TEDWR: Chapter 10

 Glossary

·Zhang Yansheng (张雁声): The female protagonist, the reborn eldest daughter.

·Liang Yingying (梁莹莹): Zhang Yansheng's stepmother.

·Zhang Huan (张寰): Zhang Yansheng's father.

·Zhang Shuocheng (张硕成): Zhang Yansheng's seven-year-old half-brother.

·Zhang Heling (张鹤翎): Zhang Yansheng's nine-year-old half-sister.

·Auntie Wang (王姨): The nanny who cares for Zhang Shuocheng.

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Chapter 10

Liang Yingying and Zhang Huan arrived home almost at the same time.

Liang Yingying had called Zhang Huan immediately after receiving Auntie Wang's call. But Auntie Wang had also called Zhang Huan after calling her, so when Liang Yingying dialed, his line was busy.

After hanging up with Auntie Wang, Zhang Huan immediately called Zhang Yansheng. When Liang Yingying tried calling him again, his line was busy once more.

This kind of situation was particularly infuriating.

By the time Liang Yingying finally got through to Zhang Huan, her shrill voice almost pierced his eardrum.

Zhang Huan winced. "What are you screeching about! Yanyan hit Shuoshuo? I know. I've already called Yanyan. It's nothing serious."

Liang Yingying cried out, "You call that 'nothing serious'? Shuoshuo has never been hit by anyone since he was born! Your daughter is fifteen! How old is Shuoshuo? What if he gets hurt? He's your only son!"

Zhang Huan said, "He won't get hurt. I spoke with Yanyan. Yanyan promised she only spanked his bottom. Don't worry, Yanyan knows her limits."

The fifteen-year-old Zhang Yansheng hadn't yet dyed her hair, gotten tattoos, smoked, or drunk. She skipped class occasionally but hadn't made a habit of it. Although she often had small fights with Liang Yingying every few days, as someone who had long practiced taekwondo and sanda, she had never once laid a hand on this person she despised so much.

In Zhang Huan's mind, Zhang Yansheng was still a good kid.

Her behavior in front of the elders last night had been particularly filial and proper. His own mother had praised his daughter for growing up and becoming sensible.

Therefore, Zhang Huan still had some confidence in Zhang Yansheng. Far more than he had in Zhang Shuocheng. In fact, when he received the call saying Zhang Shuocheng had been hit by Zhang Yansheng, he didn't even ask why before assuming he probably deserved it.

Zhang Shuocheng got beaten, and Zhang Huan chose to believe Zhang Yansheng?

Liang Yingying was furious. She had long realized that even though Zhang Yansheng was just a girl, she still held some weight in Zhang Huan's heart.

This was what Liang Yingying couldn't stand the most. In her mind, this family should all belong to Zhang Shuocheng in the future. Why should Zhang Yansheng, a mere girl, occupy such a large place in Zhang Huan's heart? Would she end up taking a share of Zhang Shuocheng's inheritance later?

But Liang Yingying didn't dare lose her temper with Zhang Huan. She had risen from mistress to wife by giving birth to a son. If she hadn't had a son, she might have just stayed as an outside mistress, raising Zhang Heling there indefinitely.

Zhang Huan was her husband, but also her benefactor.

So Liang Yingying cried, weeping and pressuring Zhang Huan to go home immediately. Zhang Huan had no choice. Coupled with some concern, he hung up and left the company for home.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

The two entered the house one after the other. The moment Zhang Huan returned, he heard Zhang Shuocheng wailing again in the main hall, with Liang Yingyang yelling.

But upstairs was quiet. Zhang Yansheng hadn't shown her face at all.

Liang Yingying's yelling was laced with curses. Zhang Huan frowned and snapped, "Watch your language! Mind your words!"

Only then did Liang Yingying stop. In front of Zhang Huan, she still cared about her image and didn't curse. She immediately switched to a tearful, pitiful look, crying miserably. "Look at Shuoshuo's bottom. I've never hit him like this since he was born..." She started crying again.

Zhang Huan said to Zhang Shuocheng, "Take your pants off and let Dad see."

