Wrathful Thunder (Part 2)

Liu Shiling followed her grandmother to a room on the first floor to put away her luggage. Although the room here was much more spacious than her aunt's, with simpler and older decor and no mattress on the bed, it was still quite spacious.

However, it looks like no one has lived here for a while; there are things piled on the bed, and a lot of dust on the furniture.

In the past, she might have been a little worried about small insects or something similar while living here, but with Egg Pie around, there's no need to worry about that.

After helping her grandmother tidy up for a while, Liu Shiling went out with her grandmother to have dinner with her aunt's family in the yard.

My aunt's family prefers salty food, which made the Little Chubby Girl frown, but she was too embarrassed to say anything. So she just ate more rice and less vegetables. But her grandmother was worried that she wouldn't eat enough and that she was too shy to pick up food for herself, so she kept piling food onto her plate. As a result, she could only try to finish her dinner as quickly as possible, which, fortunately, she was quite good at.

However, Little Chubby Girl didn't know was that seeing her eat so quickly only made her aunt and cousin even more displeased.

After finishing her meal, Liu Shiling followed her mother's instructions, sweeping the fish bones and other scraps on the table into her own bowl, and carefully carrying the bowl and chopsticks to the tap next to her to wash them.

Grandma quickly stopped her, telling her to just leave the dishes there and wash them together after she finished eating.

Liu Shiling then put down her bowl, took her chopsticks, and went to the sink next to the yard where she had been observing them carefully to scrub them. After washing them, she dried them with a paper towel and put them back in her box—these were chopsticks given to her by her bald uncle, and she now takes them with her when she goes out to eat at restaurants with her mother.

Seeing her actions, her aunt remarked, "Children raised in the city are so particular." Her uncle, however, praised her to her grandmother and then casually scolded his daughter, who was two years older than the Little Chubby Girl, telling her to learn from her cousin's diligence.

After dinner, Liu Shiling went to get some cat food and fed it to the Egg Pie at the door.

Auntie wouldn't let the cat in either. Luckily, there was a long porch outside the house that could shelter it from the wind and rain, and there was also a yard outside with that big, adorable yellow dog that now seemed particularly silly. It wasn't far from her and her grandma's room on the first floor, so after the Little Chubby Girl asked her grandma for an old, unwanted piece of clothing to make a makeshift cat bed, she didn't beg her auntie to let Egg Pie into the house anymore.

She vaguely sensed that her aunt, like her maternal aunt, didn't seem to like her very much, so she tried her best not to go against her aunt's wishes and not to cause any more trouble for her maternal grandmother.

Liu Shiling fed the Egg Pie bit by bit by hand. When she returned to her room, she found two children about her age and her cousin in her and her grandmother's room.

She had seen the two children when they came in and passed through the yard. Judging from how they addressed their aunt and uncle, they must be relatives from the aunt's side.

Right now, the two children are rummaging through her little red backpack, taking her things, while her cousin stands by watching. Even when she walks in, they don't stop.

Liu Shiling turned around and looked through the living room door. She saw her grandmother, uncle, and aunt sitting in the yard chatting. They looked very serious. So she went over and stood by the bed, watching the two children rummage through her red schoolbag without saying anything to stop them.

The two children each took one of her storybooks and the other of her watercolor pens, then threw their schoolbags back onto the bed and walked out with their cousin.

Her little red backpack wasn't very big to begin with, so it couldn't hold much; it mainly contained cat food like Egg Pie pies and cat litter.

The "magic paper" that the bald uncle had given her was also inside, but the crumpled paper wasn't noticed by them and remained in their bag.

Although she didn't see it with her own eyes, Liu Shiling clearly felt that the three Coin she had left in her small schoolbag—"Mung Bean Cake," "Sachima," and "Lemon Tea"—were now with the two children.

"Wait a minute." Liu Shiling called out to them, then walked over, picked up her little red schoolbag, opened a hidden compartment, and took out all four Chocolate inside—she often used this method to sneak food into kindergarten, and it was clear that the two children hadn't had time to find the hidden compartment yet.

"This Chocolate is really delicious, I'll give it to you. Please give me back those three Coin, okay?" Liu Shiling said, handing them the Chocolate.

The two children glanced at their cousin, took the Chocolate, and then turned to leave.

"If you don't give it back to me, I'll tell Grandma and Auntie!" Liu Shiling said earnestly, her little eyebrows furrowed.

"Tch, stingy." The two children finally took the Coin out of their pockets, threw them under the bed, and then turned and followed their cousin out of the room.

