Celine happily skipped alongside Shenan on their way home. But as soon as they reached the alley entrance, they saw a crowd blocking their front door.
The sounds of an argument came from inside, but they were quickly drowned out by the noisy gossip of the crowd. It was hard to make out what was being said.
Still, they didn't need to hear it clearly to know something was wrong at home.
Celine's heart sank.
And if something this dramatic was happening, it was probably caused by Aunt Yu and that lazy uncle's family.
Realizing this, Celine immediately ran toward the house, completely forgetting that her older brother Shenan had trouble walking.
Shenan quickened his pace too.
Normally, moving fast would make his leg hurt, but in the past few days, the energy from the crystal cores had made him feel better. Without realizing it, he had started running.
Right now, his mind was filled with worry about their mother, Mother Zhou. He didn't even notice the change in his legs.
When Celine reached the doorway, she pushed through the crowd like a knife cutting through cloth. What she saw made her burn with anger.
Aunt Yu was shouting and pointing at Mother Zhou's face, her sharp voice full of bitterness. Every word stabbed like a knife.
"You're a curse. A bad omen who killed her own husband."
Mother Zhou didn't argue back. Her face was pale, lips trembling, and she held onto her son Eleanor tightly.
Eleanor's face was full of rage, his eyes red like an angry beast, ready to rip Aunt Yu's ugly mouth apart.
He shouted through clenched teeth, "Say one more word about my mom and see what happens!"
Celine watched this familiar scene. Her anger and hatred grew wildly like weeds, threatening to swallow her whole.
Aunt Yu, whose full name was Yu Jiuqian, was a woman who had perfectly inherited Grandma Wang's mean and greedy nature.
She was like a blood-sucking leech, showing up every few days to make trouble, always trying to take advantage of them. She treated Mother Zhou like someone weak she could bully.
Mother Zhou was soft-hearted. She only forced herself to be strong for the sake of her children. But her kindness always made her lose when facing Aunt Yu.
Just like now. She held onto Eleanor, protecting him, without fighting back.
Celine clearly remembered that back in high school, her second brother Nimuel and her third brother Eleanor had gotten into a fight with Aunt Yu while trying to protect Mother Zhou.
Back then, Eleanor had pushed Aunt Yu during an argument. She had fallen and, by bad luck, landed on a stone and broke a bone.
Because of that, Eleanor was detained at the police station for seven days.
Those seven days were like torture for Mother Zhou.
To stop Aunt Yu from pressing charges against Eleanor, Mother Zhou used all the money they had and begged Aunt Yu again and again. In the end, that was the only reason things calmed down.
Celine would never forget the hopeless look in her mother's eyes back then.
"Aunt, haven't you made enough trouble?"
Celine's voice was loud and full of anger, instantly making everyone look at her.
"What does my mom owe you? Why do you have to humiliate her like this?"
Aunt Yu was stunned by Celine's strong tone. She paused for a second before yelling back sharply.
"You nasty little brat! How dare you talk to me like that? I'm your elder!"
"Elder?"
Celine laughed coldly.
"Do you even deserve that title? What kind of elder are you? All you do is bully my mom and take things from us."
"I'm telling you now, if you dare come to our house and cause trouble again, I won't let it slide!"
Celine's eyes were sharp like blades as she stared directly at Aunt Yu, making her step back without realizing it.
Even the noisy crowd around them was startled by Celine's energy and fell silent.
Mother Zhou looked at her daughter, eyes full of worry and sadness.
She tugged at Celine's sleeve and whispered, "Celine, let it go..."
"Mom, you don't need to be afraid of her." Celine held Mother Zhou's hand. "I won't let her bully you anymore."
Aunt Yu was very annoyed by Celine's attitude.
All these years, no one had ever talked back to her like this.
"Well, look at you. Acting tough now? Talking back to your aunt?"
"Mother Zhou, look at the daughter you raised!"
