The Mrs. Ma trio was infamous in the quad for their big mouths. Nevertheless, they were also famous for being shrewd.
They felt strange about today’s matter. The trio did not need to know the reason why Ding Jiayi did this. They only needed to confirm that there was something odd about Ding Jiayi.
The three witnesses that she invited had turned against her. Ding Jiayi was completely embarrassed.
After hearing the words of the trio, Qiao Nan’s face turned sullen instantly. “So, Mom, you said that you’re leaving for work early this morning, but in actual fact, you’re coming here to catch a thief. Moreover, the thief you wanted to catch is me. You even brought along three witnesses. Mom, you’re really so loving to me and have my good intentions at heart.”
If she had been caught red-handed by her mother and the trio when she used the key to open and enter the back door of the Zhai’s residence, then her reputation in the quad would be thoroughly ruined.
Possibly, in a few days’ time, the whole Ping Cheng would receive some news that the top scorer in the middle school examination this year was actually a thief!
Her mother and Qiao Zijin painstakingly plotted this. They really wanted to destroy her!
“Qiao Nan, don’t slander us. She’s a relative of the Zhu family. You’re so close to Zhu Baoguo, yet you refuse to admit that you’re here to malign Mom. Qiao Nan, search your conscience before saying those words!” If Zhu Yan was not connected with Qiao Nan, and Qiao Nan had nothing to do with today’s matter, and thus, Qiao Nan did not harm her mother and her, then she would chop off her head and let Qiao Nan sit on it like a stool. Qiao Nan definitely did it on purpose!
“Sister, you said that I wronged Mom. Okay, tell me. How did I malign her?” Qiao Nan crossed her arms and looked at Qiao Zijin coldly.
Yes, Zhu Yan’s appearance was arranged by her. So what?
If Qiao Zijin and her mother did not harbor any ill intentions, they would not have embarrassed themselves.
“Do you dare to say that Zhu Yan is not someone you staged to make Mom misunderstand you? Nan Nan, you’re already sixteen years old. You can’t continue to be so willful. Mom did so much for your sake. How could you collude with others to harm Mom?!” Qiao Zijin’s mouth stung as she gave an ambiguous explanation.
“What did I do that made Mom misunderstand?”
“You asked Zhu Yan to wear the same dress as you so that Mom will mistake her for you!”
“Sister, your words are ridiculous and amusing. Which mother recognizes the daughter by the dress and not the face? Any young lady who wears this dress is Mom’s daughter, then? Mom is so concerned about me. So concerned about me that I want to cry. She’s so concerned about me to the extent that she didn’t even look at my face and only looked at my dress. Sister, do you think that I should be touched?”
“You…” Qiao Zijin was dumbfounded and could not respond.
It was not easy for them to catch the chink in Qiao Nan’s armor. As victory was within reach, the excited Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin were so carried away with it that they rushed to the person standing at the back door of the Zhai’s residence without even looking at her face. They were so certain that she was Qiao Nan.
“I just heard the word ‘thief’. So, Mom took me as the thief and came to catch me red-handed? You wanted to catch the thief and see what she stole. Mom, did you call out my name even before taking a proper look at the person? Judging by the situation, you seem to wish that I was really the thief. Am I wrong?”
“You…” Ding Jiayi was interrogated by Qiao Nan in front of so many people and yet, she was speechless. She was extremely embarrassed, her face turning dark instantly. “Do you dare to say that you did not steal anything?”
“No, I didn’t!” The reply was firm and swift.
“Then, where did your three hundred yuan come from?!”
“As I said before, I took on a job and earned it.”
“Who are you kidding? You’re just a child. What kind of job allowed you to earn three hundred yuan in such a short time? Do you still refuse to admit that you had stolen it?!”
“Then, did any family lose any belonging or money? If I had indeed stolen from someone, where did I steal it from?” Qiao Nan was both amused and angry. Her mother’s skills in being shameless had improved again.
“I…” Ding Jiayi wanted to say the Zhai family, but Miao Jing had said many times that the Zhai family did not lose anything. Ding Jiayi was thus unable to do that. “How will I know which family you had stolen from? I have wanted to ask you. Confess honestly, which family did you steal from? If you don’t give a proper explanation today and admit your mistake with a proper attitude, I don’t believe that I, as your mother, can’t discipline you properly!”
“Having said so much, you only want me to admit that I’m a thief, don’t you? Mom, are you really my biological mother? You’re trying to destroy me completely!” Qiao Nan’s eyes were red. She was so depressed that she felt like crying. She wanted to throw a temper and hit someone.
She did not mind that her mother favored Qiao Zijin more and ignored her. It was fine that she ignored her as she felt happier and less troubled that way.
However, her mother should have more shame and conscience. Her mother could even bring herself to accuse her of being a thief. Was she crazy?
“Alright, it’s your family affair now. We know that it’s a misunderstanding. Since this is a domestic affair, I hope that you can settle it at home. But I want to say something. This parent, there’s indeed a problem with what you said. As a mother, when you suspected that your child has a behavioral problem, you wanted to find out if she has indeed done something wrong. Nevertheless, you should be more adamant in proving her innocence and believing that she has not done it. There’s something wrong with your attitude.” Miao Jing said patiently.
The mother was muddle-headed and the elder sister was brainless. The younger one was so pitiful but had no choice since she was born into this family.
This kind of messy family was troublesome. Fortunately, her family did not have any connection with them.
“No, Madam, listen to me. That’s not the case.” Ding Jiayi’s face turned pale. She could easily deal with everyone’s accusations but could not tolerate what Miao Jing just said. “Madam, there’s a problem with this child. She’s just a child but managed to earn three hundred yuan during the two-month vacation period. Who will believe this?”
“You don’t believe that I earned it, but you took away my money anyway. Within less than a day, you took the money that I ‘stole’ and bought two new dresses for my elder sister!” Qiao Nan was wearing a sarcastic smile, her eyes full of disbelief. Didn’t her mother think that she was being ridiculous when she said that?
“That… Didn’t I return the money to you? In the end, the dresses went to you. Aren’t you wearing it now?!” Ding Jiayi did not concede defeat.
“It’s my dad’s decision to return the dresses to me!!”
“Alright. Go away, go away.” The more Miao Jing listened, the more her head ached. What kind of people was this? The family situation was so messy. Leave soon, lest they pricked her eyes and worsened her mood.
She maintained the same stance. Settle your own domestic affairs at home. Don’t linger at her doorstep to air the grievances and fight it out.
Because of Ding Jiayi’s random harassment and absurd reasoning, Miao Jing had a terrible impression of the Qiao family.
“Key! There’s still the key!” Qiao Zijin’s eyes, which were tearing with anxiety, suddenly lit up.