Shen Zhouzhou grabbed the stick out of Shen Yong’s hands with one swift tug, then swung it back at him without hesitation. She beat him so thoroughly that he had no chance to fight back, collapsing onto the floor without even the strength to stand. All he could do was desperately crawl backward.
“You think you can teach me a lesson? Who do you think you are?” Shen Zhouzhou wielded the stick with astonishing force, leaving Shen Yong nowhere to hide as chaos erupted throughout the house.
“Ah!”
Shen Yong’s miserable screams practically lifted the roof.
“S Stop… let go! You unfilial daughter, let go!”
Cold sweat poured down Shen Yong’s face as the blows rained down.
He had been beaten into complete submission. Pretending to be dead, he no longer dared to provoke her. He simply could not understand how the once obedient, submissive girl had suddenly become bold enough to fight back.
“You bitch! How dare you hit Dad?” Shen Fangfang glared at Shen Zhouzhou as if she wanted to bore two holes through her. “Tomorrow you’d better go to the police station and tell them it was all a misunderstanding so they release my mother. Otherwise, you’ll regret it!”
“Who are you calling a bitch? I’ve given you far too much face already.”
As she spoke, Shen Zhouzhou stepped forward, seized Shen Fangfang’s wrist, and twisted it hard behind her back. With her other hand, she grabbed a fistful of Shen Fangfang’s hair and yanked with all her strength. A few well placed kicks sent Shen Fangfang crashing to the ground. Shen Zhouzhou immediately sat on top of her and slapped her repeatedly, left and right.
Shen Fangfang had never imagined that the Shen Zhouzhou who had always meekly endured everything would actually fight back. Completely caught off guard, she took the beating head on.
“This is for bullying me every single day. This is insulting to me. This is for stealing my things…”
“Help! Dad! Jianjun! Save me!”
“My face! My waist!”
“Shen Zhouzhou! I won’t let you get away with this!”
The original owner had suffered endless abuse at their hands. She had endured it all, only for them to become even more arrogant.
But Shen Zhouzhou was not the original owner.
Since she had transmigrated into the body and been given a second chance at life, she intended to live freely and without restraint.
If someone deserved to be hit, she would hit them.
If someone deserved to be cursed, she would curse them.
The best way to deal with evil was with evil.
As the saying went, taking one step forward brought sweet revenge, while taking one step back only brought bottled up resentment.
She refused to wrong herself ever again.
Watching Shen Zhouzhou completely overpower Shen Fangfang, Shen Yong’s heart ached for her despite his own injuries. Ignoring the pain coursing through his body, he struggled to his feet and pleaded, “Zhouzhou, that’s enough. Stop it. She’s your older sister, after all.”
“Have you forgotten? My mother only gave birth to me. Since when is she my sister?”
Only after landing two more resounding slaps across Shen Fangfang’s face did Shen Zhouzhou finally let her go.
“You…”
Shen Yong was rendered speechless, his face alternating between green and white.
Shen Jianjun, the son of Li Hongxia and Shen Yong, had always behaved like a little tyrant at home. But he was still only a child. Seeing the scene before him, all thoughts of rushing in to help disappeared, and he stood frozen where he was.
Noticing Shen Fangfang’s swollen, disfigured face, Shen Zhouzhou felt tired herself. She casually tossed Shen Fangfang toward Shen Yong before heading back to her room, deciding she would deal with her again tomorrow.
Immediately, another chorus of wailing filled the house.
After everything that had happened today, her body felt sticky and uncomfortable.
Following the original owner’s memories, she made her way to the kitchen and heated some water for a bath.
The people outside saw Shen Zhouzhou enter the kitchen and all assumed she was preparing dinner.
After all, it was mealtime, and the original owner had always been responsible for cooking, so the misunderstanding seemed perfectly natural.
“At least she knows what’s good for her. She still remembers to cook,” Shen Fangfang muttered to herself.
If Shen Zhouzhou knew what she was thinking, she would definitely have replied, You’re not very pretty, but you certainly have beautiful dreams.
The moment Shen Fangfang touched her swollen, aching face, she let out another shrill scream.
