Chapter 17: She flipped the table right there.
Chapter 17
When Quan Zhisui returned to the Zuo family home, it was just around dinner time.
She went back to her room to put down her schoolbag before coming downstairs for the meal. Unusually, the dining room was full today.
The dining table was a luxurious round marble one, with Zuo Zhiyu seated in the master position. To his left sat Zuo Zichen, and next to him was Xu Zhiyi. The two elders took the seats to Zuo Zhiyu's right.
The only spot left for Quan Zhisui was the very bottom position, usually reserved for serving staff.
The table had already been laid out with dishes, and the family of five were happily eating dinner together.
Zuo Zhiyu and Xu Zhiyi sandwiched Zuo Zichen in the middle, fussing over him and asking after his wellbeing. The two elders kept getting up to serve more food to their precious eldest grandson, worried about his injured hand.
This was also Quan Zhisui's first time meeting her biological paternal grandparents.
As she walked into the dining room, the five of them deliberately ignored her, refusing to acknowledge her presence.
Quan Zhisui didn't say anything either. She simply pulled out the chair, the legs screeching harshly against the floor.
The loud noise caused the conversation at the table to die down abruptly as all heads turned to look at her.
Quan Zhisui sat down casually as if nothing had happened, and picked up her chopsticks to start eating.
Bang!
A loud thud rang out as Old Lady Zhang Liufang slammed her hand on the table. She immediately began scolding, "What wild girl is this? No manners at all, not even calling for service before taking food. Who allowed you to start eating?"
Quan Zhisui ignored her and continued eating quickly with head down.
Xu Zhiyi raised her eyebrows. "Zisui, your grandma is talking to you."
Still, Quan Zhisui did not respond and kept eating enthusiastically.
Old Master Zuo Zhaoyuan angrily threw down his chopsticks. "What insolence! Bringing in riffraff and stray animals into the family home!"
It was as if Quan Zhisui couldn't hear anything. She even reached over to take a large braised pork elbow, helping herself to whatever looked tasty.
Zuo Zichen watched the scene coldly and sneered. "Father, are you sure you've found the right person? Has she been verified? I don't acknowledge a sister like this."
Zuo Zhiyu could no longer keep up appearances. He slammed down his bowl with a 'pa' and scolded in a low voice, "Quan Zhisui! Can't you hear your grandparents talking to you?"
Sensing his change in attitude, Xu Zhiyi quickly chimed in, "The Zuo family's influence is far-reaching. Every action reflects on the Zuo name. Eating like this will make us a laughing stock."
Hearing this made Zuo Zhiyu's expression even uglier. He couldn't help but curse, "Quan Zhisui! Have you no shame eating like a wild boar with everyone watching? Were you raised by pigs? Elders are speaking to you yet you ignore them completely. No manners at all..."
Before he could finish, Quan Zhisui loudly put down her bowl.
"Are you done eating yet?" she asked.
Zuo Zichen: "???"
Xu Zhiyi nearly rolled her eyes out of their sockets. "What, you intend to eat this whole table of dishes yourself? Truly the manners of someone who's never had fine food, gulping it all down like a glutton. How embarrassing."
Quan Zhisui smiled. "I'm full now."
Zhang Liufang was so angry she stood up and yelled, "Wretched girl! I said back then we should have just suffocated you directly instead of tossing you so far away!"
Zuo Zhaoyuan joined in scolding, "It is not the Zuo family way for juniors to start eating before elders! Let this be a warning that you will never be accepted as part of the Zuo family in this lifetime if you keep this up!"
Quan Zhisui loudly burped then slowly wiped her mouth. "No, that wasn't my intention."
Zuo Zhiyu's temple suddenly pulsed. "Then what do you mean?"
Quan Zhisui stood up, firmly planted her feet shoulder width apart to root herself, and braced her hands under the marble table edge.
"What I mean is, stop f*cking eating!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she exerted herself with all her might.
Her body was brimming with vigorous strength and power!
Quan Zhisui summoned every ounce of skill she had ever learned, pushing herself to erupt with her full force in that instant.
Boom!
With one heave, she completely flipped the hundred-plus-pound marble dining table!
