Chapter 19 : Brace Yourself for a Lawsuit!

The first thing Fang Xiaoluo did upon waking up was check the spiritual spring in her space. Just as she suspected, there was more water again.

Unlike before, an entire extra cupful had appeared this time.

Her usual container, which held 250 milliliters, was now completely full. Fearing any waste, she quickly transferred the spring water to a nearby ceramic jar.

The sudden increase left her wondering. It could only be related to two things: her marriage to Shen Zheng or the fact that she had made Xu Yaqiu spend money.

Unable to figure it out, she decided not to dwell on it. Once she started living with Shen Zheng, she’d likely know the source of the extra spring water.

Fang Xiaoluo got up to prepare breakfast. Her family had gone out early to work in the fields. By the time she finished cooking, they were returning from the fields.

After breakfast, everyone went back to their respective tasks, some to work, others to school.

—

At the entrance of Honghe Village, a small car approached from a distance.

The villagers recognized it as the car that had once taken Xu Yaqiu back to Jiangcheng.

Wang Hongfang, thinking Xu Yaqiu had returned with them, walked up to greet the car as it stopped.

Zhao Lihong, who had been in the car, remembered Wang Hongfang. Back when they took Xu Yaqiu away, this girl had been particularly reluctant to part with her.

“Auntie, did Yaqiu come back with you?” Wang Hongfang asked.

Zhao Lihong replied with a sour expression, “No, she’s sick thanks to that wretched girl Fang Xiaoluo.”

Hearing this, Wang Hongfang eagerly chimed in, “Xiaoluo really is awful, Auntie. You don’t know how she’s been acting since she came back from the city, bossing everyone around and turning the Fang family upside down.”

“Not only that, she’s terrible at managing money. Ever since her return, the Fang family’s been eating lavish meals like braised pork ribs one day and braised pork the next. Auntie, what kind of girl eats like that? She’ll bankrupt the family!”

“And that’s not all. On the day of her engagement, in broad daylight and right in front of Captain Shen, she shamelessly flirted with Yaqiu’s fiancé. It was downright disgraceful!”

Wang Hongfang, a close friend of Xu Yaqiu, couldn’t stand seeing Fang Xiaoluo do well. She had always harbored feelings for Fang Qiang and hoped to become Xu Yaqiu’s sister-in-law. But now that Xiaoluo was engaged to Shen Zheng, she worried about having such a wasteful sister-in-law ruining her future with Fang Qiang.

Sure enough, Zhao Lihong’s expression darkened even further upon hearing this. “Hongfang, thank you for telling me all this. Come visit us in the city sometime. Yaqiu often talks about how much she misses you.”

Watching as the car drove straight into the village, Wang Hongfang felt a sense of triumph.

—

Meanwhile, Fang Xiaoluo was kneading dough. She planned to steam as many buns as possible using the spring water before her wedding.

Hearing the sound of a car outside, she glanced out the open door and was taken aback. ‘The sun must have risen in the west today!’ Why were Xu Zhigang and Zhao Lihong here?

In another room, Zhang Xinyan had been mending clothes. She put down her needle and thread when she saw the car and came out, planning to head to the fields later.

As Zhao Lihong entered the yard, she wrinkled her nose at the sight of the chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs in their pen. She looked as though the surroundings were an affront to her dignity.

Covering their noses, she and Xu Zhigang strode into the house with an air of superiority, only to see Fang Xiaoluo in an apron, looking radiant.

Despite the dim and shabby house, Fang Xiaoluo stood out like a beam of light. Over the past few days, she had become even more striking.

Zhao Lihong let out a disdainful huff. “Xiaoluo, you’re becoming more and more unruly. When your father and I come to visit, how dare you not come out to greet us?”

Fang Xiaoluo cleaned the dough off her hands and, upon hearing Zhao Lihong’s rude tone, gestured toward Fang Shijun. “This is my father. As for you, Auntie, please don’t go around claiming kinship where it doesn’t exist.”

“Fang Xiaoluo!” Xu Zhigang roared angrily.

Fang Shijun, however, was not having it. “You city folk may think you’re high and mighty, but that doesn’t give you the right to storm into my house and shout at my daughter. If you’ve got something to say, spit it out! If not, get out!”

