The bushes were roughly pushed aside as seven or eight half-grown boys emerged.
The leader, about fifteen or sixteen years old, wore a tattered vest full of holes, had a shaved head, and a face so fleshy it distorted his features. He held a thick wooden club as thick as his arm and glared at Meng Yaya with his nostrils flared.
Li Ergou, the notorious hooligan from the west end of the village, was known for petty theft and bullying—even passing dogs weren’t spared a slap or two.
“Well, if it isn’t the useless girl from the Meng family?” Li Ergou stared greedily at the half-exposed rabbit ear peeking out of Meng Yaya’s basket, swallowing his drool. “Not bad, this rabbit’s even fatter than you. Since your grandpa Ergou here has spotted it, it’s mine now.”
His lackeys closed in with malicious grins, blocking the path down the mountain.
“Meng Yaya, be smart and drop that basket, then scram,” one of them taunted, picking up a clod of dirt and tossing it playfully in his hand. “Otherwise, when Brother Ergou loses his temper, he’ll toss you into the ravine to feed the wolves!”
Meng Yaya stood her ground.
She looked at these self-proclaimed hunters and couldn’t help but feel amused. In the post-apocalyptic world, even mutant zombies would steer clear of her. Yet these brats, barely old enough to grow hair, dared to try robbing her?
“You want the rabbit?” Meng Yaya tilted her head, slowly and deliberately pulling the tattered cloth over the basket to cover it completely.
Li Ergou thought she was scared and took a triumphant step forward, swinging his club with a whooshing sound. “Smart move! Drop it now. I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll let you off.”
“You think you deserve it?”
The childish voice was soft, yet it carried a chilling edge that made their scalps tingle.
Li Ergou froze, then flushed with rage. Used to bullying his way around the village, no one had ever dared to speak to him like that—especially not a three-year-old toddler.
“You ungrateful brat! Grab her!” Li Ergou roared, reaching out to seize Meng Yaya by the collar.
His grimy hand shot toward her with a rush of air.
Meng Yaya didn’t dodge.
Only when his hand was inches from her nose did she suddenly step forward.
The move was so swift that Li Ergou’s vision blurred. Before he knew it, the little girl—shorter than his legs—had slipped right into his chest.
Then, a small, pink fist shot upward and slammed into Li Ergou’s stomach.
Thud!
A dull sound echoed, like a heavy hammer striking rotten cotton.
The sneer on Li Ergou’s face froze. His eyes bulged wide, and his entire face instantly turned purplish-red. He didn’t even have time to scream before his hundred-pound body was lifted off the ground and sent flying backward.
Crash—
Li Ergou tumbled like a ragged sack into the bushes three meters away, crushing a large patch of dried branches and leaves beneath him.
Dead silence fell over the scene.
The lackeys who had been jeering moments ago now stood with their mouths agape, jaws nearly hitting the ground. The clod of dirt in one boy’s hand dropped with a thud onto his foot, but he didn’t even notice.
In the bushes, Li Ergou curled up like a shrimp out of water, retching violently as if he were about to vomit bile. Excruciating pain radiated from his stomach, as though his intestines had been knotted by that single punch.
Meng Yaya retracted her fist and disdainfully brushed off her dust-free knuckles.
"Anyone else want some?" She raised her head, her clear black-and-white eyes sweeping over the remaining few.
The little lackeys swept by her gaze all shivered in unison, feeling as if they had been targeted by a ferocious beast.
"Gh-ghost!"
Someone shouted first—who knew who—and the rest screamed weirdly, scrambling and crawling down the mountain, not even daring to look back for their lost shoes. Too terrifying! That one punch sent Brother Ergou flying! This wasn't a three-year-old child—this was a mountain bear demon come to life!
Meng Yaya watched their pitiful retreating backs and curled her lip.
Since they came, how could they leave without leaving something behind?
She bent down, picked up a walnut-sized stone, and casually flicked it toward the buttocks of the lackey running fastest.
"Ouch!"
A pained cry came from the distance as that person face-planted into the dirt, then scrambled up on all fours and continued sprinting away.
Meng Yaya paid no more attention to those worthless scoundrels and walked over to Li Ergou, who was still twitching on the ground.
Li Ergou had managed to catch his breath by now. Seeing Meng Yaya approach, his eyes were filled with terror. He struggled to shrink back, his legs kicking wildly on the ground. "You… don't come any closer! My dad is the village party secretary…"
"Oh."
Meng Yaya stepped on his still-thrashing calf.
Crack.
Though she didn't break the bone, it was enough to leave him swollen for half a month.
"From now on, I decide who uses this road," Meng Yaya looked down at him from above. "This is called a toll. Understand?"
Li Ergou, in so much pain that snot and tears streamed down his face, nodded desperately. "Understand! Understand! Please spare me, Granny!"
