Li Shulan calling her “sister-in-law” made Niu Maizi smile even more brightly.
Ever since the old hag died, that shameless woman had never once called her “sister-in-law” again.
It looked like this Zhang Youliang had truly caught her fancy. She actually called her “sister-in-law,” completely oblivious to how icy cold Li Shulan’s tone was.
Niu Maizi continued, “Younger sister, I’m not bragging, but a marriage this good—ordinary people wouldn’t even get the chance. You need to understand, I really do treat you like my own sister. Once you marry over there, your elder brother-in-law will be your… ah—!”
“I’ll marry your mother’s rotten—!”
Li Shulan raised the fire tongs in her hand and swung them down hard onto Niu Maizi’s shoulder, instantly knocking her to the ground. But she didn’t stop—she kept hitting her as she cursed:
“You shameless old wench! Don’t think I don’t know what you’re scheming! You want me to remarry so your whole black-hearted family can swallow my house, is that it? I’ll tell you now—forget it!”
“From the day I married Qin Erzhu, that early-dead man, I became a person of the Qin family for life. Even if I die, I’ll die as a ghost of the Qin family!”
“Trying to plot against me? I’ll beat you today until you remember who you’re trying to mess with!”
Li Shulan wasn’t holding back at all today, but she still knew not to hit anywhere fatal. She only targeted the parts with more flesh—shoulders, backside, thighs. She didn’t touch the stomach. She didn’t want to cause internal bleeding.
The first blow already scared Niu Maizi senseless. She ignored the pain in her shoulder and scrambled away toward the gate.
“Li Shulan, you’re crazy! I was just introducing you to a good man! Comrade Zhang Youliang is such a good man—if not for all our years as sisters-in-law, if I didn’t treat you like my own sister, I wouldn’t have told you! If you don’t want him you can just refuse! Why hit me?!”
“Sister? I don’t have a shameless sister like you! Already so old and still thinking about remarrying! If he’s so good-looking and earns a wage, why don’t you marry him? Hm? Didn’t you say he was proper and handsome? Why don’t you marry him?”
“You old tramp—just hearing another man’s name makes you go into heat. ‘Comrade Zhang Youliang~’ Does your husband know how slutty you are?”
The two of them—one running, one chasing with fire tongs—ran straight into the work fields where the production team members were laboring.
“Captain! Captain, help! Li Shulan’s gone mad—she’s gone mad! She wants to beat me to death with fire tongs!”
Li Shulan didn’t even try to deny it. She answered right away, “That’s right! Niu Maizi, listen well! If I don’t break one of your slutty old legs today, then I’ll write my name backward! Introducing men to me, huh? I’ll kill you, you rotten woman!”
People in the fields straightened up and looked over at the commotion.
“What’s going on? Why is Li Shulan chasing Niu Maizi? Didn’t they stop talking after they split households?”
“No idea. But Li Shulan said Niu Maizi was trying to introduce her to a man. Is she trying to get her sister-in-law to remarry, or is she pimping her out?”
“I bet it’s the latter. Niu Maizi’s mother, Widow Niu, was practically earning money by spreading her legs. No way her daughter’s clean. She keeps going back to her mother’s house, and she never comes back empty-handed. Probably all from her lovers.”
“If that’s the case, breaking one leg isn’t enough—breaking both would be deserved!”
“…”
Even if they talked like that, the captain of the production team couldn’t just watch his own members fight. He had to step in.
Seeing someone move forward, Li Shulan figured the timing was right. She lifted the fire tongs, took aim at Niu Maizi’s leg, and threw them with all her strength.
“Pa!”
“Crack—!”
Even from a distance, everyone heard the sound of the bone snapping.
Li Shulan’s lips curled upward.
She had said she’d break Niu Maizi’s leg—and she meant it.
Niu Maizi was knocked flat by the impact. Not only was her leg broken, her arm was scraped with two long, wide gashes.
The onlookers were stunned.
They had thought Li Shulan was just talking big—after all, people curse and swear when arguing. At most they’d draw a little blood. But actually breaking someone’s leg in front of so many witnesses?
But Li Shulan wasn’t worried at all. She walked over slowly, looking down at Niu Maizi from above.
To Niu Maizi, Li Shulan now looked like a demon. She clenched her teeth and said, “Li Shulan, I’m going to the police station! I’ll report you for attempted murder!”
Li Shulan’s smile deepened slightly. She slowly uttered two names.
Niu Maizi’s eyes widened in shock.
She—she knew?
Just then, the captain and the others arrived.
“Auntie Lan, if there’s something you want to say, you should talk it out! How could you hit someone in front of so many people?” the captain said helplessly.
With so many eyewitnesses, if Niu Maizi reported it, it would be a guaranteed case. If something happened to Li Shulan, it might even affect Qin Zixuan in the military. And if that happened, the captain’s own hope of getting his son into the army might be ruined.
Qin Dazhu also ran over and saw his wife lying on the ground and Li Shulan standing nearby.
His eyes turned red.
“Li Shulan, you vicious woman! You broke your sister-in-law’s leg! That’s attempted murder! I’m going to report you—I’m going right now!”
Li Shulan shrugged. “Go ahead. I lost my temper for a moment, that’s all. And I only broke one of her slutty old legs—how is that murder?
“Besides, I chased her for two reasons: first, because she tried to pimp me out. I haven’t even reported you people for that yet, and you dare shout at me?
“And second—she stole two hundred yuan from my house. I only hit her because she’s a thief! Even if we go to the police station, I’m acting in lawful defense while pursuing a thief! Not only am I innocent, I should be rewarded!”
“You’re lying! I didn’t steal your money!”
Niu Maizi, who had just been shocked about her secret being exposed, had been thinking she must send Li Shulan to jail—only then would her secret stay buried. And once Li Shulan went to prison, those two houses would still be hers. She had even felt that her broken leg might be worth it.
But then she heard Li Shulan accuse her of stealing money and immediately screamed.
Li Shulan snapped, “Whether you stole it or not, just search your body! I counted the money this morning before sewing, then left it on the fabric in the west room and forgot to put it away. When I went back just now, it was gone. And this entire morning, you were the only one who went into my house! If you didn’t steal it, who did?!”
“It was two hundred yuan! I’m telling you, you rotten woman—whether you report the police or not, I’M reporting it!”