Jiang Yunshu’s hoe landed squarely on He Xiufang’s backside.
Her tailbone, which had already hit the ground earlier, took another heavy blow. He Xiufang let out a piercing scream.
“Ah—!”
None of the onlookers stepped forward to stop it. Instead, most of them clapped and cheered.
He Xiufang’s behavior had long stirred public resentment.
But since the children weren’t their own, people hadn’t felt it was their place to interfere.
Now that Jiang Yunshu had stepped up, everyone watching felt deeply satisfied.
Xinxin was also intimidated by Jiang Yunshu’s fierce presence. He didn’t dare rush forward, afraid the hoe in her hand might accidentally hit him.
The chubby boy could only stand far away on the steps, cursing through tears:
“My mom says you’re a crazy vixen! You and those ungrateful brats are all bad people! I won’t let you bully my mom!”
Jiang Yunshu shot him a cold glance, and Xinxin immediately shut his mouth.
Clutching her tailbone in pain, He Xiufang wailed loudly—her cries could be heard from outside the village.
“Jiang Yunshu, I’ve got no grudge against you! What right do you have to meddle in my family’s affairs? If you don’t give me an explanation for beating me today, don’t think you’re leaving this house!”
She was in so much pain that she had to gasp for breath every couple of sentences.
But Jiang Yunshu had no intention of leaving so easily.
Without hesitation, she picked up the rattan stick He Xiufang had thrown aside and began striking her.
Again and again.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
The sound made the neighbors wince—but also feel a sense of justice being served.
“These wounds on the children were all caused by this thing, weren’t they? You’re always the one acting tyrannical—guess you’ve never had a taste of it yourself. Since they’re not your children and you don’t care, today you can experience the pain they go through.”
Jiang Yunshu swung the rattan stick through the air, each blow landing solidly on He Xiufang.
He Xiufang shrieked in fury, sounding like a pig being slaughtered during New Year.
“Aaaah! Murder! Someone’s killing me!!”
Jiang Yunshu raised her arm and slapped her across the face, her expression cold.
“You’d better shut up. I hate the sound of barking dogs the most. Since you call me crazy—if you push me too far, I might really not stop at just beating you.”
He Xiufang was truly terrified.
If Jiang Yunshu could storm into her home and beat her up for people unrelated to her, what couldn’t this madwoman do?
She had only wanted to vent her anger on the children—she never intended to lose her life over it!
“Today’s incident may have been a spectacle,” Jiang Yunshu said, glancing at the crowd, “but let it also serve as a lesson—this is what happens when you bully children.”
Among the spectators were also the parents of those troublemaking kids. Jiang Yunshu’s actions weren’t just for show.
Some people had wanted to speak up in defense, but seeing how forceful Jiang Yunshu was, they swallowed their words.
After all, it had nothing to do with them—and they weren’t the ones getting beaten.
They had never offended Jiang Yunshu before, so they were content just watching the drama unfold.
At the far end of the alley lived Liu Second Sister, who also had children. Seeing the wounds on the kids, tears streamed down her face.
“He Xiufang, you’ve been secretly beating these children all along—don’t think we didn’t know! You’ve taken every bit of their father’s money, yet you refuse to raise them properly. If you didn’t want to take care of them, no one forced you—but if you take their money, you should at least treat them well!”
It was understandable that no one liked having extra burdens suddenly added to their household.
But what she should never have done was take their money and still mistreat them.
No matter how you argued it, there was no justification for that.
Aunt Yu, who lived the farthest away, was known as a warm-hearted person in the village.
Now that she knew about the children’s situation, she was so distressed she beat her chest.
“How can our village have such a vicious woman! These three children greet everyone they meet—they’re the most well-behaved kids in the whole village! And you neighbors—how could you watch them being beaten and remain so indifferent?”
As the village chief’s mother, Aunt Yu held considerable authority.
Even if her words were harsh, no one dared to argue.
The villagers began whispering among themselves. Gu Zhiming stood there like a transparent figure, wishing he could disappear.
“This has gone too far. Gu Yanzhou sacrificed himself for the country and only left behind these three children. Not only are they not treated well—they’re abused like this. If a martyr knew this, how heartbreaking would it be?”
No one knew who started it, but soon the crowd began praising Gu Yanzhou’s heroic deeds.
“If even soldiers can’t protect their own children, how can they protect the country? If our kids join the army in the future, we’d better think twice about whether their children will be safe.”
“Sigh… times have really changed. How can people be so heartless as to beat and curse children like this?”
He Xiufang could barely focus on her pain—the villagers’ condemnation alone was enough to drown her.
She opened her mouth several times, wanting to explain, but didn’t know how to clear her name—until someone suggested reporting to the authorities.
“These children are the offspring of a martyr. They’ve suffered so much and even their health is affected. I think we should report this to the Public Security Bureau. Let the government find them a better place—it’s better than staying here and being beaten to death.”
At the mention of reporting to the authorities, He Xiufang began trembling all over.
The children were covered in injuries—if the police saw them, the charge of child abuse would be undeniable.
Jiang Yunshu saw her fear and pressed further:
“This case can be officially filed. While reporting to the police, we can also notify the military. The state has policies for the children of martyrs—those with ulterior motives will soon understand the consequences.”
Jiang Yunshu wasn’t trying to scare anyone—but He Xiufang, already beaten and in pain, reacted slowly.
Hearing that even the military might get involved, she was so frightened she could barely speak, her arms trembling uncontrollably.
Seeing the three children huddled in the corner, she scrambled over and grabbed Da Bao’s arm tightly, crying bitterly:
“Da Bao, Er Bao… what happened today was indeed Auntie’s fault. I shouldn’t have hit you—but everything I did was for your own good!”
With tears and snot running down her face, she cried as if she had suffered a great injustice.
“You were gone all day today. I always tell you to stay away from strangers. If anything had happened to you, how could I face your deceased parents?”