Chapter 8: The Arrival of the Hoe

After sitting in meditation all night, Xiang He’s body had recovered considerably, and the wound on her hand was also healing.

The family members had all woken up and were searching through the house for anything useful, but clearly, there wasn’t much to find. Even the only wooden bucket had its handle missing.

Mrs. Su furrowed her brows in frustration. “Why don’t I go to Fourth Aunt’s house and borrow something? We can buy a new one when the market day comes…”

Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of footsteps outside interrupted her.

“Come out, you old hag!”

That voice, so familiar it was almost overused, was instantly recognizable.

Xiang Yun, frightened, hid behind Mrs. Su, while Xiang Yang, holding his neck high, rushed to the front with his arms wide open. “Why is Grandma here…?!”

Xiang He lowered her gaze and looked at this little body. Even though he was trembling with fear, he still bravely rushed to the front to protect his family. What a good seed.

Xiang He was quite satisfied. She patted his shoulder and stepped aside to walk out, crossing her arms and giving a slight nod. “Grandma, you’re here so early. Are you here to bring us some food? How considerate of you.”

Mrs. Shi twisted her mouth, and with a fierce movement, she tried to rush into the house. However, Xiang He grabbed her arm. “What are you doing, Grandma? You’re not having second thoughts and trying to steal a chicken, are you? The agreement was clear in the document—you can’t take it back.”

Seeing her acting clueless, Mrs. Shi’s anger flared even more. She raised her hand to slap, but Xiang He swiftly caught it, then with a forceful pull, threw Mrs. Shi out of the gate.

Mrs. Shi staggered a few steps before steadying herself. Mrs. Yu, who was standing nearby, helped her up and immediately started shouting at Xiang He. “You little bitch! You even dare to push your grandma!”

“She wants to enter my house, doesn’t she have to go through my approval first?” Xiang He gave her a cold glance. “Besides, I didn’t push her. Didn’t you see that I was pulling her? Are you blind?”

“You!”

Mrs. Yu wanted to say more, but Mrs. Shi pushed her aside. “Speak! Did you steal the rabbit meat from the kitchen?”

Xiang Yang’s heart skipped a beat, and Xiang He casually spread her hands, her face relaxed. “Isn’t that your kitchen? How could I go in and take your meat? Could it have been stolen by a weasel?”

Seeing her sly and evasive defense, Mrs. Shi’s anger only grew hotter. She snatched the hoe from Xiang Lianhua’s hands and, recklessly, swung it at Xiang He.

“Xiang He, be careful!”

Mrs. Su’s heart skipped a beat. She rushed over a few steps, trying to block the attack for Xiang He. However, Xiang He, raised in a martial family, remained completely calm. She easily sidestepped and pushed Mrs. Su away, then reached out and grabbed the hoe handle.

It was like a repeat of the confrontation from last night, but this time Xiang He didn’t let go. Her expression was serene, showing no signs of panic. “Grandma is so thoughtful, she even brought us a hoe.”

“What…!”

Before Mrs. Shi could react, Xiang He used both hands to twist the hoe, then kicked toward Mrs. Shi’s abdomen. She didn’t kick hard, just using the force to nudge, and easily took the hoe away.

Mrs. Shi, now empty-handed, fell to the ground, staring dazedly at Xiang He as she weighed the hoe. The anger she had from last night carried over into the present, and she suddenly let out a loud wail, crying.

Xiang He, who had always been calm, was startled and hurriedly shoved the hoe into Mrs. Su’s hands, urging her to use it to defend herself, protecting the two younger ones behind her.

“Unbelievable! A granddaughter hitting her grandmother! The old Xiang family has raised such an ungrateful wolf! This is a cursed family, heaven, please open your eyes!”

Oh, here we go again with the tantrums.

Xiang Lianhua chimed in from the side, “Xiang He! How could you bully your grandma! Doesn’t grandma work so hard to raise us?”

Xiang He glanced at her with cold eyes, then looked around the area. Several people had gathered and were busy working. Upon hearing the commotion, they all turned to look up at the scene.

