Xiao Man mendengus, sengaja memancing. "Terus saja melototi aku, aku langsung pulang sekarang. Itu cuma jadi bukti betapa menyebalkannya kau, dan biar Nenek Gu yang mengurusmu!"
"Kau... Kau keterlaluan!" Benar saja, mata Gu Shaoling memerah karena marah.
"Sudah, Manman, cukup," kata Jun Ran dengan suara rendah dan lembut. "Jarang-jarang kita bisa berkumpul begini. Tadi cuma bercanda, jangan terlalu sensitif. Jadi orang jangan terlalu sempit hati, nanti tidak punya teman!" Ia melangkah mendekat hendak meraih tangan Xiao Man, tapi Xiao Man menepisnya. "Aku memang sesempit ini. Jadi kuharap kau merasa tidak nyaman dan menjauh saja!"
Gadis muda yang wajahnya samar-samar dikenal itu tidak bisa menahan tawa melihat Xiao Man bersikap seperti kucing yang bulunya berdiri karena ekornya terinjak. Ketika Xiao Man menoleh, gadis itu mengulurkan tangan dan berkata, "Halo, Manman. Aku Zeng Rong, rekan kerja Jun Ran."
'Oh, jadi dia juga streamer,' pikir Xiao Man. 'Pantas suaranya enak didengar.'
"Halo."
Begitu tangan Xiao Man menyentuh tangan Zeng Rong, Gu Shaoling menepisnya, wajahnya penuh muak. "Kakak Rongrong, kau akan menikah sebentar lagi. Jangan biarkan dia menyentuhmu!"
Zeng Rong terpaku sejenak dan refleks menarik tangannya kembali.
Xiao Man tidak peduli tangannya ditepis, tapi kata-kata Gu Shaoling membuatnya murka. Ia mendorong Gu Shaoling sampai terhuyung. "Buka matamu baik-baik dan lihat sendiri! Dia yang mengulurkan tangan atau aku yang mau menyentuhnya? Kau pikir kau siapa? Diberikan kepadaku pun aku tidak mau menyentuh orang sepertimu!"
Wajah Zeng Rong langsung mengeras. Bibirnya terkatup, ia mundur ke samping Jun Ran. Jun Ran menepuk pundaknya menenangkan, tapi Xiao Man bersikap seolah tidak melihat apa pun.
Tian Sisi bergegas menahan Gu Shaoling, merangkul pundaknya untuk menghibur. Ia melototi Xiao Man seperti melihat musuh besar. "Apa yang kau lakukan? Kalau kau tidak mau, kenapa tanganmu diulurkan ke Kakak Rongrong? Dan kau memukul Shaoling! Kau ini tamu. Tuan rumah sudah baik hati, seharusnya kau tahu diri dan jangan keterlaluan! Kau pikir semua orang selemah Tang Yaxuan untuk dibuli? Kau mengusir orang begitu datang! Coba pikir, sejak kau datang ke keluarga Gu, berapa banyak masalah yang kau timbulkan untuk Shaoling? Berapa banyak dia menderita dan berapa banyak dia dimarahi karena kau? Kau mau tahu kenapa kau tidak boleh menyentuh Kakak Rongrong? Karena ada orang bilang kau ini cuma pembawa sial yang mencuri keberuntungan orang!"
"Siapa yang bilang?" Xiao Man mencengkeram kerah Tian Sisi dengan satu tangan, menyentaknya ke depan. "Beri aku nama. Tunjuk orangnya. Atau sumpah, aku tidak akan selesai denganmu!" Ia mengguncang Tian Sisi beberapa kali dengan keras, dan gadis itu memekik, tidak tahan. "AH! Lepaskan aku! Bibi... Dia memukul orang!"
"Ada apa? Apa yang terjadi di sini?" Nenek Tang dan Nenek Gu berjalan mendekat bersama. Tian Xueqin sudah mendahului mereka. Ia menepuk Gu Shaoling yang menubruk ke pelukannya dengan mata memerah, lalu mengulurkan tangan untuk mengurai cengkeraman Xiao Man pada kerah Tian Sisi. "Nak, jadi anak baik, lepaskan!" katanya, suaranya gugup tapi lembut. "Lihat, wajah Sisi sudah pucat! Napasnya sesak, bisa kenapa-napa. Celaka kalau dia sampai syok. Dengarkan Bibi Kedua, lepaskan! Kau juga harus tenang. Tenanglah. Ini aku, Bibi Keduamu, kau lihat aku? Apa pun itu, katakan padaku. Aku yang akan mengurusnya untukmu, ya?"
