Ha, Karma! – Chapter 69

Mama, take me away with you.

At 2:30 AM, Guo Qin dragged her exhausted body home after closing her stall¹.

She woke her daughter, who was curled up asleep in the driver’s seat, and together they packed things up and drove the small stall cart home.

The night wind was a bit cold as it blew past, making one feel a little drowsy.

Guo Qin yawned while driving the cart, but when she heard the child beside her sharing stories about school life, a trace of relief showed in her weary eyes.

Thankfully, she still had such a lovely child to lean on for a moment.

As Niuniu was talking, she suddenly asked, “Mama, why did Papa cut his own finger?”

Guo Qin froze for a moment.

She looked at her young child; Niuniu was watching her curiously with bright eyes.

She withdrew her gaze and looked ahead again. The night wind whistled against her face, making her voice sound lost. “Mama doesn’t know either. Maybe Old Heaven² wanted Papa to quit gambling…”

Niuniu said, “But Papa went to play cards again.”

Guo Qin fell silent, not knowing what to say.

Niuniu spoke again, “Mama, I think Papa is scary. I don’t like him. Can you not like him either, okay?”

She had heard others say that people only get married if they both like each other, so mamas and papas were the people who loved each other most in the world.

But in a home like this, she felt Mama shouldn’t like Papa. Papa wasn’t good, Papa was very bad. Papa would hit Mama, take money to go out playing cards and drinking, and then be fierce to them when he came back. A papa like that wasn’t worth liking at all!

Hearing this, Guo Qin smiled and gently patted her child’s hair, her smile tinged with bitterness. She couldn’t explain that her union with Liu Guohui wasn’t because of love, but because of what people around them called “reaching the age to get married.” She was dutiful and honest, thinking that once she had a family, she should manage it well. She never imagined Liu Guohui would be such a thoroughly vile person³, bringing her so much suffering and causing her to be deeply mired in a sea of bitterness⁴. How could she possibly like such a man?

Just then, she heard her daughter’s young voice again:

“Mama, take me away with you.”

Guo Qin hit the brakes, stopping the cart by the roadside.

Niuniu’s innocent voice continued, “I heard people say that even if you’re married, you can separate. You don’t have to be together forever. So Mama, please separate from Papa. I want to go with you. Let’s go live our own lives. We don’t want Papa anymore.”

“Mama, I want you to be happy-happy.”

She could see her mother’s suffering, but she was still small and didn’t know how to protect her mama. So, she instinctively wanted to run away, to escape this demon’s den—taking her mama with her.

The softest spot in Guo Qin’s heart was suddenly touched.

She gently hugged her young daughter, her eyes instantly welling up.

Her child, the treasure she had carried for ten months, loved her more than anyone, cherished and sympathized with her more.

She even knew to ask her mama to get a divorce, to make her mama happy. But… but how could it be that easy?

“Niuniu, Mama can’t leave…” She closed her eyes, tears welling, hiding a myriad⁵ of bitter feelings. She had tried to get a divorce, but she just couldn’t manage it…

Niuniu didn’t understand, asking with innocent childishness, “Why? Is it because Papa won’t let you go?”

Guo Qin silently wiped away her tears. After a long while, she replied with a sigh of resignation, “Yes, Papa won’t let Mama go…”

She feared she would die in this house, trapped for her whole life.

“Papa’s bad!” Niuniu hugged her, patting her back gently.

The bright moon hung high; the night wind turned desolate.

In the distance, behind the trees, a strange, demonic flash of red clothing flickered.

Another blink, and all was utterly silent⁶, as if nothing had ever been there.

Guo Qin stopped the cart. Niuniu jumped down and waited for her mama.

The two of them carried the things from the stall cart upstairs and went home.

Opening the door, the first thing they saw was the man sprawled on the sofa, snoring loudly.

As they got closer, the reek of alcohol assaulted their nostrils.

Mother and daughter couldn’t help but frown. Niuniu instinctively hid behind her mama—Papa was most frightening after drinking.

Guo Qin gently patted her hair to soothe her, softly telling her to go to sleep first; Mama still had to tidy up the things from the stall cart and would sleep later.

Niuniu shook her head, insisting on helping her tidy up.

Seeing this, Guo Qin didn’t try to persuade her further.

They put down the things they were holding and walked out lightly and quietly.

Before leaving, Guo Qin took a deep look at her husband on the sofa. When she turned her face away, the light in her eyes dimmed, and she gently clenched her fists.

Tomorrow, she absolutely had to talk to him. He really couldn’t go on like this.

Bu Yu was secretly monitoring Liu Guohui with the Little Heaven Eye and silently clenched her fists upon seeing this scene.

—What garbage man!

The next day, Guo Qin got up very early.

She got up to make breakfast for her husband and child. The child had to go to school after eating.

After breakfast, Niuniu put on her backpack and changed her shoes to leave.

Guo Qin walked over to her daughter and immediately saw a tear in her backpack. Her heart ached with pity and guilt.

The child was really suffering too much living with them.

She reached out, gently touched the top of Niuniu’s head, tidied her hair, and said softly, “This backpack is worn out. Mama will pick you up after school this afternoon, and we’ll go buy a new one.”

Niuniu looked up at her, subconsciously about to refuse.

