Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt

Chapter 26.1 – Zhang Qiming Went Crazy (I)

Xia Mian guessed correctly; they had just settled on the sofa when the door of Teacher Mi’s house was flung open with a loud bang. Zhang Qiming burst in, panting heavily, his eyes locked on Xia Mian as he almost roared, “Where’s the burlap sack with Xiao Feng’s stuff?”

Xia Mian blinked in confusion. “What burlap sack? Xiao Feng has a burlap sack?”

“Xiao Feng!” Zhang Qiming’s eyes were bloodshot as he turned to Xiao Feng, his voice menacing. “You tell me, where are your things? Didn’t I tell you to take care of your own belongings?!”

Xiao Feng shuddered, frozen with fear.

Teacher Mi and Engineer Chen frowned, while Ning Shaoyun quickly cradled Chenchen in her arms.

“Xiao Zhang, what are you doing?” Teacher Mi raised her voice.

Xia Mian pulled Xiao Feng into her arms and shouted at Zhang Qiming, “You’re ridiculous! This is the first time I’ve heard Xiao Feng has things he needs to protect. He can’t even protect himself!”

“Shut up!” Zhang Qiming had lost his mind and stepped forward to grab Xiao Feng.

Seeing Zhang Qiming’s state, Teacher Mi hurriedly said, “Is it a brown burlap sack?”

Zhang Qiming paused, no longer focused on Xiao Feng, and looked anxiously at Teacher Mi. “Did you see it? Where is it?”

“I saw Xiaojuan took it out and threw it away a few days ago,” Teacher Mi replied.

“Where did she throw it?” Zhang Qiming gasped for breath, his ferocious face turned into a mixture of desperation and hope, like a gambler wagering everything, gradually losing his grip on sanity.

“In the trash bin near Building One.”

As soon as Teacher Mi finished speaking, Zhang Qiming had already disappeared out the door.

Chenchen frowned. “That uncle is scary. Is he crazy?”

Ning Shaoyun patted his head. “You should stay away from him, alright?”

Meanwhile, Xia Mian gently stroked Xiao Feng’s back, comforting the frightened boy, “Don’t be scared. Auntie will always protect you.”

Xiao Feng wrapped his little arms tightly around Xia Mian’s neck, his voice trembling as he sobbed. “Auntie.”

Xia Mian kissed his forehead, silently vowing to make Zhang Qiming pay. She would not let that beast off easily!

…

Worse than having nothing is losing something you could have had for no apparent reason. Even the usually scheming Zhang Qiming was nearly crazed at this point, knocking over the trash bin at the entrance of Building One in his frantic search, completely disregarding his usual facade. Passersby who recognized him couldn’t help but ask, “What did you lose?”

“Xiao Feng’s burlap sack,” Zhang Qiming hoped someone had seen it.

Indeed, a lot of people have seen it. Although several days had passed, many paid attention to Huang Xiaojuan’s return, and the way she was driven to collapse by a burlap sack was still fresh in the neighbors’ memories.

“She said something about bugs in the bag scaring her. We thought it was rice or something. Didn’t expect it was Xiao Feng’s stuff…” someone remarked sarcastically.

Another added, “It’s been almost a week. The garbage truck came twice. Even if it was thrown here, the stuff is long gone. What was in that burlap sack, anyway?”

Everything he had, his prosperous future!

After rummaging through the trash cans to no avail, Zhang Qiming hurriedly asked for the location of the landfill and disappeared.

Zhang Qiming did not return for another two days, not even showing up for work. The workshop supervisor even came to his home, clearly very displeased. At this rate, not only would he miss out on any promotions, but he might lose his job altogether.

When Zhang Qiming finally reappeared, people hardly recognized him. He looked like a dirty beggar, reeking of a foul odor, his eyes bloodshot, resembling a rabid animal ready to bite. His neighbors didn’t dare greet him.

Even the Huang family mother and son, who had come looking for him every day, were shocked. Huang Xiaojuan’s mother exclaimed, “Son-in-law, what happened to you…”

Zhang Qiming surprisingly calm, “Go to my house. I need to clean up first.”

Huang Xiaojun, who had been ready to scold him for going missing, also held his tongue.

Zhang Qiming glanced at Xia Mian, who was carrying luggage, and frowned. “Where are you going?”

Xia Mian replied, “Xiao Feng and I are moving out. I don’t want to continue living under the same roof with you and risking my reputation.”

Since Zhang Qiming left, Xia Mian had been looking for a place to move. However, the rental market was currently not flourishing due to a lack of demand for rented homes; after two days, she still hadn’t found anything suitable.

With Zhang Qiming back, she and Xiao Feng temporarily stayed at Teacher Mi’s house. The neighbors, having witnessed previous events, understood their situation.

The loss of the stamp collection was clearly a huge blow to Zhang Qiming. Even after learning they were moving out, he remained surprisingly calm in the face of Xia Mian’s sarcastic remark, “You should join our talk as well. I’ll agree with your conditions.” He said tepidly.

Xia Mian sensed the madness lurking within Zhang Qiming and was even more cautious.

During the negotiation, Zhang Qiming was very accommodating, agreeing to almost all of Huang Xiaojun’s demands, seemingly willing to do anything to clear Huang Xiaojuan’s charge. Xia Mian didn’t take advantage of the situation and only requested to transfer Xiao Feng’s household registration, but the look in Zhang Qiming’s eyes still sent chills down her spine.

Fortunately, they were almost done. Once Zhang Qiming agreed to compromise, the negotiation ended smoothly. However, Xia Mian could see that the incident with the stamp collection had turned Huang Xiaojuan into Zhang Qiming’s biggest enemy. With Huang Xiaojun and his mother constantly bringing up the 40,000 yuan promissory note, Zhang Qiming’s hatred was fully directed at the Huang family, directing his attention away from Xiao Feng.

Xia Mian secretly breathed a sigh of relief and felt a slight sympathy for Huang Xiaojuan. Given Zhang Qiming’s malicious nature, he definitely wouldn’t spare Huang Xiaojuan after causing him to lose the rich future he was putting all hope for. Even after her release, Huang Xiaojuan would still face a difficult life.

However, Xia Mian soon realized she had underestimated Zhang Qiming’s cruelty. After losing the stamp album, Zhang Qiming’s financial situation visibly worsened. He had been extremely generous with household expenses before, but now it seemed he was trying to reclaim it. He didn’t ask for money directly and instead said to her, “We need to arrange for Xiao Feng’s household registration. I want to invite Brother Gao over for dinner. Can you handle it?”

He no longer bothered to hide his true nature in front of Xia Mian. “You’ve taken quite a bit from me. Since you’re the one asking for Xiao Feng’s registration, it’s only fair you take care of this.”

Initially, Xia Mian was indifferent, planning to ignore him. However, when she heard him mention Brother Gao, she changed her mind and casually asked, “Is he the one you asked for help last time? Is he very capable?”

Zhang Qiming’s expression turned peculiar, with a hint of craziness in his smile. “Of course, Brother Gao has a lot of connections.”

“Okay, I’ll arrange it,” Xia Mian agreed.