Qin Dashu had always obeyed whatever his mother said without question.
Qin Daya also understood the hidden meaning behind her grandmother’s words. Together with her father, she dragged and pulled Qin Dabao over by force.
While crying and struggling, Qin Dabao shouted:
“No! I don’t want to become your eldest son! I don’t want to!”
Qin Daya directly smacked him on the head.
“Shut up.”
“I’m your older sister now. If you don’t listen, I’ll beat you until you do.”
Qin Dabao immediately quieted down.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiaocao burst into loud sobs.
“You people are bullying us too much!”
But the moment Li Xiaoxiao shot her a sharp glare, she instantly fell silent again.
Li Xiaoxiao turned toward the clan elders and said calmly:
“It’s my fault for disturbing the elders’ rest so late at night.”
“But I still ask that tomorrow, when the ancestral hall opens, Qin Dabao be officially adopted under my eldest son’s name.”
“What do the elders think?”
“No way!”
Before the elders could even respond, Qin Dacai struggled upright and objected loudly.
“He’s my only son! How can he possibly be adopted out?!”
The elders all turned to look at him in unison.
Their displeasure was practically written across their faces.
Qin Dafu immediately stepped forward and scolded:
“Qin Dacai! Who are you calling ‘old man’?!”
“I mean I absolutely refuse!” Qin Dacai quickly corrected himself while softening his tone.
“Dabao is my only son. If he gets adopted away, won’t my family line end?”
“If you refused,” Qin Youqing asked coldly, “then why has your family repeatedly gone around claiming your elder aunt’s house and land belong to you?”
“And why were you talking about selling her granddaughters?”
Qin Youqing had long despised Qin Yougui’s family for being lazy parasites.
“Your elder aunt already agreed. What right do you have to object?” Qin Youliang added.
“Elder Auntie!”
A woman’s anxious voice suddenly came from outside.
“You slut, get back home! This isn’t your place to speak!”
Qin Dacai roared furiously.
The newcomer was Qin Dacai’s wife, Madam Wang.
When she was young, Wang Shi had been one of the prettiest women in the village.
She was hardworking and capable too, with countless marriage proposals coming her way.
One day, while washing clothes by the river, she caught Qin Dacai’s eye.
He immediately pushed his parents to arrange a marriage proposal.
But Wang Shi’s parents disliked his terrible reputation and refused.
So Qin Dacai turned vicious.
When Wang Shi went out cutting pig grass one day, he assaulted her and ruined her reputation.
Left with no choice, her parents were forced to marry her off to him.
After bringing her home, Qin Dacai constantly abused her to “make her accept reality,” leaving her body covered in bruises.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiaocao dumped all household labor onto her as well.
Wang Shi’s life had been utterly miserable.
And now she had to watch her only son slowly being ruined too.
How could she not hate them?
Ignoring Qin Dacai entirely, Wang Shi entered the room and immediately knelt before the hall, kowtowing heavily.
“Clan elders, Elder Auntie…”
“Our family acted improperly in this matter.”
“I only have Qin Dabao as my son. Qin Dacai has already tortured my body to the point where I can’t have more children.”
“He absolutely cannot be adopted away.”
“Elder Auntie, I know you’re angry. I also failed to raise Dabao properly.”
“You are the elder. No matter how you discipline him, it is deserved.”
At the sight of his mother arriving, Qin Dabao immediately burst into tears.
“Mom! Save me!”
“I was wrong! I’ll listen to you from now on!”
Wang Shi looked at her son before continuing:
“Elder Auntie, I can’t control what Qin Dacai’s family thinks or does.”
“But I can control my own son.”
“And after today’s lesson, I believe he’s learned something.”
“Elder Auntie… please have mercy on me.”
As she spoke, she repeatedly slammed her forehead against the floor.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Even Li Xiaoxiao’s head started hurting just from watching her.
“Enough.”
“I’m not interested in raising your son anyway.”
“Take him and leave.”
Li Xiaoxiao gestured for Qin Dashu and Qin Daya to release Qin Dabao.
The instant he regained freedom, Qin Dabao rushed into his mother’s arms crying pitifully.
“Mom, I was wrong!”
“I’ll listen to you from now on!”
“I don’t want to become Great-Grandma’s grandson anymore, okay?”
Although heartbroken, Wang Shi knew perfectly well that Qin Dabao had already been spoiled rotten by his grandparents and father.
