Li Luoyu frowned. Even though she knew those things were just ordinary items, seeing her belongings smashed to pieces right in front of her still made her inexplicably angry.
This time, she didn’t bother holding back. With a flick of her wrist, a pair of chopsticks shot out, piercing straight through the wrist of a thug who was swinging a club at a Xiang embroidery screen.
“Ahhh—my hand!”
The thug screamed and staggered back, his stick clattering to the ground. The others froze in shock, all turning to look at their leader in disbelief.
Li Luoyu calmly picked up another pair of chopsticks and continued eating.
“I already said—no smashing or damaging anything in my house.”
Another thug with a scarred face licked his canine teeth and pulled out a switchblade from behind his waist. “Got some guts, huh…”
Before he could lunge, another pair of chopsticks flew out. Clang! The switchblade dropped to the floor, and two chopsticks were embedded in his wrist, blood streaming down.
The director of the “Cut-Tail Committee” swallowed hard.
Is this Little for real?
“Think it through,” Li Luoyu said, picking up a third pair of chopsticks and casually picking up food. Sunlight streamed in where she sat, casting a cold gleam over her that made no one dare underestimate her. “Are you going to keep smashing things, or search properly?”
The director’s face darkened. His fingers brushed the gun at his waist. They were men who risked their lives for a living—when had they ever been this humiliated? And yet… he wasn’t sure his bullet would be faster than her chopsticks.
At that moment, several of her grandfather’s old friends from the same compound hurried over.
Old Master Liu, over sixty, came storming in, shouting from afar, “Little Li! Little Li! Don’t be afraid—Grandpa Liu’s here!”
Right behind him, Granny Li followed, leaning on her jujube-wood cane, her silver hair messy in the wind but her voice loud and firm. “Little Li, Granny Li’s here too! Let’s see which bastards dare bully you!”
Grandpa Wei, with a leather ammo pouch still hanging from his waist from his army days, grabbed a shovel from the corner of the yard and charged in. “Little Li, Grandpa Wei’s here! With me backing you, those little brats won’t get away with this!”
Granny Wu clutched her polished brass pipe, her narrowed eyes flashing with the same ferocity she had when fighting the Japanese in her youth. “That’s right! Little Li, back in my day those devils would detour when they saw me—we’re not afraid of these scoundrels!”
Two younger figures pushed through the crowd. Wei Jianguo rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight. “Xiao Li, your Brother Wei’s here—I’ve got your back!”
Behind him, Qi Xiaofei whipped out a whip from her waist. “Xiao Li, don’t be scared—your Sister Qi will beat them to death!”
But when the whole group squeezed into the house and saw Li Luoyu calmly eating, along with two committee members clutching their bleeding wrists, the scene froze for a moment.
Li Luoyu smiled and stood up, ushering them to sit at the dining table. Then she ran back to the kitchen and brought out bowls of porridge that Aunt Zhang had cooked early that morning, serving each of them a bowl.
“Grandpas, Grandmas, Xiaofei, Xiao Jian—you haven’t eaten breakfast yet, right? Have some first. Aunt Zhang made it this morning. There are some pickles too—just make do.”
Wei Jianguo obediently sat down, rolling his eyes. “How many times have I told you—don’t call me Xiao Jian!”
“Xiao Jian, Xiao Jian, Xiao Jian.” Qi Xiaofei teased him, making faces as she took the bowl and started eating. “Mmm, Xiao Li, how did you know I hadn’t had breakfast? I won’t hold back—I’m starving.”
The elders also smiled and accepted the bowls. “That’s right, we didn’t eat much this morning either. Let’s eat while watching them search.”
Grandpa Wei took a big gulp of plain porridge and glanced at Wang Weihua, the stunned committee director standing by the door. “Hey, Xiao Wang, hurry it up. Don’t hold up our meal.”
Wang Weihua’s forehead was covered in cold sweat. In front of these people, he didn’t dare act arrogantly. He forced an awkward smile, uglier than crying. “Yes, yes… it’s all a misunderstanding.”
Before he could finish, one of his subordinates accidentally kicked over a piece of blue-and-white porcelain. The cracking sound made his temples throb. He spun around and roared, “What are you waiting for? Hurry up! Finish the search so we can go back and eat!”
