QTIMP -Chapter 239 Character Persona – Vicious (Part 2)

“Once you get your graduation certificate, Mom will take you to hand over the job. Don’t tell your younger sister—I’m afraid she’ll make a scene again.”

Si Dong quickly nodded. He wasn’t stupid; how could he give up his own benefits?

Si Qiu quickly washed the sweet potatoes and tossed them into the pot, while thinking about her next plan.

The next day after school, after cooking, Si Qiu carried out a pile of trash. After dumping it, she strolled casually toward the back alley of the tube-shaped apartment building.

By then it was getting late, and soon she saw the northwest twin siblings. The two were walking home with schoolbags—one holding a stick, the other fiddling with wild flowers.

Just as they were about to reach the alley entrance, a torn burlap sack suddenly fell from above, covering both of them. What followed was a brutal beating.

They tried to shout, but the moment they were covered, someone struck their mouths. Each of them spat out a tooth, the pain so intense they couldn’t even speak.

After a long while, it finally stopped. The two struggled out of the sack, crying as they staggered home.

Mother Si felt heartache seeing them like this. She cleaned them up, had Si Qiu apply some medicine, and stood at the doorway cursing for nearly an hour.

Father Si frowned and glanced at them. “Did these two offend someone outside?”

The two shrank back at the question. With their personalities, they had offended far too many people to count.

Father Si saw their reaction at once and rolled his eyes. “Serves you right. You brought it on yourselves—don’t you dare cry.”

They were still quite afraid of him and quickly held back their tears.

After that, the children recuperated for a while and became much more obedient. Even if they weren’t, it didn’t matter—they’d just be beaten again. Eventually, they would learn their lesson.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. Mother Si first arranged for the eldest daughter to go down to the countryside. Si Qiu had been quietly observing and, after learning about her move, knew her opportunity had come.

Si Nan had also become increasingly anxious these days. Although her parents kept saying they hadn’t found her a job yet, she knew that if someone had to be sacrificed, she would lose to her brother.

If only the third child weren’t so young—otherwise she could have gone in her place and delayed things for a while.

Thinking of this, she walked home in a burst of anger. But just as she turned the corner, she heard someone mentioning her name.

“How could that be? I saw the name—it’s my sister Si Nan.”

It was the youngest child’s voice.

Immediately after, a boy’s voice came through. “Yeah, my older sister works at the resettlement office. I heard your mom signed your eldest sister up for going down to the countryside, saying she’s going to the Northeast.”

Si Nan instantly recognized him—it was the boy who had been hanging around her youngest brother for the past half month.

“What? How could that be? I heard it’s a place where people can freeze to death, and the local people are fierce. Fights happen all the time—killing someone or two is normal there.”

“Yes, that’s the place. I heard your mom really dotes on your eldest sister too. I don’t know what she was thinking. My sister said those sent there have a really miserable time.”

Si Nan’s heart grew colder the more she listened. Her fists clenched tightly, her eyes turning red with suppressed fury.

“Actually, I know—your mom is doing it so your eldest sister won’t compete with your big brother for the temporary job slot. And she’s also afraid she might retaliate against the family, so she secretly signed your big brother up for going down too.”

Hearing the youngest child’s words, Si Nan asked herself—was that really the case? But deep down, hadn’t she already known the answer? She had just been misled all along.

“Qiuqiu, I’ll take you to the riverbank to dig wild vegetables, okay?”

“Okay, okay. The house just happens to be empty today, I can go out for a while.”

Si Nan subconsciously hid behind a rock, watching Si Qiu walk toward the river with that little boy.

Dazed, she returned home, repeatedly chewing over what Si Qiu had just said. In the end, her eyes red, she went into her parents’ room, grabbed the household registration book, and rushed out.

She even registered her elder brother. At first, she wanted to find a relatively decent place, but the staff casually mentioned that the harsher the location, the higher the subsidy.

So she sent her elder brother to the far northwest.

Si Nan was inherently selfish, so she completely followed the path Si Qiu had laid out for her.

She thought to herself: since her parents had abandoned her, she didn’t need to show them any mercy either. But she still kept a bit of caution—she chose a rural assignment departure date that was three days later than Si Qiu’s train.

That evening, Mother Si specially ordered two meat dishes and even made mixed-grain rice with Si Qiu, adding only a small amount of sweet potato.

After dinner, she hesitated for a while and then announced that she had already registered Si Nan for going down to the countryside.

As expected, Si Nan burst into heartbreaking tears upon hearing the news. Father Si and Mother Si comforted her repeatedly, saying they would not abandon her.

They promised to continue finding her work at home and to regularly send her money and supplies. She, in turn, followed her parents’ wishes without any complaint.

She only expressed reluctance and fear of the hardships in the countryside, which made Mother Si cry uncontrollably.

They promised they would prepare as many things as possible so she could go with enough money and supplies.

Over the next three days, Mother Si didn’t even have time to scold Si Qiu anymore.

She was constantly busy running around preparing things for Si Nan—small items like underwear, shoes, socks, lunch boxes, combs, mirrors; large items like cotton coats, overcoats, quilts, and even specially bought a wristwatch.

Compared to Si Qiu, it was truly like heaven and earth.

They prepared three bundles over a meter high, each stuffed to the brim. But because they were overpacked, they were extremely heavy.

They quickly selected two items that weren’t urgently needed and mailed them ahead. The remaining bundle, along with some food, was for Si Nan to carry herself.

Si Nan cried and complained again and again. Originally, Father Si and Mother Si only planned to give her 100 yuan, but they ended up adding another 100 yuan.

With hatred in her eyes, Si Nan was sent onto the train with all these things. Mother Si returned home and spent the whole day in low spirits.

She scolded everyone she saw, even the two younger children she usually doted on. Only Si Dong received a good face.

“Tomorrow you’ll come with me to handle the job transfer,” she said.

Si Dong had originally felt a bit uncomfortable that a wristwatch had been bought for the second child, but seeing the situation now, he didn’t dare say anything.

Sensing the low pressure in the household, he lowered his head and said he was going to meet a classmate, then left immediately.

The two younger ones were also quick-witted—they said they were going to school, put down their bowls, and hurried off.

Father Si patted Mother Si on the shoulder. “Alright, it’s already like this. We’ll just send her more things later. Once we find a job quota, we’ll get her transferred back.”

Then the two of them also went to work.

Si Qiu, like an invisible person, waited until everyone had left before finishing the last sip of porridge. Then she bolted the door from inside.

She entered Father Si and Mother Si’s room and, following the principle of searching from top to bottom and inside out, found four hidden stashes in total.

The total included 9,322.15 yuan in cash, one gold bracelet, one pair of gold earrings, and one bicycle ticket, one sewing machine ticket, one radio ticket, along with various other coupons.