Seeing that Xiang He didn’t respond to her, Xiang Lianhua’s face turned red, and she bit her lip, still trying to argue.

At this moment, Fourth Aunt, who was down below, walked up the steps directly. “Xiang He, your grandma is making trouble again?”

“Isn’t that right? Would you come and talk to her?”

“Oh, I can’t talk to her,” Fourth Aunt replied, carrying a basket. She bypassed a few people and stood beside Xiang He, lifting the cloth over her basket. “Have you eaten yet? I made some steamed buns this morning. Here, take one. You three little ones can’t go hungry.”

Xiang He didn’t refuse, tearing off a piece, then handing the rest to Xiang Yang and the others.

“By the way, Fourth Aunt, could I borrow a water bucket from you? We have nothing here, and we’re worried about how we’re going to fetch water to wash our faces.”

“That’s no problem at all,” Fourth Aunt said warmly, waving her hand. “Aci, take the little ones and come with me to our house. You’ve got nothing here, so let’s see what we can find that you can use.”

Mrs. Su snapped out of her stupor and replied, “Uh… then thank you, Fourth Sister. ^[1]“Xiao” (小) means “little” or “young”Xiao Yun, go with me. Xiao Yang, stay home to protect He girl and your father.”

While there was commotion on one side, everything was ready on the other. Fourth Aunt led them as they were about to go down the mountain. Mrs. Shi, seeing they were ignoring her, shot a venomous glare at Mrs. Su. Her bloated body sat on the ground, and her hands reached toward Mrs. Su’s feet.

“Grandma, be careful!”

Mrs. Shi, full of rage, heard the shout and raised her head. The hoe she brought swung toward them, coming closer and closer. In a split second, Mrs. Su threw herself to the ground, narrowly avoiding the descending hoe.

The people around them stared in shock, but Xiang He remained completely calm. She raised the hoe and swung it down forcefully. “Oh, Grandma, you’re still here? I’m about to hoe the grass, and you’re blocking the way.”

The hoe plunged deep into the ground. After shaking it a few times, Xiang He lifted it again. Mrs. Yu and Xiang Lianhua were terrified and quickly helped Mrs. Shi up.

“You actually tried to kill Grandma!”

Mrs. Shi, still stunned, regained her senses. That moment, the girl had aimed the hoe directly at her head!

If she hadn’t dodged in time, it could’ve been…

Anger flared in Mrs. Shi’s heart. She gritted her teeth and, with both hands, lunged at Xiang He. But Xiang He was quicker, crouching down and grabbing Mrs. Shi by the neck.

Mrs. Shi struggled violently, slapping at Xiang He’s hand. “Let… let go of me!”

As her strength increased, Mrs. Shi’s face turned red, and she continued to slap at Xiang He’s hand. “Let go, cough! Let go! You… you vile girl!”

Even as her life was in danger, she didn’t forget to curse. It seemed that a lesson hadn’t been enough.

Mrs. Yu and Xiang Lianhua, seeing Xiang He’s firm grip, rushed forward to try to pry her hands off. “Let go! Do you really want to kill Grandma? Let go!”

The three of them struggled to free Mrs. Shi, with Mrs. Su and Xiang Yang joining in to pull them apart. The scene became chaotic. Inside the house, Xiang Dayong hobbled out, but in his haste, he tripped and fell flat on the ground.

“He girl, let go! Be careful, she might really stop breathing…”

Mrs. Su wasn’t concerned about Mrs. Shi, but she was worried about Xiang He. If something happened to her, it would be a serious matter!

Xiang He remained unfazed. Xiang Lianhua, in her desperation, bit down on Xiang He’s left forearm.

However, not only did Xiang He not feel any pain or loosen her grip, but she slowly stood up, taking Mrs. Shi with her.

Xiang Lianhua turned her head, her fear growing in her eyes. She forgot to close her mouth.

Xiang He’s dark eyes were like a quiet, deep pool, her face shadowed with a harsh and cold expression. The corners of her mouth curled into a mocking smile. “If you dare to come and make trouble again, I have a thousand ways to make sure you never set foot here again.”