Chapter 14 – Quarrel

“Jiaojiao, you’ve worked hard.” Pu Shunyi looked at his younger sister, whose eyes never left the two children, and felt a wave of sorrow wash over him.

Regarding the incident where his sister had encountered a lecher while going to offer incense, Pu Shunyi only hated that he had been away at the time and hadn’t been by her side. If he had been there, he would’ve knocked the scoundrel out with a punch. His sister wouldn’t have been subjected to such treatment.

And the one he hated most was Guo Yonghe. If it hadn’t been for him inviting his sister to go offer incense, only to fail to protect her, how could she have gotten caught up in such a mess?

In the end, she had no choice but to become someone’s stepmother at such a young age.

What made Pu Shunyi most furious was that Guo Yonghe had actually called off the engagement, claiming his sister had been unchaste. Pu Shunyi had beaten him up once after returning, but every time he thought about it, his teeth ground with fury. Even beating him ten or eight more times wouldn’t be enough to vent his rage.

It had clearly been Guo Yonghe who failed to protect her and ran off in panic when faced with those scoundrels—yet in the end, he tried to pin all the blame on Jiaojiao.

Utterly shameless.

Pu Jiaojiao glanced at Pu Shunyi with confusion. She wasn’t sure what her brother was imagining in that head of his, but she still shook her head and said, “It’s really not tiring at all. Xiaorong is a very well-behaved child, and Ah-Yi has to go to the academy most days anyway. I actually find this kind of life quite enjoyable.”

She genuinely did feel it was nice. Ever since she arrived in this world, she’d adjusted pretty well.

Even though this body was technically married, she hadn’t even seen her so-called husband. All she did was cook a few meals a day, which to her, was more like a pleasure.

Aside from needing to get up a bit earlier for breakfast, she could even go back to sleep afterward for a nap.

Though there were no phones or internet here, she didn’t feel bored with Jing Xiaorong keeping her company. Besides, there was plenty to keep her busy every day—her routine was quite stable and structured.

She had never been the competitive or ambitious type anyway, which was why in her past life she’d worked alone as a lifestyle blogger, quietly running her own channel.

Life now might be simple, but to her, it felt especially warm and comforting.

Pu Shunyi’s thoughts: Another day of wanting to beat Guo Yonghe up.

“This rong berries—I saw them first!” a haughty young woman’s voice suddenly rang out, leaving no room for negotiation. “Little girl, hand over the rong berries now!”

Jing Xiaorong, only about three or four years old, clutched the small handful of freshly picked mountain rong berries tightly in her arms. At those words, not only did she refuse, but she even hid her hands behind her back and glared angrily at the speaker, cheeks puffed up.

The girl who had spoken looked to be about sixteen, with delicate features, but her habitual raised brows and corners of her eyes gave her a proud, condescending air that diminished her beauty.

She wore a brand-new rose-red sa rong skirt embroidered with intricate lotus patterns in gold thread. Her hair was adorned with a jewel-inlaid hairpin that sparkled with kingfisher feathers, and silver bangles jingled on her wrists.

But her outfit was clearly ill-suited for mountain climbing—dust clung to the hem of her elaborate skirt, and her movement was visibly hindered. She looked entirely out of place amidst the wild, rustic mountain scenery.

The maid at her side couldn’t help feeling embarrassed seeing her young mistress bickering with a toddler. But as the girl’s personal maid, she naturally had to act according to her mistress’s wishes.

She stepped forward in a few quick strides, raising her hand to snatch the rong berries hidden behind Jing Xiaorong. At the same time, she scolded, “Impudent! Our young lady has taken a liking to something—do you think a wild brat like you has any right to touch it?”

Jing Hongyi glared angrily at the two of them. Though he was still a child, he was already seven or eight years old. Plus, he had been eating well lately and had grown taller—he looked like a boy entering adolescence.

