Gu Zhiming shrank back, crouching in the corner, not daring to say another word.
He Xiufang still wasn’t satisfied. Holding a rattan switch in her left hand, she pinched Er Bao’s cheek with her right. “At such a young age, already looking like a little vixen. No different from your dead mother!”
She didn’t know why—maybe she just hated Jiang Yunshu too much.
The more she looked at the child, the more she resembled that “vixen,” and the angrier she became.
Er Bao was thin, but her baby fat hadn’t faded yet. Her cheek was pinched so hard it turned red and swollen, leaving a clear mark.
Her eyes reddened with pain, but she didn’t dare make a sound.
He Xiufang kept cursing, “Now all the kids in the village avoid you. Even Xinxin is being looked down on because of you. What kind of bad luck did I run into, having to raise a bunch of brainless burdens like you!”
It seemed she was deliberately saying this for someone to hear. Locked inside the room, Lu Hui’an could only cry silently.
Back when Gu Yanzhou was still alive and sending news, he would often send money home.
Though not much of it reached her and the children, it was enough for them to survive.
She had thought that her eldest daughter-in-law, having children of her own, might be sharp-tongued but wouldn’t mistreat the kids.
“Da Bao… cough, cough… quickly apologize to your aunt.”
Lu Huian weak voice came through the crack in the door.
The children were still so young—if He Xiufang kept beating them without restraint, she might really beat them to death.
In the courtyard, only the sound of the rattan switch striking the children could be heard. Lu Hui’an wept uncontrollably.
She sat weakly on the ground, almost unable to breathe, yet helpless.
“Don’t think that just because that old hag protects you, you can run wild! My son suffered because of you little brats—so none of us in this family will have it easy!”
Er Bao’s face was flushed red, her ears twisted several times.
Her originally fair, tender face quickly swelled up, as if stung by bees.
She held Xiao Bao tightly with her small hands, ignoring the burning pain on her own face.
Tears fell like beads, and she could only clutch the corner of her clothes tightly.
“Enough. Be lenient when you can. These kids are still so young—what could they possibly understand? If the neighbors start talking again, won’t that sound bad?”
Whether it was conscience or hearing his mother’s cries, Gu Zhiming finally spoke timidly.
But his courage lasted only a few seconds. He Xiufang shot him a cold glance, and the force of her whipping grew even stronger.
Another welt appeared on Er Bao’s arm. The rattan switch burned with sharp pain when it struck.
This time, it hurt so badly that Er Bao couldn’t hold back her cry.
“Auntie, I know I was wrong. Please stop hitting me.”
Blood seeped from her arm, even tearing her clothes. Her already patched jacket became even more tattered.
Seeing Er Bao crying her heart out, He Xiufang felt her ears ringing with irritation.
Gripping the switch, she swung it even more recklessly.
“You still dare cry? If it weren’t for you, would our family be living so tightly? Trying to make others think you’re being wronged here? At such a young age, already so scheming—what will you become when you grow up!”
Neighbors climbed up the walls again. Finally, someone couldn’t bear it anymore.
“Eldest daughter-in-law, these three kids are all that Third Brother left behind. When he was alive, your family benefited plenty. How much food can kids this small even eat?”
He Xiufang tightened her grip on the switch, her tone aggressive. “I’m disciplining Third Brother’s children—what does that have to do with you?”
“It doesn’t, but I’m reminding you out of kindness. If you beat them to death, you’ll end up in prison.”
Old Madam Zhang from next door felt her heart ache at the sight of the children crying together.
The newly married young wife across the way was also sharp-tongued.
Standing in her own yard, half a head above the wall, she could see everything clearly.
“Sister-in-law, these kids are usually quite obedient. They do laundry and cook—you’ve made them do plenty. Yet you keep calling them little bastards. Don’t you ever dream of their dead parents coming back to demand justice from you?”
People who have done wrong are especially afraid of ghosts and spirits.
Seeing everyone criticizing her, He Xiufang dumped all her anger onto the three children.
“What right do they have to demand justice? Without me, these three would’ve starved to death long ago! And now they’re still trying to cause me trouble—let’s see if I don’t beat you to death!”
The rattan switch cut through the air with a sound that alone made one feel the pain.
Da Bao ignored the wound on his own arm. Seeing blood still seeping from Er Bao’s neck, his eyes turned red, and he suddenly rushed forward like a madman.
He Xiufang hadn’t expected the child to fight back. Caught off guard, she was pushed to the ground.
“You bad woman! Don’t you dare hit my brother and sister! If you hit them again, I’ll fight you to the death!”
Da Bao spread his small body wide, shielding his siblings, trembling as he faced He Xiufang’s ferocious glare.
He Xiufang’s tailbone slammed against a rock on the ground, leaving her speechless with pain.
After a while, she struggled to her feet, furious, gripping the switch as she charged forward.
“You little bastard, you’ve really grown wild! At such a young age, you dare hit me? If I don’t teach you a proper lesson today, you won’t know your place! I’ll beat you to death and send your whole short-lived family to reunite in the underworld!”
Without even brushing the dirt off her clothes, she swung her arm and slapped Da Bao across the face.
Da Bao was small and frail—how could he withstand such a blow?
He fell straight to the ground, his arm scraping against the wall, tearing open a long wound.
“Brother! Auntie, please stop hitting him! He didn’t mean it—if you want to hit someone, hit me instead!”
Terrified, Er Bao ran over crying. Xiao Bao hurried after her, and the three children clung together on the ground.
He Xiufang’s eyes bulged with rage.
Pointing a finger at Da Bao’s nose, she shouted angrily, “You little wolf cub—I think you’ve had enough of living!”
Xinxin stood on the steps, puffed up with arrogance, mimicking He Xiufang with a vicious expression.
“You little bastards, it’s all your fault! Let’s see if you dare hit my mom again—I’ll kill you!”