Chapter 35: The Evil Stepmother of the 1970s 2 New Story Started “Mom I…

Chapter 35: The Wicked Stepmother of the 1970s (2) New story published: "Mom, I..."

Xu Ziyan was startled to see them all standing outside when she opened the door. She quickly adjusted her expression and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Let me check the storyline. Oh, right, the original host made the two nephews do laundry, but they didn't wash them properly, so she punished them by making them stand under the blazing midday sun. Her in-laws couldn’t bear it and came to plead on their behalf, but she scolded her in-laws instead and insisted the boys keep standing until they got heatstroke. Then Xu Xiuyun from next door saw them and took them to the medical station, making the original host’s reputation even worse."

Xu Ziyan found this plot rather odd. "001, do you think Xu Xiuyun is some kind of white lotus or green tea? How is it that every time, it’s somehow related to her? All the good things happen to her, while the bad things fall on the original host."

001 replied, "Host, that's just how these kinds of stories go. Otherwise, how could there be a foil? The whole point is to keep the conflict going; they can't be separated."

Xu Ziyan rubbed her temples. "At least in the last world, the male lead was the villain, so I could warn my family to be careful. But in this world, the female lead is like a saintly white lotus, and my family is plagued by bad luck. What am I supposed to do? Can my good luck alone fix this?"

The four of them stood frozen in front of her, unable to utter a word. Every time they tried to ask anything, they felt like they couldn't breathe, which terrified them. They wondered if some supernatural being had possessed Xu Ziyan.

The five-year-old, being too young to be properly scared, sensed that Xu Ziyan didn’t seem as fierce anymore and tentatively asked, "Auntie, it’s so hot outside. Can I stand in the shade instead?"

Her in-laws came to their senses—the priority was to resolve the punishment. Fang’s mother said, "Xiao Yan, the kids are still young. They had to wash so many clothes and sheets, and they didn’t have the strength. They accidentally dropped them and got a little dirt on them. Let me wash them for you. They’ve been punished enough—can’t they go back inside now?"

The two boys, with their chubby, cute faces, looked up at her. In her past life, Xu Ziyan had been surrounded by beautiful people, living life to the fullest. She’d never married or had children but had often played with the Fu family’s kids. Seeing the children’s flushed faces and sweat-drenched hair now, she felt compelled to let them inside to cool off.

But then she hesitated. "I can’t fail the very first plot after transmigrating, can I? Let me think... Got it!"

The four of them watched intently as Xu Ziyan frowned and raised her voice at her in-laws. "The dirt isn’t the point! The point is they didn’t tell me the truth and tried to fool me. I’m teaching them how to behave—don’t interfere! You can’t spoil children; young trees won’t grow straight if you don’t prune them. Go on, keep standing!"

"Congratulations, Host, for completing the plot: Scolding the in-laws and continuing the nephews’ punishment! Reward: 1 skill point. Should we add it to Luck again?"

Xu Ziyan hurriedly replied, "No, save it for now. Let’s see what this world lacks. Looking at this empty house, I feel like I’m short on money and food. Maybe I need to increase my intelligence first."

Her in-laws wanted to say something but kept their mouths shut upon hearing this exchange. Though they were a little scared—realizing the person before them wasn’t really Xu Ziyan—they also sensed she didn’t mean them harm. In fact, she seemed to want to help them. Was this some deity helping them in their troubles?

Xu Ziyan then whispered to them, "Just listen to me today, and I won’t punish them anymore. I’ll even treat them well from now on."

Afraid of angering the "spirit," her in-laws quickly nodded and nudged the children. The two brothers exchanged glances before obediently moving back to the sunniest spot.

Being young, they didn’t fully understand but gathered that if they followed the "plot" in Xu Ziyan’s mind, she’d get rewards—like making the family rich. So standing until they got heatstroke didn’t seem so bad.

Xu Ziyan, however, was experienced at finding loopholes. She tiptoed to peek over the fence and saw Xu Xiuyun sweeping under her eaves. Narrowing her eyes, she muttered, "001, didn’t you say the plot doesn’t cover everything and that details fill in automatically? Is it possible Xu Xiuyun is actually scheming—waiting for the kids to collapse so she can ‘rescue’ them and make sure the whole village knows I ‘abused’ them? Otherwise, why is she sweeping when her floor is already clean? What’s she even sweeping?"

Fang’s father, being taller, glanced over and nodded to Fang’s mother, confirming Xu Ziyan’s observation—Xu Xiuyun was indeed sweeping for no reason. Their hearts sank. Were those tragic outcomes they’d overheard real? Was Xu Xiuyun the one who’d caused them?

They’d once lamented how unfair fate was—why had their son ended up with Xu Ziyan instead of a good girl like Xu Xiuyun? Now, they weren’t so sure. They’d have to wait and see.

Xu Ziyan’s eyes gleamed as she raised her voice. "You two, go stand outside—far away where I can’t see you!"

She approached the boys and pointed subtly toward the right side of the gate, whispering, "Fall down and pretend to have heatstroke. Let ‘Auntie’ take you to the medical station. If you do, I’ll give you meat and candy tonight. Don’t tell anyone, and if anything happens, cry as hard as you can. Got it?"

The right side led directly to Xu Xiuyun’s gate. The boys, having heard both her spoken words and her inner thoughts, understood what to do. They nodded, a mix of fear and excitement, before running out to stand in front of Xu Xiuyun’s door.

Five-year-old Fang Bei whispered, "Brother, should we really listen to her?"

Eight-year-old Fang Nan whispered back, "Yeah. Isn’t this better than doing laundry?"

The two brothers stood there obediently. At their playful age, even if they didn’t fully grasp the situation, they instinctively found it fun and played along.

