Chapter 16

Just as Mrs. Xiang entered the courtyard, she was nearly scared out of her wits by a large dog. 

She almost fell flat on her backside. While she had a sharp tongue and relied on the fact that others dared not retaliate, this dog wasn’t a person. If she really provoked it and it lunged at her, tearing into her neck, her life would surely be forfeit.

Despite her shamelessness, this old woman still valued her life. She stumbled back several steps, retreating all the way out of the courtyard. Seeing that the dog didn’t follow her, she started hurling curses again.

Standing cold-faced at the doorway, Dong Yun said, “This is my home and my dog. Trespassing on private property without my permission is illegal, and I have every right to report you to the authorities. Furthermore, if my dog injures or kills someone on my property, I bear no responsibility. 

The government made this clear last year when the county officials came to the village to announce the laws. Everyone heard it loud and clear.”

Dong Yun’s words left the onlookers stunned.

Dong Yun had moved to the village over a year ago and generally kept to herself. Aside from occasionally joining the village women by the river to do laundry, she rarely appeared in public. 

The villagers only knew her surname was Dong, that she was gentle and beautiful, had a daughter named Fubao, and a grandfather who was a scholar. Beyond that, she was a mystery.

But now, while she was undeniably beautiful, whether she was gentle was another matter entirely.

The sharp aura she exuded was something even the fiercest village women couldn’t match.

No wonder she had a scholar for a grandfather—her words were logical, firm, and authoritative.

Mrs. Xiang was momentarily stunned, but she wasn’t one to admit defeat so easily. Standing outside the Zeng family’s courtyard with her hands on her hips, she changed tactics and began hurling insults indiscriminately. 

She cursed everything and everyone, from the heavens to the earth, from ancestors to descendants, and from east to west, north to south.

Dong Yun, however, didn’t respond. Instead, she turned back into the courtyard, brought out a small stool, and sat by the entrance, leisurely cracking sunflower seeds. The once-ferocious black wolfdog lay docilely at her feet, and little Fubao peeked out from the doorway with a chubby, smiling face.

The scene created a stark contrast—inside the courtyard was peace and tranquility, while outside was a raving madwoman.

As the crowd of onlookers grew, the village men couldn’t take their eyes off the beauty sitting at the gate. None of them even paid attention to Mrs. Xiang’s tirade; her words became little more than background noise.

After cursing for what felt like an eternity, Mrs. Xiang’s throat went dry, and she still didn’t get a response. 

Fuming, she glanced at Dong Yun, who remained calmly seated at the gate, showing no intention of coming out. 

Finally losing patience, she noticed the black dog’s docile demeanor and grew bolder, inching forward cautiously and attempting to step into the courtyard.

She wanted to slap that little wench hard to vent her anger.

But as soon as she moved closer, the black dog immediately transformed from a gentle canine into a snarling beast. It rose to its feet, baring its teeth and growling at her, as if warning her that if she dared step over the threshold, it would mercilessly tear her leg off.

Someone in the crowd couldn’t help but speak up in Dong Yun’s defense: “Mrs. Xiang, you’re in the wrong here. Your grandson got hit by your own granddaughter. What does that have to do with Fubao’s mother?”

Another person chimed in, “Exactly, they didn’t do anything to provoke you.”

Furious, Mrs. Xiang retorted, “Dalang said he was just passing by the Zeng family’s house when that little wretch ordered Pear Blossom, that worthless girl, to beat him up. If I don’t come looking for her, who else should I go to?”

The crowd immediately erupted in jeers.  

“Passing by? Who would believe that? The road ends at Fubao’s house. Everyone knows why your grandson was there—it’s as clear as day. Passing by? More like climbing her wall, shamelessly so!”  

“Exactly! That Xiang Dalang, always idle and lazy, saw the widow was pretty and decided to climb her wall. How disgraceful!”  

“He deserved to be beaten, if you ask me.”  

Mrs. Xiang glared angrily, shouting, “Who here saw my grandson climbing her wall? Stand up and face this old woman if you dare!”  

The crowd fell silent instantly.  

This crazy old woman was like a mad dog, snapping at anyone in her way. No one wanted to provoke her without reason.  

Mrs. Xiang smirked triumphantly. “See? No one is standing up, which means my grandson didn’t climb her wall.”  

Turning to her grandchildren in the crowd, she barked, “You lot, go drag that shameless woman out here! She’s hiding behind her dog and doesn’t dare face me!”  

Xiang Dalang and Xiang Sanlang exchanged hesitant glances, too afraid to step forward.  

At this moment, Mrs. Xiang’s second daughter-in-law, Zhou, who hadn’t been home earlier, rushed over after hearing about her son being beaten. She listened to Mrs. Xiang’s exaggerated account and joined in the shouting.  

Not knowing the fierceness of the black dog guarding the yard, Zhou stormed toward the courtyard gate in her anger. She stepped over the threshold and grabbed Dong Yun’s arm.  

But the moment she touched Dong Yun, the black dog, already alert, leapt up with a loud bark and knocked Zhou to the ground. Its jaws snapped dangerously close to her throat.  

