Just as Old Madam Qiao was feeling unconcerned…
Nan Lingyi spoke up.
“But we couldn’t possibly have seen it wrong.”
Sister-in-law Li, worried about her granddaughter, rushed out as well, alertly pulling her granddaughter away from Old Madam Qiao.
Old Madam Qiao’s expression changed. She hadn’t expected to be witnessed, which only made her glare more viciously at Qiao Lihua, suspecting the child had deliberately led people here.
Did she think she didn’t know? This granddaughter was always whispering in secret with Li Jiaojiao!
Since she had been exposed anyway, she simply hardened her face. “I’m disciplining my own granddaughter. I advise you people not to stick your noses where they don’t belong!”
With that, regardless of whether Qiao Lihua was comfortable, she grabbed her and tried to drag her away.
Nan Lingyi laughed in anger. Enough was enough—no need to endure anymore. She directly seized Old Madam Qiao by the hair, flung her aside, and then delivered two hard slaps, left and right.
In an instant, Old Madam Qiao howled in pain, eyes wide, completely unable to believe she had actually been hit.
“Y-you dared to hit me?”
In her entire life, she had been doted on by her parents, cherished by her husband, respected by her son. No one had ever dared lay a finger on her.
Ahhh—
Today, she had actually been beaten.
Nan Lingyi snorted coldly. “I hit you, and so what? I’m hitting you, you old hag—do I need to pick an auspicious day to slap you?”
As she spoke, the elderly woman suddenly turned innocently toward Sister-in-law Li and said, “Sister-in-law, could you help me hire a lawyer? Her face seems to have damaged my hand. It hurts so much…”
“Hmph. She even treats her own granddaughter like that—no wonder she bullies an old woman like me.”
Nan Lingyi plopped straight down on the ground and began crying, slapping her thighs dramatically.
Old Madam Qiao stood there dumbfounded. In her entire life, she had never encountered such tactics.
She instinctively looked toward Sister-in-law Li. She knew this woman’s character—there was no way she would fabricate stories with a straight face. But in the very next second, Old Madam Qiao was proven wrong.
Because Sister-in-law Li’s eyes darted around, and she let out a wail, hugging Nan Lingyi and crying loudly, “My poor sister! I’ll definitely testify for you and help you get justice!”
Nan Lingyi felt not the slightest bit ashamed. This was called using someone’s own methods against them.
Old Madam Qiao hurt Qiao Lihua and then forced the child to claim she’d fallen on her own. So now that Nan Lingyi had hit Old Madam Qiao, naturally, it could also be said that Old Madam Qiao had hit her.
After all, in this world, force worked both ways.
Perfectly logical.
Old Madam Qiao realized she wasn’t going to come out on top. She didn’t want to get dragged into legal trouble, so she stiffened her face and asked, “What do you want?”
She usually abused Qiao Lihua behind closed doors and knew full well how such things left people with grievances they couldn’t voice. Now, with Sister-in-law Li standing firmly on this detestable old woman’s side, she was completely cornered.
She had heard that lawyers were all heartless swindlers who could turn black into white…
Qiao Lihua stood to one side, her round, wide eyes blinking as she looked at Nan Lingyi. For some reason, even though this old lady had hit someone—her grandmother, no less—she didn’t feel afraid at all. Instead, she found her oddly approachable.
Nan Lingyi immediately brushed off her pants and stood up. “There’s nowhere around here—let’s go to your place and put some ointment on it.”
Old Madam Qiao had seen shameless people before, but never anyone this shameless.
Had she ever seen someone slap another person and then demand to go to their home to treat their own hand?
Nan Lingyi casually pointed at Qiao Lihua. “You—come over and help me.”
Who knew whether Old Madam Qiao would pull some dirty trick along the way if the child followed her? Nan Lingyi wasn’t ready to reveal her identity yet, but she was determined to keep the little girl under her protection.
Qiao Lihua walked over in a daze, helping Nan Lingyi.
Her tiny body wasn’t even as tall as Nan Lingyi’s legs. Calling it “helping” was generous—she was really just holding Nan Lingyi’s hand.
The schoolbag had already been shoved into Old Madam Qiao’s hands by Nan Lingyi.
Sister-in-law Li suspected Nan Lingyi wasn’t acting without reason and followed along as well. She couldn’t let Sister Lingyi face this alone—she had to protect her.
The Qiao family lived in a shared courtyard with several other households. When Old Madam Qiao returned, everyone greeted her warmly—it was clear she maintained an excellent image with outsiders.
Nan Lingyi smiled faintly and casually pulled up a chair in the courtyard to sit.
She had come intending to see her granddaughter, so she had deliberately bought some candy. At this moment, the children in the courtyard were making a ruckus. When she handed out candy to Li Jiaojiao and Qiao Lihua, she naturally drew the attention of all the children.
Old Madam Qiao told Qiao Lihua to fetch some ointment, but Nan Lingyi flatly refused to let the girl leave her side. The old woman lifted her eyes slightly. “What? Is the ointment too heavy for you to carry?”
The children swarmed around Nan Lingyi at the sight of candy. Smiling, she set some rules. “You can’t get this candy for nothing. You have to do something for me…”
The children asked innocently, “What is it?”
Nan Lingyi’s eyes curved as she pointed toward the direction Old Madam Qiao had gone. “Help me keep an eye on her. Remember everything she does—anytime, anything. Whoever remembers best gets the biggest rewards. You want snacks, you’ll get them.”
She sneered inwardly. Old Madam Qiao used to abuse Shen Yunchu and her daughter behind people’s backs. Adults might see something and chalk it up to coincidence or hesitate to get involved. But children? They were energetic and relentless. Once they started watching, she wouldn’t have any secrets left.
The children all nodded eagerly.
Nan Lingyi generously handed each child a handful of candy. “This is the deposit. Do a good job and I’ll treat you to KFC and McDonald’s.”
All the children cheered.
Who wouldn’t want that in these times?
After that, Nan Lingyi finally removed the hand covering Qiao Lihua’s ears and gave Li Jiaojiao a quiet “shh.”
Old Madam Qiao was already in a foul mood, and the noise from the kids only made her look worse. Still, when she came out, she forced a smile. “This ointment works very well. Apply it and then you should go…”
Sister-in-law Li trusted Nan Lingyi. Since Lingyi suggested Lihua might be her relative, she planned to have her family quietly look into it as well.
Nan Lingyi glanced at Old Madam Qiao with a half-smile. Thinking of how, in the original plot, this woman drove Shen Yunchu and her daughter to their deaths, she resolved to make her reputation rot and leave her isolated.
She wasn’t in a hurry—this was only the first step.
Nan Lingyi took the ointment. To get her to leave, Old Madam Qiao had truly splurged, even taking out the most expensive Honghua Oil in the house.
She beckoned. “Lihua, come here.”
Then she carefully disinfected and applied medicine to Qiao Lihua’s forehead, gently blowing on it after. Her voice was soft. “Does it hurt?”
Qiao Lihua didn’t answer. She looked at Nan Lingyi. The old lady in front of her reminded her of her mother.
She shook her head, lowering her gaze and tugging at her clothes. “It doesn’t hurt… I’m used to it.”
(End of Chapter)