There was nothing Su Nuan dared not do. She reached out to take the branch, then turned to face Su Liren.
Su Liren saw a bloodthirsty glint flashing in Su Nuan’s eyes, making him retreat repeatedly. This daughter of his was simply not human.
Su Nuan smiled sinisterly, “Will you leave on your own, or shall I beat you until you roll away?”
Noticing onlookers gathering, Su Liren regained his courage and stiffened his neck, declaring, “I am your father! How dare you strike me? The heavens will strike you dead immediately!”
Su Nuan couldn’t be bothered to waste words. She swung the branch and began whipping, deliberately targeting Su Liren’s buttocks—after all, he couldn’t possibly remove his pants to show his injuries to others.
Su Liren howled in pain. When had he ever suffered such humiliation? Being beaten by his own daughter was truly unprecedented in the current dynasty.
Suddenly, a thunderclap exploded overhead. Su Liren stared at Su Nuan with gleeful excitement, “You wicked girl! The heavens have opened their eyes. They will strike you dead any moment now!”
Su Nuan glanced upward. The sky was dark and heavy, lightning tearing through it like sharp blades.
She merely sneered coldly and brandished the branch once more.
“If anyone is to be struck dead, it should be a wife-killer like you! Don’t think I don’t know how my mother died—you and Cao Qinghua poisoned her!”
Upon hearing this, Su Liren’s face turned ashen. He even forgot to dodge, seemingly stunned by this revelation.
Su Nuan lashed out fiercely several more times. Remembering how her mother had been murdered by Su Liren and his mistress, she wished the branch in her hand were a knife instead—only by dismembering the man before her could she vent her hatred.
Jolted awake by the pain, Su Liren turned and fled, cursing as he ran, “You vile woman! Wretched daughter! The heavens will strike you dead sooner or later!”
Su Nuan snorted coldly and hurled the branch in her hand. It lodged into Su Liren’s hair bun. Terrified, he bent over and covered his head, causing the branch to stand upright.
As luck would have it, a bolt of lightning split the sky, a white flash descending directly to strike the branch on Su Liren’s head. The electric shock sent his whole body trembling.
Everyone gasped in fright, but no one dared step forward to help Su Liren.
Xue Shi laughed, “What evil deeds has Su Liren committed? Even the heavens can’t stand to watch and want to strike him dead!”
The crowd around them hissed, though they showed a hint of disappointment upon seeing Su Liren could still move.
Such was human nature—when miserable themselves, they delight in seeing others faring even worse.
Su Nuan swept a cold gaze around. Those who met her icy stare shrank back and scurried away.
By now, Su Nuan’s reputation as a fierce woman was firmly established, and no one dared provoke her.
Xue Shi expressed some concern, “You’re a young lady—aren’t you afraid of what outsiders will say about you being so fierce?”
Su Nuan shook her head, “What can they say? That I’m a shrew? A wicked girl? Mother, we’re not in Jingcheng anymore—we’re on an exile journey.”
“Do you know what we might encounter along the way? Wild beasts? Natural disasters? Those aren’t the scary part. The truly terrifying thing is people.”
“If I show weakness now, everyone will bully us. Would we even survive to reach Bei Di then?”
Xue Shi pressed her lips together and nodded, “You’re right. These people would love to trample on us orphans and widows. They’re not worth befriending.”
“Since they’re not worth befriending, we needn’t care about their words. Let’s treat it as flatulence.”
Su Nuan nodded cheerfully, “Mother, so don’t worry about what I do. As long as we reach our destination safely and healthy, that’s all that matters.”
Xue Shi looked at Su Nuan with heartache in her eyes, “But you’ll have to endure hardship, child. It pains me to see it.”
Su Nuan looked somewhat bewildered and asked, “Mother, what hardship am I enduring?”
This question left Xue Shi momentarily speechless. After thinking carefully, she suddenly chuckled, “Nothing, it’s fine, perfectly fine.”
Even her own father’s arrival hadn’t made Su Nuan suffer any grievances, so how could anyone else possibly make her endure hardship?
Su Nuan glanced at the sky and smiled, “It’ll be dark soon. Let’s go inside to light a fire and rest properly.”
“Alright.” Xue Shi was particularly happy now, feeling as if the heaviest of the stones weighing on her heart had been lifted.
She had originally thought the new bride would be difficult to serve and had prepared herself to be humble and accommodating. Instead, she found she didn’t need to coax the other party at all—the young woman was actually comforting her instead.
To have such a capable, broad-minded young woman as her daughter-in-law—she must have done something truly virtuous in a past life.
Su Nuan smiled and said, “Mother, you go in first. I’ll take the carriage to Dong’er so no one harms our horses tonight.”
Xue Shi’s heart jumped, “Yes, yes, be careful—the path is slippery.”
Who knew what might happen these days? There were always those who couldn’t bear to see others doing well and would surely cause trouble.
Su Nuan pulled the carriage near Dong’er’s carriage.
“Dong’er, I’ll leave the carriage here with you. It’ll be more convenient for your rest tonight too.”
Dong’er emerged from the carriage, linking arms with Su Nuan as she asked, “Going through all this trouble—are we staying several more days?”
Su Nuan nodded, “You can keep staying in the carriage, just make sure to waterproof it against leaks.”
Dong’er immediately agreed, “I will, but it’s so boring this way.”
Su Nuan thought for a moment, then said, “Wait here for me.”
She entered the carriage and took out a Go set, some candies, dried meat, along with rice and flour.
She also brought out two bags of charcoal, and after a moment’s consideration, retrieved some fine cotton clothing which she placed on the seats.
Dong’er called from outside the carriage, “Cousin, do you need help?”
Su Nuan replied, “Come up and help me pack these.”
“Alright.” Dong’er entered the carriage and saw the items without suspicion, simply assuming they had been purchased in town.
Su Nuan wrapped the clothing and one bag of charcoal in oilcloth. “I’ll take these. You can use the rest.”
“Oh, and don’t go hungry. There’s rice and flour here—make yourself something to eat.”
Dong’er nodded, “Why can’t I come to the Mountain Cave?”
Su Nuan sighed, “It’s chaotic over there. Even though you’re dressed as a boy, you might still encounter men who prefer male company. What if something happens?”
“Besides, Su Liren and his whole family are with the exile group. If they see you, they’ll surely give you trouble. Better to avoid the annoyance altogether.”
Dong’er wasn’t afraid, declaring, “I’m not scared of them. Besides, I’m a free person now—I’m actually of higher status than him.”
Su Nuan chuckled—somehow Dong’er gave off the vibe of someone newly empowered, but it was rather endearing.
“Well, if they try to steal the carriage, fight back. If you don’t hurt them enough, they’ll never learn.”
Dong’er giggled, “Got it, I won’t be bullied.”
Su Nuan glanced at A Da, who actually looked somewhat like an old lady in women’s clothing.
“A Da, protect Dong’er well.”
A Da nodded, “Yes, Cousin.”
With A Da’s protection, Su Nuan didn’t need to worry about Dong’er’s safety. Holding her bundle, she said, “I’m heading back now. You should eat soon.”
Dong’er nodded reluctantly, “Alright, I understand.”
Su Nuan turned and walked up the mountain. The gravel on the ground, soaked by water, wasn’t as slippery as before.
When she returned to the cave entrance, she heard arguing inside. Could it be that Su Liren and the others had come again?