Pei Jin’an had always put his uncle first.
He hated hearing anyone speak ill of him.
But Song Erxiao’s words struck him like a thunderbolt, leaving him completely stunned—his mind and pride thoroughly beaten.
That’s right!
Everything he said and did represented his uncle’s honor.
If he acted like a petty brat, wouldn’t everyone else think Pei Qianhuai himself was petty too?
He was embarrassing his uncle!
Things he’d never noticed before were now crystal clear, thanks to Song Shiyu’s sharp words. Frustration bubbled up inside him.
Song Shiyu, finally seeing the usually cocky, never-serious Pei Jin’an obediently fall silent, felt a rush of satisfaction.
Earlier, she had thought she could just play it safe for a while, enjoy some quiet days, and ignore the brat.
But just now, seeing the books in the bookstore completely crushed any illusions of a bright future, she lost it entirely.
“Whatever! I’ll do whatever I want!”
With her level of skill and brainpower, if she tried to play it safe, she’d only end up as a dog being bullied and slaughtered.
Better to act when she could, enjoy herself while she could!
Her happiness mattered—let others be miserable if they wanted.
“Let’s go! Home!”
Song Shiyu snorted and climbed onto the donkey cart.
Pei Qianhuai opened his mouth, perhaps to say something, but quickly closed it again.
Song Shiyu had come back from shopping looking fierce and annoyed, and he had no idea what had happened to provoke it.
Never having dealt with a woman like this, he simply got Pei Jinxi on the cart and started driving home.
The ride was silent.
Back home, Song Shiyu didn’t speak, getting off the cart and heading straight inside to relock the door.
Pei Qianhuai: “…”
Pei Jinxi frowned and pinched Pei Jin’an’s arm hard.
“You wouldn’t listen! Now you’ve angered Song Erxiao—do you think life will be easy after this? She’s finally been a little nice to us, willing to cook, wash clothes… that saves Uncle a ton of trouble! And you just had to go against her. Now look! If she goes back to how she was before, what then?”
Pei Jin’an gritted his teeth: “So what? Just because she cooked a few meals, you bend over for her? You don’t know how she used to be. A woman like that doesn’t deserve my niceties!”
Pei Jinxi glared at him, nearly fuming.
She could only turn to Pei Qianhuai, whispering: “Uncle… we’re in trouble again.”
Pei Qianhuai didn’t respond but gently stroked Pei Jinxi’s head.
“Don’t worry.”
Pei Jinxi: “Uncle, you’re not angry? What if Song Erxiao is upset with you because of us…”
Pei Qianhuai smiled faintly: “It’s nothing.”
Strange!
Why did Uncle seem completely unconcerned?
Just as Pei Jinxi was puzzled, she heard Pei Qianhuai’s voice:
“Did you see Song Erxiao’s basket earlier?”
Pei Jinxi nodded: “I did.”
Pei Qianhuai: “I remember you have a good nose and keen eyes. Can you tell if there’s any candles or charcoal in that basket?”
Pei Jinxi hesitated, then shook her head: “No.”
Pei Qianhuai: “Hmm.”
“…???”
Pei Jinxi frowned, confused by what her uncle meant.
Pei Qianhuai’s lips curved slightly. He murmured:
“Don’t worry, Song Erxiao will cook for us tonight.”
He began unloading the items from the donkey cart.
Then, as if casually mentioning it, he added:
“She only had half a candle left in her room.”
..
Song Shiyu returned to her room and flopped onto the bed.
Her day had been miserable!
She had come with her modern-world identity, thinking she had talent and advantages. Now… what a joke!
And that Pei Qianhuai, that bastard… he’d kill her one day.
Among the Pei family, only Pei Jinxi seemed decent. Pei Jin’an, though, was a sharp-tongued little pest. Life really had no bright side.
She lay there a while, getting angrier the more she thought. Finally, unwilling to stay down, she got up.
She sighed, pulled out the things from her basket, and laid them in front of her.
Pei Qianhuai had given her plenty of money, enough to buy all the items she normally needed.
Hmm?
Something seemed off.
She frowned, staring at the basket.
She remembered buying paper, books, tea, and clothes… the load weighed over thirty pounds. For a frail young woman, carrying it all the way there and back should have been exhausting.
Yet… she hadn’t felt the slightest fatigue. She still felt light and nimble.
This wasn’t right.
Thinking quickly, she tried lifting the basket with one hand.
Still easy.
The table?
She went to lift the table, expecting some strain. But she lifted it single-handedly, effortlessly.
Song Shiyu: “…”
So these are my talent points?
I came back in a book world, and I’m ridiculously strong?
Song Shiyu: “!”
She stared at her hands in silence, feeling an odd sense of amusement.
All this raw strength… what can I even do with it?
Frowning, she realized she had never tested the limits of her body.
Well, why not start now?
The gloom vanished, replaced with a sense of rebirth and energy.
She decided to test her limits.
Nearby, in the back of the house, Pei Grandpa had a few big trees.
One was already as thick as a person’s waist. Its branches had grown wildly, meant to be cut, but Pei Qianhuai had been too busy with chores and study to handle it.
Perfect for testing.
She quickly grabbed a carpenter’s axe in the woodshed.
Her eyes settled on a hefty broad axe.
This one would do!
As Song Shiyu carried the axe outside, the Pei family—one adult, two kids—stood frozen, staring.
Pei Jin’an swallowed hard.
“This woman… is she crazy?”