As soon as Xu Ziyan went back inside, her in-laws hesitantly returned to their room. Then Fang Bei suddenly collapsed. Fang Nan cried out, "Brother! Brother—" before dramatically falling too.

Xu Xiuyun paused, glancing toward the neighboring yard. Seeing no one around, she hesitated before rushing over. She patted the boys’ cheeks. "Xiao Nan, Xiao Bei, what’s wrong?"

Fang Nan feigned dizziness, clutching his head. "Auntie, I feel so dizzy... Did I get heatstroke?"

Fang Bei whimpered, "Auntie, it hurts... Take us to the medical station."

Xu Xiuyun touched their foreheads—they did feel warm. Heatstroke, surely! They’d been standing in the sun for so long; how could children endure that? Hiding her satisfaction, she said, "Don’t worry, Auntie will take you to the medical station. Come on."

To emphasize her urgency, she carried Fang Bei in her arms and carried Fang Nan on her back, straining under the weight. Within a hundred meters, she was drenched in sweat.

At noon, few people were outside, so it wasn’t until she’d gone some distance that she ran into good-natured Auntie Liu. Shocked, Auntie Liu asked, "Xiuyun, what’s going on? What happened to the kids? Aren’t those Old Fang’s grandchildren?"

Xu Xiuyun sighed. "They got heatstroke. I’m not sure what happened—apparently they didn’t wash the clothes well enough, and my sister got mad, making them stand in the sun. It’s so hot today... Anyway, I’m taking them to the medical station."

Auntie Liu immediately offered, "Let me carry one. You’re so petite—don’t hurt your back."

Xu Xiuyun thanked her profusely. Auntie Liu waved it off. "Don't mention it. That Xu Ziyan is downright cruel—making little kids do laundry and stand in the sun like that. What kind of person does that? You two are sisters—how are you so different?"

Xu Xiuyun lowered her head, as if ashamed of her cousin’s behavior. Auntie Liu didn’t press further, but her opinion of Xu Xiuyun’s goodness—and Xu Ziyan’s wickedness—was confirmed.

"Congratulations, Host, for completing the plot: The children collapse from heatstroke and are ‘rescued’ by the female lead, further damaging your reputation. Reward: 1 skill point."

The house was small, and her in-laws’ room was close enough to hear Xu Ziyan’s thoughts. Hearing her reputation had worsened, they grew anxious. What kind of plot was this? Why was it sabotaging them? Following it only made things worse?

Then Xu Ziyan shouted from the yard, "Dad! Mom! Come quick—the kids are missing!"

Her in-laws exchanged confused glances. Hadn’t Xu Ziyan sent the kids to the medical station? Why was she saying they were lost? Where?

Xu Ziyan was already knocking on the neighbor’s door. "Auntie, have you seen my boys? They were playing outside just now and disappeared!"

The neighbor, just waking up, frowned. "Haven’t seen them. Kids run around all the time—why worry?"

Xu Ziyan insisted, "No way! I told them I’d get them candy—they wouldn’t just run off!"

That made sense. Kids would wait eagerly for candy, not wander off. Her in-laws finally understood. Though uneasy about scheming against Xu Xiuyun, they recalled the dire futures they’d overheard. Gritting their teeth, they decided to trust the "spirit" in their home and played along, pretending to panic. "Sister, please help us look! Could someone have taken them?"

Their commotion drew more neighbors. Soon, everyone nearby knew Old Fang’s grandchildren were missing!

Their first suspicion fell on Xu Ziyan—after all, Fang Lihai had taken in his brother’s sons, forcing her to become a stepmother at a young age, and she’d always treated them poorly. But when they heard the kids had simply been playing outside while Xu Ziyan fetched candy—with her in-laws backing her up—they grew suspicious. Had kidnappers sneaked into the village?

This was serious. Xu Ziyan cried out, "If the kids are really gone, how will I explain this to Fang Lihai? He’ll skin me alive! I have to tell the production team leader!"

Her in-laws watched her hurried departure, thinking the "spirit" was quite the actress. Their second son had a gentle temper—he’d never skin anyone.

The production team leader organized a search party upon hearing the news. Xu Ziyan’s parents rushed over to help. Teams searched the village entrance, mountains, and river—all the dangerous spots—but found nothing.

Then Auntie Liu approached, startled by the crowd. "Production team leader, what’s happening?"

The production team leader said, "Old Fang’s grandkids are missing. We’re searching."

Auntie Liu exclaimed. "Which Old Fang?" Spotting Xu Ziyan and Fang’s father and mother, she ventured, "Battalion Commander Fang’s kids? They’re not missing! Xu Ziyan punished them with heatstroke, and Xu Xiuyun took them to the medical station. I helped carry them!"

Xu Ziyan’s expression darkened. "What? Xu Xiuyun took my kids?"

Auntie Liu insisted, "Not ‘took’—she saved them! If you hadn’t made them stand in the sun, would they have collapsed? Really now, you’re an adult—if you’re going to be a mother, do it properly. Don’t torment children."

Xu Ziyan scoffed. "Did you see me torment them? Or did Xu Xiuyun tell you that? Do you believe everything she says? She’s never had a good word for me! Yes, I made them work—don’t your kids work? Yes, I punished them, but I let them play outside afterward while I fetched candy. My parents saw it all."

Her in-laws nodded hesitantly, confirming her story.

Xu Ziyan challenged, "And how could my kids get heatstroke for no reason? Who said they had heatstroke?"

Auntie Liu hesitated. "Well... the doctor said there were no signs..."

"I knew it! Xu Xiuyun can’t stand to see me happy! I’m having it out with her!" Xu Ziyan marched toward the medical station, the crowd following.