Chapter 17: The more the trouble gets, the more he refuses to admit it

Wang Huimin’s gaze instantly turned as cold and sharp as a blade. She stopped running and turned to face Tian Yongmei, looking at her with deep hatred. She couldn’t understand what kind of karma she must have accumulated in her past lives to be born from such a woman—someone so utterly unworthy of being a mother.

Tian Yongmei was already gasping for breath from anger and exertion, but when she saw Wang Huimin finally stop, she pushed herself forward. She didn’t even flinch at the sight of blood running from Wang Huimin’s nose from that brick—if anything, she felt satisfied. All she cared about now was the money. She had long forgotten that Wang Huishu was someone else’s child, while the girl in front of her was her own biological daughter.

Seeing Wang Huimin glare at her with such hatred only made her angrier. She lunged forward, trying to hit her.
“You filthy little bitch! How dare you look at me like that! I’ll gouge your eyes out! Hand over the money you stole from the house—if even one cent is missing, I swear I’ll beat you to death today!”

But Wang Huimin wasn’t going to put up with her anymore. She grabbed Tian Yongmei and flung her aside. Ever since she was reborn, she had never seen this woman as her mother.

“You gave birth to me—so if I’m a filthy little bitch, what does that make you?”
“What proof do you have that I stole your money? I don’t belong to you anymore, so stop barking at me like you still have control over my life!”

By now, the commotion had made its way to the center of the village, and many neighbors had come out to see what was going on.

A kind auntie, seeing that Wang Huimin’s nose was bleeding, quickly handed her a tissue.
“Xiaomin, what happened to your nose? Here, wipe it.”

Then someone in the crowd whispered,
“What do you think happened? Her own mother hit her. I’ve never seen someone beat their child this badly—it’s unbelievable.”

That remark stirred murmurs from the surrounding villagers.
“I saw it too. That brick almost hit the back of the girl’s head. If it had, she’d be seriously hurt. I’ve never seen a mother this biased—how is this even real…”
“She’s always been like this—treats someone else’s kid like a treasure and beats her own like she’s a punching bag. Poor girl. Born into a nightmare family…”
“With just one wrong move, that girl could’ve been killed. It’s a miracle she’s still alive. Honestly, it’s a blessing she’s marrying into the Song family—at least she might survive there.”

Though the village hadn’t fully modernized in terms of values, most families still had a strong sense of right and wrong. At the very least, they loved their own children—unlike Tian Yongmei, who was just… beyond reason.

Wang Huimin took the tissue, thanked the kind woman, and wiped the blood off her nose.

Tian Yongmei was like a firecracker—she didn’t care what others thought and kept shouting, completely convinced she was in the right.

“Don’t let this damn girl fool you! It’s just a nosebleed—what, like she’s going to die from it? Our whole family’s been ruined because of her!”

“She’s nothing but a backstabbing, ungrateful brat! Already married off, and she still steals all our money! If your daughter did that, wouldn’t you beat her too?!”

At this point, Wang Huimin didn’t care about holding back anymore. The more dramatic, the better. She was going to make this public scene count—for her own vindication.

If Tian Yongmei claimed she was faking it, then fine—she’d “fake” it even harder. Let everyone decide who to believe.

She burst into loud sobs, shouting,
“You have no proof! What right do you have to accuse me of stealing?”

“Everyone in the village knows how you’ve treated me all these years—always siding with Wang Huishu, making me do all the dirty and hard chores!”

“I wore the worst clothes, ate the worst food, and you beat me three times a day—sometimes nearly to death!”

“And now, just to pay for Wang Huishu’s school, you sold me off to the Song family without a penny of dowry and kicked me out without caring if I lived or died.”

“I’m already married, and you still won’t let me go. Now you accuse me of stealing money, ruin my reputation, and even tried to kill me with a brick. What kind of mother are you? Are you even my real mom? Wuwuwu…”

Though the crying started off as an act, thinking back on her miserable life before she was reborn made the pain feel real. Her sobs took on genuine sorrow.

The villagers, hearing her story, couldn’t help but feel sympathy. After all, what she said was true. And their gaze toward Tian Yongmei grew colder, more judgmental. Evil stepmothers were common—but for a biological mother to be this cruel? Rare indeed.

Tian Yongmei ground her teeth in rage. Even if what Wang Huimin said was true, to say it all out loud, in front of everyone—it was humiliating. Especially since the money had gone missing and there was no one else to blame. Over the years, she had done nothing but beat and scold this daughter, and Wang Huimin had never dared fight back like this. The sudden resistance from someone she had controlled for so long sent her into a spiral.

Furious, she lunged forward again, shouting,
“You damn brat! Saying all that to shame me—see if I don’t beat you to death!”

But this time, the crowd intervened. Several villagers stepped in and pulled her back.

“Auntie, what are you doing?! The kid’s already hurt, and you still want to hit her? If you have something to say, say it! She already said she didn’t steal anything—if the money’s missing, find another way to look for it!”

“Exactly. Beating her won’t solve anything. Look what you’ve already done to the poor child.”

Wang Huimin kept crying as she shouted,
“I told you I didn’t steal anything, and I mean it! I just registered my marriage with Song Jianjun yesterday—he’s supposed to pick me up tomorrow.”

“But you couldn’t even wait a single day. You kicked me out this morning before I even had breakfast. I walked out of the house with just this little bundle, and you already searched it before I left!”

“Look at me—where on my body could I possibly hide any money? You’re accusing me without a shred of proof!”

“If you don’t believe me, fine. I’ll prove it right now in front of all the uncles and aunties here. I’ll show you what’s in my bag, and you can check again. That should clear my name once and for all, right?”

With that, Wang Huimin opened her little bundle and laid it on the ground. Inside were just a few simple things—some faded old clothes and a couple of hair ties. Nothing of value at all.

There was nothing in the bag that could have hidden any stolen money.

But now, Tian Yongmei looked even worse. Not only had she sold her daughter to an older, disabled man for a sky-high bride price, she hadn’t given her a single dowry item and had kicked her out of the house.

Then she falsely accused her of theft and nearly killed her with a brick—now yelling and screaming in the middle of the village for all to see.

She had essentially tried to force her daughter to death. Her reputation was ruined, and no amount of explanation could wash away this cruelty.

The villagers’ expressions grew more complex, and even Wang Huishu, standing awkwardly by, was receiving looks of open contempt—this instigating troublemaker was no longer hiding in the shadows.