Liu Cheng was a notorious good-for-nothing known to everyone.
He was also a bully who preyed on the weak and feared the strong.
Before the original host’s secret was exposed, Liu Cheng had always hoped that the original host would rise to fame and fortune, so that he, as the brother-in-law, could also ascend to success.
To this end, he even went so far as to flatter the original host in every possible way, currying favor with his wife’s family.
In fact, when he had made up his mind to marry Xie Er Ni, his motivation had been exactly this—because the original host was one of the rare few from the surrounding villages to be sent to the Academy.
It was true that Xie Er Ni had sent many things back to her family and had even subsidized them with silver, but all of that was done with Liu Cheng’s own consent.
Liu Cheng himself, afraid of missing out on the benefits from the original host, had taken bootlicking to the extreme.
But that didn’t stop him from fooling around.
Xie Jinzhu grew angry just thinking about what she had heard: “With that dog-like mouth and sharp teeth sticking out on both sides, how dare he keep a mistress behind my second sister’s back?”
“Second brother-in-law, you’re quite capable, aren’t you?”
Keeping a mistress was one thing—after all, in this era, having multiple wives and concubines was common.
But deliberately dragging things out, hoping to wear Xie Er Ni down to death just to bring the mistress into the household—was that something a human being could do?
Xie Er Ni had been married into the Liu family for four years and had already borne two children.
Before Liu Cheng decided to wear Xie Er Ni down to death, had he ever thought about his own children with her?
Beating him to death wouldn’t even be enough to vent her anger!
Xie Jinzhu’s voice wasn’t loud, but her foot remained firmly planted on Liu Cheng’s back, and her expression was so cold it sent chills down people’s spines.
Many people had come with the Village Chief, and quite a few were related to Liu Cheng.
But despite so many people surrounding Xie Jinzhu, not a single one dared to make a move!
More and more people gathered outside the Liu family’s courtyard, and the situation was clearly escalating beyond control.
The Village Chief gritted his teeth fiercely: “What you’re saying about the mistress is completely unfounded, but you beating someone up is something everyone witnessed.”
“Didn’t Liu Cheng’s own mother say it herself? How is it unfounded?”
This was what Liu’s mother had said, and Second Aunt had relayed it to her—there was no way it could be wrong!
Xie Jinzhu kicked Liu Cheng’s back again, glared at Liu’s mother until she retreated in fear, and said meaningfully: “Village Chief, you’re Liu Cheng’s third uncle, so it’s no surprise you’d side with family over reason.”
“But shouldn’t you at least think about the other young men in Liu Village?”
Xie Jinzhu dusted off her fingertips leisurely: “My second sister was lucky to survive today, but what if she had unfortunately died?”
“If word got out, people would say that someone from your Liu Village murdered his lawful wife, and for the sake of some shameful woman from outside, he didn’t even hesitate to cause the death of both mother and child.”
“If that kind of talk spreads, what foolish girl would still be willing to marry into your village?”
“Or perhaps…”
Xie Jinzhu said strangely: “Are the many young men in your village all unafraid of this, and don’t plan to marry wives from outside anymore?”
Most people in a village belonged to the same clan, and marriages within the clan were limited, so it was common to marry into or from other villages to ensure the continuation of the family line.
But before marriages were arranged, both sides would make inquiries.
The groom’s side would inquire about whether the bride was virtuous in her family and whether she was diligent.
The bride’s side would also inquire about the groom’s family circumstances and whether the family atmosphere was harmonious.
Once the root was corrupted by Liu Cheng’s actions, not only would the rumors be unpleasant, but if it truly affected others, that would be a real disaster!
Xie Jinzhu coldly watched as the expressions of these people shifted from anger to hesitation, feeling not the slightest bit surprised.
Such was human nature.
When misfortune doesn’t touch oneself, it’s easy to play the impartial observer.
But once it involves you personally, it’s a different story altogether.
Xie Jinzhu let out a scornful laugh. “In short, I beat him today.”
“And I’d like to advise everyone: don’t think that just because Xie Er Ni has no brothers left in her family, she has no one to stand up for her. And stop scheming to bully her.”
“As long as there are still people breathing in the Xie family, no one can bully her!”
If a marriage becomes unbearable, they can separate, but no one is allowed to plot against Xie Er Ni’s life!
