The women were so frightened by her cold gaze that they all stepped back in unison. Some of the bolder ones even instinctively hid behind the older women.
“Who tied these ropes?” Song Yueying asked, her voice completely devoid of warmth.
“It wasn’t me,” the timid young woman hurriedly denied.
“Not me either,” Aunt Zhang quickly added.
The other women exchanged glances, then all looked toward Song Rumei, who was still lying on the ground pretending to be unconscious.
They had indeed been the ones who tied her up, but the idea came from Song Rumei.
No one dared admit it, yet their eyes all drifted toward the “dead weight” on the ground. Song Yueying immediately understood, tying up Mother Song had most likely been Song Rumei’s idea.
Since the real culprit was Song Rumei, she would deal with her first today. As for these foolish women being used as tools, she would let them go for now.
Song Yueying smiled faintly. “Aunts, sisters-in-law, don’t you all need to go work in the fields?”
“We… we do,” Aunt Zhang stammered. “We’re just here—”
Before she could finish, Song Yueying cut her off.
“Then why are you still standing in my courtyard?”
She wore a casual smile, but there was no warmth at all in her eyes.
She had already memorized every one of their faces. What her mother had suffered today, every bit of harm inflicted on her, would be paid back in full by those responsible.
Seeing her smile, the women felt a chill run down their spines. A strange, inexplicable fear rose from the depths of their hearts.
They hurriedly claimed they had to go to work and couldn’t waste any more time, and quickly fled.
Only after leaving the courtyard did they remember what Song Yueying had done in the village before, and instantly regretted helping Song Rumei.
In the blink of an eye, everyone was gone. Only Mother Song, still unconscious, Song Yueying, and Song Rumei lying on the ground remained in the courtyard.
Song Rumei, who was lying on the ground, gritted her teeth in anger. No longer able to pretend to be unconscious, she lifted her head to check the situation, just in time to see Song Yueying walking to the courtyard gate and closing it.
Her heart jolted violently, a bad premonition rising from the depths of her chest.
“You… what are you closing the door for?” she asked nervously.
“I feel like it,” Song Yueying replied offhandedly, continuing to walk toward her.
Watching her approach, Song Rumei felt as if every step she took was trampling directly on her heart. Something was wrong, very wrong. Song Yueying was not normal at all.
In a trembling voice, she ordered, “You… you go open the door. Don’t close it.”
“Why should I listen to you?” Song Yueying stopped in front of her, arms crossed, looking down at her from above.
“I’m… your cousin. Yes, I’m your cousin!” Song Rumei finally seemed to find a leverage point, lifting her chin smugly.
“You kicked me just now. I’m injured and can’t get up. Go quickly and call the brigade leader to send me to the commune clinic…”
“No, the commune clinic won’t do. I need to go to the county hospital.”
The kick from Song Yueying had landed squarely in her stomach, and when she hit the ground, her knees had scraped badly. Both her knees and abdomen were in pain, so she simply stayed lying there.
She was waiting for the women she had called over to help her, expecting them to carry her to the hospital.
That way, she could stay in the hospital for a few days and make sure everyone in the village heard about Song Yueying attacking her. Ideally, she wanted to strip Song Yueying of her qualification as a village doctor.
Unfortunately, the helpers she had summoned had all been scared off by just a few words from Song Yueying.
Song Rumei was furious, but there was nothing she could do.
“Fine,” Song Yueying said readily. “No matter which hospital you want to go to, or which doctor you want to treat you, I can make it happen.”
Seeing her agree so easily, Song Rumei instead grew suspicious.
“You’d be that kind?”
“I’ve always been very kind, and I even listen to you. Cousin, have you forgotten?”
Crouching down, Song Yueying looked at Song Rumei with a faint, almost mocking smile.
“I only kicked you once. That’s definitely not enough for you to qualify for treatment at the county hospital. Since I’m such a good person, I’ll see it through to the end and send you there properly, another beating should make you eligible.”
Song Rumei looked at her in terror. Ignoring the pain in her body, she scrambled and rolled across the ground, trying to put distance between them.
“Aren’t you the one who said you wanted to go to the county hospital? Why are you running?” Song Yueying asked in confusion.
“You wouldn’t dare!” Song Rumei’s eyes widened, her face twisting in fury.
“Of course I would,” Song Yueying replied lightly. “Otherwise, why would I close the courtyard gate?”
She looked at Song Rumei with growing interest, though her words were full of disdain. “Cousin, it’s a shame you even graduated from junior high school. Haven’t you ever learned a saying, ‘shut the door and beat the dog’?”
Being called a dog made Song Rumei’s eyes nearly burst with rage. Just as she was about to curse back—
Smack!
She was slapped hard across the face.
“You hit me? You actually dare to hit me?” Song Rumei covered her burning cheek in disbelief, staring at her as if she were a demon.
Before she could finish speaking, another slap landed on her other cheek.
Song Yueying had completely lost patience and stopped toying with her.
She grabbed Song Rumei by the throat with one hand and began striking her face repeatedly.
If you can solve it with your hands, there’s no need to talk.
Song Rumei screamed in pain, but with her throat restrained, no sound could come out. Her hands flailed wildly, trying to shield her face, but she was always a fraction too slow.
In the end, she took every single blow.
She tried to scream for help, but only opened her mouth soundlessly. At that moment, true fear finally engulfed her.
Then she fainted on the spot.
Seeing Song Rumei faint, Song Yueying also lost interest in tormenting her. After a quick cleanup, she dragged Song Rumei to the entrance of the neighboring courtyard and dumped her there.
She then returned to her own courtyard, helped Mother Song into the house to lie down, and took out the ointment the original owner had made, applying it to Mother Song’s wrists and ankles.
Just after she finished applying the medicine, Mother Song woke up. Opening her eyes, she saw her own daughter in front of her.
She froze for a moment, rubbing her eyes to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.
Then her tears burst out like a dam breaking, completely uncontrollable.
Song Yueying immediately panicked. “Hey, don’t cry! If you’ve been wronged, tell me and I’ll stand up for you. If anyone’s going to cry, it should be them, not you.”
Mother Song was stunned by her words, teary-eyed as she looked at her daughter. She was crying, yet her daughter didn’t scold her, instead, she asked what had happened and even said she would avenge her.
Her daughter… had changed for the better!
“You… you…” Mother Song stammered.
Before her transmigration, Song Yueying had always been surrounded by soldiers who shed blood but never tears. This was the first time she had encountered someone like Mother Song, crying the moment she saw her, and she was genuinely at a loss.
Her voice unconsciously softened. “Just say what you want to say. If you keep stammering like that, how am I supposed to understand you?”