She forced him to kneel beside her.
“Kowtow and apologize to Great-Grandma.”
Qin Dacai and Yang Xiaocao wanted to object, but after seeing the elders’ expressions, neither dared make a sound.
“Great-Grandma… I was wrong…”
Qin Dabao obediently kowtowed and admitted his mistake.
“And apologize to your eldest uncle and eldest aunt, second uncle and second aunt, third uncle and third aunt, and all your older sisters too!” Wang Shi demanded sternly.
Gone was Qin Dabao’s arrogance from earlier that day.
He now understood clearly:
Only his mother could save him.
So he obediently followed every instruction she gave.
“Enough already. All of you leave,” Li Xiaoxiao dismissed them impatiently.
Wang Shi hurriedly thanked her before taking her son and leaving quickly.
Seeing Li Xiaoxiao finally willing to let the matter go, the clan elders all secretly breathed sighs of relief.
“Not so fast!”
Qin Dacai suddenly shouted righteously.
“That old woman beat me and my father like this—she has to compensate us!”
“You disrespectful brat!”
Qin Youzhang slammed the table angrily.
“That’s your elder aunt!”
At that exact moment, Qin Youfu’s ancestral spirit tablet on the altar suddenly toppled over with terrible timing.
Qin Youzhang hurriedly picked it back up and set it upright again.
Then he pointed at Qin Dacai and scolded:
“If your elder uncle’s spirit is truly watching from heaven, your family won’t have good days ahead!”
“Well, compensation isn’t impossible,” Li Xiaoxiao suddenly sighed dramatically.
“When his grandparents passed away, all the house and land were inherited by my younger brother-in-law.”
“Logically speaking, shouldn’t their funeral expenses have been his responsibility?”
“At minimum, our families should’ve split the costs equally.”
“But back then, the coffin money and funeral banquet expenses were all paid by me alone.”
“Even though they treated me, a widow, so terribly while alive, I still didn’t want them leaving this world without peace.”
She even pretended to wipe nonexistent tears from her eyes.
“So let’s deduct your medical expenses from that debt.”
“When it’s fully repaid, then we can discuss compensation again.”
“As for paying you cash right now?”
“I don’t have any.”
“It all went toward your grandparents’ funeral.”
Her voice suddenly turned ice-cold.
“You— you—”
Qin Dacai was so stunned he couldn’t even find words to argue back.
“Enough. This matter is settled,” Qin Youzhang declared quickly.
“Everyone disperse.”
He knew if this discussion continued any longer, Li Xiaoxiao might genuinely pull out the cleaver again.
After all, hadn’t her sons, daughters-in-law, and granddaughters all been clutching weapons this entire time without letting go once?
“Wait.”
Li Xiaoxiao suddenly spoke again.
“My offering table was damaged by Qin Dacai.”
“That’s good wood. Worth at least one tael of silver.”
“He needs to pay before leaving.”
“Otherwise tomorrow they’ll pretend they owe nothing.”
As she spoke, she casually pulled the cleaver out from behind her back.
The three clan elders immediately felt their eyelids twitch violently.
In the end, they ordered Yang Xiaocao—who was still capable of walking—to return home and fetch the silver before finally allowing the mother and son to leave.
As Qin Dacai exited the hall, he turned back and shot Li Xiaoxiao a vicious glare.
Li Xiaoxiao instantly understood:
This matter was far from over.
Without warning, she yanked the curved blade embedded in the offering table free and hurled it forcefully outward.
WHOOSH!
The knife flew directly past Qin Dacai’s ear—
and embedded itself deeply into the peach tree in the courtyard.
“Take your garbage with you.”
Qin Dafu, who was supporting Qin Dacai, nearly threw the man aside from fright.
The clan elders watching the scene felt their temples throbbing painfully.
Looking at Qin Dacai’s family only worsened their headaches.
No.
They absolutely needed to leave immediately and rest properly tonight.
Accepting his fate, Qin Dafu stepped forward, pulled the blade from the tree, and turned toward Li Xiaoxiao with a bitter smile.
“Auntie, you’ve worked hard today.”
“Please rest early.”
“I’ll take this away right now.”
Behind Li Xiaoxiao, her entire family stared at her in awe.
Their mother—
their grandmother—
had somehow become even more terrifyingly powerful than before.