The blow left Liu Honghua momentarily dazed, half of her face swelling up.

Several men who came to break up the fight couldn’t help but gasp in surprise.

They had never expected that Jiang Zhiqing, who was usually delicate and incapable of heavy work, could be so strong.

Jiang Lin had always been physically stronger than average due to her background in manual labor in her previous life.

After crossing over, she discovered her strength hadn’t diminished; she could carry Cheng Xiaobao for half a day without feeling tired.

Burning with anger, her slap packed a full force of redirected fury.

Liu Honghua, nursing her wounds, immediately began wailing and wildly scratched at Jiang Lin, attempting to pull her hair.

But Jiang Lin had never feared a fight.

In her previous life, after dropping out of school, she worked alongside other dropouts, often having to handle confrontations with tough girls.

While she might not have been the toughest, she certainly didn’t back down from a fight with another woman.

Before the men could intervene to separate them, she tripped Liu Honghua and slammed her forcefully onto the ground.

Coldly, she said, “Liu Honghua, your family has gone too far. Apart from taking over our house, just because I took the child out for a walk, you think I’m selling him? Your intentions are truly malicious.

Are you also planning to use this as an excuse to bully your sister-in-law? What kind of trash are you? You spew nothing but animalistic filth from your mouth. Disgusting!”

Having been accustomed to foul language from the lower classes in her previous life, Jiang Lin never hesitated when it came to arguments.

Dazed and confused by the fall, Liu Honghua could only continue wailing for a while.

Accustomed to bullying the weak and crying to appear vulnerable when faced with someone stronger.

“Are you blind? Didn’t you see him throwing dirt at me?”

Jiang Lin retorted, “Serves you right, you asked for it! Throwing dirt was the least he could do!”

“You and your husband are occupying someone else’s house. Now you’re accusing me of selling my son in public without evidence. Aren’t you the one bullying others?”

Liu Honghua never expected to be overpowered like this.

Normally pampered and afraid of pain and exhaustion, she couldn’t believe Jiang Lin, who was usually delicate and lazy, could be this strong.

It was clear she had been shirking work.

Jiang Lin looked down on her with disdain. “Liu Honghua, go back and tell Cheng Ruhai that if we’re going to divide the property, it must be fair and square. No sneaky business. We won’t accept anything less than our share of furniture, tools, grain, houses, and the land we farm ourselves. You better do the math properly because I’ll be double-checking everything.”

Turning back to the onlookers, she said, “We were just walking along peacefully, while Liu Honghua has a habit of bullying others. Everyone here witnessed it, so you can all testify when the time comes.”

Although the people around thought Jiang Lin was arrogant and looked down on others, they also knew Liu Honghua wasn’t a good person either.

Her husband becoming the head of the production team had only made her more domineering.

By speaking like this, Jiang Lin unintentionally bridged the gap between herself and the villagers, who thanked her as she led her two children back home.

Meanwhile, Cheng Xiaobao looked at his mother with adoring eyes, wishing he could celebrate her like a hero.

Cheng Dabao, however, wore a shocked expression.

He couldn’t believe this was his mother.

She had actually stood up for him!

During their encounter with the beggars in the county, he had been too angry to feel anything, but now he truly felt his mother’s protection.

Seeing Cheng Dabao’s reaction, Jiang Lin reached out to pat his head. “Let’s go home.”

Cheng Dabao immediately dodged away from her touch and ran towards home, muttering about finding some snacks and waves.

As Jiang Lin and her two children walked near the brigade, they ran into Cheng Rushan’s mother, Yan Runzhi.

Yan Runzhi had heard the commotion and came out to see what was happening.

She was surprised to see Jiang Lin and the two children, but cautiously asked, “Bao’er’s mother, weren’t you going back to the city to visit relatives? Why are you back so soon?”

Jiang Lin casually smiled and replied, “The kids weren’t sold off, so we came back.” It was better to preemptively paint herself in a negative light than to let Liu Honghua spread rumors about her selling her children in the village.

Cheng Xiaobao chimed in with a laugh, “Haha, Grandma, we missed you so much!”

Yan Runzhi was just as taken aback as Cheng Dabao, looking at Jiang Lin in disbelief.

Cheng Dabao’s face darkened again, unsure who he was angry with, and he pulled his younger brother along as they stomped back home.

Yan Runzhi quickly regained her composure.

Like Cheng Dabao, she didn’t take things seriously.

She knew her daughter-in-law disliked the two children and often said things like “throw them away” or “get rid of them.”

But like Cheng Dabao, she was sensitive to the change in Jiang Lin: the same Jiang Lin who had been so disdainful of the children actually clashed with Liu Honghua to protect Dabao.

In the past, when Dabao fought with other children, she either ignored it or scolded him for his bandit-like behavior, sometimes giving him a kick.

In the past, Jiang Lin had always been impatient when speaking to Yan Runzhi.

Now, was she joking? Yan Runzhi confirmed that her daughter-in-law wasn’t rolling her eyes at her and jokingly talking about selling children.

She was genuinely joking!

Yan Runzhi had always been careful around her daughter-in-law, sometimes feeling the need to be overly submissive.

Jiang Lin, on the other hand, had never shown her any respect, hardly ever engaged in serious conversation, let alone joked around.

When things were out of the ordinary, there was usually something wrong.

Instead of being pleasantly surprised, Yan Runzhi became more uneasy and cautious.

In her mind, Yan Runzhi weighed Jiang Lin’s behavior, while Jiang Lin also observed Yan Runzhi.

Yan Runzhi was Cheng Rushan’s mother.

