By the time they returned to Fu Village, it was already dark.
Fortunately, Xue Zhi had bought food on the way. After returning home and mending Fu Shiyue’s clothes, she was about to go to bed when she suddenly heard an unusual sound outside.
In an instant, her expression turned alert. She skillfully grabbed the wooden stick hidden by the bedside, carefully got out of bed, and moved to stand behind the door.
The rustling of trees, mixed with insect chirping, was accompanied by a rough and discordant voice.
“Damn it! I’ve tried so many times and still haven’t succeeded. Today I’ll see how that little bitch escapes me.”
The man hiding in the night was Fu Qiang. Ever since receiving Li Honghua’s hint, he had been impatient for a long time, only he had never found a suitable opportunity.
Coming to Fu Shiyue’s house, Fu Qiang made no effort to conceal his footsteps.
Fu Shiyue’s home was at the edge of the village, with very few neighbors nearby. At this moment, Fu Shiyue himself was not home—only Xue Zhi was inside.
He was confident that as a grown man, he could easily overpower a woman. Moreover, if he was discovered, he could simply frame Xue Zhi and say she seduced him. Either way, he would not be the one harmed.
He also believed Xue Zhi would not dare to shout.
So he did not hide at all, walking openly over the fence into the courtyard.
Fu Qiang had never been to Fu Shiyue’s house before and did not know which room Xue Zhi stayed in, so he checked each one one by one. In the end, he locked onto Xue Zhi’s room and muttered, “Finally found it. Sister-in-law, I’m coming.”
However, the moment he opened the door and stepped inside, Xue Zhi struck him hard with a wooden stick.
Caught off guard, Fu Qiang was hit and immediately cursed loudly.
“Damn it! Xue Zhi, are you trying to die?!”
Under the moonlight, seeing Fu Qiang’s disgusting and ugly face, Xue Zhi suddenly recalled past memories.
In her previous life, while staying in the Fu family, she always kept a wooden stick by her bedside every night. This life was no different.
She had long seen Fu Qiang’s improper intentions toward her. Every time she felt those malicious eyes on her, she would feel nauseated and uncontrollably fearful.
But this life was different—she was willing to fight back.
So even though she was staying in Fu Shiyue’s house, she still kept a wooden stick prepared. What she guarded against was not others—but Fu Qiang.
Thus, the resentment from her past life and hatred from this life made her somehow find strength she didn’t know she had, and she struck Fu Qiang again and again.
“You dare hit me!”
“I’m hitting you! Die! Die! Die!”
“Someone! Murder!”
…
Only when Fu Qiang eventually collapsed to the ground, bleeding from his head and unconscious, did Xue Zhi finally stop.
She kicked him lightly, her eyes full of disgust. She crouched down and checked his breathing. Finding it still steady, she finally relaxed.
Still alive after all that—what a tough life.
She had intended to beat him to death, but unexpectedly he only fainted.
Still, dying so easily would have been too good for him.
She wanted him to suffer worse than death.
The commotion quickly woke nearby villagers.
Hearing the noise outside, Xue Zhi pretended to be frightened and ran out, shouting to the crowd, “Help! There’s a thief in my house!”
“Madam Xue, what happened?” someone asked.
Seeing it was Zhang Sanya, Xue Zhi immediately cried.
“Aunt Zhang… I… I just fell asleep not long ago when I heard noises in the yard. When I went to check, I saw a thief.
I… I couldn’t see clearly who it was, so I hit him a few times with a stick. Then he grabbed my stick, and I… I ran out. The thief should still be inside now.”
Aunt Zhang comforted her, “It’s okay! We’re here.
Damn thief, daring to come to our village! Everyone, charge in together! Tie him up and teach him a lesson!”
The villagers rushed inside in a crowd and found Fu Qiang unconscious on the ground.
Under the dim moonlight, they could not clearly see his face at first. Some villagers even kicked him a few more times.
“Let you steal!”
“Let you steal!”
“I hate thieves the most!”
…
Amid the chaos, someone finally recognized the man’s face and exclaimed, “Fu Qiang! Isn’t this Fu Qiang?!”
Only then did everyone drag him into the courtyard and clearly see his identity.
“Ah!”
“He… is he dead?”
“Impossible, right?”