“Dad! Look what she did to me! If you don’t stand up for me, I’ll kill myself!”
Whenever she had used that line before, Shen Yong had always doted on her and immediately sought justice on her behalf.
But now, Shen Yong himself was covered in injuries and could barely look after himself.
Sitting on the doorstep, he quietly puffed away on his pipe. The glowing embers flickered on and off as a complicated expression crossed his clouded eyes, filled with guilt, helplessness, and even a trace of resentment that was difficult to detect.
Seeing that Shen Yong had no intention of standing up for her, Shen Fangfang cried even harder.
After heating the water, Shen Zhouzhou quickly wiped herself down before heading straight to the dark, damp storage room.
As soon as she entered, she locked the door from the inside and wedged a stool firmly against it, just in case they tried anything while she was asleep.
She had barely sat down when a series of violent kicks slammed against the door outside.
Good thing I had the foresight to prepare.
Outside, Shen Fangfang had cried in the courtyard for quite some time. Shen Yong remained slumped over, silently smoking, while Shen Jianjun huddled in the corner without daring to utter a word.
Just then, her stomach growled loudly.
She wiped away her tears and remembered that Shen Zhouzhou had gone into the kitchen. The resentment in her heart eased slightly.
No matter what, that bitch at least knew she was supposed to cook.
Hmph, I won’t let her have any.
Grumbling to herself, Shen Fangfang limped toward the kitchen door and peeked inside.
She froze. The fire beneath the stove had long since gone out.
The pot was completely empty.
The cutting board was spotless, without even a single grain of rice.
An empty wooden basin sat beside the water jar, making it obvious that Shen Zhouzhou had only heated water for herself and had never intended to cook dinner.
“Shen Zhouzhou, you bitch!”
Shen Fangfang stamped her foot in fury, the bruises on her face throbbing again.
“She actually dared to leave without cooking! Dad! Look at her! She doesn’t respect you at all!”
Already irritated by her endless complaints, Shen Yong slammed his tobacco pipe against the ground.
“What are you yelling for? Didn’t she beat you enough just now? If you want to eat, cook it yourself!”
“I won’t!” Shen Fangfang threw herself onto the ground in a tantrum. “She always cooked before! Why does she get to walk away now while the rest of us go hungry? Dad, make her cook for us! Tell her to cook!”
Shen Jianjun also began crying.
“I’m hungry… I want to eat…”
When Shen Fangfang saw that Shen Yong remained unmoved, her anger boiled over. She jumped to her feet, rushed to the storage room, and kicked the door hard.
“Shen Zhouzhou! Get out here! Are you trying to starve us to death?”
The only response she received was the hollow echo of her own voice.
Shen Zhouzhou simply ignored her.
“Fine… Shen Zhouzhou…”
Grinding her teeth, Shen Fangfang’s eyes filled with venomous hatred.
“Just you wait. I won’t let you have an easy life!”
Shen Yong looked at Shen Fangfang in the midst of her hysterics, then at Shen Jianjun, who was crying from hunger, and let out a heavy sigh.
He rose to his feet and silently walked over to the rice jar, intending to cook for himself.
But Li Hongxia had always managed the household, and Shen Zhouzhou had always been the one who cooked. Shen Yong had never touched any of the housework before.
After fumbling around awkwardly for a long time, he finally managed to produce a pot of half cooked rice.
Looking at the nearly inedible rice, Shen Fangfang couldn’t help remembering the fragrant meals Shen Zhouzhou used to prepare. The comparison only made her feel even more resentful. She slammed her chopsticks onto the table and once again burst into loud sobs.
Meanwhile, as soon as Chu Yunli returned, he hurriedly placed a phone call to the family home.
In the capital, at the Chu family’s old residence inside the military compound.
The elderly Mr. and Mrs. Chu were both over seventy years old. Although their hair had long since turned silver, they remained remarkably energetic. Time had etched deep lines across their weathered faces, yet their eyes still shone brightly.
Old Master Chu was also a veteran of the Red Army. Having earned countless military honors, he had retired many years ago.