Chapter 7: Aunt Zhao – The Worry-Free Grass

“I’ll take two of these back for your grandfather,” Aunt Zhao said, reaching out to grab the rabbit from Li Guo’s hands.

The rabbit, which they had finally caught, was about to be snatched away by Aunt Zhao. Li Wen and Li Xing’s eyes turned red with anger, deeply resenting this annoying aunt.

The eldest sister quickly stepped back, avoiding Aunt Zhao’s grasp. The siblings immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Aunt Zhao, frustrated at not getting the rabbit, suddenly noticed the small, thin Li Wen. Her eyes gleamed with interest. If she couldn’t get the big one, perhaps the smaller one could be taken instead.

“Even if I can’t get the rabbit, I can still snatch the wild chicken!” Aunt Zhao thought. It might be small, but it’s still meat!

Li Wen and Li Xing had already started preparing themselves for Aunt Zhao’s attempts to snatch their catch as soon as they saw her grabbing their eldest sister’s rabbit.

When Li Wen noticed Aunt Zhao’s greedy gaze shifting toward him, he quickly moved behind his eldest sister to protect the wild chicken in his hands. Aunt Zhao noticed this little movement.

Fuming with anger, she cursed loudly, “You little brats, just like your mother! Too stingy to even give a rabbit to your grandfather to eat. Do you have any children who would treat their elders like this?”

Li Guo replied calmly, “Aunt Zhao, have you forgotten? We have already divided the family. It was clearly written in black and white back then. We have our own households now and don’t interfere with each other.”

“Since the rabbit is mine, I get to decide what to do with it. If I want to give it to someone, I will. If I don’t want to give it, even if you steal it, you won’t get it.”

“You talk so much about filial piety, but why didn’t you buy a rabbit for Grandpa yourself? Instead, you’re here trying to snatch our rabbit and wild chicken.”

Upon hearing Li Guo’s words, Aunt Zhao’s face twisted with fury, as if she wanted to tear her apart.

“You little wench dare to talk back to me? How were you raised? Such a sharp tongue, no wonder you couldn’t find a husband.”

Hearing Aunt Zhao’s words, Li Xing and Li Wen looked up at their eldest sister. Seeing that she was calm, with no visible change in expression, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Guo had once been engaged to a man named Sun Wenjie, two years older than her, from a neighboring village. Their families had planned for them to marry when Li Guo came of age.

However, two years ago, Sun Wenjie, in order to climb the social ladder, became involved with the only daughter of a wealthy family in the town. No matter how her parents tried to persuade him, Sun Wenjie insisted on breaking off the engagement.

Her parents had no choice but to bring gifts to the Li family to apologize and explain. Eventually, the matchmaker tore up the engagement papers in front of both families and returned the betrothal gifts, ending the engagement. From then on, they were strangers.

Li Guo was not upset by Aunt Zhao’s curses. In truth, she hardly ever saw her former fiancé except when sending festival gifts, and she hadn’t been deeply attached to him.

So, when the Sun family proposed breaking off the engagement, she wasn’t overly saddened. However, the reputation of the woman was often ruined when an engagement was called off, no matter the reason.

Although Li Guo was not unattractive, dutiful, and capable, few suitors came to propose, and even fewer from good families.

The things Aunt Zhao said were clearly venomous. It was no wonder the children didn’t like her and even harbored some resentment toward her.

If it weren’t for Aunt Zhao and Third Aunt stirring things up, the second branch of the family wouldn’t have been split off at that time.

Aunt Zhao was waiting for Li Guo to cry and beg, but the truth was, she was bound to be disappointed.

couldn’t help but feel a bit of satisfaction. Aunt Zhao’s temper was always explosive, but seeing her lose control in front of the villagers gave them a sense of justice.

Aunt Zhao’s face flushed with rage as she saw the villagers turning against her. She gritted her teeth but held back from making another move, realizing that she might lose more face if she kept on with her aggression.

One of the villagers stepped forward, shaking his head at her. “You should be ashamed of yourself. How can you hit children? Even if they’ve made mistakes, you, as an elder, should be setting an example, not abusing them.”

The other villagers nodded in agreement, murmuring their disapproval of Zhao’s behavior. Aunt Zhao glared at them, her fists clenched, but she didn’t dare take another step forward. The atmosphere became tense as the villagers continued to back the children.

Li Guo, seeing that the situation was under control, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, her face now the picture of innocence. “Thank you, villagers,” she said in a small, trembling voice. “We didn’t mean to cause trouble… we were just scared.”

Li Wen and Li Xing stood quietly behind their sister, trying to look as small and pitiful as possible.

The villagers softened at the sight of the children’s tear-streaked faces. One by one, they turned to leave, shaking their heads at Zhao’s behavior.

As the last villager walked away, Aunt Zhao was left standing there, fuming with humiliation. The plan to intimidate the children had backfired, and now she felt more enraged than ever. Her eyes burned with anger as she stared at the three siblings, who had successfully turned the tables on her.

But despite her fury, there was nothing she could do now. She was alone, surrounded by the judgment of the village, and everyone could see her for what she truly was.

Li Guo, pretending to wipe away a tear, spoke softly, but couldn’t hold back a small smile. “Aunt Zhao, I know Grandpa is sick and wants to eat rabbit and wild chicken, but I really can’t give them to you this time. They are meant for the town, to be sold for money to buy medicine for my mother. Next time, I promise I’ll make sure to bring some for Grandpa.”

A villager overheard and said, “Old Li is sick? I saw him sitting under a tree smoking this morning.”

Other villagers were confused, glancing at each other in surprise.

Zhao Shi, hearing the comment, snapped, “This is our family business, what does it have to do with you, outsider? Go away and mind your own business!”

But Tian Dazhuang, a villager, wasn’t intimidated. “This is my business now,” he said firmly. “It’s clear to me you’re just trying to steal these kids’ catch under the guise of wanting to help Old Li. You’re using his illness as an excuse to grab their rabbit and wild chicken. You’re just trying to get some meat for yourself.”

The other villagers quickly understood what was going on. It turned out that Zhao Shi had used Old Li’s supposed illness as an excuse to take advantage of the children, trying to steal their catch by pretending to care about Old Li’s health. She had even justified it by claiming it was important to be filial to the elderly.

The villagers, who all knew Zhao Shi’s tendency to stir up trouble and her greedy nature, started to voice their displeasure more openly. They weren’t surprised by her behavior, but it was still shocking to see her trying to steal from her sister-in-law’s children.

Zhao Shi had never faced such public humiliation before. She was used to bullying others, especially the children. But now, with the villagers standing up to her, she was utterly flustered. She couldn’t believe how Li Guo, who had spoken so arrogantly before, now managed to turn the tables and make herself the victim, all while hiding behind the villagers to gain their sympathy.

In the end, Zhao Shi had nothing to show for her efforts. She left in defeat, humiliated and empty-handed. But the resentment in her heart festered. She swore to herself that she would find a way to get back at Li Guo, to settle the score and ease her anger.