Chapter 7 - The Price of Provocation

Xia Zhuozhuo frowned slightly and was about to speak, but Mrs. Xia took the lead and spoke with unquestionable severity. "Xiaowu! You are not allowed to talk like that!" Mrs. Xia's voice echoed in the empty living room with a bit of unchallengeable majesty, "Xiaoqi is your sister. You can't shirk your responsibility for her disappearance back then. Now, not only do you not welcome her, but you also hurt her with your words. What kind of words are you talking about?" Mrs. Xia's words were a bit reproachful, but also revealed the importance of family affection between family members. "Remember, our family has also come from the fields for three generations. No matter how high or far a person goes, he should not forget his roots." At this point, Mrs. Xia's tone became more firm: "Go back to your room and reflect on your mistakes behind closed doors! Without my permission, you are not allowed to step out of the door!" Xia Zhuozhuo looked at Mrs. Xia in surprise when she heard this. This surprise was not due to Mrs. Xia's defense of her, but because her words touched the resonance deep in Xia Zhuozhu's heart. "Don't forget where you came from", this sentence is the motto that Xia Zhuozhu often uses to spur his subordinates. At this moment, she found that Mrs. Xia's principles of life coincided with her own, and she couldn't help but respect this mother who seemed strict but actually understood the righteousness. However, Xia Huaiwu seemed impatient, and he protested: "Mom, how can you let me reflect on my mistakes behind closed doors in the current situation at home? I still have to go to the ancient martial arts hall for training!" Mrs. Xia's face sank when she heard this: "You don't have to worry about these things! You don't have to go to that ancient martial arts hall in the future. That kind of place is full of good and bad people, and it's not a place for serious people to go." Xia Huaiwu heard this, and his face showed an incredible expression. He was not like this before, but the life in the ancient martial arts hall gradually changed him, making him irritable and impulsive. Mrs. Xia secretly regretted that she shouldn't have let him get involved in that circle. "Mom..." Xia Huaiwu wanted to argue, but was interrupted by Mrs. Xia: "Don't you even listen to me? You are going to piss me off to death..." Before she finished speaking, Mrs. Xia suddenly coughed violently and her face turned pale in an instant. Seeing this, Xia Huaiwu was still unwilling to accept it, but considering Mrs. Xia's health, he had to reluctantly give in: "Mom, don't be angry, I will go to reflect on my mistakes behind closed doors." After saying that, he glared at Xia Zhuozhu fiercely, his eyes full of dissatisfaction and hostility. In Xia Huaiwu's view, Xia Zhuozhu's return brought bad luck to the family. Since she came back, the family has suffered a series of misfortunes, and now it is facing the crisis of bankruptcy. And all of this was attributed to Xia Zhuozhu, the "disaster star". Xia Zhuohuai didn't care about Xia Huaiwu's hostility, she responded lightly: "I won't take it to heart." Her tone was calm and firm, as if she was telling a story that had nothing to do with her. Mrs. Xia patted Xia Zhuozhuo's hand to comfort her: "You just came back, he is not familiar with you. After a long time, he will understand your goodness. If he dares to do this to you again, tell mom and mom will help you teach him a lesson." Xia Zhuozhuo laughed secretly in her heart. She didn't need Mrs. Xia's help. With her ability and means, it was just a piece of cake to teach Xia Huaiwu a lesson. But she still nodded gratefully: "Thank you, mom." At this time, Xia Liu interrupted: "By the way, mom... Where are the eldest and second brothers? I heard that they had a conflict with those who were offended by us. How are they now?" Hearing this, Mrs. Xia showed a trace of worry on her face: "Your eldest and second brothers did encounter some troubles. But I have asked someone to help deal with it. Your third brother has also returned from the crew. With such a thing happening at home, how can he stay in the crew with peace of mind?" "What about the fourth brother?" Xia Liu asked. "Your fourth brother is still in Africa to provide medical assistance, so he doesn't know the situation at home yet. Don't tell him, lest he be distracted and affect his work." Mrs. Xia said. The situation of the Xia family seems tricky, but in fact it is part of their careful layout. However, it is not convenient to tell his sons for the time being. Xia Liu heard this and nodded: "Then what can I do?" Mrs. Xia pondered for a moment: "You should have a good rest first, you don't have to worry about these things. However, you can stay and accompany me more. No matter how poor the family is, I can't let you down." A warm current surged in Xia Liu's heart. He knew that no matter how big the family was, his mother would always be his strongest support. At this