Second Uncle Ruan let out an "ow" and clutched his nose.
Ruan Yu rushed over in a few quick steps, pulling Ruan Changsheng up and shielding him behind her.
"You bastard—you dare hit me?"
Second Uncle Ruan was absolutely furious, lunging straight at Ruan Yu.
The stone had struck his nose just moments ago, and blood was already smeared all over his face.
Ruan Yu looked at Ruan Changsheng's little face, swollen to the size of a steamed bun, and the blood at the corner of his mouth. A fierce ruthlessness surged in her eyes.
Facing Second Uncle Ruan charging at her with murderous intent, Ruan Yu simply raised her leg and kicked.
She'd already kicked plenty of people today—one more wouldn't make a difference.
"Ah——"
A bloodcurdling scream!
This kick, Ruan Yu put every ounce of her strength into it, landing it squarely between Second Uncle Ruan's legs!
The scream made Third Uncle Ruan, standing nearby, instinctively clench his legs together.
Old Man Ruan let out a howl and lunged over. "You bastard—you dare hit your own second uncle? You heartless curse-bringer, you'll die a horrible death… Ah! What are you doing? Let go of me!"
Before he could finish, Old Man Ruan felt his scalp tighten as Ruan Yu grabbed a fistful of his hair and slammed his head straight into the rock beside her!
Thud!
Old Man Ruan's head split open and blood poured out. His body went limp.
Second Uncle Ruan was so terrified he nearly soiled himself, collapsing onto the ground.
This girl was a bona fide demon star!
"Murder!! Someone help!"
"Yu'er, stop right now! How dare you hit your grandfather? You unfilial wretch—if you don't stop this instant, I, I don't have a daughter like you!"
Ruan Dalang, the blindly filial eldest son, finally snapped out of his shock and put on his fatherly airs, hurling threats at Ruan Yu.
Ruan Yu coldly shoved the unconscious Old Man Ruan aside.
Beside her, Changsheng charged forward like a little bull, blocking Ruan Yu with his small body. "It's not Sister's fault! Grandfather was the one who tried to hit her—it's Grandfather's fault, not Sister's!"
"Shut up, you little wretch! He's your grandfather! Even if he hit you, it's still your fault—who told you to be disobedient and make him angry? Besides, what child has never been beaten…"
Ha.
Ruan Yu sneered inwardly. This father of hers was both stupid and worthless.
When his wife and children were being bullied, he couldn't even squeak out a word.
But the moment they fought back, he suddenly found his tongue.
"Changsheng is right—this isn't Yu'er's fault!"
Ye Shi rushed forward to shield the two of them. "So they're allowed to bully us, but we're not allowed to fight back? You're their father—did you see what they did to Changsheng's face? Did you see the wound on Yu'er's forehead? Since all this started, have you said even one word of comfort to them?"
"Before, I thought you were just weak. Now I see—you're simply cold-blooded!"
"Wan-niang…"
"I want a divorce!"
Boom!
Ruan Dalang's body swayed, as if he hadn't heard Ye Shi's words clearly. He stood there completely stunned.
Ruan Yu glanced at Ye Shi. She hadn't expected this original body's mother—always so meek and fragile—to show such resolve.
"Pah! A divorce? You think you deserve that? Big brother, divorce her!" Third Uncle Ruan jumped up and down.
"That's right! As long as they stay, the Ruan family won't have a moment's peace! Get them out of here now!"
"What's all this commotion?"
The commotion at the Ruan household had finally drawn the attention of Qinghe Village's village chief and the clan elders.
When they saw the chaotic scene before them and listened to Third Uncle Ruan's embellished, one-sided account, they too were surprised by the change in Ruan Yu'er and Ye Shi.
But the village chief knew full well what a mess the Ruan family was.
The Ruan family favored the second and third branches while trampling all over the eldest branch—Ye Shi and her four children. Plenty of people in Qinghe Village had witnessed it.
Everyone sympathized, of course, but this was ultimately a family matter. Since the eldest branch themselves never objected, no one was going to stick their neck out and cause trouble for themselves.
Now that Ye Shi and her children had finally stood up to fight back, the village chief and clan elders—who had long disapproved of the Ruan family's ways—were more than willing to show them some consideration.
The problem now was that Third Uncle Ruan was demanding Ye Shi and her four children be cast out of the Ruan family and expelled from Qinghe Village, while Ye Shi insisted on a divorce.
The village chief looked at Ye Shi and confirmed, "Ye Shi, have you thought this through? In times like these, how will you manage alone with three children? Take your uncle's advice—for the sake of the children, don't act rashly."
Ye Shi took a deep breath. "Uncle Chief, I've thought it through. The Ruan family sold my child once today—they'll do it again. I won't allow it. Even if the four of us starve to death, I refuse to stay here and let them grind us down!"
Seeing that her mind was made up, the village chief finally agreed.
Third Uncle Ruan tried to make more trouble, but the village chief and clan elders stopped him, threatening to expel him from Qinghe Village if he caused another scene.
Ruan Dalang tried to say something but was dragged away by Third Uncle Ruan.
In the end, under the witness of the village chief and clan elders, the divorce agreement was signed, and Ye Shi managed to retrieve the identity documents for herself and her three children.
Though such documents held little practical use in these times, they were still official proof of their identity.
The village head also took it upon himself to allocate to Ye Shi and her four children a dozen or so wild vegetable steamed buns, four large black-flour cakes, some battered pots and bowls, and two cracked water skins.
Just these few items alone made the wives of the second and third sons of the Ruan family ache as if their hearts were bleeding. They threw tantrums and rolled on the ground in refusal, but in the end, under the village head's forceful suppression, they could only divide the goods with seething resentment.
Ruan Yu even pressed Ruan the Old Man to sign a declaration severing family ties.
Ruan the Old Man had already been beaten into submission by Ruan Yu—how would he dare utter a single "no"?
With that, Ye Shi and her four children were completely cut off from the Ruan family.
The village head had said little throughout the whole affair. Matters having escalated to this point, Ye Shi and her children had thoroughly burned their bridges with the Ruan family. Severing ties so completely might, perhaps, be a good thing after all.
Ruan the Third had witnessed all of this from start to finish, and the look he cast at Ruan Yu was as if it had been steeped in poison.
His eyes rolled, and a vicious scheme surfaced in his mind.
"You—who exactly are you? You're not Ruan Yu! How could that fool Ruan Yu ever think to demand a severance declaration?"
Seizing the moment before the gathered Qinghe Village onlookers had dispersed, Ruan the Third deliberately pointed at Ruan Yu and shouted loudly.
"Ha! I knew something was off about you—witch! Curse-bringer! What wandering ghost are you? Everyone, come look! She's definitely not my niece—she's a demon!"
At Ruan the Third's words, the villagers of Qinghe all turned to stare at Ye Shi and her children with terror. Those standing nearby even instinctively edged away.
In this era, nothing was more taboo to the villagers than talk of spirits and ghosts. It had to be said that Ruan the Third's move was far more cunning than Ruan the Old Man's.
A mere woman, cut off from the Ruan family, still hoping to safely follow the village's refugee convoy? Dream on!
With the accusation that Ruan Yu was a demon, whether or not the villagers believed it, no one would dare approach her again. What awaited her was either being burned at the stake as a demon or being driven out of the village entirely.
Ruan the Third intended to completely sever any path to survival for Ye Shi and her four children!