Chapter 16: A shrew scolds and kills

When Wang Huimin was a child, Old Lady Sun had often stepped in to protect her whenever Tian Yongmei went into one of her violent rages. Wang Huimin had always respected this elder, who was around the same age as her own grandmother. Even though she was in a hurry to run, she paused to say a few words.

“I understand, Grandma Sun. Don’t worry, we’ll live a good life. I’ll come visit you when I get the chance.”

Old Lady Sun nodded, then surprisingly pulled out ten yuan from her pocket and stuffed it into Wang Huimin’s hand.
“I know what your mother’s like—she probably didn’t give you anything. It wouldn’t be right for you to go to your husband’s house with nothing. You’d never be able to hold your head up. Take this ten yuan—it’s from me as your dowry.”

Ten yuan might not sound like much, but in this era it was a decent sum. And considering Old Lady Sun didn’t live a wealthy life herself, it was probably scraped together through lots of saving. Wang Huimin couldn’t take that money. She hurried to push it back.

“Thank you, Grandma Sun. I really appreciate it, but I can’t accept this. My husband is very good to me—he won’t make things difficult because of this.”

“You and Grandpa Sun don’t have it easy either. Please keep it. Once I’ve settled things at home, I’ll definitely come visit you.”

They were still talking when faint voices could be heard not far behind—shouting and cursing. Wang Huimin turned to look and saw Tian Yongmei dragging Wang Huishu along as they ran after her, Tian Yongmei swearing viciously the whole way:

“You heartless little bitch! Worthless slut! Give me back that money or I’ll beat you to death!”

Tian Yongmei truly wasn’t fit to be a mother. The kind of foul words she hurled at her own daughter without hesitation made Wang Huimin feel nothing but complete disappointment. She didn’t even want to respond.

She quickly turned to Old Lady Sun and said, “Grandma Sun, that crazy woman’s coming to hit me again. I can’t stay any longer—I have to go. I’ll visit you next time!”

Old Lady Sun knew exactly what kind of person Tian Yongmei was. She quickly pushed Wang Huimin forward and shoved the ten yuan into her hand anyway.

“Xiaomin, go quickly. I’ll hold her off.”

Wang Huimin nodded gratefully. “Thank you, Grandma Sun.”
Then she turned and took off running.

She had done physical labor for years and had been drinking the spiritual spring water lately, so her body was strong and her speed impressive. Just as Tian Yongmei arrived, panting heavily, she saw Wang Huimin already running off in the distance. Enraged, she shouted with bulging eyes, not even caring that neighbors were sticking their heads out to watch the commotion.

“Wang Huimin, you little bastard! Stop right there! You think you can run? If you take another step, I’ll break your damn legs! Stop now!”

Behind her, Wang Huishu was also gasping for breath. Neither mother nor daughter could outrun Wang Huimin—they were like two weaklings chasing after a storm.

The more threats she heard, the faster Wang Huimin ran. She’d have to be crazy to stop now.

Old Lady Sun stepped in front of Tian Yongmei, frowning deeply.

“Xiaomei, what are you doing? Isn’t that your own daughter? How can a mother treat her like that?”

“What did she do to deserve this kind of scene—shouting and swearing in public? She’s a grown woman now! You’re not even afraid of being laughed at by the neighbors?”

“She’s married now, part of another family. What happens to her in the future is none of your business. What’s the point of causing such a ruckus first thing in the morning? Go home already!”

Tian Yongmei, gasping for breath, clutching her chest, growled back angrily, “Auntie, you don’t know—this damn girl did something inhuman!”

“She didn’t just leave—she stole all the family money. How can I not chase her? If you’re gonna stop me, then you better pay back what we lost!”

Old Lady Sun’s expression turned serious.
“Impossible. I’ve watched that child grow up. She’s never even taken a needle or a thread from anyone. How could she steal money from home? You must be mistaken.”

Realizing that with Old Lady Sun blocking the way they couldn’t catch Wang Huimin, Wang Huishu panicked—after all, that was her tuition money! Her face went pale.

“Grandma Sun, my mom isn’t lying. It’s true. The lockbox where the money was kept is empty. There are only a few of us in the house—it must have been Xiaomin. Otherwise, why would she be running like that?”

Old Lady Sun glanced at Wang Huishu from the corner of her eye. The girl might be fair-skinned and sweet-looking, but she reeked of fake innocence—something about her just felt wrong.

Young people might not know the full history, but the older generation remembered. Wang Huishu’s mother had been no saint while she was alive. That child wasn’t raised right either.

Back then, Tian Yongchun (Yongmei’s older sister) had an affair that ended in tragedy, and this little girl was the mess she left behind—dumped on her sister’s family and treated like some treasure ever since. Meanwhile, poor Wang Huimin, the biological daughter, was left to suffer.

Now that Wang Huimin was getting farther and farther away, and there was no catching her, Tian Yongmei gave up on talking. She pushed Old Lady Sun aside and sprinted after her with all her strength, still yelling obscenities.

By now, the whole street had turned out to see what all the yelling was about. What drama was the Wang family up to this time?

The village wasn’t small—it took a decent run to get from the west side to the east. Wang Huimin had been running for a while and was starting to get tired. Her pace slowed.

Unfortunately, Tian Yongmei’s determination to get the money back fueled her like a madwoman. She pushed herself and gained ground. Even Wang Huishu, far behind, was still trying to keep up.

The three of them turned the morning into a full-blown marathon across the village.

Seeing that she might be caught, Wang Huimin clutched her little bundle and ran faster.

But Tian Yongmei, that cruel-hearted excuse for a mother, really was capable of the most inhuman things. She actually picked up half a brick off the ground and hurled it straight at Wang Huimin’s head.

As she threw, she screamed, “F*** your mother, you little bitch! Still trying to run? If you don’t give me back the money, I’ll crack your damn skull open!”

She said the most vulgar things imaginable—words Wang Huimin had heard her whole life and no longer even reacted to. She was used to the filth. But what she didn’t know was that Tian Yongmei had actually thrown a brick at her.

Her aim was off—it didn’t hit her head—but it did slam into her back.

Tian Yongmei had put her full strength into that throw, and pain shot through Wang Huimin’s entire back, spreading to her chest in a searing wave.

She felt a hot liquid run from her nose. When she reached up to touch it, her fingers came away soaked in bright red blood.

That brick had made her nose bleed.