Chapter 38: God Says Both Sides Deserve a Slap in the Face

“This is the bounty for those two criminals. They committed serious crimes, so the federal government put a hefty price on their heads—ten thousand dollars each. We kept two thousand as a handling fee; the remaining eighteen thousand is all inside,” Nick explained. Eddie was about to interject, but Number Eleven shot him a glare, and he immediately clamped his mouth shut, not daring to say another word.

Lin Xiao looked at Nick in surprise. They hadn't known about the bounty at all. If Nick and his partner had chosen not to deliver the money and kept it for themselves, it would still have been a significant fortune.

“Don’t forget, we’re still police officers,” Nick said with a wink, then led Eddie back to the ward to continue questioning Michael and his companion.

Lin Xiao weighed the envelope in his hand, and his spirits soared. At last, they wouldn’t have to squeeze into their tiny house anymore. It was finally time to give Joey and Will the home they deserved.

He drove Number Eleven back home. Joey had already left for work—there was no choice. Their family’s daily expenses, as well as their tuition, all depended on Joey’s job. Not working wasn’t an option. To earn a little more, she’d volunteered for overtime and had been running herself ragged lately. She really needed a break.

Lin Xiao made breakfast for Number Eleven and Will. It happened to be Saturday, so there was no school. After they finished eating, he had Number Eleven disguise herself again, then took both children into town.

He drove straight to the entrance of the department store where Joey worked. Leading the two children inside, he saw Joey busy at the register. When she caught sight of them, her face lit up with joy. She waved them toward the break area to wait for her.

The three of them settled into the rest area, which had chairs and tables. The supermarket manager recognized them and politely brought over several plates of sample fruit and cookies, smiling and telling them to help themselves.

Number Eleven and Will ate with relish. Lin Xiao leaned back in his chair, mulling over the idea of buying a house. He might as well have Joey take the afternoon off so that the whole family could go house-hunting. Tomorrow was Sunday—if they decided today, they could move in the very next day.

“Honey, wait here. Mommy’s going to do some shopping. Remember, don’t wander off,” said a well-dressed middle-aged woman as she led a five- or six-year-old boy over, set him on the rocking horse in the lounge, and then walked into the store to shop.

The little boy was quite striking, his eyes darting mischievously. When he saw Will and Number Eleven eating, he jumped down from the horse and walked over to the table, reaching out to grab some food.

Neither Will nor Number Eleven minded, but unexpectedly, the little boy was quite domineering. He pulled all the plates toward himself. When Will reached out to take something, the boy snatched up a bamboo skewer and jabbed it hard into the back of Will’s hand.

“Ah!” Will’s shriek snapped Lin Xiao out of his thoughts. Number Eleven reacted instinctively, flicking her hand—an invisible force hurled the little boy three or four meters away, where he landed on the ground and burst into loud wails.

“Honey!”

The elegant woman, who had been shopping, rushed over in high heels, scooped up the crying boy, and stormed over, raising her hand to slap Number Eleven.

A strong hand caught her wrist—it was Lin Xiao, who had just stood up.

“Let go of me! I’m going to teach this little brat a lesson. Whose daughter is she? Didn’t anyone teach her any manners?” the woman shrieked, drawing the attention of the supermarket manager. Joey, seeing Will and the others, hurriedly put down her work and rushed over. The commotion drew a crowd of curious shoppers.

“What happened, Will?” Joey asked, seeing the blood on Will’s hand. Heart aching, she asked the manager to fetch a plaster. The woman across from her raged, “Is this brat your daughter? She dared to push my honey? I’m going to smash her face!”

Lin Xiao stood coldly to the side. Like mother, like son—no wonder the boy was so arrogant and overbearing; he had an even more overbearing mother.

Joey asked what happened, and Will told the truth. The onlookers immediately began criticizing the woman. It was clear who lacked proper upbringing here.

“That’s Mrs. Burham from the wealthy district. Her husband is the county’s biggest real estate developer, owns more than a dozen companies, and builds luxury apartments and villas,” someone whispered nearby, and Lin Xiao took note. So, she was a lady of high society—no wonder she was so arrogant and domineering.

Joey stayed silent. When the manager brought the plaster, she carefully bandaged Will’s hand, then turned to the woman and said, “This is my daughter, but she’s no brat. Frankly, I think you’re the brat here. Your son stabbed my son, and my daughter pushed your son—let’s call it even. No one owes anyone anything.”

The boy was young and didn’t know better; Joey didn’t want to pursue the matter. Since Number Eleven had already taught him a lesson, she considered it settled.

Hearing Joey call her daughter, Number Eleven beamed with joy, walked over, and hugged Joey’s arm, rolling her eyes at the wealthy woman.

The woman was furious, cursing, “Even? Who is your son, and who is mine? My honey is set to inherit billions, and what does your son have—a cashier’s job? Today is not over. I demand to teach this little brat a lesson—at least five slaps, no, ten, and she must apologize to my honey.”

Lin Xiao sneered coldly. It didn’t matter where you were; there were always people like this. Even in a country that prided itself on equality, there were those who considered themselves superior, lording it over everyone else.

The onlookers were angry as well. Clearly, her child started it. Even if he got pushed, he was so young it could be considered self-defense. Who could blame them?

“Mom, I don’t want to slap her. I want to use this to poke a hole in her face,” the little boy in the woman’s arms said, raising the bamboo skewer with a twisted smile. The onlookers shivered—the child was unnerving.

“All right, honey, let Mommy help you.”

The woman took the skewer from her son and strode toward Number Eleven, raising it to jab at her face.

Smack!

A crisp slap echoed through the air, stunning everyone. Lin Xiao coolly withdrew his hand, leaving five clear fingerprints on the woman’s left cheek.

“You—you dare hit me? I’ll see your whole family dead!” she screamed, brandishing the skewer at Lin Xiao. He caught her wrist again.

Smack!

Another sharp slap sounded. Joey, teeth clenched, pulled back her hand, leaving five bright red marks on the woman’s right cheek.

“Well done!” the crowd cheered and applauded. They had never seen someone so unreasonable before. If nobody put her in her place, what would stop her from running amok?

“How dare you! I’ll never let you get away with this! I’ll see your whole family dead!” the woman screamed, pointing at them, and stormed out with her son in her arms. She jumped into a red sports car and sped away.

“I’m sorry, Donald, for driving away your customer,” Joey apologized to the supermarket manager. The middle-aged man smiled and addressed the onlookers, “No, Joey. I think you just won me even more customers, don’t you?”

The crowd applauded again, some whistling, and the store filled with a cheerful buzz.

“Mom, could you take the afternoon off? I want to take Will and Number Eleven out to play. What do you think?” Lin Xiao suggested, not mentioning the house-hunting.

Joey looked at the supermarket manager. The man glanced at Will and smiled, “Of course. Will was hurt in my store—think of this as compensation.”