"Did you forget how you once knelt and begged me to forgive Eleanor? If I hadn't been kind-hearted, he would've spent the rest of his life in prison!"
Celine heard those words, and the veins on her brother Eleanor's forehead popped. His fists clenched tightly, bones cracking as if he was about to rush forward again.
"Eleanor!" Celine quickly grabbed him.
She knew that Eleanor's anger would only make things worse.
Eleanor looked into her eyes. Even though his rage was burning inside, he forced himself to hold it back.
He trusted that Celine must have a better way to deal with their Aunt Yu.
Sure enough, seeing that Mother Zhou stayed silent, Aunt Yu thought she had the upper hand. Her words became even nastier.
"Mother Zhou, let me tell you, you're cursed. You ruin every man around you. Not just your husband, even your sons!"
"Why else would your husband end up with a lame leg? Why would Eleanor go to prison?"
"And your youngest son, how else would he end up a fool?"
Every word from Aunt Yu was like a knife, cutting deep into Mother Zhou's heart.
People around them started whispering again. Some even began to think Aunt Yu might have a point.
"And my mother!" Aunt Yu shouted louder, spit flying everywhere. "She broke her leg because of you too. You're a walking disaster!"
"Enough, Aunt!" Celine suddenly spoke, cutting her off.
She stepped forward, looked Aunt Yu in the eyes, and said clearly, "The real curse is you and Grandma Wang."
The crowd went silent again.
Everyone waited to hear why Celine would say that.
Celine didn't disappoint. As soon as she opened her mouth, Aunt Yu was so furious she nearly fell over.
"Aunt, you say my mom brought bad luck to her husband and kids. Then let me ask, why did my dad have to work in a factory back then?"
"It was because when the family split up, Grandma Wang gave everything to you and Uncle. My dad only got two acres of land."
"To feed our family, he had to take several jobs. That's why he got hurt."
"Who really stole his life and future? Aunt, don't you already know the answer?" Celine's voice was firm, every word hitting Aunt Yu like a hammer.
Aunt Yu's face changed. She pointed at Celine and shouted, "You little brat! Talking nonsense!"
Celine sneered.
"And my oldest brother's leg? If Grandma Wang hadn't taken my dad's compensation money, he would've been treated and healed long ago!"
"Who really made him lame for life? Aunt, do you dare say it wasn't you?"
She turned to Eleanor, her voice softened with pain. "And Eleanor. He nearly went to jail. Aunt, are you saying that wasn't your fault?"
Aunt Yu's face turned purple. Her lips were blue from the anger.
Celine lowered her voice, talking about her youngest brother. "As for Minoo, he's not a fool. When he was little, it was you all who kept coming to our house, screaming and yelling. You scared him so badly."
"Over and over again, you showed up and caused trouble. Our home was filled with fear. That's what scared my little brother and left him like this."
"Who really ruined him? Aunt, Grandma Wang, do you dare admit it?"
"You… you're making things up!" Aunt Yu was shaking with rage. "You're slandering us!"
Celine looked her straight in the eyes. "If I'm lying, may the heavens strike me with a rock. But if I'm telling the truth, let the rock fall on you."
Right after she said that, a small stone dropped from the sky and hit Aunt Yu right on the head.
"Ow!" Aunt Yu clutched her head and screamed.
Everyone around gasped in shock.
Who would've thought the heavens would really throw down a stone?
Celine smiled coldly.
Of course, heaven didn't do that. She had used her power to secretly pull that rock from her storage space and throw it.
She had planned this. Today, she would prove that Aunt Yu and Grandma Wang truly brought harm to others.
Right after, she used her power again to make the water in her space bucket pour all over Aunt Yu's head.
The water was ice-cold. Aunt Yu screamed like a pig being slaughtered.
It wasn't just Aunt Yu screaming. Even the onlookers started yelling in surprise.
A stone could've been thrown by someone. But the water that poured down, soaking only Aunt Yu from head to toe? That was harder to explain.