Chapter 12: Just because she didn’t cause trouble doesn’t mean she won’t.

The boy’s name was Niu Xiaoqiang, the only son of Niu Wenshan, the accountant of Zhao Village Production Team.  

The other students continued their lesson. Zhao Yunyun’s family shared a backyard with Accountant Niu’s family, so she knew Niu Xiaoqiang fairly well. She detoured to notify Accountant Niu’s family, while Zhao Ke took Niu Xiaoqiang to the clinic alone.  

Zhao Jianguo saw her bringing a child and immediately stepped forward to examine him, asking, “What’s wrong with the child?”  

Zhao Ke had Niu Xiaoqiang open his mouth. “He choked on something. He says his throat hurts a bit.”  

Zhao Jianguo took the child to the window for better light to examine him. Zhao Ke had nothing else to do there, so she told her father she would go home to cook.  

The Niu family rushed to the clinic in a panic. Grandma Niu and Xiaoqiang’s mother were in tears. Seeing their precious boy unharmed, they finally relaxed.  

Still, Grandma Niu and Xiaoqiang’s mother cried for a while as they hugged him. Xiaoqiang’s mother even hit him twice, saying, “Why are you so naughty?”  

It had been too frightening.  

Not seeing Zhao Ke, Accountant Niu asked about her, then thanked Zhao Jianguo.  

Zhao Jianguo waved it off and didn’t prescribe any medicine for Niu Xiaoqiang, only advising him to talk less, eat bland food, and rest.  

The Niu family thanked him repeatedly before heading home, surrounding the child.  

Twenty minutes later, all five members of the Niu family showed up at Zhao Ke’s house.  

Grandma Niu and Xiaoqiang’s mother each carried a chicken in one hand and a basket of eggs in the other. As soon as they saw Zhao Ke, they repeatedly expressed their gratitude, each grabbing one of her hands and trying to force the gifts into them.  

Zhao Ke declined, saying, “Granny Niu, Aunt Niu, it’s really not a big deal. You don’t need to do this.”  

The chicken was still alive. Grandma Niu clutched its wings as it clucked incessantly in Zhao Ke’s direction. “Er Guniang^[1]Second daughter, you have to take it. If you don’t, Granny will be mad.”  

Zhao Ke leaned back to avoid the chicken and gave an awkward smile. “Really, there’s no need.”  

Nearby, Xiaoqiang’s mother forcibly placed the basket handle in her hand, closing Zhao Ke’s fingers over it. “If it weren’t for you, my Xiaoqiang could have died. You must take it.”  

The eggs were fragile, so Zhao Ke froze, not daring to move too much.  

But the family only had two chickens. This season, they had just started laying eggs. The seven or eight eggs in the basket must have taken days to accumulate. No matter what, Zhao Ke refused to accept them.  

Accountant Niu and Grandpa Niu chimed in, urging her to accept the gifts.  

Overwhelmed and unable to argue against four people, Zhao Ke relented a little. “I’ll take the eggs, but not the chicken.”  

Ignoring her, Xiaoqiang’s mother released the basket, and Grandma Niu followed suit, forcing Zhao Ke to grip the chicken’s wings tightly. “If you let go, it’ll fly away,” she “threatened.”  

The family left after saying that.  

The chicken struggled violently in Zhao Ke’s hands, shedding a few feathers. She couldn’t catch up with the Niu family while holding both the chicken and the eggs.  

At that moment, the three members of Zhao’s family returned home and saw her in this awkward situation. Zhao Feng laughed exaggeratedly.  

Meanwhile, Hu Hezhi, suppressing his embarrassment, finished the morning lessons. He deliberately held his waist and stomach on the way home. Whenever someone asked what happened, he would smile bitterly and say, “A student was choking. As I was walking down the aisle, Zhao Ke rushed in and bumped into me. But fortunately, the child is fine.”  

People interpreted his words differently.  

Some, unaware of the truth, thought Zhao Ke delayed Hu Hezhi from saving the child. Others believed that Zhao Ke went to the school intentionally to show off because Hu Hezhi was substituting.  

Hu Hezhi vaguely responded to all: “You’re overthinking. It probably wasn’t like that.”  

When he returned home, Zhao Fangfang saw his movements and anxiously asked, “Hezhi, are you hurt?”  

Hu Hezhi didn’t care about her safety despite her pregnancy. Focused on acting, he grimaced in pain when she touched him, letting out a long “hiss.”  

Zhao Fangfang quickly pulled her hand back, panicked. “Did I hurt you?”  

Hu Hezhi shook his head reluctantly, freeing one hand to support her. “I’m fine. You’re not in good condition. Be careful.”  

Moved, Zhao Fangfang gazed at him lovingly.  

Hu Hezhi didn’t take her back to their room. Instead, he went to the main hall and, in front of the whole family, lifted his shirt to reveal the bruises on his waist and stomach.  

“Oh my!” Zhao Fangfang covered her mouth. “How did it get so bad?”  

Zhao Fangfang’s parents and Zhao Er Nai were also worried. “What happened? How did you get hurt while substituting?”  

