Chapter 413 - 360: Who Is the Real Thief?
Chapter 413: Chapter 360: Who Is the Real Thief?
Xiao Man looked at Bai Yifang and smiled faintly. "Many from the older generation are well aware of my engagement. You haven’t been in Beijing for long, so it’s not surprising you don’t know the whole story. You can ask Aunt Bai to explain it to you."
Bai Yifang pouted, wanting to argue back defiantly. But Bai Qingyue shot her a look and said with a smile, "It’s a long story. We can chat about it some other time when we’re free. I just heard the manager say they got a new shipment of bedding with beautiful patterns. Manman, come up to the second floor with us to take a look. Whatever you like, your aunt will buy it for you!"
Xiao Man shook her head. "You two go ahead. I’ll pass."
As she spoke, she reached out and patted the head of Weiwei, who was in Yang Liu’er’s arms. "Little ones get impatient staying in one place for too long. We’ll be leaving now. Goodbye!"
But Bai Yifen grabbed her arm and jutted her chin toward Yang Liu’er. "Manman, how do you know this person?"
Xiao Man said, "Oh, I forgot to introduce you. This is my friend, a student at the Night University. Her name is Yang Liu’er."
Bai Yifen’s eyes widened, and Bai Yifang blurted out, "Manman, she’s fooling you! What friend? What Night University student? She’s just a nanny from our house!"
Yang Liu’er was grateful to Xiao Man for defending her honor. Hearing Bai Yifang’s words, she seethed with anger and glared at her. "Who’s your family’s nanny? You’ve got some nerve! How much money could you possibly have to afford me, Yang Liu’er, as your nanny?"
Weiwei didn’t know the exact meaning of "nanny," but when his own aunt or Aunt Yang was looking after him, they would sometimes complain to others, saying, "It’s my turn to be the nanny today." So he thought a nanny was someone who was always by his side. The moment he heard Bai Yifang claim Aunt Yang was her family’s nanny, he quickly wrapped his arms around Yang Liu’er’s neck and shouted at Bai Yifang, "You’re lying! We have money! When I grow up, I’ll give my aunt lots and lots and lots of money! We don’t want your stinking money, and she won’t be your nanny!"
Yang Liu’er patted Weiwei comfortingly, her eyes red as she gave him a kiss. "Good boy!"
Xiao Man also smiled and praised him, "Our Weiwei is a little man who knows how to protect his aunt. You’re amazing!"
Bai Yifen and Bai Yifang were dumbfounded. ’What does that even mean? What’s the relationship between this little brat and Manman? And why is Manman defending Yang Liu’er, a country bumpkin from the sticks?’
Bai Qingyue’s gaze flickered with uncertainty. ’How on earth did Yang Liu’er manage to latch onto Tang Manman? From the looks of it, Manman’s relationship with Yang Liu’er seems even closer and more harmonious than her relationship with the two Bai sisters.’
She took another hard look at Yang Liu’er and was shocked to see how much the country girl had changed. ’Back at the Bai Family home, they’d bought her a few outfits, but they were always conservative blouses and trousers. They never deliberately bought her dresses, all to suppress her and keep her from looking too pretty. The only dresses she got were the three or four that Bai Yifen and Bai Yifang had worn and discarded, and she rarely dared to wear them at home. But now, just look at how she’s dressed!’
’Her form-fitting dress is a new, fashionable style, and the material looks expensive at a glance. A thin leather belt at her waist accentuates her graceful figure, making her look unspeakably alluring and enchanting. Those red high-heeled leather sandals must have cost at least sixty or seventy yuan. Her shiny, dark, curly hair is freshly permed, and the pair of pink hair clips by her temples are identical to the ones Yifen just bought! And looking closer at her wrist... she’s actually wearing a square-faced watch—a Plum Blossom brand watch! When did Yang Liu’er learn to dress up like this? How dare she be so extravagant and stylish? Where did she get the money?’
’No wonder she dares to walk around with Tang Manman. Anyone who didn’t know the real story would mistake her for a well-bred lady from a good family just by looking at her outfit!’
Bai Qingyue’s face darkened. She stared at Yang Liu’er. "Liu’er, tell me the truth. Did you steal Xiao Fan’s money when you left the Bai Family?"