From beginning to end, her cousin didn't glance at Liu Shiling once, nor did she say a single word.

Liu Shiling sighed like a little adult, and with a wave of her hand, the three Coin under the bed flew back into her hand.

When she first came here with her grandmother and learned that she had a "cousin," she was actually quite happy and excited. She even thought about how to make her "cousin" like her and how to play with her. Because she knew that Sister Laoxian was Roast Chicken Wing Sister's cousin, and they had grown up together and had a very good relationship, she naturally felt close to the title of "cousin" and wanted to have such a good "cousin."

But after having lunch, Liu Shiling's idea was extinguished, because her experience at her aunt's house during the day made her more quickly and keenly aware of her aunt and cousin's cold attitude towards her.

If she had come to her aunt's house from the beginning, she might have tried to change her aunt and cousin's attitude, but having had the experience of visiting her maternal aunt's house, she didn't have that same drive.

Anyway, she already has a pretty older sister, Roast Chicken Wing Sister, an old fairy older sister, Little Apple older sister, and Little Screw younger sister, so she doesn't lack older or younger sisters!

Just as Liu Shiling was sitting on the bed packing her little red schoolbag and repacking her things, her grandmother suddenly rushed into the room and said, "Shiling, your aunt was just hit by a car in town. Now your uncle is taking me back. Your cousin needs someone to take care of him. You stay here for today. If you need anything, just tell your aunt or cousin, okay?"

Liu Shiling was stunned for a moment, then nodded subconsciously, and then saw her grandmother and uncle leave the house.

After they left, my aunt told my cousin that she was going to play mahjong at someone else's house and asked her to take care of Liu Shiling.

However, Liu Shiling stayed in her room alone and did not try to play with her cousin and the others. Firstly, she was not interested in playing with them in the first place, and secondly, she could sense her cousin's coldness and disdain for her, and she did not want to be disliked.

Without her iPad, and with nothing suitable for practicing Chinese or math here, plus having taken several bus rides today and feeling a bit tired, Liu Shiling took off her shoes, hugged her little red schoolbag, and lay down on her side on the bed.

She had originally planned to pull the quilt over her stomach, but the smell of mildew made her abandon the quilt and simply leave her clothes on, using her small schoolbag for warmth.

Hmm, magicians shouldn't catch a cold, right?

As she was thinking this, Liu Shiling sneezed.

Then she suddenly sensed the Egg Pie's anger, so she sat up in bed, put down her schoolbag, put on her shoes, ran out of the room, and went into the yard.

The two children who had just appeared in her room were teasing the egg Egg Pie, Zhengyi School holding a bamboo stick.

Egg Pie was in a state of agitation, like a little tiger, lowering its center of gravity, baring its sharp teeth, and poised to pounce. Perhaps it was precisely because of its ferocious appearance beyond its size that the two children looked somewhat wary.

Liu Shiling quickly ran over, stood in front of the Egg Pie with her arms outstretched, and said loudly to the two children, "Don't bully the Egg Pie, it's very well-behaved!"

She knew that if they were outside, Egg Pie could run away quickly if someone tried to bully it, and most people wouldn't be able to catch it. But here, Egg Pie had to stay with her, so it couldn't run away, nor was it willing to easily scratch or bite people in retaliation.

She has to protect the Egg Pie.

"We're not going to bully it, we just need to each pluck one whisker!" one of the children said.

Liu Shiling glared at him. "If you dare pluck its whiskers, I'll pluck your hair, ten strands, no, a hundred strands!"

"You dare!"

"You're bullying me! My grandma will spank you when she gets back!" Looking at the two children wielding bamboo sticks, Liu Shiling showed no fear. She knew she was a "magician," but she wouldn't use magic against ordinary people. She wouldn't stoop to their level, but she wasn't afraid either! Humph!

As she spoke, Liu Shiling looked at her cousin, who had been silent the whole time, and said, "Cousin, please don't let them bully the Egg Pie, okay? When my mom comes to pick me up, I'll have her bring some delicious Chocolate for you all..."

But before she could finish speaking, her cousin suddenly shouted angrily, "Who's your cousin! I'm not your cousin! Your mother is a mistress! Your father is a murderer! We don't have a relative like you!"

Liu Shiling was stunned for a moment, momentarily bewildered by the barrage of words.

Upon hearing the words "murderer," the two children who were holding bamboo sticks and surrounding the Little Chubby Girl instinctively took two steps back.

Liu Shiling instinctively retorted loudly, "No! You're lying! My father isn't a murderer!"

