When Su Xiaoqi saw Zhou Ye kick the door without hesitation, her opinion of him shot up.
At least he wasn’t the type to blindly obey his parents.
“You aren’t Iron-Crutch Li. That kick must’ve made your leg go numb, right?”
A cold smile curled at the corner of Su Xiaoqi’s lips.
“The three people inside are trying to harm me. They’re also plotting against your wife.”
“How about we work together just this once?”
Zhou Ye glanced at her indifferently.
“Su Xiaoqi. Aren’t you my wife? How do you want to cooperate?”
She grinned.
“So… are you going to stand up for me? Otherwise people will say you can’t even protect your own wife. How can someone like that defend the country?”
“Thanks. I don’t need you to provoke me.”
Zhou Ye handed her his travel bag.
“Take this back to the room.”
“Sure. Leave the hair-pulling to me later.”
“Hm.”
With a cold expression, Zhou Ye walked toward Yang Huaihua’s room.
Xu Yong’an desperately braced himself against the door, refusing to let him enter.
“Zhou Ye! Don’t come in!”
“Zhou Ye! You ungrateful brat! Are you really going to defy your own mother?”
Yang Huaihua feared this eldest son the most.
Ever since he was young, he had endured their beatings and insults without fighting back.
But behind their backs, he would catch the other children one by one and beat them black and blue.
Zhou Ye lifted his foot and kicked.
The inner door burst open.
He strode inside, grabbed Xu Yong’an by the collar, and slapped him so hard across the head that his neck snapped to one side.
One of Xu Yong’an’s back teeth loosened instantly.
“Big Brother! Stop hitting him!” Xu Meizhen screamed.
Seeing her husband’s favorite youngest son getting beaten, Yang Huaihua panicked.
She rushed over and slapped Zhou Ye repeatedly.
“I would’ve been better off raising a dog than raising you! Our Xu family fed and clothed you, yet you’re bullying your own younger brother over that shameless woman!”
“If you’ve got guts, hit me!”
She was convinced Zhou Ye would never strike her, so she attacked without restraint.
Su Xiaoqi put down the travel bag and rushed over.
She grabbed Yang Huaihua by the hair and yanked her backward.
“You old hag. I’ve seen people begging for food and drink, but never someone begging to get beaten.”
One hand pulled Yang Huaihua’s hair back.
The other seized the fingers she was using to hit Zhou Ye and bent them backward with force.
“My man is mine to bully. Since you dared lay a hand on him, you’ll pay the price.”
Freed up, Zhou Ye turned and continued beating Xu Yong’an.
Seeing Yang Huaihua getting hit, Xu Meizhen cried and cursed Zhou Ye while charging toward Su Xiaoqi.
Back in school in her previous life, Su Xiaoqi had once been bullied.
After fighting back and smashing her bully’s head open, she’d learned an important lesson—
Life became much easier once you stopped caring about other people’s opinions.
Compared to those bullies, Yang Huaihua and Xu Meizhen were nothing.
She grabbed Xu Meizhen by the hair.
Then slammed the mother and daughter’s heads together.
“Ahhh!”
“My mother!”
The two collapsed onto the floor, blood streaming from their noses.
Su Xiaoqi grabbed Xu Meizhen by the ear.
“Meizhen. As your sister-in-law, I can introduce you to Er Hunzi too, can’t I?”
Xu Meizhen covered her bleeding nose and frantically shook her head.
“No… I don’t want to be with Er Hunzi.”
Su Xiaoqi clicked her tongue.
“Oh, Meizhen. Er Hunzi is such a wonderful catch.”
“He’s abusive, ugly, and a damn thief.”
“You two are a perfect match.”
Xu Meizhen cried inwardly.
This woman was simply vicious.
Someone this cruel didn’t deserve to stay alive.
She had to find Wen Anning, the village’s lucky star.
Meanwhile, Zhou Ye dragged the bruised and battered Xu Yong’an over and threw him in front of Yang Huaihua.
“Mom. Your stepson’s life is in your hands now.”
Yang Huaihua glared at Zhou Ye with venom.
“I should’ve thrown you into the latrine and turned you into fertilizer when you were born.”
Expressionless, Zhou Ye replied,
“I’ve heard that more than a thousand times growing up. Can’t you come up with something new?”
For some reason, Su Xiaoqi’s heart tightened.
What kind of childhood had Zhou Ye lived through?
Being cursed by his own mother every single day…
In both her previous life and the original owner’s memories, their parents had cherished their daughters.
Compared to that…
The man before her was truly pitiful.
Yang Huaihua spat angrily.
“You ungrateful wretch! You’re nothing but a short-lived ingrate! So many people die young—why couldn’t it have been you?”
Smack!
Su Xiaoqi slapped Xu Meizhen across the face.
“You old witch. Say one more word and your precious daughter won’t have a face left.”
“If a poisonous old hag like you hasn’t died yet, and your scheming green-tea daughter is still alive, why would Zhou Ye die first?”
Su Xiaoqi always protected her own.
She slapped Xu Meizhen again.
