Chapter 65

However, Li Sanhong was not at home.  

In Old Li’s family, aside from Mother Li and Jiang Ailing, only Dahua, who cooked, and Li Tiezhu, who had been strictly ordered by Father Li not to leave the house, remained.  

At home, Dahua was just a minor figure. With the two dominant elders arguing, she dared not interfere and quietly hid in the kitchen, focusing on her cooking.  

As for Li Tiezhu, ever since Mother Li stopped giving him the best food, and Father Li forced him to chop wood in the mountains or locked him up at home, while Jiang Ailing constantly lectured him by his ear, his resentment toward Father Li and Mother Li had grown immensely.  

He had almost come to see them as enemies.  

Seeing his mother being beaten, how could he hold back? He immediately rushed forward and hit Mother Li. “I won’t let you hit my mother!”  

Mother Li was caught off guard by Li Tiezhu’s strike. She looked at her eldest grandson, whom she had always doted on, in disbelief. “Tiezhu, you hit me?”  

“I did! You hit my mother first!”  

“I am your grandmother!” Mother Li said angrily.  

“You are not my grandmother!” Li Tiezhu shouted, his eyes fierce with anger. “You don’t give me meat to eat, and you let Grandpa beat me. I hate you!”  

“You—!” Mother Li was so furious that she was momentarily speechless.  

Before this, she had thought that although Li Tiezhu was a bit lazy and selfish, he was not beyond saving.

She believed that with proper discipline, he could still be set on the right path.  

That was why, even though Father Li had been disciplining Li Tiezhu these past few days, she had never spoken up for him.

However, every time she saw him being reprimanded, she felt the pain in her heart.  

Afraid that he might notice her soft spot for him, she had secretly boiled eggs for him to nourish his body.

She had even painfully decided to boil an egg for each of her grandchildren.  

Yet after all her efforts, he had actually hit her?  

Mother Li suddenly broke down. The disappointment that had been accumulating inside her burst forth uncontrollably. “Since I am not your grandmother, then get out! Get out! Leave my house!”  

As she yelled, she grabbed a broom and began sweeping at Li Tiezhu’s feet, driving him away.

Li Tiezhu was not like Jiang Ailing; he did not hesitate to act just because Mother Li was his grandma.  

On the contrary, because Mother Li had doted on him since he was young, she was the person he feared the least.  

Whenever Mother Li hit him, he would reach out and grab her broom.  

If Mother Li refused to let go, he would strike her hand.  

Although Li Tiezhu was only nine years old, the Old Li family had always prioritized him when it came to good food.

As a result, he had already grown to a height of 1.1 meters. He was not chubby, but he was sturdy, and when he hit someone, it hurt.  

Of course, Mother Li had spent years working in the fields, so she was strong as well. She was more than capable of handling Li Tiezhu.  

This only made Li Tiezhu hit even harder.  

Mother Li’s heart ached as she struck him and scolded: “You rebellious brat, are you trying to turn the world upside down? I’ll beat you to death!”  

“You old hag, I should be the one beating you to death—hiss!” Li Tiezhu, unable to win against her, cursed while dodging.  

“Old hag, stop it! Hiss—if you keep hitting me, don’t forget that you’ll have to live with us in the future. If you dare hit me, I’ll tell my father to kick you out!” Li Tiezhu threatened.  

???  

Mother Li was in disbelief.

She knew exactly what Li Tiezhu meant.  

According to their local customs, when a family split up, the parents would live with the eldest son.  

One of the reasons she had favored the third son’s family so much before was because of this tradition.  

And now, Li Tiezhu was using this to threaten her?  

Fury surged within Mother Li, and she struck Li Tiezhu even harder. “How dare you say such unfilial words? Huh? I must have been blind to spoil you so much! You ungrateful little brat! You want to kick me out? Then I might as well beat you to death first!”  

This time, Mother Li was truly enraged. She grabbed Li Tiezhu by the collar and smacked his backside with force.  

Li Tiezhu screamed in pain, scratching at Mother Li’s face and hands. Even though Mother Li winced from the pain, she did not let go. Instead, she struck him even harder.  

Jiang Ailing stood frozen in shock. She wanted to help Li Tiezhu but did not dare to lay a hand on Mother Li. In desperation, she could only plead: “Mother, stop hitting him! Mother!”  

“Tiezhu, apologize to your grandmother! Hurry!”  

“Mother, please stop! Tiezhu is your eldest grandson! You’ll hurt him too badly!”  

Her words only made things worse. The moment she spoke, Mother Li became even more furious.  

There was no way Mother Li would believe that Li Tiezhu had come up with those words on his own without Jiang Ailing secretly egging him on.

Without hesitation, she let go of Li Tiezhu and turned to chase after Jiang Ailing.

