Whenever Shen Ying wanted to see her daughter, she only dared to watch from a distance in secret.
If Lin Dagou ever caught her, he would drag her home and beat her mercilessly.
She had no choice.
“You…”
The woman before her wore the marks of a hard life across her face, yet her features were identical to the mother who had sacrificed herself to save Lin Xiazhi during the apocalypse, only to be torn apart by zombies.
Lin Xiazhi’s eyes reddened.
She threw her arms around the woman and whispered softly,
“Mom… I’ve missed you so much.”
She knew very well that this was the original owner’s mother, not the woman who had loved her most in her previous life.
But seeing that familiar face again…
It erased the regret she had carried in her heart.
Lin Xiazhi wiped away the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes and hugged her even tighter.
For the first time since arriving in this unfamiliar world, her restless soul finally found peace.
Suppressing the emotions threatening to overflow, she awkwardly corrected herself.
“…Mother.”
Hearing her daughter call her that, Shen Ying broke down completely.
“Xiazhi… Mother missed you too. Every single night I dream about you. It’s all Mother’s fault. I couldn’t stop your father back then…”
Once a woman was married, she had no control over her own fate.
At least…
Her daughter didn’t hate or resent her.
She was still willing to call her “Mother.”
“Oh, spare us this touching mother-and-daughter reunion. Everyone knows the Lin family sells both their sons and daughters. Just look at the disaster this little bitch has caused! She killed Yang Zhaodi! Shen Ying, if you don’t give me an explanation today, don’t even think about leaving!”
Wang Chuntao shoved through the crowd, her booming voice echoing across the riverbank.
Hatred filled her eyes as she glared at the two women.
Shen Ying looked up at Wang Chuntao’s twisted expression.
Without hesitation, she hurled the silver she was carrying straight at her.
“Xiazhi would never kill anyone! Don’t you dare slander her!”
“Ow!”
The silver struck Wang Chuntao squarely on the forehead, leaving a bright red bruise before falling onto the ground.
The villagers gasped.
“Silver!”
Shen Ying pointed furiously at Wang Chuntao.
“I haven’t even settled the score with you yet, and you’re already accusing my daughter first!”
She pointed toward the silver lying on the ground.
“That’s ten taels of silver. I’m using it to redeem Xiazhi’s freedom. Hand over her slave contract!”
Wang Chuntao burst into mocking laughter.
“Ten taels? Are you trying to dismiss me like some beggar?”
“Shen Ying, she’ll be a servant of the Chen family for the rest of her life.”
“You’ll never buy her back!”
A dark glint flashed through Lin Xiazhi’s eyes.
Never redeem her freedom?
Don’t be so sure.
Shen Ying’s face flushed crimson with rage.
She rushed forward and tackled Wang Chuntao to the ground, raining punches down on her.
“I’ve hated your Chen family for years! Even if I can’t redeem Xiazhi today, I’ll still teach you a lesson for bullying her, beating her, and treating her worse than an animal!”
She had always carried guilt toward her daughter.
Now, after saving for so long only to be told she still couldn’t redeem her child, both sorrow and anger boiled over.
She hated that she had married the wrong man.
She hated her own helplessness.
And after seeing her daughter nearly drown…
She couldn’t endure it any longer.
Even if Lin Dagou dragged her home afterward and beat her half to death…
Today, she would avenge her daughter.
Wang Chuntao screamed miserably beneath her.
“Ahhh! You filthy slut! How dare you hit me! My husband is the village chief! I’ll report you! I’ll have you thrown into prison! Ahhh!”
Shen Ying didn’t stop.
“I’ll beat you to death before I ever go to prison!”
“Mother! Stop hitting her!”
Lin Xiazhi cried out in alarm and hurried over as though trying to break up the fight.
Her mouth kept shouting for Shen Ying to stop.
Her hands, however, landed one punch after another on Wang Chuntao’s stomach, back, and legs.
“Mother, stop! Please stop! Wuwuwu…”
Wang Chuntao’s arms were already broken.
Pinned beneath the two women, she couldn’t resist at all.
She could only howl in agony.
“Oww! Ahhh! Murder! Husband! Hurry and save me!”
The louder she screamed…
The harder the mother and daughter hit.
Lin Xiazhi secretly curled the corners of her lips.
This kind of underhanded teamwork felt fantastic.
Night had already fallen.
No one noticed Lin Xiazhi quietly adding her own blows.
Everyone genuinely believed she was trying to stop the fight.
