After all, dealing with Song Chunfang was something she could handle on her own. She planned to confront the scoundrel directly!

“It’s nothing. You all keep working hard!”

She shouldered her hoe and walked away with determination, leaving Li Auntie struggling to keep up.

Aunt Li called out, “Second Lady, wait for me! I’m coming with you!”

Fang Dihua was already quite far away.

Auntie Li had to run desperately to catch up, and when others saw her in a hurry, they asked what was happening.

Auntie Li, seeing it was an old acquaintance of the Lu family, didn’t hide anything and immediately rallied support for Fang Dihua.

A few other women, hearing about it, abandoned their work in the fields and ran towards Song Chunfang’s house, soon gathering more local women who weren’t working in the fields.

In those days, without the legal systems of the future, village disputes were usually resolved by the villagers themselves.

If you couldn’t win an argument, you’d fight it out.

As long as no one was killed, it mostly ended with village elders or officials mediating.

Winning this fight was enough!

At this moment, the sun was still in the southeast.

Lin Shu was sitting in the main room, listening to Song Chunfang’s slander while making shoes.

The shoe soles were ready-made; she only needed to finish the upper parts.

The shoes were for Lu’s second wife, whose feet were the same size as Lin Shu’s but wider.

Lin Shu deliberately made the shoes a bit narrower.

She measured and adjusted them, making sure they would fit perfectly.

Behind the house, Song Chunfang was speaking loudly, surrounded by a few idle women who gossiped shamelessly about Lin Shu.

“I heard that Old Wang from the back village just lost his wife and is looking to marry again. Maybe he’ll propose to Lin Shu.”

“Old Wang? Didn’t he lose his wife? Isn’t he in his forties?”

“So what? Men in their forties are still considered desirable. If she has two kids, she’s considered less valuable and must marry an older man. Does she expect to marry a young bachelor? How naive!”

“Second Aunt might not even arrange the marriage.”

“If she doesn’t get married, will she just stay home and flirt with his two Elder Brother?”

“They say she’s thin-skinned, but she doesn’t seem to be seeking death; she’s just staying at home.”

“Thin-skinned? More like she’s just convenient for seducing men.”

Lin Shu thought, These pests! The original owner was driven to death by their constant mental attacks!

Just wait!

Recently, she had subtly signaled her mother-in-law that someone was badmouthing her behind the house, which made her feel distressed.

Fang Dihua had secretly given her five dollars, suggesting she go to the city to see her second sister and get checked out at the hospital.

Lin Shu refused, but her reddened eyes were clearly visible and pitiful.

The gossiping women grew more audacious, their language becoming increasingly vulgar.

Lin Shu considered confronting them directly when suddenly, a furious shout came from behind the house: “You shameless women, spreading rumors with your filthy tongues! Do you think that if you don’t create trouble, you’ll rot in misery? You’re a disgrace to the ancestors and a bad influence on your children. I’d rather see you thrown out and fed to wild dogs!”

Such a harsh and poisonous curse!

The women were instantly terrified!

They never expected Fang Dihua to show up at this time because they were sure she usually returned home around noon to bring lunch, so she shouldn’t be back yet.

Even if she had returned early, they would have seen her passing by the alley, so her sudden appearance was unexpected!

Where did she come from?

The group of women scattered in a panic, trying to escape quickly.

Fang Dihua wouldn’t let them get away!

She turned her hoe around and, gripping the iron head tightly, swung it hard at Song Chunfang’s shoulder!

Song Chunfang ducked and ran, but another blow landed on her leg, causing her to cry out in pain and fall to the ground, screaming, “Mother, they’re killing me! Help, help…”

Two of the other women fled east, and two ran west, all in a state of panic.

Fang Dihua knocked down two of them with a swing of her hoe.

The remaining two heading east were blocked by Aunt Li and several other women.

These women also grabbed sticks from the roadside grass piles and, avoiding the heads, began to beat and hit fiercely!

The two women who were struck down begged for mercy, shouting, “Don’t hit us, don’t hit us…”

But the other women were not inclined to listen.

They aimed their blows at the places least likely to be seen and hit mercilessly.

You thought the daughter-in-law of Shaotang was too timid to speak up? Now, let’s see if you can stay silent and endure!

I’ll beat you into silence!

The worst off was Song Chunfang.

Fang Dihua directly grabbed her and slapped her ten times in a row.

Soon, the village’s elders, old people, and children who hadn’t gone to work gathered around.

Some ran to the fields to inform the production team leader.

Song Chunfang’s husband, Chang Dazhi, along with Old Changtou and Chang Laopo, rushed over.

Other men from the households of the four women came, while some men and in-laws did not show up.

“Help, they’re killing people…”

Song Chunfang’s cries were muffled and incoherent.

Chang Dazhi, seeing his wife being slapped into a pig’s head, was immediately filled with distress and anger.

He said, “Second Lady, I respect you as an elder…”

Fang Dihua snapped back, “Respect me? Today, I’ll hit you too! You can’t be different from her in bed! If she’s behaving like this, you’re no better!”

Chang Dazhi, feeling guilty and ashamed, was infuriated.

He rushed to shove Fang Dihua.

Fang Dihua didn’t hold back.

She hit him on the arm with the hoe and then delivered a powerful kick to his stomach, sending him tumbling.

Chang Dazhi got up, his eyes red with rage, “You—”

He wanted to fight Fang Dihua, but was immediately swarmed and beaten by the women.

“What’s wrong? Do you want to hit Second Lady too?”

“Are you rebelling? Dare to lift a finger? We’ll send you to the commune!”

With so many women around, Chang Dazhi couldn’t fight them off.

He was beaten and had to flee, clutching his head in panic.

Old Chang was deeply distressed and repeatedly bowed, saying, “Sister-in-law, how can you say such things? Why would you beat someone like this out of the blue? If the child has done something wrong, you should teach her, but you can’t just resort to physical violence…”

Fang Dihua sneered.

Was he pretending to be innocent?

She threw Song Chunfang to the ground like a rag and coldly said to Old Chang and his wife, “Don’t pretend you don’t know about your daughter-in-law’s slander and false accusations! She’s been spreading rumors here, haven’t you heard about it at home?”

“You, as elders, haven’t stopped her and have let her spread nonsense?”

“I suspect you’re complicit in her gossiping! If it weren’t for your age, I’d have beaten you both along with her!”

Chang Dazhi roared angrily, “That’s not true! We live a peaceful life and have never talked about you!”

Old Chang’s wife started crying on the spot, wailing, “We haven’t done anything! Oh my goodness, we’re being beaten like this without cause! Don’t frame us, oh heavens—”

Aunt Li disdainfully said, “Old Chang’s family, stop the theatrics. Today, we caught your daughter-in-law red-handed.

They were plotting how to harm Shaotang’s wife!

Some wanted to hang her with a rope, others wanted to throw her into the South River.

Such malicious intentions! Do you know that conspiring against military families could get you executed? Do you deny the rumors? Just watch if she dares to admit it!”

The onlookers commented, “They’re so wicked, they deserve to be beaten! Beat them hard!”

The four gossipy women, terrified by Aunt Li’s accusations, hurriedly shook their heads and insisted they were innocent. “I didn’t want to harm anyone. I didn’t spread rumors!”

They all turned to Song Chunfang, exclaiming in unison, “It was all Song Chunfang’s doing! She said she heard it clearly behind the house, and we were all deceived by her! We didn’t know anything!”