Xiao Man: "..."
'Dokter militer ini menganggapku penyandera atau pasien jiwa?' pikirnya. 'Baik. Kau mau gila? Kuberi kau gila!'
Bukannya melepas Tian Sisi, Xiao Man malah menarik Gu Shaoling keluar dari pelukan Tian Xueqin. Dengan cara yang sama, ia mencengkeram kerah keduanya dan mengguncangnya ke atas, ke bawah, ke kiri, ke kanan. Kalau saja tidak ada orang berkerumun di sekitar, ia sudah meniru Sun Wukong mengayunkan tongkat Jingu Bang dan memberi keduanya rasa seperti naik kincir ria manusia.
Gu Shaoling jauh lebih lemah daripada Tian Sisi. Baru dua guncangan dari cengkeraman Xiao Man yang kencang, napasnya terhenti, matanya membalik, dan ia pingsan.
"AH! AH! Manman, kau... Hentikan! Hentikan sekarang!" Tian Xueqin memekik, menerjang untuk meraih putrinya.
Xiao Man melirik Tian Xueqin dengan dingin. "Tenang, dia tidak akan mati," katanya. "Tapi kalau kau bergerak, aku tidak bisa menjamin tidak ada... komplikasi. Kalau dia koma dalam, bisa jadi tidak akan bangun, sekeras apa pun kau berusaha menyelamatkannya."
"Kau... kau, anak ini... apa yang merasuki dirimu?" Tian Xueqin menatap Xiao Man, wajahnya seperti topeng keterkejutan. "Dendam macam apa ini? Kau mau membunuh mereka?" Kilat kemarahan dan rasa muak melintas di matanya.
Nenek Tang dan Nenek Gu berdiri di samping, anehnya diam. Sebenarnya Nenek Gu cemas dan ingin maju menengahi, tapi Nenek Tang mencengkeram pergelangan tangannya, menahannya.
Nenek Gu menggerutu dalam hati tapi hanya bisa menuruti dengan pasrah. 'Hubunganku dengan Fang Qinglan sudah aneh sejak kami muda,' pikirnya. 'Kalau berjauhan, saling rindu berat. Tapi kalau lama berkumpul, ujung-ujungnya bertengkar, tidak ada yang mau mengalah. Sudah membaik seiring usia, tapi kebiasaan lama masih muncul sesekali. Lagipula, siapa pun bisa lihat Xiao Man sedang murka. Nenek Tang nenek kandungnya, wajar dia melindungi. Hatiku perih untuk cucuku sendiri, tapi aku juga sangat sayang calon menantuku. Biarlah aku mundur dan menonton dulu. Lebih baik biarkan anak itu melampiaskan amarahnya.'
Xiao Man scoffed, deliberately provoking her. "Keep glaring at me and I’ll go home right now. That’ll just prove how unbearable you are, and I’ll let Granny Gu deal with you!"
"You... You’re despicable!" Sure enough, Gu Shaoling’s eyes reddened with anger.
"Alright, Manman, that’s enough," Jun Ran said in a low, gentle voice. "It’s rare for us all to get together. It was just a joke, don’t be so sensitive. It’s not good to be so petty, you won’t have any friends that way!" She stepped closer to take Xiao Man’s hand, but Xiao Man shook her off. "I am just this petty. So I hope you’ll find me distasteful and stay away!"
The young woman, who seemed vaguely familiar, couldn’t help but chuckle when she saw Xiao Man acting like a bristling cat that had just had its tail stepped on. When Xiao Man looked over, the woman extended her hand and said, "Hello, Manman. I’m Zeng Rong, a colleague of Jun Ran’s."
’Oh, so she’s a streamer too,’ Xiao Man thought. ’No wonder her voice is so pleasant.’
"Hello."
The moment Xiao Man’s hand touched Zeng Rong’s, Gu Shaoling shoved it away, a look of disgust on her face. "Sister Rongrong, you’re getting married soon. Don’t let her touch you!"
Zeng Rong froze for a moment and instinctively pulled her hand back.