Seeing through her daughter’s thoughts at a glance, she gently pinched her cheek and said, “No refusing. This is our Niuniu’s present.”

Niuniu’s face immediately lit up with a smile. She nodded vigorously. “I’m off to school!”

Even her voice sounded happy.

“Be careful on the way! Stay safe!”

Guo Qin stood at the doorway, watching her daughter go downstairs.

Only when the child’s figure was completely out of sight did she close the door.

After closing the door, she turned to go back inside, only to see Liu Guohui walking out of a room, holding the money she had worked so hard to earn.

Liu Guohui counted it, saying disdainfully, “Tch, earned so little. Really useless…”

Then he stuffed it all into his own pocket, not leaving a single bit behind.

Guo Qin’s mind buzzed. By the time she reacted, she was already standing in front of Liu Guohui, gripping his hand tightly.

“You can’t take my money anymore! I need to buy the child a backpack!”

Liu Guohui glanced at her. “What waste of money? If the backpack’s torn, just stitch it up and it’ll be usable.”

Then he flung her hand away. “Get lost, you stinking old hag! Mind your own damn⁷ business!”

Guo Qin was thrown against the wall. In that instant, she suddenly remembered many things, remembered their child, and the anger that had accumulated in her heart suddenly ignited.

She turned her head, staring fiercely at Liu Guohui.

“Stitch it up… Do you know how many times Niuniu’s backpack has been stitched? Do you know how many things that child wants but never dares to tell me, afraid of adding to my pressure?!”

“All you know is gambling, all you know is drinking! You don’t care about the child at all! Why on earth did you get married?!”

“—Was it just to torture me?!”

She spoke these words to him, almost roaring, each word and phrase embodying her suffering.

But Liu Guohui remained completely unmoved.

He didn’t care. He simply didn’t care at all.

Because he wasn’t the one mired in the sea of bitterness; he was the sea of bitterness itself.

Guo Qin had had enough of him acting like this. Her temper flared, and she spoke recklessly, “How can you still not learn your lesson after cutting off a finger, even going out to gamble again!”

“Are you going to be this rotten for your whole life? Or do you have to wait until you’re dead to feel regret?!”

Liu Guohui’s expression changed instantly, and he raised his thick palm.

“Bitch⁸—!”

Smack!

Another handprint appeared on Guo Qin’s face.

“I think you’re f%cking asking to die!” Liu Guohui yelled, closing in on her menacingly, hitting and kicking her.

Guo Qin was knocked to the ground. She didn’t resist.

Years of being beaten had made her forget how to resist.

She just didn’t understand, didn’t understand why she had to suffer like this. She and her Niuniu clearly hadn’t done anything wrong…

Oh Heaven, why can’t you open your eyes?

Bang bang—

Suddenly, rough knocking sounded at the door.

Liu Guohui paused his assault.

Guo Qin, curled up by the wall, also looked towards the door.

“Who is it!” Liu Guohui snapped irritably.

Bang bang bang!

The knocking continued.

Getting no response, Liu Guohui immediately stalked towards the door with a vicious expression.

If he found out it was some little brat⁹ causing trouble, they were dead!

He irritably yanked the door open—

No one.

Liu Guohui cursed into the hallway a couple of times, then shut the door again.

He had barely taken two steps when the knocking started again, faster and more urgent this time.

He quickly turned and threw the door open, about to unleash a torrent of curses, but again, there was no one outside.

Upstairs and downstairs were completely quiet. There was no sound of children laughing as expected; it seemed not even a wisp of wind had blown near his door.

In an instant, memories of the red-clothed female ghost surged towards him like a tide. That ferocious, twisted face seemed right before his eyes¹⁰.

The back of his neck grew cold, his limbs chilled.

Guo Qin saw Liu Guohui standing frozen at the door.

The next second, she heard him suddenly drop the line, “This place is f%cking haunted¹¹,” then open the door and run out, completely ignoring her.

She didn’t understand why, but she had survived, at least. She let out a soft sigh of relief, lying weakly on the floor, gazing at the bright sky outside the window.

The window was barred with railings outside. Sitting inside the room, she felt like she was in a cage.

Wanting to escape, but with nowhere to run, powerless and helpless.

At this moment, she suddenly felt a vicious urge to ask Old Heaven:

Since Liu Guohui was meant to be punished, why not let him die that night? Why leave him behind to harm her and her daughter…?

Outside the apartment, two women stood in the silent hallway. One of them had her right hand wrapped in white bandages.

Chu Zhaoqiu looked at the door to Guo Qin’s home, which hadn’t been closed yet, and silently dispelled the minor magic spell she had placed on it.

She couldn’t stop worrying about the situation here, so she had come secretly and witnessed Liu Guohui’s violence firsthand.

Unable to bear watching, she had used a little magic to scare Liu Guohui away.

But how many times could she save this poor woman…?

Beside her, Bu Yu listened to the sounds coming through her earpiece and whispered to Chu Zhaoqiu, “Liu Guohui went out again. Should we follow?”

Chu Zhaoqiu looked up, slowly touched her bandaged hand, and her lips parted: “Follow.”

She added, “Don’t follow too closely.”

Bu Yu nodded and turned to leave.

---

---