Liang continued her tirade, but Ye Xiaohua and her brother didn’t even look back. With the argument having reached this point, Liang was left not only frustrated but even more stifled than before.
Ye Xiaohua, however, didn’t give the matter a second thought. In this village, the original host had already endured countless cold stares, and now with the debt left behind by her “convenient” mother, she was undoubtedly the focus of everyone’s gossip.
On the way back, although she didn’t deliberately listen, unpleasant voices still drifted into her ears, and some people even pointed fingers at her. Some were discussing why she had suddenly stopped being a fool; others were talking about Li’s affairs. She even overheard someone saying they had seen Li and a man in a town to the west…
Ye Xiaohua acted as if she heard nothing, quickening her pace. She could filter out these unpleasant sounds, but little Douzi was still young and fragile; she couldn’t let him bear this.
However, from quite a distance away from home, Ye Xiaohua saw that the old, dilapidated wooden door was wide open—the very door she had carefully locked before leaving.
Ye Xiaohua’s expression changed. She strode up to the door and discovered that the padlock was still locked, but the hinge on the other side had been ripped away from the wood; someone must have forced it open with brute strength.
The scene inside the courtyard stunned Ye Xiaohua even more. The baskets of medicinal herbs she had collected were overturned on the ground. Her courtyard, which she had kept neat and tidy, looked as if it had been ravaged by a catastrophe—everything was in a mess.
Ye Xiaohua put down the wooden basin but didn’t let go of little Douzi’s hand, leading him into the house. The interior was much the same as the yard; it had been ransacked. Clothes and quilts were scattered on the floor, the cabinet doors were hanging open, and the contents were a chaotic mess…
Even the bed she shared with little Douzi hadn’t been spared; the bedding was tossed onto the floor. The sight clearly frightened little Douzi. He gripped Ye Xiaohua’s hand tightly, his large eyes filled with terror, and he shrank behind her, calling out for his sister repeatedly.
Ye Xiaohua knew that during the brief time she was at the river washing clothes, a thief had struck. The saying goes that there is “honor among thieves,” but ransacking a home like this? This thief was truly shameless.
Everyone in the village knew that when Li left, she took everything of value; she wouldn’t have come back to steal. As for who this thief was, Ye Xiaohua already had an answer in mind. Who else could be so brazen as to come to the house like this?
After soothing little Douzi for a while, Ye Xiaohua prepared to go settle the score. She was not Li, and certainly not the Ye Xiaohua of before; she would not swallow this grievance.
Douzi had already been calmed down, but the moment she took a step, the deeply insecure little boy lunged at her again. Fearing she would walk away and abandon him, he hugged her leg tightly and wouldn’t let go.
Helpless, Ye Xiaohua had to soothe him all over again. In that short time, Guan Qiu came to check on them.
The state of the house inside and out truly shocked Guan Qiu. He hurried into the room to find Ye Xiaohua holding the sobbing Douzi. “Xiaohua, what happened? Who did this?”
Guan Qiu was a refined scholar, but seeing someone bully the helpless siblings so viciously brought out the dormant fire in his blood.
Hearing his voice, Ye Xiaohua turned around abruptly. Her expression was calm—no sorrow, no fear—which made Guan Qiu breathe a slight sigh of relief.
“The house was robbed. Uncle Seven, you’ve come at the perfect time. Please help me look after little Douzi.” Ye Xiaohua patted little Douzi’s head and whispered comfortingly in his ear: “Don’t be afraid, Sister won’t abandon you. I’m going out for a moment, and I’ll come back to steam buns for you to eat.”
Though she didn’t say what she was going to do, Guan Qiu guessed most of it from her posture. “You know who did this?”
Ye Xiaohua handed little Douzi’s hand to Guan Qiu and curled her lips into a cold, mocking smile. “Who else could be so wicked?”
Who else but her eldest uncle who had just returned? Seeing the siblings eating meat yesterday, he couldn’t sit still today. Rather than stealing, it was more like robbing. This kind of brazen, bullying nature—who else could it be but her uncle?
Moreover, there was physical evidence left behind.
Following Ye Xiaohua’s gaze, Guan Qiu saw a tobacco pouch sitting on the messy table. With only two children in the house, it certainly didn’t belong to them. He couldn’t recognize whose it was, but seeing Ye Xiaohua’s certainty, he knew she did.
Ye Xiaohua glanced at the firewood axe discarded in the corner. Guan Qiu sensed her intention and tried to reach for it first, but he was a step too slow.
When the axe landed in Ye Xiaohua’s hand, a chill ran down Guan Qiu’s spine. “Xiaohua, what are you doing? Put the axe down. Did you lose anything valuable?”
Ye Xiaohua knew Guan Qiu’s nature; he always preferred to downplay big issues and resolve small ones. He would undoubtedly try to persuade her to keep the peace. But when others were bullying her to this extent, would staying silent not make her a coward?
“Everyone knows the siblings don’t have an easy life and can barely afford a meal. What could I have lost?”
“As long as nothing was lost, then let’s put the axe down. Since you know who it is, Uncle Seven will go with you to reason with them. Don’t worry, with me here, I will surely get justice for you.”
Guan Qiu preferred using words, but Ye Xiaohua felt that sometimes, taking action was more reliable.
Uncle Seven meant well, but Ye Xiaohua didn’t want to drag him into this filth. “Uncle Seven, reasoning with them is like playing the lute to a cow. It’s not appropriate for you to intervene; I should go. I’ll leave little Douzi to you.”
“Xiaohua, Flower…” With little Douzi beside him, Guan Qiu was afraid of tripping, which made him a step behind Ye Xiaohua.
Ye Xiaohua, already in the courtyard, shouted loudly: “Uncle Seven, helping me look after little Douzi is a huge help. Don’t worry, I won’t come out the loser!”
The second branch had always been bullied by the eldest; no good fortune ever fell their way. Furthermore, because the original host had touched one of Ye Teng’s white flour buns as a child, she had almost been kicked to death by Ye Genshu.
Though Qin was vicious, she had at least never physically beaten the original host. But this uncle was abusive at every turn, never treating her like a human being.
This time, returning and pulling such a stunt was truly going too far. Ye Xiaohua decided that whether it was the past or the present, she would settle all these debts at once.
Standing at the gate of the eldest branch’s courtyard, clutching the tobacco pouch Ye Genshu had left behind in one hand and the firewood axe in the other, Ye Xiaohua took a deep breath, then kicked the large gate with all her might.
However, her strength was still lacking; she could handle subtle techniques, but seeing the gate remain unmoved as if defying her, Ye Xiaohua swung the axe at it…