She fixed her gaze on Old Lady Zhao and gave a contemptuous smile. “First of all, my name isn’t Li Zhaodi. It’s Li Suian—a name my grandmother gave me, and I like it very much.”
“Secondly, Wen Qi isn’t an outsider. He’s my friend.”
In the future, he would also be her family. Marrying Wen Qi was something she was determined to do!
“Lastly, you people aren’t my relatives either. I, Li Suian, don’t have relatives who look down on others like snobs and spew filth from their mouths.”
“My grandmother cares about your sisterly bond, but I don’t. If you come looking for trouble again, a scolding will be the least of your worries. If you provoke me into using my hands, that won’t end well for you.”
“You think your family is well-off and look down on us mountain folk. Fine then—go find your grandson a wife in the city. A ‘quality man’ like your grandson—ugly, cowardly, good for nothing, and mooching off his parents at home—is someone we mountain folk can’t afford to marry up to.”
“Since we’ve said everything that needs to be said, let’s cut ties here and now. From this day forward, we’ll have nothing to do with each other. Now, get out!”
Third Grand-Auntie hadn’t expected this little wench to dare speak to them like that. She wanted to hurl more insults, but when she met the man’s gaze, fear crept in. In the end, she turned her eyes to her old husband, hoping he would say something.
But she would be disappointed. Li Suian’s Third Grand-Uncle was the type to bully the weak and fear the strong—a man with no real ability who still looked down on others. Now that he saw Wen Qi’s intimidating presence and that Li Suian wasn’t a pushover either, he naturally didn’t dare speak up.
Old Lady Zhao saw that no one was backing her up, and her face cycled through shades of pale and green. Her gaze swept back and forth between Wen Qi and Li Suian, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck—she seemed to have caught hold of a big handle.
She said smugly, “Well, well! I was wondering how this little wench got so bold. Turns out you’ve latched onto a man!”
“Pah! Shameless little slut! You even bring men into your home. I can see you can’t make ends meet, so you’re out selling yourself!”
“That’s right—a fatherless, motherless wretch like you. If you didn’t play the whore and sell yourself, where would you get the money to eat?”
“A piece of trash like you only deserves a sickly invalid. Watch out—when the man dies in your bed, the police will come haul you off to jail!”
Li Suian’s eyes turned icy cold. She grabbed the broom leaning against the wall and swung it at them without hesitation.
“Fine! You want me to go to jail? Then before I go in, I’ll drag a few down with me! If I don’t tear that filthy mouth of yours to shreds today, my name isn’t Li!”
“I’m all alone in this world anyway. Even if I kill a few people, it’s just one life to pay. One of me for three of you—worth it!”
The broom in Li Suian’s hand whistled through the air as she swung it with no mercy at Old Lady Zhao and her companions. The broom was normally used to sweep up chicken and cow droppings, so it wasn’t exactly clean—and to disgust them even further, she jabbed it right at their faces.
Old Lady Zhao hadn’t expected this little wench to actually dare hit them. Hopping and fleeing from the blows, she kept cursing under her breath.
Wen Qi had initially wanted to help, but seeing the girl’s fierce and formidable display, he chose to cross his arms and watch from the sidelines. With his frail frame that couldn’t even truss a chicken, he’d probably just get in her way.
Li Suian chased them all around the yard, and at that moment, Da Hu came charging back from the vegetable garden like a gust of wind. He leaped up and grabbed hold of Old Lady Zhao’s hem directly with his mouth.
It had just been guarding its master’s calves and came back a step too late, never expecting these bad people would dare bully its master!
When the fierce and sturdy wolfdog charged out, it startled Old Lady Zhao’s family of three.
Especially Old Lady Zhao—the wolfdog grabbed her clothes, her legs went weak, and she fell straight to the ground, wailing and crying for her parents, completely forgetting about cursing anyone.
Da Hu had scared the person down but didn’t go up to bite her. Its master had taught it not to bite people—otherwise, she’d have to pay compensation, and it would get beaten. So it only scared them.
After knocking one down, it chased after the other two. Old Man Zheng was old and couldn’t run fast. Chased by the dog, his left foot tripped his right, and he fell hard.
Li Suian’s cousin Zheng Guangzu hid back in the car, rolled up the windows tightly, then started the engine and hurriedly drove out of the yard. As for his grandparents still lying on the ground, he had no intention of caring about them at all.
Seeing their grandson about to flee, Old Lady Zhao and Old Man Zheng scrambled up to chase after him, but their old arms and legs, just bruised from the fall, moved stiffly as they limped along.
Zheng Guangzu thought he was about to escape and was secretly rejoicing when suddenly a large wolfdog leaped onto the car’s hood. The dog’s front paws pressed against his windshield, its bluish tongue hanging out long, barking wildly at him.
In a panic, he yanked the steering wheel to the side, and the front of the car slammed straight into the corner of Li Suian’s kitchen. The hood caved in with a big dent, and even the headlight cracked.
But just before he hit the wall, Da Hu had already agilely jumped off the car, completely unharmed.
Because of this turn of events, Old Lady Zhao and Old Man Zheng climbed into the car, shut the doors tightly, and urged their grandson to leave quickly. Zheng Guangzu couldn’t care less about whether his car was damaged—he hastily reversed and drove away.
Li Suian had said something right: she was all alone in the world. Even if she killed their entire family, it would only cost her one life. And she’d been stubborn since childhood—she might actually be capable of murder!
Having driven off the three awful relatives, Li Suian felt pleased. She patted Da Hu’s big head and praised, “Da Hu did great today! I’ll boil you a big bone this afternoon!”
Da Hu held its head high, its tail wagging almost like a spinning propeller, its smug expression as if it were the happiest dog in the whole world.
After praising Da Hu, Li Suian turned to look at Wen Qi, smiling with her eyes curved like crescents: “Brother Wen Qi, thank you for speaking up for me just now!”
Her big, apricot-shaped eyes studied Wen Qi, her gaze lingering without moving away, as if she’d discovered an old object with a new function and was curious about it.
She’d always thought Wen Qi was that kind of cold, aloof, detached immortal who cared about nothing and was above worldly matters—but she never expected he had this side too: sharp, stern, radiating an overpowering pressure.
The young girl stood in the yard, sunlight falling on her face, her skin so pale it seemed to glow. And at this moment, she was smiling, looking at him with full seriousness in her eyes.
Wen Qi met her gaze, then slightly averted his eyes with some awkwardness, before murmuring in his cool, clear voice, “No need to thank me.”
Once again, the usual lofty, unapproachable demeanor.
Li Suian could roughly guess that he was the type to be awkward about these things, so she stopped staring at him and hurriedly urged him inside: “Quick, go inside—the food’s getting cold! It won’t taste good once it’s cold!”
The food was a bit cold, but still fragrant. Li Suian scooped two spoonfuls of soup into her bowl and picked a bit of each dish. Her favorite was rice soaked in soup, and every bite was deeply satisfying.
Her table manners weren’t exactly refined or elegant, but watching her eat somehow stirred one’s appetite. She shoveled big mouthfuls of rice into her mouth, cheeks stuffed full, and before long, the bowl was scraped clean.
Wen Qi sipped his soup slowly, his gaze drifting over Li Suian as if by chance. No one noticed the faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.