“Hey, you!” He kicked a flat-top thug who was about to smash a bookshelf again, leaving a dusty shoe print on his back. “Stop smashing things all the time! Can you afford to compensate for damaging socialist property?!”
The thugs shrank back and dispersed, no longer daring to smash anything, instead searching politely through corners.
Out of the corner of his eye, Wang Weihua saw Li Luoyu chatting with the old leaders while eating leisurely. He suddenly recalled how she had nailed chopsticks through his men’s wrists. His throat bobbed as he swallowed.
Is she even human?
How come no one ever said this little girl was this terrifying?
These elders were no ordinary people—they were titans in the military world. No matter how well-connected he was, he wouldn’t dare gamble against them.
Damn Jiang Qinghui. Who knew where he had disappeared to early this morning? This job should have been his. If he had come to search his niece’s house, there would have been more drama to watch.
What a miscalculation!
When he got back, he’d definitely make things difficult for him.
Soon, a subordinate reported, “Boss, we didn’t find anything. The house is completely empty—so clean there isn’t even a scrap of paper.”
“Yeah, boss—even checked the rat holes. Not even a single dropping.”
“It’s strange—we searched every corner, even dug under the big tree in the yard and the vegetable patch. Nothing at all. It’s too clean.”
Wang Weihua stroked his chin and thought for a moment. “Pack up. We’re leaving.”
“You all take your time eating—we’ll be going.”
With that, he turned and left with his men without looking back.
The elders finished their porridge. The smiles on their faces faded, replaced with grim expressions—especially Old Master Liu, who looked like he wanted to shoot whoever had reported this on the spot.
Li Luoyu shook her head with a smile. “Grandpa Liu, do you know when my grandfather can come home? His health isn’t good—I’m worried.”
Old Master Liu sighed heavily. “Little Li, don’t worry too much. Today I’ll go with Old Wei to speak to our former superiors. By tonight, your grandfather should be able to return home. It’s just…”
“Thank you, Grandpa Liu, Grandpa Wei. Wherever my grandfather goes, I’ll go too,” Li Luoyu said firmly, understanding what he left unsaid. “Only with me by his side can he feel at ease.”
The elders sighed, their eyes full of concern.
The Li family Little had learned excellent martial arts from her grandfather since childhood. Handling a few petty troublemakers was nothing for her. With her around, Old Li might be able to endure whatever hardships lay ahead.
Wei Jianguo and Qi Xiaofei didn’t know how to comfort her either, both looking dejected.
Li Luoyu suddenly joked, “Grandpa Liu, if I can choose the location, I want to go to the Northeast. I’m lazy—I don’t like working.”
Old Master Liu laughed, pointing at her. “You!”
Li Luoyu poked at Qi Xiaofei’s drooping eyelids. “Alright, Xiao Qi, Xiao Wei, stop looking so gloomy. It’s not like I won’t come back. At worst, you two can just send me more good food. I love the almond pastries from the state-run food store on Heping Road—don’t be stingy with your ration coupons.”
Qi Xiaofei sniffed and slapped her hand away. “Fine. I’ll send you some every month.”
“And Xiao Jian,” Li Luoyu added, “why don’t you two just get married? I’ve already broken the ice for you. With how timid you are, I’m afraid that in three to five years when I come back, I still won’t get to attend your wedding.”
Wei Jianguo, who was pouring water, jerked in shock, spilling hot water onto his shoes. Ignoring the burn, he rushed forward to cover her mouth, his face flushed red. “Don’t listen to her nonsense!”
Qi Xiaofei’s face turned bright red as well, pretending to act coy. “Okay, I won’t listen.”
Li Luoyu rolled her eyes. “……”
Meanwhile, Grandpa Wei, who had already walked some distance away, suddenly stopped, turned back, grabbed Li Luoyu’s arm, and asked excitedly, “Little Li, is what you said true?”
Li Luoyu gestured with her chin. “Just look at how awkward those two are—they’re practically twisting themselves into knots.”
“Hahaha! I’ve got to hurry home and discuss this!”
After seeing all the elders off, Li Luoyu quickly washed the dishes, wiped the table, tidied herself up, and prepared to head out.