Shen Nian heard the commotion, looked back at the neighbor Mrs. Wang, and bared her teeth in a grin.
“Auntie, come over and play with me?”
Mrs. Wang’s face drained of color, her heart pounding in her throat.
Oh no, oh no! What nonsense is this little madwoman spouting?
She dashed into her yard in a blur, calling out to Wang Dahua.
When Wang Dahua came out, she nearly fainted at the sight and immediately pushed through the crowd, rushing into the yard.
“Shen Nian, you little beast! What are you raging about now?”
Just as she stepped into the yard, she saw Shen Nian standing on the steps with a battered scoop in hand.
Seeing her approach, Shen Nian suddenly burst into loud laughter.
Images of Wang Dahua bullying the original owner over the past few years flashed in her mind. Her hand instinctively tightened around the scoop, making her whole body tremble.
Gritting her teeth, she raised her hand and dumped a scoop of manure squarely onto Wang Dahua’s face.
“Ah—!”
Wang Dahua let out a piercing scream as the manure ran down her hair, covering her face, the stench making her gag.
Shen Dafu and Shen Lan rushed in but were too scared to intervene.
The neighbors watching from a distance backed away even further, pinching their noses and whispering.
“She’s gone mad… Shen Nian has completely lost it!”
“Wang Dahua treated her poorly all along. If I were forced like that, I’d have gone crazier than this. Her mother passed away early, and her family starved her, treated her like an animal, and even killed her big yellow dog for meat. She was just a little girl back then—no wonder she went mad.”
Ignoring the neighbors’ gossip, Shen Nian lifted the empty scoop and went to fetch more manure. Wang Dahua scrambled away in terror.
Shen Nian laughed uproariously, brandishing the empty scoop and pointing at Wang Dahua: “Dog crap! Villain! You’re a villain!”
Wang Dahua collapsed to the ground in anger, flailing her arms.
“God in heaven, strike this madwoman down! How are we supposed to live like this?”
Everyone avoided her like she was a vengeful spirit.
Shen Dafu stood a short distance away, scolding:
“You crazy girl! We finally got rid of you, and now you come back! Just wait—I’ll beat you to death today!”
Shen Dafu was truly enraged. The house was a mess, his family’s reputation ruined, and now the yard was soaked in filth. He wanted nothing more than to chop her up and feed her to the dogs.
His gaze fell on the cleaver normally used to chop pig fodder in the corner. Furious, he strode over, grabbed it, and charged at Shen Nian.
Shen Nian’s eyelids twitched.
Even a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs—Shen Dafu, you really intend to kill your own daughter.
Her body reacted instinctively, recalling memories of being beaten and begging on her knees.
Now, married off to Old Man Liu, her own father had been part of the plan.
Her scarred hand slowly clenched.
She had long wanted to hit him.
Before anyone could react, Shen Nian snatched the cleaver, leapt up, and swung it toward Shen Dafu’s forehead.
“Villain! Villain hits me, I’ll hit back!”
Shen Dafu’s pupils shrank, his legs trembling like sieves. Wang Dahua gaped in horror beside him.
The cleaver nearly struck his forehead, but luckily Shen Dafu dodged just in time, or it would have been over.
The crowd gasped. The girl had truly been driven mad—she was swinging a cleaver at her own father!
Previously, she had walked around like a helpless victim, but now she was completely unhinged.
Shen Nian, seeing she had missed, pouted angrily: “The cleaver’s disobedient. I’ll beat you to death.”
She was showing them who was boss—she wasn’t afraid of consequences.
A strong smell of urine filled the air, and Shen Dafu nearly wet himself on the spot.
Shen Nian slapped him several times, his face swelling like a pig’s. Wang Dahua, sitting on the ground, was dumbstruck.
She had thought selling Shen Nian off would prevent trouble at home, but now she had caused this huge disaster.
Shen Dafu clutched his head, crying, while Shen Nian laughed and applauded herself.
“The villains are driven away. No one will bully Nian Nian anymore.”
Shen Dafu, covering his face, pointed at Shen Nian, mumbling incoherently: “You… you cursed child! I’ll call people. Today, even if I die, I’ll tie you up!”
Widow Li, seeing this, stepped forward anxiously to protect Shen Nian.
“Shen Dafu, calm down. Nian Nian’s mind isn’t normal. You’re sane—don’t argue with a child. Let’s talk this out. I’ll take her to my house for a while. Once you’ve decided, I’ll bring her back, okay?”
Mrs. Wang, watching the scene, feared Widow Li would actually take Shen Nian away. If that happened, how could she watch the show?
She grabbed Widow Li’s arm.
“Li Hong, she’s caused such chaos—you can’t take her away. Nian Nian is now Old Man Liu’s wife. If you take her, you go live with him yourself.”
Hearing this, Old Man Liu’s eyes lit up.
But in the next second, he discarded the thought.
Widow Li’s husband had died years ago in a tile kiln collapse while working in the village. Even if she hadn’t taken her two children, she would have had to bring a woman home to do laundry, cook, and work in the fields. A wife could even warm the bed—much more practical than buying an old ox.
But now…
Impossible!
Widow Li wasn’t worth the 200-yuan bride price. He had to get the money back first.
Li Hong angrily tore her arm free from Mrs. Wang’s grasp, glaring.
“Bah! At your age, you can’t even behave. If you fancy Old Man Liu, divorce your husband and marry him. If you won’t divorce, then the three of you can share one bed.”
Mrs. Wang was taken aback and about to retort when Shen Nian, somehow, threw the scoop of manure at her.
She quickly dodged, relieved it hadn’t hit her head. The scoop grazed her arm, smashed against the wall, breaking in two.
Her arm was instantly coated with a sticky layer.
Ugh—
The overwhelming stench made her gag, and she swallowed her words.
Soon, Zhang Shengli, the village chief of Ping’an Village, also arrived.
Li Hong sneered. Serves them right.
She had feared Shen Dafu would bring a group of men and hurt Shen Nian.
Old Man Liu, however, was no longer listening. Seeing Shen Nian raging and attacking, he was more convinced than ever that bringing her back had been the right decision.
He impatiently said, “Shen Dafu, Wang Dahua, I’ve sent your madwoman back. Return my 200-yuan bride price immediately, or today won’t end here.”
When Shen Dafu opened his mouth, he felt something in his mouth. After spitting it out, he realized—two teeth had been knocked out.
That cursed child had smashed his teeth.
Seeing this, Shen Nian was overjoyed.
Since “becoming mad,” her spirit had become much stronger.
Wang Dahua spat to the side, her face still smeared with sticky yellow filth.
Her face was already ruined, her money gone—she still had her life.
“Liu, when you married Shen Nian, the matchmaker told you clearly she was mad. You insisted, and now you want to return her? You’ve had her for two days—who knows if you took advantage of this madwoman? Maybe you even stripped her, cooked the rice, then regretted it before sending her back.”
Thinking of preserving the original girl’s honor, Shen Nian’s eyes flashed coldly.
Yes. In these times, a young girl’s purity was more important than anything else.
The original owner may have been mad, but her reputation could not be destroyed.
She had been forced into madness, forced to near death.
So, she must remain pure and untarnished.