Ruan An’an’s shoulders shook violently. To Liu Po, it looked like she was sobbing from deep grief.
Liu Po’s fiery temper instantly flared. Her gaunt arm waved, and her voice boomed so loudly it could shake the dust from the beams:
“Damn it! You move in to eat up the inheritance and still dare fool around? Do you think nobody’s watching in this alley?! Nannan grew up under my eyes! If this isn’t settled today, I’ll be the first to object!”
In this alley, Liu Po was known as the “Goddess of Wealth” for the young brides—she handled chores like firewood and shoe mending, and everyone respected her. Her words carried immense weight.
The moment she shouted, the surrounding neighbors reacted like hot oil splashing, instantly buzzing with chatter.
“That’s right! They’re bullying her! Who doesn’t know your family’s only after the Ruan family’s fortune?”
“Wait… didn’t they say it was promised to Xu family’s eldest, Ah Cheng?”
“Your memory won’t help! Ah Cheng is from before, a whole different generation! I think it’s the stepmother and her son teaming up to swindle the girl’s dowry!”
“Hmm… if that’s the case, the kid Ah Cheng lost under mysterious circumstances, could it be…”
“Hmph! The stepmother’s heart is like a hornet’s sting! Nothing good comes from it!”
Li Ying’s petty schemes were publicly exposed. Furious and humiliated, she grabbed a coal shovel from the corner and swung it wildly at the crowd.
“Damn your mouth! Gossiping fools, get out! Get out of my yard!”
The shovel cut through the air, heading straight for Liu Po.
In a flash, a cold light flickered in Ruan An’an’s eyes. She shoved Liu Po aside and braced her back against the shovel with solid force.
“Wham—”
The old hag hit hard!
The dull thud of metal on her back numbed half her body.
Fortunately, she had just strapped on the “high-tech chest protector” from her space—otherwise…
Thinking that, she stumbled forward and fell to one knee with a thud.
When she looked up, tears blurred her vision, and her voice trembled uncontrollably.
“Grandma Liu… are you… okay?”
“Nannan!” Liu Po almost had her soul frightened out of her body, rushing over to support her.
Seeing Ruan An’an’s pale face, she was overcome with sympathy and turned toward Li Ying, shouting, “They’re trying to kill her! Did everyone see what the Xu family did?!”
Li Ying, shovel in hand, froze, screaming, “I—I was just scaring them! She ran into it herself!”
“Bullshit!” Liu Po shook with anger, pointing at her nose. “Who’s dumb enough to run into a shovel on purpose? Call the militia! Lawless bastards!”
As if on cue, the alley echoed with orderly footsteps. A few militia members, guns slung over their shoulders and red armbands on their arms, walked in with serious faces.
“What’s going on? Who started a public disturbance?”
Ruan An’an felt a weight lift off her chest.
Her shoulders heaved as she cried even more “heartbrokenly.”
Liu Po’s lips moved fast. Using the local dialect, she spilled the story to the militia captain, emphasizing Xu family’s “greed, murder, and attempt to silence the victim, An’an.”
Su Qingyue paled, clutching her stomach, shrinking behind Xu mother, sobbing, “Mom… what should we do?”
Li Ying’s eyes darted. She suddenly pushed past Liu Po and approached the militia captain, forcing a flattering smile: “Comrade! It’s a misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding! Today is my son Ali and Qingyue’s wedding! They are husband and wife! No uncle-niece nonsense, nothing like that!”
Liu Po spat, “Bah! You think you can fool anyone? Su Qingyue isn’t your eldest daughter-in-law? Who in the neighborhood doesn’t know?”
“No! Really not!” Li Ying waved frantically. “Military marriages need reports! Ah Cheng never filed any paperwork with Qingyue! Check with the street office! Qingyue has always been with my son Ali!”
Ruan An’an’s sobbing paused, a flash of ice-cold calculation behind her tear-streaked lashes.
They hadn’t filed the paperwork? No wonder the Xu family felt so confident—they had planned ahead.
The militia captain frowned. He knew the Xu family had business today, but wasn’t sure for whom.
A young militiaman whispered, “Captain, the street office never received Su Qingyue’s military marriage verification materials.”
Li Ying seized the opportunity, her face blooming with a false smile. “Yes, yes! Comrade, see clearly! Qingyue and Ali are a proper couple! Today’s proceedings are theirs!”
The militia captain squinted at the red-decorated inner room: “Really?”
“False!” Liu Po stamped her foot. “She just tried to hit us with a shovel!”
“We all saw it!” the neighbors chimed in.
Ruan An’an knew it was her turn to reel in the net.
She lifted her tear-stained little face, looking shy, pitiful, and wronged at Li Ying.
“Mom… how could you say that? The application for my marriage to Ali… wasn’t it you who helped submit it? I know… I’m foolish, I don’t please you… I’ll change, I’ll do anything… please don’t… don’t disown me…”
Her tears fell in big drops, her body swaying as if she might faint at any moment.
Li Ying’s face darkened with rage, pointing at her. “You little bitch! Are you deliberately trying to ruin my family?!”
“Wait!” The militia captain barked sharply, cutting off Li Ying. His piercing gaze shifted to Ruan An’an, pointing at Xu Yanli. “You’re saying this man submitted a marriage application with you, then turned around and slept in the same bed with that woman?”
During a crackdown, catching a deputy workshop manager cheating—that’s a prime achievement! Perfect for year-end recognition!
Liu Po immediately added, shrill-voiced: “Exactly! A whole rotten family, only after the girl’s inheritance!”
Xu Yanli saw the situation turning against him. He hurriedly buttoned up his shirt and tried to explain: “Comrade, please listen—”
“Shut up!” Captain Zhang waved his hand, not giving him a chance to speak. His face was alight with excitement at catching a typical criminal in the act.
“Corrupt lifestyle, immoral relations! Take them all away!”
Li Ying spread her arms like a mother hen protecting her chick: “No! You can’t take my son!”
Captain Zhang glared at her: “Shameless woman, obstructing justice? Shut your mouth! All of you, come along!”
The militia pounced like wolves, shoving dirty cloths into the mouths of Xu mother and son.
Even Su Qingyue, only in her vest and underwear, trembling in fear, was roughly dragged down.
Ruan An’an watched coldly, but timed it to show some concern, her voice trembling: “Comrades… please… let my sister-in-law… put on some clothes first? This… this is too indecent…”
Liu Po, frustrated at her kindness, poked her head: “You foolish girl! She crawled into your husband’s bed, and you’re still worried about her? Too soft-hearted!”
“Exactly! When doing shameless things, she should think about modesty!” The neighbors quickly chimed in.
The militia captain, who had felt a twinge of pity for Su Qingyue, immediately lost it. He now saw Ruan An’an as too weak and easily bullied.
His face darkened. “Clothes or not! Take them away!”
“Ugh… ugh ugh!”
The three struggled desperately, but to the trained militia, they were like chickens and ducks ready for slaughter.
Xu Yanli, dragged out by the arms, glanced back at Ruan An’an in despair, his eyes full of pleading.
Yet—
The woman who a moment ago had been tearful and fragile now had an ice-cold, cutting smile on her lips.
That smile, like a deadly beauty in the night, was laced with unmasked malice and mockery.
Xu Yanli felt as if he had fallen into an icy tomb.
She was pretending! It had all been an act!
Ruan An’an read the horror in his eyes, teasingly lifting the corner of her eye, silently mouthing: Yes, what can you do to me?
She had successfully created the perfect victim image.
Just wait, Xu Yanli—the real show is about to begin!