Just as Old Madam Shi was basking in her self-satisfaction, loud bang bang knocking came from outside the courtyard.
She looked up and saw that her three daughters-in-law were all focused on eating. Not one of them moved.
With a sharp smack, Old Madam Shi slammed her chopsticks onto the table, making the jar of pickled vegetables jump.
“Are you all dead? The courtyard gate’s being pounded like thunder and you can’t hear it? Standing there waiting to die?”
The second daughter-in-law, Madam Chen, shrank back. She hurriedly shoveled two more mouthfuls of rice into her mouth before standing up.
“Mother, I’ll go open it.”
She had given birth to two daughters after marrying in, so she held the lowest status in the family.
Madam Chen hurried to the gate and pulled it open.
A dense crowd of people stood outside, startling her so badly she instinctively stepped back.
“What are you doing?”
Old Madam Sui’s face was dark. “Call out your eldest branch. Shi Mangguan and Shi Mangang smashed my Wuyou’s head open. It’s been a whole day, and not a single one of you has come to say a word about it.”
A flicker of schadenfreude flashed through Madam Chen’s eyes, but she turned and shouted into the house, “Mother, it’s Uncle Changsheng’s family.”
Old Man Sui’s name was Sui Changsheng.
Old Madam Shi had already heard everything from inside. She rushed out in three strides, her cloudy eyes bulging.
“You old hag, stop spewing filth at my door! My Mangguan and Mangang are obedient and sensible. How could they have smashed that fool from your family?”
Her words stabbed straight into Old Madam Sui’s heart.
Old Madam Sui planted her hands on her hips and fired back without hesitation.
“Oh please, that’s the biggest joke I’ve heard! Who doesn’t know your two brats are hated by dogs and despised by cats? And you still dare call them obedient and sensible? Aren’t you afraid people will laugh their teeth out?”
As the two old women cursed at each other, Old Man Shi came out with his three sons.
His face was gloomy as he looked at Old Man Sui. “Changsheng, we’re in the middle of eating. Isn’t it too much for your whole family to come here making trouble?”
Old Man Sui tapped his pipe against his palm and shot him a sidelong glance.
We’re too much? Your two grandsons smashed a huge hole in my Wuyou’s head. A whole day’s passed and not a word from your family. So who exactly is being too much?”
Old Madam Shi was furious, slapping her thigh as spit flew from her mouth.
“Bullshit! That fool from your house probably bumped her own head and is trying to blame my precious grandsons. That jinx is clearly trying to extort us!”
Of course she knew her grandsons had smashed the fool’s head yesterday—but so what?
The fool couldn’t talk anyway. She simply refused to admit it.
Who knew whether the two old fossils of the Sui family had been kicked in the head by a donkey, treating a stupid money-losing girl like the apple of their eye.
Raising her fair and plump like a lump of dough—who knows how many good things they’d wasted on her.
If there were good things to eat, better to give them to her precious grandsons.
Old Madam Sui trembled with rage at such shameless words. She rolled up her sleeves and lunged forward in one swift move, grabbing Old Madam Shi’s chicken-coop-like hair and slapping her hard across the face.
“You old shrew, spewing filth all day—let’s see if I don’t tear your mouth apart!”
The slap made Old Madam Shi see stars. She howled and threw herself into the fight.
When farm women fought, it was nothing more than clawing eyes, scratching faces, and yanking hair.
Old Man Shi and his three sons took a step forward to intervene, but the Sui brothers blocked their way.
Sui Jiaxing gave them a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “The women are fighting. You men planning to join in?”
Shi Cangcheng and his two brothers halted.
Though they were three brothers, the Sui family had four half-grown boys.
Especially Sui Changping from the eldest branch and Sui Changkang from the second—they were built like bulls.
Both stood a head taller than the Shi brothers.
Besides, in their village, if men interfered in a women’s fight, they’d be laughed at.
Old Madam Sui was several years younger than Old Madam Shi and worked hard daily, building real strength.
She gripped Old Madam Shi’s hair tightly and slapped with her other hand like a whirlwind, beating her so thoroughly that she couldn’t fight back.
Sui Wuyou watched wide-eyed, utterly astonished by the spectacle.
Seeing her grandmother wasn’t at a disadvantage, she relaxed—and even looked eager to join in.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Shi Mangguan and Shi Mangang crouching to the side, secretly picking up stones from the ground, preparing to hurl them at Old Madam Sui.
“Hey, you little brats! Daring to sneak attack? You’re asking for death!”
With a loud shout, Sui Wuyou shot forward like a gust of wind and kicked Shi Mangguan flat on his face.
Then she spun around, grabbed Shi Mangang by the collar, and delivered two resounding slaps.
“You’ve got some nerve, throwing stones at my grandma! Let’s see if I don’t beat you to death!”
Thick snot smeared onto her hand, making her stomach churn.
Such big boys, and still running noses!
In disgust, she wiped her hand on Shi Mangang’s clothes, then tossed him onto his brother. Her shadowless kicks followed, sending the two howling like ghosts and wolves.
“Ow! It hurts! Grandpa, Grandma, save us!”
“Waaah! Stop kicking! I won’t dare again!”
The scene left everyone present dumbfounded.
Who in the village didn’t know that the Sui family’s little fool was like a block of wood—never crying, never laughing, unable to speak?
So who was this fierce little girl in front of them?
“Oh heavens, the little fool’s gone mad! Stop her!” cried Shi family’s eldest daughter-in-law, Liu Xiaohua, when she saw her sons being kicked senseless.
She rushed out of the courtyard and reached to grab Sui Wuyou.
Liu Cui’er and Li Meihua were equally shocked, but seeing Liu Xiaohua step in, they quickly recovered and moved forward to block her.
“Liu Xiaohua, have you no shame? Kids are fighting and you, an adult, want to join in?”
Liu Cui’er, always fiery, rolled her eyes at her and blocked her firmly.
Liu Xiaohua watched helplessly as her precious sons were kicked until they cried for their parents, utterly unable to fight back.
Anxious and pained, her fury flared like a raging fire.
But Liu Cui’er and Li Meihua stood like two mountains, preventing her from moving.
She stomped her feet, waving her arms wildly, hurling insults.
“You little bitch! If you hurt my Mangang and Mangguan, I’ll tear you apart!”
Her sons were her lifeblood. Seeing them bullied felt like someone tearing flesh from her body.
Sui Wuyou’s face darkened instantly, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
In the past, when she had depended on her grandmother for survival, she had lived in an environment full of bullying and indifference.
To avoid being trampled on, she had been forced to become strong and fierce.
Now, hearing Liu Xiaohua curse her so viciously—how could she tolerate it?
Her feet kept pounding down with heavy kicks as she shouted back:
“Oh please! Look at the two useless pigs you gave birth to—running around causing trouble all day. Good for nothing gluttons! Can’t do anything right. Aren’t you ashamed to have spawned such embarrassing trash? Aren’t you afraid people will point fingers at your spine?”