Clank! Crash!
Food scraps flew, meat chunks spun, soup splattered everywhere!
Over a dozen dishes along with their platters spilled entirely onto the floor, clattering loudly amidst screams.
The huge round table began rolling with the momentum, crashing into the other expensive ceramic dinnerware and flinging food and soup upwards. It even dented and warped the ornate cabinets lining the dining room walls.
The top-grade wood paneling on the walls, the intricately designed ceiling and chandelier personally decorated by a famous interior designer, even the hair and clothes of everyone present - everything was drenched in food!
The dining room was utterly destroyed!
"Ahhhh!" Xu Zhiyi shrieked at an ear-piercing volume, egg drop soup dripping from her hair.
Zuo Zhaoyuan and Zhang Liufang scrambled away in panic, shaking off food from their clothes while screaming in shock and outrage.
Zuo Zhiyu had managed to dodge in time, only getting minimally splattered from sensing something amiss early. fr𝚎𝗲𝐰ebnov𝐞𝐥.𝐜o𝗺
Zuo Zichen had it the worst. With his injured hand, he was already less mobile and never imagined Quan Zhisui would be so bold.
As a result, he was doused from head to toe in food!
The mingled flavors of over a dozen dishes permeated every inch of him, inside and out!
For the moment, Zuo Zichen was too stunned to react, still seated in place with his soul shocked out of his body.
"Ahhh! Ahhh ahhh!" Xu Zhiyi's screams grew even more hysterical upon seeing her son's wretched state.
The two elders quickly came to their senses and rushed clumsily towards their precious eldest grandson, slipping and falling every few steps on the slippery floor.
Cries of "ow" and "ouch" rang out continuously.
Zuo Zhiyu was dumbfounded and distressed beyond belief!
Utter chaos reigned in the aftermath, beyond description.
The kitchen chefs and three serving aunties rushed out, took one look at the scene, and were scared witless, at a complete loss.
Soon the cleaning aunties arrived, but they too were at an impasse, unable to find any clean spot to step.
The dining room was like ground zero after doomsday, utterly decimated!
Quan Zhisui was the only one remaining composed. She comfortably rolled her neck and shook out her slightly strained hands that had exerted themselves too fiercely just now. Then amidst the screams, she looked steadily at Zuo Zhiyu.
She stated clearly, "Dad, I have an unruly temperament and tough personality. I cannot tolerate the slightest grievance."
Zuo Zhiyu: "......"
His heart was quivering and eyes bloodshot from sheer outrage!
"If you can't handle me, then send me back to the mountains," Quan Zhisui continued boldly and unapologetically.
Zuo Zhiyu's erupting emotions were abruptly extinguished, leaving him blank.
Having accomplished her goal, Quan Zhisui didn't bother with the aftermath. She turned and went back upstairs to her room. She was only responsible for causing chaos, not cleaning it up.
Though soon after returning to her room, she was already wincing and rummaging for medicinal plasters, constantly massaging acupressure points. Going all out to flip the table so forcefully just now had apparently pulled some muscles.
Catharsis feels great momentarily, but the physio and crematorium bills come later.
That marble tabletop really was damn heavy!
If it had been just a bit bigger, she wouldn't have been able to flip it at all.
The chaos on the first floor dining room continued for a long time afterwards. The hysterical screaming from three people and the prolonged paralyzed shock from the other two left the mansion's staff at a loss, unsure whether they should step forward to start cleaning up.
Though there was little point to cleaning anymore - might as well renovate entirely.
In the end...
Xu Zhiyi held Zuo Zichen in the living room, crying as she wanted to help clean him but had no idea where to start.
Zuo Zhaoyuan and Zhang Liufang stood to the side, cursing wildly for hours on end - one moment heartbroken for their eldest grandson, the next wanting to rush upstairs and strangle Quan Zhisui!
Meanwhile, the study lights on the third floor remained on through the entire night.
Word of the young miss's raging feat of flipping the table spread swiftly among the Zuo household members. Ma Xinwei the chef, who witnessed the scene firsthand, even became a raconteur, describing the happenings vividly and colorfully to all who would listen!