Chapter 32: My child, when will these days ever come to an end?

With a plan in mind, Xu Lin waited for the burly man to return. As long as she emptied the goods before the shift change, there shouldn’t be any accidents. Whether someone would try to rob the warehouse after dark was no longer her concern.

Having decided her course, Xu Lin finally took in the warehouse. The toy factory’s warehouse was several hundred square meters, with hundreds of boxes of various sizes piled on its grimy floor. She didn’t know what was inside, but just the sight of those boxes was enticing enough. If nothing else, they’d make excellent firewood for several days.

She didn’t have to wait long before the burly man returned, whistling, and was immediately urged to join. “Lai San, hurry up and shuffle the cards. You really can’t lose, can you? Every time you lose, you either go pee or take a dump. This time you’ve got no excuse to leave.”

“Yeah, Lai San, you really can’t handle losing. I lost hundreds the other day and didn’t make a fuss like you.”

“Come off it—who was stuck in the outhouse the other day, unable to get out?” Lai San’s comeback drew a round of laughter, and soon the warehouse was filled with the sound of shuffling cards.

Xu Lin watched the four men banter and laugh, relaxed and unsuspecting. She knew this was the perfect moment. Quietly, she took out the sedative and scattered it. In no time, all four slumped over. Still cautious, Xu Lin used a silver needle on each to ensure they wouldn’t wake.

Once she was certain they were completely unconscious, Xu Lin rifled through their pockets and took all the money. Yours, mine—it was all hers now.

To her surprise, she found over two thousand yuan on them, along with numerous ration and industrial coupons. Who would have guessed these men were so flush with cash?

Xu Lin pocketed the money, then crept toward the pile of boxes and began her collection. It took her over ten minutes to finish gathering everything. She checked behind her—no clues left, everything was cleaned up well—before quietly making her way to the warehouse window.

The window, neglected for years, hadn’t been repaired by those men who occupied the warehouse. Xu Lin had no trouble opening it and slipping out. She paused, scanning her surroundings.

Excellent. About thirty meters to the right, two men stood chatting with their backs to her. Judging from their positions, the patrols here were fairly tight, but unfortunately for them, they’d crossed paths with her.

Xu Lin felt a touch of pride—she came in quietly, and now left just as stealthily.

She departed in style, waving her sleeves as if not taking a single cloud away. Leaving the factory, Xu Lin made her way home safely. It was still light out when she arrived at the Xu house; her mother was cooking dinner.

In the past, Xu Lin handled all the cooking and chores, and the rest of the family enjoyed everything ready-made, making for a warm and affectionate household. Now, without Xu Lin managing the housework, things had changed.

Xu Nuan, who couldn’t cook, was being scolded relentlessly. Mother Xu forced her to learn to cook and do chores, teaching and cursing in equal measure, threatening that if she didn’t learn, she’d have to quit school and stay home, taking over Xu Lin’s duties—odd jobs, housework, tending to the whole family, day in and day out.

Xu Nuan was so upset she nearly cried herself dry. She’d always known her mother favored sons over daughters, but hadn’t realized it was this severe. With Xu Lin bearing the brunt in the past, Xu Nuan thought her own treatment at home was decent. Not as good as Xu Kun’s, but much better than Xu Lin’s, and certainly better than her peers.

Now, looking again, where was the advantage? She was worse off than others, plain and simple.

The scolding ceased when Xu Lin returned home—Mother Xu, fearful of Xu Lin’s displeasure, shut her mouth and hurried to finish dinner. Thinking of how she had to serve the whole family after returning from work, Mother Xu felt aggrieved. She thought no one in the house cared for her.

Looking at the dejected Xu Nuan, her resentment only grew. Another ingrate—what harm was there in making a meal? She did nothing all day; why couldn’t she drop dead of laziness?

Xu Lin stood in the kitchen, arms crossed, and Mother Xu’s body tensed immediately. Xu Nuan, ever the scapegoat, rolled her eyes at her mother’s reaction. “Hmph, she only dares shout at me. If she has the guts, why not snap at Xu Lin?”

Thinking about her future—taking over Xu Lin’s chores, becoming the family’s little maid, the scapegoat, the punching bag—Xu Nuan felt utterly defeated. At that moment, she wished she could sign up to be sent to the countryside, anything to escape this suffocating household.

With Xu Lin present, the family dared not act up, quietly eating dinner and then, without a word, crouched before her, prepared for their thrice-daily ritual.

They offered themselves up for punishment—Xu Lin surely wouldn’t hit them too hard.

In truth, Xu Lin didn’t. It was barely worth the effort. They sat there like dumplings, offering no resistance, less interesting than punching a sandbag.

Once Xu Lin finished and left, the family breathed a sigh of relief; another day survived.

Grandmother Xu wiped her eyes and asked, “Son, how long will this torment last?”

Father Xu, face grim, drew a breath and after a pause said, “Tonight, stay quietly in your rooms. No matter what noises you hear, do not open the door or try to check. Understood?”

The clever ones caught his meaning—Grandmother and Mother Xu instantly realized tonight something would happen.

Xu Nuan, a bit sharp herself, though she didn’t fully grasp it, could read their expressions. Seeing joy flash across her mother and grandmother’s faces, she understood.

Only Xu Kun, the clueless second son, stared wide-eyed and asked, “But what if I need to pee?”

“Hold it in. If you can’t, pee in the room,” Father Xu replied curtly, casting a look of disdain at his youngest. He hadn’t noticed before how foolish the boy was, but lately, he seemed increasingly so.

Was he really his son?

Father Xu considered himself exceptionally smart; such a dull child couldn’t take after him, so he glared at Mother Xu, blaming her.

Mother Xu, baffled by the glare, blinked innocently, massaged her aching body, and slowly got up. Saying nothing, she went to lie down—her pain never seemed to fade.

Thankfully, this ordeal would eventually end; otherwise, she doubted she could endure much longer.

Xu Lin returned to her room, recalling Father Xu’s words—tonight would be eventful. She wondered if Wang Mingliang had taken action against those spies.

In the Enforcement Bureau’s conference room, Wang Mingliang was giving his report. When he finished, he looked to the head of the table.

“That’s the intelligence we have so far. According to our investigation, the toxic spray appeared on the black market. We’ve identified three victims, all suffering from brain nerve damage resulting in dementia.”

“Toxic spray—this case must be thoroughly investigated. We cannot allow poison to continue harming people across the land.”