“…”
The villagers had been completely dumbfounded by the scene.
Not one of them dared step forward.
No one had expected the usually timid Shen Ying to suddenly become so fierce.
She was beating Wang Chuntao without the slightest restraint.
Many couldn’t help worrying about her.
The Chen family had always been domineering.
Now that Chen He had become village chief, they had grown even more arrogant.
Who in the village dared offend them?
Yet Shen Ying had completely crossed the line today.
Life for both her and Girl Lin would only become harder from now on.
“What are all of you standing around here for? Got nothing better to do? Disperse! All of you!”
A stern voice suddenly rang out from behind the crowd.
The village chief…
Chen He…
Had returned.
The villagers instinctively trembled.
They hurriedly stepped aside to clear a path.
Some quietly slipped away altogether, sensing trouble.
Even Shen Ying’s imposing momentum instantly weakened.
She quickly climbed off Wang Chuntao and pulled Lin Xiazhi back into the crowd.
The moment Wang Chuntao saw her husband, she ignored the pain wracking her body and struggled to her feet, crying dramatically.
“Husband! They’re trying to kill me! That mother and daughter beat me half to death! You have to avenge me!”
“She pushed Yang Zhaodi into the river and drowned her! And Feicai’s legs were crippled by that little bitch too! I can’t live like this anymore! Wuwuwu…”
“What?!”
Chen He had originally intended to deal with Shen Ying first.
But hearing that his son had been crippled…
His face changed instantly.
“Feicai was injured?”
Tears and snot streamed down Wang Chuntao’s face as she pointed accusingly at Lin Xiazhi.
“That little bitch crippled him!”
“It was the thief.”
“Not Girl Lin.”
After quietly leaving those words behind, Liu Juan grabbed Zhao Xiaomei and fled.
The remaining villagers also wanted to leave.
Chen He immediately stopped them.
“Get into the river now. Retrieve the body and take it to Chen Laosan’s house. If we delay any longer, we’ll lose her.”
“Y-Yes…”
Four young men quickly stripped off their outer clothes and jumped into the river.
Before long, they recovered Yang Zhaodi’s body and carried her away toward Chen Laosan’s home.
Seeing Yang Zhaodi’s deathly pale face, Wang Chuntao nearly fainted.
After pounding her chest in grief, she burst into loud sobs.
“Zhaodi! How could you die like this? Wuwuwu… My Zhaodi…”
She suddenly glared venomously at Lin Xiazhi.
“You little bitch! This is all your fault! Let’s see how you’re going to get out of this!”
Standing beside Shen Ying, Lin Xiazhi watched Wang Chuntao’s performance with complete indifference.
“What exactly happened here?”
Chen He turned toward Lin Xiazhi with a furious glare.
“Come inside and explain everything.”
“If you can’t give me a satisfactory explanation…”
“I’ll take your life today.”
Thinking only about his injured son, Chen He hurried into the courtyard.
“Husband, wait for me! Hurry and get a doctor! Save me! Save our son!”
Still crying, Wang Chuntao stumbled after him.
Lin Xiazhi stared at the now-empty courtyard entrance.
Her gaze was as cold as ice.
She bent down, picked up the ten taels of silver from the ground, and gently placed it back into Shen Ying’s hand.
The icy look in her almond-shaped eyes melted into warmth.
“Mother, go home first.”
“Hide the silver well.”
“Don’t let the Lin family find it.”
Shen Ying’s eyes filled with tears again.
“The village chief threatened to kill you… This is all Mother’s fault. I’ve only brought you more trouble. What are we going to do now?”
Lin Xiazhi smiled reassuringly.
“It’s alright.”
“He doesn’t dare kill me.”
“Don’t worry, Mother. I’ve lived with the Chen family for years. I know exactly what they’re like.”
“I already have a way out.”
Shen Ying wiped away her tears.
She knew staying would only become a burden to her daughter.
Reluctantly, she nodded.
“Then… be careful.”
“Mother will definitely find a way to redeem your freedom.”
“Alright.”
Lin Xiazhi watched until Shen Ying disappeared into the darkness.
The warmth vanished from her face.
In an instant…
She seemed like a completely different person.
A chilling killing intent poured from her body.
Like a blood-soaked beast trapped on a battlefield, she fixed her sights upon her prey, preparing to slaughter.
A sinister smile slowly spread across her lips.
She turned around, walked into the courtyard…
…and quietly slid the wooden bolt across the gate.