Chen Qingqing knew that in ancient times, for a woman to be divorced by her husband was a deep humiliation.
She would be despised by others, unwelcome in her own maiden home, seen as a disgrace to the family name.
Unable to contain her anger, she took a step forward and demanded coldly,“May I ask—what exactly did my mother do wrong? On what grounds do you have my father cast her off?”
Old Madam Chen froze for a moment, turning toward Chen Qingqing.
Seeing the girl’s clear, determined gaze fixed directly on her, she felt a tremor in her heart.
This wretched girl had always been timid—never dared speak loudly before others.
What had gotten into her today? How dare she talk back?
Fuming, the old woman snatched up a wooden stick and swung it at Chen Qingqing while cursing furiously, “Your father divorces his wife because I say so! Why should I need a reason?”
Chen Qingqing let out a cold laugh.“That won’t do. If you dare to stir up trouble again, I’ll go to the magistrate and have them judge fairly for my mother.”
Old Madam Chen had only meant to scare Lin Shi, but being threatened by a young girl sent her into a rage. “You dare threaten me, you insolent brat! I’ll skin you alive today!”
Chen Qingqing nimbly dodged the swinging stick.
She was no longer the original timid girl who only wept and endured when beaten.
She was a medical genius from the twenty-first century—how could she let herself be bullied in ancient times?
She grabbed the stick out of Old Madam Chen’s hands. “Skin me alive? Dream on. Try hitting me again—I dare you.”
The old woman was stunned that the girl actually fought back. Her face flushed with anger as she barked,“You rebellious wretch! I rule this household! You eat my food and drink my water, and now you dare defy me? Let go! I’ll beat you to death!”
She tried to yank the stick back, but Chen Qingqing’s grip was firm.
The girl’s lips curled in a mischievous smile. “You want it? Sure—take it.”
She suddenly let go.
The old woman, pulling with all her strength, lost her balance and fell flat on her back, legs flailing in the air—a most undignified sight.
“Oh no! What if she’s hurt?” Lin Shi(Madam Lin) turned pale and hurried to help her up.“Mother, are you all right?”
“You worthless thing!” the old woman shrieked, slapping Lin Shi across the face.“You let your daughter bully me! I’ll beat you to death too!”
Ignoring the pain, Lin Shi trembled as she pleaded,“Mother, Qing girl didn’t mean it. Please, get up—the ground is cold.”
Seeing the red handprint swelling on her mother’s face, Chen Qingqing’s heart ached. She stepped forward to pull her away.“Mother, don’t mind her. She’s fine—won’t die that easily.”
Old Madam Chen’s eyes rolled back in fury.“Y-you wicked brat—!”
She clutched her bruised backside, howling like a pig being slaughtered.“Murder! This evil girl wants to kill me, her own grandmother!”
Hearing the commotion, Chen Zhancai and his wife—who had been flirting inside—hurried out. They rushed to help the old woman up.“Mother, what happened?”
“My dear son!” the old woman cried, pointing a shaking finger at Chen Qingqing.“That cursed wretch tried to kill your poor old mother! She hit me! You must teach her a lesson!”
“Mother, calm down.”
Chen Zhancai shot a cold glare at Chen Qingqing and barked,“What’s wrong with you, child? How dare you show such disrespect to your grandmother? If she were badly hurt, you’d be condemned by the whole family—burned at the stake wouldn’t be too much!”
“She fell herself—what’s that got to do with me?”
“Still talking back?” he snapped. “If you’d been obedient and agreed to marry Butcher Li, easing our family’s burden, would your grandmother be so angry? You’ve really grown unruly!”
Chen Qingqing glanced at him—thin brows like brooms, shifty triangular eyes, pale skin. He looked every bit the lazy leech, still dreaming of scholarly success while his family starved.
She sneered.“Third Uncle, don’t you feel ashamed saying that? If not for you, would I be sold to that butcher in the first place?”
His face turned red with fury.“Nonsense! How can you say that? Your grandmother worked hard to arrange a good match for you! Marry into the Li family and you’ll eat your fill and wear fine clothes—that’s fortune smiling on you! You really don’t know what’s good for you.”
Liu Fengjiao quickly chimed in,“Qing girl, your uncle’s right. You’re not a child anymore. Your grandmother went through great trouble to find such a good match—you mustn’t waste it.”
Chen Qingqing smiled coldly.“If you all think it’s such a good match, why doesn’t Third Uncle marry his daughter, Chen Ruolan, into the Li family instead?”
Chen Zhancai’s face darkened. Ruolan was his own daughter, a delicate little beauty destined to marry into wealth or nobility—how could she marry a butcher?
Forcing a smile, he said,“Qing girl, if Ruolan weren’t so young, would this fine match have fallen to you? You should be grateful.”
Chen Qingqing folded her arms.“Third Uncle, are you sure your brain isn’t addled from studying? Ruolan and I are the same age—she’s only two months younger. Since you say marrying Butcher Li is such a blessing, I won’t compete with her for it.”
“Two months younger is still younger! Since when does the elder sister not marry first? You just be obedient and marry now—your Ruolan sister can wait.”
Chen Qingqing chuckled coldly.“That’s strange. If I remember right, when you and Third Aunt married, wasn’t her elder sister still unmarried? And didn’t you two tie the knot anyway? Everyone in Nanshan Village knows that story.”
Lin Shi, catching on, added fuel to the fire.“That’s true. I recall you hadn’t even been formally betrothed before you two… got involved. Ruolan came along first, so you had to rush the wedding. Barely half a year after marrying, she gave birth.”
Hearing that, Chen Qingqing silently gave her mother a mental thumbs-up to the sky, barely suppressing a grin.
“Oh, so Third Uncle and Third Aunt were lovers before marriage, eh?” she said sweetly.
Chen Zhancai’s face went purple. Words caught in his throat before he finally stammered,“Y-you—you’re all rebelling!”
Liu Fengjiao’s face turned pale, then green.
She had been young back then, charmed by his looks and reputation as a “village prodigy” destined for scholarly glory. Afraid another girl might snatch him, she had taken matters into her own hands.
But years passed, and he never even passed the preliminary exams. Thinking of that now filled her with regret.
Having her past exposed in public made her furious. Her brows arched sharply as she planted her hands on her hips and shouted,“You shameless girl! You’ll marry whoever we tell you to marry—enough of your nonsense!”
Old Madam Chen’s cheeks twitched with rage.“Such an insolent brat! Ruolan will be the wife of a scholar one day. You and your father are mere peasants—how dare you compare yourselves to her? Letting Ruolan marry that butcher? You’ve got some nerve saying that!”