Xie Jinzhu was astonishingly decisive, having already covered all the arguments, leaving others no room to interject.
Seeing this, Granny Liu grew frantic. “This won’t do! She beat my son like this, I—”
“Is what she said about the mistress true?”
The Village Chief suddenly asked, “And did you really deliberately delay calling a doctor?”
Granny Liu’s eyes darted nervously. “N-no such thing!”
“We just didn’t have the money, that’s why—”
“My family gathered the silver!”
Second Uncle Xie finally spoke up angrily. “We collected the silver for the doctor, and even brought the doctor to the doorstep, but they insisted we hadn’t repaid the money we borrowed from them and blocked the door, refusing to let anyone in to save her life!”
His family had pleaded and reasoned, just wanting to save her first. Second Aunt had nearly knelt before Liu Cheng.
But Liu Cheng stubbornly insisted that without repaying the money, nothing could be done.
If it weren’t for the Liu mother and son going too far, threatening Xie Er Ni’s life to force the Xie family to repay the debt, how could things have escalated to this point?
The Village Chief hadn’t expected such a thing to actually happen. He slammed his cane hard on the ground, turned away in anger, and said, “Let’s go!”
Granny Liu panicked. “Village Chief! Second Uncle!”
“If you leave like this, how will we mother and son survive?”
The person Granny Liu grabbed shook her off forcefully. The onlookers around them sighed in dismay. “What kind of thing have you done?”
“You tried to kill their daughter—what’s wrong with getting a beating?”
“It’s not like he’s dead, he’s still breathing, isn’t he?”
“Hahaha… serves him right!”
“That’s exactly what he deserves!”
The surrounding villagers burst into laughter. Xie Jinzhu kicked Liu Cheng over like flipping a salted fish, then looked down with a half-smile. “Second brother-in-law, do you still want to report this to the authorities?”
Liu Cheng hadn’t expected not a single person in the village to help him. By now, he was terrified out of his wits, trembling so much that his pants inexplicably grew wet.
Xie Jinzhu frowned in disgust, still smiling. “Don’t worry, I’m not like you.”
“I won’t actually beat you to death.”
Liu Cheng nodded frantically as if granted a pardon, stammering, “Brother-in-law, you… no, no.”
“Eighth Sister, I knew you remembered your brother-in-law’s kindness. As long as you—”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
Xie Jinzhu slowly straightened up, looking at Liu Cheng, who lay like a dead dog, and said word by word, “Go kneel and apologize to my second sister, understand?”
“If she doesn’t forgive you…”
Xie Jinzhu smiled meaningfully, baring her harmless white teeth. “Well, whether to spare you is my second sister’s decision.”
“But I’ll tell you plainly: I can beat you many times.”
“From now on, if I find out my second sister has suffered even the slightest grievance in your home, or if you and that damned mistress cause any more trouble, I’ll settle the score with you.”
If one beating doesn’t make you submit, there will be a second.
If three beatings still don’t work, I’ll simply beat you to death.
Since she had already rolled up her sleeves and taken action today, she couldn’t leave any hidden dangers for Xie Er Ni.
Whether Liu Cheng accepted it or not, since he was the one who had wronged Xie Er Ni first, he had to keep his tail tucked from now on!
Liu Cheng, terrified of being beaten again, nodded vigorously without a second thought.
Seeing this, Granny Liu knew she couldn’t win and collapsed to the ground in despair, wailing loudly: “Heavens! What kind of mess is this!”
“How could my Old Liu Family end up with such a…”
“Hey.”
Xie Jinzhu tilted her chin toward Granny Liu and smiled as the old woman’s crying abruptly stopped. “I hit people of all ages, regardless of gender.”
“I didn’t get to you earlier. Are you itching for a beating now?”
Granny Liu was so frightened she hiccupped, covering her mouth with both hands and not daring to make a sound.
Satisfied, Xie Jinzhu kicked Liu Cheng: “Get lost.”
Liu Cheng scrambled to his feet in a panic. The Xie family members inside the room stared at each other in stunned disbelief, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Xie Er Ni was so weak she could barely catch her breath. Struggling to lift her eyelids, she gasped out with difficulty: “Is that still our Little Eight?”
“Could our Old Xie Family really produce someone with such guts???”