Hu Hezhi repeated what he said earlier but clarified, “I was about to go over, but I was so startled I hesitated. She rushed in and saved Accountant Li’s son, becoming the hero. This will definitely sway the voting in her favor.” 

Hu Hezhi sighed, “Sigh—Grandma’s gifts were probably wasted.”  

Zhao Er Nai, a miserly old lady, had already made a huge sacrifice by giving gifts to win people over. When her grandson-in-law suggested they might be “wasted,” she flew into a rage. “Zhao Ke must’ve done it on purpose! I’ll find her! I’ll make sure she withdraws!”  

Hu Hezhi half-heartedly tried to dissuade her, but of course, he couldn’t calm the furious Zhao Er Nai.  

Even Zhao Fangfang wanted to confront Zhao Ke, but her parents stopped her, concerned about the baby in her belly.  

Hu Hezhi held Zhao Fangfang’s hand gently and said, “Don’t get upset. Your health is more important.”  

But after soothing Zhao Fangfang, he added, “It’s all because I’m useless. I can’t take good care of you and the baby, or properly honor Grandma and Mom and Dad. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have to compete for this teaching position.”  

Hearing that, Zhao Fangfang insisted on confronting Zhao Ke, refusing to listen to anyone’s advice.  

So, shortly after the Niu family had left, Zhao Er Nai led the entire family—except for Hu Hezhi—back to Zhao Ke’s house.  

Zhao Er Nai kicked open the door and shouted, “Zhao Ke! Get out here!”  

In the main room, the four members of Zhao Ke’s family, who were eating, all looked up with their bowls in hand.  

Zhao Er Nai stormed in and pointed at Zhao Ke, cursing, “Why did you push him? A wretch with a mother who gave birth but no one to raise her…”  

Zhao Feng clenched his fists in anger and stood up, ready to charge, but Zhao Ke grabbed him.  

Yu Xiulan and Zhao Jianguo’s faces immediately darkened, “Second Aunt, what are you saying?”  

Neighbors and members of the commune who had followed to watch the commotion crowded into the courtyard.  

Zhao Er Nai spat on the ground and cursed loudly, “I’m cursing this little bastard! You’re showing off everywhere. You ****, today you must compensate us!”  

Zhao Feng couldn’t hold back and glared fiercely, “Who are you cursing?”  

Zhao Ke couldn’t hold him back with one hand, so she switched to using both arms to restrain him, soothing him, “It’s a fart^[2]Utter rubbish, why get angry? Why are you being so difficult?”  

Zhao Fangfang glared at Zhao Ke angrily. “Zhao Ke, how can you be so ill-mannered? You curse your elders and hurt your brother-in-law. He hurt his waist—what if there’s a lasting injury? Can you afford to pay?”  

Zhao Er Nai hurled more insults, “Zhao Ke, you dare curse me?! You****!  I**** I’ll keep causing trouble at your house every day if you don’t pay me!”  

Her words were so vulgar that even the onlookers in the courtyard couldn’t take it anymore and spoke up:  

“Second Aunt, she’s just a young girl. What are you doing?”  

“Yeah, I saw Hu Hezhi earlier, and he seemed fine.”  

“Zhao Ke saved a child. Why is she being cursed?”  

“All this over a job? Is it worth it?”  

Zhao Er Nai had no time to care about what others said, but if she were to answer, she would definitely say it was worth it—absolutely worth it.  

Yu Xiulan, unwilling to lose face, was furious but couldn’t stoop to such shameless behavior. She tried to reason, “What compensation? Hu Hezhi was just standing in the hallway, not moving. My daughter was in a hurry to save someone; how could she notice him?”  

“My grandson-in-law was going to go there himself! I think Zhao Ke did it on purpose to steal the credit. Otherwise, why was she at the school when she wasn’t teaching?”  

Zhao Er Nai turned to the courtyard and shouted at the villagers, “Everyone, look! Yu Xiulan talks about being magnanimous, but she’s just afraid Zhao Ke won’t compare to my grandson-in-law!”  

Yu Xiulan was livid. “Second Aunt, if you keep this up, I won’t be polite…”  

“Not polite? I’m the one being impolite!”  

Zhao Er Nai, nimble on her feet, rushed to the table and flipped it over. Plates and bowls shattered on the floor, and food spilled everywhere.  

Yu Xiulan, unable to bear it anymore, lost her temper and charged forward on the spot. 

Seeing that she was about to grab the old lady’s hair, Zhao Fangfang’s mother also raised her hand. Zhao Ke shouted, “Dad!”

Zhao Jianguo had already grabbed Yu Xiulan by the waist, dragging her back as he advised, “You’re the women’s director—don’t get physical.”

Zhao Ke, meanwhile, was being dragged forward by Zhao Feng, almost unable to hold him back. Unable to resist, she slapped the back of his head. “Go find the team leader! What are you showing off for?”

Zhao Feng clutched the back of his head, giving her a resentful glance, then shot a fierce glare at the family bullying his mom and sister before squeezing through the crowd with large strides.

