“This bowl is surprisingly durable, huh.” With her twitching lips, Shen Danyun hurriedly picked up the earthenware bowl from the ground and placed it back on the table.
Although Shen Wentao was terrified, he couldn’t bear to leave behind the last bit of rice porridge at the bottom of the bowl. Persistently tugging it toward himself, he struggled until it was finally in front of him. Seeing that he couldn’t reach it properly, he simply stood up from his stool and buried his entire little face right into the bowl.
“Ahem, ahem, ahem.” Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Shen Danyun coughed awkwardly a few times. She pulled little Wentao back and whispered, “Alright, stop eating.”
With a few grains of rice stuck to his small face, Shen Wentao looked utterly adorable and dazed, not understanding why his eldest sister wouldn’t let him finish the porridge.
The onlookers looked at each other, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Just how starved were these three children to have devoured so much food and still try to lick the bowl clean?
“My chicken! You three sons-of-bitches, how dare you eat my chicken! I’m going to beat you to death!” With a roar, a chubby kid came lunging toward them.
This was Liu Dafu’s precious son, Liu Xiaobao. At eight years old, he was extremely obese, his eyes squeezed into narrow slits by his fat face.
With a swift movement of her foot, Shen Danyun sent a round wooden stick rolling right under Liu Xiaobao’s feet. Running in a rush, Liu Xiaobao stepped squarely on the stick. With a loud thud, the ground seemed to shake. Two bloody front teeth flew out, landing on the floor.
A miserable shriek rang out. Howling in agony, Liu Xiaobao cried out in a slurred voice, “Waaah… Mommy, it hurts so bad! My teeth fell out, waaah…”
Liu Xiaobao’s mother, Yan Jinhua, rushed forward to hold him. Heartbroken, she wailed, “Xiaobao, my darling precious! Changfu, quick, go get a doctor, hurry!”
“Mommy, kill those three wretches! Kill them now! My chicken, my teeth, waaah…” Liu Xiaobao’s small eyes flashed with vicious malice. Glaring frantically at the three siblings, he flailed his hands and kicked his legs, looking as if he wanted to charge over and murder them himself.
Holding Liu Xiaobao tightly, Yan Jinhua comforted him softly, “Be good, Xiaobao, stop crying. Mommy won’t let them get away with this. Mommy will slaughter another chicken for you to eat in a bit.”
As she spoke, she glared venomously at the three siblings. If it weren’t for so many pairs of eyes watching, she would have pounced over and torn them to shreds.
Shen Danyue and Shen Wentao trembled with fear, grabbing tightly onto Shen Danyun’s clothes and hiding behind her back.
Shen Danyun turned around to embrace the two of them, gently patting their backs as she comforted them, “Don’t be afraid. Sister is here, no one can hurt you.”
At this moment, Liu Changgeng and Wang Xiaoyan walked over. “Don’t be afraid, children. Your uncle and aunt are here. Let’s see who dares to touch you today.”
“Uncle, Auntie, you’re finally back! Our mother is gone, waaah…” Shen Danyue threw herself into Wang Xiaoyan’s arms and sobbed loudly. The grievances and fears built up over the past few days erupted at this moment, leaving her crying uncontrollably.
“Mommy, I want Mommy…” Shen Wentao also began to howl.
Like birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring, the two children wept heartbrokenly, a sound that tore at everyone’s heartstrings.
“Good children, don’t cry. Your uncle and aunt will definitely find your mother. Come, let’s go to Auntie’s house for dinner. From now on, you can play with your little brother, Tudou, alright?”
Comforting them softly, Wang Xiaoyan picked up the still-sobbing Shen Wentao, took Shen Danyue by the hand, and called for Shen Danyun to follow them out.
“Stop right there! Don’t even think about stepping out of this door today without handing over one hundred taels of silver.” Liu Dagui boorishly blocked the doorway.
“Are you trying to rob us out in the open?” Wang Xiaoyan asked coldly.
“Don’t put it so harshly. As the saying goes, a debt must be repaid. Hand over the silver and you can leave whenever you want,” Liu Dagui said arrogensively.
