn't just stand here watching family affairs."

Taking the out, the village chief made a show of it. "Don't hit the child. She's still young."

Mother Liao gritted her teeth. "I know, I know."

No sooner had Shen Qiancheng and the village chief stepped out than a huge wail echoed from Liao Xue.

Shen Qiancheng stopped in her tracks, momentarily stunned. Through the broken door, she saw Liao Xue, motionless.

From the start, she had only meant to target Liao Xue. Whether three thousand or ten thousand, either would send Mother Liao into a frenzy.

Liao Xue's hair hung loose. She turned her face and met Shen Qiancheng's eyes.

Shen Qiancheng met Liao Xue's gaze without a shred of guilt. Those eyes were numb and hollow, almost hypnotic if you stared too long.

Hah, just a beating. Liao Xue, the days ahead are long. Everything Shi Jianren did to me, I'll return to you—an eye for an eye.

Shen Qiancheng had won completely, yet she couldn't muster the vicious grin of a triumphant villain. She saw the tear at the corner of Liao Xue's eye, and her heart clenched, a tingling, numbing current crushing it over and over.