Chapter 18: I Speak Several Different Universal Languages Pt.1
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Everyone took their place around the dining table.
Three out of the four seats at the head of the table were already filled.
The last seat, Yòu'nà guessed, belonged to her grandfather who wasn't present at the moment.
It wasn't hard to figure out.
Her other two grandfathers sat beside her grandmother, leaving only that one empty chair.
Yòu'nà noted it with a quick glance.
She looked around the table, matching each face with the names tucked away in her memory.
It went: her grandmother in the first seat, then Grandpa Jianren, followed by Grandpa Ningkai.
Next seats were her first uncle BoWen, his wife Cao Wanlan, and their two brats, Xiao Tianming and Guangxi.
Following that was her second uncle Anming, his wife Zhu Xinlan, and of course, the greenest tea of them all—Xiulan.
Her third and fourth uncles didn't live in the main family estate. They had never hurt Yòu'nà. In fact, they were her favorite uncles.
Her gaze paused briefly back on Huo Xiulan and her family.
Tsk.
Smug little bitch, Yòu'nà thought, her eye twitching as she smirked faintly in their direction.
Did she really need to bitch slap a few people again just to make them treat her like the plague—and avoid her altogether?
Oh, she didn't mind either way.
Yòu'nà tuned back into the conversation that seemed to be taking place.
"Ah Nainai, ah Yeye, Xiǎo Lán who didn't know better now knows better." Huo Xiulan pouted, acting cute and coy.
Mhm, how interesting to watch. Is this what they call a live drama? And she's even looking at the canon folder, acting like some innocent female lead, Yòu'nà mused.
She used a spell to take food off Grandpa Jianren's plate, while Ningkai snuck her food too and pretended to know nothing.
At least, that's what she gathered from some of the memories she had processed from a piece of her soul that had been here before.
Yòu'nà made each plate float and rotate in a circular route so she could taste everything and pile it onto her plate.
"There's still no excuse for jeopardizing the family name and wronging your cousin—the future family head and priest—only to take after your grandmother," Huo Jianren spoke indifferently.
Xiulan's face darkened for a second before switching back just as quickly.
She wore a sympathetic expression, looking hurt as she said:
"It's all my fault for not knowing my place… I always end up disturbing everyone's good mood."
Yòu'nà laughed out loud, not caring if she offended anyone.
"Pftt."
Slap.
"If you knew your place, you wouldn't have spoken up in the first place."
She howled, slapping her thigh in amusement.
Ouyang Ningkai, Sylvia, and Huo Jianren all chuckled at her words.
This granddaughter of theirs was a debt collector in full, they shared a collective thought.
They exchanged looks.
"I know I'm clumsy and always say the wrong things… thank you all for tolerating me this long," Xiulan replied tearfully, crocodile tears spilling over this time.
Yòu'nà wondered if she could fill a riverside with her tears and nonsense.
But who was Yòu'nà?! She wouldn't let her off either way.
"Oh, so if we don't call you out, we're just tolerating you?" she drawled, dragging out the words.
Yòu'nà narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze mirthless.
Xiulan, who had suffered from Yòu'nà more than anyone, seethed inside.
Damn freak! Stealing what should have been rightfully mine!
Her face said I'm hurting, but mentally, she was more vicious than she let on.
Xiulan bowed her head to hide the glint in her eyes.
Yòu'nà felt creeped out. At this point, this "cousin" of hers only knew how to pretend for her own sake.
Then why is she going the extra mile to prove she's a victim? It's a bit disturbing.
Yòu'nà's eyes on Xiulan said it all.
A familiar, uncontrollable laughter bubbled up in Yòu'nà's belly.
She didn't even try to fight it.
"Ahahaha!"
Yòu'nà's family all looked at her—except her grandmother and grandfathers.
Tsk.
"Damn freak is at it again," Guangxi muttered, side-eyeing Yòu'nà, not even trying to be discreet.
She didn't care.
That bitch! Xiulan wasn't willing to give up.
She leaned slightly closer, almost whispering—but just loud enough for others to hear.
"If I upset you, sister, it must be because I don't understand how things work here yet… You're more experienced, please don't hold it against me." She kept her head down, hugging her body insecurely.
But to Yòu'nà, she looked like a lost werepup trying to trick its first prey, not realizing it had met its match until it was too late.
"Ahahahaha!" Yòu'nà almost fell over from laughter, unable to get her words out.
"Don't worry, I won't hold it against a nobody who doesn't know anything." Yòu'nà wiped her tears away and finally shot back at her, able to stop laughing uncontrollably.
Huo Xiulan had nothing to say. She could only give Yòu'nà dirty stares.
Yòu'nà met her stare head on and even mocked her with her eyes.
You think you have any right to run this? Yòu'nà's eyes said it all.
Huo Xiulan clenched her chopsticks until they creaked.
She watched Yòu'nà get all the love and attention she craved from her grandparents. Her grandmother had never spoken to her with such a gentle look. The same went for her grandfather. They treated her well, but never in the way they treated Yòu'nà.
SNAP!
Her chopsticks broke in half.
Just you wait, you ugly freakazoid lunatic!! Xiulan's eyes flashed viciously.
Zhu Xinlan, her mother, was startled by the sound and looked over.
"Gasp!" She was shocked to see the chopsticks broken—they were steel!
"Sweetie, be careful, you'll hurt yourself!" Zhu Xinlan took the broken sticks from her and had a servant grab another pair.
Then Zhu Xinlan pinched her husband Huo Anming, getting his attention.
"Ouch!" He yelped, rubbing his waist in pain as he looked at his wife.
This action caught the attention of everyone at the dinner table—including Yòu'nà.
Everyone looked at them.
"Woman, what is wrong with you!?" Anming hissed at her in annoyance.
Zhu Xinlan didn't care. She nudged him harder and motioned with her eyes toward their daughter.
He was confused but still looked over at Xiulan, who was covered in dark clouds.
"What happened? What's wrong?" he asked, unsure of what he should be looking for.