Back at home, Xiotan and Jinxin had gone to visit Xiotan's mother. They traveled with only the driver, as Xiotan insisted on keeping their visit discreet. As they arrived, Xiotan stepped out of the car with a light skip in her step, eager to see her mother. But as she approached the entrance of the house, her joy evaporated, replaced by a cold, hard dread at the sight before her.
Her mother, Lifie, was dressed in a maid's attire, scrubbing the floor with the weary movements of someone who had been pushed beyond her limits. Her face was drawn, eyes hollow with exhaustion. Meanwhile, Pan'er lounged on the couch, watching TV with an air of arrogant comfort.
"Hey, Lifie, when you're done there, come wash Pan'er's clothes. She said they're dirty," Duguyan's voice cut through the air, as she dropped a pile of clothes in front of Lifie without a second glance.
"But there are other maids who can do this," Lifie protested weakly, her voice laced with fatigue. "I don't know when I'll be done with the cleaning, and I'll be so tired after that."
Duguyan's response was icy. "So? How is that my business? And you must use your hands to wash them. You have an hour, don't waste my time."
"But, Duguyan, how will I finish this in an hour—" Lifie's words were cut off by a harsh slap from Duguyan, the sound echoing through the room like a thunderclap.
"Don't you dare question me," Duguyan snarled. "If you don't finish this in an hour, you'll see what I'll do to you."
"DUGUYAN! HOW DARE YOU!" Xiotan's voice, filled with fury, shattered the tension as she stormed into the room, grabbing Duguyan by the hair. "How dare you touch my momma! How dare you!" she screamed, her rage palpable as she yanked hard, delivering a slap that left Duguyan reeling.
"You bastard, who let you in?" Duguyan spat, trying to free herself from Xiotan's grip.
"Who's the bastard? How dare you!" Xiotan's voice was laced with venom as she turned to her mother. "Momma, what's the meaning of this? WHAT IS THIS?" She demanded answers, but Pan'er, seeing her mother in distress, charged at Xiotan, yanking her hair in retaliation.
"You slut, let go of me! I'll make sure I kill you bitches today, let go of my hair!" Pan'er shrieked, her voice rising in pitch as she struggled against Xiotan.
"Xiotan, no, don't do this!" Lifie's voice was desperate as she tried to intervene, but Xiotan was beyond reason.
"Mother, why are you working like a slave? What is the meaning of this? Is this what you've been doing ever since I left?" Xiotan's voice cracked with pain as she was forced to her knees by the maids who had rushed in to restrain her. "Mother, answer me! Why are you quiet?" But Lifie remained silent, her eyes turned away, filled with a sorrow too deep to express.
"No need to ask her. I'll reply for her," Duguyan sneered, wiping the blood from her lips where Xiotan had struck her. "Your mother is my slave now, and there's nothing you can do about it." With a cold smirk, she slapped Xiotan across the face, hard enough to make her head snap to the side. "Do you think you can just barge into my house and do whatever you like? This isn't your home anymore. You're not welcome here."
"You haven't learned your lesson, I see," Duguyan continued, her voice dripping with malice. "Your husband didn't teach you well enough, but I will." She turned to the maids, her voice cold and commanding. "Bring me the needles."
A maid quickly produced a small tray holding a packet of needles. "Hold her down. She mustn't move," Duguyan ordered, her eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure.
"You bastard!" Xiotan spat, her voice trembling with rage. "Let me go, and you'll see what I'll do to you!" She struggled against the maids' iron grip, spitting in Duguyan's face in a final act of defiance.
Pan'er stepped forward, her face twisted with fury. "Do you have a death wish?" she snarled, raising her hand to strike Xiotan.
"If you touch me, I'll beat you so badly that your boyfriend will think you fought a lion," Xiotan threatened, her voice steady despite the chaos around her. Pan'er hesitated, knowing Xiotan well enough to realize she wasn't bluffing.
"If she won't, I will," Duguyan hissed, delivering another slap to Xiotan's face, the force of it echoing through the room. "Now, do your work," she commanded the maids, who promptly fetched a bucket of freezing water and doused Xiotan, the cold shock stealing the breath from her lungs.
"You'll learn your lesson today," Duguyan declared, watching with a cruel satisfaction as the maids began to pick up the needles, one by one, and pierce them into Xiotan's back. Each needle that entered her flesh was a sharp reminder of the cruelty she faced, but Xiotan didn't cry out. She bore the pain in silence, her eyes burning with a resolve that refused to be broken.