Xiao Man hadn’t minded her hand being pushed away, but Gu Shaoling’s words sent her into a rage. She shoved Gu Shaoling, making her stumble. "Open your damn eyes and see for yourself! Did she offer me her hand, or did I try to touch her? Who the hell do you think you are? I wouldn’t touch the likes of you even if you were offered to me on a silver platter!"
Zeng Rong’s expression went completely stiff. Pursing her lips, she retreated to Jun Ran’s side. Jun Ran patted her shoulder comfortingly, but Xiao Man acted as if she hadn’t seen a thing.
Tian Sisi rushed to steady Gu Shaoling, putting an arm around her shoulder to comfort her. She glared at Xiao Man as if looking at a mortal enemy. "What do you think you’re doing? If you didn’t want to, why did you reach your hand out to Sister Rongrong in the first place? And then you hit Shaoling! You’re a guest here. The hosts are being gracious, so you should know your place and not go too far! Do you think everyone is as easy to bully as Tang Yaxuan? You kick people out the moment you show up! Just think, ever since you came to the Gu family, how much trouble have you caused for our Shaoling? How much has she suffered and how many scoldings has she endured because of you? You want to know why you weren’t allowed to touch Sister Rongrong? It’s because someone said you’re nothing but a damn jinx who steals people’s good fortune!"
"Who said that?" Xiao Man grabbed Tian Sisi’s collar with one hand, yanking her forward. "Give me a name. Point them out. Or I swear, I won’t be done with you!" She gave Tian Sisi a few sharp shakes, and the girl shrieked, unable to bear it. "AH! Let go of me! Auntie... She’s hitting someone!"
"What’s wrong? What’s going on here?" Grandma Tang and Granny Gu walked over together. Tian Xueqin had already rushed ahead of them. She first patted Gu Shaoling, who had thrown herself into her arms with red-rimmed eyes, then reached out to pry away the hand Xiao Man had clenched on Tian Sisi’s collar. "Child, be a good girl and let go!" she said, her voice nervous but gentle. "Look, Sisi’s face is turning pale! She’s having trouble breathing, something could happen. It would be awful if she went into shock. Listen to your Second Aunt, let her go! You need to calm down, too. Relax. It’s me, your Second Aunt, do you see me? Whatever it is, you can tell me. I’ll take care of it for you, alright?"
Xiao Man: "..."
’Is this military doctor treating me like a hostage-taker or a psychiatric patient?’ she thought. ’Fine. You want crazy? I’ll give you crazy!’
Far from letting go of Tian Sisi, Xiao Man yanked Gu Shaoling right out of Tian Xueqin’s embrace. Using the same method, she grabbed them both by the collar and shook them up, down, left, and right. If there hadn’t been people crowded around, she would have imitated Sun Wukong wielding his Jingu Bang and given the two of them a taste of what a human Ferris wheel felt like.
Gu Shaoling was far more delicate than Tian Sisi. After just two shakes from Xiao Man’s tight grip on her collar, she couldn’t catch her breath, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
"AH! AH! Manman, you... Stop! Stop it right now!" Tian Xueqin shrieked, lunging forward to get her daughter.
Xiao Man shot Tian Xueqin a cool glance. "Don’t worry, she won’t die," she said. "But if you make a move, I can’t guarantee there won’t be... complications. If she falls into a deep coma, she might not wake up, no matter how hard you try to save her."
"You... you, child... what on earth has gotten into you?" Tian Xueqin stared at Xiao Man, her face a mask of shock. "What sort of grudge is this? Do you want to kill them?" A flash of anger and disgust flickered in her eyes.
Grandma Tang and Granny Gu stood off to the side, strangely silent. In truth, Granny Gu was anxious and wanted to go over to intervene, but Grandma Tang had grabbed her by the wrist, holding her back.
Granny Gu grumbled to herself but could only helplessly comply. ’My relationship with Fang Qinglan has been strange ever since we were young,’ she thought. ’When we’re apart, we miss each other terribly. But when we’re together for too long, we just end up bickering, neither one willing to give an inch. It’s gotten better as we’ve aged, but old habits still flare up now and then. Besides, anyone can see how furious Xiao Man is. Grandma Tang is her real grandmother, so of course she’s going to be protective. My heart aches for my own granddaughter, but I’m also very fond of my future granddaughter-in-law. I’ll just stay back and watch for now. It’s better to let the child vent her anger.’
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