Zhang Shuocheng, counting on his parents to avenge him, immediately bent over, pulled his shorts and underwear down to his ankles, stripping completely bare!

Zhang Heling, who was peeking from the stair landing, immediately covered her eyes.

Zhang Huan examined him. There were indeed quite a few red welts on Zhang Shuocheng's bottom. It must have hurt quite a bit at the time. But they were just red marks. Not a single broken bone, not even a scratch on the skin.

Zhang Huan was relieved.

"It's nothing. Just a spanking," he said.

Liang Yingying couldn't even continue crying. Was this even human speech? The one who got beaten was his own son!

Liang Yingying immediately protested. "What right does she have to hit my son? How old is she! Shuoshuo is so little! This is child abuse!"

But Zhang Huan asked Zhang Shuocheng, "What did you do to make your sister so angry?"

Zhang Shuocheng began to hem and haw. It was clear from his tone that something was fishy.

Zhang Huan glanced upstairs and happened to see Zhang Heling peeking from the stairs. He called out, "Hehe, go call your sister down."

Zhang Heling quickly ran upstairs and knocked on the door. "Sis! Mom and Dad are back! Zhang Shuocheng is tattling on you! Sis! Dad told me to call you down."

The door creaked open.

"Got it," Zhang Yansheng frowned. "Why are you so panicked? Calm down."

Zhang Heling stuck out her tongue and followed Zhang Yansheng downstairs.

Downstairs, catching a glimpse of Liang Yingying's resentful face made Zhang Yansheng sick to her stomach. She directly averted her gaze.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

"Dad, hit her! Hurry up and hit her!" Zhang Shuocheng shook Zhang Huan's arm hatefully, hoping Zhang Huan would avenge him. With both parents present now, he was a tough guy again, afraid of nothing.

Zhang Huan said to Zhang Yansheng in a patient, earnest tone, "What happened? Why did you hit your brother? If he did something wrong, as his older sister, you should talk to him properly."

Here it was again, that tone of smoothing things over.

Zhang Yansheng vaguely remembered that indeed, at this time, Zhang Huan still had this attitude of not taking sides. Later, it was only when she herself became more and more of a mess that Zhang Huan gradually started siding with Liang Yingying.

Zhang Yansheng gathered her thoughts and glanced at Zhang Shuocheng clinging to Zhang Huan's side. A child's intuition was really sharp, clearly knowing who the truly influential person in this family was.

"Zhang Shuocheng," she said. "Tell everyone what you did."

Her cold tone the moment she spoke made Zhang Shuocheng tremble. But he immediately clutched Zhang Huan's clothes and regained his nerve. "I didn't do anything!"

Zhang Heling couldn't hold back first and shouted, "You're lying! You already admitted you were wrong to Sis!"

Liang Yingying slapped her on the shoulder and glared at her. "Shut up! Get out of the way!"

Stupid girl, couldn't even speak properly, didn't know which side she should be on.

An adult's strength in a moment of urgency was still quite painful for a little girl. Zhang Yansheng clearly saw Zhang Heling's mouth quiver and tears of wronged hurt well up in her eyes.

Zhang Yansheng was enraged!

Her powder-keg temper wasn't something that could be changed by being reborn for just a day or two. It would still explode when it should.

She pulled Zhang Heling behind her in one motion, her volume suddenly rising. "What are you doing!"

Liang Yingying wasn't afraid of the fifteen-year-old Zhang Yansheng. This girl had too good an upbringing; she didn't even know how to curse. If not for consideration of Zhang Huan, Liang Yingying could have cursed her non-stop for three days and nights without repeating herself.

And she never used her hands either. When she got angry, she only raised her voice, neither knowing how to leverage her position nor knowing how to show weakness.

In fact, Liang Yingying had long discovered that the more Zhang Yansheng made a scene, the further Zhang Huan distanced himself from her and the closer he drew to herself. She often deliberately provoked her with little actions to make Zhang Huan dislike her more and more.

