[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-my-restarted-life-1992":3,"chapter-my-restarted-life-1992-my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-78":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","My Restarted Life: 1992",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2279628,4460,"Chapter 78: Midnight Sharpening, Terrifying Yao Qixin","my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-78",78,"\u003Cp>Yao Qixin pedaled his bicycle furiously, the wheels nearly flying off; as his body grew tired, the anger long suppressed in his heart gradually subsided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he arrived at the distillery, his legs trembled violently from overexertion, and it took him a long while to recover—but by then, his rage had mostly burned out, and he paced back and forth at the gate, refusing to go inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when dusk was nearly upon him did he grit his teeth: “He’s definitely not home. I’m going back. I’ll come again tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Ruomei returned home and found the door open and the lock broken. She rushed inside, flipped open the cabinet, and rummaged beneath it to find an iron box. Inside, the cash and passbook were all there—she finally exhaled in relief, then walked in circles around the room several times, confirming nothing else was missing. This left her deeply puzzled. Only when she went to cook did she realize the kitchen knife was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, the courtyard gate slammed open as Yao Qixin pushed his bicycle inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Ruomei stepped out of the house and saw Yao Qixin’s bulging arms—her heart stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where were you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Wang Ruomei’s icy face, Yao Qixin frowned irritably and snapped: “Work. Where else would I go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Ruomei asked coldly: “What’s in your arms? Take it out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Qixin suddenly felt guilty and pulled out the kitchen knife: “I… I noticed our knife’s dull, so I wanted to find someone to sharpen it, but I couldn’t find anyone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since being tied to the bed and whipped by Wang Ruomei a while back, he’d developed a deep psychological scar. No matter how much he hated her, he was genuinely afraid of her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Ruomei ignored Yao Qixin entirely, went inside, and began cooking. The clang of the knife chopping the cutting board was much louder than usual, making Yao Qixin shrink his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night grew deeper. Wang Ruomei sat on the sofa knitting a sweater, while Yao Qixin dared not sleep, staring at her cold face, his nerves fraying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time it was past midnight, Yao Qixin’s eyelids kept drooping. Finally, he couldn’t hold out any longer and fell asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half-asleep, he heard a steady scraping sound beside his ear—was it a dream, or real? After a moment, he bolted awake. The scraping sound became crystal clear. He turned his head—and his soul nearly fled. Every hair on his body stood on end; his scalp prickled with cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rolled off the bed in a panic, grabbed the edge of the mattress, and leaned his head out, trembling with terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-y-you… what are you doing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Ruomei sat at the head of the bed, sharpening the knife with slow, deliberate strokes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You said the knife was dull. I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d sharpen it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Qixin swallowed hard, his throat bobbing: “Y-you… you sharpen it, fine—but do it outside! Why are you sharpening it… right here by the bed?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Ruomei kept sharpening, utterly focused: “It’s cold outside. My hands would freeze. The radiator here by the bed is warm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the knife grow brighter with each stroke, Yao Qixin felt a chill crawl up the back of his neck: “Ruomei, it’s the middle of the night. Stop sharpening. Do it tomorrow, okay?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Ruomei lifted the knife and ran her fingertip along the edge: “Hmm. It’s sharp enough now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Qixin exhaled deeply—but only halfway—when he saw Wang Ruomei raise the knife and hold it against her own throat: “Yao Qixin, if I slashed this knife across my neck, would my head fall off?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Qixin shuddered, his face twisted in despair: “Don’t joke! Just go to sleep! It’s already past two!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine!” Wang Ruomei tossed the whetstone onto the floor, wiped the knife with a cloth, then lay down beside it: “Sleep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Qixin shuffled onto the bed, but the moment he saw the knife in her hand, his eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Every time he closed his eyes, he felt a cold draft along his neck—again and again. Finally, he rolled over, sat up, and stared fixedly at the knife in her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As dawn neared, Yao Qixin cautiously reached out, pinched the knife’s back, and slowly lifted it—when suddenly Wang Ruomei’s eyes snapped open. He screamed “Mama!” and tumbled back onto the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Ruomei rolled over and looked at him: “What are you doing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“N-nothing… I just thought it’s dangerous to sleep with a knife.” He’d been tormented all night—exhausted, unable to sleep, unable to rest. He pulled on his clothes: “You sleep a little longer. I’ll go buy breakfast.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Qixin returned with breakfast, slipped quietly into the house, saw Wang Ruomei still asleep, ate a quick bite in the outer room, and by seven o’clock had already ridden off on his bike. That woman had gone mad—he simply couldn’t stay in this house anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the more he thought about it, the more bitter he felt. He dared not take out his anger on Wang Ruomei, but his hatred for Zhou Andong grew even deeper. When he reached his workplace, the gate hadn’t opened yet, so he rode his bicycle around town, bought a sharp dagger, and by eight-thirty called in sick from a phone booth. Then he went to the distillery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He loitered at the distillery gate all day, refused to go home at night, terrified Wang Ruomei might snap and chop off his head while he slept, and instead checked into a cheap inn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From then on, he came daily to loiter at the distillery gate, slept each night at the inn, until the twenty-ninth day of the lunar month, when he finally mustered the courage to return home. He silently swore: After the New Year, I’ll find Zhou Andong. He’s put this green hat on me—I’m no man if I don’t take revenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On New Year’s Eve morning, Zhou Andong was woken by firecrackers outside. He rolled onto the edge of the kang, lit a cigarette, and had just taken a few puffs when he heard the little girl shrieking in the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“New Year’s here, firecrackers pop, firecrackers jump and hop, New Year’s so much fun…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Anbei woke up: “Brother, get up and set off the firecrackers!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong smiled: “You go ahead. I’ll get up after I finish this cigarette.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Anbei quickly dressed and ran out excitedly. Soon, the muffled boom of two-stage firecrackers echoed through the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big brother!” The little girl burst in, wind in her hair: “Hurry up! Take me into town to play!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong looked at the girl, her nose running from the cold. He was about to say he’d wipe it for her—when he saw her casually raise her arm and wipe her nose with the back of her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong stared at the girl in her brand-new red down jacket, slapped his forehead, and sighed: “Education… it’s a long, hard road.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother!” Zhou Anqin came in. “Mom says go call Grandpa and Grandma over for the New Year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright!” Zhou Andong tossed his cigarette butt on the ground, put on his clothes, and stepped outside. He’d almost reached the courtyard gate when he turned back: “Xiao Bei, cut two pounds each of beef and lamb, grab two boxes of drinks, and come with me to deliver them to Sister Yuezhen.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1230,"2026-06-20T01:18:49.036Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9bf86d85d23a93f5e17864bd783128fbef29b3025e51c38cd68113fc41369d11","my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-79","my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-77",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-restarted-life-1992-cover.jpg"]