Meng Yaya withdrew her foot, hoisted the enormous basket onto her back, and descended the mountain with leisurely little steps.
Only after she had gone far away did Li Ergou dare crawl out from the bushes. Clutching his stomach, he limped toward the village, grimacing with every painful step. This wasn't over! Once he recovered, he'd definitely find someone to finish off that damn girl!
It was just evening, and many villagers had just finished work, gathered under the big tree at the village entrance to cool off and chat.
From afar, they could see that lackey who had run faster than a rabbit earlier, vividly gesturing and explaining to others.
"It's true! I saw it with my own eyes! That three-year-old girl from the Meng family—one punch! Just one punch! Sent Brother Ergou flying into a tree branch!"
"Er Shunzi, are you having a nightmare? That girl isn't even as tall as a stove," an adult nearby didn't believe it at all.
"It's true! If you don't believe me, look—Brother Ergou is back!"
Everyone turned to see Li Ergou, who usually swaggered around with great authority, now looking like a drowned dog. Clutching his stomach and limping, his face covered in cold sweat and dust, he was groaning and moaning as he shuffled over.
"Ergou, what happened? Did someone boil you?" someone teased.
Li Ergou trembled at the mention of "Meng Yaya." How could he dare admit he was beaten by a three-year-old? He gritted his teeth and stayed silent, slinking shamefully back home.
But the terrified expressions of Er Shunzi and the others couldn't be faked.
Coupled with the earlier rumors that had already spread through the village about Meng Yaya lifting a millstone and beating up her second uncle.
In no time, rumors about the Meng family producing a "freak of strength" and a "little bandit" spread like wings throughout the entire brigade.
Meng Yaya knew nothing about this, nor did she care.
Carrying the wild rabbit, she avoided the crowd, slipped along the base of the wall, and returned to the dilapidated backyard of the Meng family.
As soon as she entered the courtyard gate, Meng Yaya saw Lin Wanrou anxiously pacing in circles by the doorway. The moment Lin Wanrou spotted Meng Yaya, her eyes instantly reddened, and she rushed forward to pull her into a tight embrace.
“Why were you gone so long? Your mother was worried sick! I heard Li Ergou and his gang were wandering around the mountain—did you run into them?” Lin Wanrou frantically checked Meng Yaya over, fearing she might have lost a limb.
“I did run into them,” Meng Yaya replied, setting down her bamboo basket.
Lin Wanrou’s face turned deathly pale. “Then they…”
“They fell asleep over there,” Meng Yaya lied casually, lifting the tattered cloth covering the basket. “Mom, boil some water. We need to skin it.”
A massive gray wild rabbit was revealed, its fur glossy and its body plump enough to drip with fat.
Lin Wanrou gasped sharply, quickly scooping up the basket and carrying it inside, shutting the door tightly as if hiding stolen goods.
“Good heavens, such a big one…” Lin Wanrou stared at the rabbit, both shocked and delighted, her hands trembling slightly. “How much could this be traded for?”
“We’re not trading it,” Meng Yaya said, sitting on a small stool and pouring herself a bowl of water. “Half will be dried for the journey, and the other half will be stewed tonight.”
This body was severely lacking in nourishment—it needed a hearty replenishment.
Though Lin Wanrou ached at the thought of losing such a valuable item that could be traded for money, she obeyed her daughter’s words.
She deftly boiled water, removed the fur, and chopped the rabbit into pieces.
Soon, a fire crackled in the earthen stove.
With limited seasonings, Lin Wanrou added only a pinch of coarse salt and two slices of ginger. Yet the wild rabbit itself was already flavorful, and as the water in the pot bubbled vigorously, the rich aroma of meat became impossible to suppress, aggressively wafting outward.
The scent drifted through the broken window into the courtyard.
At the entrance of the main house, Meng Jianjun was squatting on the steps, smoking his pipe.
He had actually been squatting there for a while. That afternoon, he had seen Meng Yaya return with a heavy bamboo basket that carried the faint scent of blood.
Now, as the aroma of meat reached him, the cravings in Meng Jianjun’s stomach were instantly stirred, rumbling loudly enough to shake the heavens.
“Damn it, those two thieving women from the eldest branch actually got their hands on meat?”
Meng Jianjun tapped his pipe against the sole of his shoe, a glint of cunning flashing in his narrow, triangular eyes.
His second brother’s hand being crushed was just because he was useless—Meng Jianjun, on the other hand, had trained. Besides, how strong could a three-year-old girl be, no matter how much strength she had? That millstone she lifted in the afternoon was probably already loose, and she just happened to pick it up to scare people.
If he could snatch that pot of meat and squeeze the money out of that damned girl’s hands…
Meng Jianjun stood up, flexed his wrists, and a sinister smile spread across his face.
“Sister-in-law”
He drawled out the words, swaggering toward the east room. “As your brother-in-law, I’m starving. Surely it’s not too much to ask for a bowl of soup?”