“Fang Shijun, do you even know how to speak? Spouting nonsense everywhere!” Xu Zhigang retorted, unwilling to back down. “I knew it, Fang Xiaoluo turned out this way because of your family’s bad influence!”

Fang Xiaoluo grabbed a fire poker and stood protectively in front of Fang Shijun. “If you know how to talk, then talk. If not, shut your mouth. No one here is forcing you to speak. We’re no longer related, so what you’re doing now is trespassing. Get out!”

Zhao Lihong stomped her foot angrily. “Fang Xiaoluo, look at what you’ve become! No wonder Yaqiu said you tried to seduce Yanwen again. Do you really think someone like him would be interested in you?”

Zhang Xinyan’s face turned red with fury. “Zhao Lihong, you’re slandering my daughter! Get out of here right now!”

Fang Xiaoluo gently placed a reassuring hand on Zhang Xinyan’s back, giving her a calm, confident look.

She raised an eyebrow at Zhao Lihong. “Did Xu Yaqiu tell you that?”

Zhao Lihong suddenly clamped her mouth shut. It seemed she realized she had misspoken and accidentally exposed her daughter. Puffing up her chest, she replied, “Who cares who said it? The point is, you did those shameless things!”

Fang Shijun roared, “You’re the shameless ones!” His body trembling with rage, he grabbed a nearby shovel, ready to chase them out.

Fearing for her father’s health, Fang Xiaoluo stepped forward, fire poker in hand, before things could escalate. Zhao Lihong had never seen this side of her before.

Every step Fang Xiaoluo took forward made Zhao Lihong retreat in panic. “W-what are you doing?” she stammered.

Xu Zhigang reached out to grab Fang Xiaoluo’s arm but was quickly dodged. “Don’t touch me,” she warned coldly. “Shen Zheng and I are legally married now. I’m a military wife. If you harm a military spouse, your woodcraft factory won’t survive. Prepare for a lawsuit!”

Xu Zhigang froze mid-action, his hand suspended in the air as her words sank in.

Zhao Lihong, backing up to the threshold, lost her footing and fell to the ground with a painful thud, landing hard on her tailbone. Grimacing and clutching her back, she cursed through gritted teeth. “Fang Xiaoluo, even if you’re a military wife, that doesn’t mean you can hit people!”

Fang Xiaoluo smiled faintly, spinning the fire poker in her hand before crouching down to stoke the fire in the stove. “Auntie, you’re really something. Do you think I have so much free time to stoop to your level? I have meals to prepare. Why would I dirty my hands hitting you?”

As she spoke, she scooped a shovelful of ash from the stove and pointed at it. “See this? Even this stove ash is cleaner than your heart.”

Zhao Lihong pointed a trembling finger at her. “You…you!”

“What about me?” Fang Xiaoluo asked lazily. “You came here today to slander me. I’ll remember that. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, you’ve committed defamation, libel, trespassing, and intentional provocation that could worsen my father’s condition. I’m taking this to court. Get ready to receive the subpoena!”

Zhao Lihong and Xu Zhigang were dumbfounded. They had come to confront her, but somehow the tables had turned, and now it was Fang Xiaoluo threatening to sue them! How had she managed to pin so many charges on them?

Xu Zhigang snapped out of it first. “You…you have no proof!”

Fang Xiaoluo strode into the yard and raised her voice. “Dear neighbors! You all heard what these two said to me just now, didn’t you? Remember to join us for my wedding banquet. We’ll host a grand feast to thank you all!”

The elderly Wu Xiuxia, a neighbor, immediately chimed in. “I heard everything loud and clear, girl! Go ahead and sue them. I’ll testify for you. Just because they have money doesn’t mean they can act like tyrants!”

Wu Xiuxia had long been annoyed by Zhao Lihong’s haughty “city folk” attitude. Seeing her chance, she eagerly supported Fang Xiaoluo.

Her bold statement encouraged others. Several women who had recently helped make Fang Xiaoluo’s bedding and winter clothes also volunteered to be witnesses, followed by other villagers who spoke up in agreement.

Xu Zhigang’s face turned ashen with rage.

Fang Xiaoluo turned back to the pair. “So, aside from coming here to pick a fight, insult me, and upset my father, do you have any other business? If not, please leave. I won’t be seeing you off!”