The girl wailed as blood mixed with tears covered her face.
Yang Huaihua no longer dared curse Zhou Ye.
In the past, she could scold him from morning till night without hearing a single word of protest.
Who knew marrying this disaster of a daughter-in-law would bring such misfortune upon the family?
“I’m going to report this to the village secretary!”
Yang Huaihua tried copying Su Xiaoqi’s tactics from earlier that day.
Su Xiaoqi sneered.
“Go ahead.”
“And while you’re at it, tell everyone how the three of you plotted to have Er Hunzi ruin a military wife’s reputation.”
“Let Xu Yong’an and Xu Meizhen enjoy prison.”
Yang Huaihua immediately shut her mouth.
Just then, someone walked in.
Xu Youtian returned home with Xu Yonghua and Xu Yongguo, chatting and laughing.
“Dad! Save me!”
Xu Meizhen burst into tears.
Xu Youtian instantly sensed trouble.
He grabbed a firewood chopping knife before entering, only to meet Zhou Ye’s icy stare.
“Z-Zhou Ye… You just got back. Why are you beating your younger brother and sister?”
Deep down, Xu Youtian had always resented the stepchildren Yang Huaihua brought with her.
What he hated even more was that Zhou Ye was far more capable than his own sons.
Xu Yongguo and Xu Yonghua exchanged glances.
Without saying a word, they quietly picked up their hoes and slipped off to the family’s private field.
Zhou Ye kicked Xu Yong’an again.
“Younger brother and sister? Do I have such things?”
Su Xiaoqi spread her hands.
“Comrade Old Yang, Zhou Ye is hungry. Open your cupboard. I’m cooking for him.”
Yang Huaihua spat a mouthful of phlegm.
“He’s not hungry.”
Zhou Ye let out a cold laugh.
“You only know how to ask me for money. When have you ever cared whether I was hungry?”
Su Xiaoqi laughed.
She grabbed Zhou Ye’s arm.
“It’s okay. I know you’re hungry. If your mother won’t give us food, I’ll get it myself.”
Yang Huaihua was finally frightened of Su Xiaoqi.
“I’ll… I’ll get it.”
Her hands trembled as she unlocked the cupboard.
Su Xiaoqi walked over, picked up the flour sack, and took out several eggs.
“That’s enough. Lock it back up.”
Yang Huaihua’s head buzzed.
“That white flour was saved for Yong’an’s wedding banquet!”
Su Xiaoqi shrugged.
“No matter who eats it, it’ll all come out the same way.”
“We’ll eat first, then tell you what color it turns into.”
Ignoring Yang Huaihua completely, Su Xiaoqi tilted her head toward Zhou Ye.
“Come knead the dough and tend the fire.”
Zhou Ye walked outside.
As he passed Xu Youtian, he revealed a chilling smile.
The old man was so startled that his tobacco pipe slipped from his hand and landed squarely on his foot.
“You unfilial brat! Heaven will strike you with lightning!”
Zhou Ye’s expression didn’t change.
“Before heaven strikes me, I’ll kill your son first.”
Xu Youtian immediately fell silent.
Back in the room, he pointed at Yang Huaihua and cursed viciously.
“Look at those burdens you brought into this family!”
“They’re going to destroy the Xu family!”
“My entire reputation has been ruined by a cheap woman like you!”
“You deal with your own son.”
“They’ve eaten and lived under my roof all these years. If that isn’t worth three thousand yuan, then nothing is.”
“I don’t care if he borrows, steals, or robs—he’d better hand me three thousand yuan!”
Yang Huaihua quickly soothed him.
“Don’t be angry. Zhou Ye just hasn’t slept with Su Xiaoqi yet.”
“Once he has, he’ll be completely different. We’ll have plenty of ways to control him.”
Holding his swollen face, Xu Yong’an muttered,
“Dad… I want to marry Anning first.”
“That’s right!” Xu Meizhen chimed in despite the pain.
“Third Sister-in-law is a lucky star. Once she marries into the family, she’ll deal with that jinx, Su Xiaoqi.”
Clutching her aching body, Xu Meizhen staggered to her feet, only to stumble and fall again.
Hearing his son and daughter, Xu Youtian decided to bring a few gifts to the neighboring Wen Village that evening.
“Yong’an. Go to your Fifth Grandpa and get some medicine. Then come with me to the Wen family tonight.”
“Yes…”
Xu Yong’an was in too much pain to get up, so he asked Xu Yongguo to fetch Fifth Grandpa instead.
Three injured people remained in the room.
Meanwhile, Su Xiaoqi scooped two bowls of flour into a basin.
“Is this enough?”
“One more bowl.”
She added another heaping bowl.
“I don’t know how to knead dough.”
“I’ll do it.”
After washing his hands, Zhou Ye rolled up his sleeves.
His lean, muscular arms were revealed.
His skin was remarkably fair and flawless.
Su Xiaoqi suddenly had the urge to reach out and touch them.
It had nothing to do with romance.
She simply had an inexplicable fascination with people who had smooth, fair skin.