Chapter 3

Li Hehua returned home, emptied the bucket of water into the water tank, and set it down. She decided against fetching more water for now, opting to wait until dusk when the well would be less crowded.

Having thoroughly cleaned the kitchen yesterday, she turned her attention to the room today. The original owner’s room had been a pigsty, and Li Hehua would have avoided it entirely if she could.

Without hesitation, Li Hehua filled a basin halfway with water, grabbed a rag, and began wiping down every surface in the room. As she cleaned, she neatly organized the haphazardly arranged items and discarded the useless clutter. Once the surfaces were clean, she swept the floor meticulously.

Despite the room’s small size, the cleaning proved surprisingly strenuous. Sweat streamed down her face, her clothes clung to her damp skin, and she gasped for breath.

Yet, gazing at the now-bright and tidy space, she felt a surge of satisfaction.

Li Hehua stripped the soiled bedsheets and pillowcases from the bed, tossed them into a large washbasin, and carried it outside. She filled the basin with water, intending to let the linens soak before washing them thoroughly.

Just as Li Hehua was about to fetch a washing mallet, a commotion erupted outside, followed by a shout: “Li Hehua, come out here!”

Before Li Hehua could react, a group of people stormed into the courtyard.

Li Hehua noticed the woman who had been at the well earlier among them, now wiping away tears.

It was clearly a vendetta. Hmph, looks like they’re trying to play the victim.

The leader, a man in his late twenties, pointed angrily at Li Hehua. “Li Hehua, how dare you hit my mother! Have you grown tired of living?”

Another man chimed in with a furious shout: “If you don’t give us a satisfactory explanation today, you’ll regret it!”

Li Hehua frowned, shaking the water off her hands. “How will you make me regret it? What did I even do? Explain yourselves clearly!”

The first man huffed, “You dare ask what you did? Shameless woman! You hit my mother, and now you’re asking us what’s wrong?!”

“Hah!” Li Hehua scoffed. “Which of you saw me hit your mother? Did anyone witness it firsthand? If so, step forward and tell me.”

The surrounding crowd exchanged glances. No one had actually seen it.

The crying woman froze, secretly wondering why Li Hehua seemed so much smarter today. Usually, she would have thrown a tantrum immediately. Why was she suddenly demanding witnesses?

Regardless, she wouldn’t let this wretched woman get away with it today.

The woman’s eyes darted around, and she began to sob again, clutching her eldest son’s arm. “Zhu Zi, you must get justice for your mother! Li Hehua really hit me and shoved me hard. This old body of mine nearly couldn’t get back up… Waaah…”

Wu Dazhu patted his mother’s hand. “Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll make her answer for this!” He turned to glare at Li Hehua. “You shrew! You hit my mother and won’t admit it? She says you hit her—what excuses do you have?”

Li Hehua remained unfazed. “What a joke! Just because your mother says I hit her, does that make it true? Where are her injuries? Show everyone!”

Realizing the situation was slipping, the woman hastily wiped her tears and wailed, “You shoved me so hard I fell to the ground! Where do you think I’m hurt? How can I show that kind of injury to others? What kind of heart do you have?!”

Li Hehua felt she had truly broadened her horizons. She had finally witnessed the true meaning of shamelessness. Fine, if they’re going to be shameless, then I won’t hold back either.

Li Hehua boldly extended her bloodied, now even more gruesome, hand, swollen from the water. “Alright, then how do you explain this? You broke both my hands! Let’s settle this properly.”

The woman’s eyes narrowed at the sight of Li Hehua’s hand. A moment later, she vehemently retorted, “You’re lying! When did I ever hit you? You did this to yourself!”

Li Hehua chuckled, throwing Wu Dazhu’s earlier words right back at her: “So you hit someone and then deny it? I’m telling you, you hit me! What more excuses do you have?”

“You—!” The Wu family members were speechless, choked by Li Hehua’s words.

Just then, someone in the crowd shouted, “Tieshan’s here!”

In an instant, the crowd parted, and a burly man strode through the opening.

Li Hehua glanced at the newcomer and couldn’t help but admire him inwardly. What a man! He stood at least 1.8 meters tall, with a broad, muscular build, striking sword-like eyebrows, and piercing eyes. His sharply defined features and bronze skin exuded a rugged charm, radiating pure masculinity.

I never imagined there could be such an outstanding man in this small village.

Li Hehua had a well-known quirk: she was a classic “looks-obsessed” person, a veteran member of the “Appearance Association.” She wasn’t necessarily attracted to handsome men, but she genuinely admired and appreciated them, unable to resist stealing glances and then a few more.

Her friends had teased her endlessly about this habit.

Now, seeing the newcomer, Li Hehua unconsciously stared until the old woman’s loud wail snapped her back to reality.

“Tieshan! You’ve finally arrived! You need to make her answer for this! Li Hehua has gone too far—not content with ruining my daughter, she’s now attacking an old woman like me! You can’t just stand by!”

Li Hehua didn’t have time to fully process the woman’s words, but she caught one crucial detail she’d missed earlier: this man was named Tieshan! The woman had mentioned her husband, Tieshan, before. Could this be him? Impossible. How could a man like this marry someone like the Original Owner? They were completely mismatched.