To deal with shameless people, you have to be even more shameless—impulsiveness would get you nowhere.

Zhao Ke turned to Zhao Er Nai, her face devoid of anger. She glanced at the shattered plates and bowls on the ground, smiling warmly. “Er Nai, you knew our dishes were old and specially came over to help us replace them. Thank you.”

Zhao Er Nai’s face instantly froze. “Who replaced your dishes?”

Zhao Ke pointed at the people outside. “Everyone saw it—you flipped the table. It wasn’t the table that flew on its own. What, break someone’s things and not compensate them?”

“I’m not compensating!”

Zhao Ke didn’t argue. “Let the team leader judge. Whether you want to or not, you’ll have to pay.”

Having no justification for flipping the table, Zhao Er Nai couldn’t win the argument and raised her hand to hit Zhao Ke.

Zhao Ke didn’t dodge, letting her shoulder take the old lady’s hand and dramatically cried out, “Ah!” before collapsing to the ground. She didn’t even bother to hide her intent, lifting her head and shouting, “Dad! I can’t move my leg! Hurry and get Uncle Ban to take me to the commune, to the police station! I need to get checked! I’m filing a report!”

Her tone didn’t sound like someone seeking justice for being hurt—it sounded more like she was excited at the prospect of securing a brick house.

Zhao Jianguo and Yu Xiulan were stunned. Their always-quiet daughter suddenly pulling a stunt like this was unexpected.

Zhao Er Nai, feeling tough on the outside but weak on the inside, snapped, “Stop pretending! I didn’t even hit you hard!”

Zhao Ke, doing it on purpose, didn’t care if others saw through her. So what if they did? “I’m reporting it. Er Nai, you hit me on purpose, so you must compensate.”

Zhao Fangfang’s parents, worried that the situation might really escalate to the commune or the police station, grabbed Zhao Er Nai from both sides. “Mom, let’s just forget it.”

Zhao Er Nai, who often caused a scene and usually gained something from it, was unwilling to back down. “Forget it? Why? She hit my grandson-in-law too, she must pay! Fine, let’s go to the commune! We’ll get checked too!”

Zhao Ke, unfazed, shifted into a more comfortable sitting position, cross-legged, and smugly declared, “Reports need evidence. I accidentally bumped into him while saving someone. You hit me on purpose, and everyone here saw it. Do as you please.”

Yu Xiulan, her temper cooling down, nudged Zhao Jianguo. “She’s right. Go get the ox cart.”

As her words fell, Zhao Fangfang suddenly clutched her stomach and cried out in pain, “Grandma, my stomach hurts…”

The atmosphere inside and outside the house immediately grew chaotic.

Nothing is more important than a child. Zhao Jianguo rushed over to check.

Zhao Er Nai shoved him aside. “We don’t need your fake concern!”

They weren’t even worried themselves, so Zhao Jianguo immediately understood and stood back up.

In the courtyard, someone shouted, “The team leader is here!” The crowd parted, and Zhao Xinshan walked in with a stern face, followed by Zhao Feng and Zhao Yunyun.

Zhao Ke immediately patted off the dust, stood up as if nothing had happened, and without waiting for Zhao Er Nai to speak, kindly said, “Team Leader, injuries to muscles and bones take a hundred days to heal. Hu Zhiqing is seriously injured. We can’t delay the children’s lessons, so I’ll substitute this afternoon.”

Zhao Er Nai was startled. “Who said he can’t teach? Don’t talk nonsense!”

“Oh, so he’s not seriously injured?” Zhao Ke raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping over Zhao Fangfang, then said to Zhao Xinshan, “It seems Fang Jie might have upset her pregnancy. Since she’s so easily affected, she’ll need her husband by her side to care for her. I’ll go teach instead.”

Zhao Fangfang stiffened, panicked, and looked anxiously at Zhao Er Nai.

Zhao Xinshan had already heard the full story from Zhao Feng on the way and frowned as he looked at the mess on the ground. “About what happened in the morning—Principal Gu, Teacher Wu, and the students all saw it. My daughter was worried and accidentally pushed Hu Hezhi. I’ll cover the medical expenses.”

Hearing that Zhao Yunyun was involved, Zhao Er Nai and the others exchanged uneasy glances. At this point, Zhao Fangfang’s father, Zhao Xinqiang, tried to play the good guy. “Da Ge, it’s just a misunderstanding. Why should you pay?”

Zhao Xinshan glanced at him but didn’t engage in pleasantries. He stated matter-of-factly, “Second Aunt, you broke the Jianguo family’s belongings. You’ll have to pay.”

“I have no money!”

Zhao Xinshan, unmoved by familial ties, said coldly, “I’ll have Accountant Niu make a note, and at the end of the year, we’ll deduct it from your family’s dividends.”

At this, Zhao Er Nai truly started wailing and lamenting.

Zhao Ke watched the scene with a faint, amused smile, her tone dripping with mockery. “As for Er Nai deliberately hitting me, I won’t hold it against her.”

Just because she didn’t cause trouble doesn’t mean she can’t.