Ye Shi shielded the little ones, her nerves frayed as she faced the hostile villagers surrounding them.
Ruan Laosan's eyes burned with venom, and the fear the villagers showed toward Ye Shi and her children instantly emboldened him.
"Do you think the Ruan family's things are so easy to take? Give it back! You bastards don't deserve it!"
Ruan Laosan charged forward to snatch back their belongings. He didn't dare provoke Ruan Yu, so his target was Ye Shi, who stood at the front.
Ruan Yu was about to make her move when her vision suddenly went dark.
Damn it. This body was still far too weak.
In that brief moment of dizziness, the rations in Ye Shi's hands were already in Ruan Laosan's grip.
Not content with just stealing, he shoved Ye Shi before leaving.
Ye Shi fell to the ground, her face scraping against a sharp rock, leaving a bloody gash.
"Mother!"
The two little kids were frozen in shock!
Ruan Yu's eyes turned fierce. She wanted to stop Ruan Laosan and take back what he'd stolen.
But her body simply couldn't hold out any longer. Ruan Laosan's rush to snatch the goods had been fast and sudden. Ruan Yu swayed on her feet, forced to watch helplessly as he ran off.
Once Ruan Laosan returned to the Ruan family's spot, surrounded by Qinghe Village villagers, getting their belongings back would be nearly impossible.
Unless she went on a killing spree and made enemies of the entire village.
But if she did that, she might not be able to protect Ye Shi and the two little ones…
Ruan Yu watched Ruan Laosan grow more distant, resigning herself to swallowing this bitter loss for now.
Then someone stepped out to block Ruan Laosan's path.
"Brother, bullying a widow and her orphans isn't a good look."
The man was dressed in rags, looking like a refugee. Four or five people followed behind him, but the one speaking was missing an eye.
"Who the hell do you think you are, daring to stop me? You stinking one-eyed bastard, get out of my way if you know what's good for you! Otherwise, I'll beat you too!"
Ruan Yu saw the leader's missing eye, and a memory of these people surfaced in her mind.
These were refugees who had been trailing behind the Qinghe Village group lately. With their disabilities and the wounded among them, life hadn't been easy for them.
When Ruan Yu'er had gone out foraging, she'd crossed paths with them a few times. The leader seemed to be called Jia Da.
They'd kept to themselves, each searching for whatever food they could find. Ruan Yu had noticed the wounded among them and mentioned a medicinal herb she spotted while gathering wild vegetables.
These people must have remembered that kindness, which was why they were stepping in to help her now.
"Leave some room for mercy, brother. Take my advice—don't push people to the edge."
"You dead-eyed bastard, trying to sound all fancy with me? Pah!"
Ruan Laosan spat out a thick glob of phlegm, utterly arrogant. "Everyone, come take a look! I was wondering how these bastards dared to leave the Ruan family—turns out they found themselves new patrons? Sister-in-law, don't tell me you've taken a fancy to these cripples and been sneaking around with them behind our backs? That's why you've got the nerve to defy the Ruan family?"
Jia Da, who had stepped forward, was disgusted by Ruan Laosan's shamelessness. "Don't you dare spout nonsense!"
"Nonsense? If you weren't sleeping together, why would you stick your necks out for them? Think we're fools? Fine then—blame my poor brother for being too simple, not seeing when you two started your affair! You think the Ruan family has no one to stand up for them? Men, grab your weapons…"
But before he could finish, he was kicked to the ground.
Ruan Yu had recovered from that wave of weakness. Taking advantage of Ruan Laosan being stopped, she rushed over immediately.
She grabbed him by the collar and drove her knee hard into his face!
Thud!
A broken tooth flew out.
Bang!
Another vicious strike—his nose snapped instantly!
Ruan Laosan couldn't even let out a scream before he was beaten senseless.
"With a mouth this filthy, I'll give you something to chew on."
Ruan Yu was ruthless and said little. Her knee slammed into his face again and again! No other moves—just targeting one spot over and over!
The sheer brutality of her beating made the other Qinghe Village villagers' hair stand on end. Who would dare step forward now?
As for the one-eyed men who'd come to help, they found themselves with nothing to do, exchanging awkward glances.
Seemed like they weren't needed after all…
"You're not Ruan Yu'er… who the hell are you… gah…"
Fear finally flickered in Ruan Laosan's eyes as they met the woman's unfathomably dark pupils. A chill ran through him.
"I'm your father."
With that, Ruan Yu drove a fist into his temple!
Bang!
Ruan Laosan hit the ground face-first, his body twitching once before going completely still.
Dead silence fell all around.
Having witnessed Ruan Yu's ruthless methods once again, who would dare court disaster at a time like this?
When Ruan Yu's gaze swept over the crowd, they scattered like birds, each one running faster than the last.
"Whew, thank goodness. Miss Ruan, are you alright?"
Seeing the matter resolved, the one-eyed man let out a sigh of relief. He'd just started to approach and ask about Ruan Yu's condition when she seemed to collapse entirely, her legs giving out as she fell to the ground.
"Miss Ruan?!"
"Yu'er!"
…
When Ruan Yu woke again, it was completely dark.
A gust of cold wind blew, making her shiver uncontrollably.
The thin, tattered clothes she wore offered no warmth at all.
Having fainted twice in a single day, Ruan Yu now clearly understood just how severely her body had been depleted.
Even the slightest bit of intense exertion was too much for her to bear.
It seemed her top priority now was to recover her strength.
"Sister, you're awake?"
Suddenly a small head appeared before her—it was Ruan Changsheng.
Seeing his elder sister conscious again, the little one shouted joyfully at the top of his lungs, "Mother! Sister's awake!"
"Yu'er, how do you feel now? Here, drink some water."
Ye Shi immediately handed over a bowl of hot water, and Ruan Changan grinned, "Mother put sugar in it, Sister, drink it quick!"
"Where did the sugar come from?"
Ruan Yu's voice was hoarse—sugar was never part of what had been distributed to them.
"Uncle Village Head gave it to us. You were too weak and needed to replenish your strength."
Ye Shi's pale, gaunt face was as gentle as water. Ruan Yu paused, reached out to take the bowl, and drank it down in one go.
Then Ruan Yu felt a warmth against her arm, and a small bundle had latched onto her.
"Sister, does it still hurt? Should An'an blow on it for you?"
The little one's soft, tender voice warmed Ruan Yu's heart.
"It doesn't hurt."
"Yu'er, wait a moment—the porridge will be ready soon. Once you drink it, you'll feel better."
Ye Shi said as she wiped at her eyes.
After her daughter had fainted again, Ye Shi had used the three wild vegetable buns she'd received from the separation to invite the physician traveling with the refugee group to come take a look. The physician said she had collapsed from sheer hunger.
After Old Third Ye's final outburst, although the people of Qinghe Village hadn't taken his words seriously, they still unconsciously kept their distance from Ye Shi and her children.
Ye Shi didn't want to trouble the village head again, so she brought the little ones to the outskirts where the Qinghe villagers had gathered and found an inconspicuous spot to settle down for now.