"I'm not lying! I overheard my mom and aunt talking on the phone this afternoon. She said your dad killed someone, got arrested by the police, and will be executed soon!" My cousin also shouted, "We don't want a relative like you in our family! We don't want you living in our house!"

But as she finished uttering the last word "home," she suddenly couldn't hear her own voice anymore.

Not only her own voice, but it seemed as if all the sounds around her had disappeared. Her ears felt swollen, as if they were filled with air, and her scalp and the skin on her arms felt slightly numb.

For a moment, the entire courtyard seemed to be paused, and everyone froze in place, motionless.

The older cousin and the two children noticed something was wrong, while Liu Shiling was caught in a fierce internal struggle.

Words like "killed someone," "arrested by the police," "murderer," and "execution" constantly assaulted her understanding. On one hand, she felt anger, and on the other hand, she felt fear. She had a sense of fear that she was going to lose her parents.

She only stayed away from home for short periods of time, whether it was staying with her maternal grandmother at her aunt's or maternal aunt's house, whether it was a cramped little room or a bed with a musty-smelling blanket, she could accept it without complaint, because she knew that her mother had things to do and would pick her up and take her home when she was done. She was a "magician" now, she should be sensible.

But what if we can never go back? What if there's no mother, no father?

Then this fear turned into anger, which fell on her cousin who was cursing her mother and father.

She wanted to use her magic recklessly, without regard for anything else, to destroy her, and also destroy the two children who were bullying Egg Pie and stealing her Coin.

Two chubby little fists were clenched at his sides, and the five Coin, led by "Chocolate" and "Ice Cream," were already fully activated in his pocket.

But at the same time, the words of the bald uncle echoed in her mind: a qualified "magician" must be able to control his magic power; "magic" cannot be used lightly, but only on monsters and bad people.

Another voice whispered: She insulted your mother, insulted your father, said your father was a murderer, she's a bad person!

It was the bald uncle's voice again. "In dire circumstances, you can protect yourself, but you must distinguish when to seek help from your teacher, when to seek help from your mother, and when to seek help from the police. Magic is the last resort. Remember, we must keep it a secret."

What Liu Shiling didn't notice was that after she fell into fear and anger, and after the five "Super-Linked Object" on her body were fully activated, the power to the entire Green Mountain Village was cut off, plunging it into darkness.

Not only that, even cell phone signals were completely blocked.

Her cousin and the two children in front of her were startled by the sudden darkness and the lights going out.

They then noticed that, under the moonlight, the Little Chubby Girl had just been puffing out her cheeks and earnestly reasoning with them was now clenching her fists, bowing her head, and remaining silent. Something seemed to be moving in her pocket, as if it was about to jump out, which made them feel uneasy.

Suddenly, they saw a very beautiful little girl in a gorgeous white princess dress appear behind Liu Shiling. Her cold eyes were fixed on them, and she was holding a small knife in her hand.

My cousin's digital watch suddenly started smoking. She screamed and quickly untied the strap and threw it away, while the two children had already run out of the yard crying.

Her cousin's cries pulled Liu Shiling out of her inner turmoil. She only saw her cousin running out of the yard while crying, and she didn't know what had happened.

Feeling a gentle pat on her shoulder, Liu Shiling turned around and saw Alice.

"Little Bell, don't be afraid, Little Screw will always protect you."

Alice's voice sounded different from the voices heard through electronic devices like iPads or in dreams. It seemed to have a lot of static and was intermittent, like a radio with a bad signal. And as soon as she finished speaking, her figure vanished instantly.

But in that instant, Liu Shiling's panicked, frightened, angry, and aggrieved heart was calmed down considerably.

Liu Shiling also noticed that everything around her had fallen into darkness and the entire village was without power. She knew that this was her doing, and that its effects were still ongoing and had not stopped, but were even getting stronger, because her anger, panic, and fear had not completely subsided.

Liu Shiling bit her lower lip, turned around and went back to her room. She picked up her little red backpack, then went out the door and said to Egg Pie, who had been staring at her with its cat face upturned without moving since the beginning, "Egg Pie, let's go find Mommy."

Then, the person and the cat walked out of the courtyard and headed down the mountain along the village road in the darkness.

In the pitch-black courtyard, the big yellow dog stared with its round eyes, looking around left and right, up and down, but still dared not move, crouching tightly against the wall.

The once clear night sky, sparkling with stars, has been filled with dark clouds at some point.

A sudden, unseen wind seemed to rise in the mountains and forests, whistling everywhere, and the temperature dropped sharply.