The crowd screamed in terror. Some even covered their eyes.  

With a sharp command, the dog stopped immediately, though its hot breath blew against Zhou’s face, making her too terrified to open her eyes.  

“Murder! Murder!” Mrs. Xiang screamed in panic, her voice trembling.  

Others stepped back quickly. If they had thought the dog was just an ordinary watchdog before, they certainly didn’t now.  

A few local hooligans secretly thanked their luck. They remembered times when they had been scolded away by Granny Zeng just for lurking near her yard. If they had snuck in and been caught by this dog, they might already be six feet under.  

“Murder! Murder! The widow Dong has set her dog loose to kill someone!”  

The Xiang family members turned pale, none daring to move a muscle. Meanwhile, in the yard, Zhou lay motionless on the ground, clearly fainting from fright.  

“You fools!” Mrs. Xiang yelled. “Dalang, get in there and drag your mother out!”  

Xiang Dalang, battered and bruised, had no strength left to obey. But even more, he feared the dog.  

As the crowd buzzed noisily, someone shouted, “The village elder is here! Make way!”  

“Eh, Pear Blossom’s here too. Did she go to fetch the elder?”  

“Xiang Laotou and Xiang’s second son are here as well. This is about to get interesting.”  

Zhang Sanye stepped to the front, frowning at the scene before him. “What’s going on here?” he asked irritably.  

Mrs. Xiang hurriedly squeezed through the crowd, wailing and crying, “Third Uncle, that shameless widow Dong set her dog on my daughter-in-law, nearly killing her! She also had people beat my grandson into this state. 

She must pay for this! Third Uncle, you must bring justice to our family!”  

Zhang Sanye didn’t believe for a second that Zhou was dead. A corpse would be stiff, and Zhou was clearly not. He frowned and said, “Fubao’s mother, explain.”  

Dong Yun finally stood up, unhurried and calm. “She’s not dead. She only fainted from fright.”  

She glanced at Xiang Dalang, whose face was swollen like a pig’s head, and snorted. “At noon today, Fubao and I were cooking in the kitchen when we heard noise from the wall outside. When we came out, we saw a man sitting on the wall. It was Xiang Dalang—”  

Before she could finish, Mrs. Xiang interrupted, “Lies! My Dalang would never climb your wall. It’s you, shameless woman, seducing men all over the place!”  

Zhang Sanye’s face darkened. “Shut your mouth!” he barked.  

But Mrs. Xiang, undeterred, continued, “Am I wrong? This shameless woman is loose and immoral! Why else would all the men in the village flock to her yard?”  

Xiang Laotou, seeing Zhang Sanye’s expression, quickly pulled his wife back. “Stick to the matter at hand! Why are you spouting nonsense?”  
“Fine! My Dalang didn’t climb her wall. She’s slandering him, and I won’t accept it!” Mrs. Xiang declared stubbornly, standing to the side, sulking.  

Dong Yun finally spoke again, “Are you done? If not, finish now. Don’t interrupt me halfway.”  

“You… you little wretch—” 

Zhang Sanye, losing patience, turned to Xiang Laotou. “Are you going to handle her? If not, take this to the magistrate. But be warned, if she keeps this up, she’ll earn herself twenty lashes before she gets to speak.”  

Xiang Laotou felt a headache coming on. He had already guessed what had happened and knew his wife’s real intentions: to twist the truth, protect their family’s reputation, and extort some compensation.  

But seeing her brazen behavior now, he realized she was only making things worse. Not only would their plan fail, but they might also lose any chance of compensation.  

With that in mind, he suddenly raised his hand and slapped Mrs. Xiang hard across the face.  

Caught completely off guard, she was left dizzy and stunned; the insults she had been about to hurl stuck in her throat.  

When she finally came to her senses, her cheek burning with pain, she glared at Xiang Laotou, but his warning gaze made her bite her tongue. 

She stood to the side, clutching her face, her eyes full of venom as she glared at Dong Yun, as if she could swallow her whole.

Zhang Sanye, seeing the situation, finally spoke up, “Lady Fubao, go on.”

Dong Yun nodded and continued, “As I just mentioned, Fubao and I heard some noise outside. When we rushed out of the room, we saw a man sitting on our wall. Fubao was so frightened that she started crying. Fortunately, Pear Blossom was working in the nearby fields and heard our cries. 

She ran toward our house. The man on the wall had his face covered, so we couldn’t see him clearly. Hearing our shouting, Pear Blossom didn’t hesitate and rushed forward to pull him down. 

The two of them wrestled, and that’s when we realized the man climbing our wall was Xiang Dalang, a bachelor from our village.”

Everyone had more or less guessed the course of events, and now, hearing Dong Yun’s account, their suspicions were confirmed. Xiang Dalang often wandered near the Zeng family’s house, and his little schemes were no secret to anyone.

When Xiang Dalang heard Dong Yun refer to him as a bachelor, his face twisted with anger. He was about to speak up, but Zhang Sanye shot him a glare. “It’s her turn to speak. You can talk after she’s done. No interrupting.”

Xiang Dalang could only angrily close his mouth.