Chapter 16: See, You Just Can't Be Too Kind to Them

"I’m your grandmother, you know."
"And we’re your—father, mother, uncle, grandfather—"
The group roared in chorus once more.
Grandmother Le Xi lunged for the tin of peach crisps, clutching it tightly, even snatching the half-piece still in Le Xi’s hand.
"This is mine. A disobedient child like you won’t get a single bite."
"You bought those peach crisps with my money. Are you really not giving me any?"
Never again would such absurd nonsense unfold.
Grandmother Le Xi held her nose high, snorting,
"That’s right, you’re not getting any."
No sooner had she finished than Le Xi yanked the tin from her grasp, determined to keep eating.
Grandmother Le Xi wailed in despair,
"This unfilial child, stealing food from an old woman. I hope you can’t relieve yourself! Why don’t you all help me get it back?"
Mother Le Xi, Father Le Xi, and Uncle Le Xi weren’t interested in the peach crisps—they wanted money.
"Le Xi, you can keep the peach crisps, but you have to give us money."
Le Xi snorted with laughter, went to the kitchen and returned with a kitchen knife, slamming it heavily on the table.
"You’re all so full that all you do is spend all day online. You must have seen me slaughtering sheep. Slaughtering sheep, slaughtering people—it’s all the same. And as for what people say about me online, you must have read it too. They’re right. I’ve lost my mind, so I don’t recognize any kinship. What must I do? If you want anything, speak properly."
"Le Xi, you’re too deep into your role. You’re home now. Snap out of it," said Uncle Le Xi, though he cowered behind Grandfather Le Xi, just in case.
"Exactly, Le Xi," Father and Mother Le Xi chimed in. "You’re home now, you’re not an actress here—you’re our daughter. Be our daughter again."
Bloodsuckers, aren’t they?
Le Xi tossed away the peach crisp she was holding, grabbed the knife in one hand and yanked Uncle Le Xi out with the other, spinning the blade in a dazzling display.
Uncle Le Xi was so terrified he dropped to his knees on the spot.
"Ah! I’m going to faint!"
Grandfather Le Xi, the closest, was so frightened he wet his pants standing there.
Drip, drip…
Father and Mother Le Xi fell silent. Grandmother Le Xi’s wailing stopped.
Apart from the dripping, the room was deathly quiet.
"What are you standing there for? Change Grandpa’s pants!"
At Le Xi’s shout, Grandmother Le Xi trembled as she went to help change his pants.
"I’m not your grandmother," she grumbled.

Mother Le Xi awkwardly shifted, but Le Xi waved her off.
"Not you either. I’m talking to Le Ren and Le Yi."
Father and Uncle Le Xi shot her disgruntled looks, but their legs obediently moved to support Grandfather Le Xi.
The men of the Le family really ought to do some work. They always bragged that since Grandpa married Grandma and Dad married Mom, the men never worked a day in their lives.
As for the long-suffering Grandmother Le Xi and Mother Le Xi, instead of making things better, they made sure Le Xi had no peace.
Now that Le Xi could earn money, they simply quit working outside altogether, preferring to stay home, bicker with the men, fight over whatever they could, and yet still serve the men in every possible way. In the end, they all joined forces to squeeze Le Xi dry.
In short, not a single one was worth a damn.
"Mom, don’t just stand there—clean up," Le Xi said, pointing at the puddle on the floor.
"Oh, oh," Mother Le Xi hurried off to fetch a broom.
Le Xi helped Grandmother Le Xi to a seat and asked,
"Grandma, were you frightened? Are you feeling all right?"
Grandmother Le Xi shook her head.
"No," she said, pointing at the tin, "Have some peach crisps."
See? If you treat them too well, they treat you like a blood bag and show no respect.
Be a little fierce, and suddenly they’re on their best behavior.
"I’m not hungry. Is Grandpa changed yet?" Le Xi called toward the other room.
Grandpa was fine, so there was no need for a hospital.
Le Xi checked the fridge and the kitchen. At least here, they hadn’t lied—
The vegetables were gone, and the rice bin was nearly empty.
"Go on, go,"
Everyone urged Mother Le Xi to tell her the truth.
"Le Xi, we really weren’t lying. We’re about to have nothing left to eat, and we have no money. A few days ago, we went to the Song family and got scolded by the woman Song Qi just married. She said you took thirty million and divorced Song Qi, told us to get lost, and threatened to have us beaten if we ever went back."
Le Xi believed her—they were exactly the kind of people who would spend whatever they had.
Back when Le Xi was at her poorest, earning barely a hundred yuan a day, she’d say, Save thirty for the water bill, but they’d spend it all anyway, claiming they felt uncomfortable if there was money left. Inevitably, the water was cut off the next day.
If they had twenty thousand, they’d clear out the entire corner store, then eat nothing but snacks for a month—until they were literally constipated.

Mother Le Xi pleaded,
"Xi Xi, you can be angry with us, even hit us, but you can’t starve us to death. We’re your family."
Le Xi had them all sit down.
"Dad, Uncle—you are both obligated to care for Grandpa and Grandma from now on."
"What?"
Father and Uncle Le Xi jumped up, but one slap of the knife on the table made them sit right back down.
Le Xi continued,
"Of course, I’m obligated to care for my parents too."
Father and Mother Le Xi liked the sound of that.
Uncle Le Xi protested,
"What about me? I have no wife or children. You’re my niece, you should support me as well."
"Read a book sometime," Le Xi rolled her eyes at him.
"But none of you are old enough to be legally entitled to support. No money for you now. If you’re willing to find proper jobs instead of wasting your able bodies, I promise: you’ll get a share of that thirty million. Otherwise, I’ll put Grandpa and Grandma in a nursing home, and the three of you can starve."
"Work? Get a job?"
"Even with thirty million, you want us to work?"
Mother Le Xi had at least done housework before; Father and Uncle Le Xi had never worked a day in their lives, only indulged themselves. Work was as foreign to them as a prison sentence. They sat there, stunned.
Le Xi picked up her suitcase and left. The rice in the bin would last them two days—enough time to find jobs.
She warned them: find jobs and send her proof of employment within two days, or she’d move Grandpa and Grandma out immediately.
Then, the thirty million would be lost to them forever. When they finally reached retirement age, she’d throw them a few hundred at most.
Over the next two days, the three sent Le Xi countless pleading messages, but she ignored them all.
As the deadline approached, they reluctantly went job-hunting.
Mother Le Xi found a job washing dishes at a hotel, Father Le Xi as a hotel cleaner, and Uncle Le Xi as a factory gatekeeper.
Le Xi, suspicious, checked to make sure they weren’t faking it. Once confirmed, she stocked the house with food and necessities, installed surveillance, and hired a caretaker for her grandparents.
The next morning, after getting a call from the production team, she headed to the outskirts for a group meeting.
"Host, this donkey is so skinny—can it really pull us? Are we going to have to get out and push the cart?"
Huo Hongming and Wang Zhuorui were about to lose their minds.