Lin Shirou could read that expression like an open book. Without a second thought, she scooped Lu Tian up into her arms, pointed straight at Lu Dongdong, and declared, “Darling, if he hits you, you hit him right back! If anything happens, your mother takes the full responsibility!”
Lu Dongdong hadn’t been the least bit worried. After all, this second aunt had never paid any attention to Lu Tian before; she would just stand by and watch whenever he bullied the girl.
Never did he expect to hear such a declaration. His eyes widened in absolute shock and disbelief.
Looking timidly at Lu Dongdong, little Lu Tian shrank back. Though he was only two years older than her, he was a full head taller and solidly built like a little piglet. Standing next to the skinny, malnourished Lu Tian, he looked immensely intimidating.
“Don’t you dare!” Lu Dongdong yelled. “If you touch me, I’ll beat you to death!”
Hearing this, Xu Guihua felt a wave of triumphant pride wash over her. That’s right! That’s my boy—what courage!
Frightened, Lu Tian curled inward. She had been beaten too many times to have any courage left to fight back. The sight made Lin Shirou’s heart ache with a sour, bitter pang. She knew, of course, that this was deep-seated psychological trauma from years of abuse, something that couldn’t be undone overnight.
Lu Dongdong kept roaring insults, spewing a vile stream of filth—”money-wasting trash,” “little whore,” “rotten-to-the-core.”
It was hard to believe such language could come out of a child’s mouth. Xu Guihua beamed, wildly pleased with how fierce and capable her son was.
Lin Shirou’s expression turned glacial. With terrifying speed, she stepped forward and delivered a sharp smack right across Lu Dongdong’s face.
Crack! The loud slap left the surrounding onlookers completely stunned.
Lu Dongdong was so startled he froze, staring at his second aunt in sheer disbelief.
“You stinking bitch! How dare you hit my son?!” Screeching, Xu Guihua rolled up her sleeves and lunged forward to grab Lin Shirou’s hair.
Instead of backing down, Lin Shirou grabbed Lu Dongdong and slapped him again. “I hit him! What are you going to do about it?! Come at me all you want, I’ll just keep hitting him!”
Struggling wildly in Lin Shirou’s grip, Lu Dongdong kicked and thrashed, swearing even louder. “Stinking bitch! You hit me! I’m going to make my dad beat you to death!”
Driven out of her mind with fury, Xu Guihua lunged to tear at Lin Shirou’s face. But right as she threw her hands forward, a face was thrust squarely into her path—it was Lu Dongdong.
Xu Guihua’s long fingernails raked straight down her own son’s face.
“Aaaaaah! It hurts! Mom—!” Lu Dongdong shrieked at the top of his lungs.
Caught completely off guard, Xu Guihua froze for a split second, long enough for Lin Shirou to plant a firm kick and send her stumbling backward.
Just then, Zhang Ximei was hauled back to the scene by neighbors, arriving just in time to witness the chaotic brawl between her two daughters-in-law.
The gathering crowd of onlookers was utterly dumbfounded. The usually quiet, aloof Lin Shirou—who always acted so high and mighty—was actually getting into a physical street fight with a village woman?!
The female educated youths stared with wide eyes as Lin Shirou used Lu Dongdong as a living shield, completely paralyzing Xu Guihua. Every single time Xu Guihua tried to charge, Lin Shirou used the boy to block her.
Scared out of his wits, Lu Dongdong wailed at the top of his lungs, looking nothing like the local bully he usually pretended to be.
Seeing her precious eldest grandson in tears, Zhang Ximei flew into a rage. “You good-for-nothing second branch wife! Let go of my grandson right this instant!”
As Zhang Ximei lunged forward to grab her, Lin Shirou realized discretion was the better part of valor. She shoved Lu Dongdong straight into Xu Guihua’s arms, turned on her heel, and bolted with a wide-eyed Lu Tian in her arms, leaving Xu Guihua screaming curses in her wake.
Lu Tian was completely dazed. Her small, slender arms wrapped tightly around her mother’s neck, her little face pressed flush against her chest. Suddenly, she felt a profound sense of safety.
Her mother was protecting her and standing up for her. The tiny girl couldn’t quite understand why everything had changed, but she felt like she was floating on air.
