“Watch me beat you to death, you foul-mouthed brat!”
Qin Xiulian was relieved that she didn’t have to explain anything herself. Relying on Old Madam Ye’s fondness for Ye Teng, the old lady wouldn’t be able to stand hearing such words; she breathed a long sigh of relief.
However, when her gaze met Ye Xiaohua’s, she clearly saw a trace of provocation. Was the silly girl declaring war on her?
Old Madam Ye had told herself many times before coming that she must not be impatient, but after just a few words from this silly girl, she was already fuming. She had been holding back until now, but at this moment, she truly couldn’t endure it any longer.
She swung her palm toward Ye Xiaohua’s face, fast and vicious. If it had landed, her face would surely have swollen. But Ye Xiaohua, holding little Douzi, had already ducked to the side.
One grinning, one furious—this left the onlookers feeling confused. Who would believe that an old woman who had lived for so many years couldn’t best a silly ten-year-old girl?
“You dare to dodge? Stand still! I’ll teach you for talking nonsense…” Old Madam Ye was determined to land that blow, but no matter what, she just couldn’t reach Ye Xiaohua and her younger brother.
They chased each other through the crowd for a long time, only ending when Old Madam Ye fell face-first into the dirt. The crowd was chaotic; people had only been watching the old woman chase the two children, and no one had noticed exactly how she fell.
But things were already in a massive uproar. The village chief, his head aching from the noise, couldn’t help but put on a stern demeanor. He tapped his walking stick against the stone path with a thudding sound. “Have you caused enough trouble?”
Ye Xiaohua had been treating Old Madam Ye’s pursuit like a game of “hawk catching chickens,” enjoying it immensely. Once the village chief spoke up, Old Madam Ye obediently scrambled up from the ground, acting as if nothing had just happened.
She began to act affectedly before the village chief again. “Third Brother, you’ve seen it yourself. Can this kind of thing possibly be of Ye family blood? That woman, the Li woman, has been flirting with all sorts of men, and it hasn’t been just for a day or two. Who knows whose bastard seeds these two children actually are?”
“That’s right, I’ll testify!” Lady Tian, who had suffered a great loss yesterday, also emerged from the crowd. The red marks on her neck drew curiosity from many, but she was too embarrassed to tell anyone that it was caused by the silly girl—how shameful that would be.
“That Li woman has been hooking up with my husband for quite a while. No sooner had she left than my husband also disappeared. Village Chief, you must uphold justice for me.” Lady Tian had reached the point of giving up entirely. Her husband didn’t even want his home anymore, so why should she care about her reputation?
If those two bastards wouldn’t let her have peace, she wouldn’t let them live happily either.
“This…” The village chief found himself in a dilemma. Although these weren’t his own affairs, they were happening in the village under his jurisdiction. It was shameful to even speak of it; what kind of situation was this?
As the saying goes, it is difficult for even an honest official to resolve domestic disputes. As a small village head, he couldn’t untangle this mess of old grudges and rotten matters.
“So, what is it you want?”
Old Madam Ye spoke first. “Since these two bastards aren’t of the Ye family, we don’t want to raise other people’s children. Make them move out.”
This was Old Madam Ye’s demand. The village chief looked at the wailing Lady Tian. “And you?”
“I… what does it have to do with me? These bastards aren’t my husband’s; who knows who the Li woman birthed them with.” Lady Tian was eager to clear her name. She had come today to ruin the Li woman’s reputation and also to take revenge on her two children.
With these people calling them “bastard seeds” right to their faces, Ye Xiaohua’s original smile gradually faded, replaced by a chilling frost.
Ye Xiaohua knew that the future of her and little Douzi rested entirely on the decision of this white-bearded village chief, but she had never liked letting others control her destiny.
She believed that “my fate is determined by me, not heaven!”
Today’s matters had to be settled; otherwise, it would be impossible to explain later.
Although she disliked the toxic Ye family, she currently had to prove that she and little Douzi were indeed members of the Ye family.
In truth, in her memories, there were signs that the Li woman had some connection with Lady Tian’s husband after the original owner’s father died. The Li woman was disliked by her in-laws, left as a woman with two children to raise, and burdened with the label of “husband-killer,” so she was filled with grievance.
Lady Tian’s husband was a man who knew how to sweet-talk women, and after some back and forth, there was some interest. However, Ye Xiaohua truly didn’t know if they had actually hooked up.
But she was certain that, given the Li woman’s cowardly and fearful nature, she would never have had the courage to cheat on her husband before he died.
Before Ye Xiaohua could speak, Old Madam Ye grew impatient, wishing she could drive them out today and tidy up the house and courtyard tomorrow for her eldest grandson’s wedding.
“Third Brother, look, even Lady Tian says so; could it be a lie? The Li woman is promiscuous, went out to steal a man, and gave birth to two bastards. Keeping them in the Ye family is a grave sin. Make a decision today and kick these two bastards out.”
“We are children of the Ye family!” Ye Xiaohua looked at Old Madam Ye and shouted, “You just want to kick us out to take our house for our eldest cousin to use for his wedding.”
“Shut up! You two were born because your mother stole a man!” Old Madam Ye had been hit hard where it hurt most. Although she pretended to be calm, her shifting eyes betrayed her.
If not for that last remark, the village chief might have already made his decision. After all, no one wants to talk about such shameful things, and if the Ye family was willing to “abandon family ties for righteousness,” it probably wasn’t a lie. But at the critical moment, the silly girl suddenly called out the truth about the house.
This caused the village chief to swallow the decision that was about to escape his lips. He might not have achieved much in his life, but he couldn’t leave behind a stain on his reputation just as he was about to step down.
“Flower, tell me, what is actually going on? Tell Grandfather Third.”
Thus, Ye Xiaohua recounted everything that had happened over the past few days. She didn’t exaggerate at all, speaking only of what everyone had seen with their own eyes. After finishing, she wiped her nose. “That is how it is. Before Father left, he told Xiaohua to watch over the house, and I must guard this home.”
In the end, Ye Xiaohua didn’t forget to establish her persona as a filial child.
Who would think a “fool” could tell a lie? Everyone thought fools were easy to deal with, but that was exactly Ye Xiaohua’s greatest strength.
“Third Brother, listen to me, it really… it’s not like that. The silly girl is ignorant; how would she know about the ins and outs of these things?” Old Madam Ye explained in a hurry.
Standing to the side, Qin Xiulian looked at the crafty smile Ye Xiaohua gave her. Why did she have the sinking feeling that the duck in her hands was about to fly away?
Ye Xiaohua believed that such a spiteful plan that benefited no one could not have been thought of by Old Madam Ye. Given the old woman’s straightforward, impulsive nature, she would have just snatched the house by force. This馊 (bad/scheming) idea must have been Qin Xiulian’s doing. In that case, she should let her taste the feeling of being doubted herself.