time, Xia Zhuozhuo said: "Mom, I'll go and boil medicine for you." Mrs. Xia knew that Xia Liu had something to say, so she nodded and agreed: "Okay. Butler, take Zhuozhuo to the kitchen." The butler responded and led Xia Zhuozhuo out of the living room. After the door was closed, Xia Liu said hesitantly: "Mom, in our current situation, someone might take advantage of the situation to rob us..." Mrs. Xia heard this, and a hint of coldness flashed in her eyes: "I know. Whether they come or not, it's up to them! The important thing is that we should give Zhuozhu a good welcome. No matter how poor the family is, we can't treat her badly. She has suffered a lot over the years, and now that she is back, we want her to feel the warmth of home." Mrs. Xia's words were full of love and pity for Xia Zhuozhu. She knew that her daughter must have experienced a lot of hardships and tribulations after wandering outside for many years. Now that she is back, she must make it up to her. Moreover, this welcoming banquet is also a good opportunity to see people's hearts clearly. Those who come, she will remember this friendship in the future; those who don't come, she will also remember their faces. Xia Liu nodded and said, "Yes!" Then he asked with concern, "Mom, what dishes are you preparing? In addition, Zhuozhuo's room must be taken care of so that she can live comfortably." When Mrs. Xia heard this, a warm current surged in her heart. She knew that although her sons had different personalities, they were all full of love and responsibility for their families. She smiled and said, "Don't worry about these, I will arrange them. And over the years, I have personally cleaned her room and changed the sheets and quilts every week. Now that she is back, she can take care of these things herself." After that, Mrs. Xia took out her mobile phone and personally selected clothes and other daily necessities for Xia Zhuozhuo. She looked at the old clothes on Xia Zhuozhuo, and a sour feeling surged in her heart. She knew that Xia Zhuozhuo must have suffered a lot during these years of wandering outside. Now that she is back, she must take good care of her and compensate her. In the process of selecting clothes, Mrs. Xia smiled from time to time. But as she smiled, tears flowed again. She continued to choose clothes while wiping her tears, as if to make up for all the debts she owed to Xia Zhuozhuo over the years. On the other side, Xia Zhuozhuo came to the kitchen under the guidance of the housekeeper. She skillfully found the necessary medicinal materials and began to boil medicine for Mrs. Xia. While boiling the medicine, she flipped through the information about the Xia family that was sent to her by Instant Noodles on her mobile phone. Mr. Xia Yunhai was once a famous figure in Shanghai, and his six sons were also talented. However, now that something has happened, their fate will also change dramatically. Especially the eldest son of the Xia family, who has had hidden diseases in his feet since birth and can only travel in a wheelchair. Over the years, he has been trying to prove that he is no worse than normal people, but fate always seems to like to play tricks on him. Xia Zhuozhuo looked at the words on the information, and her heart could not help but ripple. She knew that although these sons had different personalities and abilities, they were all full of loyalty and love for the family. Now that the family has encountered misfortune, they will definitely unite and overcome the difficulties together. While thinking, she suddenly heard a painful gasp. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw Xia Huaiwu curled up in pain in a corner of the room. His hand seemed to be dislocated, and he wanted to drink water but couldn't. Seeing this, Xia Zhuozhuo was calm. She glanced at Xia Huaiwu indifferently, then turned and left. Helping him at this time would be like adding fuel to the fire. Only by letting him realize his mistakes and correct them actively can the problem be truly solved. However, Xia Huaiwu did not realize this. He looked at Xia Zhuozhuo's back as he left, his eyes full of anger and unwillingness. He swore in his heart: One day, he would make this "disaster star" pay the price! "Did you come here to laugh at me?" Xia Zhuozhuo ignored him, walked straight to Xia Huaiwu, faced his puzzled eyes, and suddenly grabbed his dislocated right arm. Xia Huaiwu subconsciously wanted to break free, but Xia Zhuozhuo's hand was as tight as an iron clamp, making him unable to move. "How unreasonable! You are asking for trouble!" he roared. "What on earth are you going to do!" Xia Huaiwu raised his left hand to fight back, but suddenly realized that his dislocated right arm had regained strength. He tried to rotate his wrist in confusion, but there was no pain! At this moment, he suddenly realized that Xia Zhuozhuo's move just now was to reset him. He looked at Xia Zhuozhuo's back in astonishment, and the latter had turned around and walked out.