Carrying Lu Tian all the way home in one breath, Lin Shirou’s heart ached fiercely the moment she saw the bleeding scratch on the child’s forehead.
“Darling, does it hurt?” she asked gently, carefully parting the wisps of hair around the wound and blowing softly on it.
A pair of deep, adorable dimples flashed as Lu Tian shook her head, her voice small. “Mama, Tian-Tian doesn’t hurt at all!”
Reaching out, she touched Lin Shirou’s hand, where a clear pair of teeth marks from Lu Dongdong’s bite had left a red indentation. Her eyes instantly welled up with tears.
Her mother had gotten hurt trying to avenge her. Mimicking Lin Shirou, Lu Tian leaned in and blew gently on the mark.
“Mama doesn’t hurt, blow the boo-boos away,” she murmured softly.
Whenever she used to get beaten, she would copy the way Xu Guihua comforted Lu Dongdong and blow on her own injuries. Blowing made the pain go away, so if she blew on her mother’s hand, Mama wouldn’t hurt anymore either.
A sudden, sharp ache pierced Lin Shirou’s heart, choking up her throat.
In the original novel, descriptions of Lu Tian were sparse; every time she appeared, she was simply being beaten or scolded by the original owner and her grandmother. At such a tender age, she was forced to do chores every day while suffering from chronic hunger and cold.
It was June, yet the child was wearing an ill-fitting, filthy little shirt so caked in dirt its original color was entirely unrecognizable. It was a hand-me-down discarded by Xu Guihua’s second daughter, Er-ya.
As for Lu Wen, her father, he only ever came home once a year. Those visits were the happiest days of Lu Tian’s life because Lu Wen would always buy her a pretty dress—though within a few days, it would inevitably be snatched away by her cousin, Lu Xiao.
Lu Xiao was the daughter of the third brother, Lu Guang. At five years old, she was right at the age where she could wear hand-me-downs.
Hearing the commotion, Li Hong, the wife of the third brother Lu Guang, stepped out of the kitchen.
“Well, well, looks like you two were chased by dogs. Word is you even had the guts to fight with your sister-in-law—growing quite a spine, aren’t we?”
Lu Xiao scurried out behind her mother, her lips still stained with white sugar. Licking her mouth and looking at Lu Tian’s bedraggled state, she grinned with malicious glee.
“Lu Tian, you look like a total monster! Hahaha!” The child’s voice dripped with pure malice, making Lin Shirou’s face darken instantly.
Lu Xiao was wearing a floral dress that looked to be of remarkably good quality.
If Lin Shirou remembered correctly, that exact dress was the one Lu Wen had bought from outside specifically for Lu Tian.
Since she had already fallen out with Xu Guihua today, she certainly wasn’t going to back down from a fight with Li Hong either.
Springing to her feet, Lin Shirou strode over and grabbed the front of Lu Xiao’s dress, trying to yank it off. Caught completely off guard, Li Hong shrieked and lunged forward to grab Lin Shirou’s hands.
“Lin Shirou! What on earth do you think you’re doing? Have you lost your mind?!”
“Give my baby’s dress back right now!” Lin Shirou snapped. “And bring out her undershirt and underpants too, or don’t blame me for what I do next!”
Terrified by her fierce aura, Lu Xiao burst into tears, crying out, “Mama, wahh, save me!”
As the two women tugged and pulled at the fabric, the shoulder seam of the dress ripped.
Trembling with rage, Li Hong glared at her. In the past, whenever she took Lu Tian’s dresses, Lin Shirou hadn’t batted an eye. Had she taken the wrong medicine today? Was she possessed by a ghost or something?!
Clutching the torn dress in her hand, Lin Shirou prepared to defend it as Li Hong lunged forward to grab it back. Just then, Zhang Ximei, Xu Guihua, and Lu Dongdong arrived back at the courtyard.
Furious and indignant, Li Hong immediately ran over to play the victim to Zhang Ximei. “Mom! Lin Shirou has completely lost her mind! She’s out here stripping the clothes right off Xiao-xiao’s back!”
Stepping back to put some distance between them, Lin Shirou offered a cold, sarcastic smirk.
“This dress belongs to my Tian-Tian! Her father bought it for her!” she shot back. “Since when does something you stole magically become yours?!”