“That’s all your own people! That old witch Zhou Jinhua is on your side too—of course she’s speaking for you!” Gu Lao Da said coldly.
Feng Liren furrowed his brows tightly, troubled and at a loss. He knew Gu Rong was probably telling the truth, but there was no evidence. They couldn’t just go searching through the Old Gu family’s belongings.
“Rong’er!”
At this moment, Gu Jiu had just returned with Li Dazhao after chopping wood. From far away, she saw a crowd gathered. Pushing through, she saw that the crying child was her younger sister.
“Sister… sob sob… they stole Xiao Man’s roasted pigeon and ate it! They also took a sack of our white rice! Granny Zhou even fainted! Sister, I failed you… I didn’t protect our food…” Gu Rong cried as soon as she saw her elder sister, pouring out everything in one breath.
Gu Jiu looked down at her sister’s palm—raw flesh was exposed where the skin had broken open, and her new clothes were covered in dirt.
Her anger surged straight to her head.
Just seeing Gu Rong’s tear-streaked face was enough to break her heart. Heaven knew what would have happened if she had arrived even a little later—her sister might have been bullied even worse by the Old Gu family.
Gu Jiu still held the axe she had used for chopping wood, her whole body radiating killing intent. Her sharp gaze swept over the two little bastards who had stolen their food, and she raised the axe as if she was about to strike.
The people in front of her immediately scattered in fear.
The Old Gu family had already learned how fierce Gu Jiu was before. They knew this girl had gone crazy more than once, her strength terrifying, and she was as slippery as an eel—none of them could beat her alone.
If they wanted to subdue her, they would have to go in together.
But Gu Jiu moved like a bolt of lightning. In an instant, she had already rushed forward, grabbed Gu Zhi Shu and Gu Da Li, and flung them to the ground. The two boys screamed in pain as they hit the dirt.
With sharp eyes, she also spotted the pigeon bones in the fire pit. She swung her axe down, splitting open the firewood pile, and dug out a heap of pigeon bones, placing them in front of everyone.
Li Dazhao also came over. As a seasoned hunter, he recognized them immediately.
“These are pigeon bones. Old Master Gu, how are you still going to argue?”
Gu Jiu stepped on both Gu Zhi Shu and Gu Da Li with her feet, standing over them domineeringly. The sharp edge of the axe hovered above their heads—if they moved even slightly, it would press against the back of their skulls. The two boys immediately burst into terrified sobs.
“Grandpa! Grandma! Save us! This little bitch is going to kill me!”
“I don’t want to die! Waaaahhh…”
Gu Jiu showed no patience at all.
“Old Master Gu, Old Madam Zhao, your two grandsons ate my roasted pigeons. You’ll pay three hundred wen in compensation, and immediately hand over our white rice. Otherwise, I’ll chop off their heads and use them as balls!”
The crowd was stunned into silence. What shocked the villagers even more was Gu Jiu’s ruthless decisiveness.
Feng Liren said nothing. Perhaps now, only this girl’s fierceness could suppress the shameless, troublemaking Old Gu family.
If Gu Jiu couldn’t stand her ground, those children wouldn’t survive the journey ahead either.
Gu Lao Da and Mrs. Wu were both panicking, terrified that their precious sons would be hurt.
“Mother, let’s just take out the white rice and return it to Gu Jiu! Zhi Shu and Da Li can’t be harmed!” Wu Shi cried as she rushed toward their basket, trying to retrieve the rice.
“Big sister-in-law, why panic? That little wretch is just putting on a show with that axe. She’s bluffing! Does she really have the guts to kill anyone?” Gu Lao Er stopped her, laughing as he tried to calm her down.
Old Master Gu and Old Madam Zhao hesitated as well. Gu Jiu had become fierce lately, but she had never actually killed anyone before.
Wu Shi didn’t care anymore—after all, they weren’t her children, so of course the second branch could speak without pressure. She shoved Gu Lao Er aside and pulled the white rice out of the basket.
“The rice is here! Let my two sons go!” she shouted, throwing the rice over.
Gu Rong quickly picked it up and held it tightly in her arms.
“You wretched woman from the eldest branch! Who told you to hand it over!” Old Madam Zhao screamed in rage when she saw the rice gone, grabbing a broom and trying to beat Wu Shi.
“Mother-in-law, I was just trying to save your precious grandsons!” Wu Shi wailed in protest.
“They also ate my family’s pigeons! Pay compensation first, then I’ll release them!” Gu Jiu said coldly, her tone leaving no room for negotiation.