Jian Xiu saw Old Madam Liu’s expression and immediately knew what she was thinking.

She smiled and said, “What’s wrong? Are you recalling something exciting?”

“Jian Xiu, you won’t die a good death! You will face retribution!”

“Retribution? Hahaha… You’re talking to me about retribution? Well, soon, you’ll understand what true retribution is.”

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Liu was instantly terrified and hastily asked, “What do you mean by that? Speak clearly, you wretched woman—ah!”

Slap!

Before she could finish her sentence, Jian Xiu had already squatted in front of her and delivered another fierce slap across her face.

Doctor Zhang, who was standing nearby, was completely dumbfounded.

As a physician, he could tell that Jian Xiu’s strikes were anything but light.

After a moment of hesitation, he spoke, “Zixuan’s wife, let it go. I think they’ve learned their lesson this time.”

Jian Xiu didn’t respond. Instead, she walked over to Zhang Zihua.

Just as everyone thought she was going to let the matter rest, she suddenly raised the wooden stick in her hand and brought it down hard on Zhang Zihua’s left leg…

“Mm… mm…” Zhang Zihua trembled in agony, drenched in cold sweat.

But not a single coherent word escaped his lips.

Jian Xiu had struck with full force.

She had never intended to spare them again.

The last time the people from the old house came to cause trouble, she had only injured them, giving them a chance to repent.

Unfortunately, they hadn’t cherished that opportunity.

So this time, she crippled Zhang Zihua’s legs.

That’s right—she didn’t just break his right leg but his left one as well.

And this was only the beginning…

“Well then, now you can tell me—what exactly did you steal from my house?” Jian Xiu asked coldly.

At the mention of the word “steal,” Old Madam Liu instinctively wanted to refute.

However, when she met Jian Xiu’s sharp gaze, she swallowed her words.

At this point, how could she dare to argue?

With Jian Xiu, the more she spoke, the more mistakes she made.

“How about this? I’ll give you an opportunity. If you can return everything within half an hour, I’ll be generous and let this matter go,” Jian Xiu said casually.

Old Madam Liu and Zhang Zihua both lowered their heads simultaneously, looking at their now-useless legs.

Doctor Zhang, who was watching from the side, hesitated before thinking to himself, Should I remind Jian Xiu that these two can’t even move?

But judging from Jian Xiu’s expression, she was clearly well aware of this.

At that moment, Zhang Zifu finally couldn’t hold back.

“Fourth sister-in-law, wait a moment! I’ll go back to the old house and look for the stuff now!” he said anxiously.

This time, Wang Xiuying did not stop him.

Nor did Jian Xiu.

However, after taking just a few steps, Zhang Zifu paused and turned back to ask Old Madam Liu, “Mother, where did you put the things?”

“Your eldest sister-in-law hid them. I told her to bury them under my bed. There’s a hole under the bed—lift the bedboard and dig a little, and you’ll find them.”

Zhang Zifu: “…”

Without another word, he turned and left.

Seeing this, Jian Xiu glanced around at her messy courtyard and said, “No need to ask—I’m sure you’re the ones who trashed my yard, right? Tell me, should I clean this up myself…”

Before she could finish, Old Madam Liu turned to Wang Xiuying and ordered, “Third daughter-in-law, go call your eldest and second brothers over to clean this up!”

Jian Xiu chuckled and ‘kindly’ reminded her, “Old Madam Liu, in your current state, do you really think you can still order your two daughters-in-law around?”

“Don’t… you… worry! Don’t worry, they’ll definitely come! If they don’t, watch me skin them alive!” Old Madam Liu declared with absolute certainty.

Her confidence made Jian Xiu laugh.

“Oh? I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Jian Xiu said lightly, unable to hold back her amusement.

“What… what do you mean?” The mother and son looked at her in alarm.

For some reason, looking at Jian Xiu now, they both felt a deep fear.

“Nothing much—just exactly what I said,” Jian Xiu replied indifferently.

“No, no way. They wouldn’t dare refuse! If they don’t come, I’ll—”

Old Madam Liu suddenly stopped mid-sentence because she saw Jian Xiu looking at her with a smirk.

Every time she saw that expression, Old Madam Liu felt an ominous premonition.

Hearing Old Madam Liu’s pained cries earlier had been satisfying for Jian Xiu.

But this was still not enough.

She had promised that she would make them understand—stealing from the Jian family was not so easy.

She wasn’t going to let them off, not this time.

If she didn’t deal with Zhang Zihua completely, he would fight back even if he had to crawl with his last breath.

Besides, the suffering Zhang Zixuan endured was far worse than this.

Now that she had the chance, how could she let it slip away?

Still, while punishing these people, she didn’t want to drag the third branch of the family into it.

After all, when Zhang Zixuan was injured earlier, they had been genuinely worried.

They were also the first to rush over and save him when they heard what had happened.

Considering everything, Jian Xiu was actually quite satisfied with Zhang Zifu and Wang Xiuying’s behavior today.

Hearing Old Madam Liu’s words, Wang Xiuying initially wanted to argue back.

She thought this was the perfect opportunity to separate their branch from the old house.

But seeing the current situation, she knew now was not the right time to bring up the topic of splitting the family.

After thinking for a moment, she reluctantly turned and headed toward the fields.

However, once outside, Wang Xiuying realized that it was already dark.

Given the temperament of the eldest and second branches, they had probably gone back home long ago.

There was no way they were still working in the fields.

Moreover, after getting so many good things from Jian Xiu today, they were likely even more eager to return home and enjoy their spoils.

Thinking this, Wang Xiuying immediately stopped in her tracks.

Instead of heading to the fields, she changed direction and walked toward the old house.

If she guessed correctly, her simple-minded husband would most likely return empty-handed.

Those people—after obtaining such valuable items—would never willingly hand them back.

What Wang Xiuying could figure out, Jian Xiu had naturally already anticipated as well.