After five days of attending to her father in the hospital, Zhao Qingqing had become gaunt, her eyes vacant like a puppet's.
It wasn't just being bossed around for the past few days; she also had to pay. Her relatives acted as if it was all natural, and if she did anything slightly unsatisfactory, they would bring up things she had said on television, even threatening to film her to expose her current ugly behavior.
After the previous incident, Zhao Qingqing was completely terrified of the internet. Her mother, feeling that Zhao Qingqing was bringing bad luck after the incident with Wu Meixiang leading to her son's car accident, had been picking fights with her. Now, her relatives were following suit.
"Qingqing, what kind of oranges did you buy? They're so sour! Your Er Hai is still a patient, how can he eat these? And I gave you five yuan, and you only bought this much. Are you pocketing the money?"
Zhao Qingqing could no longer stand it. "Auntie, can you be reasonable? What can you buy for five yuan nowadays? What is there for me to be greedy about? Your little bit of money isn't even enough for my travel expenses."
"Travel expenses! How can you be like this, girl? We are relatives, and you're charging me for travel expenses. This is so unacceptable. Is this what you call filial piety?"
"I only need to be filial to my parents. You're an aunt from a different branch of the family. To be able to do this much for you is already the utmost I can offer. Don't push your luck."
"Oh my, has all your education gone to the dogs? How can you talk to an elder like this? What about your knowledge and upbringing?"
"You… you're going too far." Zhao Qingqing threw the lunchbox she was holding and ran out angrily.
"Oh dear, don't run too far. Dinner still needs to be delivered. I'm just an old country woman, I can't even find a place to buy food."
Zhao Qingqing could only hide in the washroom and cry. Just then, her phone rang.
"Where have you gone to die? Are you trying to starve your mother to death? None of you are ever worry-free. Your brother is already like this, and you still have the nerve to roam outside. You ungrateful wretch."
"You can stay with your son for the rest of your life. This old mother is done serving you."
Having finally released her emotions, Zhao Qingqing felt much better. Looking at the remaining twenty thousand yuan in her account, she decided to escape this place. If things continued like this, she would be drained dry by this family, a family that held nothing worth her lingering for. She booked a ticket to B Province for the next day online, wiped her tears, and left the hospital.
Zhao's mother couldn't reach Zhao Qingqing by phone and fumbled her way out to buy food. When Zhao Qingqing hadn't returned by evening, she called her old home.
"What is it? Is Zhao Hong any better?"
"His condition has stabilized, but he might never wake up again."
"What did you say?" Zhao's father jolted, his tobacco pipe falling to the floor with a clatter.
"Keep your voice down. Don't let Meixiang hear anything is wrong."
"I understand that. Don't worry. He's on the second floor. I've already informed the villagers. She can't escape. Just take good care of our son."
"That brat Zhao Qingqing ran away. I'm unfamiliar with this place and can't find her at all. What should we do?"
"That wild girl is completely unreliable. Let her run. She paid the medical fees, right?"
"She paid some, but our son will need to stay for a while longer. I'm afraid the money won't be enough. How much savings do we have left?"
"Don't worry, I'll find a way to track that little girl down."
"Okay, okay."
Zhao's father thought for a long time and decided to use the same method Zhao Qingqing had used. He found a young man from the village and had him film a video to post on Tomato. With a bit of editing by Shui Wa, he instantly became the star of Tomato. In the video, with half his hair white, he cried his heart out, saying that with his son's accident, they could only rely on their daughter, but their daughter had abandoned them, only caring about running away. He begged everyone to help them find his daughter, otherwise, the old couple would have no way to live.
"Whoa, this person looks familiar."
"Look at the description below. This account is somewhat conscientious. It clearly explains the cause and course of events without being biased."
"Heaven's cycle of retribution, who has Heaven ever spared? Didn't this woman used to talk so much about filial piety? How come she's not being filial now?"
"Not a single good person in the whole family. But I actually quite like this Qingqing. Let her come back quickly to take care of her parents. Her parents worked hard to send her to school, hahahaha~"
"It would be best if she also took care of her second uncle. The whole family has black hearts."
"Holy crap, I'm local. Let me drop a bombshell."
"The one upstairs, hurry up and tell us! Don't keep us in suspense."
"Don't keep us in suspense +1."
"Don't keep us in suspense +10010."
"Alright, to satisfy your curiosity. A few days ago, all the relatives in their family, everyone from Zhao Qingqing's generation, had some kind of accident."
"What kind of accident???"
"Some had car accidents, some fell from rooftops, some fell into rivers, and a few fell unconscious for no reason. Anyway, it's quite bizarre. The villagers are afraid to go near their area."
"The person upstairs is making it up, right? All on the same day, I don't believe it!"
"I don't believe it either. Retribution isn't this precise, is it?"
"It's true. If you don't believe it, go check. They were all sent to XX City Hospital that day. Anyone who lies is a puppy." httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"Whoa, how much karma did they create? Those who do bad things, be careful. Who knows whose turn it will be tomorrow?"
"Amitabha, thank goodness for the internet."
"The person upstairs, tell us your story."
"I wasn't good at my studies. My mother forced me to go on blind dates every day. The blind date was from the Zhao family. I kept putting it off, not wanting to go. My mother kept saying how good he was. Fortunately, I didn't go through with it back then, or my husband would be disabled now."
"The person upstairs narrowly escaped disaster, but you should also thank yourself. If you hadn't held your ground back then..."
"I almost couldn't hold on. These past few days, my mother has changed her tune and isn't rushing me anymore."
"Someone also tried to introduce me to people from there. Luckily, we have the internet, or I would have been completely swindled. Everyone, please be careful to avoid this minefield. Such a family is a big no-no."
"It's a direct no-no. They simply don't treat girls like humans. It was the same when they bullied that girl before, and now they're looking for this one, aren't they?"
"Yes, yes, they're all shamelessly shameless."
Zhao Qingqing was furious when she saw the information online. She was recognized while shopping at a convenience store.
"Aren't you that person? Your father is looking for you everywhere. Be a sensible girl, don't make your parents worry."
Zhao Qingqing dropped her items and ran without looking back.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You don't know pain until it's on your own skin. She's a pretty good-looking girl, but her heart is too dark. It's just retribution coming around. Heh heh, sharing this with netizens."