DLSRWAR Chapter 45 It seems to have developed a mind of its own.

In the small county town, there was little in the way of entertainment, so the idle women often gathered to gossip about the latest dramas and scandals.

Recently, the talk of the town was about the Xue family’s son, who was rumored to have a heart of stone, plotting to kill his younger half-brother born to his stepmother. Naturally, this brought out groups of people eager to gossip.

“To be so cruel at such a young age, what will he be like when he grows up?”

“Yes, for such a young child, to be so ruthless, even if Yang Guirong was harsh with him, he shouldn’t be targeting a child.”

“Children are the heart’s treasure to their mothers. It’s no wonder Yang Guirong is so determined to teach him a lesson.”

“…”

Qin Yumian had initially intended to ignore this drama, but the next moment, she heard a sharp female voice.

“Xue Qingxing, how have I ever wronged you? Why are you doing this to me and my son? If anything happens to An’er today, I—I swear, even if I die, I’ll drag you down with me!”

The boy being cursed at by the middle-aged woman tried to explain, but Yang Guirong didn’t give him a chance to speak.

She continued to berate him with a torrent of harsh words, accusing him of having a black heart, a viper’s soul, and even turning against his own brother.

“What sins have I committed? I married into your family and have never had a single good day. Now, I almost lost my own son because of you, the bringer of doom! Today, I must teach you a lesson on behalf of Old Xue.” Yang Guirong picked up a broom, poised to strike at Xue Qingxing.

Instinctively, Xue Qingxing raised his arm to shield himself and turned his face away, but the expected pain never came.

When he slowly turned his head, he saw Qin Yumian holding Yang Guirong’s hand, stopping the impending blow.

The young girl’s expression was cold, her eyes devoid of any warmth.

Yang Guirong’s eyes widened in shock. “What are you doing? Get out of my way and mind your own business.”

Qin Yumian gave the middle-aged woman a frosty glance, subtly applying a bit of force to snatch the broom from her hands before pushing the enraged woman aside.

She then turned to the stunned Xue Qingxing. “Are you okay?”

Snapping back to reality at the sound of her voice, Xue Qingxing shook his head. “I’m fine.”

Interrupted in her attempt to punish Xue Qingxing, Yang Guirong was furious. Pointing at Qin Yumian, she shouted angrily, “Who are you? What right do you have to interfere in how I discipline my son?”

Qin Yumian didn’t spare a single glance at the middle-aged woman. Instead, she turned to Xue Qingxing and asked, “What happened?”

Xue Qingxing glanced at Yang Guirong, hesitated for a few seconds, and then spoke up. “Xue Qing’an took money from my box. When I confronted him, he hit me, so I pushed him away…”

Upon hearing Xue Qingxing’s account, Yang Guirong’s face darkened. Her sharp eyes glared at the two of them. “Xue Qingxing, stop spouting nonsense. If An’er wanted something, wouldn’t I buy it for him? How could he have stolen your money? If you keep slandering my son, I’ll tear your mouth apart!”

Perhaps emboldened by someone backing him up, Xue Qingxing no longer cowered or accepted the abuse meekly. Instead, he straightened his back and retorted, “I saw him take money from my jar with my own eyes.”

Qin Yumian asked, “Can you prove that he took your money?”

Xue Qingxing nodded. “Every bill had a five-pointed star folded into it. There should be creases on them.”

Qin Yumian turned her cold gaze to Yang Guirong. “Have your son empty his pockets. We’ll know if Xue Qingxing is telling the truth or not.”

At her words, Yang Guirong’s eyes shifted, clearly uneasy.

The neighbors who had gathered to watch the commotion began to whisper among themselves.

“Little Xue is such a good kid. I know him well. He’s not the kind to bully younger children.”

“Yes, he wouldn’t even look when we were killing chickens. There’s no way he would do something like this.”

“I live right across from the Xue family. Yang Guirong often hits or scolds Little Xue. I suspect she’s just looking for trouble this time.”

“…”

As the neighbors discussed, Yang Guirong’s face alternated between pale and flushed with anger.

She defiantly lifted her chin and said, “You’re An’er’s older brother. What if he took a bit of money from you? Does it justify hitting him?”

Qin Yumian replied coolly, “As the saying goes, ‘An elder brother is like a father.’ Xue Qingxing is his older brother, so what’s wrong with him using a bit of force?”

Yang Guirong, enraged and humiliated, pointed at Qin Yumian and shouted, “Shut up! This is our family’s business, and it’s none of your concern!”

Qin Yumian, holding the broom she had taken from Yang Guirong, struck the back of the middle-aged woman’s hand with a sharp crack.

Yang Guirong pulled her hand back in pain, staring at Qin Yumian in disbelief. “You actually dared to hit me?”

Qin Yumian maintained a neutral expression as she said, “It was your broom that did the hitting. It seems to have developed a mind of its own.”

Hearing Qin Yumian’s deadpan nonsense, Xue Qingxing couldn’t help but laugh, his pale face regaining a bit of color.

Yang Guirong’s face turned red with anger. “Absurd! How could a broom possibly have a mind of its own?”

Qin Yumian replied, “Perhaps it thought someone deserved to be hit.”

The neighbors erupted in laughter. One of them teased, “Yang Guirong, could it be that your broom has become sentient?”

“Seems like all the bad deeds you’ve done have even made the broom take notice.”

Yang Guirong was so infuriated by the subtle mockery from the neighbors that her eyes turned bloodshot. When she looked at Qin Yumian, her gaze was filled with venom.

Unable to continue her argument with Qin Yumian, Yang Guirong redirected her ire towards Xue Qingxing. She may not have been able to deal with the sudden appearance of the young girl, but she could certainly handle Xue Qingxing.

Yang Guirong said, “Today’s events have turned into a joke for everyone.”

She then forced a smile and said to Xue Qingxing, “Alright, let’s go home. Let’s pretend today’s incident never happened. Your father will be back soon, and I still need to prepare dinner.”

Seeing her insincere smile, Xue Qingxing knew that she would not let him off the hook once they got home.

He shook his head and instinctively moved closer to Qin Yumian. “I’m not going back.”

Qin Yumian weighed the broom in her hand and said calmly, “Why not go back? She just claimed that you nearly caused harm to her precious son. I’m curious to see if her son really is in danger. If the uncles and aunts have nothing else to do, they might as well come along.”

One of the women with an apron tied around her waist called out, “What’s there to worry about? We’re all free.”

“If Little An is really hurt badly, as a neighbor, I should go check it out.”

Yang Guirong forced a smile. “There’s no need. An’er isn’t really hurt that badly.”

It was just a scraped palm from a fall.

Qin Yumian sneered coldly. “If your son isn’t hurt, then let’s settle the issue of him stealing someone else’s belongings without permission.”

Yang Guirong snapped, “What theft? Stop making things up!”

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