Chapter 50: Unreasonable

Aunt Zhao rolled up her sleeves again.

The villagers spat at Hu Daxiang’s wife and scolded her, “With that filthy mouth of yours, you totally deserve a beating!”

Hu Daxiang’s wife shielded her head and shouted, “Why are all you people in this village so unreasonable?!”

“We’re the unreasonable ones?” A man chuckled angrily. “If we were really unreasonable, we would’ve kicked you out long ago!

“You think we’ve forgotten what you all did back then? You acted like animals, and now we’re not even allowed to talk about it?”

“Exactly!” an elderly woman said, kicking Hu Daxiang’s wife. “Have you forgotten how you used to act? Back then, you kept saying that since there was no formal wedding, Yingzi didn’t count as a member of the Guo family.

“So why is she suddenly your niece-in-law now?

“You think we’re all fools? You just heard things are going well in our village and came sniffing around hoping to gain something!”

Everyone echoed in agreement, “Yeah! And if you’re coming here to mooch, at least speak respectfully. Cursing like that—you think you can bully us?”

An An woke up—she had been roused by the thick wave of malice in the air.

She opened her surveillance feed and saw everything happening outside, crystal clear.

She was so angry her head practically steamed.

Huh? This is strange. She already knew how Guo Nier and the others treated Qin Ying in the past, so why was she so furious this time?

Ding! Energy +0.5

In that moment, An An understood—it was because she felt pain for her mother that her energy increased.

But honestly, in that split second, she hadn’t even been thinking about energy. All she cared about was that her mother couldn’t be bullied like this.

Too bad, too bad—her malice rebound skill hadn’t unlocked yet. Otherwise… hmph, neither of those two troublemakers outside would get away with it!

And when she leveled up further, she would unlock the misfortune bonus.

Anyone she locked as undeserving of the koi-blessing could then be targeted with a misfortune boost.

But that was for later. Right now, how could she vent her mother’s anger?

Meanwhile, Qin Ying had tried multiple times to go outside, only for Zhao Hu to stop her each time.

Qin Ying sighed in exasperation. “Huzi, they came here for me. If I don’t face them, how will this ever be resolved?”

“Sis! My dear sister!” Zhao Hu clung tightly to her arm. “You don’t know how to curse people out, and you’re definitely not a fighter!

“With that garbage spewing out of Hu Daxiang’s wife’s mouth, do you think you can take her on?

“And Guo Nier—that brat is a master manipulator. You’ll definitely get the short end of the stick if she latches onto you!

“Don’t worry, Mom’s out there, and so are a bunch of our neighbors. They won’t get away with anything. Just wait—they’ll leave soon.

“It’s freezing outside, and they’re barely dressed and far from home. They’ll run out of steam themselves.”

Qin Ying sighed. “But this still doesn’t solve the problem. Even if they leave today, they could come back tomorrow—and next time, who knows who they’ll bring?”

“We’ll deal with it then!” Zhao Hu wouldn’t let go. “Let’s see who has more people—just them, or our entire village?

“I guarantee the whole village stands with us! As for their side… I don’t believe everyone in their village is as brainless as they are!”

An An, hearing all this, suddenly got an idea. She opened her mouth and started wailing loudly. She couldn’t let her mom suffer in silence!

Startled, Qin Ying rushed into the house to check on the child.

Zhao Hu clapped his hands—an idea struck him. He darted outside, locked the door from the outside, then ran around to the eastern window and grinned in, saying, “Sis, I locked the door! You can’t get out now!”

Inside, Qin Ying gently rocked and comforted An An in her arms, calling out to Zhao Hu, “Alright, alright, I won’t go out, okay?”

Even though she stayed inside, Hu Daxiang’s wife didn’t quiet down outside.

Hearing the child’s cry, she perked up and shouted to the villagers, “Everyone, I’m telling you, that Qin Ying is immoral! Who knows who she fooled around with to pop out a baby—and you’re all just standing there watching?

“I know you folks in Tongshu Tun are grateful she helped find the water source, but that was pure luck!

“It has nothing to do with her character. A woman this shameless should be drowned in a pig cage…”

“Ptui!” An older woman spat a glob of phlegm right on her face and cursed, “You foul-mouthed wretch! What, were you raised in a latrine? Nothing but filth comes out of your mouth!”

Aunt Zhao was ready to go for blood. “I’ll kill her if it’s the last thing I do! Did you hear what came out of her mouth?!

“If Yingzi weren’t living her life openly under everyone’s eyes, someone might actually believe this witch!

“Yingzi is completely innocent, and now her reputation is in ruins!

“She’s not even twenty yet!

“Two years ago, they took everything from the Guo house and nearly drove Yingzi to her death!

“Now they want to do it a second time?

“How can someone be so cruel? She doesn’t deserve to be called human! Don’t hold me back!”

Afraid someone might really get hurt, two women held Aunt Zhao back with all their strength and didn’t dare let go.

Zhao Hu, like a charging calf, rushed at Hu Daxiang’s wife and rammed straight into her chest, knocking her to the ground. She saw stars and nearly blacked out.

Zhao Hu glared furiously. “What, you think the Zhao family has no one? Standing at our door, flinging filth at my sister?”

Then he turned to Guo Nier. “And you—what are you, a corpse? She’s slandering your sister-in-law, and you can’t even fart in protest?

“Where’s all that arrogance you used to flaunt in front of my sister?”

Guo Nier’s waist still hurt—no way she’d mess with Zhao Hu now. She just lowered her head and fiddled with her hands in silence.

“What’s going on here?” Uncle Chen Jiu came hobbling over on his cane, clearly displeased. “I could hear the racket from a mile away!

“Who’s causing trouble on New Year’s Eve? Looking to get kicked out of the village?”

“Exactly!” a villager laughed. “Uncle Jiu, perfect timing! Folks from Gaojia Tun showed up!”

“Gaojia Tun?” Uncle Chen Jiu frowned. “Isn’t that where Guo Wen’s grandmother lives?”

The villagers parted to make a path for him, and he stepped into the crowd.

At this point, Hu Daxiang’s wife still hadn’t gotten up. Her clothes were torn, hair a mess, face swollen like a pig’s head, covered in dust and bits of grass. She was a complete wreck.

Uncle Chen Jiu squinted at her for a while and asked, “Who are you? Why aren’t you home for New Year’s and instead barging into our village?

“Let me tell you—our county magistrate is here. If you’re looking to stir up trouble, you might as well get ready for a jail cell!”

Hu Daxiang’s wife hadn’t shed a single tear through all the beating, but as soon as she saw Uncle Chen Jiu, her tears burst forth. She sobbed, “Uncle, please save me! If you’d arrived a moment later, they would’ve killed me!”

“Oh?” Uncle Chen Jiu narrowed his eyes and said calmly, “I don’t believe the people of our village are so rude and unreasonable. You must’ve been the one in the wrong!”

As he said this, the people holding Aunt Zhao back loosened their grip. Aunt Zhao stepped forward, seizing the moment, wiping her eyes and choking out, “Uncle Jiu, you’re exactly right! This woman came here to drive Yingzi to her death!”