“I’ve seen shameless people, but I’ve never seen anyone as utterly shameless as you all.” Wang Xiaoyan was momentarily choked with rage.
Shen Danyun turned to Wang Xiaoyan and said, “Auntie, this is my family matter. Let me handle it. If I can’t resolve it, you can step in to help me, alright?”
Looking at the determined little face before her, Wang Xiaoyan nodded and said, “Alright, your uncle and I are right here. Don’t be afraid of them.”
“Mhm.” Shen Danyun nodded. She turned to Old Man Shen and said, “Since you can’t bear to let us leave, and we don’t want to look at you either, why don’t you all move out? This house does not welcome you.”
Liu Changfu barked, “What nonsense is a fool like you babbling about? Don’t interrupt when adults are speaking. Go stand aside.”
Shen Danyun rolled her eyes. “You’re the fool, your whole family is a fool. This house is mine, you all get out right this instant. Oh, by the way, my head was broken because of you guys. Remember to compensate me with silver so I can see a doctor.”
“You’re dreaming! You want silver? Why don’t you just go die? This is our home. Wanting to kick us out? Not a chance, you dead fool.” Before the adults could even speak, Liu Xiaofang jumped out.
“I recall that a year ago, it was you who struck me with a stick and turned me into a fool, and then lied saying I bumped into it myself. Did you really think you could deceive everyone just because no one saw it?” Seeing Liu Xiaofang, Shen Danyun’s eyes instantly lit up. Here was someone practically begging for retribution.
“You bumped into it yourself! It was you! You dead fool, don’t slander me!” Liu Xiaofang’s eyes flickered guiltily.
“Who are you calling a dead fool?” With a flash of her figure, Liu Chen-shi’s wooden cane was already in Shen Danyun’s hand. Raising the cane, she smashed it directly toward Liu Xiaofang’s head—her movements fluid and seamless, completed in one swift motion.
“Ah!” Unable to dodge in time, Liu Xiaofang let out a piercing shriek before collapsing to the ground unconscious, her head bleeding profusely.
Shen Danyun didn’t want to cause a fatal lawsuit, so she held back. Otherwise, Liu Xiaofang would have died on the spot from that single strike.
“Everyone saw it, she bumped into it herself. Don’t blame it on me, okay? After all, that’s exactly how I bumped into it back then.” Shen Danyun looked entirely innocent. She had struck so quickly that the Liu family couldn’t have stopped her even if they wanted to.
The crowd: “……”
“You wretch, I’ll kill you!” Seeing both his son and daughter suffer one after another, Liu Changfu’s face turned hideous. Grabbing a firewood chopper from the ground, he hacked wildly at Shen Danyun.
“Stop!” How could Liu Changgeng let him harm Shen Danyun? He was about to step forward to intervene, but Shen Danyun was faster.
“It’s fine, Uncle Liu! My father taught me quite a few moves, this is a perfect time to test them out.” Having a father to take the blame for her skills was truly convenient. Shen Danyun talked as she moved forward to meet the attack.
Seeing Liu Changfu charging at her with the raised chopper, Shen Danyun swung the wooden stick swiftly toward him. It cut through the air with a sharp whoosh, striking directly against the hand holding the chopper.
With a crisp crack, Liu Changfu’s arm bent at an unnatural angle. The blade fell from his hand in a bizarre trajectory, chopping right into his own foot.
It all happened too fast. By the time the crowd reacted, Liu Changfu was already on the ground, wailing like a slaughtered pig.
“Dear, what happened to you?” Looking at her husband bleeding profusely and groaning on the ground, Yan Jinhua wailed as if she were mourning at a funeral: “Help! Murder! The dead fool, the harbinger of doom is murdering people! Is there no law left?! Someone help, quick…”
Everyone was completely stunned by the scene. They had never seen someone try to hack another person, miss, and end up chopping their own foot instead. The scene was incredibly bizarre.
“He is your eldest uncle, how could you be so ruthless? You are too malicious!” Old Man Shen roared in fury.
“He’s allowed to swing a knife at me, but I’m not allowed to fight back? Should I just stand here meekly and let him hack me to death?” Looking at Old Man Shen’s exasperated face, Shen Danyun sneered mockingly.