If she had known that going out would lead to a fight, she should have drunk some Spirit Spring Water beforehand.
But drinking that Spirit Spring Water made her whole body stink, and she simply didn’t have time.
“What do you mean, ‘as long as I’m satisfied’? Didn’t you cause all this? Why are you pretending to be innocent?”
The Song family, snapping back to their senses, hurried over to intervene.
Lin Hui and her two sisters-in-law appeared to be pulling them apart, but they were clearly taking sides, secretly pinching Song Siyi several times in the process.
“Oh, stop fighting, we’re all family.”
Lin Hui still harbored resentment over the eight hundred yuan that had been taken from her, and she secretly wished Song Siyi would get beaten a few more times.
With Lin Hui and the two sisters-in-law helping, Song Sijia finally gained the upper hand.
She reached out to grab Song Siyi’s hair, but Song Siyi wasn’t about to let her succeed.
With her arms pinned, Song Siyi lifted her foot and kicked Song Sijia in the stomach. Years of hard labor had given her plenty of strength.
She broke free from the sisters-in-law’s grip, lunged forward, and grabbed Song Sijia’s hair.
“Ah—”
Song Sijia’s scream echoed through the air.
Song Sijia was in so much pain that she lost all reason. “You little bitch! How dare you hit me? I won’t let you get away with this!”
Her voice was shrill and piercing, leaving the onlookers exchanging bewildered glances. Was this still the gentle and soft-spoken Song Sijia they knew?
Song Jianshe quickly stepped forward and pulled Song Siyi away, shouting angrily, “Have you had enough?”
Song Sijia’s face was covered in slap marks, and patches of her scalp had been torn out.
Song Siyi’s face was also scratched with several bloody streaks from Song Sijia’s nails.
Song Jianshe raised his hand to strike Song Siyi, but she had no time to dodge. Just as the slap was about to land on her face, a large hand intercepted Song Jianshe’s arm and pushed it back.
Song Siyi looked up and met a pair of deep, intense eyes. Instinctively, she hid her hands behind her back—she was still clutching Song Sijia’s hair.
It was Xie Jingzhou.
Xie Jingzhou stepped sideways, firmly shielding Song Siyi behind him.
As a soldier, his mere presence, with his sharp gaze and commanding aura, made Song Jianshe instinctively lower his stance.
“The brigade leader is here!”
Someone shouted, and the crowd immediately parted to make way.
The brigade leader’s face was dark with anger. “What’s all this commotion about?”
Aunt Cuihua let out an “Oh!” and rushed up to the brigade leader. “Brigade leader, the Song family is bullying me and Siyi just because they have more people. They’re trying to drive us to our deaths!”
Song Sijia, her face swollen and red, looked pitifully at the brigade leader. “Brigade leader, they’re the ones bullying me. I don’t want to live anymore.”
At that moment, Song Sijia’s hair was disheveled, and her face was so swollen it resembled a pig’s head. Far from looking pitiful, she appeared rather ridiculous.
The brigade leader’s lips twitched.
“What exactly happened?”
“Brigade leader, I know! I know!”
Without even needing to be asked, Aunt Cuihua eagerly recounted the entire incident.
Sun Hongmei, hearing her still slandering Song Sijia, couldn’t stand it any longer.
She scrambled to her feet and pointed at Aunt Cuihua, cursing loudly.
“You old hag! If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll tear your mouth apart!”
Aunt Cuihua spat. “I’ll say whatever I want! If you have any guts, act like a decent person for once!”
“Is that all you know how to say?”
Seeing that both sides were about to start fighting again, the brigade leader quickly intervened. “Enough! If you keep arguing, I’ll deduct work points!”
Hearing this, both sides immediately fell silent.
Song Sijia gritted her teeth in fury. She never expected Xie Jingzhou to protect Song Siyi. Why?
In her previous life, even after marrying him, he had never once protected her.
Song Siyi really is a shameless bitch. She hasn't even married into the family yet, but she's already learned how to seduce men.