Liang Yingying raised an eyebrow and said provocatively, "I'm disciplining my own daughter, so what? My daughter has a mother. When she does wrong, her mother has to discipline her."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Liang Yingying even reached out to pull Zhang Heling, trying to yank her out from behind Zhang Yansheng to give the stupid girl a proper lesson right in front of Zhang Yansheng.

To let her know the difference between having a mother and not having one!

These words were truly cutting. Even Zhang Huan frowned. He was just about to scold Liang Yingying when he suddenly saw Zhang Yansheng strike like lightning, directly clamping her hand around Liang Yingying's throat!

Zhang Huan watched, wide-eyed, as his young wife's body traced an arc through the air, pinned to the sofa by his eldest daughter's single hand clamped around her throat!

Liang Yingying didn't even have time to let out a scream before her voice was cut off. Her body was momentarily airborne before finally crashing into the sofa. The hand on her neck felt like an iron vice.

She grabbed Zhang Yansheng's wrist, trying to pry it off, but couldn't budge it at all. Zhang Yansheng, using only one hand to choke her, held her firmly pinned to the sofa.

How could a fifteen-year-old girl have such strength?

Everyone was stunned, including the aunts secretly watching from the stair landing and hallway.

Zhang Huan was also dumbfounded. His daughter had practiced taekwondo and sanda since she was a child and often brought home awards when she was little, but... she wasn't this formidable, was she?

Liang Yingying was a former model; she was even taller than Zhang Yansheng!

That instant burst of power from Zhang Yansheng a moment ago made everyone's heart skip a beat. Even after that moment passed, Zhang Huan was still standing there with his mouth agape, unable to react.

Zhang Heling was also stunned.

The first person to react was actually Zhang Shuocheng.

He let out a sharp scream of "Let go of my mom!" and instinctively lunged at Zhang Yansheng.

Zhang Yansheng's free hand shot out, caught his shoulder, gave a twist and a shove. Before Zhang Shuocheng could react, he spun around in place and tumbled into another sofa, dazed.

Zhang Heling cried out, "Sis!"

Zhang Huan snapped out of his daze, stood up abruptly, and reached out. "What are you doing! What are you doing! Yanyan, Yanyan! Let go first, let go first!"

Zhang Yansheng shouted sharply, "Stay back!"

Though just a teenage girl, the force of this shout actually froze Zhang Huan in his tracks. He stood with his arms outstretched but didn't dare step forward to pull her away by force.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Liang Yingying couldn't draw air, her mouth gaping, her hands flailing uselessly. But when Zhang Yansheng increased the pressure, she could only clutch at Zhang Yansheng's wrist, her eyes rolling back.

It looked terrifying.

"Your children have a mother?" Zhang Yansheng sneered. "Then how come I never see their mother disciplining them?"

"What did your son do today? He went into my room and stole my things!"

"Think a game console doesn't count? A game console is worth thousands. The crime of theft can land you three years in prison. Why aren't you disciplining him for that?"

"Zhang Heling tells the truth, and you want to hit and scold her? Trying to show off your power in front of me?"

"Let me tell you! As long as I'm in this house for a single day, it's not your turn to show off!"

"If Zhang Heling hasn't done anything wrong and you dare lay a finger on her, I'll pay you back tenfold!"

"You turn a blind eye when Zhang Shuocheng does wrong? That's fine. If you won't discipline him, I, as his older sister, will do it for you!"

"Just remember this: from now on, if you dare utter one more word in front of me about 'having a mother or not,' I'll make sure your children end up motherless!"

In the past, how foolish she had been. Because she was always arguing and getting angry with Liang Yingying, she didn't like coming home.

Starting in high school, she went astray—skipping school, cutting classes, staying away from home for days on end. Later, when she was older, she wouldn't come back for months or even half a year at a time.

This house, this home, completely transformed from her home into Liang Yingying's home.

A cuckoo occupying the magpie's nest!

This was clearly the home where she was born and raised, filled everywhere with memories of her mother!

How could she let others have it?

What was Liang Yingying, anyway?

Her mother was gone. She, Zhang Yansheng, was the lady of this house!

(End of Chapter)

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