Jiang Ailing did not have the courage to fight back against Mother Li. The moment she saw Mother Li coming for her, she bolted, pleading as she ran: “Mother, stop! I didn’t mean anything by what I said! I was only thinking of you, that’s all! Just think about Second Sister-in-law… Ah! Mother, I was wrong! I was really wrong! Please stop hitting me!”

This gave Li Tiezhu a moment to recover. He stared at Mother Li’s back, his eyes filled with deepening hatred.

One should never underestimate the malice of a child, for their hatred was often more direct and pure than that of adults.

Li Tiezhu picked up a brick…

The commotion was loud enough that the neighbors had all heard it. Those who loved gossip rushed over, blocking the entrance to watch the spectacle. Even Shen Yiyi had arrived.

After she and Li Chen had transported all the grain back home, Li Chen had left for town to meet with his friends from the transport team.

Shen Yiyi had stayed behind to cook lunch. Initially, she had no intention of meddling in other people’s affairs.

But when she heard Mother Li repeatedly mentioning “the second son’s family.” she knew this had something to do with her. So, she told the Three Baos to watch the fire and hurried over to see what was happening.

She hadn’t expected to arrive just in time to see Li Tiezhu raising the brick, aiming for Mother Li’s back. Gasps of shock erupted from the crowd.

In that instant, Shen Yiyi grabbed a wooden carrying pole from the doorway and hurled it at Li Tiezhu.

The pole struck his right forearm. Being hit by a hard object on the arm was incredibly painful.

The brick slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground. Li Tiezhu burst into tears, wailing as he glared at Shen Yiyi with resentment.

He crouched down, reaching with his left hand to grab the pole, intending to hit her.

Shen Yiyi lunged at the same time, and the two of them each seized one end of the pole.

Li Tiezhu was not left-handed; his left hand lacked strength. Naturally, he was no match for Shen Yiyi.

With just a slight exertion of force, Shen Yiyi yanked the pole away and jabbed it into Li Tiezhu’s stomach.

The stomach was a particularly vulnerable part of the body—just a light jab could send pain rippling through every nerve.

Li Tiezhu clutched his belly and doubled over. Shen Yiyi swiftly adjusted her grip and swung the pole at his backside.

This time, Li Tiezhu was completely defenseless. He collapsed onto the ground, wailing in utter agony.

Mother Li who stopped hitting Jiang Ailing, looked down at the fallen brick, feeling a chill creep through her heart.

“Shen Yiyi, how dare you hit my son?!”
Jiang Ailing’s eyes were bloodshot with rage. It was one thing for Mother Li to hit Li Tiezhu—after all, she was his grandmother.

But what right did Shen Yiyi have to lay a hand on her son?

Jiang Ailing deliberately ignored the brick on the ground, focusing only on her overwhelming hatred.

Everything had happened because of Shen Yiyi!

If it weren’t for her, Mother Li wouldn’t have beaten her, and none of this would have happened.

Jiang Ailing turned around and grabbed a wooden pole as well.

Shen Yiyi had learned a bit of self-defense. She might not be able to fight a wild boar, but was she really supposed to lose to Jiang Ailing?

As Jiang Ailing swung the pole at her, Shen Yiyi swiftly repeated her earlier move, striking Jiang Ailing’s forearm with precision.

Jiang Ailing, as weak as a twig, lost her grip before she could even complete her swing. The pole fell to the ground with a thud.

There was no new grudge… at least not yet. But there was certainly an old one.

Shen Yiyi took the opportunity to settle the score. She even started playing with her attack, treating the pole like a fencing sword—striking here, jabbing there.

Jiang Ailing, both in pain and seething with anger, scrambled to dodge. Her frantic, flustered movements looked so ridiculous that the onlookers burst into laughter.

More and more people gathered to watch. When the doorway became too crowded, some went home to fetch stools, while others simply climbed onto the walls for a better view. The scene was as lively as a street performance.

To an outsider, it might have looked like a mob of people trying to watch a circus act without buying tickets.

When Father Li and Li Dabin, along with Li Sanhong, returned home and saw the scene before them, they were utterly baffled.

Standing on a long wooden bench, Wang Yan spotted them and grinned. “Uncle Li, your family’s show is quite the spectacle.”

“What show?” Li Sanhong, unaware of the situation, asked with eager curiosity.

Wang Yan deliberately teased him, then turned to the crowd at the door. “Make way, everyone! Make way! Sanhong is back!”

Upon hearing this, the crowd willingly parted, creating an open path.

And just like that, the chaos inside was laid bare before the three Li men:

Mother Li, looking utterly disheveled.

Li Tiezhu, crying miserably.

And Shen Yiyi, mercilessly beating Jiang Ailing.

Li Sanhong felt his head spin.