Madam Yang had never seen Song Jin fight before, so she assumed Song Jin was easy to bully and incapable of martial skill.
She even believed that as long as the three women attacked together, not only could they beat Song Jin senseless, but they could also snatch the sack of food away.
But even in her dreams, she would never have imagined that Song Jin not only knew how to fight, but was also a terrifyingly tough opponent.
Seeing Madam Yang repeatedly glance at the sack, Song Jin cracked her knuckles and sneered disdainfully.
“Heh, we really should settle these accounts properly! You stole my six sweet potatoes, beat Sister-in-law Xu, attacked Mumu from behind, and tried to rob my sack. That makes four debts in total!”
Then she added coldly:
“Of all people to rob, you just had to rob me. Did you really think my things were that easy to take?”
Without waiting for Madam Yang to react, Song Jin strode forward in a few large steps and rushed straight at Xiao Jinlian.
She lifted her leg and kicked Xiao Jinlian flying with a single blow.
Xiao Jinlian crashed over a zhang away with a loud thud, landing face-first in the dirt and ending up with a mouthful of mud.
This time, she was literally eating dirt.
“Wuwuwuwu…”
Xiao Jinlian was kicked so hard she was completely stunned. She couldn’t understand why she was the first one attacked.
Wasn’t Song Jin supposed to beat up Madam Qian first? Or even Madam Yang first would’ve made sense!
Where was the fairness in this?!
But Song Jin very quickly fulfilled her wish of seeing Madam Yang and Madam Qian beaten too.
And there was no such thing as “badly beaten.”
Only “worse.”
Song Jin grabbed Madam Qian by the collar with her left hand, then with her right hand delivered slap after slap after slap across Madam Qian’s face.
In mere moments, Madam Qian was shrieking miserably, her face swollen into a pig’s head. She looked so pitifully battered that even her own parents probably wouldn’t recognize her anymore.
As for Madam Yang?
Song Jin likewise kicked her flying when Madam Yang screeched and rushed over trying to claw at her face.
Then Song Jin mounted her body, pinned her down, and slammed her head repeatedly against the ground.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
She beat her ferociously without even blinking.
And she moved so fast that by the time she had thoroughly beaten the two women and completely vented her anger, Xiao Dalang, the village chief, and all the men of the old Xiao family had only just arrived.
Even the women, children, sick, and elderly refugees of Xiao Family Village had only just gathered around.
When everyone saw Madam Yang and Madam Qian beaten until they were utterly unrecognizable, wailing and screaming miserably, the crowd collectively sucked in a cold breath.
The village chief barked angrily:
“At a time like this, you women are still fighting?! Do you want to be expelled from the refugee group?!”
Song Jin immediately corrected him in a righteous tone.
“Village Chief, this isn’t a fight! You must uphold justice for my family! Madam Yang came to my home first to rob us of food! The three of them not only stole food, they beat the children and Sister-in-law Xu too! Especially Madam Qian—she secretly shoved Mumu into the fire pit! If I hadn’t rushed back in time, Mumu would’ve been disfigured or burned alive!”
Then her voice suddenly rose dramatically as she pretended to cry.
“They were trying to murder him! They’re deliberately driving me to death! I’m already struggling enough fleeing famine as a weak woman caring for one cripple and four children, and now I still have to suffer bullying from my mother-in-law. Heaven truly won’t let me live!”
Weak woman?
Bullshit!
Didn’t everyone just watch you beat people half to death?!
Hearing Song Jin’s performance, Madam Yang was so furious she nearly spat blood.
That damned little bitch had stolen all the lines she herself intended to use!
If the refugees believed Song Jin’s version, wouldn’t everyone immediately turn against her instead?
She had miscalculated.
She had calculated everything except the fact that Song Jin could fight—and that she’d strike first with accusations.
“Wah… Village Chief, it’s not like that! Don’t believe her lies! She says this old woman came to steal food, but what food could I possibly steal from her? She’s just a woman dragging along a cripple and four children. What could she even have found to eat? If she wants to slander me, she should show everyone the evidence!”
Madam Yang’s words were viciously calculated.
If she couldn’t survive well, Song Jin wouldn’t either.
She was betting Song Jin would never dare publicly reveal the contents of the sack.
Hidden properly, the food in that sack was life-saving provisions.
Exposed carelessly, it would become disaster.
Right now, countless refugees couldn’t even find a single bite to eat. If Song Jin dared reveal the contents of the sack, then even if Xiao Family Village’s refugees restrained themselves out of village ties, refugees from other villages would definitely rush to seize it.
Hearing Madam Yang’s words, Madam Qian inwardly praised her ruthlessness.
With a cold laugh, she chimed in:
“That’s right! You say we came to steal food, but words alone mean nothing! Take the food out and show everyone!”
Then she turned slightly, intentionally letting her gaze drift toward the three men of the old Xiao family standing behind the village chief.
She began crying loudly:
“Village Chief! My mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and I only came because we heard Second Sister-in-law planned to abandon her husband and children, take the household registration papers, and flee alone. We just wanted to ask Second Brother what was happening. But Second Sister-in-law attacked the three of us without explanation and even falsely accused us of stealing food. We’ve truly been wronged!”
Madam Qian was also certain Song Jin wouldn’t dare reveal the food in the sack.
Though her words seemed directed at the village chief, she was secretly reminding everyone again and again that Xiao Yanzhi’s family possessed food.
Sure enough, Xiao Fugui, Xiao Yongtai, and Xiao Yongkang all looked toward the sack beside Xiao Yanzhi.
Even the women, children, sick, and elderly refugees of Xiao Family Village—and refugees from nearby villages—began staring toward the sack.
Madam Qian had successfully redirected everyone’s attention.
One woman from Xiao Family Village exclaimed in surprise:
“Look at that sack beside Xiao Erlang! It really does look like there’s food inside! Wonder what it is? Doesn’t look too heavy… maybe leaves?”
The moment she said that, the women and refugees of Xiao Family Village no longer stood on Song Jin’s side against Madam Yang and Madam Qian.
Instead, green light practically shone from their eyes as greed surfaced across their faces.
Refugees from nearby villages, hearing the woman’s words, also crowded over curiously.
Soon someone from another village cried out:
“Look at that hole in the sack! Purple-red… it looks like sweet potatoes!”
Before the famine, sweet potatoes would never have attracted attention. Families with even a little money looked down on them.
But now?
This was famine.
A time when people were close to having not even leaves or bark left to eat.
The sight of an entire sack of sweet potatoes immediately stirred dangerous greed in everyone’s hearts.
Many desperately wanted to rush over and seize the sack outright.
If they could steal those sweet potatoes, they might survive a little longer.
Maybe they wouldn’t starve to death.
But when they looked at Madam Yang and Madam Qian—both beaten into swollen pig heads—those afraid of death shivered violently, while even the fearless had to temporarily suppress their greed.
As for Xiao Fugui, he completely ignored the fact that Madam Yang had been beaten senseless.
Excitedly pushing through the crowd, he rushed forward and asked:
“Second Daughter-in-law, are there really sweet potatoes inside that sack?”
Oh no!
A huge loss!
If Song Jin could find sweet potatoes, then she must know where a sweet potato field was!
And where sweet potatoes grew, there might also be water nearby!
Those shallow-eyed fools Madam Yang and Madam Qian—why hadn’t they informed him first?!
How stupid did they have to be to expose a chance at survival to everyone?!
Were they afraid the refugees wouldn’t come steal it?!
The more Xiao Fugui thought about the sweet potatoes no longer being secret, the more his heart ached. He nearly wanted to strangle Madam Yang and Madam Qian on the spot for being such idiots.