Ruan Tong never imagined they were mutually abusive toward each other. However, judging by the situation, Gu Rong still somewhat regarded Xu Yan as his wife and hadn’t truly gone all out.
When it came to other people’s family matters, Ruan Tong didn’t ask, and with Gu Bai’s reserved nature, he would absolutely not bring it up.
So Ruan Tong could only continue pressing: “They usually argue fiercely, but why did they start fighting this time?”
“Because…” Gu Bai’s gaze shifted downward slightly, landing on her belly.
Ruan Tong looked at him somewhat confused.
Dabao suddenly spoke up from the side, sounding like a little adult: “It must be because Mom is pregnant with a baby!”
“?” Ruan Tong was utterly bewildered, her brows nearly twisting into knots.
Gu Bai nodded and calmly explained: “Second Brother has been married for quite a while and has always wanted a child.”
Ruan Tong suddenly understood.
So it was because her belly was “productive”—getting pregnant right after marriage—that made Xu Yan furious, and the innocent suffered along with the guilty?
What kind of nonsense was this?
Could she be blamed for having fertile soil?
Ruan Tong was speechless and looked at Gu Bai: “I didn’t expect you to be so capable…”
The suggestive remark made Gu Bai freeze for a moment before he quickly turned around, limping to the table to pour himself some water to drink.
Ruan Tong didn’t see it, but the ears of the man silently drinking water had turned red, and his face was burning hot like fire.
Ruan Tong, however, was momentarily stunned by his hurried turn. Then she remembered that people in this era were quite conservative and wouldn’t casually make risqué remarks…
Heaven knows, she really just said it offhand.
Gu Bai drank water in large gulps, his mind still echoing Ruan Tong’s words. The heat on his face continued to rise and wouldn’t fade.
The next day, during breakfast, everyone was very quiet.
Gu Qin had little appetite: “I’m not eating anymore, I’m going to school.”
Just as she walked out the main gate with her backpack, she heard someone calling her from behind.
Turning around at the sound, she saw Xu Yan chasing after her.
“Second Sister-in-law, is something wrong?” Gu Qin, having been scolded yesterday, was listless.
Xu Yan, who hadn’t slept all night, now had dark circles under her eyes that gleamed with calculation. She leaned close to Gu Qin and lowered her voice: “Qin’er, do you want to drive Ruan Tong out of the house?”
Gu Qin glanced suspiciously at Xu Yan and didn’t respond.
Before last night, she would have wished every day for Ruan Tong to hurry up and leave.
Seeing Ruan Tong made her feel uncomfortable all over.
But after experiencing her father’s harsh beating last night and her mother’s earnest reasoning, she no longer wanted such things now.
Seeing Gu Qin remain silent, Xu Yan lost patience and whispered something else in her ear.
Gu Qin’s breath caught, and she looked at her in disbelief: “Second Sister-in-law, have you gone mad?!”
Xu Yan’s face twisted, her eyes filled with a venomous resentment that made one’s scalp tingle: “Doesn’t Ruan Tong just rely on that piece of flesh in her belly? If that flesh were gone…”
The malice in her voice made Gu Qin tremble uncontrollably: “I… I won’t do it! Do it yourself if you want to!”
With that, Gu Qin hoisted her backpack and fled out the door in panic.
She ran all the way, her mind recalling Second Sister-in-law’s ferocious expression and vicious words, her little heart pounding wildly.
Second Sister-in-law was too terrifying!
She was just a child! How could she be asked to do such heinous things!
After breakfast, the men of the household all went to work in the fields.
Ruan Tong was bustling about with medicinal herbs in the room, her eyelids twitching uncontrollably, the sense of unease in her heart growing overwhelmingly strong.
It must be her overthinking things.
“Knock, knock, knock!”
Just then, a sudden knocking sounded at the door.
Ruan Tong went to the entrance and opened it.
There stood Xu Yan, grinning at the doorway, her smile looking utterly insincere.
“Don’t smile at me like that—it looks like you’re up to no good.” Ruan Tong couldn’t be bothered to play along with Xu Yan’s pretense, her tone tinged with disdain.
Sure enough, Xu Yan dropped the act, her expression instantly turning cold as she shot Ruan Tong a glare. “Someone’s outside looking for you. They said Old Gu Four fell in the fields. You’d better go check on him.”
Ruan Tong frowned slightly, immediately closed the door, and headed out.
Watching her retreating figure, Xu Yan’s face broke into a malicious, triumphant smile.
“If I’d known you were this easy to fool, I wouldn’t have needed to involve that foolish girl Gu Qin.”
With that, Gu Qin happily hummed a little tune as she returned to her own room.
As soon as Ruan Tong stepped outside, she saw a short man standing there. He was thin and dark, not someone from the village—at least, Ruan Tong had never seen him around.
“Who are you?” Ruan Tong asked warily.
“You’re Old Gu Four’s wife?” The thin, dark man squinted as he looked her up and down. “Old Gu Four fell while working in the fields. Half his leg is immobile, and it looks pretty serious. He sent me to fetch you.”
Ruan Tong grew suspicious. If Gu Bai had fallen, even if he needed her, he would have sent his second brother back. Why would he send a stranger she didn’t know?
“I’ve delivered the message. Whether you go or not is up to you.” The thin, dark man sneered, turning to leave, his narrow eyes darting around, full of calculation.
Ruan Tong thought it over. Gu Bai’s injured leg hadn’t been completely cured—it was only temporarily relieved and could flare up again at any time.
Despite her doubts, Ruan Tong followed him anyway. After all, she had her Space to rely on, so it shouldn’t be a big problem.
She followed the thin, dark man deep into the fields. There, he stopped, turned around, and leered at Ruan Tong, his face full of malice. “Little lady, you sure are bold, daring to follow a man you don’t even know!”
Ruan Tong raised an eyebrow. “So, you tricked me into coming here on purpose? Who sent you!?”
She stood her ground, assessing the man’s combat ability and the likelihood of her frail, slender frame overpowering him.
She had been working on improving her health recently and had made some progress, but she was still far from a match for a grown man.
“I’m not stupid. Why would I tell you?” The thin, dark man slowly approached. “I heard you’re good at serving others. If you serve me well, I might be in a good enough mood to tell you.”
Ruan Tong let out a cold laugh. “Oh, not only are you ugly, but you also lack any self-awareness!”
The man’s face instantly twisted with rage. “You bitch! Who are you calling ugly!?”
“Who else but you? Not only ugly, but short, shabby, and rotten to the core. How do you even keep living? What a waste of food!”
Ruan Tong glared at him fearlessly.
When dealing with scoundrels like this, she couldn’t afford to show any weakness.
“You filthy bitch! I’ll tear your mouth apart!”
With that, he lunged at Ruan Tong like a madman.
Ruan Tong sidestepped, her fingers quickly pressing several acupoints on the man’s back. Instantly, the thin, dark man’s left arm went numb.
The man found his left arm suddenly useless, instantly panicking, while his anger reached its peak: “What the hell did you do to me? Bitch! Just wait, I’ll—”
“Shut up!” Ruan Tong rolled her eyes and used her mind to retrieve a bottle of Anti-Wolf Spray from her Space.
Before she could use it, chaotic footsteps came from the grass nearby.