Jiang A Yao knew Lin Qinghua was doing it on purpose.
She was skilled at acting, her face thicker than a city wall, her heart darker than dog’s blood.
Before Lu Da could speak, Jiang A Yao said directly, “Stay out of this!”
Her expression was icy. Lu Da made an acknowledging sound and nodded obediently.
Jiang A Yao glanced at the still-hysterical Lin Qinghua, turned to the kitchen, and came out with a kitchen knife.
The knife had been sharpened just yesterday, its gleaming blade reflecting a cold light.
Without another word, Jiang A Yao raised the knife and charged at Lin Qinghua.
Lin Qinghua was utterly terrified, scrambling and crawling to dodge.
“Jiang A Yao, how could you actually bring yourself to cut your own mother?”
Yet the knife in Jiang A Yao’s hand showed no mercy, slashing directly at her.
Forgetting her hysterics, Lin Qinghua dodged while shouting, “I need to talk to you, it’s important!”
Lin Qinghua stood on one side of the ox cart, Jiang A Yao with the kitchen knife on the other. Worried they might scare the ox and hurt someone, Lu Da quickly moved to Jiang A Yao’s side to protect her.
“Let her speak first, don’t hurt yourself.”
When the knife was taken from Jiang A Yao’s hand, Lin Qinghua visibly relaxed.
This wretched girl, why had she suddenly become like a different person—cold-blooded, ruthless, and ready to kill at the slightest provocation?
“Spit it out!”
Jiang A Yao glared coldly at Lin Qinghua, her sharp eyes like knives.
Lin Qinghua snorted, muttering with a pout, “You’re married now, aren’t you? According to tradition, the new son-in-law should provide fabric for the family’s clothes.”
“Your grandfather and grandmother have separated from us, so they don’t need any. But your father’s, mine, and your brother’s clothes—you have to make them. My request isn’t high, just one set of cotton clothes each.”
“Your two younger sisters can make do with your old cotton clothes. I’m saving you money here, so don’t say I never think of you as my daughter.”
Hearing this, Jiang A Yao exploded with anger, “I knew you were up to no good! You just saw Lu Da borrowing the ox cart and wanted to take advantage.”
“What lousy tradition? When the Zhang family proposed marriage, why didn’t you mention this clothes-making rule?”
“Provide fabric for your cotton clothes? Want me to get you fabric to cover your coffin instead?”
Lin Qinghua slapped the ox cart in fury, “Jiang A Yao, you’re cursing your own mother!”
Jiang A Yao snatched the kitchen knife back from Lu Da, pointing it at her, “Get lost, now! Or I’ll really chop you up, believe it?”
Lin Qinghua stared wide-eyed, truly disbelieving Jiang A Yao would dare, but then Jiang A Yao hurled the knife straight at her head.
Lin Qinghua screamed in terror and bolted.
Jiang A Yao quickly picked up the knife and chased after her to strike, knowing that if she didn’t crush Lin Qinghua’s greedy intentions completely today, she would be back.
“I’m going to die, murder, murder!”
Early in the morning, before the villagers had gone to the fields, Lin Qinghua’s shouts drew everyone out to see what was happening.
They saw Jiang A Yao—who had been jilted by the Xiucai yesterday and married herself off to that Hunter—chasing Lin Qinghua with a kitchen knife, trying to cut her.
The commotion was huge, and the villagers spontaneously followed them to the Jiang house.
Reaching her doorstep, Lin Qinghua finally lost her fear. With many people inside, she even grew smug.
“Jiang A Yao, just look at what you’ve become? Now that you’re married, you think you’ve grown wings—daring to raise your hand against your own parents?”
The Jiang residence was surrounded by crowds inside and out—such a spectacle was rare, drawing an enormous audience.
Lin Qinghua stood with her precious son behind her, along with the timid Jiang Dagen. Her two daughters had rushed out from the house in panic, their faces etched with terror.
Lin Qinghua believed safety lay in numbers, but she had no idea her son, standing behind her, was too cowardly to back her up. One look at his fearful, anxious eyes revealed his utter spinelessness.
“You don’t know why I came at you with a knife?” Jiang A Yao’s voice was icy as she enunciated each word clearly. “The betrothal gifts were agreed at one thousand large coins, yet you extorted sixteen hundred from Lu Da. When you drove me out of this house yesterday, you didn’t give me a single coin.”
“You hid my winter coat—the one I’ve worn every winter here—and refused to give it to me. And today, you had the nerve to come to my home demanding I make winter clothes for your entire family. Tell me, isn’t that black-hearted?”
Upon hearing this, a neighbor from the adjoining courtyard chimed in, “Oh, I saw A Yao leaving with Lu Da yesterday—carrying just a small bundle, without even an extra pair of shoes. It was truly pitiful.”
“Lu Da’s family is poor, and he has a sickly sister who needs medicine. Yet she greedily demanded sixteen hundred large coins at once. And now she expects her to make winter clothes for the whole family? How much would that cost? Isn’t she driving them to ruin?”
Another added, “My daughter married into a wealthy family, and the betrothal gifts were only one thousand large coins. I even provided quilts, padded clothes, and shoes as dowry. How can a mother be so cruel?”
“Hmph, black-heartedness runs in their family.”
Lin Qinghua, publicly shamed and furious, resorted to hysterics. “What nonsense are you spouting? No parent is ever in the wrong! However you slice it, I raised her through thick and thin. What’s wrong with asking her to make a winter coat for her parents?”
“Nothing’s wrong—except I won’t do it for you.” Jiang A Yao’s stance was unyielding. She raised the kitchen knife, pointing it straight at Lin Qinghua. “We agreed yesterday to sever ties. From now on, it’s a clean break. Whether I live or die is none of your concern, and your fates are no business of mine.”
“I’m warning you—if you come to my house again, I’ll burn your house down. Every time you show up, I’ll set it ablaze. Don’t believe me? Just try.”
Jiang A Yao’s words, uttered with the venom of a blood enemy, left no room for compromise.
The villagers watching the spectacle gasped collectively. Just yesterday, rumors spread that Jiang A Yao had gone mad after her broken engagement—now it seemed she truly had lost her mind. Threatening violence at every turn? They’d never seen her like this before.
Lin Qinghua was too enraged to speak. Jiang A Yao stared back coldly, then let her gaze sweep over the rest of the Jiang family.
They watched her, fear evident in their eyes, terrified she might actually do something extreme.
Yet when she revealed she didn’t even have a winter coat, they had remained unmoved.
Lu Da, knowing she lacked proper clothing and fearing she’d freeze, had insisted on taking her to get a winter coat today, worried any delay would be too late.
What if she had married into a heartless family that didn’t care whether she lived or died?
She wouldn’t have survived the winter.
And if she had truly died, they would likely have echoed Lin Qinghua’s sentiment with a single word: “What bad luck.”
This family is so cold-blooded it’s disgusting.
Jiang A Yao delivered her harsh words, then turned and left without looking back.
Lin Qinghua’s eyes burned with ferocity. This wretched creature who dared to threaten her might as well be beaten to death.
The moment this thought crossed her mind, she grabbed the iron shovel leaning against the wall and charged toward Jiang A Yao.