Liu Yunzhen's opening remark was filled with gunpowder, clearly showing she came with ill intentions!
Shen Ning wasn't about to indulge her either.
This kind of person only bullies the weak and fears the strong. The more submissive you are, the harder they'll push you around. But if you fight back, even if you can't completely defeat them, they'll think twice before messing with you next time!
"Well, someone must have eaten shit for lunch! Your mouth stinks so bad it's enough to make anyone vomit!"
Perhaps surprised by Shen Ning's audacity to retort so boldly, Liu Yunzhen grew furious, planting her hands on her hips as she continued her tirade.
"Pah! You little slut! You jinx! You caused your own man's death, and now you have the nerve to lay hands on my family's trees! Shameless!"
As she spoke, she snapped off a long branch from nearby, raised her arm, and menacingly swung it toward the three children.
"You little bastards! Born without a mother to raise you properly! You caused your parents' deaths, and now you dare touch my things? Uneducated brats! I'll beat you thieves to death today!"
Xiaohua was terrified by her sudden aggression. Her eyes widened, and her small legs were no match for the furious charge of her aunt.
Thwack—
The stick landed on flesh with a sharp crack.
Shen Ning grimaced in pain.
This woman really had no mercy, hitting with such force! She couldn't imagine how severe the bloody welt would have been if it had struck Xiaohua's small frame.
At the same time, it ignited the fury within her.
She was no delicate queen—she had both strength and means!
Thanks to good food and care lately, the original host's body had become robust and sturdy. Though Liu Yunzhen, lean and bony, was accustomed to farm work and had some strength, she was no match for a sturdy Shen Ning.
Shen Ning immediately grabbed the stick and yanked it hard toward herself.
Liu Yunzhen hadn't expected Shen Ning to step in front of the "worthless girl." She had intended to take her anger out on the children.
Who would have thought Shen Ning would act so strangely, taking the hit without blaming her?
In that moment of hesitation, Liu Yunzhen was pulled forward by the force.
Her thick braid was seized.
A sharp pain shot through her scalp as it was tugged. "Shen Ning, let go of me! Let go!" she snarled through gritted teeth.
Smack! Shen Ning slapped her across the face.
Then another smack, backhanded this time.
"You foul-mouthed hag! Your breath may reek like shit, but how dare you lay a hand on my child? I'll beat you senseless!"
Liu Yunzhen was no pushover either. She quickly recovered, and though her head was forced back, her hands were free. She pinched Shen Ning wherever she could.
The pain made Shen Ning's brow furrow tightly.
But she refused to back down, slapping, punching, and pinching soft spots—aiming wherever it hurt most—while maintaining a firm grip on the braid.
Liu Yunzhen felt like chunks of her hair were being torn out, her scalp nearly ripped off.
A hard punch to Shen Ning's side made her verbal onslaught falter momentarily.
"Don't hit my Niang Niang!"
Xiaohua knew it was Niang Niang who had protected her; otherwise, that stick would have landed on her.
Though frightened by the adults' brawl, tears streaming down her cheeks, she mustered the courage to defend Niang Niang.
"Stop hitting her! You're a bad person!"
Her small fists pounded on Liu Yunzhen's legs. Though the force wasn't great, the summer clothing was thin – even an ant's bite might not hurt much, but it was still irritating.
With a kick of her foot, she sent the little girl tumbling directly into the field ridge.
"Xiaohua!"
"Little sister!"
Shen Ning, whose eyes were already red with rage, saw Xiaohua being kicked into the dirt. A surge of powerful strength erupted within her as she pulled hair and leaped down into the soil. The person standing on the field ridge lost balance and fell completely into the dirt.
Shen Ning immediately mounted the woman and started beating her.
"Call me foul-mouthed! Dare to hit my child again, I'll beat you to death, you wicked woman! Bullying us orphans and widows, I'll kill you! Kill you!"
She pummeled the woman until she squealed and wailed in pain.
Like a fish on the cutting board, completely at others' mercy.
However, the commotion here eventually caught others' attention.
Several people quickly ran over, pulling away the fully-engaged Shen Ning, while hurriedly helping the dust-covered woman up from the ground.
Liu Yunzhen was truly in a sorry state – her hair pulled loose and covered in mud, her clothes wrinkled and filthy everywhere.
Worst of all was her face, already unattractive to begin with, now swollen red from the beating, making it even more unsightly.
"I'm going to kill that little bitch!"
Once pulled up, Liu Yunzhen seemed to regain her courage and tried to struggle free.
She gave off the feeling of "if they weren't holding me back, I'd definitely kill you today."
Shen Ning spat heavily, "Come on then, damn you! You think I'm afraid of you? Who's afraid of you!"
"Alright, alright, both of you say less, say less. What's there to fight about?"
Several more people came running from not far away, led by the Li family's eldest, Li Bai.
As he approached and saw his wife's beaten, miserable state, anger instantly surged within him.
"Li Bai, this slut beat me like this! Hit her back for me!"
Li Bai actually listened to his wife and charged forward, fortunately stopped by two nearby villagers watching the spectacle.
With one less person restraining Shen Ning, she broke free and grabbed a firewood chopper from her basket. Her life-risking demeanor made those around automatically step back.
"Spit! Shameless Li family! My husband just died and you come to bully us orphans and widows! First the wife comes to fight, now the husband wants to join too! Fine! Come on! Come see how sharp this blade in my hand is!"
When Li Bai saw the knife in her hand, his steps faltered.
"Third brother's wife, don't be impulsive! Put the knife down! Put it down quickly!"
"I won't!"
Shen Ning's wolf-like eyes swept fiercely over the Li family's eldest couple. "Should I put it down so they can beat me to death? Spit! I've got nothing to lose! Come on, the barefoot fear no shoes! Even if I die, I'll take one with me!"
Everyone was stunned by her life-risking demeanor.
"Waaah—"
Xiaohua suddenly burst into loud crying, sobbing while shouting, "Niang Niang, don't die! Niang Niang, I don't want you to die! Waaah—Niang Niang—"
Everyone looked and saw Xiaohua covered in mud everywhere, her tears forming two yellowish streaks down her face.
Pitiful beyond words.
Li Jianjun's eyes also reddened at his sister's crying, perhaps also frightened by Shen Ning's actions.
Puffing out her small chest, she stepped forward, pointing a tiny finger in Liu Yunzhen's direction and shouting, "She's the bad one! She hit my sister first! She even hit Niang Niang! You're all bad people! You're bad people!"
She picked up a clod of dirt from the ground and threw it in her direction…