Chapter 2: “From Now On, I Call the Shots”

Jiang Jiuyue still had porridge in her mouth and was too lazy to speak, so she casually grabbed the large gourd ladle beside her and hurled it.

The ladle struck Chen Cuihong squarely on the forehead, sending her staggering back two steps, clutching her head and wailing in pain.

Ma Guichun hesitated, but still lunged forward, intending to drag Jiang Jiuyue out and give her a good beating.

Before she even got close, Jiang Jiuyue kicked her straight into the air. Ma Guichun crashed into the still-reeling Chen Cuihong, and the two of them tumbled right out the kitchen door.

Jiang Jiuyue finished the last of her porridge. Though still not full, she didn’t dare eat too much—this body’s stomach was too fragile. Small, frequent meals were best.

She licked her lips, set the bowl down, and strode out of the kitchen.

Chen Cuihong and Ma Guichun were still in a heap on the ground when Jiang Jiuyue grabbed each of them by the hair and dragged them over to lie next to Du Jinhua.

Ma Guichun cursed loudly, “Jiang Jiuyue, you bitch! You dare lay hands on your mother-in-law and sister-in-law? The Liang family will definitely cast you out!”

The original Jiang Jiuyue used to be terrified of that word—“cast out.” If that happened, her three daughters would essentially be doomed.

But Jiang Jiuyue wasn’t afraid. Cast her out?

Let’s see if the Liang family even has the guts.

Jiang Jiuyue gripped Ma Guichun’s face, gave her a cold smile—and dislocated her jaw without a second thought.

Before Ma Guichun could even scream, Jiang Jiuyue was already prepared. She stuffed her other sock into the woman’s mouth.

“Those arms of yours really bug me. Let’s deal with them next.”

Before the words had even left her mouth, Jiang Jiuyue had already dislocated both of Ma Guichun’s arms.

Chen Cuihong, watching the whole thing from the side, was trembling. Everyone knew Jiang Jiuyue was strong—but she’d never dared resist the Liang family before. Was she out of her mind today?

Jiang Jiuyue kicked Ma Guichun aside and turned her eyes to the shivering Chen Cuihong.

“Her jaw’s off. You can join her.”

Panicking, Chen Cuihong scrambled on all fours, trying to escape—but Jiang Jiuyue grabbed her by the hair and yanked her back.

“Trying to run? Then I’ll take a leg too.”

True to her word, Jiang Jiuyue first dislocated Chen Cuihong’s jaw, stuffed her sock in her mouth, and then grabbed her thigh and yanked—cleanly dislocating a leg.

The whole process was nearly silent, and Jiang Jiuyue was extremely satisfied.

She stood up straight and looked at the three of them—Du Jinhua, Ma Guichun, and Chen Cuihong—like they were nothing more than ants.

“Starting today, I, Jiang Jiuyue, call the shots in this house. If anyone’s not convinced, come at me.”

With that, Jiang Jiuyue turned back to the kitchen and brought her three daughters—still too afraid to come out—back into the courtyard and headed straight for the house.

But the moment she stepped into her room, Jiang Jiuyue was thoroughly unimpressed. What kind of dump was this? Was this even fit for human living?

“Come on, pack up. We’re moving into Du Jinhua’s room—it’s the biggest.”

Jiang Jiuyue quickly gathered their things, then led her daughters out with her bundle in hand.

Du Jinhua and the others were still struggling to remove the smelly socks from their mouths when they saw Jiang Jiuyue walking out with her bag. They thought she was finally leaving.

But instead, they watched—aghast—as she marched up and kicked open the door to Du Jinhua’s room.

Jiang Jiuyue glanced inside. It still wasn’t great, but definitely better than the dump she’d been in. It’d do for now.

Du Jinhua was practically frothing with rage. This wretched woman must’ve eaten bear gall and leopard guts today—how dare she do this?!

She desperately tried to signal Ma Guichun with her eyes. Her legs still work—go call the men of the house, now!

Ma Guichun ignored the pain in her arms and jaw and staggered out, running toward the fields.

Jiang Jiuyue had sharp ears—she knew someone had slipped out—but she didn’t care. Whoever they brought back, it wouldn’t matter.

Liang Zhao’er was still scared, peeking through the crack in the door. “Mama, Second Aunt ran out. She must’ve gone to call someone. What do we do?”

Jiang Jiuyue was rummaging through drawers and cabinets, completely unbothered. “Let her. One comes, I beat one. Two come, I pair them up. That bunch thinks they can take me? How many lives do they have to throw away?”

As she spoke, her expression brightened—she seemed to have found something. “So this is where it was. That old hen Du Jinhua really knew how to hide things. Almost missed it.”

Liang Pan’er, who was closest to her, craned her neck to look. It was a cloth bundle, and it seemed to be wrapping something hard.

Jiang Jiuyue unwrapped it, revealing a few very small silver ingots—maybe one or two taels in total.

Liang Pan’er’s eyes widened. “Mama, is that… is that Grandma’s hidden savings?”

Jiang Jiuyue weighed the silver in her hand. “This family’s really dirt-poor. Just this bit? Whatever, we’ll spend it first. Tomorrow we’ll go to town and get ourselves some new clothes.”

The clothes they were wearing were ragged, patched all over, and so faded you couldn’t tell what color they used to be.

Jiang Jiuyue had never been the kind to suffer or put up with hardship. She wasn’t going to wear rags like these.

Besides, after years of working like a slave for the Liang family, surely she’d earned a few taels. This silver? Consider it repayment. And as for the rest—she’d collect from the Liang family one piece at a time.

Liang Zhao’er looked like she might faint—her mother was way too bold!

But Liang Pan’er actually felt her mother was amazing. Watching her beat up Grandma and the two aunts had been incredibly satisfying!

If Mama could stay this fierce, the four of them wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.

After stashing away the silver, Jiang Jiuyue flopped down on the bed. She needed to rest a bit—there was a battle coming.

She hadn’t been lying down long when footsteps sounded in the courtyard. Looked like Liang Youchang (the eldest son) and Liang Wenchang (the second son) were back.

The three women with dislocated jaws couldn’t speak, only letting out muffled wails, which left the two men completely dumbfounded.

What happened? Was there a robbery?

The only one with usable arms, Chen Cuihong, pointed toward Du Jinhua’s room and whimpered for a long while. Liang Youchang and Liang Wenchang exchanged a glance and crept cautiously toward the room.

Just as they were about to break the door open—it swung open first.

What they saw was Jiang Jiuyue’s expressionless face.

“Third… Third Brother’s wife?”

The two Liang brothers were stunned. They thought it would be a thief inside. Why was it the third daughter-in-law?

Behind them, the three beaten women wailed louder at the sight of Jiang Jiuyue.

The brothers were still confused, glanced behind them—and then flew backward.

Jiang Jiuyue retracted her leg, stood in the doorway, and calmly repeated herself:

“Since you two didn’t hear it earlier, I’ll say it again: from now on, in this house, I, Jiang Jiuyue, call the shots. If either of you disagrees, step up and fight me.”

“But let me warn you first—if you lose an arm or break a leg during the fight, don’t blame me for being too ruthless.”

Liang Youchang and Liang Wenchang were slammed hard into the ground. Hearing Jiang Jiuyue’s words, they finally snapped out of it.

It wasn’t a robber.

It was Jiang Jiuyue who had beaten the three women like that!