The maid, on the other hand, appeared to be about sixteen. But being older and taller, she still had a clear physical advantage over him.

Jing Hongyi reacted swiftly, pulling Jing Xiaorong behind him, trying to use his own body to block the maid’s outstretched hand.

But just as the maid’s hand reached out, another hand shot in from the side and firmly seized the maid’s wrist.

“Ow!” the maid cried out in pain and looked up—only to meet Pu Jiaojiao’s furious gaze.

Pu Jiaojiao and Pu Shunyi had been walking not far behind. When they heard the commotion, they rushed over, arriving just in time to see the maid attempting to get rough with Xiaorong.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Pu Jiaojiao forcefully flung the maid’s hand away and stepped protectively in front of the Jing siblings. Her voice rang out angrily, “It’s bad enough bullying the young with the old, but now you’re raising your hand to hit a child? Do you have no shame?”

The well-dressed young lady was utterly stunned by Pu Jiaojiao’s harsh scolding. Her face turned bright red with rage, and her shrill voice pierced the mountain’s calm, “You’ve got some nerve! Who do you think you are to speak to me like that? Hongyun, slap her!”

She pointed straight at Pu Jiaojiao and barked the order at her maid.

Receiving the command, the maid rubbed her sore wrist and charged viciously toward Pu Jiaojiao once again.

But Pu Shunyi’s tall figure stepped forward, placing himself between them and Pu Jiaojiao. His voice was deep and steady as he shouted, “I dare you to try!”

Though simply dressed, Pu Shunyi’s posture was upright, his presence composed and commanding. That alone made both the maid and the young lady pause momentarily.

However, the well-dressed young woman showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, she let out a dismissive snort.

Clearly pampered all her life, she had never endured such humiliation. Her brows arched sharply as she snapped, “Oh? Reinforcements? Someone come! Teach these two blind fools—and those two brats—a proper lesson!”

As soon as she gave the order, a few burly manservants emerged from the nearby trees. Each of them rolled up their sleeves and started to close in on Pu Shunyi menacingly, clearly ready to throw punches.

In an instant, the atmosphere along the mountain path grew tense—one wrong move and a fight would erupt.

Pu Jiaojiao was both shocked and enraged. She couldn’t believe that someone could be so arrogant—bullying a child and trying to snatch something from them, yet feeling no shame at all, even escalating it to violence.

What infuriated her even more was the faces of the bystanders, all looking as though they didn’t dare intervene.

At that moment, a clear, refined male voice rang out unexpectedly, carrying a tone of curiosity and confusion:
“Hm? What’s going on here?”

The girl, who had just moments before looked like a furious shrew, instantly changed her expression. Her demeanor became shy and demure, and she daintily lifted a handkerchief to her lips, casting the man a coy glance.
“Brother Yun, it’s just a couple of lowlifes who ran into me and were rude. I just wanted them taught a lesson.”

Yun Liang raised his brows ever so slightly, though his face retained a pleasant, gentle smile.
“Oh? Someone dared to offend Miss An? If that’s the case, they certainly deserve to be taught a lesson.”

Pu Jiaojiao’s anger boiled over.
“If what this ‘Miss An’ calls ‘offense’ refers to snatching a handful of rong berries from a three- or four-year-old child, then I must say—I’ve really broadened my horizons today.”

“I wonder which family this Miss An comes from? I’d love to help her spread her name far and wide, so everyone can be sure to avoid her in the future. After all, if you bump into her accidentally, you might end up being charged with some grave offense.”

“Judging by her age, I imagine she’s of marriageable age already. I’m sure her future husband would be very interested to know what kind of person she is.”

Pu Jiaojiao’s words were laced with sarcasm, causing a ripple of laughter to rise from the onlookers.

One bold onlooker even laughed and helpfully answered her question,
“This Miss An is the daughter of the biggest textile merchant in our county. I’ve heard her family is even related to some official in the prefectural city. Definitely not someone to mess with.”