The original host considered herself part of the working class, oppressed by reality and forced to marry Cheng Rushan, whom she saw as a landlord’s puppy, a huge grievance.

She looked down upon her mother-in-law and never gave Yan Runzhi a straight look, nor did she speak directly to her, often using tones like “Ah” or “Hey.”

Yan Runzhi was accustomed to being cold-shouldered and criticized, so she didn’t find her daughter-in-law’s indifference particularly hard to bear.

In fact, considering her son’s prolonged absence and questionable background, she felt fortunate that anyone was willing to marry him.

When Cheng Ruhai announced that her son would never return, Yan Runzhi grew even more grateful to her daughter-in-law for giving birth to two grandsons.

Despite Jiang Lin’s obvious disdain towards her, Yan Runzhi still served them attentively.

“Mother of Bao’er, are you thirsty? There’s cold water on the table. I’ll prepare some food for you right away,” Yan Runzhi said as she busied herself in the kitchen.

Yan Runzhi didn’t pry further, and Jiang Lin felt relieved.

She surveyed the room before her with growing frustration.

After being driven out of the Cheng family’s house by Cheng Ruhai, they had been living in a shack outside the brigade’s compound.

The grass hut was low and cramped, forcing her to stoop to enter.

It was constructed of wooden beams covered with corn stalks and thatch, leaking rain and wind.

While it could suffice in summer and autumn, it would surely be unbearable in winter, risking freezing them.

Naturally, there was no kang (traditional Chinese heated bed) inside the shack.

The cramped space held only a narrow wooden bed for her to sleep on.

Thick hay covered the rest of the floor where Yan Runzhi and the two children slept.

Two patched-up broken wooden trunks and a table with a broken leg were stored under another grass-roofed shelter with no walls.

There was no proper stove, only a makeshift hearth made of a few stones and mud, with a small iron pot resting on top, along with some bowls, ladles, and pots, most of which were quite worn out.

Damn it, could anyone live in such a harsh environment?

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Lin exclaimed, “We must reclaim our house!”

Yan Runzhi cautiously responded, “Mother of Bao’er, it’s not that easy. Right now, he has gained the support of the commune and become the head of the production team. Both the brigade secretary and the brigade leader have to save face for him.”

Jiang Lin retorted confidently, “I’m not afraid. We have the government backing us. We must trust the Party and the government. Some people may have their moment in the sun, but that doesn’t mean they can be arrogant forever.”

Jiang Lin pulled out a notebook and found two diaries, but she wasn’t interested and locked them back in the trunk.

She tore out two pages from the notebook and handed a pencil to Yan Runzhi, saying, “…Here, write a complaint letter to the government!”

She couldn’t bring herself to call her “mother,”

However, Yan Runzhi didn’t care about that at all.

The fact that her daughter-in-law was willing to talk seriously with her already made her pleasantly surprised.

She explained to Jiang Lin that the large area of houses in the brigade headquarters had originally belonged to the Cheng family but had been collectivized during the land reform in 1947.

Those were out of the question now.

When she returned with the three children, they lived in a cowshed.

When Cheng Rushan was fourteen, he joined a transportation team and used two hundred yuan to redeem a small courtyard with blue bricks and black tiles from the brigade.

They had lived there for nearly ten years, but now Cheng Ruhai had taken over and forcibly evicted them.

Yan Runzhi also remembered clearly some farming tools, furniture, and kitchenware left behind at home.

Although their property had been confiscated, what they redeemed were just ordinary wardrobes, cupboards, and kitchen utensils, it was much better than the average household.

Yan Runzhi had a good memory, remembering everything down to the smallest detail.

Jiang Lin remembered everything too.

Yan Runzhi couldn’t understand why Jiang Lin suddenly changed her attitude and wanted justice for their family, something that would have been unimaginable before.

But no matter what her daughter-in-law’s motives were, Yan Runzhi didn’t want her to suffer.

“Daughter-in-law, don’t act hastily. Let me cook first so we can eat. After eating, we can think of a plan.”

On the other side, when Cheng Dabao heard this, he brought over some tofu buns he had bought. “Grandma, I bought these for you!”

He glanced at Jiang Lin, implying that the buns were for her too.

Tears welled up in Yan Runzhi’s eyes.

She said that her daughter-in-law was fundamentally a good person.

Over time, even the coldest hearts could be warmed.

Unlike some people who, despite benefiting greatly from the Cheng family in the past and owing their survival to them, now opposed the Cheng family fiercely once they gained momentum.

She sniffed, “An Huaiyu, I’m full, eat it yourself!”

Jiang Lin replied, “We’ve all eaten. This is for you.”

She looked at the corner where there was a cracked cover on a tub, but there wasn’t any proper food inside.

When they were driven out by Cheng Ruhai, they didn’t have much food to begin with.

The previous owner had exchanged wheat and corn for food coupons, leaving only some dried sweet potatoes that were now moldy.

Yan Runzhi was worried Jiang Lin would find it unacceptable. “I’ll go to your mother’s house to borrow some flour and rice for you and the children.”

Jiang Lin grabbed her, lips pressed together. “No, I brought back food coupons. I’ll go to the commune to exchange them.”

Jiang Lin was about to find a clean basin to take to the commune to exchange for food when Liu Honghua rushed over with her two children, yelling, “You stinky woman, don’t you dare run!”

Yan Runzhi was terrified and immediately pushed Jiang Lin. “Daughter-in-law, take the kids and hide. I’ll deal with them.”

Jiang Lin told Dabao, “Take your brother to the commune office.”

She pulled Yan Runzhi along.

“Let’s go. Today, we’ll settle the score with them and get what’s rightfully ours!”