While Li Hehua was lost in thought, Zhang Tieshan had been watching her. Seeing her apparent indifference, he clenched his fist, took a deep breath to suppress his anger, and said calmly, “Auntie, I’m truly sorry about this. I’ll discipline her. Just tell me how much compensation you want, and I’ll pay it.”

The woman’s eyebrows lifted slightly at these words. She shot a smug glance at Li Hehua before turning to Zhang Tieshan with a grave expression. “You’re like family to me, Tieshan. I could never take your money. But let me tell you, this woman is trouble. Who knows what kind of mess she’ll drag you into? You should divorce her immediately. We can’t let such a troublemaker stay.”

Zhang Tieshan didn’t respond to her words. “Auntie, compensation is still necessary. Would fifty copper coins be enough?” He pulled out fifty coins and offered them to her.

The woman hesitated, but Wu Dazhu, standing beside her, pushed the coins back. “Tieshan, we grew up together. How could we take your money? We just came for an apology. Your wife went too far. Keep your coins. If you insist on paying, you’re not treating me like a brother.”

Seeing Wu Dazhu’s firm refusal, Zhang Tieshan didn’t press the matter further. He pocketed the money and turned a sharp gaze toward Li Hehua, his voice cold and heavy as he demanded, “Apologize to Auntie right now!”

Li Hehua’s initial favorable impression of Zhang Tieshan began to crumble. Isn’t this man the Original Owner’s husband? she thought. Why is he immediately assuming I’m at fault without even asking what happened? What kind of husband acts like this?

It seemed the Original Owner’s husband hadn’t liked her much either.

But this wasn’t her fault, and she refused to apologize.

Li Hehua’s expression turned frosty as she met Zhang Tieshan’s gaze unflinchingly. “Why should I apologize? Just because she claims I hit her? What about the way she injured my hand? You’re taking sides without knowing the truth!”

Before Zhang Tieshan could respond, the woman interjected, “You’re lying! My injury has nothing to do with you. You’re slandering me! How could an old woman like me possibly overpower you? Look at your build, then look at mine!”

The surrounding villagers glanced between the two women’s physiques and nodded in agreement with the woman’s words. Combined with their memories of the Original Owner’s past behavior, they unanimously sided with the woman.

“Li Hehua is definitely lying. She’s always been unreasonable.”

“Exactly! We should be grateful she’s not bullying others. Who would dare bully her?”

“Li Hehua is getting worse and worse…”

Li Hehua listened to the murmurs around her, a wave of helplessness washing over her. The original owner of this body had been such a terrible person that not a single soul was willing to stand by her side, leaving her utterly alone now. Even her own husband refused to speak up for her.

Zhang Tieshan’s face darkened as he overheard the crowd’s words. Seeing Li Hehua’s defiant refusal to apologize, his anger flared anew.

This woman is capable of any vile act imaginable, he thought bitterly. I deeply regret marrying her. If not for her, my mother, younger brother, and Shulin wouldn’t be suffering so much. It’s all her fault! If he could, he would strangle her right then and there. Even now, she showed no remorse, continuing to stir up trouble. Just looking at her made him sick to his stomach.

Yet she remained his nominal wife, and their conflict was a family matter. He refused to resolve it in public, lest they become the laughingstock of the neighborhood. He would wait until the crowd dispersed before dealing with her.

Zhang Tieshan apologized to the Wu family again. “Auntie, Dazhu, Dazhuang, I’m truly sorry. I apologize to you all. I’ll discipline her later. Just name whatever compensation you want. Please let it go this time, for my sake.”

Wu Dazhu, having grown up with Zhang Tieshan, couldn’t bear to see his friend so apologetic. Besides, his mother wasn’t seriously hurt. He decided to give his brother some face. Patting Zhang Tieshan on the shoulder, he said, “Tieshan, we’ll let it go this time, for your sake. But don’t let this happen again, or we won’t show anyone any mercy.”

Zhang Tieshan returned the pat, silently thanking him.

Wu Dazhu led his family away. The onlookers, seeing the Wu family leave, also dispersed. Within moments, only Li Hehua and Zhang Tieshan remained in the courtyard.

Li Hehua didn’t know how to face this unfamiliar man, especially after his earlier accusation. Unwilling to engage, she turned and went back inside to continue searching for the mallet.

But as soon as she entered the house, the man behind her followed, striding straight to a chair and coldly declaring, “Li Hehua, pack your things and leave today. This house can’t accommodate such a demanding guest.”

Li Hehua froze, her heart sinking.

His words were clear: he intended to divorce the original owner, which meant divorcing her now.

Original owner, how did you end up in such a mess? she thought. I’ve only been here for two days, and you’ve already been scolded and beaten. Now you’re about to be divorced? You’ve really put me in a bind. I’ll have to bear the consequences of all your mistakes.

In modern times, Li Hehua would have nodded without hesitation. Divorce? Fine by me. He’s not even my real husband. I wouldn’t want someone else’s husband anyway.

But this wasn’t modern times, it was ancient era, where women faced extreme injustice. If she were divorced here, the consequences could be devastating. She didn’t even know if the original owner had any family left. Without this shelter, she had nowhere to go. Where could she find a new place to live on short notice?

Therefore, she couldn’t afford to be divorced—not yet. At least until she could figure out how to earn some money and secure her own place.