Yang Liu’er was stunned for a moment, then her eyes reddened with anger. Stiffening her neck, she said, "You—don’t you slander me!"
"Where would a nanny get the money to buy a Plum Blossom watch? All gussied up like that, you must have stolen money from our family!" Bai Yifang had also noticed Yang Liu’er’s expensive belongings earlier. She had been a little hesitant before, but now that her aunt had spoken up, she reached out to grab at Yang Liu’er.
"Exactly! She had sticky fingers when she was a nanny at our house, always stealing clothes from us sisters. No wonder she left without saying goodbye. She obviously stole money from our family!"
Seeing Yang Liu’er dodge to the side, Bai Yifen also started shouting loudly and moved forward to help.
The prices at the Overseas Chinese Store were high, so it was relatively less crowded, but there was no shortage of customers. There were still people coming and going. The Bai sisters’ shouting and physical aggression attracted attention, and a circle of onlookers quickly gathered. Clutching Weiwei, Yang Liu’er had nowhere to retreat, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Of course, Xiao Man wasn’t going to let the Bai sisters succeed. Amidst Weiwei’s high-pitched shouts, she gave a light pull and a tug, flinging both sisters three meters away from Yang Liu’er. "Please mind your image. Mugging someone in the middle of the street is not very ladylike. Look, you’re frightening the child!"
Bai Qingyue: "...Manman!"
Xiao Man smiled at Bai Qingyue. "So Aunt Bai and the Bai sisters know Liu’er too? Then you must be familiar with her situation. She came to find her relatives but was met with misfortune. Her fiancé’s family looked down on her for being poor and drove her out, leaving her all alone. That’s tragic enough. Now that she’s finally making a little progress through her own efforts, we should be encouraging her, not making things difficult, right? Liu’er is so kind and gentle, and Aunt Bai, you’re a devout Buddhist with a compassionate heart. You certainly wouldn’t approve of the sisters bullying the weak, would you?"
Bai Yifang yelled, "Manman, don’t let her fool you! My brother is not her fiancé! Yang Liu’er really did come to our house to be a nanny! If you don’t believe me, you can go to our house and ask Shun Ma. Shun Ma is Yang Liu’er’s aunt, and she’s been a nanny for our family her whole life. Now that Shun Ma is old, she had this Yang Liu’er come take her place!"
Bai Qingyue couldn’t stop Bai Yifang’s big mouth in time. She was so furious at her niece’s self-incriminating blunder that she felt faint. Hurriedly, she tried to change the subject, saying to Xiao Man, "Yang Liu’er did indeed work as a nanny at our home previously. But she wasn’t diligent and had a habit of petty theft. Later, she left without a word, and we immediately discovered that many valuables were missing. We were about to report it to the police, but we let it go because Shun Ma pleaded for her!"
"You’re full of it!" Yang Liu’er couldn’t take it anymore and finally exploded. She put Weiwei down, pushed him toward Xiao Man, motioning for her to hold his hand, then planted her hands on her hips and pointed at Bai Qingyue and her nieces as she cursed:
"Since the Bai Family has no sense of shame, I don’t need to cover for you anymore! I, Yang Liu’er, am engaged to Bai Junfan. Who in Pan Kou Village doesn’t know about this? You bullied me because my parents are gone and Brother Junfan is studying abroad, thinking you could order me around like a free nanny? In your dreams! If it weren’t for my parents, would Bai Junfan be where he is today? Treating me like this... have you no conscience?! It’s true I left without a word, but that’s because I didn’t have the courage to say goodbye! I was afraid you’d take the law into your own hands, lock me in a dark room, and never let me out! I can swear a solemn oath that I’m not making this up—the Bai family is more than capable of doing something that horrible! You accuse me of being a thief? Fine! Let’s go to the police station right now and let them investigate. Let’s see who the real robbers and thieves are! Your Bai Family tried to destroy the truth of my engagement to Brother Junfan and steal our happiness. Isn’t that the behavior of a thief?"
Bai Yifen and Bai Yifang stood there dumbstruck, their mouths agape. Bai Qingyue nearly fainted. She never, ever would have expected that Yang Liu’er—usually so quiet and reserved, so timid and withdrawn, a girl who barely registered in her presence—would have the audacity to launch into a long-winded speech in front of a huge crowd!