That Xie Jingzhou is blind too, serves him right to die young.
"Brigade leader, Song Siyi beat my face like this. She has to pay compensation."
Sun Hongmei chimed in, "Yes, she must pay compensation, otherwise this isn't over!"
Song Siyi stepped out from behind Xie Jingzhou and looked at the brigade leader, tears instantly welling up in her eyes.
"Brigade leader, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have asked them for the pension, and I've delayed everyone from going to work. I…"
Before she could finish, Song Siyi's vision blurred and she collapsed straight backward.
Xie Jingzhou reacted quickly, reaching out to catch her before she hit the ground.
Panic surged in Xie Jingzhou's heart as he prepared to carry her to see a doctor. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her eyelashes flutter slightly, and he felt somewhat reassured.
Aunt Cuihua, feeling wronged after being hit by the Song family, now considered herself on Song Siyi's side.
She planted her hands on her hips and spat fiercely, "Pah! You still want compensation? Don't think I didn't see your family of three beating Siyi alone. Look, she's fainted—who knows what internal injuries she might have suffered!"
"Compensation! You must pay compensation!"
The brigade leader was genuinely worried something might happen to Song Siyi. He looked at Xie Jingzhou and said, "Quick, take her to the Health Clinic for a checkup."
Xie Jingzhou nodded, bent down, scooped Song Siyi up in his arms, and strode quickly toward the Health Clinic.
Song Sijia was utterly incredulous. "That's not right! I didn't even use much force. She must be faking it!"
"She's already fainted, and you're still spreading rumors about Siyi? You've always bullied her before, taking her things. If this is how you act in public, who knows how you Song family members mistreat Siyi behind closed doors."
"Poor Siyi, she's never worn a decent piece of clothing or eaten a full meal since she was little."
"Now that she's finally grown up, someone steals her marriage, and you still turn the tables on her. Brigade leader, you must stand up for Siyi!"
Aunt Cuihua kept up her tirade, and seeing this, others also began speaking up for Song Siyi.
"Brigade leader, Aunt Cuihua is right. You must stand up for Siyi."
"I saw it too. Lin Hui and her two daughters-in-law were secretly pinching Siyi. Who knows how badly she's hurt."
"What a sin. It's so pitiful for a child to lose both parents."
Lin Hui and her two daughters-in-law hurriedly denied it. The eldest daughter-in-law, Ruan Lihua, waved her hands repeatedly. "We didn't! We were just trying to break up the fight."
Lin Hui also chimed in, "Exactly. Siyi is my niece. How could I possibly hurt her?"
From the crowd, Goudan's mother pointed at her and scolded, "Aren't you ashamed? We all saw it, and you're still lying!"
"Eldest Aunt, you should have a conscience. Your undergarments were all washed by Siyi."
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd erupted in uproar.
"This is too outrageous! What do they take Siyi for?"
"What else? They treat her like a servant, exploiting Siyi alone. How are they any different from the old landlords?"
"Brigade leader, in my opinion, the old Song family has ideological problems. They should be properly re-educated."
"Right. Look at them eating meat and wearing new clothes every day. Who knows what shady dealings they're up to."
Seeing the situation turning against them, the Song family realized things had gone wrong.
Li Yufen quickly squeezed her way out of the crowd.
She slapped Sun Hongmei and Lin Hui each once, then turned to the brigade leader. "Brigade leader, our Song family has been poor peasants for three generations, and our ideology is absolutely sound. You mustn't listen to others' nonsense."
"This time, it's the younger generation who failed to live up to expectations. Rest assured, we will definitely take responsibility for Siyi."
The brigade leader glanced at her sideways and snorted coldly. "Then you'll be fined twenty yuan to compensate Song Siyi."
"If there's a next time, I'll report it to the commune and let them judge this fairly."
Upon hearing that another twenty yuan was going to be lost, Sun Hongmei immediately protested. "Twenty yuan! On what grounds?"