Yao Yunzhen was stunned, her eyes wide with disbelief.
What was he saying?
Were they that close? How could he be talking about being together already?
She had seen too little of the world, and this was her first time encountering someone like him. She couldn’t quite process it.
But in Li Yunqi’s eyes, her expression was one of overwhelming joy.
He lifted his chin proudly.
“Of course, I’ll treat you well, but you must also be sensible. Don’t take advantage of my kindness to act recklessly, and try to behave more like a proper woman.”
Li Yunqi felt the Yao family had spoiled her too much—she had none of the demure qualities expected of a woman.
She liked him, yet she showed no sign of it, always eating alone whenever she had something good.
How utterly thoughtless!
Such delicacies weren’t meant for women—they were for the men of the household.
So he decided to set her straight and make her aware of her place.
It was the first time Yao Yunzhen realized that such nauseating, offensive words could actually come out of someone’s mouth.
What vile, stinking rhetoric! It was suffocating!
Yao Yunzhen glanced around but didn’t see a single soul.
It was work hours—everyone had gone to the fields. Even the children had tasks like cutting pigweed or digging for wild vegetables. No one was idling around outside except for village loafers like her.
Yao Yunzhen decided to make a retreat for now and deal with him later.
But she was furious, and her tone showed it.
“Get out of my way. A good dog doesn’t block the path.”
Li Yunqi was in the middle of his grand speech when Yao Yunzhen’s words caught him off guard. He thought he must have misheard.
“What did you say?”
“I said, a good dog doesn’t block the path. Get lost!”
Yao Yunzhen repeated each word deliberately, her eyes filled with disgust.
Li Yunqi frowned and warned, “Even if you’re being willful, there should be limits. If you keep this up, I’m going to get angry.”
The Yao family really didn’t know how to raise daughters. One was timid and unfit for any respectable occasion, yet she tried to blackmail him into marriage by claiming he had held her.
Even though he had saved her—not that he’d jumped into the water intentionally; he’d slipped and fallen in, and with people watching, he had no choice but to rescue her—he was still her savior. Instead of gratitude, the Yao family repaid him with hostility.
And the other daughter was so foolish, unable to even show proper shyness, acting so vulgar instead.
Yao Yunzhen hadn’t wanted to engage with him further, but now she couldn’t hold back.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Yao Yunzhen started cursing outright.
“Who do you think you are? Getting angry? Go be angry at your father! Why don’t you take a piss and look at your reflection? See that toad-like face of yours—do you really think you’re worthy of me? How dare you talk about being together? Is it because of your big face or your talent for sponging off others? Get lost right now!”
Li Yunqi, who had been pampered by his parents and fawned over by his sisters since childhood, had never been insulted like this—especially not by a woman he looked down on.
The insults were so crude, and Li Yunqi, with his exceptionally fragile ego, couldn’t take it.
In that moment, rage clouded his judgment. Without a second thought, he raised his hand and swung at her.
“You wretched, ugly woman! I’m talking to you out of respect, and you dare tell me to get lost?”
Damn bitch! She needed to be taught a lesson to learn her place, or she’d think she could walk all over him in the future.
Yao Yunzhen had been prepared ever since she started cursing. Having grown up well-fed and healthy, she was naturally quick on her feet.
Seeing this, she dodged the attack by leaning her body aside, then lifted her right leg and delivered a fierce kick.
Bullseye.
“Ah—”
Li Yunqi let out a miserable scream, clutching himself with both hands as he collapsed to his knees.
Yao Yunzhen pressed her advantage, delivering another kick to the side of Li Yunqi’s face that sent him tumbling into the nearby weeds. Without waiting for him to get up, she quickly ran away.
Though she was in good physical condition, her strength was ultimately limited and couldn’t compare to that of a grown man. She had only managed to knock him down by catching him off guard, and she couldn’t afford to linger. If he recovered, she would definitely be at a disadvantage.
Yao Yunzhen dashed home swiftly, leaving Li Yunqi’s curses far behind her.
Just as she ran into the courtyard, she heard a questioning voice: “Zhenzhen, why are you running?”
Yao Yunzhen looked up and saw Yao Sheng walking toward her with a concerned expression. Delighted, she exclaimed:
“Dad, you’re back?”
That’s right—today was her father’s day off.
Her father and second uncle each had one day off per week, and they always came home on their rest days.
Yao Sheng nodded, then continued questioning her:
“Zhenzhen, why were you running so frantically just now? Did someone bully you?”
This daughter, whom he had only gotten after several years of marriage, was the apple of his eye. He had always doted on and indulged her, feeling he could never love her enough.
Seeing Yao Sheng, Yao Yunzhen immediately felt much more secure, knowing she now had backup. Pouting her rosy lips, she began to complain.
“Dad, someone bullied me.”
Yao Sheng instantly grew furious. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing muscular arms.
“Who? Who bullied you? Tell your dad, and I’ll go teach him a lesson!”
If revenge could be taken without delay, why hesitate? Now that she had help, what was there to wait for?
Yao Yunzhen waved her delicate fist. “That Educated Youth named Li Yunqi—he actually said he wanted to marry me and demanded that I obey him in everything. Not only that, he insulted me and tried to hit me. If I hadn’t run fast, I probably would have been beaten. Dad, hurry and help me get revenge. Beat him up hard.”
“What? He dared to say such things to you? And even tried to lay hands on you?!”
Yao Sheng grew even angrier. He lifted his foot, about to charge out, but paused mid-step. Turning around, he headed toward the second branch’s room and knocked vigorously on the door. “Second Brother, come out quickly!”
The frantic knocking woke Yao Hai, who emerged from his room yawning.
“Big Brother, what’s the matter?”
“Your niece was bullied by an Educated Youth. Come with me to teach him a lesson.”
Since the Educated Youth were outsiders, they tended to stick together when facing villagers. Yao Sheng feared he might be outnumbered alone, so he wanted to bring backup.
His celestial niece—who would dare bully her?
Yao Hai was somewhat surprised but agreed without hesitation.
“Alright, sure.”
He wasn’t particularly attentive to his own daughters, often being a hands-off father, but his attitude toward his niece was quite decent.
In his mind, this niece was extraordinary from birth. Despite eating the same plain food as everyone else, she had grown up so beautiful—perhaps it was true, as his mother said, that she was a fairy reincarnated.
He believed any man who saw his niece would likely be unable to resist her.
Once she married into a prominent family in the capital, the Yao family would prosper.
Therefore, Yao Hai always held Yao Yunzhen in high regard, treating her well, occasionally giving her pocket money or snacks, and willingly helping whenever she needed it.
“Let’s go. I’ll call a few more people, and we’ll give those who bullied you a good beating.”
Yao Yunzhen quickly stopped her father: “No need, Dad, there’s no need. Only one person bullied me. The other Educated Youth weren’t there—they probably didn’t know about it.”
It was just Li Yunqi alone—why would they need so many people? Moreover, Yao Yunzhen didn’t want to blow things out of proportion.
Not only would a fight between villagers and Educated Youth make things difficult for the brigade leader and cause him trouble, but Li Yunqi and Yao Kemei were currently hot topics in the village.
If Li Yunqi’s words got out, Yao Yunzhen could imagine the village gossip becoming even uglier.
Things like sisters fighting over the same man, the city Educated Youth two-timing, the sister flowers…
Yao Yunzhen wanted nothing to do with these two. The thought of her name being linked with theirs in the gossip of the village busybodies was downright disgusting.